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Neon Genesis Evangelion consists of 26 television episodes which were first aired on the terrestrial TV Tokyo network from October 4, 1995, to March 27, 1996. It was also later aired across Japan by the anime satellite television network, Animax. The series was followed by three movies: Death and Rebirth, The End of Evangelion and Revival of Evangelion. The first two movies were introduced in 1997. Death and Rebirth is a highly condensed re-edit of the series (Death) plus the first half of The End of Evangelion (Rebirth). The End of Evangelion is an alternate version of the series ending, which either supplements or replaces episodes 25 and 26, depending on how they are viewed. The two movies were re-edited and re-released as a single movie, Revival of Evangelion in 1998.

In 2003, the US distributor of the series, ADV Films, announced their intention to create a live action Evangelion film which has been partly financed,^[2] but a director or production date is yet to be announced.

On September 9, 2006, Gainax confirmed a new animated film series called Rebuild of Evangelion, consisting of four movies to be released in 2007 and 2008. The first three movies will be an alternate retelling of the TV series (including many new scenes, settings, backgrounds, characters), and the fourth movie will be a completely new conclusion to the story. ^[3]

Plot summary

Although it is not revealed until late in the series' run, Evangelion's story began in 2000, when an expedition of scientists in Antarctica discovered a large being of light, which they called Adam, or the first "Angel". On September 13, they experimented on the Angel; however, this caused Adam to go haywire and self-destruct (but in the process, it was also reduced to an egg cell), resulting in a cataclysm that would later be called the "Second Impact". Antarctica was almost completely destroyed, and Earth's axis was shifted by the force of the event, altering the climate and causing widespread destruction which killed billions. Warfare over the next year claimed even more lives, eventually leading to the death of half the earth's population before peace was established. The truths behind the Second Impact are kept clandestine from the public in the form of a cover story in which a meteorite traveling at nearly the speed of light impacted in Antarctica and caused the disaster.

The series begins in 2015, 15 years after "Second Impact". During that time, humanity has recovered from the disaster. As the series opens, Tokyo-3, a militarized civilian city located on one of the last dry sections of Japan, is attacked by the first of a series of strange monsters referred to as Angels. Conventional weapons are found to be ineffective, but the paramilitary organization NERV succeeds in developing biomechanical mecha, the Evangelions (Evas), which are capable of intercepting the Angels.

As the story progress, it is revealed that NERV is connected to three other mysterious organizations: GEHIRN (which became NERV), SEELE, and the Marduk Institute. NERV's primary task is to defend the Earth from the Angels, while under the control of SEELE. However, NERV has its own secret agenda, driven by its Machiavellian commander Gendo Ikari; the Human Instrumentality Project, which, according to Gendo in episode 25, is the path to unite all human minds into one global spiritual entity. The Marduk Institute, which operates through 108 ghost organizations, has the task of selecting the pilots for the Evas, the most capable being children conceived after the Second Impact (14 year olds). The institute consists of Commander Ikari, and NERV's chief scientist Ritsuko Akagi.

Each Eva has its own designated pilot, and operates by synchronizing the pilot's soul and the human soul inside the Eva. The higher a pilot's synchronization ratio, the better the pilot can control the Eva. For example, Shinji had a hard time making his Eva walk with 40% synchronization, but with higher synchronization he was able to perform and fight much more effectively. 100% sync ratio brings a tremendous amount of capability for the Eva, and higher ratios such as 400%, thought to be impossible, can be achieved by the pilots.

The main character, Shinji Ikari, is Gendo Ikari's estranged son. Prior to the beginning of the series Gendo summons Shinji to become a pilot when the pilot of Unit 00, Rei Ayanami, is injured. Not knowing why his father summoned him, Shinji arrives to Tokyo-3 just as the Third Angel attacks the city. Shinji reluctantly agrees and begins piloting Unit 01, and living with Major Misato Katsuragi. He and Rei battle angels together and are later joined by Asuka Langley Soryu, the pilot of Unit 02.

While Ritsuko does mention at the beginning of the series that the Evas do have some biological components to them, the extent to which the Evas are biological is not immediately apparent. Unit 01 is connected to Yui Ikari, Gendo's wife and Shinji's mother, since it contains her soul, as shown in episodes 16 and 20. Rei herself is a clone of Yui and contains the soul of the second angel, Lilith.^[4]

It later becomes clear that the Evas are not really "robots" but rather living, biomechanical organisms. It is finally revealed, towards the end of the series, that Evas are essentially cloned Angels (Units 00, 02, 03, and 04 are made from Adam, the first Angel, and 01 is made from Lilith) onto which mechanical components are incorporated as a means of restraint and control. This control is not perfect, as both Units 00 and 01 go "berserk" over the course of the series.

