Evangelion 2.0 Gets Japanese Release Date
Originally posted on The Grey Line
image: Konachan
It’s official: Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, the second installment of the Evangelion movie remakes, will hit Japanese theaters this summer on June 27.
[Source: AnimeNewsNetwork]
The Evangelion website also announced that a new version (1.11) of Evangelion 1.0 You Are Not Alone, the first remake, will come out on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan May 27. It’ll include new cuts and features. This is an addition to the 1.01 release, which was made available last April. Japan just can’t get enough of re-releases.
Meanwhile in North America, Evangelion 1.0 has yet to be officially released. Though FUNimation (recently acquired NA license) is showing the movie in film festivals. The North American DVD is expected on Novemeber 10, 2009. Fansubs have been available online since early last year.
How long will it take for Evangelion 2.0 to reach North America? Guesstimate. If the time it’s going to take Eva 1.0 to arrive on US shelves is anything to go by, then it’ll be 26 months from June (2011) until we see a US DVD release of Eva 2.0. But rest a bit easier. To leak online only takes about seven months. Fansubs should be on P2P networks by early 2010.
Update: Tickets for Eva 2.0 will go on sale March 14. A teaser trailer will be premiere in theaters the same day. [Japan]
See also: Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
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)
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
Originally posted on The Grey Line
A little more than a full year ago I learned about the Rebuilding of Evangelion, an animated film remake of acclaimed anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Being the huge fan that I am, I had mixed feelings.
There will be four films. The first three will be reworkings of the first 24 episodes of the series. The final movie will be a completely new conclusion to the story.
It was only after a sudden urge to watch uncensored Sailor Moon days ago that I reentered the world of anime, and thus remembering that the summer had passed, meaning the first Eva Rebuild must’ve already been released.
Scouring Wikipedia I discovered that Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (written and directed by original series director, Hideaki Anno) had opened in Japanese theaters on September 1st. The screenings were packed to the point of a complete defiance for fire hazard safety. It was easing to read that the crowds (comprised of Eva fans obviously) applauded in approval at its end. Also, it earned the top spot at Japanese Box Office.
After Wiki I ran through the rest of the web attempting to uncover more Eva info - for the door shielding the memories of nights ogling, analyzing and jubilantly immersing myself in Neon Genesis had violently busted open releasing a flood of nostalgic passion. I desperately looked for torrents, not caring for subtitles (surely, my four years of Japanese class would be of help), but found nothing but trailers. There’s still no news on its release outside Japan. This avid fan(Me) can’t wait!
I can only judge by the trailers, but it looks like the new Eva remake tetralogy will be similar to Death & Rebirth, which is the Evangelion film recap of the first 24 episodes released in 1997. The majority of scenes in the trailers are near exact copies of scenes from the original TV series, only with more vibrate sharper colors and animation. New 3D effects are also introduced. The major difference is that this new tetralogy will have plot changes, such as the introduction of Kaworu much earlier in the story and the addition of a new character (as seen in the preview for Rebuild of Evangelion: 2.0). The fourth part of Rebuild will be the 2nd alternate ending to the Eva universe (End of Evangelion was the 1st alternate ending, last 2 episodes of TV series makeup the original ending).
These new Evangelion Movies could be a ‘milking for cash’ attempt (Eva is immensely popular), but as long as it’s done right I’m not going to complain. With Hideaki Anno as the general director for the project I have high hopes. Just watching those trailers gets me all tingly inside.
Rebuild of Evangelion - Wikipedia
Evangelion Official Site (Japanese)
Evagenlion: 1.0 Premiere Brochure
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone Trailer 1
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone Trailer 2
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone Trailer 3
Watch Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone -Trailer 2 below
