Neon Genesis Evangelion: How to watch the series properly

This spring, Netflix will present the animated series of the mid-90s Neon Genesis Evangelion at the platform. For fans of the series, it's an opportunity at the height of the second coming. For others, it's a puzzle: what is it? Neon Genesis Evangelion? In short: it's an anime – and many other things that prevent you from knowing where to start.

Evangelion tells a concise and beautiful story that traces the psychological trauma of her teenage hero characters, who are the only fighters in a war that humans have no chance of winning. They have to pilot giant robotic monsters (Evas) to fight impenetrable enemies, called Angels. It's a losing game from the beginning: friends are hurt, repeatedly, irrevocable; our leader, Shinji Ikari, is repeatedly banged by his own father. At the same time, he goes through difficult times during puberty and working alongside two high school girls does not help him to concentrate.

This is the story that takes place during the original anime. Again EvangelionThis is more than the 26-episode series that ended in 1996 (and was held in high esteem over the ensuing years). There are also two direct follow-ups of feature films and a complete set of films that "tell" the story of the TV show.

If you're a fan of cartoons that still has not seen the series but who has the intention, you might be tempted by a recap of the movie's duration. They are much more easily available than the original series (until it is broadcast continuously), and they theoretically condense 15 hours of action and drama and existential terror into a shorter package with a more elegant animation and modernized.

To you, I say: do not do that. Do not watch the Rebuild of Evangelion movie series before watching the anime as is. Stand for Netflix. There is a proper way to enjoy the anime, and it takes patience.

Start at the beginning: the TV show

Gainax

Evangelion is renowned not only for his schizophrenic rhythm, but also for the production hell that engendered him. Both are obvious when you watch the anime. Do not be scared by this: it does not affect the quality. This does not hinder the story. There is something needed in the way Evangelion divides perfectly in two: from an animated film very similar to Gundam to an introspective treatise on emotional abuse, adolescence and their links to mental health. A summary slides in the middle of these two parts to facilitate this transition, if not easier.

The notoriously heavy finale in dialogues and in two parts can also be a way to distance the people who know the series only through retrospectives or memes. It is followed by another summary, Death & Renaissanceand then the conclusion very dark, depressing and macabre, The end of Evangelion.

Death & Renaissance is absolutely essential. It tells the whole season up to these last moments, but it includes new scenes for the episodes 21 to 24. The reorganized episodes are called versions of the "director" and they fill the gaps left by the editions original of these editions . episodes. (The director's cut of episode 22, in particular, is necessary, it must be seen instead of the television edition, it's very upsetting, but so is it.)

Also included in Death & Renaissance is the first break of the episode 25 of the anime of 26 episodes. This is also worth watching, but mostly out of curiosity; it's also basically the first part of The end of Evangelionyou should obviously watch after finishing episode 26.

In total, the original animator Evangelion will make a number on your psyche. S & # 39; fun!

But what about the remakes movie?

Khara Studio

Does this seem intimidating and perhaps bizarre? This could be the case, especially since the more practical Rebuild of Evangelion seems clearer at first. According to the animation team, the purpose of the films was to present the series to a wider audience, who did not watch the original series. So, they seem to be modern stories … at first.

The first film, Evangelion: 1.0 You are (not) alone., recovers the ground from the first six episodes of the anime, making it an essentially contained action movie. It's beautiful, and its budget is significantly higher than the original series. Director Hideaki Anno reportedly suffered severe depression during the creation of the 26-episode series, but found himself better at working on the tetralogy. The first three Rebuild films came out of theaters from 2007 to 2012.

The following two films are different from this accessibility principle. There are always scenes and stories from the original series, but there are also new characters. The end of Evangelion: 2.0 You can (not) advance., the second film, completely meets expectations; it corresponds in a way to episodes 7 to 26, then continues with an original plot. The third film continues this thread, becoming completely different.

All this to say that if you want to watch Evangelion and think that you can get away with watching movies, whether it's first or foremost … do not do it. Do not do it. They are not equivalent, but complementary. Look at them on their own and for their own merit, of course. It is always advisable to contact them after watching the anime, to better understand how and why the reconstructions take place in different ways and to avoid that many preconceptions are incorporated into the TV show.

More! Even movies get a little complicated to follow. DVD versions of Rebuild movies are renamed – 1.11, 2.22 and 3.33, respectively – and come with a new animation and other adjustments. Oy.

Personally, having watched 1.11 before watching Evangelion From the beginning, compressing the more generic beginning of the show into a singular film without the successive twist that immediately follows the first six episodes of the show was an emotionally stripped and unpredictable experience. It should not be your introduction to brooding, difficult, brilliant Evangelion.

Most importantly: with the final of the four Rebuild films, 3.0 + 1.0You should not go to a service by watching Studio Gainax's clbadic anime in its entirety. It is the one who gave birth to the inheritance. You may have to wait until 2019 to do it, when the clbadic Neon Genesis Evangelion saga is part of your Netflix subscription – since the most complete DVD package is sold out and costs resellers hundreds of dollars – but it will be worth it.