This twitter thread is collating new reviews, apparently: https://twitter.com/i/events/1372795417407021057
Extremely positive audience reception on eiga.com (a sort of Japanese IMDB), according to NanJ on March 9th:
http://yaraon-blog.com/archives/192015
Filmmarks (similar to eiga) has apparently has Shin Eva with the all time highest first day satisfaction score
SPOILER: Show
tweet-body
— twitter-user (@username) date
Negative review by Akihiro Koyama.
Some lines that struck me:
Some lines that struck me regarding Mari and the Ghibli comparison SPOILER: Show
Yes, Shinji Ikari is represented as the complete alter ego of Hideaki Anno at this time. In other words, the character "Shinji Ikari" does not appear for even a second in this work. This is because Anno Hideaki has completely taken over his existence.
Next to him, Mari, who takes Shinji's hand, is a woman who is both a real person and a guide for Shinji (Anno), which would be his wife, Moyoco Anno.
[...]
As you know, Studio Ghibli has a nursery school with many children, and all the residents work in a green environment, just like the third village. Living in Ghibli may have had a great influence on Hideaki Anno.
[...]
Anno, who has no children, and his idealization of a Ghibli-like community, with its preference for artificial objects over nature and dislike of communication, seemed to me to be the idealization of a mirror image of the end of self-denial that is common among menheras.
Next to him, Mari, who takes Shinji's hand, is a woman who is both a real person and a guide for Shinji (Anno), which would be his wife, Moyoco Anno.
[...]
As you know, Studio Ghibli has a nursery school with many children, and all the residents work in a green environment, just like the third village. Living in Ghibli may have had a great influence on Hideaki Anno.
[...]
Anno, who has no children, and his idealization of a Ghibli-like community, with its preference for artificial objects over nature and dislike of communication, seemed to me to be the idealization of a mirror image of the end of self-denial that is common among menheras.
https://note.com/wakari_te/n/n0ba0c462e025
https://pastebin.com/raw/K6t45GTG (looks DeepL'd)
More positive review here.
SPOILER: Show
I felt that this movie was a work with two axes, fiction and reality. Like the rails of a train, there are two parallel lines. You can't run with only one of them, and you can't stop with only one of them. Such lines. It is a line to complete "Evangelion" as a story, and a line to end "Evangelion" as a phenomenon. It is an attempt to fold up the fictional furoshiki that we have been spreading, and to bring an end to the people who have influenced and been influenced by it in the real world. It is an attempt to do so.
Looking back, this was tried once in the old movie version in 1997, and probably failed. At that time, when the audience watching the film was incorporated into the images and told metaphorically to "return to reality," the audience responded, "What? and refused to accept closure. As a result, the flame of "What happened to that thing in the end? In other words, it was an act of trying to forcefully bind the rails of fiction to the rails of reality. As a result, it caused a backlash and the train derailed. Once again, we put that train on rails and lead it to the terminus. I think that was what they tried to do after the new movie version.
Perhaps it has succeeded.
Unfortunately, I'm honestly not sure about the completion of the "fiction" part. I don't understand what you are saying, and I have no idea what happened and how it happened. Somehow, I know that it's over, but I haven't given it much thought. I just have a gut feeling that it's finished. I'm sure that the foreshadowing, the mystery, and the setting have been settled and collected, and the furoshiki has been folded. That's how I feel about it. Somehow. I'm sure someone who knows more will confirm this as they watch the Blu-ray again and again.
The "fiction" part of the story is like that, but the "reality" part of the story makes sense to me to some extent. And now that I've come to terms with the reality part, my obsession with the fiction part has lessened. I didn't understand the details, but it didn't matter if I didn't. In fact, I thought I would have to watch it at least twice before writing my impressions, but now that I know that it's okay if I don't understand it, I don't care if I watch it a second time after I've written my impressions.
[...]
The characters who were trapped under the spell become adults and leave the world. Asuka, whose plug suit has been torn off as her body has grown, has been freed from the "curse of Eva" as she and Shinji mutually acknowledge their first love. As one of the heroines who was not provided with an ending to tie up, she settled down. Rei Ayanami, whose hair continued to grow in the first plane, and Kaworu Nagisa, who was forever awake, were freed from the story of starting over.
And then there is Mari Makinami, the most troublesome child of all. Mari is perhaps the symbol of the audience. She is older, she knows everything, but she consciously wants to be a child, and she is more enthusiastic about this "fiction" than anyone else. It's a "you know he's not there, but you're really going to Finland to look for Santa and visit churches" kind of existence. This is the audience that has been enjoying this story for over 20 years, I think. It's the kind of audience that has been enjoying this story for over 20 years.
