Rebuild of Evangelion
‘’’Rebuild of Evangelion’’’ (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版 Evangelion Shin Gekijōban?, lit. "Evangelion New Theatrical Version") is a series of four movies by the creators of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which form an alternate retelling of the original TV series. “Rebuild of Evangelion” constitutes a separate continuity from the continuity of the original TV series and associated movies, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion. The first movie in the series will be released in Japan on September 1st, 2007, and the remaining three will be released over the next year.
The ‘’Rebuild’’ movie series is intended to be more accessible and understandable to non-fans of the original series, even if new viewers have never seen the original series at all, while at the same time satisfying fans of the original series.
The four movies which make up the ‘’Rebuild of Evangelion’’ series are
Production History
On February 17, 2007 series creator Hideaki Anno released an official statement [1] in a form of a movie poster that was shown in 50 cinemas in Japan, providing an explanation for his motivations in creating a new version of the franchise, and stating that the release date for the first film in Japanese theaters was September 1st, 2007.
Anno will write the script for the first film, and is general director and manager of the entire ‘’Rebuild’’ project. Many who worked on the original ‘’Evangelion’’ production team will return to work on ‘’Rebuild. Hideaki Anno has writen the script for the first movie and will be the general director and manager for the entire project. Kazuya Tsurumaki and Masayuki will direct the movies while Yoshiyuki Sadamoto will provide character designs and Ikuto Yamashita will provide mechanical designs. Shinji Higuchi and Tomoki Kyoda will provide storyboards for the first movie.
Films
There are four films in the ‘’Rebuild of Evangelion’’ series. The first is titled “Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone”. Working titles for the remaining three films are “Evangelion 2.0”, “Evangelion 3.0”, and “Evangelion: Final”
| Episode | Japanese Title | English Translations | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evangelion 1.0" Your Are (Not) Alone |
ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:序 (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Jo) | Evangelion New Theater Edition: Preface | September 1st, 2007 (in Japan) |
| Evangelion 2.0: | ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:破 (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Ha) | Evangelion New Theater Edition: Breaking Up | 2008 (Japan) |
| Evangelion 3.0: | ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:急 (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Kyū) | Evangelion New Theater Edition: Rush | Not Fixed Shown with "final" |
| Evangelion: Final | ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:? (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: ?) | Evangelion New Theater Edition: ? | Not Fixed Shown with "3.0" |
Storyline
“Rebuild of Evangelion” is an alternate retelling of the original ‘’Neon Genesis Evangelion’’: the first three movies are intended to be an “alternate retelling” of the series, while the fourth and final film is promised to be an entirely new, alternate ending to the series.
Major differences include that while Kaworu Nagisa was in the originally series introduced very late in the series, in Episode 24, in ‘’Rebuild of Evangelion’’ he will be present in the first film (in one capacity or another).
The plot of the first ‘’Rebuild’’ film ends with “Operation Yashima”, the battle against the Angel Ramiel in Episode 06 which concluded the introductory storyarc.
