Neon Genesis Evangelion seem to be on a licensing spree as the “Rebuild” films give anime fans a new reason to reignite their obsession with the series, and gives the faithful an influx of branded merchandise. The next product that eager otaku can pick up are these entry plug-themed chopsticks. Be sure to click on the picture to see the amazing detail of the series’ characters in their plug suits actually inside the chopsticks.
You can read more about them here.
So Neon Genesis Evangelion, the seminal anime series, continues to permeate into every facet of Japanese culture. Check out the new Eva-inspired racing team here. You can see some race photos here as well.
Neon Genesis Evangelion was the anime series that cemented my love of the genre and showed me the power and potential of the medium. My college roommates and I watched all of the episodes in an epic marathon we still talk about with nostalgia to this day. As a result, I tend to be a sucker for all things Eva.
To coincide with the releases of the new films in Japan, Uniqlo is releasing some special themed t-shirts. I haven’t heard if these will be available at their New York City store, so if not, it may be time for a trip to Japan. You can find the product page here.
It seems that an enterprising amusement park is building a life-size Evangelion Unit 01 near the base of Mt. Fuji in a recreation of the scene where Shinji Ikari first encounters his Eva. It is projects like this that make me realize why I desperately need to take a trip to Japan. You can read more about it here.
This past weekend I sat down to watch the latest Evangelion DVD. Gainax has returned their seminal anime series that debuted in the mid-90′s. The “rebuilds” are a revisiting of the original story, told in four new films. The first three will retell the happenings of the series, while the forth will present a new conclusion. I first watched the series in a bit of a bender when several college friends and I watched every episode in succession our sophomore year.
The DVD recently came out in Japan, and I finally felt mentally prepared this weekend to dive into the film. Although I missed not having the movie open with the original theme, Cruel Angel’s Thesis, I was instantly struck with the visual beauty of the presentation. The film has many shots similar (if not identical) to those that can be found in the original series, and so you can’t help but notice how much better everything looks this time around. Throughout my viewing I had a continuous string of “wow” moments as I smiled in appreciation at being able to soak in the visual upgrade.
In terms of story, the first film tackles the first six episodes of the series. While certain sacrifices have to be made in order to compress the story into the film-sized chunk, I actually enjoyed absorbing the story through a film’s narrative. They did an excellent job of not just making the film feel like a stilted stitching of the episodes, but instead they sprinkled various elements across the duration of the movie to help provide a cohesive story arc. Of course, the movie’s ending provides little closure, but I’d put it on emotional par with Empire Strikes Back, if not a little more upbeat.
I’m not going to even begin to delve into the mythology in this post; that is worthy of a book. I will say that if you haven’t experienced “Eva”, you owe it to yourself to do so. If you can happen to track down this DVD, definitely give it a watch.
- mp3 courtesy of “crime of innocence“
