Resources:End of Evangelion Screenplays

Overview

A now-defunct Japanese fan site called "Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Mysteries" (NEON　GENESIS　EVANGELIONその秘密) posted a document they described on the front page as the "secret dialogue" (裏台詞, ura serifu) for The End of Evangelion. On closer inspection, these turned out to be screenplays for both episodes of the film, marked "For Internal (Company) Use" (社内検討用). The website, perhaps for fear of legal repercussions, does not specify where or how it obtained the documents, although they appear to be entirely authentic.

Since the fan site is currently available only through the Internet Archive (provided one knows the page's original URL), the manuscripts have been archived locally.

• #25′: The Door into Summer / Love is destructive (Manuscript #2, For Internal Use)
• #26′: Yours Sincerely / I need you., New Screenplay (Manuscript #6 Edit, For Internal Use)

Differences

The screenplays are fully recognizable as The End of Evangelion, although there are a large number of differences between them and the final product. A rather incomplete list:

Episode 25'

• Rather than "Air," Episode 25′ was originally entitled "The Door Into Summer" (「夏への扉」, "Natsu e no Tobira"), a reference to the science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. (The second title, "Love is destructive.", is already present.)
• Shinji masturbates in his room instead of at Asuka's bedside. The presentation is a bit more surreal than the final: Shinji's room in pointilism, unspecified "inserted images," Shinji's face as he ejaculates, etc., and his room returning to normal afterward.
  • His semen-covered hand and infamous line are already present, however.
• Following the operators' chat in the Command Center, Kensuke and a wheelchair-bound Toji say their farewells to Shinji. The two are being sent to Germany for reasons unknown. This scene made it to the storyboard stage before being deleted.
• Misato's monologue in the car is mostly different and does not provide much insight into Seele's plans.
• After her monologue, Misato goes to Shinji's room and tells him　that they'll be staying at headquarters starting that night, to no response.
• The meeting between Gendo and Seele is longer (see Olivier Hagué's translation)
• After Misato reads the hacked computer file, she says, "So, that's why they need the thirteen Eva Series units" instead of "So, that's the real truth behind Second Impact."
• When she wakes up in Eva-02, Asuka says "Kimochi warui."
• While in the inactive Eva-02, Asuka wonders why the A.T. Field won't unfold and says, "I'm scared... Mama, help me, Mama." Kyoko's background dialogue while Asuka chants "I don't want to die..." is absent. The only "metaphysical imagery" present at this point is a "reassuring image of Asuka's mother."
• Asuka says "Hitotsu" ("One") instead of "Erst" after taking down the first Eva Series unit.
• Misato's expositional speech to Shinji underwent some rewrites, ex.: Yui is specified to have played a role in Second Impact, the 18th Angel is directly referred to as "Lilin," and Lilith is compared to Adam but not called a "source of life." The dialogue about Angels and humans "rejecting" each other is absent; in its place are enigmatic comments that seem to be directly linked to Fuyutsuki and Yui's conversation at the end of the film (also present in this screenplay).
• Asuka & Eva-02's battle against the Eva Series bares little resemblance to the final version. Much of it has not been planned out yet.
• Eva-02's final moments are different: it runs out of power while fighting, is immobilized and "de-armored" by the Eva Series, goes berserk (albeit with Asuka still cognizant) and starts fighting back, tries blocking the incoming Spear with its A.T. Field, is skewered through the head, and at last is killed by subsequent Spears.
  • There is no brutal evisceration.
  • The needle gun in the right pylon is used during Eva-02's brief retaliation. It will later be relocated to the main fight, for use against Eva-10.

