Shin Evangelion Movie: ||

What's Evangelion to you? For me it's both a touchstone and an uncomprehending able vision created by "Hideaki Anno" ~ double as enthralling as the mecha anime genre show it is and as distressing in the exploration of despair, making for a whole different level of an epic tale about angels and inner demons. Arguable as one of those shows that have numerous hidden messages in itself as the show has been going on, while some argue that it only plays up to a definite fatuous philosophy of the world. Whatever the case may be, NGE has established itself as one of the hot topics ... in the anime world for more than a decade now. It takes some time but every once in a while a movie is released to such a vast prolonged well-known admiration; that the likes of Your Name, Ghost In The Shell, Spirited Away, The Wind Rises, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, Kimestu No-Yaiba Mugen Train, Princess Mononoke, The Secret Of Arrietty, are welcomed as an inspirational and adored by most, with some redefining features. Evangelion 3.0+1.0 is no exclusion as a movie that perhaps is not as ground-breaking currently as the original series was at the time of release that it peaked to its utmost limits and will ever be, but nevertheless, it is an awe-inspiring work that raises the bar even higher. An anime feature that can stand up to with the greats of the original releases. Neon Genesis Evangelion will always be broadly considered as one of the most momentous animes that was created in the 1990s, if not of all time. It will always be enormously well known for its heroic efforts to turn the mecha genre upside-down, its deep character improvements, and its eccentric subplot. Created by an acclaimed studio Khara, and written by both admired (and sometimes hated) writer Hideaki Anno, Evangelion has always been called a magnum opus by most anime fans.
Does it deserve the commendation?
Yes.

Story ~ 10
Evangelion tells a succinct and stunning story that tracks the emotional ordeal of its teenage hero characters, which stand as the solitary fighters of the war that humans don't stand a chance of winning. They're required to pilot gargantuan machinelike monsters (considered as Evas) to battle intractable enemy ones, called Angels. There's a massive count of people who live and breathe anime this is for them. With dozens of industry giants agitating out so many shows since Evangelion first came out as a mecha show that stole hearts away, today there isn't a shortage of shows of the same genre to watch, and the creators know their audience. They know what people want to watch nowadays; and the ability to live a fictional world that makes you feel authoritative, be adored for, and free from realism. To stand up with the best, with the likes of Evangelion 2.0 and 3.0 this movie is a masterpiece.

Animations ~ 10
The movie can be appreciated on a purely filmic level, as a mecha head trip. The images are created as an amalgam of hand-down and the CG simulation that allows complete flexibility of crusade, with some glimpses that swoop all around and through the cleverly complex machinery. The development of each of these new high-tech geniuses such as the space battleship Wunder, which has decks and wings prickling in all directions, like a giant robot's army knife – has an operational sense of scale. (The smart mechanism is designed by Ikuto Yamashita). All I could say about the animations briefly is that it was phenomenal.

Sound ~ 9
The theme song is "One Last Kiss" by Hikaru Utada ft. Hina somehow makes me feel a little uneasy because it also makes me realize that this is the last installment of the series, that being said it has nothing does nothing wrong with the song, its rhythm and its style marks the joyful and playful akin to the metal situation of the '80s. Being sad as it is it makes no difference on how beautiful the song is. I admit that I was doubtful and figured that I'd end up with a remix to a previous song but I was amazed to the core while I stayed and heard the whole song. A little oblivious and a little heart-melting that's what I feel about this song.

Characters ~ 9
It somehow seeks to disconnect all the characters from real people and swap them in its place with fictional characters that they can understand easily and behave in ways that are necessary and foreseeable. In truth, it's an amazing poisonous and blank existence and it can only be replaced by realism for so long for the characters living it. Ultimately, the tried-and-true deceits begin to run empty and the loneliness and the desolation sink once more, except now when you open your eyes and look around at the realism, that it's completely left behind to look back on and realize that your daily simple life has left you behind and all your left with is the despair and no option but to keep moving forward and to see a different world.

Enjoyment ~ 9
The original Neon Genesis Evangelion showed people that it understood them: Shinji's terror of denial, his ambiguity as he created this art of his to such acclaim, his solitude, disbelief, hindrance, and feebleness echoed within so many people that they believed that it was their own story because everyone could narrate to these passionately authentic human sentiments. The Evangelion Rebuilds are more pointed than that though and will always steer you away from realism and beyond normal beliefs of life strongly dividing its watchers into believing that it’s their own and making them live through it. In the end, I cried a little thinking it's all ending all of a sudden as the movie was about to end, and then I realized how far did we come since then and what a great journey it has been for all of us, that's what put a smile on why face while I stood there applauding.

Overall ~ 9
Now, this is where it gets dazzling.
Let's talk about the anime for a moment.
Escaping into another world that is entirely liberated by any of the aspects of our normal world: different from live-action television which still uses actors, situations, and scenarios that are shot in real places with real people, anime is something that is given life into existences and entirely erected worlds. It's such a mesmerizing experience. Don't get me wrong, this can be an unbelievable feature used to tell tales and stories that are greatly effective and likable. I will always love this genre for what it has to offer and how much it has accomplished and how dazzling and astute fragments that it can often produce.
It's not just high-class to anime, either: the moving ideals that can get people so hooked to the anime and patent themselves in many forms, from video games to online forums. These sensations and sentiments that move this kind of activity are not restricted to such a precise community, though. They seek to outbreak anime itself.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is universally appreciated, but its reconstructs are designed and targeted at people who have already had the experience with the genre itself, and people are not happy with what the bulk of the standard has become.
Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 is an absolute spectacle, as astonishing to the eyes as it is to the ears. The fourth film can out-do the first, second, and third installments in so many more ways, all the while taking the storytelling in a thrilling new way and new directions for both the old and new fans. A re-creation would have been too easy for Hideaki Anno and his crew – instead, they went for an above and beyond, reincarnating the ideals of the Evangelion verse that we've come to adore, offering us new elucidations fifteen years on, proving with some level of ferociousness that Eva is far from gone and forgotten. This movie solidifies its franchise, as it has done more than enough to surprise and inspire fans all over the world once again, reminding us all why every Eva fan fell in love with it in the first place.
Hugely experimental and magnificently exceptional, Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 is a roaring success.
And my last message ~ “Sayonara Subete No Evangelion”.

Thank you, Mr. Anno. Thank you for delivering the finale we all been waiting for since 2013. Thank you for not disappointing. It is and will remain a very satysfying ending for the beloved franchise.

Is is, in fact, an end of all Evangelion. Hopefully no one will come up with milking it no more.

Before starting the entirety let's all of u ask yourself, how much u love Evangelion, what it's mean for you? This finale is pretty much definition of love letter, not only for the fans, but as well Anno himself from himself. At last we are bound to strict and smooth ... vision, that ending in so bombastic but as well self-aware style it's beyond me and whole franchise as it is.

This review is completely spoiler-free.

THE STORY: 9
We do pick up basically more or less where we left off all these years ago. But thanks to enormously long runtime we have all of the characteristich psychological issued deepened and even further explained. What maked this movie the deepest and most intriguing in the whole tetralogy. Plus realism of writing is taken whole level up, especially considering what our expectations were towards Shinji, we can count on few really nice suprises. Ultimately is is cathartic and sad piece of work, but not to spoil, it is't End of Evangelion. It's Anno strong and clear with his vision. Yall be satisfied.

ART: 9
Well, it's outstanding, polished designs on the big screen are just like wet dream come true. Plus the art direction, world and mecha designs top notch with outstanding mix of really quality CGI was done more than decent. Color palette is light and very bright, create king of lighthearted atmosphere when it's really necessary, plus wide camera angles make it wven more fun. It's studio khara's best quality work up to date, immersive and eye-catching. A must see on big screen, so when yall have a chance - just head for your local cinema.

SOUND: 8
Sound design if reminded me of anything - Youjo Senki. Beautifully mixed and astonishingly rendered was an concerto for my ears. Returning seiyuu staff delivered what we expected, both - realistic and powerful performances. Soundtrack is as epic as it should be, monumental with some electronic extras here and there. And finally the beautiful ending theme 'One Last Kiss' by amazing Hikaru Utada ft. Hina, it hits harder and deeper, when u realise it's the final ending for the franchise. Song and artist choice was perfect. Will leave u sobbing at the very end of the ending credits.

CHARACTER: 8
Here I can literally say: HERE WE GO AGAIN.
But no, somehow I felt huge difference between earlier works and this. Now, when we entered the mature world of the ending, our characters have even less choices and there are still sacrifices to make. Shinji's progression is actually my favourite one, unlike in the old version, he became somewhat likeable and strong character. Plus having all the burden on the back shared just with the girls is feelable. It's definitely the best in the series from the point of psychological build. And rebuild, movie touches differently - meaning it will have different impact. I might bitch a bit, but unfortunately Maki character is the weakest part of the movie, but here I go again - no spoilers.

