It's the End of "Evangelion" as We Know It

Spoilers for the first three "Rebuild of Evangelion" films ahead.

I watched and reviewed the first of these "Rebuild" films way back in 2011, and promptly stopped paying attention to the franchise.  That first film, which I'll refer to as "1.0," was largely a retread of the first part of the 1996 "Neon Genesis Evangelion" television series with spruced up animation, so I expected the subsequent ones would be too.  Now it's a decade later and "1.0" has been followed by "2.0," "3.0," and "3.0+1.0," which complete the series.  

I have no idea how this series of films is going to play to newcomers to "Neon Genesis Evangelion."  I can only approach these as a fan of "Evangelion" who watched the show in the late '90s and got wonderfully confused by the wildly esoteric "End of Evangelion" follow-up film in 1997.   "2.0," "3.0," and "3.0+1.0" increasingly diverge from the original storyline, though they're directed and written by "Evangelion's" original creator Hideaki Anno.  They cover most of the same general plot points, including the apocalypse scenario of "End of Evangelion," but with some significant reshuffling and streamlining.

There's a new character, Mari (Maaya Sakamoto), a foreign pilot who has little real bearing on the plot, but who gives Asuka (Yuko Miyamura) someone to pal around with, and seems to represent Anno's spouse, mangaka Moyoko Anno.  There's also a significant timeskip between "2.0" and "3.0" that gives us new versions of most of the characters, including the amusing transformation of NERV commander Misato Katsuragi (Kotono Mitsuishi) into a Captain Harlock-like figure leading a ragtag band of rebels.  "3.0" is largely devoted to the pivotal relationship between our hero, Shinji Ikari (Megumi Ogata), and fellow pilot Kaworu Nagisa (Akira Ishida), which was only covered in a single episode of the 1996 series.    

Is the new film series better than the original run of "Evangelion" media?  Yes and no.  While it uses many of the same elements and assets, the "Rebuild" films manage to distinguish themselves as very much their own thing, and have a very different style and aims.  The production is certainly much more impressive and expensive, showing off fancy animation produced on a scale that would have been impossible to achieve in the '90s.  There are thirteen Evangelion mechas in "Rebuild," compared to the original four, and all kinds of new Angels and other opponents for them to battle.  The story is much more comprehensible, though there are still a lot of wild concepts and ideas in the mix that nobody bothers explaining.  The worldbuilding and characters are much more fleshed out and well-rounded, especially the more mysterious figures like Kaworu and Shinji's father Gendo (Fumihiko Tachiki).  I greatly prefer Misato's characterization in these films, even though her fate is the same.  

The biggest difference really is the tone.  The "Rebuild" films have their moments of angst and moroseness, especially in "3.0" when Shinji hits an emotional low point.  However, the story is far more hopeful and optimistic, even as it charts the end of the world in more painful detail.  "3.0+1.0" deliberately spends a great portion of its running time showing how Shinji and Rei Ayanami (Megumi Hayashibara) recover from their traumas and learn how to reconnect with humanity.  I miss the quieter, contemplative mood of the 1996 "Evangelion," which was often so internally focused and so painfully intimate, but I also think that "Rebuild" strikes a better balance between its examination of Shinji's psychological state and the bigger story of the fight to stave off the apocalypse. 

Frankly, I'm glad to have both versions of this story available.  "3.0+1.0" does its best at providing all manner of epic giant robot battles, but it never lives up to the magnificent, horrific, carnage of "The End of Evangelion."  On the other hand, after twenty-five years, it is so rewarding to see Shinji grow up a little, and find an unlikely happy ending at last.  Really, the only strong objections I have to "Rebuild" are Studio GAINAX's sleazy fanservice shots of the female pilots, which have somehow gotten more gratuitous over time.  

Then again, I guess it wouldn't be "Evangelion" without the perverted fanboys, would it?

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