The End of EvangelionWP (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン劇場版 Air/まごころを、君に, Shin Seiki Evangerion Gekijō-ban: Air/Magokoro o, Kimi ni?) is the second film in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, and the last anime release for the series until the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy. The film is an alternate ending to the TV series, taking place after Episode 24. The film was released on 19 July 1997.
The film is divided into two approximately 45-minute episodes, each given a secondary English title by GAINAX just as with the TV series' episodes: "Episode 25': Air" and "Episode 26': Sincerely Yours". They are regarded by the producers as either an alternate ending to the TV series or a more detailed "real world" account of the TV series' original ending in Episodes 25 and 26, which takes place almost completely in the minds of the main characters (the style being largely shaped by time and budget restraints).[1] GAINAX originally proposed to title it REBIRTH2 (Tentative) (REBIRTH2 (仮)?).[2]
Plot Summary[]
Episode 25': "Love is Destructive"[]
- See also: Episode 25'
NERV headquarters is invaded by the JSSDF, as SEELE makes its final move. Asuka awakens from her despair and battles the Mass Production Eva Series to the death.
Episode 26': "ONE MORE FINAL: I need you."[]
- See also: Episode 26'
Shinji comes face to face with Lilith, who grants him the decisive voice in the world's destiny. As his demons continue to torment him, a choice is made that shakes the world.
Production[]
Production on a film ending for the series began in 1997, with GAINAX first releasing Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. The first half, DEATH, was a highly condensed character-based recap and re-edit of the TV series. The second half, REBIRTH, was originally intended to be the full ending, but could not be finished (due to budget and time constraints). The project was completed later in the year and released as The End of Evangelion.
"Episode 25': Air", uses the original script intended for Episode 25 of the TV series and forms roughly 2/3 of the previous film, REBIRTH. The End of Evangelion later became the second half of Revival of Evangelion, a concatenation of DEATH (TRUE)² and The End of Evangelion.
The ambiguous and unclear meaning of the TV series' ending left many viewers and critics confused and unsatisfied. The final two episodes were possibly the most controversial segments of an already controversial series and were received as flawed and incomplete by many.[3] However, Anno and assistant director Kazuya Tsurumaki defended the artistic integrity of the finale.[4][5][6]
See also: Death threats and "Anno's revenge"
It is a commonly held belief that Hideaki Anno created The End of Evangelion as a form of "revenge" against Evangelion fans who were unhappy with the existing ending to the TV series. In reality, The End of Evangelion is closer to the original concept for the TV series' ending, which was changed due to budget and censorship issues. It is also a commonly held belief that the "death threats" flashed on screen in The 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. Most of these "death threats" were, in fact, letters of praise and encouragement. Only two can really be considered "death threats", while only one can really even be considered "hate mail." 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.
Making-of documentary subtitled by AnnoCinema
Final Line[]
See also: Final Scene in End of Evangelion
Asuka's closing line, "気持ち悪い。" ("Kimochi warui."), can mean "How disgusting," but it can also be ambiguously translated as "I feel unwell/terrible/sick," "What a disgusting feeling," or "Feels bad." According to an episode of the Japanese anime show Anime Yawa aired March 31, 2005 on NHK's satellite TV, the final line was initially written as "I'd never want to be killed by you of all men, absolutely not!" or "I'll never let you kill me." ("Anta nankani korosareru nowa mappira yo!") but Anno was dissatisfied with all of Yuko Miyamura's renditions of this line.[7] This alternate line was included as a bonus feature in the 2015 Blu-ray BOX set. Eventually Anno asked her what she would say if a stranger had broken into her room at night and masturbated over her, to which she replied, "Disgusting."[8] According to Megumi Ogata, Shinji's voice actress, the scene itself was modeled on an experience of a female friend of Anno's.[9] Consensually, Shinji's seiyuu, Megumi Ogata, choked Miyamura in order to produce the final line, and accidentally pushed her to the floor, producing her coarse voice at the end.[10] The final scene also had many details removed that better suit the ambiguity of the final line, such as it being more clearly implied that Asuka had returned by herself and chosen to lay by Shinji's side.[11]
These are included in an early draft of the film, along with other considerable changes. For instance, Shinji was originally supposed to masturbate in his room alone thinking of Asuka, and even his face as he ejaculated would have been shown, and there is a cut scene with him biding farewell to Toji and Kensuke.
