Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance Review

The first Evangelion Rebuild movie nicely re-introduced the famous Japanese mecha anime. With cutting edge animation, quality writing and epic action, You Are (Not) Alone is definitely a must-watch for anime fans. It's not a perfect film however, and many of the same problems are amplified in the sequel. You Can (Not) Advance furthers the story slightly. The cliffhanger ending from the previous movie doesn't actually become a real plot point until the cliffhanger of this movie! Not only that, but the unnecessary fan service is nearly doubled. Despite such problems, You Can (Not) Advance remains a quality sequel, though is a step down from the previous movie.

The story opens up focusing on another pilot, Mari. Her Eva is sadly destroyed when she eliminates a runaway Angel. Meanwhile Shinji has seemingly accepted his role of being an Eva pilot. Another new pilot, Asuka, makes Shinji's life a little more hectic. Could she secretly have feelings for him however? Meanwhile Rei is trying to get Shinji and his father together for a quality meal. All this and the Angels keep invading! Even though the movie is technically longer than 'You Are (Not) Alone,' not many truly important things take place. In fact, really the only major thing to happen is in the final minute where the supposed "Third Impact" makes landfall. It can be easy to forget however that Evangelion focuses on the main character and his growth just as much as the overall conflict.

It is great to see Shinji active in his role. His quiet, still-wondering-about-everything persona is still present, but there's solid character development between film 1 and 2. Rei continues to be a compelling focus, though for people who didn't watch the original show her story seems very vague. That is a problem that carries on from the first film: vagueness. Why do the Angels want to get to Lilith so badly? What is the Third Impact? There's so much vagueness that one wonders how exactly it will be paid off. Misato has some very welcome backstory, furthering her character. While it's great to see the main characters develop from the previous movie, You Can (Not) Advance introduces some new key players.

Asuka adds a bit of arrogant loudness to the team. Despite her annoying personality, she has a certain likable charm. She adds some eccentric character to the rather quiet team of Shinji and Rei. The other new pilot introduced, and exclusive to the Rebuild universe, is Mari. Like Asuka, she adds a whole new dimension to the story. In fact, she actually ended being more engaging than Asuka! The final new character introduced is Ryoji. This guy adds a sense of charisma not seen in almost any of the characters. Despite the very strange locker room scene with Shinji, he remained one of the more interesting characters.

While getting a bunch of new characters is good, sadly they are often drowned out by the fan service. No matter how you slice it, there's no justification for fan service in anything. Almost all of it here focuses on kids. There's something really wrong if kids (under 15!) are subject to this type of thing. Evangelion has compelling characters and an engaging story, so why the people doing these movies feel the need to add it is beyond me. The action is very awesome, as you would expect from a theatrical anime film. The Angels aren't cannon fodder, but they're starting to feel like gigantic one-shots. Hopefully in the next two films they'll be explored a little more.

Evangelion's second Rebuild continues Shinji's story nicely enough. That's basically all that continues however, the actual grand part of the plot doesn't really further until the last minute.The final scene was also pretty strange in itself, since it literally comes out of nowhere. The soundtrack is fantastic however, and the fights are as great as they were in the first movie. Also, it's hard to beat the intense scene when the Tenth Angel absorbed Unit-00. Sadly the fan service hurts the overall viewing experience. If it continues to add more and more, it's going to be hard to recommend Evangelion to anyone.

3.5/5

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone Review

If you're an anime fan, you've definitely heard of Evangelion. It has been called legendary, infamous, and everything you can think of. Giant robot anime is nothing new, but Evangelion stands above many. For a new fan, going back and watching the original Neon Genesis show can seem a little daunting. This is where the Rebuild movies come in. Serving as a reboot/retelling of the series, it's supposed to be perfectly accessible for new viewers and an update for longtime fans. You Are (Not) Alone is the first film in the tetralogy. For someone first entering the Evangelion realm, it proves to be a very interesting watch. It's basically what you get if you combine Pacific Rim with Serial Experiments Lain. The result is a solid opener with plenty of great things but could definitely use a little more detail.

The story follows Shinji who reluctantly must pilot Eva Unit-01 to stop the sinister Angels from destroying mankind. Along the way he meets Rei, a mysterious 14 year old girl. While that miniature plot summary sounds simple, the actual story is a lot more in-depth without actually being in-depth. Shinji is established early on as a depressed individual, not sure what his role in the world is. The fact that his father basically considers him nothing other than a tool doesn't help matters. It's an interesting dynamic, since it seems like his father, Gendo, cares for Rei, but not for Shinji. Since the tetralogy is basically one long story, I will assume it'll explain why exactly there's no relationship between the two in the next one.

The opening 20 minutes is quite impressive. The Angels are definitely one of the more terrifying anime villains. The first Angel especially (technically in movie it's the 4th) is very cool to watch. The city destruction and subsequent battle with Eva Unit-01 is worthy to be called cinematic and just awesome. If it's one thing Evangelion 1.0 doesn't disappoint in, it's the Angels and level of destruction. The other Angels that appear aren't quite as scary as the fourth, but still were impressive. (You know you have a winner when a shape-shifting diamond thing, the Sixth Angel, makes for a good final antagonist.) Like a lot of mecha anime however, over half of the focus is on the problems of the main character and everything around him.

Things happen very quickly from the start. Shinji is almost forced into the cockpit of Eva-01, and by the end of the film the viewer is still not entirely sure why. Why does it seem like only kids can pilot the Evas? There's a large amount of vagueness throughout the movie. Of course, since there's a blunt "to be continued" at the end, it's natural to assume this series is one of those things where answers will present itself as it goes along. Still, the film could have benefited from a little more information. When Misato was showing Shinji Lilith, the Second Angel, and its role in the birth of humanity, I'm thinking, "Great, this is interesting! Tell me more!" But that scene is over before it began.

A lot of anime are known for its fan-service. Sadly, Evangelion falls culprit to in. Perhaps the original show had some of that, but it doesn't mean it's necessary for it to be in the movies. There's a few awkward scenes that truly don't belong. Keeping in mind that it happens to be kids...it's very strange. (Rei is 14, so I had to grimace and turn away from a certain scene...) Anyways, aside from Shinji, much of the focus is on Rei. She's rather quiet and alone, which perplexes Shinji. The bond they form and the end is nicely done. Misato is established early on as bubbly, but quickly becomes serious when leading the military group: NERV. It's interesting to see her happy personality in the home and then her military character on the job. The soundtrack is what you expect from a big budget theatrical anime film, quality stuff.

Evangelion's first Rebuild movie is a solid entry to get into the franchise. You Are (Not) Alone has great animation, an intriguing story, and epic fights. It however does lack a lot of information which will hopefully be explored in 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0. The fan service is a bit jarring, but thankfully it isn't a focus and happens rarely. Hopefully the sequels don't escalate it. Overall, the film is a great way to enter one of anime's greatest stories.

4/5