Visuals: 9/10
The other big story here is the visual upgrade, which varies between being very good and utterly spectacular. This movie take full advantage of CG animation, from depicting the EVA movements, to towering skyscrapers, and animating moving crowds in the background, while it is generally smooth looking, upon closer inspection, some scenes appear stiff. The characters, as was the problem in the first movie, while improved, aren’t completely refined, however, the reimagining of the angels are nothing short of amazing, truly mind blowing animation. Even the dummy system gets a stunningly frightening upgrade. Perhaps surpassing the original, the amount of gore used is impressive, yet not as sickening as other ultraviolent series such as elfen lied. Collateral damage to building and landscape are on a massive scale, with incredible detail, preserving every bit of the originals intensity in picture perfect quality. Despite being rated 15, there is a plentiful amount of fan service, satisfying to a T; even Asuka has her own version of Shinji’s nude scene from episode 2 of the series! Later scenes include more defined fan service, like what was seen in ‘end of Evangelion’, while some of the religious symbolism remain much more inconspicuous than the original, they are present nonetheless.
Music: 9/10
The music for this masterpiece is also particularly…interesting. Shiro Sagisu, the director of all the music in Evangelion, (also well known for the soundtrack of bleach) borrowed some music from the original series, revamped them, as well as creating new ones. 2 combat scenes are set to heavily dramatic music back to Latin sounding vocals, while the most brutal and grotesque are set to a gentle, vocalised children’s song, paradoxically, adding to the horror unfolding in front of your eyes. It is this incongruence that sets this movie above the rest, blowing most of the completion out of the water in my opinion. In conclusion, while the choice of music is unique to say the least, it is this that makes this movie great and a must see for any anime enthusiast.
Characters: 8/10
Changed, to say the least. While most of them still have their own issues with bonding with others their attitude has morphed the characters into something entirely different. From the get-go, Asuka is less bratty than the original, although she is more anti-social. Furthermore she doesn’t bat an eye at Kaji, someone who she constantly mooned over in the series. Rei also appears more caring, and sociable than the original, even at the infamous elevator scene, her reaction carries weight on her change from the series. Misato hasn’t changed, which I think is for the better. Amongst these minor adjustments, the intro of a new pilot is easily the boldest addition, whose cheerful and outgoing attitude cuts a chasm in the established image of the rest of the pilots, showing such a contrast was to probably shake up the viewer, she played a big part in two main fight scenes, but her screen time was short, leaving us unclear about her motives. Despite this, she is breath of fresh air that the story needed get us biting our nail, anxiously awaiting the next film.
Story: 10/10
I’m not going to elaborate that much on the story for Evangelion, for I don’t think I should ruin it for fans. As expected, it runs though episodes 8-19ish, reinterpreting certain scenes. The story is meaningful, and leaves you begging for more, the script is perfect and logical, with some touching scenes, violent, gory, perverted, and downright brilliant. As previously mentioned, the story undergoes twists and turns, but none so dramatic that it leaves you confused, unless you have watched the series and are in the process of trying to piece together what is happening , it isn’t overly complicated. It does however leave some things out, and doesn’t go into that much detail, unlike the original, but it doesn’t have to add unnecessary detail to random scenes, everything is concise, well explained and brief. Overall, the story was, by itself, exhilarating, my favourite anime movie of all time and a must see for anyone…who doesn’t mind the occasional blood and guts. The ending was a bit dragonball Z like…
BUT THAT’S OK!
Overall
The best anime movie ever! There are others sure, but it’s my honest opinion. Superb graphics combined with an excellent story make this a true work of art. Just the right amount of everything, fan service, content, design, thought, etc. will make you want to save it on to a disk and start giving it to people in the street. I haven’t done that though… sure there are some things that fans didn’t like, but the amount of sheer enjoyment you can get out of this movie overwhelms all the mistakes (few and far between).
Watch this, you won’t regret it!
