Neon Genesis Evangelion

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ajim

ajim

Member
I've been interested in jumping in to Evangelion for the longest time (since my high school days - I'm certain I have seen about 19 episodes, but not sure of the order from back then), but it has always seemed a bit daunting with all the releases, re-releases, movies, remakes etc. I seriously have NO idea where to begin and where to go to see it all.

Would anyone mind listing where to start and which order to watch everything in?

I know theres a whole lot of 'my mind is full of fuck' moments, but I'm looking forward to it.

Help a bro out.
 
Chuckie

Chuckie

Member
Episodes 1-26. then End of Evangelion, then you are pretty much done.

You could view the 'remake' after that, but they just released 3.0 in Japan, so it will take a while before all 4 are available in the west.
 
D

Danj

Member
My personal opinion is that so far, the Rebuild of Evangelion movies are an improvement over the original series. However I'm sure there are lots of people out there who don't agree, plus the Rebuild series isn't finished yet.

If you want to watch something that has (some kind of) an ending then you should probably start with the original TV series. Mind you, if you don't already own a set or two on DVD then I'm not sure how you'd go about doing that legally as it was licensed by the now-defunct ADV Films. Maybe try ebay?
 
N

Nibel

Member
Uhm, you could start with the anime, but the thing with the anime is that it has a really weird and in my opinion unsatisfying ending.

The new Evangelion movies pretty much sum up the anime with new characters etc. and I can recommend them, but man it took so long for Evangelion 3 and I'm not sure if I'll see Evangelion 4 if they stick to their pace :lol
I'm no expert, but I think it's better to watch the Evangelion movies than the anime..

But all in all great, great anime, I love it
 
S

Salvor.Hardin

Banned
I too am interested in this thread. I saw like 20 episodes of the original series and I've been kind of putting off finishing all 26.

How many movies are there?

And what's up with Evangelion 3.0/4.0?
 
Chuckie

Chuckie

Member
Salvor.Hardin said:
I too am interested in this thread. I saw like 20 episodes of the original series and I've been kind of putting off finishing all 26.

How many movies are there?

And what's up with Evangelion 3.0/4.0?
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Well the rebuild consists of 4 movies (of which 3.0 and 4.0 are..the third and fourth :p)
 
P

Pop-O-Matic

Banned
Rebuild of Evangelion 1.11 is a good place to start, since it is basically the first 6 episodes of the original series condensed down to movie form with minor changes. If it hooks you, then go and check out the TV series, followed by the End of Evangelion, a rewatch of 1.11 and then the rest of the Rebuild movies.

Salvor.Hardin said:
So the rebuild is kind of retelling the story of the 26 episodes? Or does it move ahead of those 26 episodes.
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1.11 sets itself up as this, but 2.22 goes insanely off the rails, and by 3.0 it barely resembles the plot of the TV series.
 
R

Replicant

Member
Episode 1-24 THEN jump immediately to End of Evangelion.

Don't bother with episode 25-26 just yet until you've seen EoE. Otherwise you'll just get confused.
 
ajim

ajim

Member
See - the thread still seems confusing. No real definitive answers. lol.

What are the remakes? And all the separate movies? 1.11? 2.22?

Episode 1-24 THEN jump immediately to End of Evangelion.

Don't bother with episode 25-26 just yet until you've seen EoE. Otherwise you'll just get confused.
Click to expand...
So after EoV go back to 25-26?
 
S

Salvor.Hardin

Banned
Replicant said:
Episode 1-24 THEN jump immediately to End of Evangelion.

Don't bother with episode 25-26 just yet until you've seen EoE. Otherwise you'll just get confused.
Click to expand...

Were episodes 25 and 26 released after EoE? I usually prefer watching shows and movies in order of release as it best encapsulates the intention of the creator. Is that not the case here?
 
P

patapuf

Member
i haven't seen the new stuff but watching the originial 26 episodes + the end of evangelion movie gives a pretty satisfying experience and things even makes sense (as much as it can in eva).
 
Chuckie

Chuckie

Member
Salvor.Hardin said:
So the rebuild is kind of retelling the story of the 26 episodes? Or does it move ahead of those 26 episodes.
Click to expand...

