Ranked #128

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone

Ah, the Evangelion series. A classic, a part of anime history. Now it has been re-done into four movies. When I first heard about this I thought how could they possibly combine the original 26 episodes and 2 movies into 4 new movies? I was expecting them to seem rushed and not delve into the storyline as deeply. I must say I was wrong and Evangelion 1.0 proved to be fully capable of delivering that same nostalgia I had when first watching the series 10 years ago.

Everyone who has watched the original series and movies will know that the ending didn't make much sense what so ever. None the less, the series offered something never seen before, or should I say, never done quite as well as Evangelion managed to do. It was so moving to see the characters inner struggles with their own emotions and regrets. The characters portrayed such an honest look at how depressing life can be. It gave a real sense of growing with the characters and hoping for them to be happy. I think what people love about Evangelion is that they can see a part of themselves portrayed in the characters and therefor are able to build a strong connection with the characters. It reminds us of how hard life can be, that we're all human and that we all make mistakes but to never give up.

The artwork has been re-done for these movies and is of very high quality. Everything looked amazing, they've done an excellent job. The soundtrack wasn't bad either. Evangelion 1.0 gets straight into the action, the whole movie is fast paced and covers a lot of the storyline rather quickly without feeling rushed.

I am hoping the goal of these movies is to provide a better ending for the series. The original series left me and many others utterly confused with many questions unanswered. Evangelion 1.0 has done an excellent job at explaining the plot better and I'm hoping the next 3 movies will finally give an actual conclusion.

Overall it was a very exciting and enjoyable experience with not many dull moments. These movies will appeal to both long time fans and new fans.

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Evangelion 1.0 is the first of four films remaking and retelling Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is meant to be more accessible for new fans and changing things enough (Most notably, the modern animation) for existing fans to enjoy. The latter point however, doesn't seem to live up to it's promise in this movie.

Story - 8/10

The start of the story seems no different from Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's 2015 and Angels (Don't take it literally, they're big monsters) are showing up to threaten humanity with destruction. These Angels previously annihilated half of the world's population 15 years ago and they're back to finish the job. The only thing that can stand in their way are Evangelion units, giant robots that are piloted by teenagers with all different kinds of problems. The main pilot of the story is Shinji Ikari, a b oy with serious daddy issues and personal struggles within himself when he's asked to pilot an Eva and help defeat Angels.

As someone who has seen the anime, there isn't that much that changes the story here. It's basically a prettier version of the series. There are some clarifications and changes, primarily in establishing late-show plot points early on. This foreshadowing approach could potentially be confusing though I personally found it interesting. As a whole this movie does seem to achieve it's goal of making Evangelion more easily accessible and it removes many things from the show in favor to push the story. It feels a little rushed at times as a result, and some level of character development and pace is lost because of it.

Animation - 9/10

It's hard to rework a show from 1995 with modern animation techniques and not have superior animation in every way, and Evangelion 1.0 doesn't disappoint here. Everything looks sharper, the colors are vivid, there's excellent use of CGI, and lighting is distinctly excellent. The new art creates a level of detail that simply could not be done with the original anime series. The landscape looks wondrous, and luckily the Evas and Angels haven't experienced any problems with having digital animation techniques used on them. This movie is heavy on the visual eye candy and it's wonderful considering how dated the art is for the anime series.

Sound - 10/10

It becomes apparent quickly that the experience of the voice cast has helped returning actors perform better than they did before, and replacing plenty of vocal talent for the minor roles has removed a previously existing flaw in the voice department. One thing I will say is I'm not sure what to think about the replacement for Gendo Ikari. The original performance behind the character had a certain tone to it and even though he was stereotypically emotionless often, it seemed more fitting than what we have now. Gendo still seems like a jerk but not nearly as big of one, and even has some feeling behind his words at times. This is however, the only character I felt could possibly be a flawed performance vocally. Everyone else is an improvement. Spike Spencer fixes some flaws he had early on with some line delivery. The "I musn't run away" line is great when before it was anything but. Shinji feels much less whiny and the difference in the performance actually had me enjoying his character more. Brina Palencia serves as the new voice of Rei Ayanami, and this was another case of putting more emotion behind a previously stoic and quiet character. Unlike Gendo however, these subtle changes for Rei seem warranted, and again I found myself enjoying a character that I previously had no feeling for due to new lines and a new actor.

