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Loading ...NGE ; You Are (Not) Alone.
Big_Adam
It seems the people over at Gainax have been busy this year and have bought out a new Neon Genesis Evangelion film.
/!\ Spoilers for the NGE Series! If you plan on watching the series DO NOT READ! /!\
Those of you unfamiliar with the NGE series, the basics of it follow Shinji a 14 year old kid who after three ears gets a call from his father to pilot a giant robot (or Eva as it’s known). The world in which this takes place has been ravaged by the “Second Impact” which wiped out 50% of the earth’s population. To stop the “Third Impact” (meaning no more people), NERV is constructed along with the Eva’s (big robots) to fight angels (bigger, meaner robot things) and stop the “third impact”.
Really, it’s a damn complex story. Big robots fight other big things, lots of subtext and little moments to watch out for. It is a really well done bit of work.
Problem with the old NGE series was that by the end the company ran out of money. So the last few eps used still frames, black and white, anything to cut costs and come to some sort of end. When the series did end the company was sent numerous death threats due to the lack of an ending. So with the money made from the series they made two extra films; one a recap of the series and then a proper big ending to the series.
Now they are back with Evangelion series of films. First of which is Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone. The film recaps the series first few eps and first few angels as they attack Tokyo III.
Story - Well, as far as I can tell it’s pretty much a condensed version of the first few eps and angels (angels shown are Sachiel (humanoid one, 1st angel in series), Shamshel (freaky looking tentacle thing) and Ranuiel (the drill one, but much more kick arse)(List of angels here for refrence). So not much to say if you’ve seen the series itself, you’ll know the story.
Animation – Now Gainax has some money they seem to be splashing it around and the new NGE looks stunning. The angel and many other parts are CGI now but the look is really nice. Although, many parts are either remakes or are straight copy and past from the series. Parts like Unit – 01’s jump and Misato’s beer drinking all seem exactly the same as the series. They are re-mastered if they are not remade mind.
Sound – The angels now are a bit more vocal. In the series they just sort of made some noise then got blown up in a massive way. Now they make some interesting noise key of which is Ranuiel. Rather than floating about Ranuiel now screams, in a rather scary way. Whenever Ranuiel dose something (Ranuiel transforms between fire modes) it screams in a rather cool and freaky way. As well as the angel all the sound is a bit clearer and there’s more ambient noise in certain places making it just nicer.
Overall – It’s a damn good film, don’t get me wrong here but I’m not sure why Gainax are doing it. It just seems like a condensed recap of the series skipping some big and important points and changing the story a bit. For example Lilith (Pic) is shown off much sooner than being a big reveal later on in the series. I mean, it was all rather tied up in the series so why the remake?
Might just be a cash in really, 2007-8 seems to be the years of the remake. Rocky, Indiana Jones, AVP: R and the rest.
BUT! You Are (Not) Alone is rather good for the NGE fan out there. It’s a nice recap and you never know, it might turn into something new and interesting. Have to wait and see really. The DVD of You Are (Not) Alone is out in Japan after the initial cinema release so it’s going to be a while before USA import is available. Still, if you’re a NGE or just a hardcore animé fan I suggest giving it a look. Even if it’s just for Rei Ayanami.
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