Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance Premiere Date (in Japan theatres): June 2009 Director: Hideaki Anno Production: Studio Khara Review by Fernando Ramos Neon Genesis Evangelion is a series that needs almost no introduction. First debuting in the heady days of 1995, it broke new ground with its chaotic mixture of mecha action, psychological character drama and experimental storytelling techniques that had more in common with the likes of expressionist filmmakers like Fritz Lang and surrealists like Luis Bunuel than Gundam. Whether you consider its director, Hideaki Anno, an artistic genius or the luckiest hack in the world, there is no denying Evangelion’s impact as an apocalyptic tale of three young pilots fighting off enigmatic Angels in the days of 2015. It was no surprise that when the new “Rebuild of Evangelion” theatrical releases were announced, it caused a big stir—making the initial feature Evangelion 1.0: You are (not) alone all the more disappointing. While sporting much slicker production values than the low-budget TV series, the film offered little for new to long-time fans until the final minutes, where, along with the suggestion that all this may just be connected to the original series, fans were given a very intriguing teaser. The teaser attached to the end of the movie promised nothing less than a very different Evangelion with new mecha, new Angels and a completely new pilot. So much, in fact, that many wondered just how tossing more into one of anime’s most infamously tangled storylines could work.
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