The best part of the sound is by far, the OST. Old classics are reworked and the new operatic tracks are absolutely fantastic. These new songs create a very epic sense of atmosphere when they play and it could not be more suitable for a movie with gigantic robots and monsters fighting for the outcome of humanity. It's really something when some fresh music can enhance scenes you've seen before, but that's what happens here.

Characters - 8/10

This was a hard category to score since this movie retells the first six episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which means some characters aren't here or haven't been delved into. Certain scenes are left out and a few changes felt like they took away from certain aspects of the character development. In light of this, I did mention already that there were changes that made me enjoy characters more than I did before, certainly at the same point of watching episodes in the anime. Shinji feels more natural, and he isn't developing any faster but he just seems more believable. Rei seems much more human, but there's still a bit of mystery there and it will be interesting to see what becomes of her. Misato having lingering issues is brought up early on but she seems like the one who could be sacrificed in the character development area due to more focus on hitting notes with the pilots that were missed in the original anime. This movie does a good job delving into the same psychological issues that the show was famous for with it's characters, but overall it feels like there is less of a focus on the psychoanalysis.

Overall - 9/10

I do think a better effort could have been made to make this movie stand on it's own. Sure, we know it's part of a tetralogy and it's only telling a portion of the episodes, but give it a definite ending. It's such a cliffhanger and another thing that will get different reaction based on whether or not viewers have already watched the series. Even then, many will say this is what Evangelion should have been, but that will remain to be seen. Even if this is just a sexy new coat of paint on an anime classic, Evangelion 1.0 is still worth watching. It's full of the large scale battles that were a spectacle before, and every technical aspect it could improve on is a success. read more

This remade Evangelion is truly a great work. It follows the original series very closely, and even though there is new animation, you swear you are watching the original from time to time, which i believe is a plus. As the movie progresses, you start to see the story changes that have been made, some of them in my opinion only add more confusion and create more questions (which will hopefully be answered later), but it is quite effective. When watching this though, you must keep in mind that it is not just a revamped version, but an alternate retelling, so dont be surprised if things dont happen the same.

The movie lacks in that it is in fact a movie, and they are cramming about a fourth of the show into the movie so it feels rush. Lots of conversations, events, etc are excluded, which really aren't THAT important, but it doesn't feel complete, especially if you've seen the original series.

The movie does make up for it though, with all of the new eye candy thrown in. Everything from the scenery to the battle sequences and computer displays have been upgraded. Definitely more appealing than the original.

Overall, the movie does a good job, but i would have to say that the original is still probably better, only in that you get more story and more development. It would be great if they could mix the two, or instead of making four movies, remake all 26 episodes. read more

Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone is what is described to be a highly anticipated remake of the original series which was created in 1995.

In this review I'll basically, try to summarize on the positives and negatives of this remake because to be honest, looking back to yesterday when I watched it, it wasn't worth the money.

Okay so first off, if you're a newcomer to Evangelion this is NOT the item you'd want to get. Why? Because the remake misses ALOT of the scenes that were in the original series and yes, obviously because it's a movie they'd have to cut out some scenes in order to keep an appropriate running time but they cut out far too many scenes to help you understand what is going on. So just to recap, if you are a newcomer to the series, watch the original series first and then watch this.

Now that I got that out of the way, let's continue. Now I may sound like I'm being picky but it clearly states on the back of the DVD's case (technically Blu-Ray case because I bought it on Blu-Ray) that the movie is "The Rebuild of the ground breaking giant robot Anime" and when you watch it you'll find that it's actually just the first half of the Anime. As I began watching I thought "this is going to be a pretty decent remake" and yes, that was true, in SOME aspects. It turned out to be good because it certainly was better quality although not much was improved, the angels looked better, and they fixed Rei's goofy looking smile when she got (and I use this term loosely) rescued by Shinji but there was not much else that was improved. The voice acting was better in some cases but worse in others and the volume was pretty bad.

