Rebuild of Evangelion
Encyclopedia
Rebuild of Evangelion, known in Japan as , is a Japanese animated film series and a remake
of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion
series. It is being produced by Studio Khara
and KlockWorx in partnership with Gainax
. Hideaki Anno
is writing the films and also serves as general director and manager for the entire project, with Kazuya Tsurumaki
and Masayuki directing the films themselves. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
, Ikuto Yamashita
, and Shirō Sagisu
are returning to provide character designs, mechanical designs, and music respectively.
The intention is for the series to be four films, a tetralogy
, with the first three films providing new scenes, settings, and characters as well as newly available 3D CG animation
and the fourth presenting a completely new conclusion to the story. Another stated intention of the series is for it to be more accessible to non-fans than the original TV series and films were.
The concept of , which roughly corresponds to "beginning", "middle", and "end", originated in classical gagaku
music and is best known to describe the acts of a noh play. In lieu of the traditional classification, the production team has chosen to represent with the Roman letter Q, for "quickening."
The film titles, in contrast to the normal katakana
spelling of , replace the and characters with the obsolete character and the infrequently used katakana , respectively. The change is purely a stylistic one, as there is no change in pronunciation and all appearances of the Latin spelling of "Evangelion" remain the same.
As was done with episode titles in the original series, each film has an original Japanese title and a separate international title in English picked out by the Japanese studio itself.
film, the animated Re: Cutie Honey
OVA
, assistance with other projects, and even a few movie roles). This included watching the entire original series back-to-back. In the December 2006 issue of Newtype, Anno revealed he was happy to finally recreate Eva "as he wanted it to be" in the beginning and that he was no longer constrained by technological and budget limitations.
The release schedule for the Rebuild movies has been subject to many delays, with the first film
pushed from its original "summer 2007" release date to September 1, 2007, and the second film's release date shifted from January 2008 to December 2008, then finally to "early summer 2009" (June 27, 2009). The third film, Evangelion 3.0: Quickening, initially announced as a simultaneous release with Evangelion: Final in "summer 2008," was first previewed in a post-credits trailer following the second film, with a tentative release date of "Fall 2012" announced after the second film's television broadcast in August 2011.
: The statement by Hideaki Anno and the bulletin movie Anime News Network: Translation of Anno's statement
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion
, commonly referred to as Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful Japanese anime series that began airing in October 1995. The series was highly influential, and launched the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It garnered several major animation awards...
series. It is being produced by Studio Khara
Studio Khara
is a Japanese anime production company best known for its work on the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy of films in conjunction with Gainax; is the primary animation production studio for the films. It was founded by Hideaki Anno in May, 2006, and was first mentioned publicly on 1 August when...
and KlockWorx in partnership with Gainax
Gainax
is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...
. Hideaki Anno
Hideaki Anno
is a Japanese animation and film director. Anno is best known for his work on the popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. His style has come to be defined by the touches of postmodernism that he injects into his work, as well as the thorough portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotions,...
is writing the films and also serves as general director and manager for the entire project, with Kazuya Tsurumaki
Kazuya Tsurumaki
Kazuya Tsurumaki is a Japanese anime director. He was born on February 2, 1966 in the city of Gosen, located in the Niigata Prefecture.He is the protegé of Hideaki Anno, and a longtime animator at Gainax...
and Masayuki directing the films themselves. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
is a Japanese character designer, manga artist, and one of the founding members of the Gainax anime studio. Before the studio was founded under the official name , he served as animator on the second animated project, the Daicon IV opening animation...
, Ikuto Yamashita
Ikuto Yamashita
is a Japanese male manga artist and designer.-Overview:Yamashita was born in the Gifu Prefecture and is a graduate of the Nagoya University Of Arts....
, and Shirō Sagisu
Shiro Sagisu
is a well-known Japanese music producer and composer. With a career spanning over 25 years , he is best known for his work as a record producer for acts including Misia, Satoshi Tomiie, and Ken Hirai...
are returning to provide character designs, mechanical designs, and music respectively.