Live Action Scene[]
Main article: Episode 26' Live Action Cut
A scene from the cut live action sequence
The live action scene near the end of the film was originally intended to be a much longer sequence with Megumi Hayashibara, Yuko Miyamura, and Kotono Mitsuishi portraying their characters from the TV series ten years after the events of Evangelion. In this continuity, Shinji does not exist and Asuka has a sexual relationship with Toji Suzuhara. Asuka is called out by Anno's own voice, and she seems confused to hear it. The sequence ends with Shinji's voice saying, "This isn't it, I am not here," proving that it is a false reality much like the one that he sees in Episode:26. The scene was cut for unknown reasons, but footage from it is used in the film's theatrical trailer.
"Everything You've Ever Dreamed"[]
Much like "Komm, süsser Tod", Anno also wrote another song that was eventually assorted into English and fully produced and sung, "Everything You've Ever Dreamed", probably for the end credits. It was eventually unused, but it was very focused on Asuka and Shinji's relationship, unlike the more general "Komm, süsser Tod".
Music[]
- Main article: The End of Evangelion (soundtrack)
The music of The End of Evangelion was composed by Shiro Sagisu, with vocal performances by Loren & Mash and Arianne. The theme songs "Komm, süsser Tod", "THANATOS -If I Can't Be Yours-", and the classical piece "Air" were released as a single on 01 August 1997.[12] The film's soundtrack was released later, on 26 September 1997.[13]
Gallery[]
Release[]
Theater display for The End of Evangelion
The End of Evangelion was released in Japanese theaters on 19 July 1997 by Toei Company. Between its release and October 1997, the film grossed 1.45 billion yen.[14] It was later released to home video on Laserdisc, VHS, and DVD. The film was edited into an episodic format for the VHS/Laserdisc releases of Genesis 0:13, 0:14, and DVD Volume 7, but the theatrical version was released alongside it in each format. For the Renewal DVD series, the theatrical version was remastered with DTS audio and released with DEATH(TRUE)² of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth.[15]
The previously mentioned episodic format release of the film, as well as the theatrical version, was included in Japan's 2015 Blu-ray BOX set, its 2019 "Standard Edition" reprint, and the Blu-ray sets in North America, Europe, and other territories (although the episodic format version is only included in limited collectors editions). Revival of Evangelion is also included in the Japanese Blu-ray sets on its own disc.
On 21 February 2024, GKIDS, the current distributor for Neon Genesis Evangelion in the United States, announced that The End of Evangelion would be shown in film theaters for the very first time in the country on both 17 March 2024 and 20 March 2024.[16]
The film can currently be streamed on Netflix, and it is available for rent and digital purchase from Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play Movies & TV, and Apple TV in the United States of America.
Theatrical Program[]
- Main article: Red Cross Book
Sold at theatrical showings was a program containing cast and staff interviews, as well as a glossary of terms from the series. The name originates from the red cross logo on the cover.[17]
Reception[]
Box office[]
The End of Evangelion was a box office success, grossing ¥2.47 billion.[18] The movie earned ¥1½ billion in Japanese distributor rentals, equivalent to about $12 million at the time, becoming the fourth-highest-grossing Japanese feature film of 1997.[19]
Critical reception[]
The End of Evangelion received praise for its animation, direction, editing, emotional power, screenplay, soundtrack,[20] and themes.[21] On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently has an approval rating of 92% based on 12 reviews.[22] The film currently has a rating of 8.2/10 on the film database website IMDb.[23] With a rating of 4.4/5 on Letterboxd,[24] it remains as the highest rated animated film of the site since March 2024,[25] ranking number 23 at the Letterboxd Top 250.[26]
Accolades[]
The film won both the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize for 1997 and the Japan Academy Prize for "Biggest Public Sensation of the Year";[27] EX.org ranked the film in 1999 as the fifth best 'All-Time Show' (with the TV series at #2).[28]
Legacy[]
Since its release, The End of Evangelion has been frequently considered as one of the greatest animated films of all time. It was listed in 46th place by Paste, praising both its surrealism and its experimentalism.[29] The Japanese film magazine Cut listed it third.[30] Writer Patrick Macias named it the third-best film in history, describing it as the most important anime film of the 1990s.[31] Slant Magazine ranked it 42nd among the best 100 science fiction films ever produced.[32]
External Links[]
- Fans Impressions at GAINAX Official Evangelion's Webpage (Archived)
- The End of Evangelion at AllMovie
References[]
