Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise)

This article is about the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. For the TV anime series which began the franchise, see Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン Shin Seiki Evangerion) is a Japanese media franchise created and owned by Gainax. Most of the franchise features an apocalyptic mecha action story, which revolves around the efforts by the paramilitary organization NERV to fight hostile beings called Angels, using giant humanoids called Evangelions that are piloted by select teenagers. Other works deviate from this theme to varying degrees, focusing more on romantic interactions between the characters, side stories which did not appear in the original works, and/or reimaginings of the conflicts from the original works.[1]

The Neon Genesis Evangelion manga debuted in Shōnen Ace in December 1994, as a way to generate interest in the upcoming anime release. The Neon Genesis Evangelion anime was written and directed by Hideaki Anno and originally aired from October 1995 to March 1996. The show was groundbreaking, delving into religious, psychological and philosophical themes on an otherwise standard mecha backdrop. There was some debate over the controversial ending of the television series. In response, two films were made to provide an alternate ending for the show: Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth, released in March 1997, and The End of Evangelion released in July 1997. Death is a compilation of clips from the TV series, with some new footage added, and Rebirth comprises the first 30 minutes or so of End of Evangelion.

The popularity of the show spawned numerous additional media, including video games, radio dramas, audio books, a novel, and a tetralogy of films titled Rebuild of Evangelion. Other derivative works include Angelic Days, Petit Eva: Evangelion@School and Campus Apocalypse.

Setting

Works within the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise typically have the same setting, characters and theme, but can vary in their portrayal of the storyline with alternate re-tellings of the original anime. Evangelion's fictional setting is an apocalyptic mecha story which takes place after the Second Impact, a cataclysmic explosion in Antarctica which resulted in the deaths of billions and threw the Earth off its axis. Fifteen years after the Second Impact, a group of mysterious beings referred to as "Angels" begin appearing and pose a worldwide and existential threat to mankind. The NERV organization, a paramilitary special agency, is tasked with defeating the Angels, with the use of giant mechanical warriors known as "Evangelions" to fight them. A select group of children pilot the Evangelions, with a focus on Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu.

The backdrop of Neon Genesis Evangelion slowly reveals the true nature of Rei Ayanami, the Evangelions, the Angels, and the NERV and SEELE organizations. Religious themes, include Christianity and Kabbalah references to Adam, Lilith and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The series is well known for its psychoanalysis of the characters, most heavily covered in the implementation of the Human Instrumentality Project, the secret goal of NERV and SEELE, whose result varies across different media, including the original anime, films, manga and video games.

Anime

Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン Shin Seiki Evangerion, literally "Gospel of a New Century"), commonly referred to as Evangelion or Eva, is a Japanese science-fantasy animation series that first aired from October 1995 to March 1996. It was directed and written by Hideaki Anno. Evangelion follows Shinji Ikari, a fourteen-year-old boy, who is summoned to Tokyo-3 by his father Gendo Ikari to pilot Evangelion Unit-01 on the eve of an Angel attack. Treated as a tool by his father, Shinji joins Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu as mankind's last hope against the mysterious beings known as the "Angels". As the series progresses, the true natures of NERV, the Evangelions, and the Angels are revealed.

OVA

Petit Eva: Evangelion@School is a super deformed parody OVA series that ran for 24 episodes as an adaptation of the Petit Eva and Petit Eva Bokura Tanken Dōkōkai manga. Petit Eva is a spin-off work that centers around high school life in a manner similar to Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days.

Films

Evangelion: Death and Rebirth

Death and Rebirth, originally released on March 15, 1997, is a film that consists of a highly condensed character-based recap and re-edit of the episodes 1-24, titled Death, and the first half of an unfinished new ending, titled Rebirth, a retelling of episodes 25 and 26 of the television series as the events of the Human Instrumentality Project unfold from an external point of view.

The End of Evangelion

Main article: The End of Evangelion

The End of Evangelion, released on July 19, 1997, is the completed version of Rebirth, an alternate version of the final episodes of the television series. SEELE attacks NERV, using their Mass Production Evangelion units, all in an attempt to complete the Human Instrumentality Project and initiate the Third Impact.

Rebuild of Evangelion

Main article: Rebuild of Evangelion

On September 9, 2006, Gainax confirmed a new animated film series called Rebuild of Evangelion, consisting of four movies presenting an alternate retelling of the TV series (including new scenes, settings, and characters) and a completely new conclusion to the story.[2] The first film was released in Japan on September 1, 2007, with the second and third released on June 27, 2009 and November 17, 2012, before the final film's last stated for a later release date.

