Third Impact

Evangelion/My Winnipeg Comparison (see asterisks)

Originally posted on The Grey Line

My Winnipeg Review

This pseudo-documentary is a lot like those introspective journeys in the anime masterpiece NG Evangelion.* Abstract and postmodern. Guy Maddin (director, played by Darcy Fehr) drowsily travels in a metaphorical train** as he reminisces and contemplates, at times abstractly and symbolically, his love-hate relationship with his hometown, Winnepeg. Intertitles aid the narrative’s progression, while also expressing Maddin’s emotions.*** Ann Savage stars as Maddin’s mother.

My Winnipeg’s surreality is not for most.

Watch the trailer.

*See episode 14, **16, or ***25.

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

Originally posted on The Grey Line

If you’ve suddenly felt a sense of deja vu, it’s because the above one-sheet for the latest Evangelion film is nearly identical to the one for Evangelion 1.0. The only addition is Asuka and mystery girl Mari.

If you’re suddenly confused, let’s recap. Gainax is making a tetralogy of animated features based on the beloved anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. The first film was released last year in Japan. Later, a fansub DVDrip was leaked on the net. Official release outside Japan, DVD or otherwise, remains unknown.

The official Evangelion website re-launched last week announcing new details on the second installment. The English title is confirmed as Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance . A tentative Japanese theatrical release is set for early summer in 2009. It was previously scheduled for a 2008 winter release. Asuka, new Evangelion units, and “a shocking new story” are promised. Further deductions can be made from the preview trailer shown at the ending of the first movie (below).

As if 2009 isn’t already too far into the future, Japanese outsiders will have to wait for a quality online scene release. Let’s see, Evangelion 1.0 took seven months to leak. If Evangelion 2.0 hits theaters in June of ‘09, that puts a likely DVDrip release in January or February of 2010. Kill me now.

The third and final movie are to be released simultaneously, probably sometime in 2011 at this rate. P2P networks are sure to have it by 2013.


Evangelion 2.0 Film Set for Early Summer of 2009 [Anime News Network] via Japanator

Official Evangelion Site (Japanese)

Rebuild of Evangelion

Evangelion 2.0 Preview

See also: Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone - Review

Geek Alert - Speculations on the New Character:

I’m most interested in the new character Mari (bottom left in pic). Little is known of her. A few frames from the trailer and the image above is all we have. Her name (マリ) was revealed in a recent Evangelion video game.

Her plaid skirt is the most telling clue. On the assumption that she’s a new pilot, I doubt NERV would place her in a different school, which would explain her uniform, since the series has already established that all pilots attend the same school. She’s probably an exchange student like Asuka, but not from Germany. The only alternative would be America as that is the only other country with a NERV branch.

If she is American the katakana spelling マ(Ma)リ(Ri) could actually be the translation of “Mary”, a common American name. Though my four years of Japanese class tells me “Mary” is probably spelled メ(Me)リ(Ri) or メ(Me)ア(A)リ(Ri)ー. Even so, her name’s origin may be irrelevant. Asuka, who is German has a common Japanese name.

In the preview video Mari is seen staring at cross shaped energy beams. They’re similar to explosions shown throughout the series. This could be Mari witnessing some sort of explosive test at one of the NERV facilities. As an Eva pilot she would have access. A new Evangelion unit is also shown in the preview clip. Could it be hers?

It’s plausible that she’s not an a Eva pilot at all, though that’s less likely. What would be her purpose? Maybe she’s a girl-genius and is brought in to help in the logistics department.

The poster displays all the key young characters. Aside from Mari, only two weren’t pilots in the series: Kensuke and Hikari. Why are they featured on the poster? Could the poster be foreshadowing future Evangelion pilots? Why aren’t other main characters like Misato or Gendo on the poster? Shall I remind you that the movies aren’t an exact remake of the series. Kensuke and Hikari may very well become Eva pilots. Though unrelated to the movies, previous Gainax artwork does show both in plugsuits. Remember: in the series all of Shinji’s classmates were eligible candidates for NERV. So if we are to presume this, there’s more evidence to suggest that Mari is a pilot.

