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{{Short description|Japanese anime series}}
{{Short description|Japanese anime television series}}
{{About|the anime|other media|Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise)}}
{{About|the anime television series|the media franchise|Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox animanga/Header
{{Infobox animanga/Header
| name = Neon Genesis Evangelion
| name = Neon Genesis Evangelion
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* [[Kazuya Tsurumaki]] (assistant)
* [[Kazuya Tsurumaki]] (assistant)
}}
}}
|writer = Hideaki Anno, et al.
|writer = Hideaki Anno
|producer = {{plainlist|
|producer = {{plainlist|
* Noriko Kobayashi ([[TV Tokyo]])
* Noriko Kobayashi ([[TV Tokyo]])
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* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project|Shinji Ikari Raising Project]]''
* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project|Shinji Ikari Raising Project]]''
* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse|Campus Apocalypse]]''
* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse|Campus Apocalypse]]''
* ''[[Petit Eva]]''
* ''[[Petit Eva: Evangelion@School|Petit Eva]]''
}}
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Other
{{Infobox animanga/Other
|title = Light novel
|title = Light novel
|content =
|content =
* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Anima]]''
* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Anima]]''
}}
}}
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** ''[[The End of Evangelion]]'' (1997)
** ''[[The End of Evangelion]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]''
* ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]''
** ''[[Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone|1.0 You Are (Not) Alone.]]'' (2007)
** ''[[Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone|1.0 You Are (Not) Alone]]'' (2007)
** ''[[Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance|2.0 You Can (Not) Advance.]]'' (2009)
** ''[[Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance|2.0 You Can (Not) Advance]]'' (2009)
** ''[[Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo|3.0 You Can (Not) Redo.]]'' (2012)
** ''[[Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo|3.0 You Can (Not) Redo]]'' (2012)
** ''[[Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time|3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time]]'' (2021)
** ''[[Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time|3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time]]'' (2021)
}}
}}
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The series explores the experiences and emotions of the Evangelion pilots and Nerv's members as they fight to prevent Angels from causing more cataclysms. In the process, they are called upon to understand the ultimate cause of events and the motives behind human action. The series has been described as a [[deconstruction]] of the [[mecha]] genre, and features [[archetype|archetypal]] [[Themes of Neon Genesis Evangelion|imagery]] derived from [[Shinto#Cosmology and afterlife|Shinto cosmology]] as well as [[Judaism|Jewish]] and [[Christianity|Christian]] [[mysticism|mystical]] traditions, including [[Midrash]]ic tales and [[Kabbalah]].{{sfn|Haslem|Ndalianis|Mackie|2007|p=113}} The [[psychoanalysis|psychoanalytic]] accounts of human behavior put forward by [[Sigmund Freud|Freud]] and [[Carl Gustav Jung|Jung]] are also prominently featured.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-changed-mecha-anime/|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: 10 Undeniable Ways That It Changed Mecha Anime Forever|date=January 27, 2020|website=CBR|access-date=April 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329142737/https://www.cbr.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-changed-mecha-anime/|archive-date=March 29, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Fujie|Foster|2004|pp=147-160}}
The series explores the experiences and emotions of the Evangelion pilots and Nerv's members as they fight to prevent Angels from causing more cataclysms. In the process, they are called upon to understand the ultimate cause of events and the motives behind human action. The series has been described as a [[deconstruction]] of the [[mecha]] genre, and features [[archetype|archetypal]] [[Themes of Neon Genesis Evangelion|imagery]] derived from [[Shinto#Cosmology and afterlife|Shinto cosmology]] as well as [[Judaism|Jewish]] and [[Christianity|Christian]] [[mysticism|mystical]] traditions, including [[Midrash]]ic tales and [[Kabbalah]].{{sfn|Haslem|Ndalianis|Mackie|2007|p=113}} The [[psychoanalysis|psychoanalytic]] accounts of human behavior put forward by [[Sigmund Freud|Freud]] and [[Carl Gustav Jung|Jung]] are also prominently featured.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-changed-mecha-anime/|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: 10 Undeniable Ways That It Changed Mecha Anime Forever|date=January 27, 2020|website=CBR|access-date=April 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329142737/https://www.cbr.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-changed-mecha-anime/|archive-date=March 29, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Fujie|Foster|2004|pp=147-160}}


''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' received critical acclaim, but was also subject to controversy. Particular controversy centered on its final two episodes, as the ending was deemed confusing and abstract to many viewers and critics alike. In 1997, Hideaki Anno and Gainax released the feature film ''[[The End of Evangelion]]'', which serves as an alternate ending replacing the final two episodes. A series of four films, titled ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'', retelling the events of the series with different plot elements and a new ending, were released between 2007 and 2021. Film, [[manga]], home video, and other products in the [[Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise)|''Evangelion'' franchise]] have achieved record sales in Japanese markets and strong sales in overseas markets, with related goods selling over {{JPY|150 billion}} by 2007 and ''Evangelion'' [[pachinko]] machines generating {{JPY|700 billion}} by 2015.
''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' received critical acclaim, being widely considered one of the greatest anime series of all time, but was also subject to controversy. Particular controversy centered on its final two episodes, as the ending was deemed confusing and abstract to many viewers and critics alike. In 1997, Hideaki Anno and Gainax released the feature film ''[[The End of Evangelion]]'', which serves as an alternate ending replacing the final two episodes. A series of four films, titled ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'', retelling the events of the series with different plot elements and a new ending, were released between 2007 and 2021. Film, [[manga]], home video, and other products in the [[Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise)|''Evangelion'' franchise]] have achieved record sales in Japanese markets and strong sales in overseas markets, with related goods selling over {{JPY|150 billion}} by 2007 and ''Evangelion'' [[pachinko]] machines generating {{JPY|700 billion}} by 2015.


==Plot==
==Plot==
{{See also|List of Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes{{!}}List of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' episodes}}
{{See also|List of Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes{{!}}List of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' episodes}}
In 2015, fifteen years after a global cataclysm called the Second Impact, teenager [[Shinji Ikari]] is summoned to the futuristic city of Tokyo-3 by his estranged father [[Gendo Ikari]], who is the director of the special [[paramilitary]] force Nerv. Shinji witnesses [[United Nations]] forces battling an Angel, one of a race of monstrous beings whose awakening was foretold in the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]]. Because of the Angels' near-impenetrable force-fields, Nerv's [[Evangelion (mecha)|Evangelion]] bio-machines, which are synchronized to their pilots' nervous systems and possess their own force-fields, are the only weapons capable of fighting the Angels. Nerv officer [[Misato Katsuragi]] escorts Shinji into the Nerv complex beneath Tokyo-3, where Gendo pressures him into piloting Evangelion Unit-01 against the Angel. Without training, Shinji is quickly overwhelmed, causing the Evangelion to go berserk and savagely kill the Angel on its own.
In 2015, 15 years after a global cataclysm called the Second Impact, teenager [[Shinji Ikari]] is summoned to the futuristic city of Tokyo-3 by his estranged father [[Gendo Ikari]], who is the director of the special [[paramilitary]] force Nerv. Shinji witnesses [[United Nations]] forces battling an Angel, one of a race of monstrous beings whose awakening was foretold in the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]]. Because of the Angels' near-impenetrable force fields, Nerv's [[Evangelion (mecha)|Evangelion]] bio-machines, which are synchronized to their pilots' nervous systems and possess their own force fields, are the only weapons capable of fighting the Angels. Nerv officer [[Misato Katsuragi]] escorts Shinji into the Nerv complex beneath Tokyo-3, where Gendo pressures him into piloting Evangelion Unit-01 against the Angel. Without training, Shinji is quickly overwhelmed, causing the Evangelion to go berserk and savagely kill the Angel on its own.


Following hospitalization, Shinji moves in with Misato and settles into life in Tokyo-3. In his second battle, Shinji defeats an Angel but runs away afterward, distraught. Misato confronts Shinji, and he decides to remain a pilot. Shinji and Nerv's crew must defeat the remaining fourteen Angels to prevent the Third Impact, a global cataclysm that would destroy the world. Evangelion Unit-00 is repaired shortly afterward, and Shinji tries to befriend its pilot [[Rei Ayanami]], a mysterious and socially isolated teenage girl. With Rei's help, Shinji defeats another Angel. They are joined by Evangelion Unit-02's pilot, the multitalented but insufferable teenager [[Asuka Langley Sōryu]], who is German-Japanese-American. The three of them manage to defeat several Angels, and as Shinji adjusts to his new role as a pilot, he gradually becomes more confident and self-assured. Asuka moves in with Shinji, and they begin to develop confusing feelings for one another, kissing at her provocation.
Following hospitalization, Shinji moves in with Misato and settles into life in Tokyo-3. In his second battle, Shinji defeats an Angel but runs away afterward, distraught. Misato confronts Shinji, and he decides to remain a pilot. Shinji and Nerv's crew must defeat the remaining fourteen Angels to prevent the Third Impact, a global cataclysm that would destroy the world. Evangelion Unit-00 is repaired shortly afterward, and Shinji tries to befriend its pilot [[Rei Ayanami]], a mysterious and socially isolated teenage girl. With Rei's help, Shinji defeats another Angel. They are joined by Evangelion Unit-02's pilot, the multitalented but insufferable teenager [[Asuka Langley Sōryu]], who is German-Japanese-American. The three of them manage to defeat several Angels, and as Shinji adjusts to his new role as a pilot, he gradually becomes more confident and self-assured. Asuka moves in with Shinji, and they begin to develop confusing feelings for one another, kissing at her provocation.


After being absorbed by an Angel, Shinji breaks free thanks to Eva-01 acting on its own. He is later forced to fight Evangelion Unit-03, who has become infected, and its pilot, his friend and classmate [[List of Neon Genesis Evangelion characters#Toji Suzuhara|Toji Suzuhara]], becomes incapacitated and permanently disabled. Asuka loses her self-confidence following a defeat and spirals into depression, which is worsened by her next fight against an [[List of Neon Genesis Evangelion characters#Arael|Angel]] who attacks her mind. It forces her to relive her worst fears and [[childhood trauma]], resulting in a [[mental breakdown]]. In the next battle, Rei sacrifices herself to self-destruct Unit-00 and save Shinji. Misato and Shinji visit the hospital, where they find Rei alive, but claiming she is "the third Rei". Misato forces the scientist [[Ritsuko Akagi (Neon Genesis Evangelion)|Ritsuko Akagi]] to reveal the dark secrets of Nerv, the Evangelion boneyard, and the Dummy Plug system, which operates using clones of Rei, who was created using the DNA of Shinji's mother, [[Yui Ikari]]. This succession of events leaves Shinji emotionally scarred and alienated from the rest of the characters. [[Kaworu Nagisa]] replaces the catatonic Asuka as Unit-02's pilot and befriends Shinji, gaining his trust. He is revealed to be the final foretold Angel, Tabris, and fights Shinji, realizing that he must die to allow humanity to survive. He asks Shinji to kill him, and he hesitates but eventually kills Kaworu; an event that causes him to be overridden with guilt.
After being absorbed by an Angel, Shinji breaks free thanks to Eva-01 acting on its own. He is later forced to fight Evangelion Unit-03, who has become infected, and its pilot, his friend and classmate [[List of Neon Genesis Evangelion characters#Toji Suzuhara|Toji Suzuhara]], becomes incapacitated and permanently disabled. Asuka loses her self-confidence following a defeat and spirals into depression, which is worsened by her next fight against an [[Angels in Neon Genesis Evangelion#Arael|Angel]] who attacks her mind. It forces her to relive her worst fears and [[childhood trauma]], resulting in a [[mental breakdown]]. In the next battle, Rei sacrifices herself to self-destruct Unit-00 and save Shinji. Misato and Shinji visit the hospital, where they find Rei alive, but claiming she is "the third Rei". Misato forces the scientist [[Ritsuko Akagi (Neon Genesis Evangelion)|Ritsuko Akagi]] to reveal the dark secrets of Nerv, the Evangelion boneyard, and the Dummy Plug system, which operates using clones of Rei, who was created using the DNA of Shinji's mother, [[Yui Ikari]]. This succession of events leaves Shinji emotionally scarred and alienated from the rest of the characters. [[Kaworu Nagisa]] replaces the catatonic Asuka as Unit-02's pilot and befriends Shinji, gaining his trust. He is revealed to be the final foretold Angel, Tabris, and fights Shinji, realizing that he must die to allow humanity to survive. He asks Shinji to kill him, and he hesitates but eventually kills Kaworu; an event that causes him to be overridden with guilt.

After the final Angel is defeated, Gendo triggers the "Human Instrumentality Project", a forced evolution of humanity in which the souls of mankind are merged for benevolent purposes. He believes that if unified, humanity could overcome the loneliness and alienation that has eternally plagued them. Shinji's soul grapples with the reason for his existence and reaches an [[Epiphany (feeling)|epiphany]] that he needs others to thrive, enabling him to destroy the wall of negative emotions that torment him and reunite with the others, who congratulate him.

*

*


After the final Angel is defeated, Gendo triggers the "Human Instrumentality Project", a forced evolution of humanity in which the souls of mankind are merged for benevolent purposes. He believes that if unified, humanity could overcome the loneliness and alienation that has eternally plagued them. Shinji's soul grapples with the reason for his existence and reaches an [[Epiphany (feeling)|epiphany]] that he needs others to thrive and to accept himself by seeing a potential Shinji in another reality. This enables him to destroy the wall of negative emotions that torment him and unite with the others, who congratulate him.
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*
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==Characters==
==Characters==
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==Production==
==Production==
Director Hideaki Anno fell into a [[Depression (mood)|depression]] following the completion of work on ''[[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water]]''{{sfn|Lamarre|2009|p=180}} and the 1992 failure of the ''[[Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise]]'' sequel project, ''Blue Uru''.{{sfn|Takeda|2002|pp=155–158}} According to [[Yasuhiro Takeda]], after the failure of ''Blue Uru'' Anno agreed to a collaboration between [[King Records (Japan)|King Records]] and Gainax while drinking with King representative Toshimichi Ōtsuki;{{sfn|Takeda|2002|p=164}} King Records guaranteed Anno a time slot for "something, anything".<ref>{{cite web|title=Personal Biography|url=http://khara.co.jp/hideakianno/personal-biography.html|access-date=September 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517025456/http://www.khara.co.jp/hideakianno/personal-biography.html|archive-date=May 17, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Anno began the development of the new series in 1993 around the notion of not running away, which had been the underlying theme of ''Aoki Uru'', which focused on a protagonist accustomed to avoiding personal responsibility who finds himself trying to save the heroine of the story.{{sfn|Takeda|2002|pp=15, 165-166}} Early into the production, he stated his intent to have ''Evangelion'' increase the number of anime fans, named [[otaku]] in Japanese, and attract interest in the anime medium<ref name="Woznicki">{{cite magazine|first=Krystian|last=Woznicki|title=Towards a cartography of Japanese anime – Anno Hideaki's Evangelion Interview with Azuma Hiroki|magazine=Blimp Filmmagazine|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|date=September 1991}}</ref> bringing a breath of fresh air to the mecha genre. In the early design phase of the ''Evangelion'' project, several formats were considered, including a film, a television series and an [[original video animation]] (OVA) series. The producers finally opted for the television series, as it was the most widely accessible media in Japan at that time.<ref name=Mond /> Anno also originally proposed the title ''Alcion'' for the new series, but this was rejected due to its lack of hard consonant sounds.<ref name=Mond /> He conceived the series as a metaphor of his four-year depression, as he tried to put his whole self into the work and imprint his own feelings on the film.<ref name="What-were-we-making" /><ref>{{cite book|author=Carl Gustav Horn|chapter=The mast or the face – Neon Genesis Evangelion|title=Animerica|volume=5|issue=2|editor=Viz Media|page=70|year=1997}}</ref>
Director Hideaki Anno fell into a [[Depression (mood)|depression]] following the completion of work on ''[[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water]]''{{sfn|Lamarre|2009|p=180}} and the 1992 failure of the ''[[Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise]]'' sequel project, ''[[Uru in Blue]]''.{{sfn|Takeda|2002|pp=155–158}} According to [[Yasuhiro Takeda]], after the failure of ''Uru in Blue'' Anno agreed to a collaboration between [[King Records (Japan)|King Records]] and Gainax while drinking with King representative Toshimichi Ōtsuki;{{sfn|Takeda|2002|p=164}} King Records guaranteed Anno a time slot for "something, anything".<ref>{{cite web|title=Personal Biography|url=http://khara.co.jp/hideakianno/personal-biography.html|access-date=September 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517025456/http://www.khara.co.jp/hideakianno/personal-biography.html|archive-date=May 17, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Anno began the development of the new series in 1993 around the notion of not running away, which had been the underlying theme of ''Uru in Blue'', which focused on a protagonist accustomed to avoiding personal responsibility who finds himself trying to save the heroine of the story.{{sfn|Takeda|2002|pp=15, 165-166}} Early into the production, he stated his intent to have ''Evangelion'' increase the number of anime fans, named [[otaku]] in Japanese, and attract interest in the anime medium<ref name="Woznicki">{{cite magazine|first=Krystian|last=Woznicki|title=Towards a cartography of Japanese anime – Anno Hideaki's Evangelion Interview with Azuma Hiroki|magazine=Blimp Filmmagazine|publisher=[[Tokuma Shoten]]|date=September 1991}}</ref> bringing a breath of fresh air to the mecha genre. In the early design phase of the ''Evangelion'' project, several formats were considered, including a film, a television series and an [[original video animation]] (OVA) series. The producers finally opted for the television series, as it was the most widely accessible media in Japan at that time.<ref name=Mond /> Anno also originally proposed the title ''Alcion'' for the new series, but this was rejected due to its lack of hard consonant sounds.<ref name=Mond /> He conceived the series as a metaphor of his four-year depression, as he tried to put his whole self into the work and imprint his own feelings on the film.<ref name="What-were-we-making" /><ref>{{cite book|author=Carl Gustav Horn|chapter=The mast or the face – Neon Genesis Evangelion|title=Animerica|volume=5|issue=2|editor=Viz Media|page=70|year=1997}}</ref>