Episode 26'

• The opening scenes with Eva-01 are different, involving: Eva-02's decapitated head, an irate Shinji, more explosions (with any people caught therein reduced to red particles), the Spear of Longinus wielded by Eva-01 and becoming rainbow-colored, and Eva-01's wings increasing in number three times (from 2 to 4 to 6). Eva-01 receives a "Pattern Blue" reading after liberating its S2 engine.
• Eva-01 is not "crucified."
• The Evas are tentatively described generating a magic square in the sky rather than the Sephirothic Tree of Life.
• Gendo has a scene following his rejection by Rei where he comments on the proceedings and wonders what's happening to Shinji. A Kaworu torso grows out of his left hand and turns into a smiling Rei (a sign that Adam has taken on Lilith's form).
• Rei rather than Kaworu says "Mou, ii no (kai)?" and turns into Kaworu onscreen, rather than Kaworu being there already when Shinji looks up.
• Eva-01 does not fuse with the Spear of Longinus to become the Tree of Life. It might be absorbed into Lilith at this point (but it's kind of ambiguous...).
• Right before Yui's "This Rei is your heart" line, Gendo was to say, "Is it all right, Yui? Do you intend to entrust Shinji with everything?"
• Maya only says "Sempai" once during her final moments.
• Keel's "happy end" is prefaced by a final interchange between the Seele members. This includes a prototype of the lin
• The Eva Series' cores are described as vivid blue to start with, and become red as they insert the Spears.
• Gendo's final lines are the same, but his death is different: he's just shown turning into LCL and a "particle of red light." His LCL joins the pool in Terminal Dogma prior to Rei retrieving his glasses.
• Immediately after Gendo's death scene, Eva-01 is shown "within Rei's body," trying to penetrate its exposed core with the Spear of Longinus.
• The original Japanese lyrics for M-10 (what would become "Komm, süsser Tod") were apparently going to be displayed as subtitles during the film.
• The title card for "I need you" appears earlier in the film, near the beginning of the live action sequence.
• A much longer and more involved live action sequence is present.
  • This was filmed but excised from the final. It was eventually released on the bonus DVD included with the limited edition Renewal of Evangelion DVD Box Set.
• Shinji destroys the original Spear of Longinus.
• The Eva Series destroy their cores when they pull the Spears out -- they didn't kill themselves before -- upon which they spontaneously petrify.
• The Black Moon cleaves in half instead of bursting apart.
• The giant Rei's body is described as changing into red LCL and red particles of light. (Her arm drops later, though, so apparently this transformation isn't complete?)
• The entry plug is shown being ejected from Eva-01 and falling to Earth.
• Two different ending scenarios are being considered at this point.
  • Last A: The prototype of the final ending. It depicts grave markers erected by Shinji, inscribed with the names of the people he'd known (with the exception of Rei). Asuka is shown kicking down her marker. (A stand of grave markers, complete with one that's been kicked down, are still there in the finished film, but no explanation is provided.) The infamous throttling scene is present, but Asuka's line afterwards is different: "Idiot. I'd never let someone like you kill me."
  • Last B: Also uses the desolate beach for its setting, and includes the grave markers. The Rei "specter" is briefly sighted. Shinji is lying on the beach holding the hand of a disembodied white arm, and he talks to himself about how he'll "never see them again" but he'll go on living regardless.
• End credits are present, set to an unspecified song (probably would have been "Everything You've Ever Dreamed"). Behind the credit scroll, there would have been a Moon-Earth-Sun-Stars sequence similar to what appears near the end of the final film. Here, Eva-01 is lying on the surface of the Moon instead of floating in space.

Translations

A full translation into English is not yet available. Olivier Hague translated/summarized many of the scenes towards the end of episode 26', which may be found archived at MDWigs' site. Translations here are by Reichu unless otherwise indicated.

Episode #25'

Shinji's masturbation

Translation by Shiro.

○ Shinji's room (Or would it be better at the hospital? To consider.)
The sound of cicadas. A sketch of Shinji's room.
You hear Shinji's ragged breathing off-screen.
Images to insert.
Shinji's hand softly opening clothes (first person).
Breasts that are exposed (first person).
These images repeat over and over.
Shinji's post-ejaculation face in profile.
The image of the breasts nearby next to Shinji's semen-covered right hand.
The breasts in the back vanish, and Shinji's room goes from sketchy to real.
Shinji enveloped in self-hatred.
I am the lowest.

Misato's Car Monologue

○ Mountainside Highway - Night
Beyond the dilapidated old town, car lights blinking on and off.
Misato's car stopped at the side of the road.
Misato inside the car, her severe expression reflected in the rear view mirror.
Misato: "The final Angel, Adam's children, they're are all gone. Kaji-kun, it's just like you said.
Misato: "And the remaining Eva Series. They still haven't given an order to dismantle them. The committee still plans to use them in their scenario, whatever comes next. The Evas, and not Lilith."
Misato: "We can't surrender our lives or the Evas to Seele's lot."

