Neon Genesis Evangelion
Gainax/King Record/Production IG/MOVIC, 1995-96, 1998
ADV Films, 1996-98, 2000-2001
English VHS (13 tapes) / Subtitled VHS (13 tapes) / Bilingual Laserdisc* (8 discs) / Quad-lingual DVD** (8 discs)
Neon Genesis Evangelion is Gainax's first anime work after a five-year hiatus. The company's brand of storytelling is unique, blending the technical wizardry of 1988's Aim for the Top! Gunbuster with psychological twists. Next to The Vision of Escaflowne, Evangelion boasts some highly-impressive animation usually seen only on OAV series. The musical scoring by Shiro Sagisu -- which mixes shades of Macross TV music, James Bond themes and classical orchestra -- is among the best heard on Japanese TV.
Anime and Sci-Fi afficionados shouldn't miss out on this excellent anime. Just make sure to watch the subtitled version, since the dubbed version is among the worst ever recorded in anime history.
Rating: ****1/2
*Out of print. **Quad-lingual: Japanese/English/French/Spanish
Evangelion: Death and Rebirth
Gainax/King Record/Toei, 1997
Not available in the US
Death chronicles -- in 60 minutes -- the most important events that occurred within episodes 1-24 of the TV series. The original TV animation has been retouched for a more theatrical feel. Classical buffs will love the string orchestral music played by Shinji, Rei, Asuka and Kaworu.
Rebirth, on the other hand, is a 30-minute sneak preview of the final chapter of the series, The End of Evangelion. In this feature, SEELE orders the Japan Strategic Self-Defense Force (JSSDF) to invade the Geo-Front and eliminate every NERV official within the vicinity, and only the remaining Evangelions can stop them. By itself, Rebirth's animation surpasses the excellent quality of the TV series. But it only makes us want to watch The End of Evangelion immediately. :-)
Note: Manga Entertainment was supposed to release this along with The End of Evangelion in the US as announced late 1999. But after two years of delays, Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Movie is slated for a Summer 2001 release.
Rating: *****
The End of Evangelion
Gainax/King Record/Toei, 1997
Not available in the US