[[File:Studio GAINAX.jpg|thumb|Gainax studio in [[Koganei]], [[Tokyo]]]]
[[File:Studio GAINAX.jpg|thumb|Gainax studio in [[Koganei]], [[Tokyo]]]]
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According to Patrick Drazen, numerous allusions to the ''[[Kojiki]]'' and the ''[[Nihongi]]'' have a prominent role in ''Evangelion'', along with the Shinto vision of the primordial cosmos and the mythical lances of the Shinto deities [[Izanagi]] and [[Izanami]].{{sfn|Cavallaro|2007|p=58}} Elements of the Judeo-Christian tradition also feature prominently throughout the series, including references to [[Adam]], [[Lilith]], [[Eve]], the [[Lance of Longinus]],{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=249}} the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]],{{sfn|Fujie|Foster|2004|p=63}} the Kabbalistic concept of [[Adam Kadmon]], and the [[Tree of life (Kabbalah)|Tree of Life]].{{sfn|Cavallaro|2007|p=58}} The merging of all human souls into one through the Human Instrumentality Project at the end of the series has been compared to the Kabbalistic concept of [[tikkun olam]].{{sfn|Haslem|Ndalianis|Mackie|2007|pp=123-124}} The Evangelions have been likened to the [[golem]] of [[Jewish folklore]],<ref name="horn">{{cite web|url=http://www.stanford.edu/~fenn/eva/eva1.html|title=Speaking Once as They Return: Gainax's ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''|last=Horn|first=Carl G|access-date=September 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329122552/http://www.stanford.edu/~fenn/eva/eva1.html|archive-date=March 29, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and their visual design resembles the traditional depictions of [[oni]], Japanese demons or ogres.<ref name="Wong 1996">{{Cite magazine|last=Wong|first=Amos|date=January 1996|title=Interview with Hideaki Anno, director of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'|magazine=Aerial Magazine|url=https://www.aoianime.hu/evangelion/index.php?page=interanno|access-date=May 4, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613125248/http://www.aoianime.hu/evangelion/index.php?page=interanno|archive-date=June 13, 2007}}</ref>
According to Patrick Drazen, numerous allusions to the ''[[Kojiki]]'' and the ''[[Nihongi]]'' have a prominent role in ''Evangelion'', along with the Shinto vision of the primordial cosmos and the mythical lances of the Shinto deities [[Izanagi]] and [[Izanami]].{{sfn|Cavallaro|2007|p=58}} Elements of the Judeo-Christian tradition also feature prominently throughout the series, including references to [[Adam]], [[Lilith]], [[Eve]], the [[Lance of Longinus]],{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=249}} the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]],{{sfn|Fujie|Foster|2004|p=63}} the Kabbalistic concept of [[Adam Kadmon]], and the [[Tree of life (Kabbalah)|Tree of Life]].{{sfn|Cavallaro|2007|p=58}} The merging of all human souls into one through the Human Instrumentality Project at the end of the series has been compared to the Kabbalistic concept of [[tikkun olam]].{{sfn|Haslem|Ndalianis|Mackie|2007|pp=123-124}} The Evangelions have been likened to the [[golem]] of [[Jewish folklore]],<ref name="horn">{{cite web|url=http://www.stanford.edu/~fenn/eva/eva1.html|title=Speaking Once as They Return: Gainax's ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''|last=Horn|first=Carl G|access-date=September 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329122552/http://www.stanford.edu/~fenn/eva/eva1.html|archive-date=March 29, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and their visual design resembles the traditional depictions of [[oni]], Japanese demons or ogres.<ref name="Wong 1996">{{Cite magazine|last=Wong|first=Amos|date=January 1996|title=Interview with Hideaki Anno, director of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'|magazine=Aerial Magazine|url=https://www.aoianime.hu/evangelion/index.php?page=interanno|access-date=May 4, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613125248/http://www.aoianime.hu/evangelion/index.php?page=interanno|archive-date=June 13, 2007}}</ref>


''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' has been interpreted as a deeply personal expression of Hideaki Anno's own emotional struggles with depression.<ref name="horn" /> During the production of the series, he became interested in mental illness and psychology.<ref name=Eng /> According to him, Rei is a [[schizophrenia|schizophrenic]] character<ref>{{cite book|chapter=庵野 秀明 - Part II|date=1997|title=新世紀エヴァンゲリオン残酷な天使のように|publisher=マガジン・マガジン|isbn=4-906011-25-X}}</ref> and a representation of Shinji's [[unconscious mind|unconscious]],<ref name="HideakiA" /> while Shinji has an [[Oedipus complex]]<ref name="Complex">{{cite web|url=http://x-ray001473.blog.ocn.ne.jp/iimode_do/2006/04/post_f588.html|title=エディプス・コンプレックス|date=April 23, 2003|website=X-ray001473.blog.ocn.ne.jp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909211027/http://x-ray001473.blog.ocn.ne.jp/iimode_do/2006/04/post_f588.html|archive-date=September 9, 2011|access-date=September 6, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Episode Commentaries|magazine=Platinum Edition Booklets|date=2005|volume=7|publisher=A.D. Vision}}</ref><ref name=legacy>{{cite web|first=Justin|last=Wu|url=http://the-artifice.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-rei-ayanami-legacy/|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Legacy of Rei Ayanami|date=11 July 2013|publisher=[[The Artifice (magazine)|The Artifice]]|access-date=17 April 2020|archive-date=18 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318111941/http://the-artifice.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-rei-ayanami-legacy/|url-status=live}}</ref> and is characterized by a [[libido]]-[[destrudo]] conflict.{{sfn|Haslem|Ndalianis|Mackie|2007|p=116}} Similarly, Ritsuko has an [[Electra complex]], in which she loves Gendo, a sort of substitute for her father figure.<ref>{{Cite book|first=Alessandra|last=Poggio|language=it|year=2008|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Dynit]]|page=47}}</ref> Anno himself stated that he identifies with Shinji in both a conscious and unconscious manner,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Virtual Panel! Meet Hideaki Anno|magazine=Animerica|volume=4|issue=9|publisher=Viz Media|year=1996|page=27}}</ref> while Rei is Anno's "deepest part" and Kaworu his [[shadow (psychology)|Jungian shadow]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=November 1996|script-title=ja:庵野秀明×上野峻哉の対談|magazine=Newtype Magazine|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|language=ja}}</ref> Shinji's entering into Unit-01 has been interpreted as a Freudian "return to the womb", and his struggle to be free of the Eva as his "rite of passage" into manhood.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2002-06-11|title=Understanding Evangelion|first=Mike|last=Crandol|date=June 11, 2002|work=Anime News Network|access-date=September 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213005148/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2002-06-11|archive-date=December 13, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The series also contains references to philosophical and psychoanalytic concepts, such as the [[oral stage]], [[introjection]], oral personality, [[ambivalence]],<ref name=":0">''Platinum Edition Booklets'', ADV, 2004–2005.</ref> and the [[death drive]],{{sfn|Fujie|Foster|2004|p=175}} including elements of the works of Sigmund Freud,{{sfn|Fujie|Foster|2004|pp=147, 150}}<ref name=":1">{{cite book|chapter=庵野 秀明 - Part I|title=Zankoku na tenshi no you ni|year=1997|publisher=マガジン・マガジン|isbn=4-906011-25-X}}</ref> [[Arthur Schopenhauer]],<ref>{{cite book|chapter=|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Enciclopedia|pages=10–11|publisher=Dynit|language=it|year=2008}}</ref><ref name=Oguro>{{cite web|url=http://www.style.fm/as/05_column/animesama37.shtml|title=第37回 エヴァ雑記「第四話 雨、逃げ出した後」|language=ja|access-date=July 23, 2020|first=Yūichirō|last=Oguro|archive-date=October 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010182014/http://style.fm/as/05_column/animesama37.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Søren Kierkegaard]].<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/tsuribe/anime/critique/evae.html|title=Prison of Self-Consciousness: an Essay on Evangelion|last=Tsuribe|first=Manabu|publisher=www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp|date=February 1999|access-date=August 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721105429/http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/tsuribe/anime/critique/evae.html|archive-date=July 21, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' has been interpreted as a deeply personal expression of Hideaki Anno's own emotional struggles with depression.<ref name="horn" /> During the production of the series, he became interested in mental illness and psychology.<ref name=Eng /> According to him, Rei is a [[schizophrenia|schizophrenic]] character<ref>{{cite book|chapter=庵野 秀明 - Part II|date=1997|title=新世紀エヴァンゲリオン残酷な天使のように|publisher=マガジン・マガジン|isbn=4-906011-25-X}}</ref> and a representation of Shinji's [[unconscious mind|unconscious]],<ref name="HideakiA" /> while Shinji has an [[Oedipus complex]]<ref name="Complex">{{cite web|url=http://x-ray001473.blog.ocn.ne.jp/iimode_do/2006/04/post_f588.html|title=エディプス・コンプレックス|date=April 23, 2003|website=X-ray001473.blog.ocn.ne.jp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909211027/http://x-ray001473.blog.ocn.ne.jp/iimode_do/2006/04/post_f588.html|archive-date=September 9, 2011|access-date=September 6, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Episode Commentaries|magazine=Platinum Edition Booklets|date=2005|volume=7|publisher=A.D. Vision}}</ref><ref name=legacy>{{cite web|first=Justin|last=Wu|url=http://the-artifice.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-rei-ayanami-legacy/|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Legacy of Rei Ayanami|date=July 11, 2013|publisher=[[The Artifice (magazine)|The Artifice]]|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=March 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318111941/http://the-artifice.com/neon-genesis-evangelion-rei-ayanami-legacy/|url-status=live}}</ref> and is characterized by a [[libido]]-[[destrudo]] conflict.{{sfn|Haslem|Ndalianis|Mackie|2007|p=116}} Similarly, Ritsuko has an [[Electra complex]], in which she loves Gendo, a sort of substitute for her father figure.<ref>{{Cite book|first=Alessandra|last=Poggio|language=it|year=2008|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Dynit]]|page=47}}</ref> Anno himself stated that he identifies with Shinji in both a conscious and unconscious manner,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Virtual Panel! Meet Hideaki Anno|magazine=Animerica|volume=4|issue=9|publisher=Viz Media|year=1996|page=27}}</ref> while Rei is Anno's "deepest part" and Kaworu his [[shadow (psychology)|Jungian shadow]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=November 1996|script-title=ja:庵野秀明×上野峻哉の対談|magazine=Newtype Magazine|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|language=ja}}</ref> Shinji's entering into Unit-01 has been interpreted as a Freudian "return to the womb", and his struggle to be free of the Eva as his "rite of passage" into manhood.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2002-06-11|title=Understanding Evangelion|first=Mike|last=Crandol|date=June 11, 2002|work=Anime News Network|access-date=September 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213005148/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2002-06-11|archive-date=December 13, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The series also contains references to philosophical and psychoanalytic concepts, such as the [[oral stage]], [[introjection]], oral personality, [[ambivalence]],<ref name=":0">''Platinum Edition Booklets'', ADV, 2004–2005.</ref> and the [[death drive]],{{sfn|Fujie|Foster|2004|p=175}} including elements of the works of Sigmund Freud,{{sfn|Fujie|Foster|2004|pp=147, 150}}<ref name=":1">{{cite book|chapter=庵野 秀明 - Part I|title=Zankoku na tenshi no you ni|year=1997|publisher=マガジン・マガジン|isbn=4-906011-25-X}}</ref> [[Arthur Schopenhauer]],<ref>{{cite book|chapter=|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Enciclopedia|pages=10–11|publisher=Dynit|language=it|year=2008}}</ref><ref name=Oguro>{{cite web|url=http://www.style.fm/as/05_column/animesama37.shtml|title=第37回 エヴァ雑記「第四話 雨、逃げ出した後」|language=ja|access-date=July 23, 2020|first=Yūichirō|last=Oguro|archive-date=October 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010182014/http://style.fm/as/05_column/animesama37.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Søren Kierkegaard]].<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/tsuribe/anime/critique/evae.html|title=Prison of Self-Consciousness: an Essay on Evangelion|last=Tsuribe|first=Manabu|publisher=www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp|date=February 1999|access-date=August 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721105429/http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/tsuribe/anime/critique/evae.html|archive-date=July 21, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Related media==
==Related media==
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In May 1996, Gainax announced an ''Evangelion'' film<ref>{{cite web|title=Gainax Official News|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/news.html|publisher=Gainax|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961018230645/http://www.gainax.co.jp/news.html#100103|archive-date=October 18, 1996|url-status=dead}}</ref> in response to fan dissatisfaction with the series finale.{{sfn|Cavallaro|2007|pp=54–55}} On March 15, 1997, Gainax released ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth]]'', consisting of 60 minutes of clips taken from the first 24 episodes of the series and the first 30 minutes of the new ending due to production issues.{{sfn|Tavassi|2012|p=275}} The second film, ''[[The End of Evangelion]]'', which premiered on July 19, 1997, provided the complete new ending as a retelling of the final two episodes of the television series. Rather than depicting the series' climax within the characters' minds, the film provides a more conventional, action-based resolution to the series' plot lines. The film won numerous awards<ref>{{cite web|first=Carl|last=Horn|url=http://j-pop.com/anime/a_13_theatrical/picks0.html|title=My Empire of Dirt|publisher=J-pop.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990129013330/http://j-pop.com/anime/a_13_theatrical/picks0.html|archive-date=January 29, 1999|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/kobe-e.html|publisher=Gainax|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000712142501/http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/kobe-e.html|title=Animation Kobe 1997: An Attendee's Report|archive-date=July 12, 2000|url-status=dead}}</ref> and grossed ¥1.45&nbsp;billion within six months of its release.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-10-03/evangelion-1.0-is-now-top-grossing-eva-movie|title=Evangelion: 1.0 is Now Top Grossing Eva Movie|access-date=August 23, 2017|year=2007|website=Anime News Network|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625065954/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-10-03/evangelion-1.0-is-now-top-grossing-eva-movie|archive-date=June 25, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Ex.org ranked the film in 1999 as the fifth best 'All-Time Show', with the television series at the second.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ex.org/news/1999_05.html|title=Press|date=May 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001003100535/http://www.ex.org/news/1999_05.html|archive-date=October 3, 2000|access-date=August 23, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2009, ''CUT'' magazine ranked it the third greatest anime film of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://patrickmacias.blogs.com/er/2006/11/mama_inai.html|title=An Eternal Thought in the Mind of Godzilla|date=November 18, 2006|publisher=Patrick Macias|access-date=September 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222141227/http://patrickmacias.blogs.com/er/2006/11/mama_inai.html|archive-date=December 22, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In July 1998, the films were re-released as ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth#Revival of Evangelion|Revival of Evangelion]]'' which combined ''Death(true)²'' (the director's cut of ''Death'') with ''The End of Evangelion''.
In May 1996, Gainax announced an ''Evangelion'' film<ref>{{cite web|title=Gainax Official News|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/news.html|publisher=Gainax|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961018230645/http://www.gainax.co.jp/news.html#100103|archive-date=October 18, 1996|url-status=dead}}</ref> in response to fan dissatisfaction with the series finale.{{sfn|Cavallaro|2007|pp=54–55}} On March 15, 1997, Gainax released ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth]]'', consisting of 60 minutes of clips taken from the first 24 episodes of the series and the first 30 minutes of the new ending due to production issues.{{sfn|Tavassi|2012|p=275}} The second film, ''[[The End of Evangelion]]'', which premiered on July 19, 1997, provided the complete new ending as a retelling of the final two episodes of the television series. Rather than depicting the series' climax within the characters' minds, the film provides a more conventional, action-based resolution to the series' plot lines. The film won numerous awards<ref>{{cite web|first=Carl|last=Horn|url=http://j-pop.com/anime/a_13_theatrical/picks0.html|title=My Empire of Dirt|publisher=J-pop.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990129013330/http://j-pop.com/anime/a_13_theatrical/picks0.html|archive-date=January 29, 1999|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/kobe-e.html|publisher=Gainax|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000712142501/http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/kobe-e.html|title=Animation Kobe 1997: An Attendee's Report|archive-date=July 12, 2000|url-status=dead}}</ref> and grossed ¥1.45&nbsp;billion within six months of its release.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-10-03/evangelion-1.0-is-now-top-grossing-eva-movie|title=Evangelion: 1.0 is Now Top Grossing Eva Movie|access-date=August 23, 2017|year=2007|website=Anime News Network|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625065954/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-10-03/evangelion-1.0-is-now-top-grossing-eva-movie|archive-date=June 25, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Ex.org ranked the film in 1999 as the fifth best 'All-Time Show', with the television series at the second.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ex.org/news/1999_05.html|title=Press|date=May 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001003100535/http://www.ex.org/news/1999_05.html|archive-date=October 3, 2000|access-date=August 23, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2009, ''CUT'' magazine ranked it the third greatest anime film of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://patrickmacias.blogs.com/er/2006/11/mama_inai.html|title=An Eternal Thought in the Mind of Godzilla|date=November 18, 2006|publisher=Patrick Macias|access-date=September 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222141227/http://patrickmacias.blogs.com/er/2006/11/mama_inai.html|archive-date=December 22, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In July 1998, the films were re-released as ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth#Revival of Evangelion|Revival of Evangelion]]'' which combined ''Death(true)²'' (the director's cut of ''Death'') with ''The End of Evangelion''.


A new animated film series called ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'' by Gainax was made,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.evangelion.co.jp/|title=Rebuild of Evangelion|access-date=September 12, 2006|publisher=Gainax|date=September 10, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050316034206/http://www.evangelion.co.jp/|archive-date=March 16, 2005|url-status=live}}</ref> consisting of four movies. The first film retells the first six episodes from the series but from the second film onward the story is different, including new characters, Evas and Angels. The first film, ''[[Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone]]'', was released in Japan on September 1, 2007, with ''[[Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance]]'' released on June 27, 2009, and ''[[Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo]]'' released on November 17, 2012. The final film, titled ''[[Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time]]'', was released on March 8, 2021, after two delays.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pineda|first=Rafael Antonio|date=March 9, 2021|title=Final Evangelion Film's 1st Day Sells Over 530,000 Tickets for Over 800 Million Yen|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-03-09/final-evangelion-film-1st-day-sells-539623-tickets-for-over-802774200-yen/.170411|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-05|website=Anime News Network|language=en|archive-date=March 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313162316/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-03-09/final-evangelion-film-1st-day-sells-539623-tickets-for-over-802774200-yen/.170411}}</ref> In 2015, ''Evangelion:Another Impact'', a [[3D rendering|3D-rendered]] short film collaboration between the Khara studio and the media company Dwango was directed by [[Shinji Aramaki]], released and streamed as the twelfth anime short from the [[Japan Animator Expo]] on February 8. It depicts "the story of an Evangelion's activation, rampage and howling in another world".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-02-06/evangelion-another-impact-short-by-appleseed-aramaki-streamed/.84154|title='Evangelion:Another Impact' Short by Appleseed's Aramaki Streamed|website=[[Anime News Network]]|date=June 2, 2015|access-date=November 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414103748/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-02-06/evangelion-another-impact-short-by-appleseed-aramaki-streamed/.84154|archive-date=April 14, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
A new animated film series called ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'' by Gainax was made,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.evangelion.co.jp/|title=Rebuild of Evangelion|access-date=September 12, 2006|publisher=Gainax|date=September 10, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050316034206/http://www.evangelion.co.jp/|archive-date=March 16, 2005|url-status=live}}</ref> consisting of four films. The first film retells the first six episodes from the series but from the second film onward the story is different, including new characters, Evas and Angels. The first film, ''[[Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone]]'', was released in Japan on September 1, 2007, with ''[[Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance]]'' released on June 27, 2009, and ''[[Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo]]'' released on November 17, 2012. The final film, titled ''[[Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time]]'', was released on March 8, 2021, after two delays.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pineda|first=Rafael Antonio|date=March 9, 2021|title=Final Evangelion Film's 1st Day Sells Over 530,000 Tickets for Over 800 Million Yen|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-03-09/final-evangelion-film-1st-day-sells-539623-tickets-for-over-802774200-yen/.170411|url-status=live|access-date=April 5, 2021|website=Anime News Network|language=en|archive-date=March 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313162316/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-03-09/final-evangelion-film-1st-day-sells-539623-tickets-for-over-802774200-yen/.170411}}</ref> In 2015, ''Evangelion:Another Impact'', a [[3D rendering|3D-rendered]] short film collaboration between the Khara studio and the media company Dwango was directed by [[Shinji Aramaki]], released and streamed as the twelfth anime short from the [[Japan Animator Expo]] on February 8. It depicts "the story of an Evangelion's activation, rampage and howling in another world".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-02-06/evangelion-another-impact-short-by-appleseed-aramaki-streamed/.84154|title='Evangelion:Another Impact' Short by Appleseed's Aramaki Streamed|website=[[Anime News Network]]|date=June 2, 2015|access-date=November 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414103748/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-02-06/evangelion-another-impact-short-by-appleseed-aramaki-streamed/.84154|archive-date=April 14, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>


