Before I got married I was super into the “Rebuild of Evangelion” movies and had even rewatched the first two films several times over. I had also seen 3 about… I think three times by that point, but I’m not entirely sure. It’s been so long since I’ve been in this world of anime and I don’t often enjoy thinking back to my time growing up.
I begin this way because my opinion on a lot of material has changed over the years, and I think the Rebuild’s are a good testament to how my sensibilities have changed. Although I never quite considered them to be as good as the original show or Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (EoE), I was excited to explore what was being said about this new chapter in Evangelion. Specifically, I was enamored with the “retelling” nature, and how Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (1.0) wasn’t simply a new interpretation of old material but seemed to be an odd continuation of what had ended in EoE. I really enjoyed some of the general aesthetic changes (the Eva glowing at night, awe-inspiring weight in combat) and 100% was buying into the drama of this new version. It is, of course, why I rewatched the films several times.
Now I feel very differently. I had always felt Shinji was a complicated character, one who balanced the needle of cowardice and confidence, but this first film has more in common with Evangelion: Death (True)2 than it does with Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE) in terms of character development. Scenes are imitations twice-removed from their original counterparts in NGE, and I’m wondering how anyone new to the franchise starting here could find themselves not only enjoying these characters but actually connecting with them.
1.0 only recreates the first few episodes of the show, but each character is so much smaller than they were in NGE. The interpretation of the Shinji character in the Rebuilds is by far the worst, and this first film solidifies him as a whiny character with such resolve that it must be intentional. In the anime he is definitely a challenge for some audience members to endure but after about episode 9 he really levels out until roughly episode 19. And in the manga? He’s much more assertive. This version, however, has virtually no foundation to be so difficult with everyone around him, and each other character equally has the same difficulty finding foundational footing.
It is wildly difficult to take material made for television and translate it to film without either making it look cheap or laborious. 1.0 is by no means an ugly movie, and even the new renditions of original NGE songs are delightful (while I felt the new songs were real stinkers), but its strict attempt to cram in so much character detail feels like a crowded subway car: congested, smelly, and someone definitely touched your butt.
And on that note, 1.0 introduces “fanservice” (that is, pervy animated imagery of fictional characters you might like) that otherwise isn’t present in the original show. Not to this degree, at least. A perfect summation of how the Rebuild’s depict its female figures is on display in 1.0: Shinji and Rei are preparing for their final angel fight of the movie and are donning their plug suits. They share a locker-room with a divider and Shinji looks over to Rei’s side. He sees her nude silhouette and, embarrassed and respecting her privacy, turns away. Then, the camera goes to the other side placed beneath Rei from behind and we see her nude backside. The characters in the fiction are showing more respect than the creators of the project. Meanwhile, Rei would never even know Shinji was looking at her silhouette to begin with.
The rest of the Rebuilds have this problem, and it only gets worse. It’s particularly odd when there’s a consistent distaste for otaku culture throughout the metatext of the franchise (or, at least, a through-line of NGE and EoE is clearly present regarding the topic, and Anno’s work is often discussed by fans in this manner. Although, I’ve never directly seen interviews with Anno speak on the subject). If otaku culture is so intensely criticized, why capitulate to satisfy what is perceived to be their interests: ogling fantasy woman who can’t tell them to stop? I already had this criticism levied toward Hideaki Anno especially after his participation on Me!Me!Me! where-in he “criticizes” otaku culture by essentially making new waifu-material. It’s self-defeating and no longer shares the maturity and abrasive-yet-kind showcase present in EoE. Where EoE decries the need for maturity and growth, 1.0 brings nothing new to the table and thus puts into question whether or not NGE, and Anno himself, is going to grow at all.
1.0 is really just a worse-off “better animated” version of episodes I already liked. It’s essentially needless, and while there are some neat aspects to it (the curious nature of whether it will continue the events after EoE or not, some neat action set-piece choices, newer renditions of old songs I like), I would rather have rewatched the first few episodes again.
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Melvin Benson is the Founder, Editor-In-Chief, and Lead Host of Cinematic Doctrine. Whether it’s a movie, show, game, comic, or novel, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s rich, he’s ready and willing to give it a try! His hope is to see King Jesus glorified as far as the east is from the west!
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