I think this is also projected in Mari's characterization. Her old-fashioned taste for Showa-era songs, her eagerness to contemplate Ikari Gendou's plan, her obsession with "solving the mystery" of this work more than anyone else, and her behavior as a bystander as if she knows everything are those of a spectator. "At least save the princess (Asuka)! "So this is what Gendou-kun wants! These are the words of a spectator.
So Mari stayed until the end. She stayed without being released from the spell. Because she was not trapped from the beginning, and she was willingly enjoying the spell. However, when Shinji gently told her the end of the story, "There is no Santa Claus, but I have faith in Santa Claus, and that's enough. She bundled up all the Evas, erased them, and allowed the story to "end".
In the last scene, Mari and Shinji are working people in the real world. They don't get on the train, which is a symbol of fiction, and they don't notice Kaworu and Rei, who probably did get on the train. It is a graduation from Eva, a pitfall. The story is over, but even though it is fictional, it has had some impact on reality, and everyone has grown up, so let's live hard.
However, at the end of the show, there was a little service to the audience. Asuka, who probably wasn't there in the last scene depicted in the real world, was distributed as an admission bonus and was in the hands of the audience. Just as Shinji and Mari became the last partners in the fiction of the story, the audience and Asuka were able to be together at the end in reality. It's fiction, but it's also part of reality. Asuka was not erased, nor was she secured by Shinji, but was left to the audience. She may no longer be the heroine of the story, but she was left as the heroine of this phenomenon.
Looking back, this was tried once in the old movie version in 1997, and probably failed. At that time, when the audience watching the film was incorporated into the images and told metaphorically to "return to reality," the audience responded, "What? and refused to accept closure. As a result, the flame of "What happened to that thing in the end? In other words, it was an act of trying to forcefully bind the rails of fiction to the rails of reality. As a result, it caused a backlash and the train derailed. Once again, we put that train on rails and lead it to the terminus. I think that was what they tried to do after the new movie version.
Perhaps it has succeeded.
Unfortunately, I'm honestly not sure about the completion of the "fiction" part. I don't understand what you are saying, and I have no idea what happened and how it happened. Somehow, I know that it's over, but I haven't given it much thought. I just have a gut feeling that it's finished. I'm sure that the foreshadowing, the mystery, and the setting have been settled and collected, and the furoshiki has been folded. That's how I feel about it. Somehow. I'm sure someone who knows more will confirm this as they watch the Blu-ray again and again.
The "fiction" part of the story is like that, but the "reality" part of the story makes sense to me to some extent. And now that I've come to terms with the reality part, my obsession with the fiction part has lessened. I didn't understand the details, but it didn't matter if I didn't. In fact, I thought I would have to watch it at least twice before writing my impressions, but now that I know that it's okay if I don't understand it, I don't care if I watch it a second time after I've written my impressions.
[...]
The characters who were trapped under the spell become adults and leave the world. Asuka, whose plug suit has been torn off as her body has grown, has been freed from the "curse of Eva" as she and Shinji mutually acknowledge their first love. As one of the heroines who was not provided with an ending to tie up, she settled down. Rei Ayanami, whose hair continued to grow in the first plane, and Kaworu Nagisa, who was forever awake, were freed from the story of starting over.
And then there is Mari Makinami, the most troublesome child of all. Mari is perhaps the symbol of the audience. She is older, she knows everything, but she consciously wants to be a child, and she is more enthusiastic about this "fiction" than anyone else. It's a "you know he's not there, but you're really going to Finland to look for Santa and visit churches" kind of existence. This is the audience that has been enjoying this story for over 20 years, I think. It's the kind of audience that has been enjoying this story for over 20 years.
I think this is also projected in Mari's characterization. Her old-fashioned taste for Showa-era songs, her eagerness to contemplate Ikari Gendou's plan, her obsession with "solving the mystery" of this work more than anyone else, and her behavior as a bystander as if she knows everything are those of a spectator. "At least save the princess (Asuka)! "So this is what Gendou-kun wants! These are the words of a spectator.
So Mari stayed until the end. She stayed without being released from the spell. Because she was not trapped from the beginning, and she was willingly enjoying the spell. However, when Shinji gently told her the end of the story, "There is no Santa Claus, but I have faith in Santa Claus, and that's enough. She bundled up all the Evas, erased them, and allowed the story to "end".
