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My impressions of the old Evangelion movie

Sakiya ARAKAWA

Introduction

Today, I saw "Revival of Evangelion: Neon Genesis Evangelion The Movie Death(True)²/The End of Evangelion" (1998) at the Shinjuku Piccadilly movie theater.

I was still in the second grade of elementary school when the old Evangelion first movie came out in 1997. At that time, I had no idea about going to a movie theater to see it.

I got hooked on the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series and movie when I was a junior high school student, and I have watched it dozens of times since then. So I knew all about it, but I was so excited to see the old Evangelion movie in the movie theater today. At the movie theater, I was so excited and nervous before the screening.

I was actually planning on going to see "Q:3.333".

Until yesterday, I didn't even know that the old Evangelion movie was going to be shown on January 8th. "Q:3.333" was scheduled to start showing on January 8th. When I checked the screening schedule, I found out that the old Evangelion movie would also be shown, and I had a serious problem deciding which one to go see.

What is the difference between the new version "Q:3.333" and the previous version "Q:3.0" ("Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo", 2012)? According to the "Urgent Explanation" on the official website, the new version supports IMAX®︎. The previous version was shot at 1280×544 (down-converted from 2K), but the new version will be shot at 2048×870 (2K).

The new version has improved the details. I thought, "I've got to go see this!" However, today, on the day of its release, the screening was suddenly postponed. Apparently, there was a flaw in the processing of the audio track.

I decided to watch the old Evangelion movie.

Since the release of "Q:3.333" has been postponed, I decided to watch the old Evangelion movie. I woke up early, booked a ticket on the web, and headed for the movie theater. However, I've already seen the old Evangelion movie dozens of times. I've listened to the soundtrack dozens of times. Moreover, I can open Netflix and watch the same movie right away. On the way, I thought over and over again, "Is it worth the trip to the movie theater to see it?" However, I realized that there is a crucial difference between "having seen the movie" and "having seen it in a movie theater". And that difference can only be understood by seeing it in a movie theater. So I went to see the movie to see the difference.

What is the different between watching the old Evangelion movie in a movie theater and watching it at home?

The first thing I thought when the screening started was, "Oh, this is the usual one!"

Even though "Death(True)²" has additional cuts, but most of the cuts are 16:9 versions of the TV series, so the overall resolution is low and there is a lot of noise. In the second part of the movie, "The End of Evangelion", the picture quality is greatly improved. The film grain outside of the live-action parts was also significantly reduced. From these points of view, I thought it was no different from the old Evangelion movie that we can watch at home through some media. At least in terms of data, that is. However, I felt that the vibration sound when the EVA was fighting the Angels and the gradation on the screen were very different from the home viewing environment (LCD display and surround speakers).

I finally understood why it was so difficult to understand the meaning of the live-action parts in "The End of Evangelion", especially without seeing it in a movie theater. And even though I know that this has already been said in the past by many review magazines, the only way I can take it as a message from Hideaki Anno to the Otaku who are crazy about "Evangelion" and come to the movie theater is to see it and experience it.

What was the old Evangelion movie?

I'd like to talk about what it was like to see the old Evangelion movie again. I know there have been a lot of discussions about it over the past twenty years, but I would like to write about it in my own way.

"Evangelion" means the "gospel"(εὐαγγέλιον), or “bringing good news”. What kind of gospel will "Evangelion" bring to mankind?

It is important to note that the goal intended at in the works as the "gospel" is not the same as the end of the story.

The Telos (τέλος) that was intended as the "gospel" was, in my own words, the pure unity of humanity. The scenario that leads to pure unity is called "Human Instrumentality Project" by Seele. The pure unity of humanity is an abstract way of being in which human being is absolutely free from any distinction from others. The state of being distinct from others always involves potential conflicts. There is always the possibility of being rejected by others, of being disliked by others. The characters in the old Evangelion movies harbor this fear, and the "Human Instrumentality Project" is oriented toward pure unity as a way to resolve such concerns.

Did Shinji Ikari and the EVA Unit 01 become the catalyst for the pure unification of humanity? In order for humanity to reach the abstract state of pure unification, it can no longer take the form of a human being. This is expressed in the movie by the transformation of human beings into the liquid form of LCL. However, Shinji ultimately rejects the abstract state of pure unity. Shinji becomes one with others, but ultimately returned to his original reality, a state of distinction from others, a state of potential conflicts. This is the end of the old Evangelion movies. Shinji's hand on Asuka's neck and Asuka's last words, "disgusting," are proof that they have returned to a state of being distinguished from each other.

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("Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth", 1997, English theatrical release poster)
"When our HEARTS are melting together, I will be destroyed."——This sentence implies the message of Hideaki Anno.

Hideaki Anno's message in the old Evangelion movie is all too clear: Even in that animation that people are crazy about, people can't become a pure unity that melts together. And in reality, each human being is different and will always be rejected. However, in this harsh social reality, dreams must be realized.

The reason why the sentence "This is the true form of EVANGELION: DEATH" is placed at the beginning of "Death(True)²" is precisely because there the story of TV series is reconstructed in the perspective of the human potential to be rejected by others.


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