===Manga and books===
===Manga and books===
{{Main|Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga){{!}}''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' (manga)|Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days{{!}}''Neon Genesis Evangelion'': Angelic Days|Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project{{!}}''Neon Genesis Evangelion'': Shinji Ikari Raising Project|Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse{{!}}''Neon Genesis Evangelion'': Campus Apocalypse|Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA{{!}}''Neon Genesis Evangelion'': ANIMA|Petit Eva: Evangelion@School}}
{{Main|Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga){{!}}''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' (manga)|Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days{{!}}''Neon Genesis Evangelion'': Angelic Days|Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project{{!}}''Neon Genesis Evangelion'': Shinji Ikari Raising Project|Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse{{!}}''Neon Genesis Evangelion'': Campus Apocalypse|Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA{{!}}''Neon Genesis Evangelion'': ANIMA|Petit Eva: Evangelion@School}}
Ten months prior to the television broadcast of ''Evangelion'', the character designer [[Yoshiyuki Sadamoto]] illustrated a [[Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)|manga]] version of the story, initially a supplement meant to promote the anime series.<ref>{{cite web|last=Alverson|first=Brigid|title=An Introduction to the ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' Manga|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/an-introduction-to-the-neon-genesis-evangelion-manga/|website=[[Barnes & Noble]]|access-date=December 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204021249/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/an-introduction-to-the-neon-genesis-evangelion-manga/|archive-date=December 4, 2019|date=June 20, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The first installment of the manga was published in the February issue of ''[[Shōnen Ace]]'' in December 1994 with subsequent installments produced on an irregular basis over an eighteen-year period. The final installment was published in June 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/eva/news/0379.html|title=貞本義行『新世紀エヴァンゲリオン』ついに完結!|access-date=February 18, 2014|publisher=Gainax|date=May 24, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815041513/http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/eva/news/0379.html|archive-date=August 15, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mantan-web.jp/2013/07/04/20130703dog00m200048000c.html|title=新世紀エヴァンゲリオン : 貞本版マンガ最終回が再掲載 安野モヨコらの祝福コメントも|access-date=February 18, 2006|publisher=Mantan-web.jp|date=July 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054810/http://mantan-web.jp/2013/07/04/20130703dog00m200048000c.html|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Several publishers were initially concerned at the selection of Sadamoto to develop the manga adaptation, viewing him as "too passé to be bankable".{{sfn|Takeda|2002|p=167}} The first ten volumes sold over 15&nbsp;million copies,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsservice.com/archives/septxo.htm|title=9-9-06 (8:55AM EDT)---- Further Evangelion Shin Gekijou Ban Details|website=Anime News Service|access-date=December 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615145909/http://www.animenewsservice.com/archives/septxo.htm|archive-date=June 15, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the eleventh volume reached number one on the Tohan charts,<ref name="animenewsnetwork.com">{{cite web|title=News: Japanese Comic Ranking, March 29-April 4|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-04-07/japanese-comic-ranking-march-29-april-4|work=Anime News Network|date=April 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812160203/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-04-07/japanese-comic-ranking-march-29-april-4|archive-date=August 12, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> selling an additional two million copies.<ref>Takasuka, S. "Grim, complex 'Evangelion' easier to digest in print form", in ''[[The Daily Yomiuri]]'' (Tokyo) March 7, 2008</ref> The manga series won the 1996 ''Comicker'' fan manga poll.<ref name="Viz-archive">{{cite web|title=Carl Gustav Horn explains how the Angels are coming to America|url=http://www.viz.com/eva/eva.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980613050234/http://www.viz.com/eva/eva.shtml|archive-date=June 13, 1998|publisher=Viz Media|access-date=December 2, 2012}}</ref> The story has been adapted into several other manga series in addition to the original Sadamoto project, including ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse|Campus Apocalypse]]'', a mystery story that omits the Evangelion units, and ''[[Petit Eva: Evangelion@School]]'', a parody series which received its own [[original net animation]] serial show.
Ten months prior to the television broadcast of ''Evangelion'', the character designer [[Yoshiyuki Sadamoto]] illustrated a [[Neon Genesis Evangelion (manga)|manga]] version of the story, initially a supplement meant to promote the anime series.<ref>{{cite web|last=Alverson|first=Brigid|title=An Introduction to the ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' Manga|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/an-introduction-to-the-neon-genesis-evangelion-manga/|website=[[Barnes & Noble]]|access-date=December 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204021249/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/an-introduction-to-the-neon-genesis-evangelion-manga/|archive-date=December 4, 2019|date=June 20, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The first installment of the manga was published in the February issue of ''[[Shōnen Ace]]'' in December 1994 with subsequent installments produced on an irregular basis over an eighteen-year period. The final installment was published in June 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/eva/news/0379.html|title=貞本義行『新世紀エヴァンゲリオン』ついに完結!|access-date=February 18, 2014|publisher=Gainax|date=May 24, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815041513/http://www.gainax.co.jp/anime/eva/news/0379.html|archive-date=August 15, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mantan-web.jp/2013/07/04/20130703dog00m200048000c.html|title=新世紀エヴァンゲリオン : 貞本版マンガ最終回が再掲載 安野モヨコらの祝福コメントも|access-date=February 18, 2006|publisher=Mantan-web.jp|date=July 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054810/http://mantan-web.jp/2013/07/04/20130703dog00m200048000c.html|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Several publishers were initially concerned at the selection of Sadamoto to develop the manga adaptation, viewing him as "too passé to be bankable".{{sfn|Takeda|2002|p=167}} The first ten volumes sold over 15&nbsp;million copies,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsservice.com/archives/septxo.htm|title=9-9-06 (8:55AM EDT)---- Further Evangelion Shin Gekijou Ban Details|website=Anime News Service|access-date=December 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615145909/http://www.animenewsservice.com/archives/septxo.htm|archive-date=June 15, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the eleventh volume reached number one on the Tohan charts,<ref name="animenewsnetwork.com">{{cite web|title=News: Japanese Comic Ranking, March 29-April 4|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-04-07/japanese-comic-ranking-march-29-april-4|work=Anime News Network|date=April 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812160203/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-04-07/japanese-comic-ranking-march-29-april-4|archive-date=August 12, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> selling an additional two million copies.<ref>Takasuka, S. "Grim, complex 'Evangelion' easier to digest in print form", in ''[[The Daily Yomiuri]]'' (Tokyo) March 7, 2008</ref> The manga series won the 1996 ''Comicker'' fan manga poll.<ref name="Viz-archive">{{cite web|title=Carl Gustav Horn explains how the Angels are coming to America|url=http://www.viz.com/eva/eva.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980613050234/http://www.viz.com/eva/eva.shtml|archive-date=June 13, 1998|publisher=Viz Media|access-date=December 2, 2012}}</ref> The story has been adapted into several other manga series in addition to the original Sadamoto project, including ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse|Campus Apocalypse]]'', a mystery story that omits the Evangelion units, and ''[[Petit Eva: Evangelion@School]]'', a parody series which received its own [[original net animation]] serial show.


===Soundtracks and music===
===Soundtracks and music===
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The series was distributed in North America and Europe by [[ADV Films]].{{sfn|Cavallaro|2009|pp=60–61}} The thirteen English VHS tapes, released from August 20, 1996, to July 7, 1998, contained two episodes each and were released using the same "Genesis 0:(volume number)" titling convention as the first Japanese home video release. Two laserdisc collections were released as ''Collection 1 Deluxe Edition''<ref>{{cite web|title=A.D.V. Films News|url=http://advfilms.com/adv/news.html|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961025002133/http://advfilms.com/adv/news.html#Title8|archive-date=October 25, 1996|url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''Collection 2 Deluxe Edition'',<ref>{{cite web|title=A.D.V. Films News|url=http://advfilms.com/adv/news.html|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971210235652/http://www.advfilms.com/adv/news.html#Title3|archive-date=December 10, 1997|url-status=dead}}</ref> containing episodes one to four and five to eight, respectively. The first DVD release by ADV Films was the eight-disk ''Perfect Collection'' in 2002, containing the original installments.{{sfn|Cavallaro|2009|p=60}} In 2004, ADV released two DVD compilations titled ''Neon Genesis Evangelion: Resurrection'' and ''Neon Genesis Evangelion: Genesis Reborn'', encompassing the directors' cuts of episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-fourth, additionally including the original versions of episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-sixth.{{sfn|Cavallaro|2009|p=60}}
The series was distributed in North America and Europe by [[ADV Films]].{{sfn|Cavallaro|2009|pp=60–61}} The thirteen English VHS tapes, released from August 20, 1996, to July 7, 1998, contained two episodes each and were released using the same "Genesis 0:(volume number)" titling convention as the first Japanese home video release. Two laserdisc collections were released as ''Collection 1 Deluxe Edition''<ref>{{cite web|title=A.D.V. Films News|url=http://advfilms.com/adv/news.html|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961025002133/http://advfilms.com/adv/news.html#Title8|archive-date=October 25, 1996|url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''Collection 2 Deluxe Edition'',<ref>{{cite web|title=A.D.V. Films News|url=http://advfilms.com/adv/news.html|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971210235652/http://www.advfilms.com/adv/news.html#Title3|archive-date=December 10, 1997|url-status=dead}}</ref> containing episodes one to four and five to eight, respectively. The first DVD release by ADV Films was the eight-disk ''Perfect Collection'' in 2002, containing the original installments.{{sfn|Cavallaro|2009|p=60}} In 2004, ADV released two DVD compilations titled ''Neon Genesis Evangelion: Resurrection'' and ''Neon Genesis Evangelion: Genesis Reborn'', encompassing the directors' cuts of episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-fourth, additionally including the original versions of episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-sixth.{{sfn|Cavallaro|2009|p=60}}


The ''Platinum Edition'' release was announced by ADV in 2004,<ref>{{cite web|title=ADV Films Announces Neon Genesis Evangelion – Platinum Edition|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2004-04-20/adv-films-announces-neon-genesis-evangelion-platinum-edition|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012120845/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2004-04-20/adv-films-announces-neon-genesis-evangelion-platinum-edition|archive-date=October 12, 2013|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> consisting of seven DVDs<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum|url=http://advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Volumes.asp?ID=2021|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070624104640/http://advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Volumes.asp?ID=2021|archive-date=June 24, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> released between July 27, 2004, and April 19, 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum – Volume 7|url=http://advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Detail.asp?ID=3793|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929013133/http://www.advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Detail.asp?ID=3793|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 29, 2017|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013}}</ref> The ''Platinum Edition'' contained the original twenty-six episodes and the four "Director's cut" versions<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum – Volume 1|url=http://www.advfilms.com/catalog/DetailsNeonGenesisEvangelionPlatinumDVDVolume01.asp|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040811182940/http://www.advfilms.com/catalog/DetailsNeonGenesisEvangelionPlatinumDVDVolume01.asp|archive-date=August 11, 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref> of episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-fourth. A six-disc version of the Platinum Edition, the ''Platinum Complete Edition'', was released on November 22, 2005, and omitted several extras included in other versions, including commentary and trailers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum – Complete Edition|url=http://www.advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Detail.asp?ID=4313|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060714194953/http://www.advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Detail.asp?ID=4313|archive-date=July 14, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> A seven-disc ''Platinum Perfect Collection'' tin case version was released on November 27, 2007, and included the extras that were omitted from the ''Platinum Complete Edition''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2007-09-27/adv-announces-november-27-titles|title=ADV Announces November 27 Titles|publisher=Anime News Network|date=2007-09-27|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-date=October 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010143727/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2007-09-27/adv-announces-november-27-titles|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Platinum-Collection/dp/B000VLL0O8|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion - Platinum: Perfect Collection|work=Amazon.com|date=November 27, 2007|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-date=January 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104103312/https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Platinum-Collection/dp/B000VLL0O8|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 18, 2008, a seven-disc ''Holiday Edition'' DVD was released; this would be the final DVD release of the series from ADV Films.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Complete-Collection/dp/B001GTFP1I|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: Complete Platinum Collection (Limited Edition Holiday Special)|work=Amazon.com|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-date=April 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417164943/http://www.amazon.com/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Complete-Collection/dp/B001GTFP1I|url-status=live}}</ref> In late November 2011, it was announced the series was going out of print.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-11-29/u.s-evangelion-tv-dvd-release-going-out-of-print|title=U.S. Evangelion TV DVD Release Going Out of Print|publisher=Anime News Network|date=2011-11-29|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-date=May 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526002910/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-11-29/u.s-evangelion-tv-dvd-release-going-out-of-print|url-status=live}}</ref>
The ''Platinum Edition'' release was announced by ADV in 2004,<ref>{{cite web|title=ADV Films Announces Neon Genesis Evangelion – Platinum Edition|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2004-04-20/adv-films-announces-neon-genesis-evangelion-platinum-edition|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012120845/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2004-04-20/adv-films-announces-neon-genesis-evangelion-platinum-edition|archive-date=October 12, 2013|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> consisting of seven DVDs<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum|url=http://advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Volumes.asp?ID=2021|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070624104640/http://advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Volumes.asp?ID=2021|archive-date=June 24, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> released between July 27, 2004, and April 19, 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum – Volume 7|url=http://advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Detail.asp?ID=3793|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929013133/http://www.advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Detail.asp?ID=3793|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 29, 2017|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013}}</ref> The ''Platinum Edition'' contained the original twenty-six episodes and the four "Director's cut" versions<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum – Volume 1|url=http://www.advfilms.com/catalog/DetailsNeonGenesisEvangelionPlatinumDVDVolume01.asp|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040811182940/http://www.advfilms.com/catalog/DetailsNeonGenesisEvangelionPlatinumDVDVolume01.asp|archive-date=August 11, 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref> of episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-fourth. A six-disc version of the Platinum Edition, the ''Platinum Complete Edition'', was released on November 22, 2005, and omitted several extras included in other versions, including commentary and trailers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum – Complete Edition|url=http://www.advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Detail.asp?ID=4313|publisher=ADV|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060714194953/http://www.advfilms.com/CatalogFilms_Detail.asp?ID=4313|archive-date=July 14, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> A seven-disc ''Platinum Perfect Collection'' tin case version was released on November 27, 2007, and included the extras that were omitted from the ''Platinum Complete Edition''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2007-09-27/adv-announces-november-27-titles|title=ADV Announces November 27 Titles|publisher=Anime News Network|date=September 27, 2007|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-date=October 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010143727/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2007-09-27/adv-announces-november-27-titles|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Platinum-Collection/dp/B000VLL0O8|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion - Platinum: Perfect Collection|work=Amazon.com|date=November 27, 2007|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-date=January 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104103312/https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Platinum-Collection/dp/B000VLL0O8|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 18, 2008, a seven-disc ''Holiday Edition'' DVD was released; this would be the final DVD release of the series from ADV Films.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Complete-Collection/dp/B001GTFP1I|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: Complete Platinum Collection (Limited Edition Holiday Special)|work=Amazon.com|date=November 18, 2008|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-date=April 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417164943/http://www.amazon.com/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-Complete-Collection/dp/B001GTFP1I|url-status=live}}</ref> In late November 2011, it was announced the series was going out of print.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-11-29/u.s-evangelion-tv-dvd-release-going-out-of-print|title=U.S. Evangelion TV DVD Release Going Out of Print|publisher=Anime News Network|date=November 29, 2011|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-date=May 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526002910/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-11-29/u.s-evangelion-tv-dvd-release-going-out-of-print|url-status=live}}</ref>


===Madman Anime===
===Madman Anime===
Madman has held the rights to the series since 1998<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/20-years-of-madman-entertainment/|title=20 Years Of Madman Entertainment|date=31 October 2016|first=Travis|last=Johnson|publisher=Film Ink|access-date=19 June 2022|archive-date=September 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923064315/https://www.filmink.com.au/20-years-of-madman-entertainment/|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> in New Zealand and Australia, where ''Evangelion'' was broadcast in 1999 by the [[Special Broadcasting Service]].<ref>{{cite book|editor=Carl Gustav Horn|page=117|chapter=Misato's Fan Service Center|publisher=Dark Horse Manga|isbn=978-1-59582-595-7|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project|date=January 4, 2011|volume=7|quote=''Evangelion'' premiered January 2, 1999, on Australia's national SBS, a then-broadcast-only service roughly comparable to America's PBS.}}</ref> [[Madman Anime]] also holds the home video licences for the ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'' films.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.madman.com.au/news/evangelion-3-33-you-can-not-redo-is-available-now/|title=Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo is Available Now!|date=February 10, 2016|author=|publisher=Madman Entertainment|access-date=19 June 2022|archive-date=August 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812123430/https://www.madman.com.au/news/evangelion-3-33-you-can-not-redo-is-available-now/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Madman has held the rights to the series since 1998<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/20-years-of-madman-entertainment/|title=20 Years Of Madman Entertainment|date=October 31, 2016|first=Travis|last=Johnson|publisher=Film Ink|access-date=June 19, 2022|archive-date=September 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923064315/https://www.filmink.com.au/20-years-of-madman-entertainment/|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> in New Zealand and Australia, where ''Evangelion'' was broadcast in 1999 by the [[Special Broadcasting Service]].<ref>{{cite book|editor=Carl Gustav Horn|page=117|chapter=Misato's Fan Service Center|publisher=Dark Horse Manga|isbn=978-1-59582-595-7|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project|date=January 4, 2011|volume=7|quote=''Evangelion'' premiered January 2, 1999, on Australia's national SBS, a then-broadcast-only service roughly comparable to America's PBS.}}</ref> [[Madman Anime]] also holds the home video licenses for the ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'' films.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.madman.com.au/news/evangelion-3-33-you-can-not-redo-is-available-now/|title=Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo is Available Now!|date=February 10, 2016|author=|publisher=Madman Entertainment|access-date=June 19, 2022|archive-date=August 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812123430/https://www.madman.com.au/news/evangelion-3-33-you-can-not-redo-is-available-now/|url-status=live}}</ref>