ENJOYMENT: 9
Well, I was always having tons of fun speaking of Evangelion in terms of enjoyment, but yes, this is bombastic, powerful and just stromng ending. Delivered tons of fun, great, great fights and huge destructions on-screen. Great action flick, great psychological tractat, great audiovisuals. Yes, by all means, I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed it TWICE. And will enjoy couple more times definitely. Plus, come on, it's damn Evangelion, we all have been waiting for it. And waiting since forever. Let yourself enjoy this movie, it's worth the time, money and your smile mixed with tears.

OVERALL: 9
Yes, it is ultimate Evangelion for the new generation, lighter, funnier and definitely less depressing. I like Anno when he have his vision sharp and clear, this time there's no place for some weird complications, it's a great finale this franchise deserves, it's as well poignant goodbye. Never expected to get such an ending, especially having orgy of destruction before my eyes. But yes, you will be satisfied, whether u are fan of the franchise or just casual viewer. Evagelion is done.

The end of all Evangelion has finally arrived, rejoice. It was great 25 years long journey. Thank you Mr. Anno, I am forever grateful. We all are.

I just came back from watching this in the theatre. A tl;dr: The most satisfying ending to Evangelion with some caveats.

I should say off the bat that I only recently sat down and watched the original series and remake movies, and honestly I was kinda iffy about them. This review is coming not from an Eva super-fan, but a fan of movies and entertainment. What I found satisfying might ultimately not be what someone who has stuck with and loved the series for so long is after. That being said, let me start with what I know best: Animation and art direction.

Animation/Art: 8
This movie is ... beautiful. All the more on the big screen if anyone is lucky enough to get the chance. I was blown away by the colour choices and sheer love put into every scene, and I was impressed by some of the bold moves taken by the directors; Not every film will be able to get away with doing what Eva did in this movie, but it pulled it off well and added a level of sincerity to an animated film that one rarely sees. The camera moves are astounding in the fight scenes and the cg is blended very well with the traditional hand drawn animation. Where I dock points is when the CG animation gets clunky at a very pivotal moment in the film. I was pulled straight out of the scene for a moment but I was drawn back in as soon as the traditional animation took over. If it wasn’t for that, I might have given the art a 10, but it was a big hit. If you can forgive one or two sins, you will love the art and animation in this movie.

Sound: 9
Great sound design goes unnoticed, and the sound design here is masterfully unnoticeable. The combination of some of the sound effects and animation almost moved me to tears. The soundtrack is also great and Hikaru Utada’s theme songs will be stuck in my head for a while to come. Not much to say about the sound, it’s good and it won’t distract you from the movie.

Character: 10
The characters are classic Evangelion; deeply flawed and painfully real. Whilst I had my doubts about what fans might want earlier, I don’t think any super-fan of Eva will be disappointed in the characterisation in this film. I can’t say really anything about how this plays out without spoiling everything, so I urge you to bear witness to them yourself.

Story: 8
Again, it’s very hard to say anything about the story without spoiling the entire thing, but just know that it was cathartic for me. It’s only an 8 because Eva will do Eva things but if I was judging it based on how the writers handled the ending to a series this massive and convoluted, it’d be a 10.

Enjoyment: 10
I cried. The people sitting next to me cried. I also gasped and laughed and felt angry and elated. I don’t know if I can ask for anything more from a piece of media. It’ll definitely stay with me and I’m glad I watched it.

Overall: 9
I rarely give 10’s and this is no exception. It was a step away from perfection but slipped and made a really good recovery. If you’ve already seen the first 3 movies I have no doubt you’ll see this one, but if you were in doubt about starting up the series I assure you that the ending, at least, is worth your time.

Any critique of the film based in convention would rate the film Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 rather low. For those who have not followed the over two decade in-the-making franchise, Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 would seem to be a bizarre mess of technobabble, epileptic visual effects, strange sound decisions, questionable pacing, gratuitous amounts of fan service and more. Even for fans of the franchise, complaints about previous Rebuild films remain unaddressed, while many (and I mean many) plot holes and character backstories remain unresolved.

Cinematically, the film is certainly far from perfect - it could almost be called disastrous. And yet Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 ... is without a doubt one of the most impactful, inspirational, and satisfying films I have had the pleasure of watching in my short adolescent life.

Fans of the Eva franchise are a diverse bunch ranging across different ages, demographics, and interest, just like any other franchise. I cannot claim to represent the entirety of the fanbase; however, I hope that my account resonates with fellow fans, persuades viewers of the film that 3.0 + 1.0 is a masterpiece, and most importantly, that those who have never seen Evangelion may give it a shot.

I'll split my review into two parts: a formalistic view on the film's plot and the meta-film. And reader, thank you for sticking with my verbosity thus far.

Part 1: A SHALLOW, SURFACE LOOK AT THE FILM:
I'll quickly go over three MAL critierions, and save story and character for the end.

ART: The art is fantastic at times, and strange at others. Though art is subjective, most fans will agree that the vast majority of the film is in line with the animation and artistic quality of today. It is important to note that blinding lights, strobe effects, and extremely bright colors are employed throughout the film. The film is certainly not safe to watch for those who are epileptic / have risk of seizures. Another critique revolves around the CGI, which is a controversial aspect of the film. Personally, I thought the usage of CGI was tolerable, and appreciable if you accept the "bad" CGI as being intentional (Hard to explain, but the subtext of the film seemingly justifies it). This is hard to explain without spoiling, but overall, the art certainly does not detract from the experience.

SOUND: The sound design was exceedingly wonderful and well-fitting at times, paying homage to the originals. However, certain pieces were chosen during certain fight scenes that felt ... rather goofy. The usage of these pieces in high risk, action packed fight scenes felt extremely off-putting and frankly detracted slightly from the experience. Furthermore, the audio did not feel very spatial, as explosions, bullets, and dialogue all felt like they came from the center of the scene rather than where they actually belonged on the screen, although I did watch on Amazon Prime. The overall audio experience can best be described as mixed: It's fantastic (I'm looking at you, One Last Kiss), adding some powerful emotional flavor at times, but extraordinarily off-putting and questionable elsewhere.

ENJOYMENT: The film was enjoyable, and at the very least, interesting. It's without a doubt a captivating film that's never boring. Watching previous Evangelion films/show is mandatory, however, to fully enjoying the film, which probably creates some kind of bias here.

STORY AND CHARACTER:
To reiterate, Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 by itself is not great, for reasons stated above. However, when viewed in context of the 1995 television show, the film End of Evangelion, and the newer Rebuild films, dissatisfactions with each medium are essentially addressed. For example, through striking, heartfelt scenes in a slice-of-life setting, 3.0 + 1.0 satisfyingly explains the off-putting attitudes displayed by characters in previous films that bothered many film viewers. Another example would be the character progression of fan-favorite yet severely underdeveloped Rei Ayanami doing a remarkable job of illustrating the relationships of characters, but also the strange, new post-apocalyptic world. Indeed, the film excels at using frightening, incomprehensible perils as a means to bring characters together or even against each other, allowing for excellent character analyses to occur. Is this a revolutionary technique? Absolutely not, but it is pulled off spectacularly. The greatest scenes in the film are not the incredibly detailed, visually stunning fight scenes but rather the heart to hearts characters have with one another. And that's always been the essence of Evangelion.

The mythology of Evangelion is overwhelmingly complicated. The usage of extreme religious overtones, biblical imagery, and cosmic horror is certainly interesting, but difficult to follow, with probably thousands of reddit threads and wiki pages of speculation and theories explaining the whats of Evangelion. Though ordinarily this overcomplication and lack of clarity is a great cinematic sin, it somehow ... works. Personally, the desire for explanation strung me along for the ride, as it did for many other fans of the franchise. In a way, without the artificially generated intrigue for lore, many viewers would probably lose interest.

And to lose this interest would be a great mistake. As so many have stated before, it is for the unparalleled analyses of the cast that Evangelion should be lauded. Nearly all of the praise for the original television show revolved around the deconstruction of Shinji, Asuka, and Rei, the protagonists of the franchise. At the same time, much of the criticism of the originals revolved around just how convoluted and complicated the deconstruction was to understand.

After all, most people do not want to sit through Freudian and Jungian psychology, strange dilemmas, and metaphysics.

3.0 + 1.0 seems to be criticized for how "dumbed down" it is. Most negative reviews seem to herald the originals as deep, profound, and touching, and the rebuilds as pretentious and shallow. Though I can understand where these sentiments come from, I believe the finale to the Rebuilds democratizes the core messages of the originals. Without a doubt, the lore and plot of the Rebuilds is exclusively hard to understand. However, what the film leaves you with at the end is abundantly clear - and that's the most important part.

