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The End of Evangelion Movie

The End of Evangelion is a film based on the Evangelion series that acts as a retelling of the final two episodes of the original series. It is divided into two halves called "25'" and "26'", alluding to the fact that these halves are an alternate version of episodes 25 and 26. The first half of The End of Evangelion is essentially the last 25 minutes of the previous Evangelion film release, Death and Rebirth , though there are some minor details that have been changed.

Compared to the original ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion, None , The End of Evangelion is arguably the more realistic of the two, though it still contains more than its fair share of philosophy, psychology, and existentialism. This film was originally released on July 19, 1997, in Japan. Much of the cast and crew returned to create this film, though the 25th episode was directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki. Today, it is recognized as a film of remarkable quality, ranking highly in several lists of "the best animated films of all time," such as TimeOut's "The 100 Best Anime Films Ever Made," where The End of Evangelion ranks number 65.

Development and controversy

After the strange and unorthodox finale of Neon Genesis Evangelion , many fans and critics were either confused or disappointed. This led to Studio GAINAX finally greenlighting a film project that was supposed to have a full ending but was halted due to time and budget constraints. As a result, two films ended up being made, the first being Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and the second being The End of Evangelion . Splitting the full ending into multiple parts angered a number of fans, some of whom took perhaps extreme measures. After the release of Death and Rebirth , GAINAX and director Hideaki Anai received letters and emails from journalists containing harsh criticism and, in some cases, death threats. Meanwhile, the Gainax office itself was vandalized with red graffiti. Photos of the letters and vandalism were taken and used in The End of Evangelion (although some of the letters actually included praise for Anno and Death and Rebirth None

Summary

The end of Evangelion takes place immediately after the events of Episode 24. None Shinji is completely lost in life and has no idea what to do or where to go. Asuka is in an unresponsive state, having just killed Kaworu , and is too afraid to show his face to Roi or Misato . SEELE aims to initiate the Human Instrumentation Project using Evangelion Unit 01. None Gendo Ikari refuses to give them the unit, and SEELE launches a full assault on NERV, starting with a digital attack on Magi, then a physical attack on the facility. Asuka begins fighting against the military force attacking NERV in Evangelion Unit 02 , but they manage to cut her power cord, giving her a limited amount of energy to work with. Mass-production Eva units are also deployed to Asuka's area, giving her a group of new enemies to face. However, they prove too numerous and Asuka is defeated, while Evangelion Unit 02 is horribly mutilated just in time for Shinji to find her.

The Mass Production Eva units begin the ceremony to begin Third Impact using Evangelion Unit 01 and Shinji. A massive explosion reveals that NERV HQ is located inside Lilith's Black Moon, which begins to float in the sky and become part of the ritual. Rei merges with Adam andLilith . This Rei-Adam-Lilith being begins to grow at an incredible speed and can apparently phase through matter. Third Impact continues, and life begins to merge into a single entity. A psychological, dreamlike conversation begins between Shinji and various characters, namely Rei. She says that this world where everyone is part of the same being is what Shinji wished for, but he says it's not quite what he wanted. A Kaworu figure asks him if he really wants a world where people can hurt each other to exist, to which Shinji agrees. Eva-01 reactivates and passes through the giant fused being, and the Black Moon begins to shatter, releasing all the souls that were already collected. Shinji is able to say a final goodbye to his mother in Evangelion Unit 01 before reappearing from a sea of LCLs. Afterward, Shinji and Asuka are seen lying next to each other on the nearby beach. Shinji sits up and begins to strangle Asuka, who does not struggle, but instead places a hand on his cheek. Shinji loosens his grip and begins to sob as Asuka utters the final line of the film: "Disgusting."