Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

Following the events of the previous film, Shinji Ikari is still working for Nerv, the clandestine organization headed by Shinji's father, Gendo, tasked with defending Earth from the attacking creatures known as Angels. Shinji continues to reluctantly fight against the angel threat in Eva Unit 1 while dealing with his complicated relationships with his guardian Misato Katsuragi, Eva Unit 0 pilot Rei Ayanami, and newly arrived Eva Unit 2 pilot Asuka Langley Shikinami. As Shinji deals with his own personal issues, Nerv's overseeing organization Seele continues moving forward with the Human Instrumentality Project.

The second film in Hideaki Anno's Rebuild of Evangelion, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance covers the material from episodes 8-19 of the TV series but also is the part where the rebuild begins to veer away from its source material. A post credit scene in Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone showing the awakening of Kaworu Nagisa was a telling sign of Anno's intent on creating new spins on the series characters and would not be beholden to the layout as presented in the original series. While the characters remain mostly intact, Anno takes them through different directions story wise as well as expanding and adjusting the character and story progression to meet the needs of feature film format. For the most part the movie does this very well, but there are a few hiccups in the translation.

If there's a central theme present in You Can (Not) Advance, it's in Shinji's relationship with his father, Gendo. The story begins proper with Shinji and Gendo visiting Yui Ikari's (Shinji's mother and Gendo's wife) grave, it effectively establishes the dynamic in Shinji and Gendo's estrangement with Shinji having processed his grief with feelings with isolation, inadequacy and worthlessness, and Gendo having sever ties to things he considers "frivolous" down to the fact Gendo has discarded any photos or mementos of Yui's existence which is yet another point of unspoken contention in their relationship. Shinji's complicated relationship with his father is further examined via his relationships with characters such as Asuka and Rei, who both give their input to Shinji in different ways. Asuka's abrasive personality is mostly in tact here, but admittedly it has had its edges softened in comparison to the TV series with remixes on scenes such as her sleeping in Shinji's room now with added exchanges including Asuka exhibiting a greater level of vulnerability in not just this scene, but also a remix of the elevator scene with Rei.

While the movie mostly gets the major story developments right and the new elements presented are mostly unintrusive, there are some stumbling points that I was disappointed by. For those familiar with the original series, the two most horrific scenes by far from that show involved were in regards to episodes 18 and 19 with Eva Unit 1's brutal evisceration of Angel hijacked Eva Unit 3 or Eva Unit 1's devouring of the Angel Zeruel. While both scenes are still present, the soundtrack choice of what sounds like a children's choir in place of the original score doesn't fit all that well and I found it had the effect of lessening the impact of these sequences. In the case of the Zeruel scene there's also been a major change for the sake of I guess making it feel like a suitable ending climax which I suppose makes sense to a degree, but I'm not sure where I fall on liking or disliking the direction.

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance continues Anno's Rebuild of Evangelion revisiting and remixing elements with contemporary polish and designs. While the character dynamics are on point with some good expansions on Shinji's relationships with Rei and Asuka in particular yielding some strong emotional pathos, certain presentational decisions I felt called attention to themselves and lessened their impact. Overall Evangelion: 2.0 is a worthy entry in the series and makes for satisfying if flawed viewing for series veterans and franchise newcomers.

"The Third Impact is beginning. This is the end of the world."

Evangelion 2.0 is a much bigger departure from the original series than the first movie was, and it's an incredible anime feature, as a result. Everything is bigger and better, and it feels much more like a movie than just a collection of episodes. 

The animation is once again fantastic, the new battle scenes and Angel designs are impressive, and all the story/character additions and character changes are absolutely for the best. The writing and flow of the story has been notably improved, to the benefit of all of the main characters. I also have to mention how great the music is; it serves as a perfect compliment and counter-point to what's happening on screen, and at times demands as much of your attention as the visuals do. 

Casual Evangelion fans, die-hards, and newcomers should not hesitate to check out these movies. It's completely accessible to a new audience, while retaining and expanding upon the core of why this series is one of the most popular and influential. I'm no Evangelion fanatic, but I can't deny the quality of what I'm seeing in progress. 1.0 was great, and 2.0 is fantastic. I CANNOT wait to see where the third movie takes us, next. This is one of the best movies (animated or otherwise) that I've seen in quite a while.

It's been a long wait, but better late than never I'd say. One of the classic mecha science fiction anime now undergoing a revamp of its own, and despite not having much background knowledge of where the series has headed toward, I still found this installment engaging enough to leave me wanting more especially since it ended on a cliffhanger of sorts, even though it's yet another long wait before the third film hit the screens over here.

Evangelion continues where we last left off in its cinematic version, and the Earth is now under protection by the EVA robots around the world, still piloted by children. There are plans now underway to be more humane though, in piloting the EVAs like unmanned drones from afar, thus keeping the kids out of harm's way. But then there are other plans brewing at sinister levels, which only get hinted at here, clearly sowing the seeds in this installment for something more to come in the future films.