As far I can see, it begins the same but then starts moving away from it. I have only seen 2 so I cannot tell you more.

ajim said:
See - the thread still seems confusing. No real definitive answers. lol.

What are the remakes? And all the separate movies? 1.11? 2.22?


So after EoV go back to 25-26?
Click to expand...

There are no defenitive answers. Although I kind of agree with the person who said to watch 1-24 and then End of Evangelion. The original ending is rather confusing and for me personally not satisgying.

Salvor.Hardin said:
Were episodes 25 and 26 released after EoE?
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No before. End of Evangelion is just a more satisfying ending (for me that is)
 
R

Risette

A Good Citizen
Anybody who tells you to start with the Rebuilds is just being mean, because they're awful movies.

Watch 1-26 + EoE. Stop there.
 
T

Trent Strong

Banned
It was just about time for another one of these threads. Watch the original series and End of Evangelion. Don't skip the last two episodes.
 
Chuckie

Chuckie

Member
ajim said:
What are the remakes? And all the separate movies? 1.11? 2.22?
Click to expand...

The remakes are called Evangelion 1.0, 2.0 etc. IIRC correctly the DVD is 1.01 and the Blu Ray is 1.11. Same movie though. Considering you will probably watch them on Blu-ray you should look for 1.11 and 2.22
 
K

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
Replicant said:
Episode 1-24 THEN jump immediately to End of Evangelion.

Don't bother with episode 25-26 just yet until you've seen EoE. Otherwise you'll just get confused.
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Strongly disagree. The initial confusion and weirdness is part of the appeal.
Watch episodes 1-20, 21'-24' (director's cut episodes), 25-26, and then The End of Evangelion.
 
P

Pop-O-Matic

Banned
Tence said:
The remakes are called Evangelion 1.0, 2.0 etc. IIRC correctly the DVD is 1.01 and the Blu Ray is 1.11. Same movie though. Considering you will probably watch them on Blu-ray you should look for 1.11 and 2.22
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1.01 was the original DVD release of the first Rebuild movie, but the colors were too dark on it, so they re-released it as 1.11.

Also, as a quick addendum to my earlier suggestion: Don't skip the first 6 episodes of the TV series just because you watched 1.11. There are still enough changes between those episodes and the movie that they should still be watched.
 
Jex

Jex

Member
There's a variety of divergent opinions in this thread about where to start with this franchise. I think many of you are overcomplicating the issue.

It's fairly reasonable to just move through everything in chronological order. Start with the Neon Genesis Evangelion television series and watch that. You should watch whatever the final remaster is called, Platinum edition or some such. Don't do anything like skipping episodes because that denies your the experience that viewers had the first time they watched the show way back in 1995. It would be bizarre to press on to the End of Evangelion movie without those feelings and experiences in mind.

So it's pretty simple - TV series + End of Evangelion. That introduced due to the franchise in it's entirely from the 90's.

Once you've done that you, if you wish, seek out the Rebuild series of movies which are a re-telling/different interpretation/whatever of the same concept. It makes sense to view these last because they're their own separate continuity (and because they're inferior to the original product). It doesn't help that they aren't finished yet.
 
D

dragonlife

Member
I'm actually rewatching my Platinum Collection DVDs as we speak. Already up to episode 15. Been a few years. I still need to buy/watch the Rebuild movies.
 
SiteSeer

SiteSeer

Member
just watch everything in order and make up your own mind. don't go skipping all over the place, you'll miss the context in which they were made and maybe lose some of the creator's intention in there. that said i do like eps 25 + 26. they were a catharsis for me when i watched this series, marathoning the last 8 eps in one night ...
everybody congratulating shinji just about felt like they were congratulating me for finishing that emotional roller coaster
. don't skip anything.
 