Part 2: ANNO, THEMES, and IMPACT
Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 concludes nearly 20 hours of Evangelion. For many fans, it concludes over two decades of waiting for and consuming Evangelion. For Hideaki Anno, it concludes a heartfelt franchise he poured his life, depression, and joys into. For me, it concludes a significant chapter in my life.

I've been treating this review as essentially a review of the entire franchise, and that's because I really believe Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 emblemizes the entirety of the series. It borrows thematic elements from every Evangelion medium, pays homage, thanks the fans, and admonishes the fans. Outside of the incredibly satisfying (and well-deserved) ending it gives to the cast we've grown to love, it also builds upon various messages Mr. Anno has been delivering since the conclusion of Neon Genesis.

Evangelion is truly a piece of art. The greatest works of art leave the audience with a great and powerful feeling and a personally constructed message. Every anime we've seen has been entertaining, but not all of them have left us with heartfelt, resounding messages. Though every anime has themes, not every anime connects these themes to us, the audience. The end of 3.0 + 1.0 is the most direct, heartfelt, and literal connection I've seen made from a cast of fictional 2d characters to their audience. It didn't feel contrived, forced, or even strange. It felt natural, perhaps a first for the franchise.

It might seem like I'm embellishing or even being pretentious. After all, I'm not even telling you what these oh-so-great messages are!

The thing is, the lessons of Evangelion aren't anything that will blow you away. They're lessons that we more or less know, lessons that are incessantly drilled into us by the media, television shows, books, and life. And yet, Evangelion succeeds where others have not. The creative team understands that inspiring and instilling goes beyond just telling. And though it might not have succeeded for everyone, Anno and his team's wacky, wonderful storytelling succeeded for me. Their storytelling is thought provoking, fascinating and touching. It has a lovable, extraordinarily well-written cast with gripping lore, drama, and dialogue. It is artistic, extremely avant-garde, and both like and unlike anything you have ever seen.

Outside of the film, Evangelion remains one of the highest-grossing and influential franchises in the East, signs that its Evangelionness has really touched the hearts of millions, despite its glaring imperfections. Like Evangelion so emphasizes in its characters, flaws and quirks are integral to the human experience - and that's perhaps why Evangelion has remained an enigmatic, global phenomenon for the past 26 years.

And those 26 years have bloomed for one last astounding time.
Good morning, good night, thank you,
And good bye Anno's Evangelion.

I can not express how much feelings I have for Evangelion
as I watch the ending of a beautiful series,
the satisfaction I got,
the feeling of you want it to end but also you don't,

It has been a beautiful journey through ups and downs,
as I watch all of the series, seeing all the characters grow as it grow with me,
what it feels and what it takes to be, human,
through the tears and joy, the feelings we all share together,
from the original series to the rebuild movies
... Evangelion will always be remain in my heart, forever,

Thank you Mr. Anno for making this series,
Thank you Mr. Anno for delivering the ending of an era,
Thank you for all the staff involved for making this possible,

Goodbye, all of Evangelion.

Well, here we are. After almost 14 years since the beginning of this tetralogy and over 25 since the television series original run, it seems Evangelion has come to a definitive ending...and what a journey it’s been. The television series, which changed the entire landscape of anime, forever leaving its mark on the industry and creating one of the biggest franchises to date. The film End of Evangelion, which has gone down as one of the most jarring, surreal and greatest anime films of all time. And finally, the Rebuild films series, which sought to recreate the iconic series in 4 parts...but to what end? ...

At the announcement of the Rebuild series, Anno had a lot to say (which I recommend you look up). He said how the work was meant to “connect today’s exhausted Japanese animation industry to the future and fight the continuing trend of stagnation in anime”, “to support fans that support animation...a work that would appeal to middle and high school aged men, who quickly grow away from anime was necessary” and also that these new films sought to” create a form of entertainment that anyone can look forward to; one that people who have never seen Evangelion can easily adjust to”. I feel like the new film series as a whole accomplished what Anno set out to do from the beginning, all fairly par-for-the-course stuff, but one line from that interview always struck me ““many times we wondered, “It’s a title that more than 10 years old. Why now? Eva is too old”, we felt. However, over the past 12 years, there has been no anime newer than Eva.”” Some see it as an extremely arrogant thing to say, but considering this was just ten years after Evangelion, a series that shook the industry to its core, it absolutely has merit. The fact that Evangelion has consistently been one of the most discussed and theorized anime over the last 25 years is a testament to its “newness” and ability to engage its audience over such a long period of time, even with huge gaps between releases.

While Anno's quote on Evangelions "newness" can be attributed to many things, like it's (at times) avant-garde style, one of the core strengths of this style is Evangelion’s ability to lay puzzle pieces (as early as the opening shots of this new series) through it's visual storytelling and is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the series for fans. It seems like almost every week, even without any new information being available, someone will create a new chart, diagram, explanation video or side-by-side comparison trying to get their newest and craziest theories out into the world. These range from the simple “Look at the opening shots of the water and white outlined T-pose giants, It’s a time travel/loop from End of Evangelion!” to “The Zoa, represented by Tharmas, Urizen, Luvah and Urthona (as well as Adam and Satan) are clearly represented as the 4 Adams seen in second impact, who’s souls were once a single being. The colours of the 4 Zoa are seen as the skin under 4 specific Evas since their cores were used to make Evas and their 4 souls were reincarnated as Shinji, Asuka, Kaworu and Mari”. While a theory like the latter might seem outlandish, Evangelion executes visual storytelling so well and has such a pedigree of outlandish deep lore set by the television anime and film, that with the proper images and explanation, some very crazy things seem possible. So, I obviously believe Evangelion has been able to maintain this "newness", even throughout the release of the new films. Notoriously, the third film opened a whole new can of worms, with a swath of the fan base turning on the film But over time, many warmed up to it and the speculation reached a fever pitch. Beyond the puzzle it lays with it's directing style, it's also made fresh by its unprecedented and shocking imagery culminating in End of Evangelion. This final film cemented Evangelion as an all time classic, creating a surreal, grotesque, bleak and fascinating ending fans still pick apart and try to understand the meaning of to this day. So, after this huge and longwinded introduction, does Evangelion 3.0+1.0 stick the landing? Does it still feel NEW after all of these years?

I have seen the film three times now, and still feel like I want to see it many times more in order to give my final, absolute rating of the film. I’m going to ask myself a few question here so bear with me. Did I enjoy the film? Absolutely, yes I did. Did I enjoy it as much as End of Evangelion? No, I did not. Did it live up to the almost unprecedented hype I had built up in my head for the last 8 years? No, not really...I’m not sure if that was possible. I may be sounding a bit down. Honestly, I think it might just been the bittersweet feeling of my favourite anime franchise coming to an end, with no more of that crazy fan speculation and wonder to look forward to any longer. But don’t get me wrong, I did say I enjoyed the film didn’t I?! I cried, I grabbed my head with my mouth gaping wide, I smirked like an idiot and I genuinely felt a visceral giddiness and excitement watching and discovering that film in the theatre I probably won’t feel for anything else for the rest of my life. This is certainly due to me being a person who has enjoyed this series and followed its rabid discourse for over 16 years, but I’ll be upfront about those feelings before being more objective. I’m sure there will be people in my exact same position who will absolutely loath this film (there are, I’ve already seen it).

The story picks up immediately where 3.0 concluded, but after a bombastic action set piece (which have become how we start these films since 2.0) the film swerves to a new location where the pace is slowed drastically. The exceedingly long run time of the film (now the third longest animated film of all time) allows for this deliberate pace as well as plenty of time to introduce and reintroduce many characters. This is also the segment where we witness almost all of the character growth and development between our main characters for just about the whole film. It’s a tranquil setting that’s lusciously depicted, punctuated by tender folk music and poignant character moments. The 2D art really is fantastic during this section, probably the most beautiful of the whole film and the music is touching, surprisingly there are 3 English songs used! Upon rewatching, this might have become one of my favourite parts of the film and where I probably dropped the most tears.

From here, we move forward with a “beginning of the end” midway multi-segment-battle which I loved seeing on the big screen. While the sequences are phenomenally staged and choreographed, I do feel like the CGI, framerate and camera work could get out of hand at times (though that chaos was also fun to see unfold). I think it is important to point out that this is certainly the most bombastic and (kind of) only big action set piece of the film. This is comparable to the Asuka vs Mass Produced Evas of End of Evangelion, but I say this EXCLUSIVELY in terms of placement in the film and action. If you were to compare the two (and why the hell wouldn’t I? They are both big midway battle with Unit 02 in a finale film) End of Evangelion blows it out of the water in almost every aspect. While 3.0+1.0 is ambitious in its scope and effects, End of Evangelions fight’s animation, choreography pacing and climax are way better. It’s still an exciting sequence, don’t get me wrong, it’s just so hard not to compare these things in my head. The music is still great throughout, however, as it is the entire film. There is a great moment at the start of this action sequence where a very fun and bombastic song is playing during a very tense scene. The juxtaposition was really cool and made gave the scene a very heroic feel even given the dire situation. The song that led into Asuka and Mari’s action sequence gave me goosebumps of “Oh shit, let’s goooooo!” and the operatic pieces were awesome and ominous as usual.