So anyway, that's another rant out of the way. To summarize, don't buy this unless you're watching to see the difference in quality, if you're watching this movie as a newcomer to the series you'll most likely be disappointed by the fact that the movie is split into two halves, this one being the first part of the series and "You Can (Not) Advance" being the second half.

Now for the ratings:
Story: 5/10 - You don't get all the story.
Art: 10/10 - The art that was improved was spectacular.
Sound: 6/10 - The sound quality wasn't the best.
Character: 10/10 - It's always been unique.
Enjoyment: 8/10 - A bit of a let down but overall, pretty good.

OVERALL: 8/10 - Putting aside the negatives, this remake wasn't half bad. read more

Basically a recap of the first 6 or 7 episodes of the TV show with some redone battle animation and a couple pointless new scenes. Most of it looked like it was recycled straight from the show, which is good because I prefer cel animation over digital by a truly vast margin, but it cuts down on the novelty and originality of the experience. Some of the fight scenes were sort of interesting, but not real improvements on the originals except for maybe the cube angel. Also if you're into CGI you might like the buildings moving up and down. If you've seen the TV show there really isn't much of anything new to get excited about. Not a bad movie by any means, but rather redundant. read more

Let me get this out here first. I HATED the 26 episode series of Neon Genesis Evangelion. I hated being confused, I hated not having the entire plot available in the show and having to check what is going on online. But most of all, I hated being bored. I was so bored watching that series I was wondering how on earth this series could be so popular. And when I wasn't bored I was confused.

When I watched this I expected the same thing, it is the same story after all. But they fixed it! They fixed the pacing! They have so much better animation! It's all so much better! I'm actually looking forward to watching the other movies as opposed to the trudging I went through going through the slow series. This was a fantastic movie, and I can't wait to see the rest of the Tetralogy.

However, I don't recommend watching it yet until the rest of the movies are out, there's no reason to be in a cliffhanger all the time if you can just watch it later. read more

I usually check the reviewers’ anime compatibility to see if I'm likely to enjoy the anime or not. One of the highest compatibility to this anime was 38.8% which should have flagged me early on since they've ALL given it high ratings. So I'm writing a small review simply to add yet another one. To warn off people.

I'd like to say that I've watched the series and what I liked the most, was probably the story.
But this movie is bad. Really bad.

They've completely ruined the story.

They haven't changed the art in any way. It’s more or less a hideous AMW of the series.

The sound was so-so.

They've made the characters out as either insane or emo.

Unfortunately, I don't like the things I wrote above. So the enjoyment was pathetic.

Even if it receives so many 1s, I'll give it a 2 because I COULD imagine something worse. Even though it's hard to. read more

I wasn't a fan of the original Evangelion series, I actually really disliked it by the last episode but I had heard really good things about the two new movies and I thought yeah, might as well watch them, also because the case for Evangelion 2.2 looked awesome. So I went into it not expecting much but I was blown away, the series is done in a much better way. The animation was much much cleaner but I didn't really mind the original animation, but the actual story and the introduction of the characters was done really well in my opinion. The first part of it mostly follows the original story exactly but towards the end it starts veering from that path, it also omits those useless filler-ish missions and focuses on only the battles with the angels, which are all re-designed with sleeker more updated looks and capabilities. The first movie deals with the first 3 angels (I think?) and it's more of an actiony feel to it while still keeping the elements of Shinji and Rei's troubled personalities. Asuka doesn't get introduced until the second movie so that king of sucked but it gives you something to look forward to in the second and trust me, the second changes the story heaps and is much better than the series ever was and also outdoes the Evangelion 1.0.I totally recommend this movie even if you hated the original series, it is a lot better and you will not be disappointed. Now is a great time to start watching them as well because Evangelion 3.0 is coming out THIS MONTH, so go out and watch these movies, you won't regret it. read more

**Note, this review is for people who haven't seen the Evangelion series and/or movies or are interested in getting into it...people who have seen/love the series already know what they are getting themselves into, you don't need to read this review...**

I will start off my saying that i am a big Evangelion fan. The series is one of my top 5 favorite anime, I own the series, the two movies and i have read a few of the manga titles. If i was writing this for Eva fans, it would get 10s across the board. So, from the jump, i am bias, which is good thing, i think.