The intention is for the series to be four films, a tetralogy
Tetralogy
A tetralogy is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works, just as a trilogy is made up of three works....
, with the first three films providing new scenes, settings, and characters as well as newly available 3D CG animation
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
and the fourth presenting a completely new conclusion to the story. Another stated intention of the series is for it to be more accessible to non-fans than the original TV series and films were.
Titles
| Episode | Release date in Japan | Initial running time |
|---|---|---|
| September 1, 2007 | 98 minutes |
|
| June 27, 2009 | 108 minutes | |
| Fall 2012 To be shown alongside Evangelion: Final |
TBA | |
| Fall 2012 To be shown alongside Evangelion: 3.0 |
TBA |
The concept of , which roughly corresponds to "beginning", "middle", and "end", originated in classical gagaku
Gagaku
Gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial Court in Kyoto for several centuries. It consists of three primary repertoires:#Native Shinto religious music and folk songs and dance, called kuniburi no utamai...
music and is best known to describe the acts of a noh play. In lieu of the traditional classification, the production team has chosen to represent with the Roman letter Q, for "quickening."
The film titles, in contrast to the normal katakana
Katakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
spelling of , replace the and characters with the obsolete character and the infrequently used katakana , respectively. The change is purely a stylistic one, as there is no change in pronunciation and all appearances of the Latin spelling of "Evangelion" remain the same.
As was done with episode titles in the original series, each film has an original Japanese title and a separate international title in English picked out by the Japanese studio itself.
Production
Work on Rebuild of Evangelion initially began in the autumn of 2002, with Hideaki Anno himself spending nearly six months on pre-production before being delayed by various other projects (the live action Cutie HoneyCutie Honey (film)
is a 2004 Japanese tokusatsu film adaptation, produced by Gainax, of the 1970s manga and anime series Cutie Honey.The film stars popular Japanese model Eriko Sato as the hyperactive Honey. Directed by Hideaki Anno, the film loosely retells the classic story of Cutie Honey's battle to defend...
film, the animated Re: Cutie Honey
Re: Cutie Honey
is a three-episode OVA series based on the 2004 tokusatsu film Cutie Honey, both being adaptations of the 1970s manga written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The series was co-produced with Gainax and Toei Animation, directed by Hideaki Anno, and shown on the Animax satellite television network in...
OVA
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
, assistance with other projects, and even a few movie roles). This included watching the entire original series back-to-back. In the December 2006 issue of Newtype, Anno revealed he was happy to finally recreate Eva "as he wanted it to be" in the beginning and that he was no longer constrained by technological and budget limitations.
The release schedule for the Rebuild movies has been subject to many delays, with the first film
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
is a 2007 Japanese animated film written and chief directed by Hideaki Anno. It is the first of four films released in the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy based on the original anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. It was produced and co-distributed by Anno's Studio Khara in partnership with Gainax...
pushed from its original "summer 2007" release date to September 1, 2007, and the second film's release date shifted from January 2008 to December 2008, then finally to "early summer 2009" (June 27, 2009). The third film, Evangelion 3.0: Quickening, initially announced as a simultaneous release with Evangelion: Final in "summer 2008," was first previewed in a post-credits trailer following the second film, with a tentative release date of "Fall 2012" announced after the second film's television broadcast in August 2011.
See also
- GainaxGainaxis a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- The End of EvangelionThe End of Evangelionis a 1997 Japanese animated science fiction film written and directed by Hideaki Anno along with Kazuya Tsurumaki; it ended the anime releases in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise until the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy remakes were announced in 2006....
External links
Rebuild of Evangelion website Yahoo! JapanYahoo! Japan
is a Japanese internet company formed as a joint venture between the American internet company Yahoo! and the Japanese internet company SoftBank. It is headquartered at Midtown Tower in the Tokyo Midtown complex in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo.-History:...
: The statement by Hideaki Anno and the bulletin movie Anime News Network: Translation of Anno's statement