2015, Japan. Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy, is sent to work for the secret organization NERV, whose mission is to save the Earth from creatures called Angels that destroy all life in their path. The attack of one of them claimed the lives of half the world’s population and caused global climate change. NERV creates specially trained Evangelion robots that must resist the Angels, it is for the sake of controlling one of Shinji’s Evangelions that they are attracted to cooperation. The protection of humanity falls on the boy’s shoulders, but he is not alone – with him is his boss (and part-time guardian) Captain Misato Katsuragi, partners Rei Ayanami and Asuka Lengly Soryu, who also pilot the Evangelions.
How many episodes and movies are there?
The original Neon Genesis Evangelion series that launched the media franchise contains 26 episodes, each averaging 23 minutes, except for 21-24, which are available in two formats: regular (23 minutes) and extended (26-27 minutes). In addition, there are films: “Evangelion: Death and Rebirth”, “The End of Evangelion”, as well as a series of “The New Film Version of Evangelion” (in RuNet these films are known as “rebuilds”): “Evangelion: 1.11 You are (not) alone”, “Evangelion: 2.22 You will (not) pass”, “Evangelion: 3.33 You will (not) fix”, “Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.01 Once upon a time”.
Series and films release order
It is worth starting from the series, which was released in 1995-1996. There are 26 episodes in Neon Genesis Evangelion, but after the release of the 24th, the Gainax studio had problems with financing, so the 25th and 26th episodes came out crumpled and not as originally intended. A year later, in 1997, two films were released: in the spring – “Evangelion: Death”, in the summer – “The End of Evangelion”. The first film was at first a collection of episodes 1-24 with additional details and storylines, but later they decided to add the “Rebirth” part, which describes … the first half of the second film, and it, in fact, replaces the original 25 and 26 episodes, thus, “The End of Evangelion” is an alternative ending to the series and at the same time the original ending, as the directors wanted it to be. It is worth clarifying: “Death and Rebirth” was released already in 1998, after “The End …”, and therefore did not contain practically anything new at the time of release. As for the rebuilds, they rather show an alternative development of events, although the plot is built in the same world and around the same heroes. Rebuilds are numbered sequentially and are directly related to each other, they do not affect the understanding of the series, but it is very difficult to understand them without watching the series itself, so we recommend that you familiarize yourself with them after the main viewing.
For beginners
If you’re watching Evangelion for the first time, you’ll likely find it convenient to watch in this order: episodes 1-24 (in the TV version), End of Evangelion, episodes 25-26. As mentioned above, the last episodes came out, firstly, not the way the directors intended them, and secondly, psychedelic and incomprehensible, since they mainly contained scenes that had been abandoned earlier and raw developments. These episodes can really be misleading about character development and the whole point of Evangelion, so it’s best to skip them on your first viewing.
For the enlightened
In case you want to revisit Evangelion to discover something new for yourself, or want to dive deeper into the world of robots, Angels and teenagers, the next sequence is for you. First the series, from 1 to 24 episodes, “The End …”, 25-26 episodes. You’ll see both the director’s and TV endings, which will help you better understand the intent of the creators of Evangelion, as well as the cultural representation of this anime. In addition, with such viewing, you are completely free to choose any of the available endings – for you, Evangelion will end the way you like best.
For fans
If you are an avid fan, then you can review Evangelion along the following lines: the entire series, episodes 21-24 of the extended version, Death and Rebirth, End of Evangelion. In this case, you will be able to accurately compare the television and director’s version of the entire Evangelion, inside and out, without missing a single detail. Unlike the previous version, you will get not just the ability to compare endings, but the ability to compare several Evangelions: director’s, director’s with restrictions and official TV.
Enjoy watching!
