More than 27 years have passed since Neon Genesis Evangelion was launched, a mythical and transgenerational series that cannot be left indifferent. However, between the original animated series, sleeves, movies and films “rebuilds”, some may be disconated to start the adventure of Shinji and company, so we offer you a return to this mythical series to be able to get the Most game to Hideaki Anno’s work.

The birth of series and movies.

It was in 1995 when Anno gave birth to his series Neon Genesis Evangelion with the Gainax studio, 26 episodes that began with the teenager Shinji as the main character. Throughout history we will find King Anami as well as Asuka Langley, of the same age, who will accompany him in his destiny of piloting evangelions and saving humanity from a catastrophic end.

Contrary to what one might think, Neon Genesis Evangelion is far from being a classic shonen, addressing sometimes complex issues such as depression, abandonment or fatherhood. The work is closely linked to the life of its author, Hideaki Anno. In addition, it was also in 1995 that the animated series adapted to a 14 -volume manga with Sadamoto Yoshiyuki as mangaka. You must take into account that the scenario differs from the anime but allows it to complete practically in the same way.

After the end of his series, in 1997 the movie “Death and Rebirth” was created based on a combination of the 25 episodes by adding scenes never seen before. Thus, the movie The End of Evangelion will continue to conclude the series, considered by many fans as the true final of Neon Genesis Evangelion, as well as that of the anime. A combination of these 2 films was called Revival of Evangelion. However, Hideaki Anno has not finished with his saga and resumed 2009 Rebuild’s films respectively 1.0 you are (not) Alone / 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance / 3.0 You Can (Not) Round and finishing with 3.0+1.0 Thrice upon to Time in 2021 for Prime Video. Since these films are a “review” of the Evangelion series with a change in the author’s mentality, the final version of the license could be considered.

The big question is… Where to start? It is true that with all the aforementioned works, one can feel overwhelmed and a bit lost when he discovers Neon Genesis Evangelion for the first time. Here is a chronology that can help you.

The 1995 animated series (26 episodes)

It is with her that the adventure of Evangelion begins, her intro is one of the most famous in the world. Even in 2022 his animation does not lose charm but the behavior of the characters as well as the slowness of some episodes could discourage some. In fact, Shinji often suffers from the stage and, unlike the heroes of the classic Shonen, he is often in a state of passivity, prey to a terrible unhappiness. We can add to this the character of the heroine Asuka, who is very unpleasant and arrogant for many.

However, the series is the pillar of what the license is, it feels the bases of the stage but also of the essence of Neon Genesis Evangelion. On the other hand, it will be difficult to understand the entire “Lore” during the first visualization and this will require more research or visualization of films such as “The End of Evangelion” or “Revival of Evangelion.” Although the finals are different, reading the manga helps and Complement to see the series.

The 1997 films

While the movie “Death and Rebirth” summarizes the 25 episodes of the series for us by including some non -view scenes, many fans consider that “The End of Evangelion” is the true end of the series. It is true that episode 26, which marks the end of it, baffled more than one with its “psychedelic” passages and its difficult phrases to understand. For those who do not know, so much money was spent on the previous chapters that there was hardly any budget for chapter 26, so they chose to experiment.

“The End of Evangelion” overcomes this problem by telling us a much more explicit end while it takes up the elements of episode 26. We add the legendary sound band Komm, Susser Tod whose lyrics complete the history and feelings of Shinji, and we have a film that has touched the hearts of the spectators to this day. Attention, some scenes of this film are for an informed audience and you will have to be very attentive.

Rebuilds films from 2009 to 2021

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the work of a lifetime, with the character of Shinji having a great resemblance to his creator, Anno has been plagued for a long time for a terrible depression and suffering while designing his series and movies. It is with his series of 4 films Rebuild that he will say a last goodbye to his work.

During the first film, we find the same stage of the beginning of the series but with a Shinji, as its creator, less prone to melancholy. However, some changes will cause a butterfly effect that will change the rest of the story and create a new 1. Basically, movies are a different version of Neon Genesis Evangelion, seen through the eyes of a “new” Hideaki Anno.

Marie’s character (which we can discover in the manga) will be added as well as new robots concepts. These films can be seen alone but it is advisable to have read the manga or the series to thoroughly understand certain concepts and characters. The rebuilds are greatly good in terms of animation, mixing perfectly 2D with CGI, Anno showed us that we could always trust him. It is with his latest movie in Prime Video “3.0 + 1.0 Thrice upon to Time”, which he will finally end his life with a magnificent tribute to his protagonist.

Extra Curricular Lesson with Hideaki Anno

The 1995 manga

There have been several evangelion sleeves but we will only talk about the main adapted of the series by Sadamoto Yoshiyuki, the anime characters. Manga adaptation will begin even before the end of the animated series and the same story will continue. However, you will have added with Marie’s character and the end will be different from the series.

It is important to read the manga as a complement to this or films to have additional elements about the license “Lore”. The manga consists of 14 volumes in simple version and 7 in an improved version. The Neon Genesis Evangelion saga marks the spirits and remains timeless to inspire our mangakas today but also from the entire world.

Now that you have the keys to discover it, do not hesitate and go to Eva!