===Netflix===
===Netflix===
On November 26, 2018, streaming company [[Netflix]] announced that it had acquired the worldwide streaming rights to the original anime series, as well as ''Evangelion: Death (True)²'' and ''The End of Evangelion'', for release in Q2 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-11-26/netflix-to-stream-evangelion-series-death-and-rebirth-end-of-evangelion-films-next-spring/.140003|title=Netflix to Stream Evangelion Series, Death & Rebirth, End of Evangelion Films Next Spring|date=November 27, 2018|last=Antonio Pineda|first=Rafael|work=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=November 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127110416/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-11-26/netflix-to-stream-evangelion-series-death-and-rebirth-end-of-evangelion-films-next-spring/.140003|archive-date=November 27, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 22, 2019, Netflix announced a June 21, 2019 premiere date for the titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2019/3/22/18277624/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-release-date|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion officially arrives to Netflix this June|last=Goslin|first=Austen|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|date=March 22, 2019|access-date=March 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323022504/https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/22/18277624/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-release-date|archive-date=March 23, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Pineda|first=Rafal Antonio|title=Netflix Adds Evangelion Anime Worldwide on June 21|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-03-22/netflix-adds-evangelion-anime-worldwide-on-june-21/.144890|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=March 23, 2019|date=March 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323022730/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-03-22/netflix-adds-evangelion-anime-worldwide-on-june-21/.144890|archive-date=March 23, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the dissolution of ADV Films in late 2009,<ref>{{cite web|last=Patches|first=Matt|title=Netflix's Neon Genesis Evangelion debuts English re-dub|url=http://www.polygon.com/2019/6/21/18693526/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-redub-cast|website=Polygon|access-date=June 22, 2019|date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621214831/https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/21/18693526/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-redub-cast|archive-date=June 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> the Netflix release includes a re-translated script from Studio Khara's in-house translator Dan Kanemitsu<ref>{{cite news|title=Japanese Fans, Official Translator Weigh in on Netflix Evangelion English Subtitle Debate|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2019-06-27/japanese-fans-official-translator-weigh-in-on-netflix-evangelion-english-subtitle-debate/.148305|access-date=27 June 2019|archive-date=27 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627181826/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2019-06-27/japanese-fans-official-translator-weigh-in-on-netflix-evangelion-english-subtitle-debate/.148305|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Kanemitsu's website|url=http://www.translativearts.com/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101182604/http://www.translativearts.com/|archive-date=1 November 2020|access-date=9 February 2021|website=translativearts.com}}</ref> and a new English-language cast chosen by Khara.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2019-06-26/.148199|title=Answerman – How Much Control Do Japanese Producers Have Over Dubs and Subtitles?|last=Sevakis|first=Justin|date=June 26, 2019|website=Anime News Network|language=en|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626185658/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2019-06-26/.148199|archive-date=June 26, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The Netflix release omits "Fly Me to the Moon" in some regions due to licensing issues.<ref>{{cite web|last=Maas|first=Jennifer|title=Why Netflix Cut 'Fly Me to the Moon' From 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' Credits|url=https://www.thewrap.com/why-netflix-cut-fly-me-to-the-moon-neon-genesis-evangelion-credits-outro-licensing-fees/|website=The Wrap|access-date=June 22, 2019|date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621192513/https://www.thewrap.com/why-netflix-cut-fly-me-to-the-moon-neon-genesis-evangelion-credits-outro-licensing-fees/|archive-date=June 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gonzalez|first=Oscar|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion on Netflix erases iconic 'Fly Me to the Moon' outro|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/neon-genesis-evangelion-on-netflix-removes-iconic-fly-me-to-the-moon-outro/|website=[[CNET]]|access-date=June 21, 2019|date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621163541/https://www.cnet.com/news/neon-genesis-evangelion-on-netflix-removes-iconic-fly-me-to-the-moon-outro/|archive-date=June 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
On November 26, 2018, streaming company [[Netflix]] announced that it had acquired the worldwide streaming rights to the original anime series, as well as ''Evangelion: Death (True)²'' and ''The End of Evangelion'', for release in Q2 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-11-26/netflix-to-stream-evangelion-series-death-and-rebirth-end-of-evangelion-films-next-spring/.140003|title=Netflix to Stream Evangelion Series, Death & Rebirth, End of Evangelion Films Next Spring|date=November 27, 2018|last=Antonio Pineda|first=Rafael|work=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=November 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127110416/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-11-26/netflix-to-stream-evangelion-series-death-and-rebirth-end-of-evangelion-films-next-spring/.140003|archive-date=November 27, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 22, 2019, Netflix announced a June 21, 2019, premiere date for the titles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2019/3/22/18277624/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-release-date|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion officially arrives to Netflix this June|last=Goslin|first=Austen|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|date=March 22, 2019|access-date=March 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323022504/https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/22/18277624/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-release-date|archive-date=March 23, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Pineda|first=Rafal Antonio|title=Netflix Adds Evangelion Anime Worldwide on June 21|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-03-22/netflix-adds-evangelion-anime-worldwide-on-june-21/.144890|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=March 23, 2019|date=March 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323022730/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-03-22/netflix-adds-evangelion-anime-worldwide-on-june-21/.144890|archive-date=March 23, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the dissolution of ADV Films in late 2009,<ref>{{cite web|last=Patches|first=Matt|title=Netflix's Neon Genesis Evangelion debuts English re-dub|url=http://www.polygon.com/2019/6/21/18693526/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-redub-cast|website=Polygon|access-date=June 22, 2019|date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621214831/https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/21/18693526/neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix-redub-cast|archive-date=June 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> the Netflix release includes a re-translated script from Studio Khara's in-house translator Dan Kanemitsu<ref>{{cite news|title=Japanese Fans, Official Translator Weigh in on Netflix Evangelion English Subtitle Debate|work=Anime News Network|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2019-06-27/japanese-fans-official-translator-weigh-in-on-netflix-evangelion-english-subtitle-debate/.148305|access-date=June 27, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627181826/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2019-06-27/japanese-fans-official-translator-weigh-in-on-netflix-evangelion-english-subtitle-debate/.148305|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Kanemitsu's website|url=http://www.translativearts.com/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101182604/http://www.translativearts.com/|archive-date=November 1, 2020|access-date=February 9, 2021|website=translativearts.com}}</ref> and a new English-language cast chosen by Khara.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2019-06-26/.148199|title=Answerman – How Much Control Do Japanese Producers Have Over Dubs and Subtitles?|last=Sevakis|first=Justin|date=June 26, 2019|website=Anime News Network|language=en|access-date=June 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626185658/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2019-06-26/.148199|archive-date=June 26, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The Netflix release omits "Fly Me to the Moon" in some regions due to licensing issues.<ref>{{cite web|last=Maas|first=Jennifer|title=Why Netflix Cut 'Fly Me to the Moon' From 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' Credits|url=https://www.thewrap.com/why-netflix-cut-fly-me-to-the-moon-neon-genesis-evangelion-credits-outro-licensing-fees/|website=The Wrap|access-date=June 22, 2019|date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621192513/https://www.thewrap.com/why-netflix-cut-fly-me-to-the-moon-neon-genesis-evangelion-credits-outro-licensing-fees/|archive-date=June 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gonzalez|first=Oscar|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion on Netflix erases iconic 'Fly Me to the Moon' outro|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/neon-genesis-evangelion-on-netflix-removes-iconic-fly-me-to-the-moon-outro/|website=[[CNET]]|access-date=June 21, 2019|date=June 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621163541/https://www.cnet.com/news/neon-genesis-evangelion-on-netflix-removes-iconic-fly-me-to-the-moon-outro/|archive-date=June 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>


===Anime Limited and GKIDS===
===Anime Limited and GKIDS===
On May 30, 2020, British anime distributor [[Anime Limited]] announced it had acquired home video distribution rights for the original series, ''Evangelion: Death (True)²'' and ''The End of Evangelion'' in the United Kingdom and Ireland, with an ''Ultimate Edition Blu-ray'' release scheduled for 2021, marking the international release of the original series on Blu-ray.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=AllTheAnime|author=All The Anime|author-link=Anime Limited|number=1266731256366215168|title=Just announced at #CloudMatsuri... Coming in 2021 to Ultimate Edition Blu-ray Neon Genesis #Evangelion The original 26 episodes TV series Plus the two movies: "The End of Evangelion" and " Neon Genesis Evangelion Death (true)²" Full details will follow later this year.|date=May 30, 2020|access-date=May 20, 2020}}</ref> On October 3, 2020, North American anime distributor [[GKIDS]] announced it had licensed the original TV series, ''Death (True)²'' and ''The End of Evangelion'' for home video, theatrical, and digital download release with an Ultimate Edition to be released in 2021, making this the first Blu-ray release of the franchise in North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-10-03/gkids-licenses-evangelion-tv-series-and-death-2-end-of-evangelion-films-for-blu-ray-digital-download/.164852|title=GKIDS Licenses Evangelion TV Series & Death (True)², End of Evangelion Films for Blu-ray, Digital Download|publisher=Anime News Network|date=2020-10-03|access-date=2020-10-03|archive-date=October 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007133721/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-10-03/gkids-licenses-evangelion-tv-series-and-death-2-end-of-evangelion-films-for-blu-ray-digital-download/.164852|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Saabedra|first=Humberto|title=GKIDS Films Launches Countdown For Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Ultimate Edition Pre-Order|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/pt-br/anime-news/2021/08/12-1/gkids-films-launches-countdown-for-neon-genesis-evangelion-the-ultimate-edition-pre-order|access-date=2021-08-12|website=Crunchyroll|language=pt-br|archive-date=August 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812181049/https://www.crunchyroll.com/pt-br/anime-news/2021/08/12-1/gkids-films-launches-countdown-for-neon-genesis-evangelion-the-ultimate-edition-pre-order|url-status=live}}</ref> On August 30, 2021, GKIDS announced a Collector's Edition and a Standard edition release in addition to the Ultimate Edition. The Collector's/Ultimate edition had the "Classic Dub and Subtitled Version", including the ADV and [[Manga Entertainment|Manga]] English dubs and subs, while the standard edition was only included the Netflix English dub and sub. "Fly Me to the Moon" was not included in any of the GKIDS/All the Anime releases due to licensing issues. The Standard edition was released on November 9, 2021, while the Collector's/Ultimate edition was released on December 8, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Anderson|first=Kyle|date=August 30, 2021|title=Nen Genesis Evangelion Getting a Fancy Home Release|url=https://nerdist.com/article/neon-genesis-evangelion-blu-ray-digital-release-gkids/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-19|website=Nerdist|language=en-US|archive-date=September 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919030306/https://nerdist.com/article/neon-genesis-evangelion-blu-ray-digital-release-gkids/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|url=https://store.gkids.com/pages/neon-genesis-evangelion|access-date=2021-09-19|website=GKIDS Films|language=en|archive-date=September 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919024804/https://store.gkids.com/pages/neon-genesis-evangelion|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 2, 2021, GKIDS released the TV series, ''Death (True)²'' and ''The End of Evangelion'' on all major digital download services six days ahead of the Standard Blu-ray release.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Luster|first=Joseph|title=Original Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime and Films Now Available on Digital|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2021/11/02-1/original-neon-genesis-evangelion-anime-and-films-now-available-on-digital|access-date=2021-11-04|website=Crunchyroll|language=en-us|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104235508/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2021/11/02-1/original-neon-genesis-evangelion-anime-and-films-now-available-on-digital|url-status=live}}</ref> This release, like the Standard BD, only contains the Netflix dub and sub.
On May 30, 2020, British anime distributor [[Anime Limited]] announced it had acquired home video distribution rights for the original series, ''Evangelion: Death (True)²'' and ''The End of Evangelion'' in the United Kingdom and Ireland, with an ''Ultimate Edition Blu-ray'' release scheduled for 2021, marking the international release of the original series on Blu-ray.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=AllTheAnime|author=All The Anime|author-link=Anime Limited|number=1266731256366215168|title=Just announced at #CloudMatsuri... Coming in 2021 to Ultimate Edition Blu-ray Neon Genesis #Evangelion The original 26 episodes TV series Plus the two movies: "The End of Evangelion" and " Neon Genesis Evangelion Death (true)²" Full details will follow later this year.|date=May 30, 2020|access-date=May 20, 2020}}</ref> On October 3, 2020, North American anime distributor [[GKIDS]] announced it had licensed the original TV series, ''Death (True)²'' and ''The End of Evangelion'' for home video, theatrical, and digital download release with an Ultimate Edition to be released in 2021, making this the first Blu-ray release of the franchise in North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-10-03/gkids-licenses-evangelion-tv-series-and-death-2-end-of-evangelion-films-for-blu-ray-digital-download/.164852|title=GKIDS Licenses Evangelion TV Series & Death (True)², End of Evangelion Films for Blu-ray, Digital Download|publisher=Anime News Network|date=October 3, 2020|access-date=October 3, 2020|archive-date=October 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201007133721/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-10-03/gkids-licenses-evangelion-tv-series-and-death-2-end-of-evangelion-films-for-blu-ray-digital-download/.164852|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Saabedra|first=Humberto|title=GKIDS Films Launches Countdown For Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Ultimate Edition Pre-Order|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/pt-br/anime-news/2021/08/12-1/gkids-films-launches-countdown-for-neon-genesis-evangelion-the-ultimate-edition-pre-order|access-date=August 12, 2021|website=Crunchyroll|language=pt-br|archive-date=August 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812181049/https://www.crunchyroll.com/pt-br/anime-news/2021/08/12-1/gkids-films-launches-countdown-for-neon-genesis-evangelion-the-ultimate-edition-pre-order|url-status=live}}</ref> On August 30, 2021, GKIDS announced a Collector's Edition and a Standard edition release in addition to the Ultimate Edition. The Collector's/Ultimate edition had the "Classic Dub and Subtitled Version", including the ADV and [[Manga Entertainment|Manga]] English dubs and subs, while the standard edition was only included the Netflix English dub and sub. "Fly Me to the Moon" was not included in any of the GKIDS/All the Anime releases due to licensing issues. The Standard edition was released on November 9, 2021, while the Collector's/Ultimate edition was released on December 8, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Anderson|first=Kyle|date=August 30, 2021|title=Nen Genesis Evangelion Getting a Fancy Home Release|url=https://nerdist.com/article/neon-genesis-evangelion-blu-ray-digital-release-gkids/|url-status=live|access-date=September 19, 2021|website=Nerdist|language=en-US|archive-date=September 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919030306/https://nerdist.com/article/neon-genesis-evangelion-blu-ray-digital-release-gkids/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|url=https://store.gkids.com/pages/neon-genesis-evangelion|access-date=September 19, 2021|website=GKIDS Films|language=en|archive-date=September 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919024804/https://store.gkids.com/pages/neon-genesis-evangelion|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 2, 2021, GKIDS released the TV series, ''Death (True)²'' and ''The End of Evangelion'' on all major digital download services six days ahead of the Standard Blu-ray release.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Luster|first=Joseph|title=Original Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime and Films Now Available on Digital|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2021/11/02-1/original-neon-genesis-evangelion-anime-and-films-now-available-on-digital|access-date=November 4, 2021|website=Crunchyroll|language=en-us|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104235508/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2021/11/02-1/original-neon-genesis-evangelion-anime-and-films-now-available-on-digital|url-status=live}}</ref> This release, like the Standard BD, only contains the Netflix dub and sub.


==Reception==
==Reception==
{{Quote box|quote = Even fans of the sci-fi genre who avoid anime altogether have likely heard of ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'' and ''[[Ghost in the Shell (1995 film)|Ghost in the Shell]]'', which were each landmarks of both style and substance. But arguably the greatest and certainly most thematically dense of the three '90s sci-fi anime masterpieces is ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''. It has one of the most enduring worldwide cult franchises and passionate fanbases in all of geekdom&nbsp;[...] the most celebrated cast in anime&nbsp; [... and] poster boy/protagonist Shinji is one of the most nuanced, popular, and relatable characters in anime history.|source = — Nick Verboon, ''Unreality Mag'' (June 13, 2013)<ref name= 90sflashback>{{cite web|last=Verboon|first=Nick|date=June 13, 2013|title=90's Flashback: Neon Genesis Evangelion|url=http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2013/06/13/90s-flashback-neon-genesis-evangelion/|publisher=Unreality Mag|access-date=November 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207062837/http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2013/06/13/90s-flashback-neon-genesis-evangelion/|archive-date=December 7, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>|width = 40em|align = right}}
{{Quote box|quote = Even fans of the sci-fi genre who avoid anime altogether have likely heard of ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'' and ''[[Ghost in the Shell (1995 film)|Ghost in the Shell]]'', which were each landmarks of both style and substance. But arguably the greatest and certainly most thematically dense of the three '90s sci-fi anime masterpieces is ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''. It has one of the most enduring worldwide cult franchises and passionate fanbases in all of geekdom&nbsp;[...] the most celebrated cast in anime&nbsp; [... and] poster boy/protagonist Shinji is one of the most nuanced, popular, and relatable characters in anime history.|source = — Nick Verboon, ''Unreality Mag'' (June 13, 2013)<ref name= 90sflashback>{{cite web|last=Verboon|first=Nick|date=June 13, 2013|title=90's Flashback: Neon Genesis Evangelion|url=http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2013/06/13/90s-flashback-neon-genesis-evangelion/|publisher=Unreality Mag|access-date=November 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207062837/http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2013/06/13/90s-flashback-neon-genesis-evangelion/|archive-date=December 7, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>|width = 40em|align = right}}


''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' received critical acclaim both domestically and internationally during its initial broadcast and in the decades since its release.<ref name="Revolutions">{{cite web|first=Lawrence|last=Eng|url=http://www.cjas.org/~leng/revolution.htm|title=A look at "The Four Revolutions of Anime"|publisher=CJas.org|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231214/http://www.cjas.org/~leng/revolution.htm|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=SmaSTATION!!|url=http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ss/254/special/top.html|publisher=Tv-asahi.co.jp|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215104652/http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ss/254/special/top.html|archive-date=December 15, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo is Coming to Theaters Across the U.S. and Canada in January 2014|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2013-11-11/evangelion/3.0-you-can-not-redo-is-coming-to-theaters-across-the-u.s-and-canada-in-january-2014|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151128164713/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2013-11-11/evangelion/3.0-you-can-not-redo-is-coming-to-theaters-across-the-u.s-and-canada-in-january-2014|archive-date=November 28, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the series has an approval rating of 100% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', both a cultural touchstone for Japan and an uncompromising auteurist vision by creator Hideaki Anno, doubles as an enthralling apex for the mecha anime genre and as a harrowing exploration of depression – making for a wholly singular epic about angels and inner demons."<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: Season 1|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/neon_genesis_evangelion/s01|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811194836/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/neon_genesis_evangelion/s01|archive-date=August 11, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' received critical acclaim both domestically and internationally during its initial broadcast and in the decades since its release.<ref name="Revolutions">{{cite web|first=Lawrence|last=Eng|url=http://www.cjas.org/~leng/revolution.htm|title=A look at "The Four Revolutions of Anime"|publisher=CJas.org|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231214/http://www.cjas.org/~leng/revolution.htm|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=SmaSTATION!!|url=http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ss/254/special/top.html|publisher=Tv-asahi.co.jp|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215104652/http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ss/254/special/top.html|archive-date=December 15, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo is Coming to Theaters Across the U.S. and Canada in January 2014|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2013-11-11/evangelion/3.0-you-can-not-redo-is-coming-to-theaters-across-the-u.s-and-canada-in-january-2014|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151128164713/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2013-11-11/evangelion/3.0-you-can-not-redo-is-coming-to-theaters-across-the-u.s-and-canada-in-january-2014|archive-date=November 28, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the series has an approval rating of 100% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', both a cultural touchstone for Japan and an uncompromising auteurist vision by creator Hideaki Anno, doubles as an enthralling apex for the mecha anime genre and as a harrowing exploration of depression – making for a wholly singular epic about angels and inner demons."<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: Season 1|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/neon_genesis_evangelion/s01|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811194836/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/neon_genesis_evangelion/s01|archive-date=August 11, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'', ''[[IGN]]'', and ''[[Comic Book Resources]]'' have named it as one of the best anime series of all time.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Jones, Ausin|author2=Paste Staff|title=The 35 Best Anime of All Time|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/best-anime-of-all-time|publisher=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|access-date=February 5, 2024|date=January 15, 2024|archive-date=February 3, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203183942/https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/best-anime-of-all-time|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=IGN Staff|title=Top 25 Best Anime Series of All Time|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/top-25-best-anime-series-of-all-time|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=February 5, 2024|date=September 22, 2022|archive-date=January 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104212936/https://www.ign.com/articles/top-25-best-anime-series-of-all-time|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Kemner, Louis|author2=CBR Staff|title=30 Best Anime Of All Time|url=https://www.cbr.com/top-anime-of-all-time/|website=[[Comic Book Resources]]|access-date=February 5, 2024|date=January 9, 2024|archive-date=December 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205170248/https://www.cbr.com/top-anime-of-all-time/|url-status=live}}</ref>


