Produced by Gainax, Shin Seiki Evangelion ("New Century Evangelion" premiered on Japanese television on 4 Oct. 1995. It was preceded by a manga version drawn by the show's character designer, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, and published in Shonen Ace. The TV series ran for 26 episodes. It became hugely popular and won awards in 1996 and 1997. When it first appeared it was directed towards a more mature audience, and no merchandising was planned for the series. Following its huge popularity, there is a ton of merchandise now available.
(From http://mywebpages.comcast.net/juzzam1/NGEEoE.htm)
Evangelion is the ultimate in giant mecha shows. When it first appeared in Japan as a 26 episode TV series, it was slotted into a weekday evening time slot, one that is usually reserved for general audience TV shows, rather than the usual kiddy fare time slot. At the time it was first produced, no one expected it to be such a huge hit. And considering their target audience was expected to be older, Gainax initially had no plans for merchandising Evangelion toys.
Over the course of the initial 24 episodes, the teenagers, Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and Toji, met and defeated the giant monsters that came from who knew where, often at great personal cost. Around episode 14 or so, the series seriously veered into an introspective mode, examining the motives and psychology of the NERV personnel. The angels started to retreat into the back ground.
Then episodes 25 and 26 of the TV series came along, wrapping up the series. Rumors had it that Gainax ran out of time and money to produce a proper concluding end, and instead slapped together a cheesy, introspective analysis of Shinji and other characters, illustrated primarily with clips from past shows, and still art, while the voice of Shinji and others narrated their thoughts and feelings. It was said that this introspective look was an analogy for Third Impact. The TV series ends with the troubled Shinji finding a sense of self worth for himself. In all, many fans considered the final ending to be a huge disappointment. Hideaki Anno, the author, was even said to have received death threats from fans. It was decided to produce a new ending, made for theatrical release, which would free Gainax from the criticisms of the PTA and other morality groups in Japan who didn't like the tack that the TV show had been taking. This would free Hideako up to push the envelope like it had never been pushed before.
The first theatrical release was actually two movies, Death of Evangelion and Rebirth of Evangelion. They were released together. Death was a clip show of the first 24 TV episodes with some new, previously unreleased material spliced in. Rebirth then begins the actual new movie material. It starts with NERV personnel wondering if they were going to be laid off or reassigned now that the last angel was destroyed, and ends with them wondering if they were going to survive the attack by Japan's defense forces, while a just woken up and seriously p.o.'d Asuka is guiding Unit-02 into a fight against said forces (who in a very cooperative manner fly their Hellfire missile equipped helicopters close enough to Unit-02 that Asuka can take them out with simple martial arts). Then when End of Evangelion came out several months later, it replayed this first half of the movie, now redubbed as Air and as the 25th episode, and then, after an intermission, played the second half, which is labeled as episode 26, and is named Pure Heart.
Rei, nude, unconcerned.The thing that is different about Evangelion, compared with just about any other heroic action show, is the way Hideaki Anno takes the whole genre, and turns it onto its ear...and makes it work. Your typical show has a tall, good looking heroic type, willing to risk his (or her) life in the fight to save the world? Well this series has a whiney 14 year old who would rather be anywhere else, and is only doing the hero-schtick because he is too much of a good kid (or wimp) to ever think of doing anything except what he is told to do. Heroic co-stars? Try a red-headed rhymes-with-witch who is looking for love in the wrong places while alienating the ones who could be her real friends. Or a blue-haired, pink-eyed girl who MIGHT be half-human! One major support character seriously over-imbibes in alcohol on a regular basis, to help deal with her own post-traumatic stress disorder. The list goes on. One by one, we learn how all of our characters have major faults. The one character who actually might have his head screwed on right is Kaji, who is a sneaking spy and womanizer...but for all the right motives!
Also a typical heroic series has huge and ugly monsters to fight against. Well, in this series, the angels as monsters start fading into the background, as you slowly begin to learn who the true monsters are. Save the world? Heck, let's destroy it instead. Its more fun that way. Hideaki certainly took some chances with this one, and that's why it succeeds in grabbing the imagination. So let's analyze some of the elements of End of Evangelion. Anyone with additional interesting insights, please email me, and if I agree, I'll put them in (assuming they fit).
I have the comic books. I like the way the charactors are drawn and the way the pages were laid. Brilliant.
