Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the greatest anime series of all time. The Gospel takes the mecha genre to its logical conclusion by asking, “what would really What would happen if kids were forced to pilot giant robots?” The series starts out as a traditional mecha anime, sort of like Mobile Suit Gundamonly to quickly spiral out of control as the main characters sink deeper into their personal psychological problems and fail to properly confront their traumas.
The original Neon Genesis Evangelion anime is a bleak, depressing, and sometimes deeply uncomfortable story that uses its mechanical foundation to explore themes of identity, self-harm, childhood trauma, and depression with an impressive amount of nuance. The Gospel infamously ran out of budget at the end of its run, resulting in an iconic, thought-provoking ending that, frankly, just proves that limitations strengthen art.
After the end of The Gospel anime, the series came back for a proper blockbuster with the title The End of Evangelion. Years later, Evangelion returned again in a series that began as a remake, only to make it clear that it was actually a sequel. Between the original The Gospel and that Rebuilding Evangelion reboots there have been a handful Neon Genesis Evangelion films. Some are just as good, if not better, than the original anime, while others leave a lot to be desired.
The Chainsaw Man Ending is this generation's Neon Genesis Evangelion
Chainsaw Man's manga ending has a lot in common with Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes 25 and 26, and it's all for the better.
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Death & Rebirth is a glorified compilation film
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth is the first and worst The Gospel Film. Death & Rebirth was released almost a full year after the original NGE the anime ended. The film is divided into two parts, Death and Rebirth. Evangelion: Death is a recap of the first 24 episodes of the anime, quickly running the show at just 72 minutes. It goes without saying, though Evangelion: Death fails to do the anime justice and is in no way a substitute for actually watching Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Evangelion: Rebirth is the first 24 minutes of The End of Evangelion. At the time of its release, this was the only way to experience new material after the anime film. As said, Evangelion: Rebirth suffers from being basically a prologue with no real ending, while being completely redundant by The End of Evangelion now existing. If you don't want to experience a piece of The Gospel story or, for whatever reason, need a super quick recap of the anime, Death & Rebirth is simply not worth watching.
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3.0 You Can't (Can't) Redo is frustrating by design
Evangelion: 3.0 You can (not) redo is the third film in the Rebuilding Evangelion reboot and feels like Rebuilds take on episodes 24 to 26 of Neon Genesis Evangelion. 3.0 features beautiful animation, great music, and some of Kaworu's best material in the entire series, but suffers from some frustrating narrative decisions. The film takes place after a time jump that skips what the actors were doing in between 2.0 and 3.0.
This is done to make the audience understand and feel Shinji's confusion on a deep level, but doesn't exactly do the story any favors. It does not matter the fact that the preview for 3.0 promised some genuinely interesting material which is just thrown overboard. Evangelion: 3.0 You can (not) redo is probably the most depressing entry in the series. There is a sense of hopelessness that permeates the entire film, for better or for worse.
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1.0 You Are (Not) Alone redoes the Anime's first story arc beautifully
Evangelion: 1.0 You are (not) alone was the first film in the Rebuild series and is the only entry that feels like a proper remake of Neon Genesis Evangelion. With gorgeous new animation that dramatically breaks up the action, You are (not) alone redo the first six episodes of The Gospel anime, showing Shinji's introduction to NERV and his growing relationships with Misato and Rei. On several levels, Evangelion 1.0 is a fantastic movie.
On the one hand, it's a fantastic remake that lulls the viewer into a false sense of security like later Rebuild films will be traditional remakes, only to brilliantly pull the rug out from under the viewer. On the other hand, 1.0 has several tips on that Rebuild saga is actually a sequel to Neon Genesis Evangelionas the sea is red as at the end of The End of Evangelion. The Kaworu post-credits scene is also a good plot twist that promises there is so much more to it Rebuild “remake” than what you see. Evangelion: 1.0 You are (not) alone is a perfect balance between early The Gospels picturesque atmosphere and the chaos that defined the end of the series.
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2.0 You Can't (Not) Advance made it feel like anything could happen in the rebuilds
Evangelion: 2.0 You can (not) advance begins as a regular remake of the upcoming episodes of The Gospelonly to quickly branch out into a whole new take on the material. 2.0 has some of the best Gendo and Shinji interactions in the entire series, while also featuring excellent action and great character development for Shinji that perfectly (and painfully) sets up his arc for the rest of Rebuild series.
The highlight of Evangelion: 2.0 is the end of the film, with Shinji prematurely triggering Third Impact multiple episode before it's supposed to happen. The chaos and terror of the past few minutes, all wrapped up in a warped moment of control for Shinji. Evangelion: 2.0 You can (not) advance is one of the best anime films of all time, masterfully tricking the viewer into believing that Shinji can indeed change his fate in Rebuild.
Neon Genesis Evangelion celebrates 30 years in style with the Vintage Tee Collection
Show your love for Neon Genesis Evangelion with a collection of vintage t-shirts, just in time to celebrate the series' 30th anniversary.
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3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is a masterful end to the Evangelion Franchise
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Three times in time is currently the grand finale to Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, and the series couldn't have asked for a better ending. Three times in time finally the state of the world is showing 3.0 just hinted at it, with some of the best written and directed slice of life material in the entire series. The interruption in the first half of the film offers Shinji, Asuka and Rei absolutely phenomenal character development while the film's ending is perfect.
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Three times in timeThe second half is one of the best things to come out of modern anime, period. The film builds up, embraces and counteracts The End of Evangelion brilliantly, giving fans a deep dive into Gendo's psyche and ultimately giving Shinji the deepest catharsis possible. Three times in time is an absolute triumph for the anime medium, with some of the best animation, drama and emotion in the entire franchise, concluding The Gospel fairy tale in a beautiful arc. Three times in time comes so close to being the absolute best movie in the series.
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The End of Evangelion is the greatest anime film of all time
The End of Evangelion is an absolute masterpiece. The film takes place during episodes 25 and 26 Neon Genesis Evangelionshowing what actually happened while everyone was going through instrumentality, and detailing the downfall of NERV, SEELE, and humanity when Third Impact finally occurs. The End of Evangelion is a deep, dense character study of who Shinji is as a character, forcing him to confront himself much harder than he did during the original anime.
The End of EvangelionThe oppressive atmosphere reflects Hideaki Anno's deep depression when he made the series, creating a film that at times feels downright hostile to its audience – but EoE is all the better for it. The End of Evangelion has the best animation, art direction and music in the series. The End of Evangelion is the absolute pinnacle of what the franchise is capable of artistically, and a movie all should see at least once in a lifetime, not just anime fans. Just be sure to look Neon Genesis Evangelion first.
- Release date
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1995 – 1996
- Network
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TV Tokyo
- Directors
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Keiichi Sugiyama, Masahiko Otsuka, Tensai Okamura, Shoichi Masuo, Minoru Ohara, Seiji Mizushima, Tetsuya Watanabe, Ken Ando
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Megumi Ogata
Shinji Ikari (voice)
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Kotono Mitsuishi
Misato Katsuragi (voice)
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Megumi Hayashibara
Rei Ayanami (voice)
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Yuko Miyamura
Asuka Langley Soryu (voice)