The "richness" of the characters and "complex and layered" narrative has received praise by critics.<ref name="EX FLCL Review">{{cite web|last=McCarter|first=Charles|title=Everywhere FLCL|url=http://www.ex.org/5.6/20-animej_flcl.html|work=EX Magazine|access-date=August 13, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070523210046/http://www.ex.org/5.6/20-animej_flcl.html|archive-date=May 23, 2007}}</ref><ref name="EX Takagi interview">{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Roderick|title=Interview: Takagi Shinji|url=http://www.ex.org/2.3/08-kcon2.html|work=EX Magazine|access-date=August 13, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030202122318/http://www.ex.org/2.3/08-kcon2.html|archive-date=February 2, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Jeffrey|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: Platinum Boxset DVD Review|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/12/03/neon-genesis-evangelion-platinum-boxset-dvd-review|website=IGN|date=December 3, 2007|access-date=October 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220144432/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/12/03/neon-genesis-evangelion-platinum-boxset-dvd-review|archive-date=February 20, 2014|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> In 1998, Max Autohead of ''[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]]'' rated it 10 out of 10, praising the "brilliant and fantastic storyline, with amazing characters who pull you not only into their world, but into their psyche as well.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Autohead|first1=Max|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|magazine=[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]]|date=November 1998|issue=61|pages=102–3|url=https://archive.org/details/hyper-061/page/102/mode/2up}}</ref> The same year, Shidoshi of ''[[GameFan]]'' magazine gave it an A rating, calling it an "awesome" series.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=AnimeFan|magazine=[[GameFan]]|date=May 1998|volume=6|issue=5|pages=84–91|url=https://archive.org/details/GamefanVolume6Issue05May1998/page/n85}}</ref> Mike Hale of ''[[The New York Times]]'' described it in 2009 as "a superior anime, a giant-robot tale of unusual depth, feeling and detail."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hale|first=Mike|title=Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone (2007)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/movies/18evangelion.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 18, 2009|access-date=August 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140216163332/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/movies/18evangelion.html|archive-date=February 16, 2014|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>
The "richness" of the characters and "complex and layered" narrative has received praise by critics.<ref name="EX FLCL Review">{{cite web|last=McCarter|first=Charles|title=Everywhere FLCL|url=http://www.ex.org/5.6/20-animej_flcl.html|work=EX Magazine|access-date=August 13, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070523210046/http://www.ex.org/5.6/20-animej_flcl.html|archive-date=May 23, 2007}}</ref><ref name="EX Takagi interview">{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Roderick|title=Interview: Takagi Shinji|url=http://www.ex.org/2.3/08-kcon2.html|work=EX Magazine|access-date=August 13, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030202122318/http://www.ex.org/2.3/08-kcon2.html|archive-date=February 2, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Jeffrey|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion: Platinum Boxset DVD Review|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/12/03/neon-genesis-evangelion-platinum-boxset-dvd-review|website=IGN|date=December 3, 2007|access-date=October 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220144432/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/12/03/neon-genesis-evangelion-platinum-boxset-dvd-review|archive-date=February 20, 2014|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> In 1998, Max Autohead of ''[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]]'' rated it 10 out of 10, praising the "brilliant and fantastic storyline, with amazing characters who pull you not only into their world, but into their psyche as well".<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Autohead|first1=Max|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|magazine=[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]]|date=November 1998|issue=61|pages=102–3|url=https://archive.org/details/hyper-061/page/102/mode/2up}}</ref> The same year, Shidoshi of ''[[GameFan]]'' magazine gave it an A rating, calling it an "awesome" series.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=AnimeFan|magazine=[[GameFan]]|date=May 1998|volume=6|issue=5|pages=84–91|url=https://archive.org/details/GamefanVolume6Issue05May1998/page/n85}}</ref> Mike Hale of ''[[The New York Times]]'' described it in 2009 as "a superior anime, a giant-robot tale of unusual depth, feeling and detail."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hale|first=Mike|title=Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone (2007)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/movies/18evangelion.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 18, 2009|access-date=August 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140216163332/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/movies/18evangelion.html|archive-date=February 16, 2014|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>


Following the conclusion of the series' original television broadcast, the public and critical reception to ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' was polarized,<ref name="Crandol">{{cite web|first=Mike|last=Crandol|title=Review – Neon Genesis Evangelion DVD 1: Platinum Edition|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/neon-genesis-evangelion/dvd-1/by-mike-crandol|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403014752/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/neon-genesis-evangelion/dvd-1/by-mike-crandol|archive-date=April 3, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> particularly with regard to the final two episodes. The experimental style of the finale confused<ref name="Evactors">{{cite web|url=http://www.fansview.com/080798h.htm|title=Otakon Highlights – Evangelion Voice Actors – Aug. 7, 1998|publisher=Fansview.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617215942/http://www.fansview.com/080798h.htm|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-date=June 17, 2008}}</ref> or alienated many fans{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=19}}<ref name=TheTimes /> and spawned debate and controversy;<ref name=Revolutions /><ref name="Fujitani">{{cite book|first=T T.|last=Fujitani|title=Perilous Memories: The Asia-Pacific War(s)|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]|year=2001|page=147|isbn=978-0-8223-8105-1}}</ref> the criticism was largely directed toward the lack of storyline resolution in the final two episodes.<ref name=Revolutions /> Opinion on the finale was mixed,<ref name=Revolutions /> with the audience broadly divided between those who considered the episodes "deep", and those who felt their meaning was "more apparent than real".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2002/apr/10/entertainment/et-solomon10|title=Anime Series Draws on a World of Alienation|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Charles|last=Solomon|date=April 10, 2002|access-date=May 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305142153/http://articles.latimes.com/2002/apr/10/entertainment/et-solomon10|archive-date=March 5, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The English voice actors admitted that they also had trouble understanding the series' conclusion.<ref name=Evactors /> The ''[[Mainichi Shimbun|Mainichi Times]]'' wrote that broadcast of the penultimate episode, "nearly all viewers felt betrayed&nbsp;... When commentator [[Eiji Ōtsuka]] sent a letter to the ''[[Yomiuri Shimbun]]'', complaining about the end of the ''Evangelion'' series, the debate went nationwide."<ref name="Legacy">{{cite news|first1=Kei|last1=Watanabe|first2=Daichi|last2=Nakagawa|first3=Tsunehiro|last3=Uno|title=Evangelion Special: From phenomenon to legacy|newspaper=Mainichi Times|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-145511765/evangelion-special-phenomenon-legacy.html|date=May 18, 2006|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927065311/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-145511765/evangelion-special-phenomenon-legacy.html|archive-date=September 27, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite the criticism, Anno stood by his artistic choices for the series' conclusion.<ref name=Revolutions /> Critic Zac Bertschy remarked in 2003 that "Most of the backlash against ''Evangelion'' existed because people don't like to think".<ref>{{cite web|first=Zac|last=Bertschy|title=Review – Arjuna DVD 3|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/arjuna/dvd-3|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901014940/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/arjuna/dvd-3|archive-date=September 1, 2013|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> The initial controversy surrounding the end of ''Evangelion'' has had no lasting negative influence on the popularity of the series.<ref name=Revolutions /><ref name="Heusserp114">{{cite book|first=Martin|last=Heusser|title=Word and Image Interactions 4|publisher=Rodopi|year=2005|page=114|isbn=978-90-420-1837-2}}</ref>
Following the conclusion of the series' original television broadcast, the public and critical reception to ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' was polarized,<ref name="Crandol">{{cite web|first=Mike|last=Crandol|title=Review – Neon Genesis Evangelion DVD 1: Platinum Edition|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/neon-genesis-evangelion/dvd-1/by-mike-crandol|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403014752/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/neon-genesis-evangelion/dvd-1/by-mike-crandol|archive-date=April 3, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> particularly with regard to the final two episodes. The experimental style of the finale confused<ref name="Evactors">{{cite web|url=http://www.fansview.com/080798h.htm|title=Otakon Highlights – Evangelion Voice Actors – Aug. 7, 1998|publisher=Fansview.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617215942/http://www.fansview.com/080798h.htm|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-date=June 17, 2008}}</ref> or alienated many fans{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=19}}<ref name=TheTimes /> and spawned debate and controversy;<ref name=Revolutions /><ref name="Fujitani">{{cite book|first=T T.|last=Fujitani|title=Perilous Memories: The Asia-Pacific War(s)|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]|year=2001|page=147|isbn=978-0-8223-8105-1}}</ref> the criticism was largely directed toward the lack of storyline resolution in the final two episodes.<ref name=Revolutions /> Opinion on the finale was mixed,<ref name=Revolutions /> with the audience broadly divided between those who considered the episodes "deep", and those who felt their meaning was "more apparent than real".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://articles.latimes.com/2002/apr/10/entertainment/et-solomon10|title=Anime Series Draws on a World of Alienation|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Charles|last=Solomon|date=April 10, 2002|access-date=May 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305142153/http://articles.latimes.com/2002/apr/10/entertainment/et-solomon10|archive-date=March 5, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The English voice actors admitted that they also had trouble understanding the series' conclusion.<ref name=Evactors /> The ''[[Mainichi Shimbun|Mainichi Times]]'' wrote that broadcast of the penultimate episode, "nearly all viewers felt betrayed&nbsp;... When commentator [[Eiji Ōtsuka]] sent a letter to the ''[[Yomiuri Shimbun]]'', complaining about the end of the ''Evangelion'' series, the debate went nationwide."<ref name="Legacy">{{cite news|first1=Kei|last1=Watanabe|first2=Daichi|last2=Nakagawa|first3=Tsunehiro|last3=Uno|title=Evangelion Special: From phenomenon to legacy|newspaper=Mainichi Times|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-145511765/evangelion-special-phenomenon-legacy.html|date=May 18, 2006|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927065311/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-145511765/evangelion-special-phenomenon-legacy.html|archive-date=September 27, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite the criticism, Anno stood by his artistic choices for the series' conclusion.<ref name=Revolutions /> Critic Zac Bertschy remarked in 2003 that "Most of the backlash against ''Evangelion'' existed because people don't like to think".<ref>{{cite web|first=Zac|last=Bertschy|title=Review – Arjuna DVD 3|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/arjuna/dvd-3|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901014940/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/arjuna/dvd-3|archive-date=September 1, 2013|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> The initial controversy surrounding the end of ''Evangelion'' has had no lasting negative influence on the popularity of the series.<ref name=Revolutions /><ref name="Heusserp114">{{cite book|first=Martin|last=Heusser|title=Word and Image Interactions 4|publisher=Rodopi|year=2005|page=114|isbn=978-90-420-1837-2}}</ref>
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''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' has scored highly in popularity polls. In 1996, the series won first place in the "Best Loved Series" category of the Anime Grand Prix, a reader-polled award series published in ''[[Animage]]'' magazine.<ref name="Animage96">{{Cite magazine|date=May 1995|script-title=ja:第18回アニメグランプリ [1996年5月号]|magazine=Animage|url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1996.html|publisher=Tokuma Shoten|location=Tokyo, Japan.|language=ja|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014172959/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1996.html|archive-date=October 14, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The show was again awarded this prize in 1997 by a large margin.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=June 1997|script-title=ja:第19回アニメグランプリ [1997年6月号]|magazine=Animage|publisher=Tokuma Shoten|location=Tokyo, Japan|url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1997.html|access-date=September 8, 2013|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014173011/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1997.html|archive-date=October 14, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''End of Evangelion'' won first place in 1998,<ref>{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:第20回アニメグランプリ [1998年6月号]|magazine=Animage|url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1998.html|language=ja|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929231718/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1998.html|archive-date=September 29, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> making ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' the first anime franchise to win three consecutive first place awards.<ref name = threeconsec /> The website ''[[IGN]]'' ranked ''Evangelion'' as the tenth best animated series in its "Top 100 Animated TV Series" list.<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|url=http://au.ign.com/top/animated-tv-series/10.html|publisher=IGN|access-date=March 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402122002/http://au.ign.com/top/animated-tv-series/10.html|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The series also placed third in ''Animage''{{'}}s "anime that should be remembered in the 21st Century".<ref>{{cite web|title=More details Regarding Animage Top 100|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-01-16/more-details-regarding-animage-top-100|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212034132/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-01-16/more-details-regarding-animage-top-100|archive-date=December 12, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1998, EX.org's readers voted ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' the best US anime release<ref name="threeconsec">{{cite web|url=http://www.ex.org/3.1/44-holiday_contest.html|title=EX Media|publisher=Ex.org|access-date=September 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731000707/http://www.ex.org/3.1/44-holiday_contest.html|archive-date=July 31, 2012}}</ref> and in 1999, the second-best show of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ex.org/news/1999_05.html|title=EX Media|publisher=Ex.org|access-date=September 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001003100535/http://www.ex.org/news/1999_05.html|archive-date=October 3, 2000}}</ref> In 2007, a large-scale survey poll by [[TV Asahi]] voted ''Evangelion'' as the second most appreciated anime in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|title=Japan's Favorite TV Anime|url=http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/anime100/contents/2006user/cur/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914231821/http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/anime100/contents/2006user/cur/|archive-date=September 14, 2007|publisher=Tv-asahi.co.jp|access-date=September 8, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The series was also ranked as the most popular of all time in a 2006 survey of 80,000 attendees at the [[Japan Media Arts Festival]].<ref name="JMA">{{cite web|url=http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/hundred/bumon_anime.html|script-title=ja:文化庁メディア芸術祭10周年企画アンケート日本のメディア芸術100選 結果発表|publisher=Japan Media Arts Plaza|language=ja|access-date=December 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913111243/http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/hundred/bumon_anime.html|archive-date=September 13, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' has scored highly in popularity polls. In 1996, the series won first place in the "Best Loved Series" category of the Anime Grand Prix, a reader-polled award series published in ''[[Animage]]'' magazine.<ref name="Animage96">{{Cite magazine|date=May 1995|script-title=ja:第18回アニメグランプリ [1996年5月号]|magazine=Animage|url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1996.html|publisher=Tokuma Shoten|location=Tokyo, Japan.|language=ja|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014172959/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1996.html|archive-date=October 14, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The show was again awarded this prize in 1997 by a large margin.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=June 1997|script-title=ja:第19回アニメグランプリ [1997年6月号]|magazine=Animage|publisher=Tokuma Shoten|location=Tokyo, Japan|url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1997.html|access-date=September 8, 2013|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014173011/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1997.html|archive-date=October 14, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''End of Evangelion'' won first place in 1998,<ref>{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:第20回アニメグランプリ [1998年6月号]|magazine=Animage|url=http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1998.html|language=ja|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929231718/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1998.html|archive-date=September 29, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> making ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' the first anime franchise to win three consecutive first place awards.<ref name = threeconsec /> The website ''[[IGN]]'' ranked ''Evangelion'' as the tenth best animated series in its "Top 100 Animated TV Series" list.<ref>{{cite web|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion|url=http://au.ign.com/top/animated-tv-series/10.html|publisher=IGN|access-date=March 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402122002/http://au.ign.com/top/animated-tv-series/10.html|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The series also placed third in ''Animage''{{'}}s "anime that should be remembered in the 21st Century".<ref>{{cite web|title=More details Regarding Animage Top 100|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-01-16/more-details-regarding-animage-top-100|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212034132/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-01-16/more-details-regarding-animage-top-100|archive-date=December 12, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1998, EX.org's readers voted ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' the best US anime release<ref name="threeconsec">{{cite web|url=http://www.ex.org/3.1/44-holiday_contest.html|title=EX Media|publisher=Ex.org|access-date=September 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731000707/http://www.ex.org/3.1/44-holiday_contest.html|archive-date=July 31, 2012}}</ref> and in 1999, the second-best show of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ex.org/news/1999_05.html|title=EX Media|publisher=Ex.org|access-date=September 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001003100535/http://www.ex.org/news/1999_05.html|archive-date=October 3, 2000}}</ref> In 2007, a large-scale survey poll by [[TV Asahi]] voted ''Evangelion'' as the second most appreciated anime in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|title=Japan's Favorite TV Anime|url=http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/anime100/contents/2006user/cur/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914231821/http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/anime100/contents/2006user/cur/|archive-date=September 14, 2007|publisher=Tv-asahi.co.jp|access-date=September 8, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The series was also ranked as the most popular of all time in a 2006 survey of 80,000 attendees at the [[Japan Media Arts Festival]].<ref name="JMA">{{cite web|url=http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/hundred/bumon_anime.html|script-title=ja:文化庁メディア芸術祭10周年企画アンケート日本のメディア芸術100選 結果発表|publisher=Japan Media Arts Plaza|language=ja|access-date=December 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913111243/http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/hundred/bumon_anime.html|archive-date=September 13, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>


