Neon Genesis Evangelion (Japanese: ??????????? , Hepburn: Shinseiki Evangerion , literally "The Gospel of the New Century") is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and Tatsunoko Productions and directed by Hideaki Anno, and broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. The players include Megumi Ogata as Shinji Ikari, Megumi Hayashibara as Rei Ayanami, and Y? ko Miyamura as Asuka Langley Soryu. The music is composed by Shir? Sagisu.
Evangelion is set fifteen years after the world disaster, especially in the futuristic fortified city of Tokyo-3. The protagonist is Shinji, a teenage boy recruited by his father to the shadow organization of Nerv to drive a gigantic mecha bio-machine called "Evangelion" into battle with a strange creature called "Angels." The series explores the experiences and emotions of Evangelion pilots and Nerv members as they try to prevent any and all Angels from causing other disasters, and when they deal with searches to find out the true truth behind events and organizational movements. The series features images from Kabbalah, Christianity, and Judaism; these are combined to form deconstructionism.
Neon Genesis Evangelion received critical praise and controversy. Particularly controversial are the last two episodes resulting from the show, leading the team behind the series to produce the original version intended from the ending in the 1997 film The End of Evangelion. Considered to be the deconstruction of the mecha genre, the original TV series led to the rebirth of the anime industry and has become a cultural icon. Movies, manga, home videos, and other products in the Evangelion franchise have achieved record sales in the Japanese market and strong sales in overseas markets, with related items sold more than Ã,  ¥ 150 billion in 2007 and Evangelion pachinko machines sell  ¥ 700 billion by 2015. By 2018, this is the 17th best-selling franchise of all time with an estimated income of $ 14.9 billion.
Video Neon Genesis Evangelion
Plot
In 2015, fifteen years after the global disaster known as Second Impact, Shinji Ikari's teenager was summoned to the futuristic city of Tokyo-3 by his estranged father, Gendo Ikari, director of Nerv's special paramilitary forces. Shinji watched the United Nations forces fight against the Angel, one of the giant giant creature races whose rise was prophesied by the Dead Sea Scrolls. Due to the impenetrable force field of the angels, Nerv's giant Evangelion bio machine, synchronized with their pilot's nervous system and having their own field of strength, is the only weapon capable of making the Angels destroy humans. Officer Nerv Misato Katsuragi escorted Shinji to the Nerv complex below the city, where his father forced him to drive Evangelion Unit-01 against the Angel. Without training, Shinji is quickly overwhelmed in battle, causing Evangelion to rage and cruelly killing the Angel himself.
After being hospitalized, Shinji moved in with Misato and lives in Tokyo-3. In his second battle, Shinji destroys the Angel but flees afterwards, desperate. Misato faces Shinji and he decides to remain a pilot. The crew of Nerv and Shinji then have to fight and defeat the remaining 14 Angels to prevent the Third Impact, a global catastrophe that will destroy the world. Evangelion Unit-00 was repaired shortly after. Shinji tries to make friends with his pilot, a socially isolated, mysterious teenage girl, Rei Ayanami. With Rei's help, Shinji defeated another Angel. They then joined the Evangelion Unit-02 pilot, a big, but unsatisfied teenager, Asuka Langley S? Ryu, who is a German-American. Together, the three of them managed to defeat some Angels.
Shinji is forced to fight infected Evangelion Unit-03 and oversee his pilot, his friend and classmate Toji Suzuhara, paralyzed and possibly permanently paralyzed (killed in the manga). Asuka lost confidence after defeat and spiral became depressed. This is exacerbated by the ensuing battle, against the Angels who attack his mind and force him to revive his worst fears and hidden insecurities, resulting in mental disorders. In the ensuing battle, Rei destroys Unit-00 and dies to save Shinji's life. Misato and Shinji visited the hospital where they found Rei alive but claimed he was the "third Rei". Misato forces scientist Ritsuko Akagi to reveal the dark secrets of Nerv, Evangelion's bardard and a stuffed plug system that operates using Rei clones. Succession of this event makes Shinji emotionally injured and alienated from the rest of his character. Kaworu Nagisa replaces Asuka Katatatikat as a pilot of Unit-02. Kaworu, who initially befriended Shinji and gained trust and affection, is actually the last prophecy of Angels, Tabris. Kaworu fights Shinji, then realizes that he must die if the humanity is to flourish and asks Shinji to kill him. Shinji hesitates but eventually kills him. He was overwhelmed with guilt.