This movie, from my standpoint, was made for people like me. i already know the storyline, i already know what happens, i know the plot twists, the character motives, all of that. So really, the only reason to watch it is to enjoy the "rebuilding" of the episodes in new ways. The battle with the 5th/6th Angel BY FAR was the highlight of the whole movie, and from what i can tell, the only part where there are any real noticeable changes from the original series.

If you have never seen the original Evangelion series, then i wouldn't recommend this movie to you. (that is the reason it gets an 8 overall) Everything happens extremely fast, you aren't given enough time to really connect with any of the characters in the way that you can/will if you watch the series first. There are several moments when the movie references things from the series/original movies that made me go "oh, cool", but will leave people who haven't seen them going "Huh, who/what is that"

However, if you are interested in Evangelion, and want just a little taste before you dive headfirst into the series, then this isn't a bad way to do it, i just hope that you don't mind being a little confused. The battles scenes are awesome and if you are an action junkie, then they will keep you satisfied.

I hope this review has helped you in some way/shape/form. Happy anime watching!! ^_^
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It's Evangelion with a bigger budget, better animation, catchier music, and no filler. The faster pacing alone is what set this movie above the TV series for me. With less extraneous expository dialog, and the introduction of key plot points (and a few new ones) MUCH early on, it sets up this alternate interpretation for some much more interesting scenarios in the future. While Eva fans fully versed in the series lore will get much more out of this than people who've never seen the series or just read the Sadamoto comics, it's self-contained enough that you won't really *miss* anything. The tighter pace also heightens the suspense in some of the missions, and because the characters act much less subtly, it makes their interactions much more striking, and the characters themselves seem better thought-out. Shinji is less of a baby, (it looks more like he has serious mental problems, rather than just a case of the whinies) Rei is still cold and distant, but you know why almost immediately, and the budding romance between her and Shinji that was hinted at in the show and explicitly shown in the manga is touched upon again. Let the fanfiction begin. Or continue.

Mecha fans will get a kick out of the refined (and super-sexy) Eva designs. I had a bit of a nerd-gasm when Eva-01 showed of its new glow-in-the-dark panels.The whole series has been modernized, too. The now ancient-looking real-life technology from 1995 (I'll be surprised if they keep the Sega Saturn in the later movies) has been replaced, and the designs for the Geofront and Nerv look more streamlined and cohesive. The CG animation isn't that intrusive, and it really spruces up the battles. They mirror the scenes from the show almost exactly, only with much more pizzaz. Think of it as the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition of anime, without the crying fanboys. Like Star Wars SE, the iconic explosions have been enhanced, and the angel deaths are much cooler. Everything sings and shines and looks cool as hell.
While I was never much of a fan of the Japanese dub of Evangelion (ADV did a great job, guys. Show 'em some love.), they do a servicable job. Gendou still sounds awesome, Misato still makes us desire more fanservice, Rei is still moe, and Shinji sounds like a little girl-All is right with the world. Hopefully, Funimation can gather the old crew together when they record their dub.

Oh, and did I mention that the theme "Angel of Doom" is Engrishly awesome? It is. I love it. It's worth losing a few of the theme songs in the show for that alone.
Watch it, watch it, watch it. read more

Rebuild of Evangelion: 1.0 You are (not) alone is an excellent anime movie that keeps in line with the original series, whilst making additions in many areas. Unlike the original series, the themes and ideas of the movie are slightly different, exploring hope, self-awareness and our duty in life, as opposed to hopelessness, the human mind and the other deep philosophical ideas Evangelion is so famous for. I was slightly disappointed at the lack of philosophy in the movie, but with the compression of the storyline, along with the slight shift in themes, implementing the philosophy is something that is just too much to ask of a 90 minute film. I recommend this to anyone who has seen the original series, and has yet to see the film (sorry purists, you will get upset), or those who haven't seen the original series but have an interest in sci-fi/mecha anime. read more

I didn't watch the Evangelion anime before starting the movie. Its kind of old and I assumed just watching the movies is good enough for me. The story is interesting and a cool take on mecha anime. The art and sound are good enough to make the show presentable but nothing too special.

