The End of Evangelion

Episode Information
Episode 25'+26'
Title 1: 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン劇場版 THE END OF EVANGELION Shin seiki Evangelion Gekijō-ban: The End of Evangelion Title 2: End of Evangelion
Written By	Hideaki Anno
Directed By	Kazuya Tsurumaki Hideaki Anno
First Aired	7-19-1997
Video Release Date	9-24-2002
Angel Appearances	Lilith, Adam
Eva Sorties	N/A
Episode chronology
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"Episode 26'"	–

The End of Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン劇場版: Shin seiki Evangelion Gekijō-ban) is a 1997 anime movie by Hideaki Anno, created as an alternate ending to the series Neon Genesis Evangelion. The film is divided into two episodes: Episode 25': Love is Destructive and Episode 26': ONE MORE FINAL: I need you. They are meant to either replace or complement the original ending in Episode 25 and Episode 26 of the original series with a more "real world" account of the episode's events.

Overview

With the defeat of the final Angel, Gendo Ikari turns on the Seele organization, each of them wanting to initiate Third Impact under their own control. Through Seele's control of the United Nations, it orders a massive leave-no-survivors assault on Tokyo-3 by the JSSDF, who clear through the personal of NERV quickly and efficiently. Asuka, piloting Eva-02, is able to repulse the JSSDF, motivating Seele to deploy the nine Mass Production model Evangelions against Eva-02. After a titanic battle, Eva-02 is destroyed, killing Asuka. Meanwhile, Misato fights her way through the JSSDF's invasion of Nerv HQ to bring Shinji to Eva-01, dying moments after getting Shinji to safety. Rei merges with embryonic Adam and then Lilith, rejecting Gendo, and instigates Third Impact and Instrumentality using Eva-01, the Mass Production Evangelions, and the Spear of Longinus. After examining his life's meaning with Rei/Lilith, Shinji decides to reject Instrumentality, and return to the world even though that means being hurt. Sometime later, Shinji wakes up on the beach of the Sea of LCL formed by Instrumentality, and finds Asuka alive next to him.

Episode-specific pages can be found here:

• Episode 25'
• Episode 26'
• Resources:End of Evangelion Screenplays (drafts of episode 25' & 26')

Credits

Directed by:

Executive Director - Hideaki Anno

Episode 25': Kazuya Tsurumaki

Episode 26': Hideaki Anno

Produced by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa
Written by Hideaki Anno
Starring:

Megumi Ogata

Megumi Hayashibara

Yuko Miyamura

Kotono Mitsuishi

Music by Shiro Sagisu
Cinematography Hisao Shirai
Editing by Sachiko Miki
Distributed by:

Toei Company, Ltd. (Japan)

Manga Entertainment (U.S.)

Release date(s) July 19, 1997
Running time 87 min.
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Budget: US$ 7.5 million

Notes

It is a commonly held belief that Hideaki Anno created End of Evangelion as a form of revenge against Evangelion fans unhappy with the existing ending to the TV series. In reality, the End of Evangelion is closer to the original concept for the series ending, which was changed due to budget and censorship issues. It's also a commonly held belief that the Death threats flashed on screen in End of Evangelion were for the ending of the TV series, when in fact, the Death threats shown on screen at least, were in regards to Evangelion Death And Rebirth's ending. In a Tokyo International Film Festival interview, Anno revealed that there were legal reasons that prevented them from actually using fan mail, so the mail was actually written by the staff. The "hate mail" letters were written by an old friend of Anno's. This interview can also be found on the Shiki-Jitsu blu-ray extras.

The short scene during the Live-Action sequence with a panning shot of the inside of a movie theater was taken during a screening of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth in the now-closed Milanoza movie theater.

Quotes

Love is Destructive:

• (After masturbating by Asuka's bedside)
  Shinji: "I'm the lowest..."

• Seele Member: "The fate of destruction is the joy of rebirth."

• Commander Ikari: "Rei...You're here, after all. The promised time has come. Let's go."

• (Misato gives Shinji a farewell kiss)
  Misato: "That's an adult kiss. Let's do the rest when you come back."

• Commander Ikari and Ritsuko:
  "Ritsuko Akagi, truly...(His next line is silent)"
  "Liar."

• (Original Japanese)
  JSSDF officer: Evangelion Shogoki! (Evangelion Unit-01!)
  JSSDF commander: Masa ni Akuma ka? (Is it the Devil?)

ONE MORE FINAL: I need you:

• Yui and Rei (Before Shinji turns into L.C.L): "This Rei is from your soul. She's the embodiment of your wish." "What do you wish for?"

• Misato: "I failed to be Shinji's mother after all."

• Fuyutsuki: "The Seed of Life...and the Seed of Wisdom [have been both acquired by Eva Unit 01.] It is [now] equal to God. Will it be an ark to save humanity from the nihil of the Third Impact...or become a demon to annihilate humanity? Our future is up to Ikari's son."

• (Asuka and Shinji during Pre-Instrumentality with Misato occasionally interjecting):
  Asuka: "Do you want to kiss?"
  Misato: "Absolutely not."
  Asuka: "Or are you scared?"
  Misato: "It's not for kids."
  Asuka: "Then, here I go."
  Asuka: "You don't understand anything! Don't get come near me!"
  Shinji: "I do understand."
  Asuka: "You don't understand, stupid! (Asuka kicks Shinji instead of kissing him.) Do you think you understand me?! Do you think you can save me?! That's nothing but your conceited ego! You will never understand!"
  Shinji: "How can I understand? Asuka doesn't tell me anything. You don't tell me anything. You don't say anything. It's impossible to understand!"