After the last Angel was defeated, Seele, the secret gang who oversaw the events of the series, sparked the "Human Intermediate Project", the forcible evolution of humanity in which the souls of all humans are combined for the purposes of goodness, believing that if united, overcoming the loneliness and alienation that has plagued mankind. Shinji's soul grapples with the reason for its existence and achieves enlightenment that it needs others to flourish, enabling him to destroy the negative emotional walls that torture him and reunite with others, who congratulate him.
Maps Neon Genesis Evangelion
Character
Hideaki Anno tried to create a character that reflects a part of his own personality. The characters of Evangelion fought with their interpersonal relationships, their personal problems, and their past traumatic events. The human quality of the characters has allowed some viewers of the event to identify with the character on a personal level, while others interpret it as a historical, religious, or philosophical symbol. Shinji Ikari is the series protagonist and pilot appointed Evangelion Unit-01. After witnessing the death of his mother Yui Ikari as a child, Shinji was abandoned by his father, Gendo Ikari. He is emotionally hypersensitive and sometimes as expected of fear of rejection, but he often rebels and refuses to drive Eva because of the very painful dangers that have been done to him or to his friends. Throughout the series, she told herself "I do not have to run" as a means of pushing herself against the threats of that day, and this sometimes actually gives her courage in battle, but she has a habit of lingering withdrawing in response to events traumatic. Anno describes Shinji as a boy "shrinking from human contact" and "convincing himself that he is a totally unnecessary person".
The mysteriously-drawn and mysterious Military Unit-00 Pilot, Rei Ayanami, is a replica made of Yui's remnant that is saved and struck by a negative sense of self-esteem derived from the realization that he is a consumable asset. He at one time hates Shinji for lack of trust in his father Gendo, with whom Rei is very close. However, after Shinji and Rei defeat the Angel of Ramiel, he likes him. Towards the end of the series, he reveals that he is one of many clones, used to replace Rei today if he is killed.
Asuka Langley Soryu is a prodigy who becomes a pilot of Evangelion Unit-02 and has a fiery temper and an overflow of pride and confidence, which often puts him in trouble and difficulty, especially during combat. As a little girl, Asuka finds her mother's body shortly after she kills herself, guiding the child to suppress her emotions and vowing never to cry. Asuka and Rei are presented with their own flaws and difficulties associated with others. Misato Katsuragi is the caretaker and commander for Shinji and Asuka. His professional attitude in Nerv contrasts dramatically with his carefree and irresponsible behavior at home. The character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto considers him an older "neighbor girl" and an unscrupulous loser who fails to take life seriously. Hideaki Anno describes Shinji and Misato as "fear of being hurt" and "unsuitable - lacking a positive attitude - for what people call an adventure hero."
The teenage Evangelion pilots were ordered to fight with Gendo Ikari made of steel, Shinji's father and Nerv commander. He leaves Shinji and calls him only as an Evangelion pilot. Gendo rescues the remains of his dead body and the body of his dead wife to create Rei, whom he sees as a mere tool of possession to defeat the Angels. Similar to Shinji, he is somewhat asocial and is afraid of being humiliated by others and often escapes from it, often doing immoralities in the process. He is described endlessly in his attempt to win, a man who "takes drastic and extreme measures, in a fair or fraudulent manner, or in any way, to achieve his own ends." According to Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the characters Gendo and Fuyutsuki are based on Ed Straker and Alec Freeman from the UFO television series . Sadamoto designed the visual appearance of the characters so that their personalities "can be understood more or less in an instant". The distinctive aesthetic appeal of the main female character design contributes to the high selling of the Neon Genesis Evangelion items. Rei's design in particular became so popular that the media referred to the character as "Premium Girl" because of the high sales of books with Rei on the cover.