From here the next leg of the film is probably the part I found the least interesting. We are given big info/lore dumps, some character drama and stakes as well as some new development for a long standing character given the leading villain role. Things pick up when we enter the sort of “instrumentality” of this this film but again, it isn’t anywhere near as bizarre and surreal as End of Evangelion...not that it’s trying to, but it wouldn’t have hurt to be a bit more ambitious in the crazy and unpredictable aspects of the film. I think this is the point of the film where I realized one of the biggest flaws of this film, at least for me personally. It’s the predictability of it all...One of the major things I would always hold Evangelion, especially End of Evangelion, in such high regard for not being. With Japanese not being my native language, I assumed I would have left that theatre in a daze of confusion (that I was absolutely looking forward to!) but found I actually understood the film perfectly well. I think this was by design, however, and leads me to the end of the film.

The last quarter or so of the film does have some pretty perplexing stuff going on, mainly concerning Mari and many of the other core casts “relations”. I don’t want to say how the film ends at all, as I feel I’ve done a pretty dang good job of avoiding spoilers, but I will say that the film concludes quite definitively. The tag line of the film is “Bye bye, all of Evangelion”. The sentiment behind this tagline rings true in more ways than one as the credits being to roll. It really is over. There is some "interesting" CGI use during 2 climactic sequences I feel were used in a meta way. One using Evas to emulate a sort of amateurish tokusatsu scene (reminiscent of some of Anno's early works and passions) as well as a scene I feel is supposed to draw contrast between the new and the old. There are lots of other strange images I'm still mulling over and such as the use of heads, headlessness and mismatching heads and bodies I'm still trying to figure out, which is a good sign of Evangelions classic puzzle-like storytelling through images.

So, were all the loose ends tied up? Did all the crazy theorise people have about all the puzzle pieces and bread crumbs left in the previous films come to fruition? No, I don’t think they did, and like I hinted at earlier in the review...I think this ended up being by design. Even the 14 year time skip between 3.0 and this film was glossed over very quickly in this film, given 2 brief scenes , where I (and I think many others) figured big reveals would take place. Even in those brief glimpses, however, along with many other new puzzle pieces, we are shown small clues which allow for various speculation even after the series has concluded, which is right in tune with what Evangelion has been all about. At the same time, I think that the way the film concludes allows for the alternate take as well. That it really doesn’t matter, that it is now over, and that it is time to move on. So which is it? Even as a mega-fan, I am happy to accept an ending of “it’s over, move on” but at the same time, find it difficult when the film continues to introduce new questions and hints at what may have happened.

So, with the conclusion of the Rebuild series, is there still no anime newer than Eva? That statement may very well hold true, MAY being the key word here. I want Anno and his staff to tell the story they want to tell and I’m sure after meditating on this film longer and seeing it many more times, my opinion might change drastically. For me personally though, “New” is generally a case of unpredictability. “New” is something I could have never seen coming. While this film is a great send off to the story and character I’ve come to love so much over the years, I don’t think Anno’s revolutionary words coming off the end of End of Evangelion ring as true with this new conclusion.

Bye Bye, All of Evangelion.

The second coming of Christ is here boys and girls. Anno has delivered yet again something that will have you saying,”what the fuck did I just watch?” For years to come! If you loved End of Eva for the vegetative like state it put your mind in then you’ll love this! Just imagine and follow me here. End of Evangelion, but in reverse. Did you have one, two or maybe a few hundred questions after 3.0? Some that even a psychologist couldn’t answer? Because God himself has answered some prayers. We did it. After a decade we FINALLY get some plot holes patched! Now how ... they’re explained may make you more comatose than the infamous Asuka scene, but for Evangelion we’re talking miracles. Kinda like when you go the gas station and you’re a couple of cents short, but luckily they have that take one penny tray. So thinking you’re in a green you take two and next thing you know you’re German Suplexed. So think of the day they let you take two.

But let’s take a moment of Silence for those who went out with Covid thinking only their grandchildren’s children would see how Eva would end. You’ll forever be in my thoughts that you didn’t get to see your ship sink harder than the Titanic.

I think the only true place to start is to state right off the bat, it’s a clusterfuck. But it’s Evangelion so that’s a given. This however, is done in almost all the right ways amounting to what can be called no less than gods plan. After 25 years we get to see Eva finally put to rest the same way as my grand pappy. As in someone definitely left a crack pipe or two laying around. Because that’s the only true way you can produce something that nobody else has or ever will think of. Probably for the better. There are times you’ll be thinking to yourself,” wow! This is ingenious!” and other times where you’ll think,” this is when switching up the drugs would have been nice.” As far as original goes, I don’t know how many will be able to top Anno’s last depression induced work of art. You know that skittles saying Taste the Rainbow? Well you can definitely taste the Anno. It’s got his signature spice of “I don’t get it or want to get it, but I’ll watch it another 5 times, say I do and change my mind later” because of how long that spice be lingering for. For that reason alone though, while Eva finally have been put to rest, it’s going to comeback strong as Casper and haunt you until you die because you’ll never fully get it. Nobody’s ever understood the original series so why would the rebuilds be different?

You will however get some closure. While I had no idea what to expect except for the usual blue balling I’m surprised to say the biggest plot holes get hit with that Flex seal max. Now I’m not saying you’ll understand them the first time, but they’ll make somewhat sense eventually. Hopefully. The more psychiatric medication you’re on the better off you’ll be. Either you’ll accept it and praise Anno for really being up there with Einstein and Hawking or you’ll feel you were telepathically robbed. My last two braincells fought viciously to process some key parts not gonna lie. More so when points from 3.0 were being connected and even expanded upon until a viable conclusion was reached. Like who knew?? There’s even some juicy references to the older parts of Eva that just give it that cherry on top.
Now what I’m about to say next you’ll ask if you need to call for an ambulance. And this was how I knew it was the second coming of Jesus. We get not one, but MULTIPLE completed character arcs. I nearly had a stroke. I was probably pronounced dead for a hot minute, but being as much of a degenerate as I am a little brain damage never hurt anyone like me.

So let’s get a quick recap: story is nothing short than to expect with it being Eva, plot holes are patched far better than the potholes on my way to spread my blessings of degenerate anime to newcomers, and I’d let Anno have my children knowing characters arcs are competed. So what about the art/animation? Orgasmic. If my eyes could have boners they would. My nips were showing a few times through my shirt. Other times I felt that I was missing my shirt. Very weird indeed. Maybe it’s because they wanted to read it like Braille. I didn’t want to just SEE the art, I wanted to FEEL THE ART! There’s a lot to take in. I felt like the scriptures from the holy thighbible had reached Anno. There were was a fair bit more fan service than all the rest of Eva and degenerates like me did nothing more than slap them hands together and pray. In all honestly most of the movie looked extremely crisp. The amount of CGI used though is very apparent. If you hate CGI, this could very well do the opposite of what a masseur Is supposed to do. With the exception of a few scenes that will be giving you berserk 2016/17 flashbacks a lot of it hightens scenes that would feel very dull if otherwise hand drawn. The second half is nonstop action and we would probably never get to see this movie in our lifetimes if it didn’t have so much CGI. I won’t lie and say it’s on par with ufotable. As far as the animation goes there’s not many who can stand with them. There’s a reason why demon slayer is ranked so high.. as long as you aren’t as allergic to CGI as I am to pupas adaptation you’ll be good! Of course every part that’s hand drawn is beautiful asf, but that’s a given. The CGI scared me the most and I could live with most of it. Other times the PTSD was real.

The music is always voluptuous. That in and of itself explains it all. The only other thing that can be said is that Fly Me To The Moon now has a contender to sit right up there with it. A homage to all of us who were getting ready to sell organs to see the end of an era.

You don’t know it yet,but Gendo takes best dad of the century award. Misato is going to show you why even if she isn’t your best girl, you’re wrong, you need to rethink your choice and come to the conclusion she’s always been best girl. While simultaneously Mari and Asuka are going to lap dance what few braincells you’ll have left learning what they really are. Did I forget to mention you learn about Kaji, Toji, Kensuke and Hikari? My brain was already doing somersaults when it was confirmed Kaworu was best boy. As a true Eva degenerate I’ll gobble up anything Anno slaps his name on. Even if it’s a hot dumpster fire. Sometimes though, these dumpster fires turn into the most beautiful bonfires. Despite any flaws you will most definitely find it’s a genuine masterpiece. I expected no less than to feel like I witnessed the greatest end to Evangelion while also wanting to throw hands with the person next to me.

