On that note, sorry for my recent hiatus. Even though I don't regularly update, I've been especially busy lately with some stuff involved with that mysterious "Real Life" concept... hmm, wonder what this is. However, none of this really matters because our prayers have been answered! A blessing has been given unto Man! It iS A MoThEr fReAkInG mIrAcLe mAn, hOnK hOnK hOnK.
After literally years of waiting, GAINAX has finally released a clip of Evangelion 3.0. For those who don't know, I am a total geek for anything Neon Genesis Evangelion, so this is a big deal. At least, for me it is. Evangelion 3.0 is part of Anno's recreating of the series into four updated movies, collectively titled Rebuild of Evangelion. There's actually quite a story behind the origins of Rebuild of Evangelion after the series was literally about ten years old, so let's dive right into that first.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is analogous to Star Wars in the United States and Doctor Who in the UK, in the case of Japan. It's an epic anime, but I will try not to delve to much into its story. That would an entire blog to capture. Halfway through the anime, the production team and GAINAX became extremely low on funding. Their rushed schedule and depleting budget resulted in production difficulties and chaos in the staff. This very much seeps into the mood and theme of the anime's second half. You could say that the whole story of Neon Genesis Evangelion was corrupted by budgeting issues and that the story being praised currently is not even what was meant to be, and you would be right. However, it is Anno's determination to make the story as meaningful and close to his original plans thematically that make it still worthy of praise.
These leaves fans wondering, though. "What was Eva really supposed be like?" "How was Evangelion really going to end?" "How much did we miss out on because of the budget cuts?" Answering these questions is one of many reasons that Anno has decided to recreate the series into four "new production" movies, fueled by staff from the original series, some invited by Anno, and some new staff altogether. Several reasons he gave in a large announcement include "the desire to support the strength of heart that exists in the world... over the past 12 years, there has been no anime newer than Eva... among the stagnant mood of the present day, it is the portrayal of will - not technology - that is most important... we aim to create a form of entertainment that anyone can look forward to." The actual announcement is far more beautiful than those few quotes, so check that out.
The above announcement was released in 2007, and Anno already had the movie done and released in 2008: Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone, which covers the first six or seven episodes of the twenty-six episode anime. In 2009, Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance was released, which was dramatically different from the plot of the series and also was given a theatrical release in Japan. The reason Evangelion 2.0 was so very different is because this is when GAINAX began to experience its extreme struggle and strife, which affected the anime powerfully. This is remedied in its corresponding film, which brings us barely over the halfway mark in the original anime series.
After this, though, Rebuild of Evangelion went totally silent. Sure, there was a typical preview clip at the end of Evangelion 2.0 to foreshadow Evangelion 3.0 with some basic plot information, but other than, we have seen nothing of the next film. As an "Evataku" myself, I wondered what was going on with the movies. I wondered if perhaps the production team was under stress and strife once more, and was trying to prevent the anime from falling into its previous holes. Even after Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance was given a short theatrical release in major US theaters, there was no word other than the post-film short preview of Evangelion 3.0: Q (Quickening). The film was given that working title in the short preview following its predecessor film. It is interestingly different from the previous naming scheme. As a fan theory, I believed that the subtitle without the parentheses was what the truth was of the plot situation, promoting will, but the parentheses revealed what Shinji Ikari believed.
Finally, there was hope. Yesterday, August 26, 2011, Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance was given its Japanese TV release, to be broadcasted across Japanese televisions nationwide. However, a NEW short preview was provided with the TV release, for Evangelion 3.0: Q!! I was in completely frivolous ecstasy last night when it made its way to YouTube already. I'm actually still in complete frivolous ecstasy today, that's how much this meant. For my fellow Evangelion fans, I'm going to do a short analysis of the new footage, only about fifteen seconds long without text announcements. Below is the footage:
SO MUCH BEAUTIFUL.
