EVANGELION:3.33 YOU CAN (NOT) REDO.

The Evangelion series consists of four feature-length animated films, with Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo being the third part in the series after Evangel ion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (2007) and Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (2009). A fourth, Evangelion: Final, is planned to complete the series. This third film presents innovative, unexpected new developments and plunges into unknown territory. Simultaneously, it converges all its elements into a story about the protagonist, Shinji Ikari. A completely new work made in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio without using any stock material from the previous TV series or films, it is now apparent that these four films are not simply a remake of the 1990s series Neon Genesis Evangelion, but are aiming for wholly new horizons. Having at last started to reveal its true form, the “new narrative” moves towards its conclusion.

With a film, everything hangs on the first shot. This third in the series begins with an exciting shot where you sense “something” is coming, where the “everydaylandscape” is in fact fraught with danger. The directing is permeated with the question of how far this “normality” in the everyday landscape can be portrayed. Nothing is more challenging than this “normality”, which becomes more pronounced with animation and tests the caliber of the creators. To express this sense of unease where “foreign objects” from another dimension are intermingling with the ordinary, it is necessary to express the “theatre of everyday life” utterly “normally”. Without this level of directing, the film would not have been as outstanding as it is. Seeing the credits convinced me of this. Such a star team is the reason why the series can constantly make new breakthroughs. And to be able to have such an entourage, you need to have a hit and get funding. I could feel the earnestness of these creators. (MORIMOTO Koji)