"Get Ready"

○ Shinji's Room
It's dim and the lights are off.
Shinji cowers in bed.
S-DAT with dead battery display switching on and off.
The sliding door opens and Misato's silhouette appears.
Misato: "Shinji-kun. Starting tonight, we're staying at headquarters. Get ready."
Shinji doesn't respond.
Misato knits her brow. (Not needed?)

Seele Meeting

○ Seele Council

Monoliths in circular formation.
Ikari and Fuyutsuki at the center.

Kiel: "The time approaches."
"The Promised Time."
"All people must return to the haven of the Promised Land."
"To the side of our mother, Lilith."
"Where humanity's stagnant souls will be complemented."
"With the Spear of Longinus currently lost, Instrumentality cannot be achieved with Lilith directly."
Kiel: "I pray for Instrumentality through Eva Unit-01, Lilith's sole alter ego."
Ikari: "That's impossible."
Fuyutsuki: "The future we envision is a bit different from yours."
Fuyutsuki: "Man existed for the purpose of creating Eva."

Ikari: "Humanity should advance to a new world. That's the purpose of the Eva Series."
Kiel: "We aren't abandoning human form just so we can board the Ark called Eva."
"There's no need to seek out a new land."
"Humans can be called that because of their current form. Eva's form is no longer human."
"It will fulfill its task through death given to all people, and to all life indiscriminately."
"This is merely a right of passage to bring about the rebirth of life that was imprisoned."
"There can be no true beginning if nothing ends."
"The fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth."
Kiel: "For the sake of finally uniting God, Man, and all life under Lilith." Ikari: "Death births nothing." Kiel: "Then may death make plans for you." The monoliths disappearing in unison. Two men are left behind. Fuyutsuki: "Humans exist because they have the will to live. This is Yui-kun's wish, after all." Fuyutsuki: "So, even though pieces are missing, they're putting the Humanity Instrumentality Project into action." Ikari: "Indeed. Yui stayed in the Eva of her own accord for this moment."

Asuka wakes up (Incomplete)

Translation by Numbers-kun.

Asuka feels nauseated.
Asuka (putting her hand over her mouth): "I feel sick [Kimochi warui]... The medication has run out. I don't care... anymore."

"I Don't Want to Die"

○ Lake bottom
Eva Unit-02.
Depth charges explode at point-blank range.
Plug interior, hit by massive tremors.
A frightened Asuka.
Asuka: "...I'm alive?"
○ Geofront
Depth charge vehicles arranged on the periphery of the underground lake ejecting their load.
Giant pillars of water rise from the surface one after another.
○ Lake bottom again.
Eva-02.
Depth charges detonating one after another at point-blank range.
Plug interior being jolted around a lot.
Asuka: "Why isn't the A.T. Field spreading?"
Asuka: "I'm scared... Mama, help me, Mama."
Direct hit to the head. (The eyes go out.)
Asuka seizes her head with both hands.
Asuka: "No... I'm don't want to die. I don't want to die."
Shock waves continue to hit Asuka.
Asuka: "I don't want to dieeeeeeeeee!!"
Insert. A reassuring image of Asuka's mother. (Some track-up.)
Asuka's tearfully smiling face.
Asuka: "Mama... So you've been here, Mama."
Suddenly, the entry plug lights up.
The monitor comes back online, as well.
An utterly dumbstruck Asuka. A cold smile forms on her face.
Eva-02's four monitor eyes light up.