Production
Director Hideaki Anno fell into a deep depression after the completion of work on Nadia: The Secret of the Blue Water and the failure of the Royal Space Empire: The Wings of HonnÃÆ'ªamise sequel project. According to Yasuhiro Takeda, Anno agreed to cooperate between King Records and Gainax while drinking with representative of King Toshimichi? Tsuki; King Records guarantees Anno the time slot for "anything, anything". Anno began the development of a new series in 1993 around the idea of ​​not escaping, which has been the underlying theme of Aoki Uru , an earlier Anno project that failed to move into production. Beginning into production, Anno declared his intention to have Evangelion increase the number of otaku (anime fans) by attracting interest in the medium. According to him, the plot of this series reflects his four-year depression. In the initial design phase of the Evangelion project, some formats are considered, including films, television series, and original video animation series (OVA). The producers finally chose the television series because it was the most widely accessed medium in Japan at the time. The proposed title Alcion was rejected due to lack of consonant sound.
Evangelion borrows a specific scenario and uses introspection as a narrative tool from Anno's previous project entitled Gunbuster . He incorporates the narrative structure of Nadia and some reference frames to let his story open to interpretation. During the writing process, Evangelion storyline elements evolved from the original concept. A female protagonist was originally proposed for the series, but the idea was canceled. Initially, the first episode presents a battle between Angel and Rei, while the Shinji characters are only introduced after the Angels have been defeated. Further changes to the plot were made after the sarin Aarin Shinrikyo gas strike sect in the Tokyo subway in March. Azuma Hiroki said that the original story of Evangelion is "too close to reality" from Anno's point of view. Basically, Anno thinks that the original scenario is not suitable for broadcasting, and he is afraid of censorship. However, he also criticized Aum Shinrikyo, for "they lost touch with reality". For this reason, Azuma states that Evangelion "is an intrinsic critique of Aum".
The final version of his story reflects the inspiration drawn from many other anime and fictional works. Chiefs among them are the Space Wars Yamaho Wars, Mobile Suit Gundam, Devilman and Space Runaway Ideon. The series also combines tribute to Childhood's End , Ry's novel? Murakami, The Andromeda Strain The Divine Invasion , Pippa Passes , The Hitcher , and several television series including The Prisoner, Thunderbirds, Ultraman and Ultra Seven.
The development of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series goes close to the deadline during the production process. The initial cuts of the first two episodes were screened at the second Gainax festival in July 1995, just three months before they aired on television. In episode 13 the series begins to deviate significantly from the original story, and the initial script is abandoned. The number of Angels was reduced to 17 instead of the original 28, and the authors changed the end of the story, which originally described the failure of the Human Instrumentality Project after the Angel's attack of the moon.
Beginning with episode 16, the show changed drastically, throwing a big narrative about safety for narratives that focus on individual characters. This change coincided with Anno's growing interest in psychology after a friend lent him a book on mental illness. This focus culminates in character psychoanalysis in the last two episodes. Production goes so close to the posted deadline that the completed scene used in the preview of the twenty-fifth episode should be redesigned to work with the new end. This episode features heavy use of abstract animations, flashbacks, simple line drawings, still images, and still image images with voice-over dialogs. Some critics speculate that this unconventional animation option is generated from budget cuts, but Toshio Okada states that although it is not just a matter of schedule or budget, Anno "can not break the ending until the time comes, that's his style." These two episodes sparked controversy and criticism among fans and critics of the series, including significant vitriol directed at Anno himself. In 1997, Hideaki Anno and Studio Gainax released two animated films, providing an ultimate alternative to the event: Death & amp; Rebirth and The End of Evangelion .