If that doesn't work, or it gets taken down for some reason, there is also a video link and short post available here. The rest of this post is full of Evangelion terminology, so get ready. Our trailer features typical "Next Time" format, soundtrack and all. We see Eva-02 flying around in space, revealing that it was fine after the battle with the Tenth Angel and Near Third Impact. Clearly, it has been modified with a large device on its back spanning the length of its body. However, this makes me wonder: is Eva-02 flying or being thrown? With the aid of technology that size, it shouldn't be spinning so chaotically through space as normal flight. I wonder if perhaps Eva-02 is involved in some kind of space Angel battle, and the footage we see is her being thrown by the Angel and then recoiling with a shot from her awesome space rifle. Also, I feel like it should be mentioned that the red object is Earth. Nothing is wrong with it; remember, in Rebuild, the oceans are red.
That's another thing: the short moment before the space rifle shot. If you can freeze the frame properly, you should notice the moon behind Eva-02, and the large bloodstain on it. When further observed, the blood seems to be shown at the end of a line that is off-screen to the northwest corner of the shot. This is in direct correspondence with the giant Adam-Lilith-Rei-Kaworu-Shinji-Yui/Eva-01 being's huge loss of cervical blood, which splattered in a straight line across the moon. This is shown in The End of Evangelion, even further implying some kind of connection between the Rebuild of Evangelion series and the original series.
We then see Asuka piloting Eva-02, again revealing that she is safe after the battle with the Tenth Angel, though this was technically revealed in the short preview following Evangelion 2.0. She still wears her post-battle eye-patch, implying that she will be wearing this for the rest of the story. A small yellow digital gem floats behind Asuka: it says "ACTIVE", simply showing that Eva-02 is in active pilot. However that doesn't matter so much. Notice that Asuka's right arm and left eye have been bandaged. This is of extreme significance because at the end of The End of Evangelion, Asuka, who was revived after Instrumentality failed, has bandages over her right arm and left eye. Again, GAINAX and Anno are trying to show us something: The End of Evangelion and Rebuild of Evangelion are somehow related.
At this point the trailer seems to end; it doesn't. The very last few tenths of a second will reveal one final frame: one arm, donning a red jacket, opening a door in a dark place. This is better shown by a screencap I took of it.
The largest question, of course, is whose arm this is. It would seem to be obviously the arm of Misato Katsuragi. Misato always ways her red blazer that designates her as an official. The purple lining is either a small addendum to the jacket or a hint that it coincides with Misato's purple hair and color scheme. However, I've begun to wonder as to just where this door is, or if the door is even real. All of the doors at NERV are ID-locked, so a door handle with a keyhole makes no sense since Misato spends most of her time at NERV. At her home, the doors are sliding doors, and would certainly not be as archaic as this door. Plus, if this was Misato's apartment, it would have to be at night. At night, the art team usually uses a dark blue palette to portray night time in Misato's apartment, not this kind of darkness with a pinkish-purple colored door.
Furthermore, the darkness around the door suggests mysteriousness and ambiguity. As such, I believe that the physical door does not exist. This is likely a dream sequence that is Misato is having. But what could this mean? Is Misato's dream a judgment of Human Instrumentality, just like in Episode 25 and Episode 26? This is the most uncertain part of the footage.
Finally, the narration is translated as "Shinji Ikari wakes up to find an unfamiliar boy standing next to him. And a new world awaits Shinji." Last we saw of Shinji, he was trapped inside of Eva-01 after Near Third Impact and the battle with the Tenth Angel. At this point, Kaworu decended, who I believe to be the "unfamiliar boy." Kaworu has dropped hints that he has been awaiting Shinji Ikari already. When he wakes up, I'm assuming he is in a dream-like state, resulting from the events during the battle with the Tenth Angel and Near Third Impact, when he actually delved into the core of an Angel and came back in a transcendent state of existence. This also may be related to being pierced by the Lance of Longinus by Kaworu in Eva Mark.06. I believe this is the "new world" awaiting Shinji. Alternatively, though, it could also be a new mental state for Shinji, rather than a physical world, after he meets Kaworu and realizing Rei's efforts to connect him and his father.
Evangelion 3.0 seems like it's going to be a complete diversion from the TV series. Looks like Anno is going to have his way in the end. It looks like we have a release slated for 2012, supposedly in Autumn. Too bad this means quite a wait for US fans like myself....
DO AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE SIX MINUTES 40 SECONDS, PLEASE
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