Evangelion is a story that takes place in a world where the fate of humanity is in the hands of the few that are able to pilot massive robot fighting machines (mechas in the world of anime, Evas in this series) that are used to fight off the gargantuan aliens reffered to as Angels. The real twist here is that our pilots are not trained military or even seasoned warriors of any kind...they are teenagers. For whatever reason, the masterminds behind this mission designed the Evas to synch up with the brain waves of 13 year olds. Sounds pretty risky to me. Think of what you were like at that age. Would you have wanted the fate of the world on your shoulders? I guess we all felt like that at 13, which explains why most of the drama of Evangelion deals with the existential crisis of our main pilot, Shinji Ikari. He is asking all those big questions: Why am I here? Why me? Am I important? Does anyone really care about me? Does my father love me?
Shinji is accompanied at Nerv headquarters by Rei (fellow pilot), Misato (commanding officer and caretaker) and Ritsuko (head scientist) as well as his father, the man behind the Evas. Shinji's school friends Toji and Kensuke are also a big part of his life...and don't forget roommate Pen Pen who just happens to be a genetically altered penguin.
So we have part scifi/action epic and part exploration of teenage angst. All of this is played out in some of the most beautiful anime styling you will ever see. It is lyrical and naturally flows from the simple everyday of Tokyo life, complete with subway rides and convenience stores, all the way to a massive and devastating battle that stretches into the sky. It is the genius of this world that Japan has been fighting these Angels long enough that they have been forced to rebuild Tokyo several times and now the skyscrapers can be safely transported underground. Society has become used to air raid style lock downs that have them hiding in their bunkers so the kaiju sized wars may be raged overhead like a classic Godzilla battle. Somehow all of this seems logical and the natural progression of Japan.
This is only the first film in the cycle that will eventually conclude with volume four. As part three is finally officially released in America, I wanted to go back last weekend and experience the story again. There are two things that echo strongly with me in this viewing. The first thing is just how accurately to me this series encapsulates Tokyo life. Back in 2009, my husband and I were lucky enough to spend some time in Tokyo. I was immediately taken with the Akihabara district, which is kind of geek central. Originally known for stereos and computers, now it is home to anime, manga and video games stores. We had studied up and re-watched many of our favorite Japanese films and series before the trip, but I found plenty of new animes and mangas while over there. Evangelion was everywhere I looked, from arcades to model shops. When we got home we dove into the series and fell in love with it. Now to me I remember our time in Tokyo whenever I encounter this series. With its Lawson convenience stores, subway rides and loud cicadas, it is truely Tokyo to me.
The other big revelation to me on this viewing was that without Evangelion, there would be no Pacific Rim. I mean I knew this before re-watching the movie, but it is so much more obvious to me now. Even in the theater while we were watching Pacific Rim, I remember thinking, "Holy Evas, Batman!", but wow this is rediculous. Del Toro has always worn his influences on his sleeve, but while all of his interviews talked about his love of kaiju films, it is not all that was going on here.
So yes, the Blu-Ray is amazing. The beautiful color schemes, the sparse yet powerful score and the epic battles are all here. Even though there are barely any extras on the disc, this is a must own classic. If you haven't seen it before, you are in for a wonderful surprise! I can't reccomend this movie enough!