“Part of the journey is the end”

For 25 long years, we have waited for a satisfactory conclusion to what I deem the greatest anime series of all time, Evangelion. It’s been equally criticised and praised for its existential themes and religious imagery. Each time we’ve got to supposedly “the end” of Evangelion, we’ve been left with more questions than answers. Finally, after two decades, Shin Eva provides the much needed conclusion to this masterpiece of a series and I am so glad I got to experience it.

The most difficult thing about ending an extremely popular franchise is writing a satisfactory ending that ties up ... all the loose ends. With Eva, I was cautiously optimistic just because of the sheer amount of plot threads that had been set up over the course of the TV anime, EoE and the rebuilds. It’s so easy to lose yourself in the sheer depth of Evangelion. I felt that Shin Eva addressed all of the major set ups we’ve got over 20 years and left me crying at the end. It’s hard to go into detail of said set ups without spoiling, but there have been several very popular theories floating around the community regarding the timeline in the series and the movie does a great job of addressing that finally. Asuka, who before this movie was probably my most hated anime character of all time, became very likeable to me. The main trio+Misato as well as side characters like Ritsuko, and Shinji’s childhood friends even get great endings. I think the movie makes excellent use of its long run time and fleshes out Rei and Asuka in ways we’ve never seen them before. As a Rei stan who’s dealt with years of people talking about how she has no personality, it was great to see her get more development in 30 minutes than in 25 years.

I think most of the criticisms levied at Shin Eva are due to people reading too much into things. At its core, Eva is about people dealing with trauma, how everyone copes differently and ultimately about letting go of the past and moving on. Life, while difficult, is equally as rewarding and joyous. Yes, some things were not explicitly addressed, but that’s because they didn’t need to be. They were ultimately not important to the message Anno wanted to convey. In fact, I would argue reading too deeply into Eva is the exact antithesis of what Anno wants. Just like you don’t always get the answers you want in life, but you have to move on. When Anno made the original anime, he was in a very dark place in life and the show reflected that. He is no longer that same person, just like we have grown as viewers. Different periods of your life come with different priorities.

The art and animation were as superb as you’d expect following a 12 year development cycle. The background art and key set pieces were simply beautiful. Khara managed to put together the best CG/3D animation scenes I have ever seen. Normally, I hate CG, but it was so well blended at times it would be impossible to differentiate between computer and hand drawn scenes. Voice acting is superb as you’d expect and the movie, despite being 2.5 hours is so well paced that you forget how much time is passed. Excellent job from the staff involved.

In the past few years, only two anime have given me that feeling of emptiness and sorrow at their conclusion. Violet Evergarden: The Movie, and Shin Evangelion are those two. Both left me with an existential feeling of loneliness. It’s like you’re sad and happy something is over at the same time. That feeling is why I fell in love with anime in the first place, and I am so glad to have that flame rekindled with this. I do truly think we’ve seen the end of Evangelion. I think any subsequent series would only ruin a perfect ending. We, along with Anno, have been able to grow and go from angsty young people to adults who can accept life for what it is. Full of ups and downs. As much as it pains me to say, “Sayonara subete no Evangelion”.

Shin Eva gets 10 pen pens out of 10.

in the beginning of 2018, i finished NGE and watched End of Evangelion for the first time.

it was the lowest point in my life. i was out of rehab for an amphetamine addiction, was recovering from a mental breakdown, my grandfather who i adored had just passed away, my father was deported and i had to relocate to a new state, my mother lost her job and now i live beneath the poverty line, i am thousands in debt, i was severely underweight, i had pneumonia that would ravage my body for over half a year, i had to drop out of college, the girl ... i'd fallen in love was someone i could never have.

i was done with everything at this point. jobless, schoolless, loveless. i burnt many bridges, lashed out at anyone around me who tried to help. i wanted it all to just end.

but Hideaki Anno dared me to love myself again.

End of Evangelion is a cathartic treatise on the human condition. many people cite it as a "depressing" movie, but thematically and emotionally, it's one of the most uplifting films i've ever seen. and seeing it when i felt like i was at the lowest point in my life, it felt like the film understood me better than i understood myself.

it's honestly the only film i can think of where i can confidently say it literally changed my life. my outlook on myself, the prospects of a better life, the very concept of a healing process, all of it crashed down on me in the last half of EoE and i was a mess of tears and snot for a good hour before i spilled my feelings in my review.

a LOT has changed since then.

i feel happier than i have in years. i have a woman who loves me, supports me, cares for me. i've made a career change into a role that i absolutely love with huge earnings potential. i'm healthy. my friends are healthy. i have an actual social life.

but i couldn't even be a fraction of how happy i am without that kick in the gut that i got in the beginning of 2018. sure, the road ahead was tough. sure, i still had depression in the coming two years, but it never got as dark as it could have if it wasn't for End of Evangelion looking straight into my soul, and challenging me to just keep walking. to just, keep living.

suicide attempts stopped after End of Evangelion. days wasted away where i would stare at the ceiling were gone. Anno told me that, impossibly, it was ok for me to love myself.

fast forward to now. i spent a good hour and a half sobbing, thinking of how far i've come, how much i owe to everyone who's helped me upon my feet along the way, how much i owe to Evangelion. it makes the central message of the film hit that much harder.

with this film Anno is telling me, and everyone else who's held the story of Evangelion so near and dear to them, is that our lives are the real story; Evangelion has always just been there to help write it.

if End of Evangelion dared us to consider loving ourselves again, Thrice Upon a Time dares us to learn to love each other again.

where else do we refuel the boundless hope for peace? where else do we find the drive to keep going? where else do we find the solace and the vision for a future to fight towards? it's through each other.

no man is an island, and Anno, in his medium-bending metanarrative, urges us to connect with each other. he challenges us to try and lower our AT Fields with one another, to remember the bonds that we so easily forget are there.

he thanks us for joining him on his artistic journey, has the characters we know and love find all the happiness they could possibly find, as if telling us "this story is over. the ending happened thrice upon a time, and now they've found that happily ever after. please, find yours."

the film actively acknowledges that there are people, LOTS of people out there who have found peace and hope through Evangelion, and now it pushes that even further, challenging us to internalize everything we've learned from this incredible saga and apply it to our own sagas. he takes the line between fiction and reality, and literally destroys it.

now it's up to us to to birth our own neon geneses. the fiction of Evangelion, through the lessons we've learned from this saga, becomes reality once we share it with those around us.

and the gospel is love.

life will go on. things will change. new rough patches will appear. a second impact may lead to a third, and then a fourth. but one thing is for certain: i will carry Evangelion with me for the rest of my life.

thank you for telling me that things are going to be okay, Anno-sensei.

thank you for daring me to finally be happy.

gonna be honest - waited a year and a couple of months before finally watching. i did this out of uncertainty for how the series - one that'd already "ended" several times, each time mesmerizing but never conclusive - would once again "end".

not being ironic when i say this is the absolute dream conclusion for something that, more than any series ever, desperately needed one. the hopelessness that permeates much of the preexisting media has been consumed and experienced by both fans and casual watchers for decades now, that retreading into yet another apocalyptic finale with nary a glimpse of hope would've been redundant as ... hell. here, we have every tool in the toolbox working together to craft something strikingly different without losing the core elements that make NGE such a standout series.

sure, at times it can be overly gratuitous - but this feels earned, for a series that's had such a tumultuous history since its very conception. genuinely heartfelt moments do end tragically in several cases, but many of the events you see on screen seem to all center around one core value: redemption. something anno, and this beloved cast, have long deserved.

it's spectacular to look at, self-referential in very exciting ways, traumatic, thought-provoking, perplexing at times and downright infuriating at others, questions are answered with even more questions, "loose" ends never quite being tied together = the classic evangelion formula, and this bookend stays true to form.

the criticism that the film felt "dumbed down" i have to disagree with. what was truly the case was that the film was, in a first for the rebuild series, digestible. its beginning, middle, and end throw so much at you, and yet it wraps up so nicely that any strings left dangling don't really feel the need to be tied. we accept them for what they are - ornamental reminders that this batshit series that has changed lives and the industry forever can stand on its merits of mystifying worldbuilding, characterization, creative writing, and cast full of anime's most iconic characters - some you love to hate, others you hate to love, some you'd just like to see *smile*.

Overall: 82

Is this real life? Is this just fantasy?
Nothing really matters to Hideaki Anno. Any way the wind blows.

But Not for Me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X03uSwM07_A

Stanley changed the world in 1968, shocked and influenced the life of Spielberg and Nolan. The grief that I will never see what they saw or feel what they felt to watch 2001 is relieved by THE END OF EVANGELION.
...
What happened in 1997 was practically a miracle. However, the miracle didn't happen here. No, it happened inside the hearts of everyone who knew what really matters.


-



The Screenplay: 77

In the first half, the anime defines a specific world, vivid and efficient. I am on board and accustomed at the beginning. The story is intrinsically visual rather than an illustrated plot. It takes me on a journey to an unfamiliar environment.