- Screenwriter Akio Satsukawa, who worked on twelve Evangelion episodes, also worked with Anno on Love & Pop, a 1998 live action romantic drama film. Anno had first approached Satsukawa about the project, which he felt was a way for Anno to "run away from Eva". According to Satsukawa, Anno kept saying he was atracted to the main character. They had inserted some references to Evangelion, and particularly The End of Evangelion, in the film. Notably, the shooting version of the script began with the same line as Asuka's final line in The End of Evangelion: "Disgusting" ("Kimochi warui"), but this was edited out of the film at the last minute. Satsukawa noted the thematic similarity with Evangelion, felt that Love & Pop was almost like a continuation of Evangelion, and Anno said that he was attracted to the protagonist, a mentally ill girl with multiple personalities. In fact, the film starts on the same date that The End of Evangelion was released.- Love & Pop Theatrical Booklet (1998)
- ↑ The End of Evangelion: Production from EvaOtaku.com.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220316042532/https://twitter.com/evacollector/status/1503707232751403008
- ↑ "… This became a major issue as the final episode of the TV series could be considered incomplete. The voice of the fans grew stronger as they demanded a proper ending to the drama, explanations of the mysteries, or even a new story. Thus, in order to meet these demands, it was decided to remake episodes 25 and 26." From the Commentary of the Red Cross Book[1]
- ↑ "Lately due to the ending of episodes #25 and #26, some people started watching Evangelion. They were not anime fans. In fact many of them are females and they tell me that they really enjoyed episode #25, objectively. Most anime fans are furious. I understand their anger. I can't help laughing when hard-core anime fans say that we did a very lousy job, with intentional negligence. No we didn't. No staff members did a lousy job. In fact, every member at Gainax gave more energy than anybody can imagine. I feel sad that those fans couldn't see our efforts. Personally I think the original TV ending we showed ended up beautifully." Hideaki Anno, Protoculture Addicts 43
- ↑ "My opinion was, 'Why don't we show them the entire process including our breakdown." You know — make it a work that shows everything including our inability to create a satisfactory product. I figured that, "In 10 years or so, if we look back on something that we made while we were drunk out of our minds, we wouldn't feel bad even if the quality wasn't so good.'
Q: Really?" "KT – So, no matter what the final form, I feel it was great just being able to make it to the end of the TV series. " Tsurumaki interview, RCB - ↑ I couldn't draw it out for various reasons, but as far as episodes 25 and 26 (the last episode) in the original storyline, I even had the plot for episode 25. Episode 26 was abandoned at the plot stage. We'll rework the original episodes 25 and 26 in the video and LD that will be released next year, but for episode 26, we're going to rework it again visually. If I can't come up with anything, I'll take that plot apart and do it again. The episodes 25 and 26 that aired on TV were a direct reflection of how I was feeling at that point in time, so I'm happy with them. I don't regret it. March 4. After the end of the voice recording of "Evangelion" episode 25, the staff and cast members held a party near the Tabak recording studio in Tokyo. Anno: At that time, the script for the final episode was not yet up. It was all done the following week. We only had three days of drawing work in fact. To be honest, I don't think it even needed to be drawn up as an expression. In fact, it should have been fine for me to come out and talk. I thought that'd still work, but as expected, they refused to let me. - Hideaki Anno: Special Interview to celebrate being made into a movie (Newtype, 06/1996)
- ↑ "Annno [sic] didn't live with my line no matter how many times I tried. Ogata and I were at a loss how we should play what Anno wanted to express; she even tried to ride on me and choke me to meet his demand. He must have been pursuing reality." "Asuka's final line in the Evangelion movie was Miyamura's idea"
- ↑ "Concerning the final line we adopted, I'm not sure whether I should say about it in fact. At last Anno asked me 'Miyamura, just imagine you are sleeping in your bed and a stranger sneaks into your room. He can rape you anytime as you are asleep but he doesn't. Instead, he masturbates looking at you, when you wake up and know what he did to you. What do you think you would say?' I had been thinking he was a strange man, but at that moment I felt disgusting. So I told him that I thought 'Disgusting.' And then he sighed and said, 'I thought as much.'" Yūko Miyamura appearance on Anime Yawa, March 28 [2]
- ↑ According to Megumi Ogata, Shinji's voice actress, the scene itself was modeled on a experience of a female friend of Anno's. This friend got into an argument with her boyfriend, and at some point he choked her in rage. Instead of reacting violently, this friend felt no fear, hatred or even a need for survival, but rather a desire to caress him tenderly. In response, her boyfriend lost her grip. However, Anno's friend instead grew cold, and muttered Asuka's line from the EoE draft almost verbatim. Ogata believes that this scene was how Anno wanted to "convey different ways how to bring feelings of love to a conclusion that exist in reality. You are you, I am I". Naturally, this reflects on the films' themes of individuality and the duality of reaching out to others present in Eva.