Over time, the characters begin to learn of the second goal of NERV and SEELE, the Human Instrumentality Project. Its purpose is to force the evolution of humanity and thereby save it. To do so, they plan to break down the AT-Fields that separate individual humans, merging all human souls. When everyone comes to this state, they will no longer feel the pain or loneliness that would typically precipitate from interaction between humans.

At the end of the series, two separate factions come into conflict over whether to implement Instrumentality or not.

In the last two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gendo and Rei initiate the Human Instrumentality Project. The series focuses primarily on Shinji, particularly in episode 26. Initially, Shinji attempts to run away from this internal confrontation, but eventually accepts himself for who he is. This ending, made up of flashbacks, strange, sketchy artwork, and flashing text, left many fans confused and unsatisfied. The main plot of the series—the battle against the Angels—was never resolved, and only Shinji's personal conflicts had any kind of resolution (and this is open to interpretation).

A year later, a second ending was released theatrically: The End of Evangelion.

Characters

The characters of Neon Genesis Evangelion are continuously struggling with their relationships with those around them, their inner demons, and traumatic events in their pasts. The pattern of relationships between the characters is complex.

The director Hideaki Anno described the hero, Shinji Ikari. as a boy who "shrinks from human contact," and has "convinced himself that he is a completely unnecessary person, so much so that he cannot even commit suicide." He describes Shinji and Misato Katsuragi, as "extremely afraid of being hurt" and "unsuitable—lacking the positive attitude—for what people call heroes of an adventure.^[5] Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu, the other major protagonists, have similar flaws and difficulty relating to other people.

According to Anno, Evangelion was an attempt to make all perspectives into one, creating characters that represent different things to different viewers to make it impossible for everyone to arrive at a single theory.

The character designs have also contributed to the popularity of Evangelion. The attractive designs of the three main female leads, Asuka, Rei and Misato, have been immortalized in the dōjinshi community,^[6] garage kit models, and in subsequent anime (such as Burst Angel).

Response

Gainax launched the project to create a movie ending for the series in 1997. They first released Death and Rebirth, consisting of a character-based recap of the entire series (Death) and the first half of the new ending (Rebirth). The project was completed later in the year, and released as The End of Evangelion.

The two endings are somewhat similar in plot, but while in the film Shinji clearly rejects instrumentality, in the television series his decision is left ambiguous. In still frames in episodes 25 and 26, Unit 01 is depicted with wings and the deaths of Misato and Ritsuko are shown, hinting that these had all been planned. In the English-language Director's Cut version of episode 24, the preview of the next episode shows concept frames from the fight between Asuka and the mass-produced Evas, and the title of the next episode is presented as "Air", which is the title of the first chapter from The End of Evangelion, rather than showing scenes from the TV series ending as it does in the original cut.

There was a sudden shift in tone about halfway through the series. Partly it was due to scheduling restraints, which drastically reduced the number of frames that could be drawn for each episode ^[7] (as well as a major budget cut after TV Tokyo threatened cancelling the show due to Episode 18's graphic violence broadcast at what was, at the time of Evangelion's original airing, a time slot aimed at older children and teenagers). Partly it was due to the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway on March 20, 1995, which occurred while series was under production; Anno decided to remove elements of the series plot that he felt were too similar to the real-life attack.^[6] Anno stated before production that he did not know how the show would end, nor what would become of the characters."^[5]

Influence

From the period from 1984 to the release of Evangelion, most highly acclaimed anime had a style somehow distanced from the usual styles of anime. For example, Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro (1988), and Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) were both low-key works, and Akira (1988) took most of its influence from American comic books.^[1] Acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii had said that, in the words of Hiroki Azuma, nobody wanted to watch "simple anime-like works" anymore.^[1] Evangelion, however, shows the reversal of this trend. It fully embraced the style of mecha anime, and in particular shows a large influence from Yoshiyuki Tomino's Space Runaway Ideon; particularly, there are scenes in End of Evangelion which are clear homages to the last movie for the Ideon series.^[1]

However, as much as Evangelion owes to the past, it has also had a large influence on many anime that followed it. The psychological nature of the show influenced later works such as Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997) and Serial Experiments Lain (1998), both of which, like Evangelion, center on an ambiguous world-changing event to come.^{citation needed]} The show His and Her Circumstances (1999), which was also directed by Hideaki Anno, shares many of the techniques (the experimental 'ripping-apart' of the animation and use of real photographs) and portrayed psychological conflicts in much the same way. Evangelion also dramatically changed the design of giant robots in many animated works. Previously, almost all mecha or giant robot shows took their "mechanical suit" designs from Gundam, Mazinger, and other similar shows from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Evangelion however changed this with its fast and sleek Evas, making a noticeable contrast to the comparatively bulky and cumbersome looking Patlabors and Transformers of the past. Indeed, the style set and created by Evangelion has become the standard for most mecha shows since the late-90s.