''Evangelion'' won the [[Animation Kobe]] award in 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anime-kobe.jp/archive/index.html|title=Animation Kobe winners|language=ja|publisher=Animation Kobe Organizing Committee|access-date=October 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512065703/http://www.anime-kobe.jp/archive/index.html|archive-date=May 12, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> and 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/kobe-e.html|title=Animation Kobe 1997: An Attendee's Report|language=ja|publisher=Gainax|access-date=September 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000712142501/http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/kobe-e.html|archive-date=July 12, 2000|url-status=dead}}</ref> The series was also awarded the eighteenth [[Nihon SF Taisho Award]] and the Excellence Award at the first Japan Media Arts Festival in 1997,<ref>{{cite web|title='Neon Genesis Evangelion' Honored at Japan SF Awards|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/sfshow-e.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001022001357/http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/sfshow-e.html|archive-date=October 22, 2000|publisher=Gainax|access-date=April 30, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/english/festival/1997|title=Japan Media Arts Festival awards|publisher=Japan Media Arts Plaza|access-date=December 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202171339/http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/english/festival/1997/|archive-date=December 2, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> while the film ranked sixth on ''Wizard's Anime'' Magazine on their "Top 50 Anime released in North America".<ref>{{cite web|date=July 6, 2001|title=Wizard lists Top 50 Anime|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-07-16/wizard-lists-top-50-anime|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=February 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705092330/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-07-16/wizard-lists-top-50-anime|archive-date=July 5, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> In the August 1996 issue of ''Animage'', ''Evangelion'' characters placed high in the rankings of best characters with Rei ranked first, Asuka third, Kaworu fourth and Shinji sixth. Rei Ayanami won in the Female Character category in 1995 and 1996 and Shinji Ikari won the Male Character category in 1996 and 1997.<ref>{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:1996年08月号ベスト10|magazine=Animage|url=http://animage.jp/old/chara/chara_199608.html|language=ja|access-date=September 9, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025234615/http://animage.jp/old/chara/chara_199608.html|archive-date=October 25, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 2010, ''[[Newtype]]'' magazine recognized Rei Ayanami as the most popular character of the 1990s in the female category, and Shinji Ikari in the male category.<ref>{{Cite magazine|year=2010|title=With NT, 1/4 century|magazine=Newtype Magazine|issue=3|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|language=ja}}</ref> "[[A Cruel Angel's Thesis]]" won the Animage award in the Best Song category in 1996,<ref name=Animage96 /> and TV Asahi recognized it as the eighteenth best anime song since 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=1990年代以降アニメソング ベスト20|url=http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/best/updating_dex/ranking/013.html|publisher=Tv-asahi.co.jp|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065332/http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/best/updating_dex/ranking/013.html|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''TV Asahi'' also recognized the "suicide of Ayanami Rei" as the ninth most touching anime scene ever.<ref>{{cite web|title=最終回を越える感動シーン部門|url=http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/best/updating_dex/ranking/028.html|publisher=Tv-asahi.co.jp|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928063753/http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/best/updating_dex/ranking/028.html|archive-date=September 28, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
''Evangelion'' won the [[Animation Kobe]] award in 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anime-kobe.jp/archive/index.html|title=Animation Kobe winners|language=ja|publisher=Animation Kobe Organizing Committee|access-date=October 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512065703/http://www.anime-kobe.jp/archive/index.html|archive-date=May 12, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> and 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/kobe-e.html|title=Animation Kobe 1997: An Attendee's Report|language=ja|publisher=Gainax|access-date=September 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000712142501/http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/kobe-e.html|archive-date=July 12, 2000|url-status=dead}}</ref> The series was also awarded the eighteenth [[Nihon SF Taisho Award]] and the Excellence Award at the first Japan Media Arts Festival in 1997,<ref>{{cite web|title='Neon Genesis Evangelion' Honored at Japan SF Awards|url=http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/sfshow-e.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001022001357/http://www.gainax.co.jp/special/evamovie/sfshow-e.html|archive-date=October 22, 2000|publisher=Gainax|access-date=April 30, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/english/festival/1997|title=Japan Media Arts Festival awards|publisher=Japan Media Arts Plaza|access-date=December 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202171339/http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/english/festival/1997/|archive-date=December 2, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> while the film ranked sixth on ''Wizard's Anime'' Magazine on their "Top 50 Anime released in North America".<ref>{{cite web|date=July 6, 2001|title=Wizard lists Top 50 Anime|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-07-16/wizard-lists-top-50-anime|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=February 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705092330/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-07-16/wizard-lists-top-50-anime|archive-date=July 5, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> In the August 1996 issue of ''Animage'', ''Evangelion'' characters placed high in the rankings of best characters with Rei ranked first, Asuka third, Kaworu fourth and Shinji sixth. Rei Ayanami won in the Female Character category in 1995 and 1996 and Shinji Ikari won the Male Character category in 1996 and 1997.<ref>{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:1996年08月号ベスト10|magazine=Animage|url=http://animage.jp/old/chara/chara_199608.html|language=ja|access-date=September 9, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025234615/http://animage.jp/old/chara/chara_199608.html|archive-date=October 25, 2010}}</ref> In 2010, ''[[Newtype]]'' magazine recognized Rei Ayanami as the most popular character of the 1990s in the female category, and Shinji Ikari in the male category.<ref>{{Cite magazine|year=2010|title=With NT, 1/4 century|magazine=Newtype Magazine|issue=3|publisher=Kadokawa Shoten|language=ja}}</ref> "[[A Cruel Angel's Thesis]]" won the Animage award in the Best Song category in 1996,<ref name=Animage96 /> and TV Asahi recognized it as the eighteenth best anime song since 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=1990年代以降アニメソング ベスト20|url=http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/best/updating_dex/ranking/013.html|publisher=Tv-asahi.co.jp|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065332/http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/best/updating_dex/ranking/013.html|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''TV Asahi'' also recognized the "suicide of Ayanami Rei" as the ninth most touching anime scene ever.<ref>{{cite web|title=最終回を越える感動シーン部門|url=http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/best/updating_dex/ranking/028.html|publisher=Tv-asahi.co.jp|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928063753/http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/best/updating_dex/ranking/028.html|archive-date=September 28, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==Influence and legacy==
==Influence and legacy==
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Critics traced ''Evangelion''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s influence on subsequent anime series, including ''[[Serial Experiments Lain]]'', ''[[RahXephon]]'', ''[[Texhnolyze]]'', ''[[Gasaraki]]'',
Critics traced ''Evangelion''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s influence on subsequent anime series, including ''[[Serial Experiments Lain]]'', ''[[RahXephon]]'', ''[[Texhnolyze]]'', ''[[Gasaraki]]'',
''[[Guilty Crown]]'', ''[[Boogiepop Phantom]]'',{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=249}} ''[[Blue Submarine No. 6]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|pp=184–185}} ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=123}} ''[[Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne|Rinne no Lagrange]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Hale|first=Mike|title=Watchlist: 'Lagrange,' Anime With Echoes of 'Evangelion'|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/watchlist-lagrange-anime-with-echoes-of-evangelion|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 24, 2012|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013135318/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/watchlist-lagrange-anime-with-echoes-of-evangelion/?_r=0|archive-date=October 13, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Gurren Lagann]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2008-09-07|title=Dig For Fire: The Roots of Gurren Lagann|date=September 7, 2008|website=Anime News Network|language=en|access-date=October 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927043055/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2008-09-07|archive-date=September 27, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=167}} ''[[Argento Soma]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=126}} ''[[The Candidate for Goddess|Pilot Candidate]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=490}} ''[[Generator Gawl]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=106}} and ''[[Dai-Guard]]''.{{sfn|Fontana|Donati|2013|p=137}}{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=120}} References, homages and tributes to the series are also contained in Japanese and Western media such as the third episode of ''[[Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=161}} ''[[Koi Koi Seven]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=346}} ''[[Hayate the Combat Butler]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Hayate the Combat Butler|author=Martin, Theron|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/hayate-the-combat-butler-gn-1|date=December 4, 2006|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207010154/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/hayate-the-combat-butler-gn-1|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Baka and Test]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Baka and Test|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/baka-and-test/blu-ray+dvd-complete-set|author=Martin, Theron|date=September 23, 2011|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207015235/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/baka-and-test/blu-ray+dvd-complete-set|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Regular Show]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-04-10/neon-genesis-evangelion-opening-parodied-on-regular-show/.86964|author=Lamb, Lynzee|date=April 10, 2015|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Opening Parodied on Regular Show|website=Anime News Network|access-date=April 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320110417/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-04-10/neon-genesis-evangelion-opening-parodied-on-regular-show/.86964|archive-date=March 20, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic]]'',<ref>{{cite book|first=Gina|last=O'Melia|title=Japanese Influence on American Children's Television: Transforming Saturday Morning|publisher= Springer|year= 2019|page=209|isbn=978-3-030-17415-6}}</ref> ''[[Gravity Falls]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://it.ign.com/gravity-falls/168011/feature/gravity-falls-ricordo-di-unestate-pazzesca|author=Peduzzi, Andrea|date=April 6, 2020|title=Gravity Falls, ricordo di un'estate pazzesca|publisher=IGN|access-date=July 16, 2020|language=it|archive-date=July 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716150651/https://it.ign.com/gravity-falls/168011/feature/gravity-falls-ricordo-di-unestate-pazzesca|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Sgt. Frog]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=575}}{{sfn|Tavassi|2012|p=400}} ''[[Rick and Morty]]'',<ref>{{cite web|publisher=News Week|access-date=August 3, 2021|url=https://www.newsweek.com/rick-morty-season-5-episode-7-power-rangers-mafia-adult-swim-1615120|title='Rick and Morty' Season 5 Episode 7: The Power Rangers Mafia|date=August 2, 2021|archive-date=August 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802235301/https://www.newsweek.com/rick-morty-season-5-episode-7-power-rangers-mafia-adult-swim-1615120|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[One Hour Photo]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.looper.com/391501/the-one-hour-photo-prop-that-actually-belonged-to-robin-williams/|title=The One Hour Photo Prop That Actually Belonged To Robin Williams|author=Aston, Ryan|website=Looper|date=April 23, 2021|access-date=September 14, 2022|archive-date=September 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914220547/https://www.looper.com/391501/the-one-hour-photo-prop-that-actually-belonged-to-robin-williams/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Steven Universe]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/anime-that-influenced-steven-universe/|author=Gramuglia, Anthony|date=April 16, 2020|title=The Anime That Influenced Steven Universe|website=CBR|access-date=November 24, 2020|language=en|archive-date=June 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618050107/https://www.cbr.com/anime-that-influenced-steven-universe/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/director-jordan-vogt-roberts-on-why-kong-skull-island-is-unlike-any-other-king-kong-movie-751932|title=DIRECTOR JORDAN VOGT-ROBERTS ON WHY 'KONG: SKULL ISLAND' IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER 'KING KONG' MOVIE|work=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|access-date=December 3, 2022|language=en|archive-date=December 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204011703/https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/director-jordan-vogt-roberts-on-why-kong-skull-island-is-unlike-any-other-king-kong-movie-751932|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Nope (film)|Nope]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/940351/this-influential-anime-inspired-the-final-alien-design-in-nope|title=This Influential Anime Inspired The Final Alien Design|website=Slashfilm|access-date=December 3, 2022|language=en|archive-date=July 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725212954/https://www.slashfilm.com/940351/this-influential-anime-inspired-the-final-alien-design-in-nope/|url-status=live}}</ref> The show's mixture of religion and mecha also influenced subsequent Japanese [[video game]]s, including ''[[Xenogears]]''<ref>{{cite web|last=Takahashi|first=Rika|title=Xenogears|url=http://www.ex.org/3.3/38-game_xenogears.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928055802/http://www.ex.org/3.3/38-game_xenogears.html|archive-date=September 28, 2012|work=EX Magazine|access-date=September 16, 2013|url-status=dead|quote=The game starts with a stunning full motion video sequence that feels rather reminiscent of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion.''}}</ref> and ''[[El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Leigh|first=Alexander|title=Interview: Beautiful, Creative El Shaddai Is Daring To Be Weird|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34410/Interview_Beautiful_Creative_El_Shaddai_Is_Daring_To_Be_Weird.php|website=Gamasutra|access-date=September 16, 2013|quote=Not only does ''El Shaddai''—the name of which features the secondary title ''Ascension of the Metatron''—feature a variety of gameplay types and level styles, but it borrows from a number of aesthetic influences. These'll be familiar to fans of popular Japanese anime like ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''&nbsp;...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001181455/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34410/Interview_Beautiful_Creative_El_Shaddai_Is_Daring_To_Be_Weird.php|archive-date=October 1, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
''[[Guilty Crown]]'', ''[[Boogiepop Phantom]]'',{{sfn|Camp|Davis|2007|p=249}} ''[[Blue Submarine No. 6]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|pp=184–185}} ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=123}} ''[[Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne|Rinne no Lagrange]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Hale|first=Mike|title=Watchlist: 'Lagrange,' Anime With Echoes of 'Evangelion'|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/watchlist-lagrange-anime-with-echoes-of-evangelion|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 24, 2012|access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013135318/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/watchlist-lagrange-anime-with-echoes-of-evangelion/?_r=0|archive-date=October 13, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Gurren Lagann]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2008-09-07|title=Dig For Fire: The Roots of Gurren Lagann|date=September 7, 2008|website=Anime News Network|language=en|access-date=October 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927043055/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2008-09-07|archive-date=September 27, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=167}} ''[[Argento Soma]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=126}} ''[[The Candidate for Goddess|Pilot Candidate]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=490}} ''[[Generator Gawl]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=106}} and ''[[Dai-Guard]]''.{{sfn|Fontana|Donati|2013|p=137}}{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=120}} References, homages and tributes to the series are also contained in Japanese and Western media such as the third episode of ''[[Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi]]'',{{sfn|Fontana|Tarò|2007|p=161}} ''[[Koi Koi Seven]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=346}} ''[[Hayate the Combat Butler]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Hayate the Combat Butler|author=Martin, Theron|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/hayate-the-combat-butler-gn-1|date=December 4, 2006|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207010154/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/hayate-the-combat-butler-gn-1|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Baka and Test]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Baka and Test|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/baka-and-test/blu-ray+dvd-complete-set|author=Martin, Theron|date=September 23, 2011|website=Anime News Network|access-date=September 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207015235/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/baka-and-test/blu-ray+dvd-complete-set|archive-date=December 7, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Regular Show]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-04-10/neon-genesis-evangelion-opening-parodied-on-regular-show/.86964|author=Lamb, Lynzee|date=April 10, 2015|title=Neon Genesis Evangelion Opening Parodied on Regular Show|website=Anime News Network|access-date=April 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320110417/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-04-10/neon-genesis-evangelion-opening-parodied-on-regular-show/.86964|archive-date=March 20, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic]]'',<ref>{{cite book|first=Gina|last=O'Melia|title=Japanese Influence on American Children's Television: Transforming Saturday Morning|publisher= Springer|year= 2019|page=209|isbn=978-3-030-17415-6}}</ref> ''[[Gravity Falls]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://it.ign.com/gravity-falls/168011/feature/gravity-falls-ricordo-di-unestate-pazzesca|author=Peduzzi, Andrea|date=April 6, 2020|title=Gravity Falls, ricordo di un'estate pazzesca|publisher=IGN|access-date=July 16, 2020|language=it|archive-date=July 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716150651/https://it.ign.com/gravity-falls/168011/feature/gravity-falls-ricordo-di-unestate-pazzesca|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Sgt. Frog]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=575}}{{sfn|Tavassi|2012|p=400}} ''[[Rick and Morty]]'',<ref>{{cite web|publisher=News Week|access-date=August 3, 2021|url=https://www.newsweek.com/rick-morty-season-5-episode-7-power-rangers-mafia-adult-swim-1615120|title='Rick and Morty' Season 5 Episode 7: The Power Rangers Mafia|date=August 2, 2021|archive-date=August 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802235301/https://www.newsweek.com/rick-morty-season-5-episode-7-power-rangers-mafia-adult-swim-1615120|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[One Hour Photo]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.looper.com/391501/the-one-hour-photo-prop-that-actually-belonged-to-robin-williams/|title=The One Hour Photo Prop That Actually Belonged To Robin Williams|author=Aston, Ryan|website=Looper|date=April 23, 2021|access-date=September 14, 2022|archive-date=September 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914220547/https://www.looper.com/391501/the-one-hour-photo-prop-that-actually-belonged-to-robin-williams/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Steven Universe]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/anime-that-influenced-steven-universe/|author=Gramuglia, Anthony|date=April 16, 2020|title=The Anime That Influenced Steven Universe|website=CBR|access-date=November 24, 2020|language=en|archive-date=June 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618050107/https://www.cbr.com/anime-that-influenced-steven-universe/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/director-jordan-vogt-roberts-on-why-kong-skull-island-is-unlike-any-other-king-kong-movie-751932|title=DIRECTOR JORDAN VOGT-ROBERTS ON WHY 'KONG: SKULL ISLAND' IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER 'KING KONG' MOVIE|work=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|date=February 17, 2017|access-date=December 3, 2022|language=en|archive-date=December 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204011703/https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/director-jordan-vogt-roberts-on-why-kong-skull-island-is-unlike-any-other-king-kong-movie-751932|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Nope (film)|Nope]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/940351/this-influential-anime-inspired-the-final-alien-design-in-nope|title=This Influential Anime Inspired The Final Alien Design|website=Slashfilm|access-date=December 3, 2022|language=en|archive-date=July 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725212954/https://www.slashfilm.com/940351/this-influential-anime-inspired-the-final-alien-design-in-nope/|url-status=live}}</ref> The show's mixture of religion and mecha also influenced subsequent Japanese [[video game]]s, including ''[[Xenogears]]''<ref>{{cite web|last=Takahashi|first=Rika|title=Xenogears|url=http://www.ex.org/3.3/38-game_xenogears.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928055802/http://www.ex.org/3.3/38-game_xenogears.html|archive-date=September 28, 2012|work=EX Magazine|access-date=September 16, 2013|url-status=dead|quote=The game starts with a stunning full motion video sequence that feels rather reminiscent of ''Neon Genesis Evangelion.''}}</ref> and ''[[El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Leigh|first=Alexander|title=Interview: Beautiful, Creative El Shaddai Is Daring To Be Weird|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34410/Interview_Beautiful_Creative_El_Shaddai_Is_Daring_To_Be_Weird.php|website=Gamasutra|access-date=September 16, 2013|quote=Not only does ''El Shaddai''—the name of which features the secondary title ''Ascension of the Metatron''—feature a variety of gameplay types and level styles, but it borrows from a number of aesthetic influences. These'll be familiar to fans of popular Japanese anime like ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''&nbsp;...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001181455/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34410/Interview_Beautiful_Creative_El_Shaddai_Is_Daring_To_Be_Weird.php|archive-date=October 1, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>


The design and personality traits of the character Rei Ayanami were reused for many anime and manga characters of the late 1990s, such as Ruri Hoshino of ''Nadesico'', Ruriko Tsukushima (''The Droplet''),{{sfn|Azuma|2009|pp=49–50}} Miharu (''Gasaraki''),{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=221}} Anthy Himemiya (''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]''), and Lain Iwakura (''Serial Experiments Lain'').{{sfn|Saito|Azuma|2009|p=125}} The character of Asuka was parodied by Excel (''[[Excel Saga]]''),<ref>{{cite book|first=J. P.|last=Telotte|author-link=Jay Telotte|title=The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|year=2008|page=133|isbn=978-0-8131-2492-6}}</ref> and some of her traits were used to create the character of Mai in ''[[Gunparade March]]''.{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|pp=259–260}} According to Italian critic Guido Tavassi, ''Evangelion''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s mecha design, characterized by a greater resemblance to the human figure, and the abstract designs of the Angels, also had a significant impact on the designs of future anime productions.{{sfn|Tavassi|2012|p=248}} [[Nobuhiro Watsuki]] designed several characters for ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' based on characters from ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', namely [[Uonuma Usui]], [[Honjō Kamatari]] and [[Fuji (Rurouni Kenshin)|Fuji]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Watsuki|first=Nobuhiro|author-link=Nobuhiro Watsuki|title=[[Rurouni Kenshin]], Volume 14|year=2005|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|page=66|isbn=978-1-5911-6767-9}}</ref><ref name="KamatariandFuji">{{cite book|last=Watsuki|first=Nobuhiro|title=Rurouni Kenshin, Volume 15|year=2005|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|pages=86, 126|isbn=978-1-5911-6810-2}}</ref> Other artists have cited the series as an inspiration, including [[Makoto Shinkai]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Kelts|first=Roland|date=February 17, 2012|title=Shinkai engages intl anime fans|newspaper=The Daily Yomiuri|url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/T120210005792.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216191208/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/T120210005792.htm|archive-date=February 16, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Gege Akutami]] for their manga ''[[Jujutsu Kaisen]]''.<ref>{{cite web|language=fr|publisher=Le Figaro|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/bd/gege-akutami-pour-le-heros-de-mon-manga-je-me-suis-inspire-de-mon-frere-20201007|title=Gege Akutami : "Pour le héros de mon manga, je me suis inspiré de mon frère"|date=7 October 2020|access-date=16 December 2021|archive-date=January 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117214402/https://www.lefigaro.fr/bd/gege-akutami-pour-le-heros-de-mon-manga-je-me-suis-inspire-de-mon-frere-20201007|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> In the aftermath of ''Evangelion'', Anno reused stylistic conceits from the series in the live-action ''[[Love & Pop]]'' and the anime romance ''[[Kare Kano]]''.{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=185}} ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' also influenced music artists, such as the British band [[Fightstar]] and its debut album, ''[[Grand Unification (Fightstar album)|Grand Unification]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=185}} and the Japanese band [[Rey (band)|Rey]], which derived its name from the character of Rei Ayanami.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/music/60445/|title=イケメンアニソンバンドがメジャーデビュー|publisher=Oricon.co.jp|access-date=September 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929094222/http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/music/60445/|archive-date=September 29, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The design and personality traits of the character Rei Ayanami were reused for many anime and manga characters of the late 1990s, such as Ruri Hoshino of ''Nadesico'', Ruriko Tsukushima (''[[Shizuku (video game)|Droplet]]''),{{sfn|Azuma|2009|pp=49–50}} Miharu (''Gasaraki''),{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=221}} Anthy Himemiya (''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]''), and Lain Iwakura (''Serial Experiments Lain'').{{sfn|Saito|Azuma|2009|p=125}} The character of Asuka was parodied by Excel (''[[Excel Saga]]''),<ref>{{cite book|first=J. P.|last=Telotte|author-link=Jay Telotte|title=The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|year=2008|page=133|isbn=978-0-8131-2492-6}}</ref> and some of her traits were used to create the character of Mai in ''[[Gunparade March]]''.{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|pp=259–260}} According to Italian critic Guido Tavassi, ''Evangelion''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s mecha design, characterized by a greater resemblance to the human figure, and the abstract designs of the Angels, also had a significant impact on the designs of future anime productions.{{sfn|Tavassi|2012|p=248}} [[Nobuhiro Watsuki]] designed several characters for ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' based on characters from ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', namely [[Uonuma Usui]], [[Honjō Kamatari]] and [[Fuji (Rurouni Kenshin)|Fuji]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Watsuki|first=Nobuhiro|author-link=Nobuhiro Watsuki|title=[[Rurouni Kenshin]], Volume 14|year=2005|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|page=66|isbn=978-1-5911-6767-9}}</ref><ref name="KamatariandFuji">{{cite book|last=Watsuki|first=Nobuhiro|title=Rurouni Kenshin, Volume 15|year=2005|publisher=[[Viz Media]]|pages=86, 126|isbn=978-1-5911-6810-2}}</ref> Other artists have cited the series as an inspiration, including [[Makoto Shinkai]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Kelts|first=Roland|date=February 17, 2012|title=Shinkai engages intl anime fans|newspaper=The Daily Yomiuri|url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/T120210005792.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216191208/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/T120210005792.htm|archive-date=February 16, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Gege Akutami]] for their manga ''[[Jujutsu Kaisen]]''.<ref>{{cite web|language=fr|publisher=Le Figaro|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/bd/gege-akutami-pour-le-heros-de-mon-manga-je-me-suis-inspire-de-mon-frere-20201007|title=Gege Akutami : "Pour le héros de mon manga, je me suis inspiré de mon frère"|date=October 7, 2020|access-date=December 16, 2021|archive-date=January 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117214402/https://www.lefigaro.fr/bd/gege-akutami-pour-le-heros-de-mon-manga-je-me-suis-inspire-de-mon-frere-20201007|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> In the aftermath of ''Evangelion'', Anno reused stylistic conceits from the series in the live-action ''[[Love & Pop]]'' and the anime romance ''[[Kare Kano]]''.{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=185}} ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' also influenced music artists, such as the British band [[Fightstar]] and its debut album, ''[[Grand Unification (Fightstar album)|Grand Unification]]'',{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2006|p=185}} and the Japanese band [[Rey (band)|Rey]], which derived its name from the character of Rei Ayanami.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/music/60445/|title=イケメンアニソンバンドがメジャーデビュー|publisher=Oricon.co.jp|access-date=September 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929094222/http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/music/60445/|archive-date=September 29, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==Merchandising==
==Merchandising==
Line 253: Line 244:
* Yamashita, Ikuto and Seiji, Kio. ''Sore Wo Nasumono: Neon Genesis Evangelion Concept Design Works''. {{ISBN|4-04-852908-0}}.
* Yamashita, Ikuto and Seiji, Kio. ''Sore Wo Nasumono: Neon Genesis Evangelion Concept Design Works''. {{ISBN|4-04-852908-0}}.
* [https://archive.today/20070609030822/http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/features/archive/news/2006/05/20060504p2g00m0fe019000c.html "Evangelion Special: Genesis of a major manga"]—''Mainichi Daily News''
* [https://archive.today/20070609030822/http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/features/archive/news/2006/05/20060504p2g00m0fe019000c.html "Evangelion Special: Genesis of a major manga"]—''Mainichi Daily News''
* [http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/features/archive/news/2006/05/20060506p2g00m0fe031000c.html "Evangelion Special: For producer Otsuki, success not always a bed of roses"]{{dead link|date=August 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}—''Mainichi Daily News''
* [http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/features/archive/news/2006/05/20060506p2g00m0fe031000c.html "Evangelion Special: For producer Otsuki, success not always a bed of roses"]{{dead link|date=May 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}—''Mainichi Daily News''
* [https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2002-06-11 "Understanding Evangelion"]—Anime News Network
* [https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2002-06-11 "Understanding Evangelion"]—Anime News Network