Anno also guided Ogata to treat OMF partly as a separate story: "as something that just exists. As if everything that happened before in the movie is merely a dream that never happened. It is its own narrative unity, something that can fundamentally be taken away from its context in the movie and still be interpreted as a dramatic whole. It is and is not the final scene of EoE."
Furthermore, Ogata asked Anno to help her understand what Anno wanted to convey through the scene and how Shinji is supposed to act. Hearing this, Anno first stands silent and confused for a moment. Then he firmly wraps his arms around himself and hugs himself. This is on the "purpose" of what he is trying to express. As for how Ogata should play Shinji Anno asks her to not play Shinji: " "For this scene alone, I want Ogata to take on and express my feelings rather than Shinji's" - Koji Ide's Evangelion Forever - ↑ List_of_Common_Misconceptions#Anno_forced_Megumi_Ogata_to_choke_Yuko_Miyamura despite rumours to the contrary.
- ↑ Only the beach sequence between Shinji and Asuka. He and Asuka were resurrected because Shinji wanted a world with others. Other people will be resurrected from now on. Shinji strangles Asuka as she lies there. Asuka pats his face as if to confirm Shinji's presence (the storyboard notes “Asuka's hand moving gently”). Shinji comes to himself, relaxes his hand, and cries. In response, Asuka says, “I feel sick,” and the film comes to an end. This last scene is said to be difficult to understand. Until the very end, “Eva” leaves the decision to the audience. In the storyboards and recording script, Asuka's line was “I don't want to be killed by you,” but it was difficult to record the line as director Anno intended. Because of this change, the last scene became more and more difficult to understand. - Oguro Staff Commentary #62
- ↑ http://vgmdb.net/album/35698
- ↑ http://vgmdb.net/album/19795
- ↑ December 1997 NewType, p.90
- ↑ http://svenge.pcriot.com/
- ↑ GKIDS announcement tweet
- ↑ http://evaotaku.com/html/programbooks.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20190728183722/https://news.merumo.ne.jp/article/genre/3019391
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-10-03/evangelion-1.0-is-now-top-grossing-eva-movie
- ↑ https://www.cbr.com/nge-end-of-evangelion-thrice-upon-a-time-comparison/
- ↑ https://hyperallergic.com/505902/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix/
- ↑ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_end_of_evangelion
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169858/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3
- ↑ https://letterboxd.com/film/neon-genesis-evangelion-the-end-of-evangelion/
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/evangelion/comments/1boizzh/end_of_eva_has_reclaimed_top_animated_spot_on/
- ↑ https://letterboxd.com/dave/list/official-top-250-narrative-feature-films/
- ↑ Carl Horn, "My Empire of Dirt" (2002, for Viz Communications
- ↑ http://www.ex.org/news/1999_05.html
- ↑ https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/best-anime-movies/the-100-best-anime-movies-of-all-time/
- ↑ http://patrickmacias.blogs.com/er/2006/11/mama_inai.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120303052611/http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/top_tens/archive03.html#macias
- ↑ https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/the-100-best-science-fiction-films-of-all-time/6/