It’s been more than 25 years since the Japanese television series “Neon Genesis Evangelion” first debuted, but a steady stream of merchandising, collaborations and a revamped tetralogy film mean its legacy remains strong.
And now, with the long-awaited final installment of the Rebuild of Evangelion film series slated for release on January 23, there is a buzz among fans of the growing.
After being delayed from summer 2020 due to coronavirus infection, “Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon A Time” comes more than eight years after the third film “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo,” a was the fourth-highest domestic film in Japan for 2012, generating approximately 5.3 billion yen ($ 51 million) in box office sales.
Procurement photo showing Tadashi Sudo, a freelance writer and journalist in the field of animation. (Image courtesy of Tadashi Sudo) (Kyodo)
Tadashi Sudo, a journalist in the field of animation who founded the editorial website “Anime! Anime!” in 2004, says part of Evangelion’s ongoing interest lies in how well it communicates with fans.
“You not only see it, but it also makes you think about it even after seeing it. With the creators continuing to deliver unique events, collaborations and other entertainment. from the series, it always feels close to you, ”said Sudo, now a freelance writer who co – authored an industry report released annually by the Japanese Animal Society.
Set 15 years after a global cataclysm, Evangelion sets out around a teenage boy – Shinji Ikari – who is summoned by his father, the leader of a secret group called NERV, to pilot the giant titular robots humanoid in the fight against alien creatures known as “Angels.”
Much of the story takes place in Tokyo-3, a post-apocalyptic fortified city under which NERV is built, and famous among fans for being located in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Since a special map was released in June 2009 for Evangelion’s “anime pilgrims”, the city has embarked on a range of collaborations to cater for fans including the creation of decals. bus, conventional permit blades, and, more recently, redesigning a public toilet.
The toilet, made in February 2020 to resemble an observation center built in secret by NERV, sits in Kintoki Park in Sengokuhara district with a mountain circle, a Tokyo-3 nucleus.
The photo provided shows an Evangelical-themed toilet that opened in February 2020 in the Sengokuhara district of Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture. (Photo courtesy of Hakone town office) (Kyodo)
With the TV series added to the Netflix streaming line from June 2019, Evangelion continues to capture a new generation of fans around the world.
Ryudo Nakakura, a former NHK nominee as a freelance journalist and anime researcher, turned down his enduring appeal by saying that Evangelion – or Eva as it is known – broke le aficionados – the model set by mainstream robot anime works in the 1990s to immerse viewers in a deeper meaning.
“I believe Eva brought a new style to the Japanese anime world. As director (Hideaki) Anno later said, his passionate desire to do something about the anime industry came to a head at the time and his brilliant ideas came to fruition. with the release of Eva, and that really attracted anime fans, “he said.
Nakakura, which now watches more than 300 anime series a year and has aired at anime events in Taiwan and China, says the series’ appeal is boiling down to three main elements: unique characters, the enigmatic robots called Evas and, most importantly, a plot full of immeasurable twists.
A provided photo shows Ryudo Nakakura, a former NHK journalist a freelancer and anime researcher. (Image courtesy of Ryudo Nakakura) (Kyodo)
“Shinji was far from the usual image of a hero, but it was just because it wasn’t perfect that viewers could sympathize with his emotional turmoil and get into the story,” he said.
Revealing how the uncertainties make it inspiring to see the story go beyond expectations, Nakakura said, “These elements ultimately work to create a feeling of dissatisfaction throughout The whole series which is hard to explain. “
To build excitement for the new film, production studio khara Inc. the three films that have already been released – which ended in 2007, 2009, and 2012 respectively – 4D Remedies at 82 theaters in Japan in December, with the usual editions also scrambled at the one time at 373 theaters nationwide.
“The new Evangelion films use the latest animation technology, such as 3DCG, to intensify scenes and introduce new elements to the story, making it timeless and attracting new fans. it ‘s amazing, “said Hisashi Maeda, 38, the anime column that accompanies the moniker” maeQ. “
But while Maeda watches every film with great interest, he admits that he still prefers the original 26-program series, the masterpiece of director Hideaki Anno under the anime studio Gainax Co. Anno later founded khara in 2006, which produced the revamped Evangelion films and now regulates the copyright of the old series.
Maeda half-heartedly claims to be “Shinji Ikari’s generation,” when he turned 14 – the same age as the main character – when the TV series first debuted in Japan in 1995. He claims the show as the “dark knight” of pop culture for the time, lifting fans from going with its story, design and production techniques.
“Many in the animation industry today say they (Evangelion) inspired them to become anime creators. If it weren’t for Evangelion, the pool of talented anime creators would be much smaller than it is. There may be fewer anime fans. That ‘s how much Gospel has influenced people and times, “Maeda said.
Related broadcast:
The success of “Demon Slayer” continues in Japan as the last book hits bookstores
A life-size mobile Gundam statue unveiled at Yokohama theme resource
NiziU, Babymetal to play for the first time on NHK’s “Kohaku” music show