Misato & Shinji: Humans & Angels

○ Central Dogma Deep Underground Facility
Misato's car emerges from a tunnel. (First person view-ish.)
Graveyard with dozens of scrapped Evas from a decade before.
They're lined up in the darkness like sprouts growing from a seedbed or white spermatozoa. (Use #23 NPC)
Misato and Shinji heading for the Cage.
Misato: "They intend to cause Third Impact, using the Eva Series, and return all humanity to nothingness."
Misato: "Fifteen years ago, people, including your mother, reduced the scale of Second Impact by making Adam undergo degradation."
Misato: "Shinji-kun... what's made you fight up until now?"
Shinji is silent.
Misato: "The Angels. Enigmatic, non-communicative entities. The 18th Angel remaining in the end is mankind. The Angel called Lilin, born from Lilith, who is like Adam."
Misato: "Angels and Man are fundamentally the same thing. Angels are merely another possible humanity: humans that cast aside human form."
Misato: "People cannot live without the mothers of life -- the Sun, Earth, and Moon. But an Angel that isn't dependent on them would be a new form of life, capable of surviving the harshest conditions.
Misato: "Eva was its model."
Misato: "People will probably perish, any which way. But right this moment, we can't just sit back and let humanity get annihilated."
Misato: "Okay? Destroy the entire Eva Series. Preventing Third Impact is the only way everyone can stay alive."

Asuka Versus Eva Series (2)

○ Geofront
The Eva Series slowly and steadfastly encircle Eva-02.
Eva-02 brandishes its prog knife.
It stabs the knife into Eva-11's face.
The blade of the knife yields with a snap.
Sparks scattering, the blade goes into the Eva's head.
Eva-02's right hand. The next blade comes out.
Asuka: "Next!"
Eva-02 prepares to leap onto Eva-06.
However, Eva-11 restrains 02 by the arms. (11's head is fracturing.)
The cable is severed by the other Eva.
The countdown starts.
Asuka: "Tch!"
Inserts of hand-to-hand combat.
Asuka: "Dammit! I shouldn't be the only one running off internal power here!"
Inserts of hand-to-hand combat.
Asuka: "Why are they still operational?!"
Eva-02 tears off Eva-11's head. (The vertebrae remain attached.)
Asuka: "...They couldn't all have S2 engines?"
Eva-11 pursues even though its neck is broken.
Asuka: "Geez! They just don't stop! I can't even count on that idiot Shinji!"

Asuka Versus Eva Series (3)

○ Geofront
Another one or two Evas are taken down with a spinning round kick? (Give this some thought.)
After dealing the blow, or whatever, the timer count finally hits "0".
Eva-02 comes to an abrupt, lurching halt.
Asuka: "Crap! I've stopped already?!"
Eva-02 receives a light kick from the front.
It collapses heavily into the forest.
Eva-02 is pinned down and immobilized with a knife (Spear?) in each arm.
The Eva Series open their mouths wide.
Still holding 02 down, they bite off the chest armor.
(This is, again, a straight image of rape.)
Asuka seizes her chest, her expression tainted with disgrace and humiliation.

Asuka Versus Eva Series (4)

○ Geofront, once again
Eva-02's armor is torn off and the basic body exposed.
A white Eva plants down 02's face, about to forcibly dislocate the mandibular joint.
Asuka's face strains as though her own jaw has been seized.
Her face is fraught with humiliation and rage.
Asuka: "Dammit! I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you!!"
Eva-02's four eyes suddenly open.
It's gone berserk.
Eva-02 fires from the needle gun in its right shoulder pylon.
The other Eva's head is torn asunder.
Eva-02 delivers a kick to the Eva's back, then rises.
Asuka: "How dare you harm this beautiful body."
A Spear of Longinus suddenly flies towards Eva-02. (From an Eva Series unit or launched by a Giant Transport Aircraft, maybe?)
The A.T. Field stops it at first, but its light is devoured and eroded.
Asuka: "The A.T. Field can't be--!?"
The Spear of Longinus pierces Eva-02's head.
Asuka lifts her face.
She presses down on her left eye as blood ceaselessly streams between her fingers.
Asuka (enduring great pain): "What is this...?"
The shapes of the Spear stuck into the ground and the fully immobilized Eva-02.
Asuka: "No! Spears of Longinus?"
(Three whooshing sounds.)
And then, the Eva's chest, abdomen, foot, etc., are skewered.
In an instant, Eva-02 is turned into an objet d'art.

