Anime Review: Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone

GENRE: Mech



CREATOR/STUDIO: Hideaki Anno/Gainax




DISTRIBUTOR: FUNimation



RUNNING TIME: 1 hour, 38 minutes



SUGGESTED AGE: 17+



MY RATING: 10/10



SUMMARY: This is the first part in a four-part reboot of Hideaki Anno's masterpiece Neon Genesis Evangelion. While the story is still basically the same, many details have been changed. This part focuses on the first six episodes of the TV series.



REVIEW: When Hideaki Anno originally created Neon Genesis Evangelion it reflected his state of mind. He was fighting fits of depression, which made the story very dark. He even lashed out at the fans when they said they didn't like the ending, leading to End of Evangelion. Thanks to some therapy (and a marriage) , Anno has decided to reinvent his classic series, this time with a more stable frame of mind. Just don't expect sunshine and roses. It wouldn't be Evangelion without some angst.



The animation is done on a bigger budget than the TV series, and it shows. Not that it was bad before, far from it. But it looks even better with the usage of current technology, particularly in the battles.



While some details are the same, it should be noted that the story is more optimistic. Misato is perhaps the biggest change I noticed. She is much kinder to Shinji this time and seems more motherly. Sure, she'll still admonish him when he gets out of line, but she clearly sympathizes with him.



This is a great start and I'm eager to see what other changes are made.If you liked the original and are curious to see what's being done, I'm sure you'll enjoy this too.



SUB/DUB: I only watched the dub, but I liked it.



MUSIC/SCORE: Very good, just like the original's.



VIOLENCE: (8/10) It's still as graphic as the original.



NUDITY: (2/10) We see the same shower scene with Shinji and Pen-pen again.



RELIGION: (9/10) The enemies are angels and they still turn into crosses when they explode. Despite the more optimistic feel, there is still a nearly blasphemous treatment of Christianity.



SEXUALITY: (1/10) Some frank sexual humor.



RELATED MEDIA: There is the original series, a manga, and the original movies. There are two more parts to Rebuild available, and I will be reviewing Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance next year.
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