Themes
The Evangelion series is impregnated with references to Kabbalah, Christianity and Judaism, making it difficult for viewers to form an unambiguous interpretation of the series. The series seems to be influenced by Midrash, Zohar and other Kabbalistic texts of Genesis, which seem to be reworked in the series to create a new mythology of Evangelion while retaining ties to the original text. Assistant director Kazuya Tsurumaki said religious visual references were intended to make the series more "interesting" and "exotic", and denied the existence of "Christian meaning" for the use of Christian visual symbols on the show. However, according to Anno: "Because the symbols are mixed together, for the first time something like linkage or meaning arises". This plot combines elements of Jewish Kabbalah esoterism and mysticism, including the Angel, which has much in common with angels from religious traditions, such as Sachiel, Sandalphon and Ramiel.
According to Patrick Drazen, this series contains many allusions to the Kojiki and Nihongi, Shinto's vision of the primordial cosmos and the spear of the mythical god Shinto Izanagi and Izanami. The elements of Judeo-Christian tradition also appear prominently throughout the series, including references to Adam, Lilith, Eve, Lance of Longinus, Dead Sea Scrolls, Kabbalistic concept of Adam Kadmon, the Tree of Life, among many others. The incorporation of all human souls into one through the Human Intermediary Project at the end of the series is similar to the Kabbalistic concept of tikkun olam. The Evangelions have been likened to the golem of Jewish folklore, and their visual design resembles traditional depictions of oni (Satan or Japanese oger).
Evangelion has been interpreted as the very personal expression of Hideaki Anno's own emotional struggle with depression. During the series production, he became interested in mental illness and psychology. According to him, Rei is a schizophrenic character and he represents Shinji's consciousness. Shinji has the Oedipus complex, and is characterized by a libido-destrudo conflict. Likewise, Ritsuko has the Electra complex, where he loves Gendo, a kind of substitute for his father figure. Anno himself states that the main character reflects his character, "both in the conscious and unconscious parts", referring also to Kaworu as Jung's shadow. It has even been suggested that Shinji entering Unit 01 is Freudian "back to the womb", and that his struggle for freedom from Eva is a "rite of passage" into manhood. The series contains many references to philosophical and psychoanalytic concepts, such as oral, introjection, oral personality, ambivalence, and impulse of death, including some elements of Sigmund Freud's work, Arthur Schopenhauer, SÃÆ'¸ren Kierkegaard and others.
Related media
Music
Shir? Sagisu composed most of the original music for this series. The soundtrack was released to rank high on the Oricon charts, with Neon Genesis Evangelion III reaching number one slot for the highest sales in 1997; in the same year, Sagisu received the Kobe Animation award for "Best Music Score" for his work on Evangelion . Classical music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Giuseppe Verdi and George Frideric Handel are also featured throughout the series. Additional classic works and original symphonic compositions are used to print later films produced in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. In total, the series' discography includes 21 full studio, live, compilation and soundtrack albums and six CD singles.
The opening theme of the series is "A Cruel Angel's Thesis", performed by Yoko Takahashi. It ranks on two Asahi TV polls, reaching # 55 for the best anime theme song of all time, and # 18 for the best anime theme song of the 1990s. Fifteen years after its launch, the theme won the JASRAC annual award for royalties that continue to be generated from its use in pachinko, pachislo, karaoke, and other places. The final theme of this series is the "Fly Me to the Moon" version compiled and sung by Claire Littley.
Movies
In May 1996, Gainax announced the film Evangelion in response to fans' dissatisfaction with the final series. On March 15, 1997, Gainax released Evangelion: Death & amp; Rebirth, consisting of 60 minutes of clips taken from the first 24 episodes of the series and only the first 30 minutes of the new ending due to production problems. The second film, The End of Evangelion , premiered on July 19, 1997, provided a complete new ending as a retelling of the last two episodes of the television series. Instead of describing the climax of the series in the mind of the characters, the film provides more conventional action-based resolution to the series plot line. The film won many awards and grossed 1.45 billion yen within six months of its release. EX.org ranked the film in 1999 as the fifth best 'All-Time Show', with the television series at # 2. And in 2009 CUT Magazine ranked it's third greatest anime movie of all time. In July 1998 the films were re-released as the Revival of Evangelion that incorporated Evangelion: Death (true) 2 (the director cuts Death ) with End of Evangelion .
