Back in March of 2007 I first wrote about the Rebuild of Evangelion project that was being produced by Studio Khara in partnership with Gainax. Part 1 of Rebuild was released September 1st, 2007 in Japan and will hopefully make it’s way to American audiences on DVD soon. Through the magic of the Internets, we’re now getting our first glimpses of this re-imagining and re-editing of the cult-hit anime.
Evidently those industrious techno-nerds at NERV have been busy upgrading the Magi’s defense software to the latest versions of Mac OS X. The screen grab in question clearly shows Misato presiding over a giant OS X loading cursor while Shinji’s reserve battery power dwindles in his battle with Shamshel. I always knew Misato was at the top of her game, and this proves it! All kidding aside, the new version looks very slick and compelling.
It’s easy to see from this simple clip that the entire look of the series has been improved tremendously. With luck, the new visuals, faster pace and re-worked ending could make Rebuild worthy of the original Evangelion and introduce this classic anime series to a whole new legion of fans.
Back in March I wrote about Gainax’s upcoming retelling of the cult hit anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. This 4 film series will be hitting theaters in Japan this September, and someone has caught the official trailer YouTubed it. Look beyond the the covert, camcorder quality and Eva fans will see some all-new shots that are sure to shock and awe. I especially love the apparent new CGI-ish fifth Angel, Ramiel. Check it out here.
Update:Being the good friend that he is, Talos has cued me into where you can pre-order some of the toys from the new Eva movies. Eva Unit Zero’s new paint scheme is neat, as is the all new Eva 01 Type-F. It feels like 1996 all over again!
2006 marked the 10th anniversary of Gainax’s landmark anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion and with it, the series’ enduring popularity shows no signs of slowing. To this day the series generates millions of dollars in revenue and is seen again and again on DVD and Japanese TV.
Although a new live action version of the series was announced in 2003 by ADV Films, many fans are unsure about the production values and changes to the storyline that have been rumored to have taken place. But in September of 2006 Gainax confirmed that a new animated film series dubbed Rebuild of Evangelion is indeed in production. The series of four movies is slated for initial release in September of 2007 and has heavy involvement from the series’ creator Hideaki Anno.
According to Wikipedia the first three of these new movies will feature an alternate retelling of the TV series, including new scenes, settings, backgrounds and characters. The official Japanese website features a cryptic trailer for Rebuild of Evangelion and hints at new evas as well. Reportedly the fourth film installment will feature an all new conclusion to the storyline that fans were originally so upset with. Instead of wrapping up the series, the release of The End of Evangelion only served to feed the fan’s hunger for all things Eva.
As one of those huge fans of the series, I’ll be looking forward to this new release and keeping my finger’s crossed that they can re-create the magic and drama that made the original so great. Stay tuned!