In the second half, it is a screenplay that lacks authority, detail, and specificity. It prevents the actors from fully immersing themselves in their characters. At times, they are haunted by questions about motivations or inconsistent behavior.

Anime obeys the most magnificent rules set long ago. In general, the anime flows. I care what happened next. However, I am not surprised at all. It was meant to be serious. It roughly did it. The creators are not sympathetic toward their subjects. They are inside their heads.

The anime is about more than just what happened. I am still thinking about it. Like EOE, it has something to say about human nature, hope, and despair. EOE made me weep tears of ecstasy. It shackled me. There were an egoistic paradise and the road to it, an endless road on which most people fell halfway down. They either regretted that they should not have started or suffered because they didn't reach the end.

When all the hopes were falling, there was nowhere to run. That was the same feeling when I watched The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Game of Thrones, and The Clockwork Orange. The last and the most critical piece that couldn't exist within anime.

"Once upon a time, there was a muggle with pride and prejudice to the anime. The anime isn't real and worth living. The dreamers are cowards who used fantasy to escape reality and have raised looking the other way into an art form."

Finally, I saw the light. EOE made me despair. It turned out that the scariest thing isn't death but a life without faith. When you know what really matters, death could be sweet, life does matter, and the universe is yours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQiHzcdUPAU

Unlike EOE, the shape of tear tracks is a bitten apple. Not like Apple Inc. There are many bites. The worst thing is: they forgot who bites it, why they did it, even what it means. I haven't felt the despair for a second. That's why the hope is cheap. It is common in most anime, tv series, and movies. Not in Evangelion.



-



Character: 70

The people in the anime are simple, conventional, and credible partly. I care about them only because I knew them before. The characters' emotions make sense based on their experience, behavior, and motivations. The characters are not all in the same anime.

Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Misato, and Gendo, dissolve completely into their roles. Their gestures and vocal cadences are natural. The CVs fuse with the role. They don't disappear. The character coexists easily with the star's persona.

Shinji is great as before. The turning of Rei is too sharp. In general, she is good. Misato degenerates from a blue whale to a minnow.

Asuka suffers a huge simplification. She was astonishing. A hero troubled by the primary family like most of us. In EOE, I would choose her anywhere where there is no Rei. If I haven't watched any, I would be indifferent to her like to Mari.

Mari is forced and exaggerated. She asks for the laugh while I didn't laugh at least once. I tried not to judge her for long ago. In Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, I was very doubtful about her. However, there is Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, there is still hope. The hope is failing. I could say with full confidence that she is annoying. She comes from nowhere, looks like, swims like, and quacks like a Deus ex machina, and ends in the least surprising way.

I am still wondering whether it was performance art. Shinji didn't end up with Rei, Asuka, or Kaworu. They are his and our lights, all he and we ever dreamed life could be. And when they died, the dream died with them, and he dared dream no more. They are too beautiful to this world. That's why many are stuck. I agree with it.

In EOE:

"This convenient fabrication is your attempt to change reality. You were using fantasy to escape reality. That's not a dream. That's a substitute for reality. It's a continuation of reality. It comes at the end of my dream."

A line between the dream and substitute of reality. An end of Evangelion and an impossible dream. That's what made Evangelion great.

Here, no matter it is real-life, a dream, or a substitute for reality. The difference is worthless. And they are all worthless. Forget about paradise. Leave the meaning of death or life alone. Or let me ask you reverse semantically: what is the meaning of meaning?

To end up with Mari is to accept the flaws of the world. The essence of reality is not even in reality. It is the flaw. The reality is whoever, whenever, and wherever you are when you accept the flaw. Is it the only exit?



-



Production Design: 90

Cinematography: 90

The production design is not helping to tell but to save the story. Animated by inherent tensions between invisibility and obtrusiveness, verisimilitude, and self-conscious style. It results in pleasing, textured visual experiences for the audience and a highly detailed setting in which performers can deliver their most grounded performances.

In EOE, the physical space in the anime evoked despair at the beginning. In the end, everything was turned upside down. Here, happiness comes first, then dissatisfaction.

It is compact and dedicatedly composed. The colors are deep, intrusive, and flamboyant. The images looks slick and smooth. They are helping to tell the story. The characters looks impactful. Their hair and makeup serves their characters. It is too noticeable to turn your eyes off them. It is aesthetic and should matter.



-



Editing: 75

I am with the anime from the start. For the second half, there are times I was almost thrown out of the car. It takes me where it promised it would go. The anime makes sense most time. In the end, I am swamped. The anime is not seamless. It moves arduously with occasional stops and starts.



-



Sound & Music: 91

I could hear what I needed to hear. It is an enhancement. The anime sounds authentic. The sound takes me to another world. What I hear makes me mind-blowing.

ED: 85

One Last Kiss

Soundtrack: 90

Top3:
what if?: orchestra, choir and piano
thème du concerto 494
VOYAGER～日付のない墓標

The music helps tie the whole anime together. It has a point of view and makes me joyful.



-



Directing: 90

The creators demonstrates virtuosity and mastery with the medium. The anime reflects ambition and fantasy beyond simply recording performances. The aesthetic choices within the anime are palatable, heavenly, appropriate for the material. The perspective changed in the end. The anime is idiosyncratic, grave, and romantic. It could not have been made by anyone else.

Neon Genesis Evangelion has always been special for me and many others, so I am sad that this will be the last movie of Eva but delighted that Hideaki Anno has created such a magnificent franchise, and for that Thank you, Anno.

I think that this film brought its A-game when it comes to being a masterpiece as an ending, so I highly recommend watching the film before reading because I think it's best to watch it without any expectations.

STORY:10/10
Thankfully, the film has a quick recap before it starts and immediately starts. The story was very mature and handled themes such as growing up, loneliness, regret, ... and much more. It's a psychological movie about killing angles using robots that talks about the importance of loving yourself. What more can I say to get you hooked?

Art:10/10
The art is stunningly beautiful. The colors were appetizing to look at. The bright colors, incredible 3D animations, jaw-dropping landscapes, nods to previous Evangelion works, beautiful character design, and all the little things about the film were a sight to see. I felt the passion of the people behind this masterpiece and it shows how dedicated they were to create this. Best animated work ever made.

SOUND:10/10
The music of Shiro Sagisu and Hikaru Utada was phenomenal. The remixes of the old themes and new ones were incredible and exciting. Some of them felt uplifting and the others felt lonely, also loved hearing the opera now and then. The main theme made by Hikaru Utada was heartbreaking to me knowing that this is the last movie from the franchise so it felt personal to hear. It's catchy and depressing. I love it.

CHARACTER:10/10
The characters felt real and honest, but their actions are flawed. I don't want to get into it because they are the highlight of the movie.

ENJOYMENT:10/10
This movie is the best film I've seen. I got a lot of emotions. Confusion, Happiness, Relaxing, Terror, Grief, and much more.

OVERALL:10/10
What an experience. It's a film with a painful story, beautiful art, incredible sound, and realistic characters. I waited years for this to release and did not disappoint. Evangelion grew up with me literally, so seeing it end broke me. Thank you Anno once again.

Neon genesis is one one those this you will either hate or love. One of the first more mature anime i watched when I started to love anime it really was a baptism of fire. A show that Added to my depression at the time but yet I still loved it. With the end of being the perfect send off for me.

The rebuild movies first cam out when i was just finishing school and after just finishing the last one and now in my 30s it feels like the end of a era. When the rebuild movie first came out I thought it was ... going to be a retelling of the same story just with updated animation. The third in the series left me confused and on first viewing I have to admit I didn't really think much of it. Upon rewatching the original series and end of I went back into the rebuild series with a different outlook and accepting that it can be different and enjoyable and the original doesn't need to be wrapped in wool and protected.

With Thrice I came out of it with even more appreciation for the whole of neon genesis and the rebuild series while it may not be as dark and depressing as the original I feel like it has matured and grown up very much like myself from when this whole rebuild series started.

Thank you very much Hideaki Anno this franchise has impacted my life and it will always stay with me and a series I will continue to revisit. I'd say to anyone to experience neon genesis in every possible way. Experience its many ending's even the controversial original ending. Make of it what you want to make of it not what others say is good.

For me this ending of rebuild is yet another perfect way to end the neon genesis story and the OG and rebuild for me go hand in hand as a flat out 10/10

I don't even know what i want to write in here, it's been almost 10 years, i moved on from Eva, never thought i needed it anymore, im not the teenager that i was when i first discovered mental illness and how much help Eva was able to provide to me, now that im an adult what would revisiting Eva even do to me?
Is what i thought before watching 3.0+1.0.........
Who would have thought? Shinji had grown up with me along these 10 years, even Hideaki Anno with how he's presenting this film and how he handled his characters, everything was screaming *we're older now, life ... is shit but we can move on, get used to it, and just do better*
This movie's catchphrase before releasing was *goodbye Evangelion* which sounded dumb and tacky, like haha this is so artistic and shit
But when you finish the movie, they actually meant it
This is the end, there's never going to be another Eva, and you will never have your teenage years back and that's OK,
It's about moving own.

