Evangelion Rebuilds

Neon Genesis Evangelion is still one of my favorite animes ever made, but I'm not gonna lie, it had some serious production issues. While that's all part of the charm to me, it's nice to see that Anno finally got a chance to remake the series the way he wanted. But how are his rebuilds? Are they better than the original?

1.0: You Are (Not) Alone: The first Evangelion Rebuild is pretty much a beat-for-beat remake of the first arc of the original series. There are a few deviations like Kaworu's appearance in the end, but otherwise, this is just a reanimated version of that first arc. I do have a soft-spot for those first few episodes, so it was really nice to revisit them and the characters. They tell a really strong story about Shinji taking up the job of piloting an Eva. I also liked that the soundtrack wasn't drastically changed, all the iconic songs from the series were still there. The animation doesn't quite have the same sense of movement as Gainax's, but it's still a really strong replication. Iconic shots from the original series are replicated really accurately (though whether or not that's a good thing may vary), and the usage of CGI really bolsters some of the fight sequences. However, I do have a lot of issues with this first film, most of which are in the first half. This movie races through the first few episodes, replicating scenes pretty much identically while removing all the downtime and breathing moments. The final act is a bit better, expanding out the fight against Ramiel and taking some liberties with the original show, but most of the episode just feels like a rushed recap. Still, this is a solid first installment, but probably the worst of the bunch. However, I can say it definitely got me excited for the next movie.

3/5 Stars

2.0: You Can (Not) Advance: Eva 2.0 is an "rebuild" of the show's second and third arcs, which should have been a recipe for disaster, the first film was rushed enough. However, I absolutely adored this film, and I think it might be the best of the four. Unlike the first movie, Eva 2.0 actually feels like a "rebuild", depicting the arrival of Asuka and its subsequent events in an entirely different manner than the original series. and cutting out certain subplots that would just pad out the film. It doesn't feel like a rushed recap, it feels like it was made with the purpose of being a movie, resulting in much stronger pacing. There was tons of fantastic action, but there was also a lot of slow-paced character moments that were kind of missing from the first movie. I liked that there were a lot of moments for the main cast to just hang out together (even Tohji and Kensuke got a lot of screentime!). The deviations from the plot like the introduction of Mari, Asuka getting squashed by Shinji's Eva rather than Tohji, and Rei's near death were also pretty great. And then there's the ending, which had Shinji start the Third Impact only for Kaworu to come and intervene. Not only does it showcase the mission statement for these rebuilds (Showing Shinji true happiness), but it's also just such a massive shift in the status quo that pretty much entirely diverges from the original series. Overall, I really liked Eva 2.0. There's a nice balance of new and old, with strong pacing, great action, plenty of fun character moments, and a shocking ending.

5/5 Stars

3.0: You Can (Not) Redo: This is a weird movie for me. Unlike the first two, this absolutely isn't a recap. Eva 3.0 tells an entirely new story from the original, and I think that's great! It takes a lot of risks that pay off really well too. Getting more than a half-hour of screentime for Kaworu was excellent, Rei-Q is an immensely fascinating character (extending into the next film as well), Shinji learning about Rei being a clone of his mother was a payoff we never actually got in the original series, the climactic battle at the end made for one of the most fantastically bonkers third acts ever, and while I liked all the ending cliffhangers, 3.0 probably had my favorite. Seeing Shinji, Asuka, and Rei wandering the destroyed Tokyo-3 feels like the continuation to EoE we never got. And as usual, the music, action and animation is pretty top-notch. However, not everything this movie did really paid off. I think my biggest issue with it was the way it handled the timeskip. I'm already not a big fan of this trope, but it didn't even feel necessary here. We didn't see the direct fallout of the last movie's ending, WILLE's reluctance to explain anything to Shinji was frustrating, and the "Curse Of Eva" might be the single dumbest thing in the entire series. Even more, the fact that the film spends so much time explaining the timeskip means that not much really happens, not helped by the fact that this is the shortest film yet. There's also a really oppressive and hopeless atmosphere in this one, and while I think it works for this movie, it feels like a massive whiplash compared to the tone of the first two films. There's definitely not the same gradual darkening that the series had. Still, while not everything worked for me and it definitely has its problems, I still really liked how bold Eva 3.0 was. 

3.5/5 Stars

3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon A Time: As far as Eva endings go, Thrice Upon A Time was pretty great. It feels like a happy medium between the closure and bombast of EoE, and the character work and psychoanalysis that the original finale brought. I still don't think it's as well-paced and balanced as the second Rebuild, but it's a really enjoyable finale that takes a lot of the best aspects of these films and brings them together. The action is fantastic (that Paris fight, especially), but we also get a lot of time for character interactions and introspection. The film brings together nearly the entire cast, giving all of them their own moments to shine no matter how small. Thrice Upon A Time really feels like a love letter to Evangelion (as opposed to the more sour EoE), and nothing shows more than the fact that the movie ends with the characters getting to work out their problems in typically trippy fashion. Apparently, this is the end of Evangelion, at least under Anno, and I think it's a good place to end. Not only is it the happy and satisfying ending everyone wanted (though Misato still dies to my utter heartbreak), but when you take Evangelion as a whole, you get a fascinating story of a director getting through his depression. This film especially feels like it's specifically about mental health, which is something I've always liked to see from Evangelion. Still, the film isn't perfect. The pacing is really odd, with the first hour in the village being pretty much no action and all character work, and the next hour being just nonstop action. I also really dislike what the film did with Asuka too (another contrast from EoE, where she was my favorite part). She was far more unlikable and abusive to Shinji than in any previous Eva media (even 3.0), and the twist about her being a clone was a bit strange. I'm also not sure why Shinji ended up with Mari given that they hardly interact (he formed a far stronger connection with Rei in these films). Otherwise, 3.0+1.0 is an incredibly satisfying final installment of the Rebuilds series that feels like a love letter to Evangelion as a franchise. It's not my favorite of the films, but it definitely made the whole thing worth it.

4/5 Stars

Overall, I really enjoyed the Eva Rebuilds, and they were a great way to return to one of my favorite anime. I don't think any of the films top the series, but they tell their own unique retelling in a slightly unconventional manner. 

My ranking of all the Evangelion films (including End Of Evangelion) is:

2 > 4 > EoE > 3 > 1