On September 9, 2006, Gainax confirmed a new animated film series called Rebuild of Evangelion , consisting of four films. The first film recounts the first five episodes of the series, but from the second film and beyond, the story is completely different, including new characters, EVAs and Angels. The first movie, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone , was released in Japan on September 1, 2007, with Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance released on June 27, 2009 and Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo was released on November 17, 2012. The final movie, titled Evangelion: 3.0 1.0 , was originally to be released in winter 2015, but the release date final is still unknown.
Manga
Ten months before the Evangelion television broadcast, Anno worked with writer and illustrator Yoshiyuki Sadamoto to publish a manga version of a story designed to arouse popular interest in the upcoming anime series. The first installment of the manga is published in the February edition of Sh? Nen Ace in December 1994 with subsequent installments produced irregularly over an eighteen year period. The last installment was published in June 2013. Some publishers were initially concerned at Sadamoto's election to develop a manga adaptation, seeing him as "too passable to be bankable". This concern proved unfounded by the manga's strong commercial success: the first 10 volumes sold over 15 million copies, and the eleventh volume reached number one on the Tohan charts, selling an additional two million copies. The manga series won the 1996 manga fan poll Comicker .
Other media
Several video games based on the series have been developed, ranging from RPG and adventure games to mahjong and card games. The series has also given birth to many art books and visual novels, one of which has inspired the manga series of Angelic Days . The story has been adapted into two other manga series in addition to the original Sadamoto project: Petit Eva: Evangelion @ School , a parody series that received the original animated series, and Apocalypse Campus which focuses on characters that eliminate Evangelion robots. Some radio dramas have been released on CDs and cassettes to make the material more accessible to non-traditional audiences.
On February 8, 2015, Evangelion: Another Impact , a 3D short rendering directed by Shinji Aramaki, was released and streamed by the Japan Animator Expo. It describes "the story of Evangelion's activation, raging and howling in another world".
Release
The original home video release in Japan included VHS and the Laserdisc set using structured releases around "Genesis 0: (volume number)", with each of the first 12 releases containing two episodes each. Each episode received a small change and Episode 21-24 was extended with a new scene. "Genesis 0:13" and "Genesis 0:14" contain the original and alternative versions of episodes 25 and 26 which are first presented in the Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion . The fifteenth and final release for Laserdisc, entitled "Genesis 0: X", contains episodes 21 to 24 broadcast versions and is a special mail-in offering for fans who buy all 14 discs.
The first Japanese DVD release spread in seven volumes; all containing four episodes of the seventh volume containing the original and alternative versions of episodes 25 and 26. This version is identical to the previous laserdisc and VHS releases. The Movies was also released as a special device, as before. In 2000 and 2001, three sets of boxes were released to commemorate the Second Impact fossal of Impact that occurred in 2000 in the series. The Second Impact Box contains 26 original episodes and two movies on 9 DVDs - three per Box. The versions are original and theater versions respectively and therefore different from previous DVD releases. In addition, the Girlfriend of Steel video game is included in the third box set.
In 2003, there were only nine volumes of "Renewal of Evangelion" DVDs released, with better acoustic effects, remixed dialogs and a remastered soundtrack for 5.1 stereo sound. The first eight volumes include 26 original episodes, including two versions of episodes 21 to 24: an extended (available) version of the video and a shorter version of the reconstruction version, which is now available for the first time since Genesis 0: X laserdisc and also not censored as in the original broadcast. The ninth volume is named Evangelion: The Feature Film and Revival of Evangelion and contains Death (true) Ã,² and End of Evangelion (eliminates Rebirth ) on two disks. The Project Update release forms the basis for the western "Platinum Edition". On December 1, 2014, Studio Khara announced Blu-ray boxes that would include new HD remastering of the television series, video versions of Episodes 21-24, as well as two films, both as the Evangelion Awakening , director pieces , which is available on DVD Updates , and as the original theatrical version of Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion . In addition, another DVD set, titled Archives of Evangelion , was announced which contains an unchanged original version of the television series as well as the broadcast version of Death (True) & amp; Rebirth aired in January 1998. Both sets were released on August 26, 2015, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the TV series.