The main problem I have with the show is the horrible main protagonist. All he ever did in this whole film is whine and complain on literally anything and everything. Any conversation he has with other characters, anything he dose, anything he thinks about, nothing but whining and complaining comes out. It really enraged me and made it difficult to connect to the characters of the show. Despite that, its a great film and I wouldn't dissuade anyone from seeing it. Just beware of the terrible protagonist. Hopefully he gets better in the next film. read more

---Dcm18's quick reviews---

Story: 9 (Follows the original show's story, which isn't a bad thing)
Art: 10 (Cristal clear designs and colors)
Sound: 9 (Once again, true to the original formula)
Character: 10 (Unique as always)
Enjoyment: 8 (While this isn't the most enjoyable series, the combat segments are a treat)

Overall: 9.2 (Great remake of a great series)

Im one of those people who really enjoy a series to the point of excluding movies. To date ive watched very little of the movies released for anime series that i have watched.

I was pleasantly surprised when i watched this movie, and i have to say they have totally improved the anime with this movie.

For example throughout the series "Angels" appear a mechanical constructs that dont bleed. Now that isn't correct as the Angels are for a matter of fact a different possible course of man kind. (if you watch the series you''ll understand)

When i watched the movie i was extremely happy with the fact that they made the angels more "ALIVE" it helped correct that terrible mistake and been a guy who loves gory movies/animes/shows it really added to my happiness meter.

Though i am disappointed with the fact that they made it a movie instead of a remaking of the series. As what they did in this was pretty much take all the "life" out of the actual story and just put in the important bits and kept all the action.

Im not saying that is a bad thing, some people prefer a shorter more action based animes, and so do I. Even now i skip bits in anime to get to the good bits.

But with this anime you need those 'life' scenes though i still have not seen the other movies of this series i truly intend to. It was a magnificent movie, as i was saying with the scenes they cut out between the 3 angels you find alot more of the story is explained.

I recommend this movie to people who like seeing battles between big 'robot' like beings and gory blood. Though i would recommend watching Neon Genesis: Evangelion as well.

Though you would be more than likely skip bits and pieces if you watch it after watching this series as i have said it is practically a remake that makes better use of technology and keeps more to the fact that Angels are alive rather than mechanical constructs.

To conclude this review and to simplify the babble.
This movie is a remake of the original series, but dramatically improves the scenes that are in it.
It is dramatically shorter. and only has 3 Angels in this movie out of a grand total of 12 (feel free to correct that its been awhile since i watched the original series).
Ive got some disappointment with the fact that its a movie and not and series like its predecessor but that doesnt change the fact that is a brilliant anime movie. And the fact it was released separately (I personally prefer a super long movie to lots of short ones)
Recommended for Lovers of Large beings fighting one another, and gory blood soaked tears of joy.
Once you watch this anime you'll never want it to end. read more

I had never seen the Evangelion series before watching the movie. When I saw the movie, it was really confusing, just like everyone said it was. I really loved the animation and the sound, and the voice acting was great as well. The characters were well put, and when it ended it left me wanting more. This was a really great movie and a great way to start me off in the series.

Is Neon Genesis Evangelion a Masterpiece!? Why is this regarded so highly in the Anime world?

I tried to watch the TV series but it just got too boring after 12 episodes. To sum it up: Whiny fuckin EMO kids mixed with MECH Battles and Illuminati Symbolism!

How is the upgraded blu-ray "Rebuild of Evangelion 1.11"? the same fucking shit but way better animation, don't get me wrong it looks fuckin cool and slick. I actually enjoyed it more than the TV series. Whiny EMO kids at least with underage nudity exists, and the MECH battles look cooler in "HD", but nothing really engaging about the characters or story.

