Shin Eva - Official Social Media: 2.22 You Can (Not) Release

[Kendrix]

Hope dies last. But it dies. Anyway, don't say I didn't warn you beforehand. Shin will be an emotional gutpunch; maybe not as heavy as EoE, but happiness will not be the primary emotion there.

It's EVA, so that*s par for the course;
At this point it should be obvious that they're doing an ambitious project here not just a rehash. Especially after Q.

[Stan]

I am leaning to believe the ending of Shin Evangelion will not be like EoE. Sure, this is Anno, it won't be a Disney happy ending - but simply redoing EoE doesn't make sense given how the story went off in its own direction for the films and given Anno's views on life now (as compared to his mental state back in the 90s).

I expect an open-ended finale, something ambiguous but with a lot of room for interpretation. If NGE/EoE was the sad ending and the manga was the happy ending - Shin Evangelion will be something in between I think.

[Gendo'sPapa]

I am leaning to believe the ending of Shin Evangelion will not be like EoE.

They’ll be very different.
Just think of how the two movies start.

End of Evangelion opens with the the main character, alone and broken, begging his friend to wake up and then is unable to stop himself from masturbating to her comatose body.

Thrice Upon a Time opens with an explosive action sequence where a team of technicians, scientists, civilians and an Evangelion pilot work together to overcome almost insurmountable odds, achieve their goals and also save the city of Paris.

Both are great openings. But the opening of Thrice Upon A Time wouldn’t fit as the opener to a movie with the tone and harsh brutality of EOE.

Thrice is likely going to have a much warmer and upbeat, though still bittersweet since a few familiar faces - Misato and Rei most likely candidates - will die or disappear, ending to Evangelion.

[kuribo-04]

I 100% see what you're saying here, but wouldn't discard the possibility of...well, Anno playing with us. 3.0's intro was also a cool, fun action scene (though less upbeat than Shin's) and that still lead to a dark, depressing film (which still wasn't EoE levels obviously).

I really think anything is possible here.
There's also the possibility all of that upbeat stuff is just the contrast to characters like Shinji, Asuka and Misato (similar to what I feel Mari's point has been so far).

Now if you ask me what I think is likelier, what my gut tells me, I'd agree with what you say. But I'd still expect anything upbeat to be "upbeat" in terms of Eva, with some hard truths thrown in.

But really in the end I feel very unsure about any of this lol. I don't feel confident in really believing in any possible outcome till I see it. Probably beacuse we haven't had a Sagisu-theme trailer yet, which I feel were real mood setters.


Edit: I should add that I actually consider EoE to be incredibly life affirming anyway.

[GhostlyOcam]

While 3.0 is a dark film the moment the setting switches to NERV, I think it's kind of the perfect opposite to 1.0/2.0 that had a lurking darkness underlining the generally more upbeat and triumphant feel (for the most part of them).

3.0 was like walking in a dark, damp, and outright depressing tunnel yet I can see a glimpse light at the end of it, spread through the dialogues like Kaworu's famous "No irredeemable sin" line or Mari telling Shinji to man up and learn more about the world, even the ending felt uplifting for me with Asuka coming to get Shinji instead of abandoning him and ReiQ showing signs of discovering a new personality. It sets up a different kind of follow-up, one that I'm sure will be different to EoE.

EoE practically started with our heroes losing their purposes to live to some extent (even the bridge bunnies, yes) and got curb-stomped for the entirety of it, while in Shin not only they have a very clear goal, but are also determined to do so with all the power they have. I won't expect Shin to be all optimistic and victorious for them, but I'n sure they won't go down without one hell of a fight even if the worst happened.

I also think EoE's message is ultimately life-affirming, but man was the journey depressing through and through.

[kuribo-04]

even the ending felt uplifting for me with Asuka coming to get Shinji instead of abandoning him and ReiQ showing signs of discovering a new personality

Yeah, totally.

[Kendrix]

As with Q, they showed the initial action sequence as a "trailer" because it revealed next to nothing about the tone or content.
At this point it's almost a franchise tradition to have Mari "sing the opening".

Also, I hesitate to call the last scene mercy, 'cause WILLE needed to contain him. I see there that she very much wants to leave him to rot & makes a point to beat & kick him, but she is an adult now so she doesn't let her personal hate leave the impact button where Neo Nerv can recover him.
She doesn't have a gun on her anyways; Also there might be the worry of triggering a reaction from unit 01, it moved to protect him once before.

I realize this is subjective but for me Q was one of the most utterly bleak things I had ever seen in my life;
I remember being unable to concentrate in uni for a week, the first time that any fictional work had done this to me like normally I just shrug off the exploding heads & never followed any age restrictions when I was younger either; But Q really got me.
Now I consider this impressive for a work of art but like, for me the best summary of it is that bit where Ogata says that her preparation for the role was to look at pictures of the devastation from the then-recent Fukushima earthquake and try hard to imagine what it would feel like if that were somehow her fault.

Like unless you're squeamish on principle you won't react that way over say, GOT or some slasher horror movie because you find out what to expect really quickly, but 2.22 really had me hoping. That said I don't see the need to construct a hamfisted lessons about it being meant as a scolding for daring to have hope, but simply as a depiction of what it feels like if your hopes come to nothing, as it sometimes happens in life.

I never got this obsession with ppl wanting very much for the rebuilds to be "uplifting" even back when 2.22 came out & ppl complaining about it being too happy without considering the serious scenes or that it's the narrative equivalent of eps 8 to 19;
The original series wasn't without it's uplifting moments; also I consider this whole focus on wether its "happy" or "edgy" a stupid metric; what matters is that it's meaningful & evokes thought & feeling, which both 2.22 and Q each did in their own way just look at the flood of fanart & the heated arguments.