Episode #26'

The Spear Returns

○ Subtitle: "Yours Sincerely"
○ Geofront
Woods whistling, Eva-01 hovers in mid-air with two wings.
Uprooted trees, the wreckage of JSSDF ordnance, etc., in the area rise into the air.
Eva-01's satanic face
Shinji in plug interior. (No interface headset.)
Shinji: "Asuka?"
Eva-02's head held in the mouth of an Eva Series unit.
(The severed end is not pretty, as though the head was forcibly torn off.)
Shinji: "Uwaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Rei notices that something's wrong with Shinji. (Side profile close-up, insert.)
Rei: "Ikari-kun?"
Shinji is nonetheless enraged.
Eva-01 unleashes four wings at once.
○ Surface of the Moon
The Spear of Longinus stuck in the ground, casting a long shadow.
It flies out with a "whoosh".
○ Geofront Peripheral Section
From off-screen, there's dialogue from a panicking military correspondent, etc.
JSSDF Intelligence Officer: "There's an object flying in from the outer atmosphere at just under the speed of light!"
JSSDF Intelligence Commanding Officer: "What?!?"
A light piercing the atmosphere. (Insert.)
Fuyutsuki: "No, not the Spear of Longinus?!"
The Spear of Longinus comes to a sudden stop right in front of Eva-01.
Eva-01 slowly takes the Spear of Longinus in hand.
Shinji (miserable): "No more... I can't take any more of this!!"
In an instant, the Spear becomes the colors of the rainbow.
Eva-01's wings become six in number, as well.
Everything around turns to light and is blown away
Command Center 2 is hit by the shock wave.
Aoba, kneeling on the floor as he looks up at the console monitor rolling with noise???
Aoba: "Eva Unit-01 has released its S2 engine! Changing to analysis Pattern Blue!"
Fuyutsuki: "This is bad."
Forest, ruins, ordnance, and people are swept away as grains of light. (Red light for people only.)
The Eva Series are standing there. They and Eva-02 are untouched.
The Eva Series watch intently, without emotion.
Eva Unit-02's eyes look as though maybe they're watching this, with a similar detachment.
Shinji is screaming.
The wings of light increase two at a time and issue forth, simultaneously on both left and right sides.

Seele (1)

○ Seele Council Room
"At last, our hopes will be realized."
"The original Spear of Longinus has returned, as well."
Keel: "There aren't quite enough, but it can't be helped."
All: "Return the Eva Series to its rightful form."
All: "Evangelize humankind and restore us to our true form."
All: "With equal amounts of death and prayer, restore all people to their true state."
Keel: "And may all souls be at peace."
Keel: "Then, let the ceremony commence."

Rei's Ascension (Partial)

○ High altitude skies
Pure blue sky.
The eleven Evas hang in the air above the sea of clouds.
Shinji continues screaming.
Eva-01's wings of light finally become 12.
○ Terminal Dogma
Lilith's mask floats on the LCL. (Not needed?)
Ikari lingers.
His left hand. Red particles of light flitter about.
Like a jimensou, Kaworu's upper body emerges from around the base of his thumb.
This in turn transforms into a smiling Rei.
Ikari: "Adam is taking on Lilith's form."
Ikari: "Has it... begun? This isn't Rei's doing. Yui? No... Shinji?"
Ikari: "Is Shinji doing this?"
Shinji continues to scream.
Eva-01's 12 glowing wings of light.
The form of a giant Rei slowly rises up from below the sea of clouds.
Shinji is in shock, eyes still full of tears.
Shinji: "Ayanami, Rei?"
At the sound of her name, Rei blinks open her eyes (which are formed in the process). (Eva-01 across from her.)
Shinji has no screams left.
Above the clouds. Rei and the 11 Evas opposing each other.

Playground/sandbox scene

The extended sandbox scene is very opaque and full of symbolism which is difficult to analyze; fortunately, the draft has a longer version, which differs in some key ways. Translation by Numbers-kun:

Park (make this like the set of a stage?)

A children's song sung by kindergarteners floats in the background. ("Natural sound" and documentary-like)

An empty swing. Behind it, the setting sun can be seen above the mountains.

A small sand pit at the bottom of a slide.

Shinji: I see. I thought there would be something [or something would happen?]. Just like when I started the cello.
Shinji: I thought there would be something if I came here.