N

Necromanti

Member
Jexhius said:
fairly reasonable to just move through everything in chronological order. Start with the Neon Genesis Evangelion television series and watch that. You should watch whatever the final remaster is called, Platinum edition or some such. Don't do anything like skipping episodes because that denies your the experience that viewers had the first time they watched the show way back in 1995. It would be bizarre to press on to the End of Evangelion movie without those feelings and experiences in mind.
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Yeah, I feel like the ending to the TV series really made me want to watch End of Evangelion all that more. I don't think I'd want to do the reverse and watch those episodes after I have already seen the movie. There was something satisfying of just wondering what the hell happened, and then watching the movie and watching things unfold again...but then making a lot more sense.
 
F

Forkball

Member
Watch the original series, 1-26. Ignore Death and Rebirth and End of Evangelion. You heard me. Many people enjoy End of Evangelion, but it just feels like fanfiction and cheapens the bold TV series ending. The new movies with the crazy numbers and random subtitles are a remake of the series. The third one just came out, so most Eva fans have only seen the first two. I think they are quite an interesting take on the original series and worth watching if you're a fan, but stick with the original series first.
 
S

sonicmj1

Member
Just watch the series, and then EoE. It's release order, so it's simpler that way.

If you want to move on to the Rebuild stuff afterwards, go for it.
 
G

grumpy

Member
In that order:

Episodes 1 - 26

Death and Rebirth (which is a quick recap of eps 1 - 24 with some new scenes thrown in)
End of Evangelion (episodes 25 & 26 from a different perspective, not an different ending like many seem to think)

Evangelion movies 1.0 & 2.0 (sort of, kind of a remake/reimagining of the first 24 eps... But not really. Will only "work" if you've seen the series & first couple of movies first)

Evangelion 3.0 ... Hell if I know :p

Might seem like a lot of work but trust me, it is worth it.
 
T

Tabris

Member
Weird timing with this thread. I just watched Evangelion 1 to 26 and End of Evangelion over the last 2.5 days.

I love how the more I watch Episode 25 and 26, the more I realize exactly where they occur in EOE.

Here is the order I would recommend watching them:

Evangelion 1 to 20
Evangelion Director's Cut 21 to 26
End of Evangelion (Skip Death & Rebirth, it's just a recap + first half of EOE)

I would wait until the following things are finished which will be around 2-3 years, then do the following:

Read Evangelion Manga 1 to 14 (end? Currently at 13 and heavy in EOE stage. Very close to original but the main difference is the take on the main character. Good different perspective)
Watch Evangelion Rebuild 1 to 4 (By current stage, completely different than Evangelion.
Most likely sequel, but sequel in BSG way.
)
 
T

Tabris

Member
I believe I'm now literally able to map dialogue / scenes to where it begins / ends between Ep 25/26 and EOE.

Like this:

EOE: "Where's my reality? It's where the dream ends"
Episode 26: *theatre scene w/ self realization* "...Congratulations! Thank You!"
EOE: *instrumentality ends, at fields start breaking down, shinji opens his eyes with his body formed in LCL sea* "Ayanami... Where am I?"
 
X

XANDER CAGE

Member
Just watch in the order it was released, and make sure to watch the director's cut TV episodes. Then watch End of Evangelion. Then watch Rebuild if you please, I like it but it's a bit polarizing (gee, a polarizing aspect of Evangelion? Who woulda thunk it).

Don't watch it if you're interested in a straight up good mecha anime, though. It's not really the point of the show and the episodes that are straight up mecha action aren't quite as good. The animation doesn't hold up and the choreography (save one great episode) is... yeah. If you're watching the show because you've heard it's weird/deep/disturbing, you're going to have to wait a while for the payoffs to start rolling in, but it'll be worth it.

Hopefully you have a tolerance for terrible music, though. Some of it is great but there's some real garbage in there, along with some really inconsistent animation. Par for the course for television shows, of course. End of Evangelion is gorgeous, especially the rotoscoped fight scenes and weird avant garde imagery.

Avoid the spin-off shows and video games at all costs. Most of the merchandising is garbage too. I have no idea why such a pessimistic (or at least disturbing) TV show has spawned so many stupid baubles.
 
T

The Return of

Banned
Is there a chance Iwould like the movies if I didn't think the show was good? Well it was okay, but...the praise for the show truthfully amazing me
 
K

kingkitty

Member
I finally finished the original show + the movie a whiles ago, found it enjoyable. I love the english dub for Asuka.