I'm not even going to bother trying to review plot/music/action because im a stupid dumbass, so gonna say some one liners
*The plot was everything i needed from Evangelion after all these years, it's not the best Eva plot but it's the one i wanted
*The action was mesmerizing, the best from the whole series and will definitely make you appreciate mecha fights i think
*The music was just Eva tier soundtracks nothing new here
*Characters is where this movie peaked, they're are just as enjoyable as they always were, Rei growing up in the village and regaining her humanity, Asuka growing up and moving on, Gendo laying out all of his feelings and reasoning making him feels like what shinji would grow up to be if he doesn't have those connections around him, and more importantly the main character, Shinji's growth the entire movie was nothing short of amazing, breathtaking even, it really did conclude his long ass story really well.

Don't wanna ramble anymore and lose focus so wanna end this review with yet again a single sentence,
goodbye Evangelion.

I can't help but feel slightly underwhelmed.

Don't get me wrong, the movie has a lot of positive sites, and I consider one of them to be the extensive scene of the MCs living in the survivor camp. It is a much neaded moment to catch a breath and I did not feel like the movie was unnecessarily stretched at any point (though it feels like they make Asuka more annoying with every rendition of the character).

The artwork was phenomenal and most of the CG was really well implemented. There were a few moments like the blue particle waves that felt a bit weird and the ... photoshopped real face of Space Rei looked ridiculous in combination with drawn hair and a drawn environment, but overall, the visuals were very pleasing, coombining good elements of 3.x and 2.x.

And I'm also not one of the people complaining about the happy ending. I think it fits fairly well as a final goodbye to the series, though the existence of the timeloop was revealed a little too late for my taste, but that does not influence my review as I still respect the creative decision.

However, story-wise, I consider this to be the weakest out of all rebuild movies. That is for two main reasons.

1. The movie tries to check off every mark, showing all of the old characters we are supposed to remember and referencing original scenes from the series and End of Evangelion eventhough the storyline differs enormously, peaking in an unbevielably cringe implemented mention of the original series' title "Neon Genesis". Doing that, it falls short in the same categories as a lot of western media, most popularly Star Wars with The Force Awakens (or Solo if you will), trying to please the viewer by showing off all old elements one could want. This collage feels more like a cheap trick than heartfelt righting and did not work for me at all.

2. The second half of the movie just tries to include way too much. They lost me at the anti-universe with quantum jumps, which to my knowledge (via googling it) only exists in this movie. Not only does it come out of nowhere and sound extremely cliché (basically any sci-fi movie's explenation for how unexplainable stuff works these days), it also played absolutely no role whatsoever as they quickly transitioned into the inner fictional world that played a much larger role. I get that the in-universe explanation for the inner world is to exist within the anti-universe, but they're just taking unnecessary steps to make it overly complicated. Thus, the second half barely had time to finish its scenes as compared to the first half, resulting in a lot of cuts and quick scenes that might have been phenomenal if shown with more time in mind.

Having said all that, it still was a good movie and I did not feel like my time was wasted. Everything I said, of course, is how I personally felt about the movie, apparently many other fans have liked it a lot considering its current reviews, and I'm happy for you if you did. Maybe to you, this movie was what the 2nd one was to me.

I wanted to think of some kind of smart statement to put here in order to conclude my review, but I couldn't really think of any so instead I'll just cut it off mid-se

***MILD SPOILER***
Gendo vs shinji fight was cancer XD. I guess their budget exhausted b4 the boss fight. However, they did a brilliant move by turning the bad cg as an intentional motive by using studio sets(as a plot of anti-universe/imaginary universe) which was also depicted in the final two episodes of NGE as a theatre stage. I give them points for hiding their mistake in a funny or rather a very smart manner.

It is totally my personal opinion. Ik majority will not agree with me.

Ik it has many flaws (especially minimal character development of Asuka, Misato, Dr Akagi, and Prof. Fuyutsuki. It would ... be more appropriate to watch NGE original to know more about them) but it has all the things which I wanted neon genesis to be rather than the depressing EoE. I personally don't want my protagonist to cry all until the very end of EoE to the point I was fucking frustrated, and still he understood fucking nothing. This clearly depicts the inner demons of Hideaki Anno who had put so much effort in his work(NGE) and still gets shit on by the dumbass hardcore otaku's who are depressed themselves and want others to be depressed as well.

So according to me, the adrenaline rush, the stunning 2D animation, the ost held my attention till the very end which made me care less about the plot holes. Its just like watching a new story. The story had very complicated twists and turns like the Spear of Gaius, the imaginary Lilith, the anti-Universe which would be hard to digest and it is pretty much understandable. However you should know that the motive of this franchise was never the plot of the battle between the ancestral creatures i.e angels vs Evas. It was rather a subplot which drove the main focus on the psychological side of things but I know majority of the people don't want it to be that way. However they needed to do something extraordinary to defeat the purpose of Gendo coz as you know he got 14 years more to think about the perfect implementation of the Human Instrumentality Project without the hindrance of his son and WILLE(ex NERV members). So the rather absurd and miraculous ending was justified according to me.

Moreover this is the Shinji I wanted who actually changed himself and also the lives of others around him and gave them a proper closure as well. I mean if you are a chosen child then you should at least fix things rather than making them more complicated. And in this movie he actually thought this through and understood what others are trying to convey to him. Understanding Asuka is the biggest achievement coz she is the only tsundere and naturally it would be difficult for a guy(who is devoid of human relation from the beginning of the story) to understand the true motive (which was out of genuine care) of a girl who only gave him a bashful treatment from the beginning . However this is only one of the characters I talked about. I personally think that this a complete package of an anime with every genre attached, so according to me watch NGE original to know who the characters really are, and then watch the rebuild.

And about the Mari controversy. Ik we don't have much knowledge about her background but according to me I guess it was perfect. Mari came to Shinji's life just like Yui came to Gendo's life. Did Gendo knew about Yui's past and then came into relationship with her? Obviously, no. Sometimes people just come into your life and change everything. Although it is somewhat hinted to "us" that she knew Shinji ever since he was born(watch the photograph closely given by Professor Fuyutsuki), so she knew all along what Shinji went through decided to stay with him out of genuine care. So she is kinda his girlfriend/mother which is exactly what Shinji needs to get over his PTSD. However this speculation was not focused by Anno coz its not the focal point of the story so it is open to our own speculation. So, I think this portrayal is perfect coz we see the story through Shinji's perspective who doesn't know anything about her other than a person who likes and motivates him from time to time. She is just like the combination of Asuka and Misato (2 favorites), full of pride but with the proper understanding of the situation, totally the things that I like in a character.

And it has one of the most lovable closure <3 <3 .
I couldn't have asked for more.
Thank you Hideaki Anno for the wonderful experience.

Generally, it was a really good film, that indeed does make 3.0 and its universe worthwhile and thus 3.0 watchable. Visually it's an incredibly stunning movie, with beautifully drawn backgrounds and clean animation, which is to be expected of Anno. The same thing goes for the music and sound of the movie, which reuses some music and SFX from the original, adds a lot of brilliant compositions, and newly adds electric music for some fights which were pr cool, at one point the song changed 3 times in a span of one fight, which worked surprisingly well. The main problem with the presentation was the ... horrendous CG, dear god was it awful at points. In some parts of the film, it did blend with the 2D fairly flawlessly, but at others, it just looked dreadful and laughable. The very climax of the movie had a fully CG fight scene, no 2D whatsoever and Jesus christ that was just absolutely awful, especially considering what a crucial scene it was. They also used a 3D render of a real-life actress in one scene, which made sense stylistically but even with that in mind, it looked just terrible. Rebuilds being the Rebuilds, it's a mecha fan's paradise, all fight scenes are absolutely brilliant, genuinely some of the best in the entire genre, it really is a wonder to watch. The worst part of the film is without a doubt the writing, considering 90% of the movie was not written by Anno, so the blame really doesn't go to him, though we should've expected most of it to be average at best. The departure from the very personal story of the originals shows especially, with Evangelion accepting the rebuild identity and making it more of a sprawling epic about gods and spears, which isn't bad per se, but it extremely contrasts what Evangelion is. The worst part about the writing is without a doubt the characters, they will always live in the shadow of their OG counterparts, and 3.0+1.0 really shows that to the fullest. With characters being bland, forgotten about, or simply mismanaged by lazy writing. With the worst case being writers once again casting Rei-Q aside and Asuka getting completely fucked over by them. It did fill a lot of the plotholes previous movies created, but it wasn't too extraordinary. The spotlight of the film goes mainly to Gendo, where for the first time we actually learn something about him. Problem is that the movie leaves a lot unanswered and left for discussion, and some things are completely unexplained with no leads whatsoever. Like the countless NERV and SEELE creations, Mari and the very timeline of the rebuilds. In the end it is a really good movie, that's held down by horrendous CG, several really poorly written characters and mainly having to live in the shadow of its predecessor. In order to not get into spoilers, I'll just say that some of the writing, especially the characters are absolutely awful, especially Asuka being a victim of the writer's butchery.