Or Kensuke and Hikari are shown only because they’re part of the group of friends, and the young characters are shown because youth with major responsibility is on the themes of the show.

Mari on the poster and in the preview trailer is no definite indication of a lengthy appearance in Evangelion 2.0. In the latest press release there was no mention of Mari. Kaworu was prevalent in the Evangelion 1.0’s one-sheet, as he is in this one, but only had a few seconds of screen time in the first movie.

Maybe she’s an angel. Who knows?

The wait is going to be excruciating.

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone - Review

Originally posted on The Grey Line

No other series has awed me as deeply as Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion, anime or otherwise. I was enamored with the complexity of its narrative, full of references to philosophy and psychology, and its rich, emotionally stricken, characters. To this day I haven’t encountered anything that compares to the experience I’ve had with the story of Evangelion? Not even a live-action movie, and you know I love movies (it has a lot to do with the 2 hour structure of a feature film vs. the 10 hours of a 26 episode series).

As clearly expressed above I’m of fervent fan of NGE. An animated remake of the series, then, is titillating notion for me. When the Rebuild of Evangelion, a 4-part animated movie remake with an all new alternative conclusion, was announced I went off the walls both in doubt and excitement. The first of the movies, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone was released in Japanese theaters last year. Just weeks ago it made it to DVD (in Japan), as well as on P2P sites. At last, nearly 8 months after its Japanese release, I was able to watch this new take on Evangelion!

So what did I think of Evangelion Rebuilt: part 1? Well, I loved it. But, again, I am an Eva fanatic.

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are Not Alone is a nearly step-by-step summation of the first 6 episodes of the original TV series. If you’ve seen the show you know the story: Shinji Ikari, an insecure 14-year-old boy, is chosen to pilot Evangelion Unit 01, a prototype humanoid weapon. His father Gendo Ikari is the head of NERV, a special organization assigned to protect Tokyo from the monstrous Angels, and also the producers of the Evangelions. Rei Ayanami, an emotionless 14-year-old girl, was the first chosen pilot. She joins Shinji, with her own Eva, to defend Tokyo 3. Misato Katsuragi—female, 29 years old, and NERV operational director—mentors the pilots and leads them into action.

The jargon above may give the impression that Evangelion is only for the sci-fi enthusiasts. The start of the series, and therefore this movie, mostly concentrates on the fight against the Angels. But let’s give it more thought. The notion of labeling the enemies as “Angels” alone is implication of something much deeper than the ordinary robot mech sci-fi narrative. Psychological motifs and allusions to philosophy are not apparent in NGE’s exposition, and since the movie only covers the first 6 episodes, there’s no focus of Evangelion’s deeper themes—save the brief mention of the hedgehog’s dilemma— in You Are (Not) Alone. Plus, at least 40 minutes of possibly insightful content from the original show is cut from the movie. This rundown version may result in a bland impression for anyone unfamiliar with the series.

The compression of events doesn’t affect the overall quality, really; it’s actually paced well, especially in the later half. As any devoted fan, I did notice when a scene was missing. Personally, I would have liked it if Hideaki had not left out the nuance of the seemingly insignificant scenes. Then again, I understand that a 90 min. film is far more appealing to a wider audience. As for the scenes that were not cut, they remained virtually untouched.

About 80% of the movie is identical to the what was seen in the original show, albeit redrawn. Some scenes, such as the Eva training simulator sequence, have been enhanced with computerized effects. Further detail is applied to the art but generally the animation and storyboard goes unchanged. One notable inclusion was that of Rei’s nipples, most visible in the famous scene where Shinji tumbles upon just-showered Rei. Aside from the Director’s Cut and End of Evangelion, such details as areolas were always vaguely drawn, if drawn at all.