==External links==
==External links==
{{Portal|1990s}}
{{Portal|1990s}}
{{Sister project links|auto=Yes|commonscat=Yes}}
{{Wikiquote|Neon Genesis Evangelion}}


===Official websites===
===Official websites===
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[[Category:1996 Japanese television series endings]]
[[Category:1996 Japanese television series endings]]
[[Category:ADV Films]]
[[Category:ADV Films]]
[[Category:Anime and manga controversies]]
[[Category:Animated television series about dysfunctional families]]
[[Category:Animated television series about dysfunctional families]]
[[Category:Animated television series about robots]]
[[Category:Animated television series about robots]]

Revision as of 15:36, 17 May 2024

Neon Genesis Evangelion
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン
(Shin Seiki Evangerion)
Genre
Anime television series
Directed by
Produced by
Written byHideaki Anno
Music byShirō Sagisu
Studio
Licensed by
Original networkTXN (TV Tokyo)
English network
Original run October 4, 1995 March 27, 1996
Episodes26 (List of episodes)
Manga
Light novel
Anime films

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Japanese: 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, Hepburn: Shinseiki Evangerion, lit.'New Century Evangelion' in Japanese and lit.'New Beginning Gospel' in Greek),[7] also known simply as Evangelion or Eva, is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax, animated by Tatsunoko, and directed by Hideaki Anno. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. Evangelion is set fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm called the Second Impact, particularly in the futuristic fortified city of Tokyo-3. The protagonist is Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy recruited by his father Gendo to the mysterious organization Nerv to pilot a giant biomechanical mecha called an Evangelion and fight against beings known as Angels.

The series explores the experiences and emotions of the Evangelion pilots and Nerv's members as they fight to prevent Angels from causing more cataclysms. In the process, they are called upon to understand the ultimate cause of events and the motives behind human action. The series has been described as a deconstruction of the mecha genre, and features archetypal imagery derived from Shinto cosmology as well as Jewish and Christian mystical traditions, including Midrashic tales and Kabbalah.[8] The psychoanalytic accounts of human behavior put forward by Freud and Jung are also prominently featured.[9][10]

Neon Genesis Evangelion received critical acclaim, being widely considered one of the greatest anime series of all time, but was also subject to controversy. Particular controversy centered on its final two episodes, as the ending was deemed confusing and abstract to many viewers and critics alike. In 1997, Hideaki Anno and Gainax released the feature film The End of Evangelion, which serves as an alternate ending replacing the final two episodes. A series of four films, titled Rebuild of Evangelion, retelling the events of the series with different plot elements and a new ending, were released between 2007 and 2021. Film, manga, home video, and other products in the Evangelion franchise have achieved record sales in Japanese markets and strong sales in overseas markets, with related goods selling over ¥150 billion by 2007 and Evangelion pachinko machines generating ¥700 billion by 2015.

Plot

In 2015, 15 years after a global cataclysm called the Second Impact, teenager Shinji Ikari is summoned to the futuristic city of Tokyo-3 by his estranged father Gendo Ikari, who is the director of the special paramilitary force Nerv. Shinji witnesses United Nations forces battling an Angel, one of a race of monstrous beings whose awakening was foretold in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Because of the Angels' near-impenetrable force fields, Nerv's Evangelion bio-machines, which are synchronized to their pilots' nervous systems and possess their own force fields, are the only weapons capable of fighting the Angels. Nerv officer Misato Katsuragi escorts Shinji into the Nerv complex beneath Tokyo-3, where Gendo pressures him into piloting Evangelion Unit-01 against the Angel. Without training, Shinji is quickly overwhelmed, causing the Evangelion to go berserk and savagely kill the Angel on its own.

Following hospitalization, Shinji moves in with Misato and settles into life in Tokyo-3. In his second battle, Shinji defeats an Angel but runs away afterward, distraught. Misato confronts Shinji, and he decides to remain a pilot. Shinji and Nerv's crew must defeat the remaining fourteen Angels to prevent the Third Impact, a global cataclysm that would destroy the world. Evangelion Unit-00 is repaired shortly afterward, and Shinji tries to befriend its pilot Rei Ayanami, a mysterious and socially isolated teenage girl. With Rei's help, Shinji defeats another Angel. They are joined by Evangelion Unit-02's pilot, the multitalented but insufferable teenager Asuka Langley Sōryu, who is German-Japanese-American. The three of them manage to defeat several Angels, and as Shinji adjusts to his new role as a pilot, he gradually becomes more confident and self-assured. Asuka moves in with Shinji, and they begin to develop confusing feelings for one another, kissing at her provocation.

After being absorbed by an Angel, Shinji breaks free thanks to Eva-01 acting on its own. He is later forced to fight Evangelion Unit-03, who has become infected, and its pilot, his friend and classmate Toji Suzuhara, becomes incapacitated and permanently disabled. Asuka loses her self-confidence following a defeat and spirals into depression, which is worsened by her next fight against an Angel who attacks her mind. It forces her to relive her worst fears and childhood trauma, resulting in a mental breakdown. In the next battle, Rei sacrifices herself to self-destruct Unit-00 and save Shinji. Misato and Shinji visit the hospital, where they find Rei alive, but claiming she is "the third Rei". Misato forces the scientist Ritsuko Akagi to reveal the dark secrets of Nerv, the Evangelion boneyard, and the Dummy Plug system, which operates using clones of Rei, who was created using the DNA of Shinji's mother, Yui Ikari. This succession of events leaves Shinji emotionally scarred and alienated from the rest of the characters. Kaworu Nagisa replaces the catatonic Asuka as Unit-02's pilot and befriends Shinji, gaining his trust. He is revealed to be the final foretold Angel, Tabris, and fights Shinji, realizing that he must die to allow humanity to survive. He asks Shinji to kill him, and he hesitates but eventually kills Kaworu; an event that causes him to be overridden with guilt.

After the final Angel is defeated, Gendo triggers the "Human Instrumentality Project", a forced evolution of humanity in which the souls of mankind are merged for benevolent purposes. He believes that if unified, humanity could overcome the loneliness and alienation that has eternally plagued them. Shinji's soul grapples with the reason for his existence and reaches an epiphany that he needs others to thrive and to accept himself by seeing a potential Shinji in another reality. This enables him to destroy the wall of negative emotions that torment him and unite with the others, who congratulate him.

Characters

Hideaki Anno attempted to create characters that reflected parts of his own personality.[11] The characters of Evangelion struggle with their interpersonal relationships, their personal problems,[12] and traumatic events in their past.[13][14] The human qualities of the characters have enabled some viewers of the show to identify with the characters on a personal level, while others interpret them as historical, religious, or philosophical symbols.[15]

Shinji Ikari is the series protagonist and the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit-01. After witnessing his mother Yui Ikari's death as a child, Shinji is abandoned by his father, Gendo Ikari. He is emotionally hypersensitive and sometimes does as expected out of fear of rejection, but he has often rebelled and refused to pilot the Eva because of the excruciating harm that has been done to him or to his friends. Throughout the series, he says to himself "I mustn't run away" as a means of encouraging himself to face the threats of the day, and this sometimes actually gives him bravery in battle, but he has a lingering habit of withdrawing in response to traumatic events. Anno has described Shinji as a boy who "shrinks from human contact" and has "convinced himself that he is a completely unnecessary person".[16]

The cast of Neon Genesis Evangelion as depicted on the Japanese "Genesis" (volume) 14 laserdisc and VHS cover

The withdrawn and mysterious pilot of Evangelion Unit-00, Rei Ayanami, is a clone made from the salvaged remains of Yui and is plagued by a sense of negative self-worth stemming from the realization that she is an expendable asset.[17] She at first despises Shinji for his lack of trust in his father Gendo, with whom Rei is very close. However, after Shinji and Rei successfully defeat the Angel Ramiel, she takes a friendly liking to him. Towards the end of the series, it is revealed that she is one of many clones, whose use is to replace the currently existing Rei if she is killed.

Asuka Langley Soryu is a child prodigy who pilots Evangelion Unit-02 and possesses a fiery temper and an overabundance of pride and self-confidence, which often gets her in trouble and difficulty, especially during battles. As a little girl, Asuka discovered the body of her mother shortly after she committed suicide, leading the child to repress her emotions and vow never to cry. Asuka and Shinji develop intense but ambiguous feelings toward each other and have difficulty reaching out to others. Their relationship was initially modeled on the one between Jean, Nadia's love interest and eventual husband in the earlier Nadia.[18] Similarly to Shinji, Asuka and Rei are presented with their own flaws and difficulty relating to other people.[19]

Misato Katsuragi is the caretaker and commanding officer for Shinji and Asuka.[20] Her professional demeanor at Nerv contrasts dramatically with her carefree and irresponsible behavior at home. Character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto conceived her as an older "girl next door" and promiscuous loser who failed to take life seriously.[18] Hideaki Anno described Shinji and Misato as "afraid of being hurt" and "unsuitable—lacking the positive attitude—for what people call heroes of an adventure."[16]

The teenage Evangelion pilots are ordered into battle by the steely Gendo Ikari, Shinji's father and the commander of Nerv. He abandoned Shinji and recalled him only to serve as an Evangelion pilot. Gendo salvaged the remains of his dead wife's body to create Rei, whom he viewed as a mere tool at his disposal to defeat the Angels and enact Instrumentality. Similar to Shinji, he is somewhat asocial and is afraid of being insulted by others and often runs away from such, often committing immoralities in the process. This fear is also what drove him to abandon Shinji. He is depicted as relentless in his drive to win, a man who "takes drastic and extreme measures, by fair means or foul, or by hook or by crook, in order to accomplish his own purpose."[21] According to Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the characters of Gendo and Fuyutsuki are based on Ed Straker and Alec Freeman of the television series UFO.[18] Sadamoto designed the visual appearance of the characters so that their personalities "could be understood more or less at a glance".[22] The distinctive aesthetic appeal of the female lead characters' designs contributed to the high sales of Neon Genesis Evangelion merchandise. The design of Rei, in particular, became so popular that the media referred to the character as "Premium Girl" due to the high sales of books with Rei on the cover.[23]

Production

Director Hideaki Anno fell into a depression following the completion of work on Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water[24] and the 1992 failure of the Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise sequel project, Uru in Blue.[25] According to Yasuhiro Takeda, after the failure of Uru in Blue Anno agreed to a collaboration between King Records and Gainax while drinking with King representative Toshimichi Ōtsuki;[26] King Records guaranteed Anno a time slot for "something, anything".[27] Anno began the development of the new series in 1993 around the notion of not running away, which had been the underlying theme of Uru in Blue, which focused on a protagonist accustomed to avoiding personal responsibility who finds himself trying to save the heroine of the story.[28] Early into the production, he stated his intent to have Evangelion increase the number of anime fans, named otaku in Japanese, and attract interest in the anime medium[29] bringing a breath of fresh air to the mecha genre. In the early design phase of the Evangelion project, several formats were considered, including a film, a television series and an original video animation (OVA) series. The producers finally opted for the television series, as it was the most widely accessible media in Japan at that time.[18] Anno also originally proposed the title Alcion for the new series, but this was rejected due to its lack of hard consonant sounds.[18] He conceived the series as a metaphor of his four-year depression, as he tried to put his whole self into the work and imprint his own feelings on the film.[16][30]

Gainax studio in Koganei, Tokyo

Critics noted how Evangelion borrowed certain scenarios and the use of introspection as a narrative device from a previous Anno project entitled Gunbuster.[31] He also incorporated the narrative structure of Nadia and multiple frames of reference, leaving the story open to interpretation.[32] The production was complex and saw several changes to the scenario initially imagined by Gainax. A female protagonist was initially proposed for the series, but the idea was scrapped.[18] In the first scenario, the first episode presented the battle between an Angel and Rei, while the character of Shinji was only introduced after the Angel had been temporarily defeated.[33] Further changes to the plot were made following the Aum Shinrikyo sect's sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in March. Azuma Hiroki has said that the original Evangelion story was "too close to reality" from Anno's point of view. Anno thought that the original scenario was not suitable for broadcasting, and he feared censorship. However, he also criticized Aum Shinrikyo, because "they lost any contact with reality". For this reason, Azuma stated that Evangelion "is an intrinsic critique of Aum".[29]

The final version of the story reflects inspiration drawn from numerous other anime and fictional works.[34] Chief among these are Space Battleship Yamato,[35] Mobile Suit Gundam,[36][37] Devilman[38][39] and Space Runaway Ideon.[40][41] The series also incorporates tributes to Childhood's End,[42] the novels of Ryū Murakami,[34][43] The Andromeda Strain, The Divine Invasion, the poem Pippa Passes,[44] The Hitcher, and several television series including The Prisoner, Thunderbirds, Ultraman[34][45] and Ultra Seven.[46]

The development of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series ran close to deadlines throughout its production run. The initial cuts of the first two episodes were screened at the second Gainax festival in July 1995, only three months before they were aired on television.[47] By the thirteenth episode the series began to deviate significantly from the original story, and the initial project was abandoned. The number of Angels was reduced to seventeen instead of the original twenty-eight; the writers also changed the story's ending, which had originally described the failure of the Human Instrumentality Project after an Angel attack from the Moon.[33][48] Not only did the series suffer from scheduling issues, but according to Anno, despite Gainax being the lead studio for the series, the company itself had inadequate materials and staff for the full production of the series. Only three staff members from Gainax were working on the series at any given time, and the majority of the series' production was outsourced to Tatsunoko Production.[49]

Starting with the sixteenth episode, the show changed drastically, discarding the grand narrative concerning salvation for a narrative focusing more closely on the individual characters.[50][51] This change coincided with Anno's development of an interest in psychology after a friend lent him a book on mental illness.[52] This focus culminated in the two final episodes which were filmed from a completely introspective perspective.[12] Necessity forced Anno to abandon the script of the twenty-fifth episode to work with a new one.[53] These episodes feature heavy use of abstract animation,[54] flashbacks,[55] simple line drawings, photographs[56] and fixed image scenes with voice-over dialogue.[57] Some critics speculated that these unconventional animation choices resulted from budget cuts,[58] but Toshio Okada stated that it wasn't only a problem of schedule or budget, since Anno "couldn't decide the ending until the time came. That's his style".[59] These two episodes sparked controversy and condemnation among fans and critics of the series.[60] In 1997, Hideaki Anno and Gainax released two animated feature films, providing another ending for the show, named Death & Rebirth and The End of Evangelion.[61]

Themes

The cross-shaped explosion caused by the destruction of the third Angel exemplifies the use of Christian imagery in Evangelion.

References to mystical traditions in Judaism and Christianity, including Midrashic literature and Kabbalah, are threaded liberally through the series.[62] Complicating viewers' attempts to form an unambiguous interpretation,[63] the series reworks Midrash stories, Zohar images and other Kabbalistic ideas developed from the Book of Genesis[64] to create a new Evangelion-specific mythology.[63] The plot also combines elements of esotericism and mysticism of the Jewish Kabbalah,[65][66] including the Angels, which have common and individual features with the Angels of the religious tradition,[67] such as Sachiel, Sandalphon and Ramiel.[68][69] Assistant director Kazuya Tsurumaki stated the religious visual references were intended to make the series more "interesting" and "exotic" for a Japanese audience,[70] denying the existence of a religious meaning for the use of Christian visual symbols in the show.[71] According to Anno, "as the symbols are mixed together, for the first time something like an interrelationship or a meaning emerges".[72]

According to Patrick Drazen, numerous allusions to the Kojiki and the Nihongi have a prominent role in Evangelion, along with the Shinto vision of the primordial cosmos and the mythical lances of the Shinto deities Izanagi and Izanami.[73] Elements of the Judeo-Christian tradition also feature prominently throughout the series, including references to Adam, Lilith, Eve, the Lance of Longinus,[74] the Dead Sea Scrolls,[75] the Kabbalistic concept of Adam Kadmon, and the Tree of Life.[73] The merging of all human souls into one through the Human Instrumentality Project at the end of the series has been compared to the Kabbalistic concept of tikkun olam.[76] The Evangelions have been likened to the golem of Jewish folklore,[46] and their visual design resembles the traditional depictions of oni, Japanese demons or ogres.[77]

Neon Genesis Evangelion has been interpreted as a deeply personal expression of Hideaki Anno's own emotional struggles with depression.[46] During the production of the series, he became interested in mental illness and psychology.[52] According to him, Rei is a schizophrenic character[78] and a representation of Shinji's unconscious,[72] while Shinji has an Oedipus complex[79][80][81] and is characterized by a libido-destrudo conflict.[82] Similarly, Ritsuko has an Electra complex, in which she loves Gendo, a sort of substitute for her father figure.[83] Anno himself stated that he identifies with Shinji in both a conscious and unconscious manner,[84] while Rei is Anno's "deepest part" and Kaworu his Jungian shadow.[85] Shinji's entering into Unit-01 has been interpreted as a Freudian "return to the womb", and his struggle to be free of the Eva as his "rite of passage" into manhood.[86] The series also contains references to philosophical and psychoanalytic concepts, such as the oral stage, introjection, oral personality, ambivalence,[87] and the death drive,[88] including elements of the works of Sigmund Freud,[89][90] Arthur Schopenhauer,[91][92] and Søren Kierkegaard.[93]

Related media

Films

In May 1996, Gainax announced an Evangelion film[94] in response to fan dissatisfaction with the series finale.[61] On March 15, 1997, Gainax released Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth, consisting of 60 minutes of clips taken from the first 24 episodes of the series and the first 30 minutes of the new ending due to production issues.[95] The second film, The End of Evangelion, which premiered on July 19, 1997, provided the complete new ending as a retelling of the final two episodes of the television series. Rather than depicting the series' climax within the characters' minds, the film provides a more conventional, action-based resolution to the series' plot lines. The film won numerous awards[96][97] and grossed ¥1.45 billion within six months of its release.[98] Ex.org ranked the film in 1999 as the fifth best 'All-Time Show', with the television series at the second.[99] In 2009, CUT magazine ranked it the third greatest anime film of all time.[100] In July 1998, the films were re-released as Revival of Evangelion which combined Death(true)² (the director's cut of Death) with The End of Evangelion.

