Fifteen years ago Gainax released Neon Genesis Evangelion to critical acclaim appearing in many anime fans top ten lists (for me it's number one in that list) the series ending was hated by many Japanese fans who sent the creator/director Hideaki Anno death threats which he utilised in the 'alternate ending' films Death and Rebirth and End of Evangelion. Now Neon Genesis Evangeion is being retold in four films the first of which Evangelion 1:01- You Are (Not) Alone was released this week.
Evangelion 1:01 retells the first six episodes of the Evangelion series, which sees fourteen year old Shinji Ikari getting into a giant robot called an Evangelion to fight beings known as Angels, all the while dealing with issues with his father Gendo Ikari who is more concerned about the mysterious pilot of Evangelion Unit 0, Rei Ayanami. The film manages to condense these six episodes into a 90 minute feature without losing any of the main plot points whilst at the same time not coming off as a highlights feature. Evangelion 1:01 does boast some new scenes, and some of the old scenes have been given some new effects, mixing 3D animation with the 2D animation which looks clearer compared to the original series.
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| Eva Unit 01 |
The voice acting is a bit hit and miss at times, though the misses tend to be the tone of the voices being to high, making some characters younger than they should be like Shinji (voiced by the original series voice actor Spike Spencer) though as the film progresses, the voice acting does improve, my only gripe is the fact that most of the characters now have different voice actors portraying them which can be distracting to returning fans, maybe not so much to new viewers.
The climatic battle between the two Eva's and the 6th Angel is perhaps the most spectacular piece of animation in the film, with the 6th Angel rendered in 3D which makes it more menacing purely based on the shapes that it makes while contorting into it's attack or defense mode. This sequence also shows off Spike Spencer's vocal range as Shinji, going from whispers to whimpers to loud screams without it sounding strained or forced.
New fans may be somewhat perplexed as to how the film ends though one character who makes an important impact to the series is shown offering a new and exciting twist to this particular telling of the Evangelion story and as an opening part to this four part film series, it sets things up clearly without being too overly complicated despite bringing in subplots that are more than likely going to appear in later installments. The second act of Evangelion 1:01 is lighthearted and jovial at times as the film goes for quieter moments after the battles with the Angels.