I WILL watch the other remakes just to see how plot develops.

But honestly...this is some overrated shit!
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Okay, many of you are either familiar with or seen Neon Genesis Evangelion, I mean who hasn't these days. Gainax made an impressive anime that can get the award for best anime ever...or most overrated ever. And there has been two movies, several spinoffs, and various stories to really cash in on it's popularity. So it probably wasn't surprising that Evangelion was coming back to theaters in a series of movies. While we don't know if it will follow the original, or go on a completely different route with it (with Eva, nothing is ever set for an end), one thing is for sure is that it will still be captivating us with its visuals and story.

But enough about me ranting, lets get on with the review of the first movie of the rebuild series, Evangelion: 1.0.

Story: It's Eva, I think you know the story by now. But in 1.0 it felt a bit more condensed and a bit more manageable for new viewers and fans of the story alike. I mean, either we get to the interesting points, or watch Shinji be a whiny bitch for most of the movie (thank the gods that was reduced). B for story

Art: Most of the movie I was mesmerized by the art. It was visually stunning and it really fit with the movie. I personally love the Eva designs and the details on the monitors for the Evas and NERV HQ. Also scenery was top notch. A+

Sound: It really sounded like the TV series. Remastered of course. A

Character: Development of the characters went like the TV series did. Voices were all right. But I dont like the dub voice for Shinji, a little too whiny for my tastes. A

Enjoyment: I love this movie and got the enjoyment of just watching how they arranged it. If you like Eva, you will love this movie. A

Overall: I would recommend it to Eva fans and newcomers alike. The fans would love the changes (or hate them), and the newcomers would just love the look, feel, and story.

Well the rebuild series is promising and by the looks of the first movie, will be awesome. Cant wait for 2.0. I mean this series won't take a plot twist that definitely change the story... read more

This rebuild of the series has opened up a whole new door. The art in this is amazing, the story although not perfect, was still very good. The sound, was awe inducing as well. The characters were what you would come to expect from Evangelion. I enjoyed this anime more than you could possibly ever imagine. Not just the music, the story or the characters. just the sheer enjoyment I got out of watching angels destroy stuff and watching an Eva unit fight, it just make me hate to wait for the next DVD to come out.

This DVD included ep 1-6 all fully remastered and even more awesome than before. the next DVD release will definitely be a blast. The best shocker I've seen in years came after the credits. SO~ make sure to watch the entire credit sequence. It's well worth the wait. not only that, but you have to give the people their dues. read more

Recommend watching this in place of the original series.

Btw I gave the original TV series a 4.

This remake fulfills its purpose - the retro feel is gone and general quality is up - and you can even get this in full HD.

Everything, beside plot shifts and new developments, is condensed and the pace is much more steady. For me this is a positive change, since the original 26 episodes plus ending movie felt a bit like torture.

As of this movie, the characters seem to have been tuned, although I can't say I like them.

So, if you are debating which to try, I would definitely say go for the Rebuild, to spare yourself time and pain(possibly). read more

Okay, I 've just watch this movie and first of all, I want to clarify something: This is not telling exactly the same story as the anime, this is actually a continuation of "The end of Evangelion". I suppose that you already watched that movie...if not...the watch it xD
Remember that in the end of that movie, Rei asked Shinji if he wanted to restart everything again even though the humanity would make the same mistake twice and he said yes, so this is a continuation, thats why some of the scenes and stuff are different.
So... thats all I wanted to express, because I know a lot of people think that its the same as the anime but no :)
For the reason that I gave you above, I think that the story of this movie is great.
The art is great to, and in I've always loved the songs in this anime so...in my opinion the music and sound is excelent.
The characters are so psichological, and even though Asuka doesn't appear in this movie (she is my fav character xD) I gave them a 10!
I really enjoyed the movie, the fights with the monsters or angels... where so cool!!!
So... this is my review.
I think I didnt wrote any spoiler :p read more