Evangelion has also been explicitly referenced and parodied. In the Digimon Tamers series, a lot of Evangelion elements were used in the back stories for the three main children, their friends, and D-Reaper. The same can be said for both WarGrowlmon and Gallantmon Crimson Mode, as they were modeled after EVA-01.^{citation needed]} Gainax's own His and Her Circumstances and FLCL had a few Eva parodies, as did Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. Invader Zim's Christmas episode had a cameo parody of Evangelion (a reference to when Shinji was assimilated inside Unit 01). In addition, in the same episode, a building can be seen with the label "MEMBRANE, friend of earth, enemy of santa" painted on it. This is possibly a reference to NERV.^{citation needed]}

Even Anno himself decided to poke fun at his work. In the Eva soundtrack Addition, a twenty minute audio drama was included that reunited the entire voice acting cast, titled "After the End." The drama is set after episode 26 and has the characters discussing a sequel to the show, clearly breaking the fourth wall. Anno is believed to be featured as a guest voice in the piece^{citation needed]}, taking on the roles of the "Space God" and "Black Space God."

A fandub parody was also made, Evangelion: ReDeath, during the wait for Manga to release the films. The film features Gendo Ikari as a pimp with his own theme song.

In the online community, Eva is a common source of parody. English image board 4chan has a meme ("zOMG! Teh Rei!") based on the character Rei Ayanami. Numerous webcomics, such as Tsunami Channel and Punks and Nerds, have featured Evangelion tributes.

Religion

The most prominent symbolism takes its inspiration from Judeo-Christian sources and frequently uses iconography and themes from Judaism, Christianity, and in some cases Freemasonry.

Assistant director Kazuya Tsurumaki said that they originally used Christian symbolism only to give the project a unique edge against other giant robot shows, and that it had no particular meaning.^[8] Whether this mindset changed over the course of the series' production, or has any relation to creator/director Hideaki Anno's symbolic intentions, is still a point of contention among fans.^{citation needed]}

The list of references goes on and on, with multiple equally plausible interpretations existing.

Fiction and philosophy

Neon Genesis Evangelion and particularly the Human Instrumentality Project show a strong influence from Arthur C. Clarke's novel Childhood's End, an influence Anno aknowledged.^[9] Both the larger theme of humanity's evolution to a higher plane of existence, and lesser details such as the declining birth rate after the Second Impact, were gleaned from this work.

Evangelion also shows influences from the science fiction author Dr. Paul Linebarger, better known by his pseudonym, Cordwainer Smith. Linebarger's work included strong influences from both East Asian culture and Christianity. His science fiction novels revolve around his own concept of the Instrumentality of Mankind, an all-powerful central government of humanity.^[10] Like SEELE, the Instrumentality of Mankind see themselves "to be shapers of the true destiny of mankind."^[11] Anno insisted that Hokan (補完^? complementation, completion) be translated as "Instrumentality" in English, perhaps as a way to pay homage to Linebarger, although the two authors' conceptions of "instrumentality" are extremely different.^[9]

Existential themes are heavily relied upon throughout the entire series, particularly the philosophies of Jean-Paul Sartre and Søren Kierkegaard. For Sartre, there is no essential truth about what human beings want to be or ought to be; instead each person must find their own identity and their own purposes, and confront their fears to take responsibility for their actions.^[12]

Shinji calls himself a coward as if that that makes it impossible for him to act differently. This sort of self deception had also been addressed by Kierkegaard in a paradox he called "the sickness unto death," someone who goes on pretending in life as though he has no soul, and as a result, is in danger of losing his "self." Episode 16's title, "The Sickness Unto Death, And..." (死に至る病、そして Shi ni itaru yamai, soshite^?) is a reference to this work.^[13]

Sartre in Being and Nothingness calls the conditions that bring about consciousness (ourselves, the world, others) "instrumentalities." Earlier philosophers such as Fichte had proposed that the human ego had come about through the instrumentality of freedom; it was Hegel's theory that this consciousness was not separated from the world, but was a part of it and would eventually evolve into an Absolute spirit or mind, a sort of God-like being with absolute freedom.

Sartre in his earlier works went so far as to say that "hell is other people," a sentiment expressed by Gendo Ikari as well. Shinji later reflects upon the fact that everyone he knows has their own impression of him that may be different from his own.

Translation notes on the title

The Japanese title for the series, Shin Seiki Evangelion, is composed of two parts: "Shin Seiki" (新世紀^? new era/century) from Japanese and "Evangelion" (εὐαγγέλιον euangelion, gospel, good messenger, good news) from Ancient Greek. The decision to call the series Neon Genesis Evangelion in English was originally made by Gainax, and not by translators. It appears in the eyecatches of the original, untranslated episodes, and is used by Gainax to market the series worldwide.