Also saw the two remakes released on dvd so far...the second one is pretty interesting with where they're going...first one is whatever.

Oh yeah, episode 25 and 26 is essential viewing.
It's not that bad as long as you pretend that there are several episodes that follow Shinji's vagina monologues, which End of Evangelion was intended to be.
 
R

Risette

A Good Citizen
BigJiantRobut said:
Do you disagree? End of Evangelion looks way better than the TV series.
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Movies tend to.

You're still wrong, though. Nearly every active talented animator in the 90s worked on the series and it shows -- good animation doesn't "age" (or "not hold up" or whatever nonsense along those lines.) There is also no rotoscoped fight scenes in EoE.
 
E

EVOL 100%

Member
My big bro bought a Rebuild DVD and we were giddy with the prospects of having a nostalgia trip 5 years after we watched the TV series together.

What we saw was, uh, not good. I mean, the TV series wasn't some shining example of modern fiction but damn..
 
X

XANDER CAGE

Member
pizzaroll said:
Movies tend to.
Click to expand...

Sure, that was my point.

pizzaroll said:
You're still wrong, though. Nearly every talented animator in the 90s worked on the series and it shows -- good animation doesn't "age" (or "not hold up" or whatever nonsense along those lines.)
Click to expand...

I love Evangelion but a lot of the animation in the TV series isn't very good. That's not a jab at anybody who worked on it, but even the show's best action scenes aren't as good as anything in the film or some other moments (spoilers for OP, don't read
I'm sure we can both agree that the best animation is Unit 01 walking on all fours
. There are excellent moments, like the iconic end of the fight in Episode 16 (I think it's 16 at least). These aren't knocks against Evangelion's overall quality, it's a television show, and one that had fairly inconsistent and troubled production. A lot of the animation is not so hot. You said it yourself: movies tend to look better. Mecha action isn't really the series' overall forte.

pizzaroll said:
There is also no rotoscoped fight scenes in EoE.
Click to expand...

I was under the impression that a lot of this is. It's extra impressive if it isn't.

Sorry if I'm wrong, I'm just not quite sure what provoked the flippant "lol".
 
R

Risette

A Good Citizen
BigJiantRobut said:
I love Evangelion but a lot of the animation in the TV series isn't very good. That's not a jab at anybody who worked on it, but even the show's"] best action scenes aren't as good as anything in the film or some other moments (spoilers for OP, don't read
I'm sure we can both agree that the best animation is Unit 01 walking on all fours
. There are excellent moments, like the iconic end of the fight in Episode 16 (I think it's 16 at least). These aren't really knocks against Evangelion, it's a television show, and one that had fairly inconsistent and troubled production. A lot of the animation is not so hot.
Click to expand...
Evangelion has an inconsistent cel count but the directors used them wisely. Very, very little of the show actually looks bad. The memorable still moments may have been "cheap" but they were well drawn and effectively utilized by the directors to advance the show.

Most of the standout animation where the aforementioned pool of talented animators worked was in the action scenes and such, yes.

I was under the impression that a lot of this is. It's extra impressive if it isn't.
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It isn't. Bonus.

Same guy who did that moment you spoiler tagged.

Sorry if I'm wrong, I'm just not quite sure what provoked the flippant "lol".
Click to expand...
Being wrong. You are forgiven though.
 
N

NewFresh

Member
BigJiantRobut said:
I was under the impression that a lot of this is. It's extra impressive if it isn't.

Sorry if I'm wrong, I'm just not quite sure what provoked the flippant "lol".
Click to expand...

Mitsuo Iso animated that scene and it was not rotoscoped. it's a testament to his talent that it appears to be so.

Edit: Of course Pizzaroll beat me with the link to the sakuga talk
 
K

Krev

Unconfirmed Member
BigJiantRobut said:
Avoid the spin-off shows and video games at all costs. Most of the merchandising is garbage too. I have no idea why such a pessimistic (or at least disturbing) TV show has spawned so many stupid baubles.
Click to expand...
Disturbing yes, pessimistic? Hell no!
 
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