A new animated film series called Rebuild of Evangelion by Gainax was made,[101] consisting of four films. The first film retells the first six episodes from the series but from the second film onward the story is different, including new characters, Evas and Angels. The first film, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, was released in Japan on September 1, 2007, with Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance released on June 27, 2009, and Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo released on November 17, 2012. The final film, titled Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, was released on March 8, 2021, after two delays.[102] In 2015, Evangelion:Another Impact, a 3D-rendered short film collaboration between the Khara studio and the media company Dwango was directed by Shinji Aramaki, released and streamed as the twelfth anime short from the Japan Animator Expo on February 8. It depicts "the story of an Evangelion's activation, rampage and howling in another world".[103]

Manga and books

Ten months prior to the television broadcast of Evangelion, the character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto illustrated a manga version of the story, initially a supplement meant to promote the anime series.[104] The first installment of the manga was published in the February issue of Shōnen Ace in December 1994 with subsequent installments produced on an irregular basis over an eighteen-year period. The final installment was published in June 2013.[105][106] Several publishers were initially concerned at the selection of Sadamoto to develop the manga adaptation, viewing him as "too passé to be bankable".[107] The first ten volumes sold over 15 million copies,[108] and the eleventh volume reached number one on the Tohan charts,[109] selling an additional two million copies.[110] The manga series won the 1996 Comicker fan manga poll.[111] The story has been adapted into several other manga series in addition to the original Sadamoto project, including Campus Apocalypse, a mystery story that omits the Evangelion units, and Petit Eva: Evangelion@School, a parody series which received its own original net animation serial show.

Soundtracks and music

Shirō Sagisu composed most of the original music for the series. The soundtracks released to high rankings on the Oricon charts, with Neon Genesis Evangelion III reaching the number one slot for highest sales in 1997;[112] that same year, Sagisu received the Kobe Animation award for "Best Music Score" for his work on Evangelion.[113] Classical music by Ludwig van Beethoven,[57] Johann Sebastian Bach,[114] Giuseppe Verdi and George Frideric Handel[74] were also featured throughout the series and the movies.

Additional classical works and original symphonic compositions were used to score later movies produced within the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. In total, the series' discography includes twenty-one full studio, live, compilation and soundtrack albums and six CD singles. The series' opening theme is "A Cruel Angel's Thesis", performed by Yoko Takahashi. It ranked on two TV Asahi polls, reaching 55th for best anime theme songs of all time, and eighteenth for best anime theme songs of the 1990s.[115][116] Fifteen years after its release, the theme won JASRAC's annual award for the royalties it continues to generate from its usage in pachinko, pachislo, karaoke and other venues.[117] The ending theme of the series is "Fly Me to the Moon", arranged and sung by Claire Littley and various other singers from the main vocal cast.[118]

Video games

Several video games based on the series have been developed, ranging from RPG and adventure games to mahjong and card games. The series has also spawned visual novels, two of which inspired the romance and comedy-focused manga series Angelic Days and Shinji Ikari Raising Project.

Releases

Japan

Cover for the Blu-ray box set in Japan

The original home video releases in Japan included VHS and Laserdisc sets using a release structured around "Genesis 0:(volume number)", with each of the first twelve releases containing two episodes each. Each of the episodes received minor changes and episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-fourth were extended with new scenes. "Genesis 0:13" and "Genesis 0:14" contained the original and the alternate versions of the last two episodes first presented in Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion. A fifteenth and final release for Laserdisc, entitled "Genesis 0:X", contained the broadcast versions of the episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-fourth and was a special mail-in offer for fans who purchased all fourteen discs.[119][120]

The first Japanese DVD release was spread across seven volumes; all contained four episodes, with the seventh volume containing both the original and alternate versions of the last two episodes. This version was identical to the previous laserdisc and VHS release. The movies were also released as a special set, just like before. In 2000 and 2001, three box sets were released to commemorate the fictional Second Impact which occurred in the year 2000 in the series. The Second Impact Box contained the original episodes and both movies on nine DVDs — three per Box. The versions were the original broadcast and theatrical versions respectively and therefore different from the previous DVD release. In addition, the video game Girlfriend of Steel was included in the third box set.[121][122]

The Japanese-only, nine-volume "Renewal of Evangelion" DVDs were released on June 25, 2003,[123] with improved acoustic effects, remixed dialogue and remastered soundtrack for 5.1 stereo sound.[124] The first eight volumes covered the original twenty-six episodes, including two versions of episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-fourth: the extended video version that was available in previous releases, and a reconstruction of the shorter broadcast version, which was made available for the first time since the Genesis 0:X laserdisc and also wasn't censored like in the original broadcast. The ninth volume contained Death(true)², while the tenth included End of Evangelion (omitting Rebirth).[125] The Renewal Project release formed the basis for the western "Platinum Edition".[124] On December 1, 2014, Studio Khara announced a Blu-ray boxset containing a new HD-remastering of the television series, the video versions of the episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-fourth, as well as the two movies, both as Revival of Evangelion, the director's cut, which was available in the Renewal DVDs, and as their original theatrical versions Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion.[126][127]

Another DVD set, titled Archives of Evangelion, was announced. It contains the original unaltered broadcast version of the television series as well as the broadcast version of Death (True) & Rebirth that aired on January 2, 1998. Both sets were released on August 26, 2015, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the TV series.[128]

ADV Films

The series was distributed in North America and Europe by ADV Films.[129] The thirteen English VHS tapes, released from August 20, 1996, to July 7, 1998, contained two episodes each and were released using the same "Genesis 0:(volume number)" titling convention as the first Japanese home video release. Two laserdisc collections were released as Collection 1 Deluxe Edition[130] and Collection 2 Deluxe Edition,[131] containing episodes one to four and five to eight, respectively. The first DVD release by ADV Films was the eight-disk Perfect Collection in 2002, containing the original installments.[124] In 2004, ADV released two DVD compilations titled Neon Genesis Evangelion: Resurrection and Neon Genesis Evangelion: Genesis Reborn, encompassing the directors' cuts of episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-fourth, additionally including the original versions of episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-sixth.[124]

The Platinum Edition release was announced by ADV in 2004,[132] consisting of seven DVDs[133] released between July 27, 2004, and April 19, 2005.[134] The Platinum Edition contained the original twenty-six episodes and the four "Director's cut" versions[135] of episodes from the twenty-first to the twenty-fourth. A six-disc version of the Platinum Edition, the Platinum Complete Edition, was released on November 22, 2005, and omitted several extras included in other versions, including commentary and trailers.[136] A seven-disc Platinum Perfect Collection tin case version was released on November 27, 2007, and included the extras that were omitted from the Platinum Complete Edition.[137][138] On November 18, 2008, a seven-disc Holiday Edition DVD was released; this would be the final DVD release of the series from ADV Films.[139] In late November 2011, it was announced the series was going out of print.[140]

Madman Anime

Madman has held the rights to the series since 1998[141] in New Zealand and Australia, where Evangelion was broadcast in 1999 by the Special Broadcasting Service.[142] Madman Anime also holds the home video licenses for the Rebuild of Evangelion films.[143]

Netflix

On November 26, 2018, streaming company Netflix announced that it had acquired the worldwide streaming rights to the original anime series, as well as Evangelion: Death (True)² and The End of Evangelion, for release in Q2 2019.[144] On March 22, 2019, Netflix announced a June 21, 2019, premiere date for the titles.[145][146] Following the dissolution of ADV Films in late 2009,[147] the Netflix release includes a re-translated script from Studio Khara's in-house translator Dan Kanemitsu[148][149] and a new English-language cast chosen by Khara.[150] The Netflix release omits "Fly Me to the Moon" in some regions due to licensing issues.[151][152]

Anime Limited and GKIDS

On May 30, 2020, British anime distributor Anime Limited announced it had acquired home video distribution rights for the original series, Evangelion: Death (True)² and The End of Evangelion in the United Kingdom and Ireland, with an Ultimate Edition Blu-ray release scheduled for 2021, marking the international release of the original series on Blu-ray.[153] On October 3, 2020, North American anime distributor GKIDS announced it had licensed the original TV series, Death (True)² and The End of Evangelion for home video, theatrical, and digital download release with an Ultimate Edition to be released in 2021, making this the first Blu-ray release of the franchise in North America.[154][155] On August 30, 2021, GKIDS announced a Collector's Edition and a Standard edition release in addition to the Ultimate Edition. The Collector's/Ultimate edition had the "Classic Dub and Subtitled Version", including the ADV and Manga English dubs and subs, while the standard edition was only included the Netflix English dub and sub. "Fly Me to the Moon" was not included in any of the GKIDS/All the Anime releases due to licensing issues. The Standard edition was released on November 9, 2021, while the Collector's/Ultimate edition was released on December 8, 2021.[156][157] On November 2, 2021, GKIDS released the TV series, Death (True)² and The End of Evangelion on all major digital download services six days ahead of the Standard Blu-ray release.[158] This release, like the Standard BD, only contains the Netflix dub and sub.

Reception

Even fans of the sci-fi genre who avoid anime altogether have likely heard of Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell, which were each landmarks of both style and substance. But arguably the greatest and certainly most thematically dense of the three '90s sci-fi anime masterpieces is Neon Genesis Evangelion. It has one of the most enduring worldwide cult franchises and passionate fanbases in all of geekdom [...] the most celebrated cast in anime  [... and] poster boy/protagonist Shinji is one of the most nuanced, popular, and relatable characters in anime history.

— Nick Verboon, Unreality Mag (June 13, 2013)[159]

Neon Genesis Evangelion received critical acclaim both domestically and internationally during its initial broadcast and in the decades since its release.[160][161][162] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 100% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Neon Genesis Evangelion, both a cultural touchstone for Japan and an uncompromising auteurist vision by creator Hideaki Anno, doubles as an enthralling apex for the mecha anime genre and as a harrowing exploration of depression – making for a wholly singular epic about angels and inner demons."[163] Paste, IGN, and Comic Book Resources have named it as one of the best anime series of all time.[164][165][166]

The "richness" of the characters and "complex and layered" narrative has received praise by critics.[167][168][169] In 1998, Max Autohead of Hyper rated it 10 out of 10, praising the "brilliant and fantastic storyline, with amazing characters who pull you not only into their world, but into their psyche as well".[170] The same year, Shidoshi of GameFan magazine gave it an A rating, calling it an "awesome" series.[171] Mike Hale of The New York Times described it in 2009 as "a superior anime, a giant-robot tale of unusual depth, feeling and detail."[172]

Following the conclusion of the series' original television broadcast, the public and critical reception to Neon Genesis Evangelion was polarized,[173] particularly with regard to the final two episodes. The experimental style of the finale confused[174] or alienated many fans[54][58] and spawned debate and controversy;[160][175] the criticism was largely directed toward the lack of storyline resolution in the final two episodes.[160] Opinion on the finale was mixed,[160] with the audience broadly divided between those who considered the episodes "deep", and those who felt their meaning was "more apparent than real".[176] The English voice actors admitted that they also had trouble understanding the series' conclusion.[174] The Mainichi Times wrote that broadcast of the penultimate episode, "nearly all viewers felt betrayed ... When commentator Eiji Ōtsuka sent a letter to the Yomiuri Shimbun, complaining about the end of the Evangelion series, the debate went nationwide."[177] Despite the criticism, Anno stood by his artistic choices for the series' conclusion.[160] Critic Zac Bertschy remarked in 2003 that "Most of the backlash against Evangelion existed because people don't like to think".[178] The initial controversy surrounding the end of Evangelion has had no lasting negative influence on the popularity of the series.[160][179]

Evangelion has developed into a social phenomenon beyond its primary fan base, generating national discussion in Japan. The series has also been the subject of numerous media reports, debates, and research studies worldwide.[180][50] The show has received review by critics, academics and sociologists alike, including by Susan J. Napier, William Rout, Mick Broderick, Mari Kotani,[181] Shinji Miyadai,[182] Hiroki Azuma,[51] Yuriko Furuhata, and Marc Steinberg.[183] The series has been described as both a critique and deconstruction of the mecha genre.[8][184] Japanese critic Manabu Tsuribe considered that Evangelion was "extremely interior and is lacking in sociality, so that it seems to reflect pathology of the times."[185] Anime News Network's Martin Theron described the character design as "distinctive, designed to be sexy rather than cutesy", and the mecha designs as "among the most distinctive ever produced for an anime series, with sleek, lithe appearances that look monstrous, fearsome, and nimble rather than boxy and knight-like".[186] Mike Crandol stated "It no longer seems contrite to say that Evangelion is surely one of the all-time great works of animation".[173] In February 2004 Cinefantastique listed the anime as one of the "10 Essential Animations".[187]

Awards

Neon Genesis Evangelion has scored highly in popularity polls. In 1996, the series won first place in the "Best Loved Series" category of the Anime Grand Prix, a reader-polled award series published in Animage magazine.[188] The show was again awarded this prize in 1997 by a large margin.[189] The End of Evangelion won first place in 1998,[190] making Neon Genesis Evangelion the first anime franchise to win three consecutive first place awards.[191] The website IGN ranked Evangelion as the tenth best animated series in its "Top 100 Animated TV Series" list.[192] The series also placed third in Animage's "anime that should be remembered in the 21st Century".[193] In 1998, EX.org's readers voted Neon Genesis Evangelion the best US anime release[191] and in 1999, the second-best show of all time.[194] In 2007, a large-scale survey poll by TV Asahi voted Evangelion as the second most appreciated anime in Japan.[195] The series was also ranked as the most popular of all time in a 2006 survey of 80,000 attendees at the Japan Media Arts Festival.[196]

Evangelion won the Animation Kobe award in 1996,[197] and 1997.[198] The series was also awarded the eighteenth Nihon SF Taisho Award and the Excellence Award at the first Japan Media Arts Festival in 1997,[199][200] while the film ranked sixth on Wizard's Anime Magazine on their "Top 50 Anime released in North America".[201] In the August 1996 issue of Animage, Evangelion characters placed high in the rankings of best characters with Rei ranked first, Asuka third, Kaworu fourth and Shinji sixth. Rei Ayanami won in the Female Character category in 1995 and 1996 and Shinji Ikari won the Male Character category in 1996 and 1997.[202] In 2010, Newtype magazine recognized Rei Ayanami as the most popular character of the 1990s in the female category, and Shinji Ikari in the male category.[203] "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" won the Animage award in the Best Song category in 1996,[188] and TV Asahi recognized it as the eighteenth best anime song since 1990.[204] TV Asahi also recognized the "suicide of Ayanami Rei" as the ninth most touching anime scene ever.[205]

Influence and legacy

Evangelion has had a significant impact on Japanese popular culture.[175][206] The series also had a strong influence on anime, at a time when the anime industry and televised anime series were in a slump period.[160] CNET reviewer Tim Hornyak credits the series with revitalizing and transforming the giant mecha genre.[207] In the 1980s and 1990s, Japanese animation saw decreased production[208] following the economic crash in Japan.[209] This was followed by a crisis of ideas in the years to come.[210] Against this background, Evangelion imposed new standards for the animated serial, ushering in the era of the "new Japanese animation serial",[211] characterized by innovations that allowed a technical and artistic revival of the industry. The production of anime serials began to reflect greater author control, the concentration of resources in fewer but higher quality episodes, typically ranging from thirteen to twenty-six, a directorial approach similar to live film, and greater freedom from the constraints of merchandising.[212]

Two cosplayers portraying Asuka Langley Soryu and Rei Ayanami. The franchise has been credited as a conduit for making cosplay a worldwide phenomenon.[213]

According to TV Tokyo's Keisuke Iwata, the global spread of Japanese animation dramatically expanded due to the popularity of Evangelion.[214] In Japan, Evangelion prompted a review of the cultural value of anime,[215] and its success, according to Roland Kelts, made the medium more accessible to the international youth scene.[216] With the interest in the series, otaku culture became a mass social phenomenon.[217][218] The show's regular reruns increased the number of otaku,[219] while John Lynden links its popularity to a boom in interest in literature on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Kabbalah and Christianity.[220]

Critics traced Evangelion's influence on subsequent anime series, including Serial Experiments Lain, RahXephon, Texhnolyze, Gasaraki, Guilty Crown, Boogiepop Phantom,[74] Blue Submarine No. 6,[221] Martian Successor Nadesico,[222] Rinne no Lagrange,[223] Gurren Lagann,[224] Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure,[225] Argento Soma,[226] Pilot Candidate,[227] Generator Gawl,[228] and Dai-Guard.[229][230] References, homages and tributes to the series are also contained in Japanese and Western media such as the third episode of Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi,[231] Koi Koi Seven,[232] Hayate the Combat Butler,[233] Baka and Test,[234] Regular Show,[235] My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,[236] Gravity Falls,[237] Sgt. Frog,[238][239] Rick and Morty,[240] One Hour Photo,[241] Steven Universe,[242] Kong: Skull Island,[243] and Nope.[244] The show's mixture of religion and mecha also influenced subsequent Japanese video games, including Xenogears[245] and El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron.[246]

The design and personality traits of the character Rei Ayanami were reused for many anime and manga characters of the late 1990s, such as Ruri Hoshino of Nadesico, Ruriko Tsukushima (Droplet),[247] Miharu (Gasaraki),[248] Anthy Himemiya (Revolutionary Girl Utena), and Lain Iwakura (Serial Experiments Lain).[249] The character of Asuka was parodied by Excel (Excel Saga),[250] and some of her traits were used to create the character of Mai in Gunparade March.[251] According to Italian critic Guido Tavassi, Evangelion's mecha design, characterized by a greater resemblance to the human figure, and the abstract designs of the Angels, also had a significant impact on the designs of future anime productions.[252] Nobuhiro Watsuki designed several characters for Rurouni Kenshin based on characters from Neon Genesis Evangelion, namely Uonuma Usui, Honjō Kamatari and Fuji.[253][254] Other artists have cited the series as an inspiration, including Makoto Shinkai[255] and Gege Akutami for their manga Jujutsu Kaisen.[256] In the aftermath of Evangelion, Anno reused stylistic conceits from the series in the live-action Love & Pop and the anime romance Kare Kano.[257] Neon Genesis Evangelion also influenced music artists, such as the British band Fightstar and its debut album, Grand Unification,[257] and the Japanese band Rey, which derived its name from the character of Rei Ayanami.[258]

Merchandising

In Japan, Evangelion is an enormous content and merchandise industry with hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Images of its biomechanical Eva robots are on everything from coffee mugs to smartphones and even airplane wraps.

— Tim Hornyak, CNET (July 16, 2013)[207]

The popularity of Neon Genesis Evangelion extends to its merchandising, which exceeded $400 million within two years of its release.[77] The series has established itself greatly on the Japanese market, developing a varied range of products for adult consumers, such as cell phones,[259] laptop computers,[260] many soundtracks, DVDs,[261] action figures, telephone cards[262] and an official set of Japanese coins.[263][264] The stylized mecha design that would later earn praise for Evangelion was initially criticized by certain toy companies as being too difficult to manufacture,[265] with some expressing concern that models of the Evangelion mecha "would never sell."[266] Eventually, Sega agreed to license all toy and video game sales.[107] At the time of the release of the Japanese film Death & Rebirth and The End of Evangelion, estimated sales of Evangelion merchandise topped $300 million,[262] of which 70% derived from sales of video and laser discs,[267] soundtrack CDs, single CDs, computer software and the three-volume manga.[262][268] Multiple merchandising products were released during the Renewal Project, such as CDs, video games, cel-art illustrations and collectible models.[124]

The commercial exploitation of the series for the home video market achieved record sales and remained strong over a decade later.[269] The fame of the show has grown through home video sales, which exceeded two or three times the sales of other contemporary anime series and films.[270] According to anime critic Guido Tavassi, the series contributed significantly to the spread of the DVD format in Japan and generated a considerable impact on the Japanese economy, calculated in billions of yen.[270] In 2006, Matt Greenfield stated that the franchise had earned over $2 billion.[271] A 2007 estimate placed total sales of 6,000 related goods at over ¥150 billion.[272][273] By 2015, more than two million Evangelion pachinko and pachislot machines had been sold, generating ¥700 billion in revenue.[274]

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