The title Neon Genesis Evangelion (νέον γένεσις εὐαγγέλιον, New Beginning Gospel) is wholly Greek. Genesis (γένεσις, εωσ, ἡ) means "origin, source" or "birth, race" and is also the Greek title for the first book of the Hebrew Scriptures, describing the creation of the universe and early Hebrew history. The Japanese term for the first book in the Bible is "Souseiki" (創世記^? Account of the beginning of the world), perhaps a wordplay (with two different beginning and ending kanji) with "Shin Seiki" in the Japanese title. Initially, euangelion meant "good messenger", (prefix "eu" meaning "good" and "angelion" meaning "messenger", related to "angel"), and later came to mean "good news." Eventually it became most commonly associated with the Christian gospels. ^[14] This dual meaning (message and messenger) may be the reason both the series itself and the "mecha" are called Evangelion.

There has been some debate over the correct pronunciation of "Evangelion." In the original Japanese version a hard 'g' (IPA: /g/) pronunciation is used by all Japanese characters, and, episode 18 of the series, a native English-speaking announcer. All official secondary dubs, including the English one, use the pronunciation /ˌe.vænˈgɛ.liən/ with a hard 'g'. On the other hand, in related words in English, such as "evangelist", the 'g' is soft (/dʒ/). The film One Hour Photo and numerous other parties prefer this reading;^{citation needed]} it is consistent with English spelling conventions. If the word "Evangelion" were in use in Modern English, the pronunciation would employ a soft 'g'. For the same reason, the pronunciation /ˌi.vænˈdʒɛ.liən/ (with the first vowel rhyming with "Eve" instead of /e/) is not uncommon.

However, the hard 'g' and /e/ is correct in the original Greek and Japanese, and are the pronunciations preferred by Gainax.

Other media

The popularity of the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime has ensured its longevity in other media as well. The series has also spawned numerous computer games. A manga based on the series, by series character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, has been serialized since February 1995. Two other manga based on the video games have also been created: Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days, by Fumino Hayashi, and Shinji Ikari Raising Project.

Merchandising

Merchandise for Evangelion still comes out fairly regularly. A number of action figures of the Evas, the Angels, and the pilots have been released. Asuka and Rei in particular are popular subjects for garage kits and models. A great deal of the merchandise has a much lighter tone than the series, something for which Hideaki Anno has expressed considerable discontent. Unlike many of the other "big names" of the show, he has not been involved in production for any of the merchandise.^{citation needed]}

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d AZUMA, Hiroki. Animé or Something Like it: Neon Genesis Evangelion. Retrieved on August 16, 2006.
^ Roth, Daniel (2005-12-12). It's... Profitmón!. Fortune Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
^ ＲＥＢＵＩＬＤ　ＯＦ　ＥＶＡＮＧＥＬＩＯＮ. Gainax (2006-09-10). Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
^ The End of Evangelion - Theatrical Program: Glossary. EvaOtaku.com (1998-02-20). Retrieved on 2006-09-03.
^ ^a ^b Anno, Hideaki [July 1995] (December 1998). “What were we trying to make here?”, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 1, translated by Mari Morimoto, English adaptation by Fred Burke, San Francisco: VIZ Media LLC, 170–171. ISBN 1-56931-294-X.
^ ^a ^b Woznicki, Krystian (1998-02-20). Towards a Cartography of Japanese Anime - Interview with Azuma Hiroki. Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
^ A Story of Communication: The Kazuya Tsurumaki Interview. EvaOtaku.com (1998-02-20). Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
^ Quote: "There are a lot of giant robot shows in Japan, and we did want our story to have a religious theme to help distinguish us. Because Christianity is an uncommon religion in Japan we thought it would be mysterious. None of the staff who worked on Eva are Christians. There is no actual Christian meaning to the show, we just thought the visual symbols of Christianity look cool. If we had known the show would get distributed in the US and Europe we might have rethought that choice." ― Kazuya Tsurumaki
Evaotaku.com FAQ
^ ^a ^b Horn, Carl G. Speaking Once as They Return: Gainax's Neon Genesis Evangelion. Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
^ References to: Cordwainer Smith and the Instrumentality Project. Yoko NGE All-In-One FAQ. Yoko NGE InfoCenter (2004). Retrieved on 2006-08-15.
^ Galen Strickland. Cordwainer Smith Profile. The Templeton Gate. Retrieved on 2006-08-19.
^ Sartre, Jean-Paul [1943] (1980). Being and Nothingness: An Essay on Phenomenological Ontology, translated by Hazel E Barnes, 86–112, 712–734.
^ Kierkegaard, Søren [1849] (1980). The Sickness Unto Death, translated by Howard V Honh and Edna H Hong, Princeton University Press, 1-67.
^ Station 15: The Euongaleon. The Church of Yahweh. Retrieved on 2006-08-15.

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