A young Shinji and a girl making a sand castle (in the shape of a pyramid?). (Make her a young Asuka?)

Girl: Shall we try our best to finish it?
Girl: [It'll be] a splendid castle.

Young Shinji: Yeah!
Young Shinji is full of high spirits.

The mother of the girl stands at the park entrace. (Make her look like Yui, or Misato?)

Girl: Oh, it's Mama. See you later.

The girl picks up her shovel and starts running to her mother at full speed.

Young Shinji is left behind, all alone.

Laughing, without a single glance at young Shinji, the girl goes back to her mother.

For a moment, a young couple can be seen holding hands. (Is this necessary?)

Young Shinji's face looks as though he might cry at any minute.

However, he regathers his spirits, and begins building the castle.

The sun has already set on the sand pit.

The sand castle is complete.

Young Shinji looks at it for a little while.

Suddenly, he starts kicking it in. (Depict the sound effects with a "cine-kari" [drawn directly onto the negative]-like wavy line?)

The terrible sight of a ruined castle.

Crying this time, young Shinji tries to restore the castle again.

Young Shinji's sobbing resounds from within the small sand pit.

Shinji as an elementary school student, alone, crying at his desk.
In the background, music and announcements indicating the end of the school day.
Voice of a male classmate: Tch, he's obsessed with himself, just because he lives at the teacher's place!
Voice of a female teacher: What a depressing child.
Voice of a female classmate: Such a nuisance!
Voice of a female classmate: He can't do anything by himself.

Asuka as an elementary school student, sitting alone at her desk.
In the background, the voices of children screaming as they play. (In German?)
Voice of a male classmate: Her tests are the most important [thing], so she can't say anything [to us].
Voice of Asuka as an elementary school student: I just don't talk away stupidly!
Voice of a male classmate: Pfft, that stuck-up, who do you think you are!?
Voice of Asuka as an elementary school student: What? I'm not the same as you!
Asuka's voice: Don't think that I'm the same!

Gendo's End

For dialogue that remains same as final, bochan_bird's translation is used.

○ Terminal Dogma
Ikari: "I've been waiting for this moment for so long... To finally be with you again, Yui."
Yui in labcoat, standing in front of Ikari.
Ikari: "When I'm with Shinji, I only hurt him."
Ikari: "So, it's better that I do nothing."
Yui: "So, you were afraid of Shinji."
Ikari: "I don't believe that I can be loved by others. I'm not worthy of love."
Kaworu: "You're just afraid that hurting people is all you can do."
Standing behind Ikari.
Yui: "That just isn't the case."
Rei: "You hate yourself, after all."
Nude, standing behind Yui.
Ikari: "So this is my retribution. [Alt.: "So the way things stand is what I deserve.] Forgive me, Shinji."
Ikari too turns into a particle of light and LCL.
Ikari's LCL runs off into the LCL within Dogma. (On second thought, show it later?)
His glasses remain on the spot. (Harkening back to episode #5.) A hand picks the glasses up carefully.
The second Rei, standing to one side.

Notes

All notes by Reichu. Acknowledgments to RockManBalls for providing translation help. You're awesome, man.

Sometimes the dialogue is identical to that in the final script. In these cases, I often found myself referencing the best translation of EoE's dialogue out there, Bochan_bird's. (Especially since I'm none too great with dialogue.) These screenplay translations are my own work, by and by, but when I didn't feel like I could come up with a "better" take on a particular line (not that any of the lines I did translate differently are "better"), I went with what he got. Not sure if he would consider that a compliment or mere thievery. Given our "ambivalent relationship"... Er...

Anyway!

External Links

• Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Mysteries @ The Internet Archive. Retrieved 4/19/2009.
  • Episode 25′: The Door Into Summer
  • Episode 26′: Sincerely Yours

• MDWigs' Musings: EoE Live Sequence and Alternate Endings. Retrieved 4/19/2009.

• The Evangelion Otaku Page. Retrieved 4/22/2009.
  • The End of Evangelion Motion Picture Screenplay. Translated by Bochan_bird. (Despite the name, this is a translation of the final movie's dialogue formatted into a "screenplay", not the pre-production screenplay.)