The series is distributed in North America and Europe by ADV Films. 13 English VHS tapes, released from August 20, 1997 to July 7, 1998, contained two episodes each and were released using the naming convention "Genesis 0: (volume number)" similar to the first Japanese home video release. Two laserdisc collections were released as a Collection 1 Deluxe Edition and Collection 2 Deluxe Edition , containing episodes one through four and five to eight, respectively. The first DVD release by ADV Films was eight Perfect Collection disks in 2002, containing 26 original installments. In 2004, ADV released two compilations of DVDs entitled Neon Genesis Evangelion: Resurrection and Neon Genesis: Reborn, covering pieces of directors from Episodes 21 through 24. In the same year , the Platinum Edition release was announced by ADV in 2004, comprising seven DVDs released between July 27, 2004 and April 19, 2005. The Platinum Edition contains 26 original episodes and four versions "The director cut" episodes 21 through 24. The Platinum Complete Edition six-disc version, Platinum Complete Edition , was released on November 22, 2005, and eliminates some of the additions included in the rest. version, including comments and snippets.
Reception
Neon Genesis Evangelion received critical acclaim both domestically and internationally. Evangelion has evolved into a social phenomenon outside of its main fan base, resulting in a national discussion in Japan. The series is also the subject of various media reports, debates and research.
Following the conclusion of the original series television broadcast, public and critical reception for the Epon Genesis Evangelion was polarized, in particular with regard to the last two episodes. The experimental style of the final was confusing or alienating many fans and spawning debate and controversy; Hideaki Anno received anonymous online death threats. The criticism is largely directed at the lack of storyline resolution in the last two episodes. Opinions at the end of the story are mixed, with the audience widely shared among people who consider the "in" episode, and those who feel its meaning is "more real than real". The American voice actors show that they also have trouble understanding series conclusions. The Mainichi Times wrote that after episode 25, "almost all viewers feel betrayed... When commentator Eiji Tsuka sent a letter to the Yomiuri Shimbun, complaining about the end of the series > Evangelion , the debate takes place nationally. "Despite criticism, Anno stands with his artistic choice for a series conclusion. Controversy surrounding Evangelion has no negative effect on the popularity of the series, which maintains a strong popularity inside and outside the otaku subculture.
The series has attracted the attention of cultural theorists inside and outside Japan, and many critics have analyzed or commented on it, including Susan J. Napier, William Rout, Mick Broderick, Mari Kotani, and sociologist Shinji Miyadai, Hiroki Azuma, Yuriko Furuhata, and Marc Steinberg. The series is described as criticism and deconstruction of the mecha genre. Mike Hale of The New York Times describes it as a "superior anime, a gigantic robotic story that has unusual depth, feelings, and details". Theron Martin (Anime News Network) describes the character's design as "distinctive, designed to be sexy rather than cute", and the mecha design as "the most distinctive ever produced for the anime series, with a sleek and supple look that looks horrible, frightening and agile rather than boxes and knights. " Mike Crandol stated "It seems no longer sorry to say that Evangelion is one of the great works of animation of all time". Zac Bertschy says that "Most attacks against Evangelion exist because people do not like to think". Evangelion has been described as having a complex character and a wealth of narration. In February 2004, Cinefantastique listed the anime as one of the "10 Essential Animations".