The most noticeable alteration has to be the climactic battle with the 6th Angel Rameil (5th in original). While its diamond-like shape is still its primary form, Rameil is now shown in various transformations as it attacks and defends itself. No worry, this addition is a good one.

Completely new content, however, is sparse until the last half-hour of the movie, when two important plot tweaks present themselves (they’re partly done to hurry the plot). No big narrative shifts are present in You Are (Not) Alone. For that you’ll have to wait for Division, the sequel.

Just like in the TV show the movie ends with a “to be continued” message on a black screen and, following the credits, a peek at the next episode. This clip shows a new character. At its end it’ll leave every Eva fan exasperated with anticipation for the next film.

But I doubt non fans will feel the same. The movie is essentially for the fans. They’re the ones who are going to eat it up. Looking at the movie objectively, it looks like a long episode from a science fiction anime series and nothing else. There’s little sense of conclusion or accomplishment, unlike say in The Fellowship of the Ring, part of the LotR trilogy. Not much happens but the three battles with the three Angels, and there’s barely any development in the characters. It’s a drawback of adapting a TV series that doesn’t really kick off until its later half. I’m sure the sequels will be far better. I just don’t think that the first, You Are (Not) Alone, will provide enough incentive for anyone not in love with series or into sci-fi anime to continue with the later films.

Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone’s direction and art is of high quality because of its source material. It’s a good recap of the early episodes but there’s nothing too spectacular about it. If you’re going to watch it, I’d advise to first see the complete original series if you haven’t already. Though if you don’t have many hours to spare and want to know what all the rave for Evangelion is about, then watching the Rebuild film series is a good idea. Just know that you won’t be too ecstatic about Eva until the sequels arrive. Still, I’d recommend to watch the series afterwards. And if you are an avid fan like me then you need no convincing; Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone cannot be avoided.



Released in Japanese theaters Sept. 1, 2007
Past theatrical release dates… (US date incorrect)

DVD release (Japan only):
1.01 Limited Design Edition - April 25, 2008
Normal Edition - May 21, 2008
Blu-ray: ????

US DVD release: ???? not yet licensed - Prediction: Late ‘08 - Mid ‘09
Internet release: DVD-Rip fansub torrent available


Official Evangelion Site (Japanese)
Trailers
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (Wikipedia)

Other reviews (possible spoilers):
Heisei Democracy (by Shingo with alt. take by Shipon)
Swifty, Writing: Justin’s IM Chat Review
Japanator Review (by God Len)

Live Action Anime

Originally Posted on The Grey Line

Ishimori Entertainment is partnering with Comic Book Movies! What does this mean? It means that a bunch of anime titles will be transitioning into live action movies.

Anime is meant to be animated and most will not transfer well to live action. It’s that simple. When I first heard that a live action version of Neon Genesis Evangelion was in pre-production I was screaming down the streets and yelling through peoples windows. A live action movie would just ruin the whole essence of what Evangelion is. When I found out that it was going to be westernized, including name changes, I nearly shoved this keyboard down my throat.
That was like 2 years ago. I’m cool now. Plus production on NGE live action is so slow I wonder if it’ll ever be made.

Back to the now.
With the Ishimori CBM merger there’s a crap load of potential for anime titles to be adapted into live action. I really don’t give a hoot about some crappy anime being made into a live action film. What I do care about is when good anime is made into a live action movie with western production companies and western changes to appeal to the American audiences. It totally ruins the point and meaning of the original. They are money makers and you know how I hate movies that are just made for the buck.

There’s now talk about a Lupin the 3rd movie. Americanized live action Lupin the 3rd. I don’t know.

It’s probably going to happen, but I’ll hate the day when shitty movies based on great anime rule the cinema.

What’s you’re feeling on anime being translated into live action?
I’d really love to know.

Actually I don’t care too much. I just thought it’d be nice to end this post with a question, but please comment.