In conclusion, it's a really good movie with really painful writing at points, that does bring a lot of new to justify its existence and makes all of the rebuilds worth it by ending the franchise on a really good note. The main moral of the story is that Anno did it again and threw the community into a state of a fucking civil war over just two sentences. Even after 20 years, the master is at it again

The perfect conclusion to the Evangelion series while doing things and going places I would have never expected Evangelion to go. The entire story revolves around the consequences of the previous films and how our characters are dealing with the new world on top of their own personal insecurities. The art style of the film varied throughout its run while consistently looking phenomenal, the callbacks to the final two episodes during the train sequence was specifically amazing. Frames from the original series would be recreated in the new art style which was really cool to see (I lost my shit when Asuka woke up and ... her and Shinji were sitting in front of the red ocean). CG was utilized better than most other productions during the final confrontation between Shinji and Gendo as well as the terrifying scenes with giant Rei, it fit well with the theme of fiction blending into reality. As always the soundtrack was phenomenal using tracks from the original series as well as newly composed ones that fit beautifully with every scene that they were in. Every character had an immensely satisfying payoff, Shinji finally found his will to live, Gendo finally opened up to his son, Rei found fulfillment outside of her orders, Asuka literally became a god before getting killed, and Misato's haunting realization that she was more of a mother to Shinji than she ever was to her real son before dying. It also got confirmed that everything that has happened in the rebuild films have been a continuation from the events of the original series/End of Evangelion, which just makes it so much more satisfying to see these characters finally get to end things on their own terms. Overall this was a phenomenal conclusion to the Evangelion series

****SPOILERSSS****



- The most fun I've ever had with a movie, ever. For me, even the "worst" movie is better than a truly boring film, so yeah, I huge plus.
-Fantastic music: been listening to it on repeat for days now.
-Astounding action scenes.
- Flawless color palette, art and pseudo - science bio - mechanical sci - fi stuff that, in Evangelion fashion, SHOULDN'T be taken very seriously.
- Me and my pals screamed every time we saw one of the old characters reappear all grown up. The village segment overall was just heartwarming in general and I loved Rei Q's development, which mirrored that of Rei it's in ... 2.0.
- We were BAMBOOZLED when we saw R. KAJI written on the boy's back, thinking it was the actual Kaji with ll his glory, only to find out it was his SON with MISATO.
- We screamed then as well.
- Goosebump after goosebump after goosebump, with the music fitting perfectly with the visuals.
- I'm weird, so I've always liked Evangelion's Mecha CG. The same is true here, except when it comes to Giant Rei and a part of the Unit 1 VS Unit 13 fight, which were honestly pretty bad.
- I can't yet comment on the story as a whole. "Why did you give it an 8 then??" Great question. That's because, the more I analyze every detail, every line, every scene and every presentation decision it in my mind, the more does wvery story beat excellently fit together like an elaborate puzzle. It is an Anno film, so if you exclude the random sci - fi religion science shit the symbolism is amazing, the themes are amazing and (almost) every little detail makes and is there for a reason.

For example: You know why the DSS choker remained on Shinji's neck till the very end? It was so Mari could remove it. What does that symbolize? Mari removing all burdens that still are on Shinji's back. Both practically and metaphorically, as she literally "breaks" the never ending cycle (cycle - circle - DSS choker) Shinji has been stuck in, the "Curse of Evangelion", if you please. Now, for the first time, he is free to move on. He has said Goodbye, both practically to "All Evangelions" and, once again, metaphorically, to "All of Evangelions" (both being promotional lines for the movie)... We should do the same as well, just like Anno has.

Just a small example of the implications and multi - faceted meaning of a single action, which in the beginning seem nonsensical (like, if all Evangelions and their implications are gone, why does the DSS choker still exist?), but in retrospect and after requiring the viewer to think, are completely in - line thematically with the show and would make any English teacher question their existence.

One more thing I would like to say about the story: I love how they handled Gendo and I like him much more as a result. All his trauma was uncovered - End of Evangelion style - and his true intentions have finally been uncovered.

That is, he didn't selfishly wish to "kill" everyone so he can reunite with his wife. What he wanted to do from the very beginning was "Slay God", AKA, as laid - out clearly in the movie, kill Yui and finally let her rest by putting her out of her misery and the limbo she was eternally stuck in. Quite a pure and selfless cause, even though the means to said cause still remain super wrong. I wonder if he planned all of this from the beginning?

I could go on all day (about where Rei II may have actually resided all this time, the answer to which may have to do with how she has aged between 2.0 and 3.0 + 1.0, as her hair is longer, contrary to Yui, etc.) and I still haven't even found out all of the answers myself. I expect I will be able to though, even though it may take a few years (I'm especially interested in the Shinkanami line of pilots and their hidden meaning but thematically and in terms of plot.)

As for the ending, what a ride it was. The stakes are maximized, the Unit 1 VS Unit 13 fight was genius, over the top and extremely exciting, with Shinji physically fighting Gendo, who, as we find out was pretty much Shinji with glasses when he has his son's age. All of Shinji's battle moves are mirrored by his father. It's as if he's metaphorically fighting against his own self... And the moment their weapons are lowered and they finally begin to extensively talk (Shinji VS Gendo... Son VS Father... Shinji VS himself), for the first time in the franchise's history, that is, that's when the story begins to conclude.

From that point and on, I loved how Shinji actually sent everyone back and saved them. The way the movie broke the 4th wall was, I believe, perhaps even handled better than EoE. I had already almost cried once before, but when solid parallels started being drawn between NGE and the Rebuilds, that's when I lost it, only to be greeted with a closing scene I'll remember forever. With the excellent One Last Kiss playing in the background, Evangelion has reached its final Conclusion.

Needless to say I stayed through all of the credits. This was truly a ride and as I've already said there will never be ANYTHING else like Evangelion. Even if I joined the Eva club late back in 2019, my excitement for this movie was immeasurable and I simply can't believe it's over. More Evangelion may come, but under new leadership it will NEVER be the same, but Mr. Anno is deserving of a long, long break.

So yeah, Goodbye and Thank you All of Evangelion. Thank You 3.0 + 1.0 for doing the impossible and concluding this 26 - year - old journey.





(They did Asuka kinda dirty tho in the end not gonna lie)

Story

i defintiely did not expect an easy to follow story since the last of the third movie. Come on, it is Evangelion. There are plenty of twists and turns in this movie and the terminology is not easy to grasp the first time around, but after watching the original series and End of Evangelion, the story of this movie doesn't feel very original and is more like fan fiction. I am a big fan of the original series and cosnider it the best anime of all time. A lof ot factors that make the original series so memorable are absent in this movie. This ... is a long movie and the first half has a lot of pacing problems. I found the mecha battles to be mostly boring and it is only towards the end of the movie, do we get the most interesting scenes.

Art

The 2d animation is crisp for the most part but not a big fan of the 3d cg. It stands out like a sore thumb.

Sound

Pretty good, wished they used more tracks from the original series.

Character

The biggest strength of the original series is the well written characters. They had so much depth and were very realistic. Unfortunately that is not the case here. For the sake of brevity, the characters are reduced to one note versions of their previous incarnations. Shinji is depressed, but there are little to no scenes exploring his complicated emotions with others. Asuka was done the biggest disservice from the original series. Like Shinji, they took away a lot of the depth of her character. Mari feels almost completely shoehorned into the series.

Enjoyment

Neon genesis evangelion and end of evangelion are my favorite animes of all time. I did not expect realistic traumatic well written chracters, let alone multiple ones in an animated show. It shows how dark and depressing life can be, but in the end it also shows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A very "human" experience. I was exicted about the rebuilds because I wanted more evangelion after watching the original series. The rebuilds have better animation, but lacked the depth and heart of the originals. This movie concludes the rebuilds and it feels more like fan fiction. I found the dark and depressing themes of the original to the most intruguing part of it. After all the twists and turns of the original, I was not too surprised with this movie. The mecha battles were a chore to sit through.

Overall

It comes as no suprise that I consider this movie and the rebuilds to be vastly inferior to the originals. The production values are good, but at the end of the day, this movie feels like fan fiction. It is still mildly entertaining and still better written than plenty of anime these days though. If you liked the mecha battles but disliked the introspective depressing scenes of the originals, this might be the movie for you.