Live-action film

Development of a live-action movie version of Neon Genesis Evangelion by Gainax, Weta Workshop Ltd., and ADV Films (then the worldwide distributor of the Evangelion series outside of Asia and Australia) was announced at the Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2003.[3] Early coverage included ADV Films raising "about half of the $100 million to $120 million needed to produce the film"[4] and some concept art produced by Weta Workshop.[5][6][7]

As time passed without any official announcements of production, the film project showed increasing signs of being in development hell. At Anime Expo 2008, ADV founders Matt Greenfield and John Ledford revealed that they had hired the producer John Woo, pitched the idea to other producers such as Jerry Bruckheimer and Steven Spielberg,[8] and seen increased interest in the wake of the success of the 2007 film Transformers.[9] At Ohayocon 2009, Matt Greenfield announced that several U.S. studios were competing for final rights to the project, predicting an official announcement naming the studio, director, and perhaps casting information within the next nine months (he later noted that the closer he got to sealing a deal, the less he could say anything about it).[10] Though the sudden collapse and asset sale of A.D. Vision in September 2009 raised concerns over the project's viability, Greenfield, Ledford,[11][12] and producer Joseph Chou[13] insisted the project was still actively searching for a director (claiming delays owed more to the general deterioration of the American anime market than to ADV's internal issues).

In August 2011, Vision sued Gainax, claiming their refusal to accept an option payment for the perpetual live-action rights to Evangelion was a breach of contract and resulted in losing an opportunity to produce the film with a major studio.[14] A.D. Vision has asked to be awarded the full live-action rights and any accruing legal fees.

Manga

A number of manga series based on the anime have been released, mostly notably the official series by series character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, which was first serialized in February 1995 (eight months before the series' official premiere, in order to promote interest), and ended in November 2014, 19 years later. Three other manga have been created: Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days by Fumino Hayashi, Shinji Ikari Raising Project by Takahashi Osamu, and Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse by Min Min.

Video games

Neon Genesis Evangelion has spawned a number of video games. These range from action games such as the same titled game for the Nintendo 64 and its sequel on the PlayStation 2, the fighting game Battle Orchestra, the visual novels Girlfriend of Steel and Girlfriend of Steel 2nd, and the rhythm game 3nd Impact (read "Sound Impact"). Characters from Evangelion also make numerous appearances in other titles such as in the Super Robot Wars series by Banpresto. The hit mobile game "Monster Strike", by the Japanese company Mixi, did a collaboration featuring dungeons and collectible units from the series.

Other media

The Evangelion franchise has spread from the original anime into a number of different media, with some following the official canon (of the 26-episode anime series and its three related films or the new Rebuild series) and others differing on important plot points originally introduced in the anime.

Books

Dramas

A parody radio drama, Neon Genesis Evangelion – After the End, was released in 1996 as part of the NEON GENESIS EVANGELION ADDITION album. The story features the anime's original cast reuniting to star in a new Evangelion series, while attempting to change various themes of the series to make it more popular/accessible than it already is.[17][18][19][20] A separate Evangelion audio cassette drama was released in 1996.[21]

Music

Evangelion has had numerous soundtrack releases since its debut on television, with most of the music composed by Shirō Sagisu. The television series' opening theme song "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" has become an iconic anime theme song. Four releases titled "Evangelion Classic", each one contained the classical music of Beethoven, Verdi, Handel, and J.S. Bach respectively.

Pachinko

A number of Evangelion-themed pachinko and pachisuro machines are offered at pachinko parlors:

Fanworks

Evangelion is also popular among doujinshi,[25][26][27] inspiring notable titles such as "Evangelion RE-TAKE" (an unofficial sequel to the End of Evangelion) by Studio Kimigabuchi and even works by famous manga artists, such as "Birth of Evangelion" by Yun Kōga.

Amusement park

On July 22, 2010, Fuji-Q Highland opened a 1,460m2 section devoted to Evangelion, featuring a lifesize entry plug and statue of Mari Makinami,[28] an approximately 3-meter titanium Lance of Longinus,[29] NERV hallways with character cutouts[30] that lead to a hangar room with the 1:1 bust of Eva Unit-01, SEELE monoliths, appropriate cosplay,[31][32] Eva-themed hotel rooms,[33] and food products.[34] A bust of Eva Unit-02 modeled after a scene in Evangelion: 2.0 was installed in 2011.[35][36][37][38][39][40]

In western media

Robin Williams briefly discussed the series in-character in the 2002 film One Hour Photo, mistakenly identifying the Mass-Production Evangelions as "heroic robots that fight the monsters." Williams used a toy from his personal collection, and ad-libbed the identification in an effort to troll other Evangelion fans.

The Spider-Verse comic book storyline introduced a new character, named SP//dr, who is designed as a tribute to Evangelion.[41]