Awards
Neon Genesis Evangelion has scored high in various popularity polls. In 1996, the series won first place in the "Most Lovable Series" category of the Anime Grand Prix, a series of awards surveyed by readers published in Animage magazine. The show was again awarded this prize in 1997 by a large margin. The End of Evangelion won first place in 1998, making the first anime franchise to win the first three awards in a row. The IGN website ranked Evangelion as the 10th best animated row in its "Top 100 Animated TV" list. The series is placed third in the anime Animage ' s which should be remembered in the 21st century â €. In 1998, EX.org readers chose the Neon Genesis Evangelion as the # 1 US anime release and in 1999, the # 2 show of all time. In 2007, a large-scale poll by TV Asahi found Evangelion is the second most respected anime in Japan. The series is ranked as the most popular of all time in the 2006 survey of 80,000 participants at the Japan Media Arts Festival .
Evangelion won the Animation Kobe award in 1996 and 1997. The series was awarded the Nihon SF Taisho Award and the Excellence Award of the Japan Media Arts Festival in 1997. The film was ranked # 6 on Wizard's Anime Magazine in "50 Top Anime they released in North America". In the August 1996 edition of the Animage , Evangelion characters are placed high in the best character ranking with Rei ranked first, Asuka third, Kaworu fourth and Shinji sixth. Rei Ayanami won in the Female Characters category in 1995 and 1996 and Shinji Ikari won the Male Character category in 1996 and 1997. In 2010, Newtype magazine recognized Rei Ayanami as the most popular character of the 1990s in category of women, and Shinji Ikari in the male category. Asahi TV acknowledged "Ayanami Rei's suicide" as the most touching ninth anime scene ever. "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" won the Animage award in the Best Song category in 1996, and TV Asahi recognized it as the 18th best anime song since 1990.
Influence and inheritance
Evangelion has had a significant impact on Japanese popular culture. The series also has a strong influence on the anime, at a time when the anime industry and television anime series are specifically in a period of deterioration. CNET adviser Tim Hornyak praised this series by revitalizing and changing the gigantic mecha genre. In the 1980s and 1990s, Japanese animation knew the period of crisis and the decline in production that coincided with the economic crisis in Japan. This is followed by a crisis of ideas in the coming years. Against this backdrop, Evangelion enforces a new standard for the animated series, ushering in the era of "new Japanese animated series," characterized by innovations that enable technically and artistically a technological revival. The production of the anime series begins to reflect greater author control, resource concentration in fewer episodes but higher quality (typically ranges from 13 to 26), directing approaches similar to live movies, and greater freedom from merchandising barriers.
Evangelion has affected many of the next series of anime, including Other Serial Experiments , RahXephon , Texhnolyze , Boogiepop Phantom , Blue Submarine No. 6 , Battleship Nadesico phone , Rinne no Lagrange , Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure , Argento Soma , Pilot Candidate , Generator Gawl , and Dai-Guard . References, honors and tributes for this series are also available in the third episode of Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi , Koi Koi Seven , Hayate the Combat Butler > Cows and Test , Regular Show and Keroro Guns? . Mixed religious performances and mecha affect some Japanese video games, including Xenogears and El Shaddai: The Methatron Rise .
The character design and personality of Rei Ayanami's characters were reused for many anime characters in the late 1990s, such as Ruri Hoshino of Nadesico , Ruriko Tsukushima (Drip ), Miharu ( Gasaraki ), Anthy Himemiya ( Utena Revolutionary Girl ), and Other Iwakura ( Serial Experiments Other ). Asuka characters are parodied by Excel ( Excel Saga ), and some of its properties are used to create Mai characters in Gunparade March . According to Italian critic Guido Tavassi, the design of mecha
According to Keisuke Iwata, Japan's global animation spread increased dramatically due to the popularity of Evangelion . After the show's success, the otaku culture received widespread attention. In Japan, Evangelion encourages the review of the anime's cultural values, and with its success, the anime reaches a new maturity point. With an interest in the series, the otaku culture becomes a mass social phenomenon. The show's regular performances increased the number of otaku, linked by John Lynden to a boom of interest in the literature on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Kabbalah and Christianity. The anime director Makoto Shinkai stated that the anime genre owes cinematography to Evangelion . In the aftermath of the Evangelion , Anno reuses a lot of style conceit in direct action Love & amp; Pop and anime romance Kare Kano . The Neon Genesis Evangelion also affects several musical artists, such as the British band Fightstar and their debut album, Grand Unification , and the Japanese band Rey, who gets his name from the character of Rei Ayanami.