Elements from the earlier film have become staple, and repeated, such as the cheeky way the female characters always get portrayed in teasing the audience / fanboys with various states of dress / near wardrobe malfunction, and hey, besides lead character Shinji Ikari (voiced by Megumi Ogata), every one of his peer pilot seem to be female, and in the opening we're introduced to the pilot for EVA No 5 to start off the film literally with a bang, and EVA No 2's pilot Asuka Langley Shikinami (Yuko Miyamura) in her bright red robot and uniform, in an instant confirming the suspicion that here's one hot chili who isn't afraid to speak her mind. I like this feisty character, who brings a breath of fresh air from the quiet Rei Ayanami (Megumi Hayashibara) and Shinji's pessimism. Other elements would include the countless religious imagery, which is now more in-your-face, and I suppose it should all make sense once the final film rolls around.

The narrative found perfect balance to go a little deeper into the motivation of the various characters, though the kid pilots leave more room as intended for future growth, since Rei is a quiet enigma, Shinji still being the reluctant hero, and Asuka the live-wire who doesn't mince her words, even if criticizing her Japanese counterparts quite pointedly and in some ways, offensively too. A large chunk of the story got devoted to a suggestion of a love triangle that didn't manage to play itself out due to the constant alien threat, but got to a point enough to affect the events that follow, and to make them a sledgehammer for emotions.

Then there's the action sequences, which are still as spectacular. The Angels' designs get weirder, and their attack more powerful of course, though the EVAs have a few more tricks up their sleeves, brought about by really pushing the envelope beyond what has so far been permissible. With humans at the helm of technology, we are always in control and can add that aspect of humanity without allowing technology itself from going berserk. This gets explored and discussed somewhat, especially when a dummy module gets its field day when called upon to override some human inaction, and I assure you your jaw will drop and how enemies get pulverized, which is something which I least expected, in an action-packed, yet moving scene which will get you all riled up. Then again this shows how important it is to have a human mind in control, over something else which dictates its actions through set rules, and executed without a soul of thought.

As a follow up film, this one lived up to the potential set by its predecessor, and expanded upon that universe with more Evangelion protocols, new and improved mecha capabilities, and characters you feel for, while still keeping a lid on the intrigue posed by the organizations NERV and Seele. No prior knowledge of the earlier film is required, though you would be better off to know some basics to enjoy the film a lot more. Needless to say the fans would lap this up, especially when the trailer for the 3rd film gets played after the end credits that offered that sneak peek into what's next, and that antagonizing wait for it to actually happen.

This review is based on the Blu-Ray release version 2.22

Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance (or 2.22 depending on the version you saw) is the most successful interpretation of Evangelion thus far. While the first remake film 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone felt much like a mere recap of the first six episodes of the series, the second film takes a different approach and reaches a remarkable level of success. Everything is smoother, more refined and simply better.

The animation is gorgeous. The plot is more understandable. The characters are actually all likable this time. Many elements of the story are different, and the pretentious biblical gibberish seems to have taken a back seat. There is also warmth that was largely missing in the series: the characters seem to be genuinely content with their lives. Shinji isn't constantly mumbling about hating himself. Rei isn't a completely emotionless robot. Even Gendo seems more human. As a very small, but important detail we see his eyes through his shades far more than in the series, which may not sound like much, but it really makes a difference if you've watched the series.

The story remains mostly the same. The events cover mostly what happens in the episodes 7-19 of the series, but with all the filler cut out. Only the most meaningful angel battles are left. Instead of feeling episodic like the first film, 2.0 actually feels like a proper movie with appropriate highs and lows and character development, culminating in a huge climax which is one of the most exciting action sequences ever seen in animation.

The animation is top of the class. The level of detail is simply eye- popping, especially when watched in HD. With the help of CGI the angel battles look cooler than ever, and the evas are particularly impressive. The fairly simplistic characters are something of a letdown in comparison, but don't drag the overall presentation down.

The sound is also vastly improved from the series. The music this time is appropriately epic, matching the scale and size of the evas and angels. The voice acting is on par with the series with most of the original cast reprising their roles. The ending song, an acoustic version of Utada Hikaru's "Beautiful World" feels perfect for the film, as if letting out a sigh of relief yet still leaving the feeling there's more to come.

Yet there are still problems Evangelion can't seem to get rid of. The biblical imagery and names, though downplayed in this film, still feel somewhat goofy and superficial. Though the plot is more coherent, it still is very weird and it can be hard to grasp what exactly the big picture is. There is some weird dialogue and lines like "Do you hate pain?". Still, the rest of the film is good enough that the viewer is willing to overlook most of the flaws.

Evangelion 2.0 is the best interpretation of the series thus far, and it left me eagerly waiting for more. I recommend seeing the 2.22 version, as it gives more insight to the characters and story. Highly recommended for both fans of the series and newcomers alike.

This movie is an interesting take on how to do a reimagining of a original story. While it hits most of the original story beats but in a different order and some are just tweaked. It is a bit better in my opinion than the first rebuild, it adds back in some downtime and relationship building between the characters rather than the first ones take on just going fight scene to fight scene. The visuals are still beautiful and the fight scenes have added a fun amount of gore to make up for the added down time for the fans looking just to see big robots fight kaiju. Definitely worth the watch.