Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

The first Rebuild Of Evangelion gave audiences and fans just about the first 6 episodes of the original series with some small differences but showed promise and pointed to the fact that Anno might be heading to a different direction with the Rebuild series than his original Anime show.

You Can (Not) Advance does take the series into a completely new direction and actually changes situations that fans of the original series are familiar with for the better and actually drops the angsty over-philosophical dribble that hurt his original engaging creation. Characters develop new relationships and interact differently from the show. The three EVA pilots from the original series get some great development here and differ a lot from NGE in a very good way. New characters are introduced, stakes are raised and the film has a lot of build up which boils down to one hell of a climax.

The film has a more intense tone this time around and is very fast paced. The action is incredibly engaging and the film is the first in a while that has gotten my heart beating like crazy during the intense action on-screen. The film does give you breathing space with lighthearted interactions between characters and humor and thus makes it less heavy overall than NGE and EOE even though it certainly is more gruesome and still has it's moments of pure nightmare fuel.

The Score of Evangelion is at it's best in this film and truly delivers. It varies from beautifully orchestrated racing score to sweet and engaging J-pop and Anno sure makes the out-of-place songs fit as well as he did in the show and EOE. The entire experience watching this addition to the series is unforgettable and gives me much hope for even more improvement in the next two installments.

Overall the film is a vast improvement for the series and hints at better things to come with it's significant changes and has raised the stakes for the Evangelion universe. Anno seems to have gotten over his depression completely and bloomed into a true crafter of worlds and emotionally charged storytelling.

So opposed to my review of the first film, this is written after watching the entire rebuild series. As I suspected, this (and the first entry) are improved retroactively by the final film, which I absolutely adored.

Here, we're treated to a scene that's brand new. Where the first film followed the series with about 80% accuracy, from the get-go here we're treated to a major change, and a greater split starting around halfway through. This is where the rebuilds begin to lift the curtain, and slowly unravel where the series is going. I really liked it.

The animation here is gorgeous. 3D for the machinery and logistical aspects of the city allow them to show a lot more than the original series. And the 2D elements on top blend in very well. It's not the 90s anymore, the merging of styles looks great.

However the new character that's introduced is rather shallow. She's interesting retroactively, but she still marred my first viewing experience. I didn't really understand why she was taking over character actions from the original series-actions that could be done by the actual original characters within this very film. But it was really the only slight on the story (excluding the convoluted nature that's just an Evangelion trademark at this point).

Overall, this film justifies the rebuilds existence much more than the first one. It's what I've come to expect when an original creator revisits an earlier work. I want to see their adaptation of what they want to show after having grown, and maturing.

There's a similar instance with the Final Fantasy VII remake. If it's the original writer/s, let them shake things up. It's much more interesting.

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.

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.

First let me state that I was not a fan of the Neo Genisis Evangelion series. I found the main character's constant self pitying weak and annoying. Hence I couldn't connect with the character which of course affected the story and the philosophy behind the story. Out of boredom I decided to watch the rebuilds 1.0 and 2.0 (this a review for both). The rebuilds basically takes story archs from the series to make into a new movie with some new graphics, new characters and new story arch. I found the new graphics and the new story arch very interesting as its faster pace and of course with new graphics. It also left out a lot of Shinji's self pitying patheticness which allowed me to actually connect with the story instead of trying not to throw up with disgust. The battle scenes are superb. I cant wait for rebuild 3.0 and 4.0