Evangelion Movie 1: Jo

In a post-apocalyptic world, the last remaining human settlement in Japan is the heavily fortified city of Tokyo-3. Fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari is brought to the headquarters of NERV, an underground organization lead by his estranged father, Gendou. He requests that Shinji become a pilot of an "Evangelion," a colossal android built to fight against monstrous and destructive alien creatures known as "Angels" that wreak havoc on the planet and threaten the survival of the remaining human race.

Although initially reluctant, Shinji is swayed by the idea of reconciling with his father, and agrees to aid in mankind's perilous endeavor against its alien threat, as the pilot of Evangelion Unit-01. Thrust into the midst of a dangerous battlefield, Shinji must find the necessary courage and resolve to face against the Angels' incursions before it is too late.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ayanami, Rei Main

Hayashibara, Megumi Japanese

Ikari, Shinji Main

Ogata, Megumi Japanese

Katsuragi, Misato Main

Mitsuishi, Kotono Japanese

Nagisa, Kaworu Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Pen Pen Supporting

Hayashibara, Megumi Japanese

Ikari, Gendou Supporting

Tachiki, Fumihiko Japanese

Akagi, Ritsuko Supporting

Yamaguchi, Yuriko Japanese

Suzuhara, Touji Supporting

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Aida, Kensuke Supporting

Iwanaga, Tetsuya Japanese

Ibuki, Maya Supporting

Nagasawa, Miki Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Ogasawara, Muneki Producer

Anno, Hideaki Director, Script, Storyboard, Creator, Key Animation, Screenplay

Tsurumaki, Kazuya Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Reviews

Dec 23, 2025

RickyGgG

Recommended

Back in 2022, I told myself a million times I would watch the rebuild movies. It's now 2025 close to 2026 and now I finally watched 1.0 or Jo. This really isn't much of a review without bringing up the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series because it's literally a reanimation of the first 6 episodes. In fact, I'd argue the movie is slightly worse because of the fact of how tight they had to squeeze in the content in only 1 hour and 41 minutes. Still though, the animation obviously is better and the action is damn cool.

Now, the strengths that made NGE great was ... it's mystique and lore. We were pretty much left in the dark in the first 6 episodes and now looking back it's all interesting especially watching it again from the beginning. With all the knowledge though, this movie prioritizes on action and strategic planning rather than the dynamics and character which is the magic that made NGE great. The pacing here is also sort of an issue given how everything happens all at once except for the fights. The fights were crazy though and the Angels are so damn cool. Still a good movie, will watch the next rebuild movies next year.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jan 24, 2026

Leogos

Mixed Feelings

A lot of reviews will say this movie isn’t very good, but that really depends on how you’re judging it. From experience, this film basically has two different ratings: one for people who’ve seen the original series, and one for people who haven’t.

For anyone who has already watched Neon Genesis Evangelion, this movie works well as a reminder of what happened. It cuts out a lot of smaller details, but those aren’t really necessary if the series is still somewhere in your memory. It clearly isn’t meant to introduce new viewers to Evangelion, but to refresh the story for those who already know it.

Because of ... that, it easily deserves an 8 for returning fans. If it’s been five or even ten years since watching the original, the movie brings back the story and the emotional weight without needing to fully rebuild every character moment. The attachment is already there, and the film relies on that.

For new viewers, the situation is very different. The movie skips too many character interactions and moves through the story too quickly. Without the context of the series, it’s easy to feel confused and disconnected from most of the cast, aside from maybe Shinji. That lack of connection makes it harder to care about what’s happening.

For that reason, the new viewer rating sits closer to a 5.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 30, 2025

rivaj

Not Recommended

This interpretaition or remaster of the original is pissed me off so much i need to write down my thoughts.
It contains nice additional scenes what help to understand the backstory, but misses key elements.
Like the contrast between the reactions of Shinji's classmates, and Touji's anger. Or the struggle when Shinji left the base and his encounter with Aida.
And Misato....... what the hell happened with the motherfigure on the cutting table?
This scenes are important to understand Shinjis perspective on the situation and his self-assessment.
Insted of this, we got extended shots from preparation of the positron gun, unneseserly long scenes from the Angel transformations and comicly long ... attacks (compared to the original series). It looks good -ish... the higher resoulution suits it, but... it shallow. It was was detaled in 480p.
It felt rushed and outstretched in the same time.

This dialogue from VLDL's Souls Logic video fits here well:
- What's the point of all this shit then?
- Just to look good of course.

Thats it. I know a movie with 90min runtime isn't 6 episodes with 120, but c'mon they ripped out the hearth of this and coated in shiny armor. Just like an Eva.

Még egy apróság:
A magyar felirat botrányosan, kotvány rossz. Pilótázás. Meg a faszom... Ha értesz angolul, az kell neked.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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