References

  1. ↑ "「ヱヴァ」総監督　劇場で"緊急声明"". Sponichi Annex. February 12, 2007. Archived from the original on March 9, 2007. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Rebuild of Evangelion". Gainax. 2006-09-10. Retrieved 2006-09-12.
  3. ↑ "Live Action Eva Press Release". Anime News Network. 21 May 2003. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  4. ↑ Roth, Daniel (12 December 2005). "It's... Profitmón!". CNNMoney.com. Fortune. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "CGSociety - Neon Genesis Evangelion concept art from Weta". Features.cgsociety.org. 2004-01-16. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  6. ↑ Greg Broadmore (May 31, 2006). "New Weta Workshop Concept Art". neon-genesis-evangelion.moviechronicles.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  7. ↑ "Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news". Aintitcool.com. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  8. ↑ Movies - The Vile One's Dungeon 8.07.08: San Diego Comic Con 2008 - Jane And The Dragon Interview with Richard Taylor and Martin Baynton. 411mania.com (2011-05-02). Retrieved on 2011-12-18.
  9. ↑ ADV Films - Anime Expo 2008. Anime News Network (2011-12-14). Retrieved on 2011-12-18.
  10. ↑ Evangelion Live Action Movie. Movie Chronicles. Retrieved on 2011-12-18.
  11. ↑ "Sunday Supanova Wrap Up". EvaGeeks.org. 2011-06-19. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  12. ↑ "Tiffany Grant & Matt Greenfield Sunday Supanova 2011.MP3". Mediafire.com. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  13. ↑ "Producer: Live-Action Evangelion Project Still Active". Anime News Network. February 4, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  14. ↑ "A.D. Vision, Inc. sues Gainax Co., Ltd. over live-action Evangelion movie agreement". Crunchyroll. August 12, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Newtype 100% Collection: Gundam W and Neon Genesis Evangelion". Ex.org. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  16. ↑ "Press". EX. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  17. ↑ "After the End - Eva Monkey, an Evangelion Fan Website". Evamonkey.com. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  18. ↑ ""After the End" Audio Drama Translation by Matthew Grimes". Evamonkey.com. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  19. ↑ "Part 1 of Neon Genesis Evangelion - After the End Drama". Youtube.com. 2010-12-15. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  20. ↑ "Part 2 of Neon Genesis Evangelion - After the End Drama". Youtube.com. 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  21. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2DFukevaCM
  22. ↑ "エヴァンゲリオン 再起動プロジェクト". Fields.biz. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  23. ↑ "FIELDS_CRエヴァンゲリオンセカンドインパクト". Fields.biz. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  24. ↑ "Fields". evaproject.jp. Archived from the original on February 21, 2007. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  25. ↑ "Sunday featured mostly male-oriented (read, ecchi) works in anime and girl-get games. Favorites such as EVANGELION, SLAYERS, and TOKIMEKI MEMORIAL were out in full force". Ex.org. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  26. ↑ "Probably the two biggest titles were SHINSEIKI EVANGELION and Konami's TOKIMEKI MEMORIAL ~forever with you~. About 30-40% of the titles were ecchi.". Ex.org. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  27. ↑ "It has been credited with defining gender roles, influencing attitudes toward the environment, and spawning the madly obsessive—and immensely profitable—otaku subculture embraced by tens of thousands of geeky fans who spend their lives unraveling the larger message of the show and collecting pornographic comic books featuring the show's female characters." "Let's Die Together", David Samuels, Atlantic Monthly; May 2007, Vol. 299 Issue 4, p92-98, 7p
  28. ↑ Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Most Illustrious Character Recreated | Kotaku Australia. Kotaku.com.au (2011-04-05). Retrieved on 2011-12-18.
  29. ↑ 等身大の真希波・マリ・イラストリアスが「EVANGELION:WORLD 第二次計画」で富士急ハイランドに登場. Gigazine. Retrieved on 2011-12-18.
  30. ↑ ネルフ本部が館内に出現、リニューアルされた「EVANGELION:WORLD」と実物大初号機. Gigazine. Retrieved on 2011-12-18.
  31. ↑ Life-Sized Evangelion Unit-01 Completed. EvaGeeks.org (2010-07-15). Retrieved on 2011-12-18.
  32. ↑ "Afufu.net". Afufu.net. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  33. ↑ 綾波レイをフィーチャーした富士急ハイランドの「EVANGELION:ROOM」を見せてもらった. Gigazine. Retrieved on 2011-12-18.
  34. ↑ 「ゼーレ、チョコクランチの座」など、富士急「EVANGELION:WORLD」のエヴァンゲリオンストアのお土産試食レビュー. Gigazine. Retrieved on 2011-12-18.
  35. ↑ "富士急ハイランドに実物大エヴァ2号機ザ・ビースト登場！ : みんなのエヴァンゲリオン(ヱヴァ)ファン". Neweva.blog103.fc2.com. 2011-01-26. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  36. ↑ "富士急ハイランド｜エヴァンゲリオン 実物大初号機建造計画". Fujiq.jp. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  37. ↑ "エヴァンゲリオン ルームでエヴァの世界を体感せよ！｜ハイランドリゾート ホテル＆スパ". Highlandresort.co.jp. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  38. ↑ "Life-Size EVA-02 Head, Evangelion Hotel Room Planned - Interest". Anime News Network. 2012-11-17. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  39. ↑ 「EVANGELION：WORLD」第二次计划启动，继初号机之后等身大二号机实体诞生。 « JPbeta 多元化日本文化资讯站. Jpbeta.net. Retrieved on 2011-12-18.
  40. ↑ 富士急ハイランドに姿を現した「ザ・ビースト」モードのエヴァ2号機. Gigazine. Retrieved on 2011-12-18
  41. ↑ Edge of Spider-verse packs in the anime references

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