Merchandising
The popularity of the Neon Genesis Evangelion extends to its merchandising that exceeds $ 400 million within two years of its release. The series has established itself in the Japanese market, developing a variety of products for adult consumers, such as mobile phones (including Sharp SH-06D Nerv and special-themed MAGI-themed smartphone released in 2012), laptop computers, multiple soundtracks, DVDs, action figures, and phone cards. The stylish mecha design that will get praise for Evangelion was initially criticized by certain toy companies because it was too difficult to produce, with some attention being expressed that the Evangelion model "will never sell." Finally, Sega agreed to license all sales of toys and video games. At the time of the Japanese film release Death & amp; Rebirth and The End of Evangelion , the estimated sale of Evangelion exceeds $ 300 million, of which 70% comes from video and laser sales, soundtrack CDs, single CDs , computer software and three volume manga. Some merchandising products are released during Project Update , such as CDs, video games, cel-art illustrations and collectible models.
The commercial exploitation of the series for the home video market hit record sales and remained strong for a decade later. The fame of the event has evolved through the sale of home video, which goes beyond two or three times the sale of contemporary anime series and films. This series contributed significantly to the spread of the DVD format in Japan and resulted in considerable impact on the Japanese economy, calculated in billions of yen. In 2006, Matt Greenfield stated that the franchise has earned more than $ 2 billion . The 2007 estimate puts the total sales of 6,000 related items in more than ¥ 150 billion . In 2015, pachinko manufacturer Fields Corporation revealed that pachinko and pachislot Evangelion machines sold more than 2 Ã, billion units, generating revenues of  ¥ 700 billion .
Note
References
Further reading
- (in Japanese) Endo, Toru. "Konna kitanai kirei na hi ni wa" ("On such a beautiful and very ugly day"). Poppu karuchaa kuritiiku ( Pop Culture Criticism ), volume 0. 1997.
- (in Japanese) Gainax, Newtype. E-Mono: Neon Genesis Evangelion: All Items Catalog . ISBNÃ, 4-04-852868-8
- (in Japanese) Kotani, Mari. Seibo Evangelion ( Evangelion as Immaculate Virgin ). Tokyo: Magajin Hausu. 1997.
- (in Japanese) Kotani, Mari. A New Millennial Perspective About The Daughters of Eve . ISBN: 4-8387-0917-X.
- June magazine, ed. Neon Genesis Evangelion June Tokuhon: Zankoku-Na Tenshi no This is ("Neon Genesis Evangelion JUNE Reader: Zankoku na Tenshi no This"). ISBNÃ, 4-906011-25-X.
- Lippit, Seiji M. Topography of Japanese Modernism . New York: Columbia UP, 2000
- Morikawa, Kaichiro (ed.). Evangelion Style . ISBNÃ, 4-8074-9718-9
- Yamashita, Ikuto and Seiji, Kio. Afternoon Wo Nasumono: Neon Genesis Evangelion Design Works . ISBN: 4-04-852908-0
- "Evangelion Special: Main manga event" - ( Mainichi Daily News )
- "Evangelion Special: For Otsuki producers, success is not always a bed of roses" - Mainichi Daily News
- "Understanding Evangelion" - Anime News Network
External links
Official website
- (in Japanese) Neon Genesis Evangelion - The official Gainax page Evangelion
- Madman Entertainment Evangelion Page page
- (in Japanese) ??????????? - Records of the King Evangelion page
Articles and information
- Neon Genesis Evangelion in IMDb
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (anime) in the Anime News Network encyclopedia
- Neon Genesis Evangelion in Curlie (based on DMOZ)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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