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

I realize this is subjective but for me Q was one of the most utterly bleak things I had ever seen in my life;
I remember being unable to concentrate in uni for a week, the first time that any fictional work had done this to me like normally I just shrug off the exploding heads & never followed any age restrictions when I was younger either; But Q really got me.

It can be argued that Eva Q is way bleaker than NGE, not just because of an apocalypse being piled on top of another apocalypse, or because of the more vivid, gory details of Kaworu's death, but simply because "Cruel Angel's Thesis" never played once in the NTE Series.

Think about it: You're watching Episode 24 of NGE, and it's really rough on an emotionally level. Kaworu dies, Shinji's emotions are devastatingly crushed, and you also start to feel sad. But then, right before Episode 25 starts in earnest, you hear that tune slowly building up from the depths. Suddenly you're jamming out and throwing impromptu dance parties to one of the best OPs known to man! I swear, NGE's jammin' OP is one of the few things that makes that show bearable during a day-long marathon. Eva Q, on the other hand, is all "Here's about 90 minutes of sad things taking place in a confusing and broken world, followed by a tragic death. Anyway, have fun at work tomorrow!"

[GhostlyOcam]

People having different takes of the film or even a mere single scene is something unmistakably Eva and that's why I love 3.0.

For me, the very last scene gave me the same therapeutic feel as everything that came post-Third Impact in EoE. A near complete lack of music with only Asuka talking to a near-catatonic Shinji (or berating, to be precise), the last shot being just the three "original" Children on the devastated red Earth with the clear sky contrasting it, no bombshells dropped right before the credits roll like 1.0/2.0 was weirdly calming.

In a way it mirrors EoE"s last scene but this time, instead of the story ending there, we have one more film to tie everything up. Rebuild has moved past both "Episode 24" and the "End of Evangelion" phase of NGE (save the Instrumentality, of course), we're in a complete uncharted territory now.

I'm bracing myself for any kinds of madness Anno will throw us in Shin and whether the end result will be uplifting or not, I'm sure it'll reflect how the "current" him sees life.

[kuribo-04]

I think what's hopeful about the end of 3.0 is Asuka. She might not act like it, but the intention is that we can look through her actions. She still cares about Shinji.

[GhostlyOcam]

I think what's hopeful about the end of 3.0 is Asuka. She might not act like it, but the intention is that we can look through her actions. She still cares about Shinji.

Yeah, that's how I see it. We have a depressed Shinji, a completely indifferent Rei, and Asuka going full loud tsundere mode. It feels like we're back to square one while moving forward at the same time. 3.0 really has a lot to take in.

[ShinjiStranglesAsuka]

Oh come on, she didn't "kick" him, she shoved him forward with her foot a little when he was already down. We'd probably do a lot worse in her place

[pwhodges]

Also there might be the worry of triggering a reaction from unit 01, it moved to protect him once before.

That's in the series (twice - first episode, and EoE), not Rebuild that I can think of.

[Kendrix]

That's in the series (twice - first episode, and EoE), not Rebuild that I can think of.

Oh right, that bit from Episode 01 didn't make it in. Still, it's not completely outside the realm of possibility;
I'll reserve final judgement until we get the full picture, like obvsly they held off on revealing a lot about the post NTI world as setup, for Q to be the belly-of-the-whale moment

[GhostlyOcam]

:???: Oh come on, she didn't "kick" him, she shoved him forward with her foot a little when he was already down. We'd probably do a lot worse in her place

My boy almost ended the world again, of course he'd slightly piss some people off. The whole kicking thing definitely came from the pent-up anger as she said earlier in the film and for throwing her out during the Terminal Dogma battle, but it's the next scene that made me believe she still does care for him to some extent.

Miyamura's "Hora, kore tsukete" delivery and the mere act of putting on the bag for Shinji feels like a small gesture of affection for him, almost motherly even (or at least as closest as we get to that for Q!Asuka).

SPOILER: Show

[Joseki]

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— twitter-user (@username) date

Due to high demand from customers and theaters, Jo/Ha/Q will also be re-released in their standard versions alongside the 4D re-releasing in 373 theaters.

[GhostlyOcam]

Damn, that's more than Shin's current theater number (336)!

Ogata also teased that something will be revealed tonight and the "site image" will be "ヤバイ", no mentions of Eva but since tomorrow will mark the 60th day of Shin Eva countdown, better keep an eye on it!

EDIT:
JoHaQ re-release is the countdown news, according to Khara.

[Joseki]

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— twitter-user (@username) date

Jo was apparently first released in only 85 theaters

[GhostlyOcam]

Jo (2007): 85 theaters, box office ¥2 billion/$18 million
Ha (2009): 120 theaters, box office ¥4 billion/$43 million (HUGE jump!)
Q (2012): 224 theaters, box office ¥5.3 billion/$60 million

I guess there's still a lot of people who haven't get the chance to see Jo and Ha on the big screen back then, so this is a great opportunity for them while the Shin Eva hype is getting bigger and bigger each day. Remember, Shin is a joint distribution by Toho and Toei, two of the biggest film studios in Japan so it has the luxury of getting more initial screens than usual, expect a record-breaking number for it if everything goes according to plan.

[GhostlyOcam]

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— twitter-user (@username) date

Someone on the replies noted that Revival of Evangelion got reclassified on Eirin recently (dated October 29). Would be cool if it gets rerelased too. (Also HOW is that thing G-rated?! )