Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone

I was a large fan of both the original series, the half-release 'Death and Rebirth' and the replacement ending 'The End of Evangelion', so I'm not giving this praise as some guy who's just walked in on this.

I am extremely pleased with this new iteration of Evangelion. I don't even know where to begin ... Gainax threw out everything they had, completely redrawing all the animation and backgrounds in painstakingly high detail. It is the most apparent revision to the series at first glance ... all the visuals are top-notch, even the computer-generated graphics which I would typically find unforgivable in a film - but everything is drawn and animated so smooth, and the rare use of CG is so well-integrated into the film that it feels like you haven't been taken out of the organic animation at all.

The storyline is quite similar to the original, though first on the side I want to say they've taken much thought deciding how to develop the characters better; and the result is that the cast is much more believable and their chemistry is quite fantastic. The characters just feel deeper, their emotions are more genuine; it's hard to describe in a review but if you're a fan of the original series you'll find their personalities and interactions much more developed and satisfying.

The plot, as I've said; has not changed too much at this point.. there are exceptions here and there, with the introductions of pivotal locations and characters earlier on; no doubt to lay down continuity for the later installments. (The original Evangelion had a slight problem with eclectic character and plot point introductions.) They have taken care to set the stage more carefully for the first scene this time around; and as shown with the early introduction of an important character Gainax intends to make full use of some fantastic characters that didn't get enough time in the spotlight to really add anything especially deep.

I recommend this film to anybody who is a fan of serious animation; and I would say that it's an absolute must-see for fans of the original series.

It's comforting to know that in a world of poor remakes and extensions of popular titles, that Gainax has their wits about them and shows true dedication in their efforts to make Evangelion into everything that it could possibly be.

Evangelion 1.11 is basically a retelling of the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series ep1-6 with very few deviations from the original. Of course, this is a decade newer with a much larger budget, so the animation quality itself is vastly superior, spectacular by every sense of the word. If I have any complaints they are that this new version simplifies the characters and their faults (in my opinion, the crowning achievement of the original show) and instead focuses more on action and intense battle scenes. However, this directorial decision also makes the whole thing more streamlined and accessible for the average anime fan. Finally, the English dub of this film is fantastic, practically as good as the original Japanese audio and that's saying something!

Suggested rating: PG-13 for violence and brief nudity

This film is more like an abridged version of the first few episodes of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series. It doesn't contain much that's new or interesting but has a much more polished level of animation and sound. I would have preferred more points of difference from the original series but only if there was a purpose to it. Some of the additions seemed a bit tacked-on.

It's hard to imagine that fans of Evangelion won't be pleased with this leaner, gorgeous rebuild of the original anime series. And if you're new to Evangelion, this is a great place to start. 

You Are (Not) Alone is a pretty straightforward adaptation of the first six episodes of Evangelion. It's somewhat condensed but still containing all the major moments and plot points. While the next three movies promise new story additions and characters, this movie contents itself with mostly cosmetic changes, along with tightening up the story, a few extra scenes, and eliminating some filler. There wasn't a lot in the first six episodes that needed to be altered. 

That means slightly less whining from Shinji. SLIGHTLY.

The animation and visuals are outright beautiful, especially on blu-ray. I could recommend this on that aspect, alone. The re-designed Angels and action scenes are improvements over the original's (especially the sixth Angel), in my opinion and the voice work is great.

Does You Are (Not) Alone make the original series redundant and unnecessary (or vice-versa)? No, I don't think so. Both of them have merit, and both are worth watching. But, I'm very interested in seeing if the next three Rebuild of Evangelion movies rectify some of the mistakes that the latter portion of the series fell prey to.

When I learn that there was a remake of the classic series, i asked myself, what kind of mess are they getting themselves into? After the opening few moments of the movie, i only said to myself, how wrong was i to underestimate the decision ... because easily this could be one of the best animes ever made in history.

First off, years ago, i was decently hooked on the TV series version. When i finished it, i was honestly quiet upset that the plot was going to heck at many points, not providing a decent link to things. I always liked the earlier episodes where Shinji and gang battle all the angels that attacked, but i didn't quite enjoy how things were towards the end ...

Death & Rebirth was a good attempt to try to provide a better ending to the series. But frankly i always felt it wasn't enough ... years later, thank god we may have the best version of the Evangelion saga in the making ... starting with "You Are (Not) Alone".

Not just additional artwork and more CG enhancements are added into the movie, the story summarizes the opening few episodes of the original series and (this is my own opinion) tweaked the script alittle. It's a lot easier to understand the plot and intention of the characters, and with all the plot making more sense than the original series, all you need next is the action.

The fights between the angels and the Eva 01 (and 00') are much more interesting to watch, as the fights seem much longer and more details are added into how the battles are fought. Remember the first time Shinji pilots the EVA01 into battle and it went berserk? I'm much more excited this time when i watched the fight scene! As for the cinematic experience, i don't think watching it on DVD does this movie any justice. If you can, do attempt to catch this in a CINEMA because the experience is very much rewarding! I'm thankful i didn't miss this movie version, it's worth every cent i paid! I don't need to go into the plot of the movie, you can easily pick it up from internet sites, just know that this isn't the end yet and business is going to pick up once the next one comes along. Shinji is still how everyone remembers him to be ... the hedgehog dilemma comes into mind when you talk about him and he's still like that in this movie! I hope this comment will send more people rushing into the cinema to catch this movie, after i was done, i felt sorry that so many seats in the cinema are empty ... everyone has missed out on this masterpiece edition of the Evangelion series!