In the last scene, Mari and Shinji are working people in the real world. They don't get on the train, which is a symbol of fiction, and they don't notice Kaworu and Rei, who probably did get on the train. It is a graduation from Eva, a pitfall. The story is over, but even though it is fictional, it has had some impact on reality, and everyone has grown up, so let's live hard.
However, at the end of the show, there was a little service to the audience. Asuka, who probably wasn't there in the last scene depicted in the real world, was distributed as an admission bonus and was in the hands of the audience. Just as Shinji and Mari became the last partners in the fiction of the story, the audience and Asuka were able to be together at the end in reality. It's fiction, but it's also part of reality. Asuka was not erased, nor was she secured by Shinji, but was left to the audience. She may no longer be the heroine of the story, but she was left as the heroine of this phenomenon.
http://fumofumocolumn.blog.jp/archives/25324343.html
ANN review by Richard Eisenbeis
SPOILER: Show
On both a narrative and a thematic level, Thrice Upon a Time is most deeply connected with the 1997 film The End of Evangelion. However, the messages of the two films couldn't be more different. The End of Evangelion (and the TV series before it) is mostly concerned with the hedgehog's dilemma: the closer your relationship with others, the more they can hurt you. In the end, that film concludes that it is better to exist alongside people you cherish, despite the emotional pain that you will undoubtedly go through.
Thrice Upon a Time, on the other hand, throws the entire dilemma out the window. It posits that you shouldn't focus on what you seek to gain from a relationship, but rather what you give to it. If you selflessly love those you care about—do what you can to make them happy with nothing expected in return—then you'll never be alone. You will be able to find your own happiness with those who do the same for you. It's a far more optimistic lesson, and one that rings true in the film's final moments.
However, as strong as the film is overall, it isn't without its drawbacks. Mari draws the short stick when it comes to character development for the pilots—which is odd considering how vital she is to the overall story and its resolution. While nearly every action scene in the film centers around her, she gets no real character arc and the specifics of her past remain shrouded in mystery.
There are also problems with the world-building. Nerv, as we see it in this film and the previous one, is comprised solely of two humans and a handful of Rei clones. Yet, they are able to field everything from flying battleships to hundreds of Evangelions. Who designed and programmed these new units? How are they created? How are the raw materials obtained? The logistics behind what we see on screen must be staggering in their complexity, to the point of stretching the realm of believability.
Thrice Upon a Time, on the other hand, throws the entire dilemma out the window. It posits that you shouldn't focus on what you seek to gain from a relationship, but rather what you give to it. If you selflessly love those you care about—do what you can to make them happy with nothing expected in return—then you'll never be alone. You will be able to find your own happiness with those who do the same for you. It's a far more optimistic lesson, and one that rings true in the film's final moments.
However, as strong as the film is overall, it isn't without its drawbacks. Mari draws the short stick when it comes to character development for the pilots—which is odd considering how vital she is to the overall story and its resolution. While nearly every action scene in the film centers around her, she gets no real character arc and the specifics of her past remain shrouded in mystery.
There are also problems with the world-building. Nerv, as we see it in this film and the previous one, is comprised solely of two humans and a handful of Rei clones. Yet, they are able to field everything from flying battleships to hundreds of Evangelions. Who designed and programmed these new units? How are they created? How are the raw materials obtained? The logistics behind what we see on screen must be staggering in their complexity, to the point of stretching the realm of believability.
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review ... me/.170407
Japan Times review by Matt Schley
SPOILER: Show
In this film, Shinji takes a similar journey, with friends old and new helping him slowly reach a healthier mental state and take part in the final battle. As the action moves forward, that battle becomes increasingly surreal, eventually smashing through the fourth wall with abandon. Thrice is not the charm for those hoping for a definitive, easy-to-understand ending for “Evangelion.” Like its predecessors, “3.0+1.0” raises more questions than it answers. Time is a circle.
For me, that complexity is the true power of “Evangelion.” For all the robot action, merchandise, and the now decades-long debates about which character is cutest (the answer, for the record, is Misato), “3.0+1.0” and its brethren are essentially art films, the visions of a creator brave enough to bare his damaged soul on screen — and help us look inside ourselves.
Why redo “Evangelion” in the first place? There is a parallel universe in which Hideaki Anno has directed three or four original films since 2007, and that’s a place I would like to visit someday. Still, the continued success of this franchise is a powerful rebuttal against lowest common denominator filmmaking. It’s inspiring to see audiences willing to grapple with this emotionally and intellectually demanding story time after time.
For me, that complexity is the true power of “Evangelion.” For all the robot action, merchandise, and the now decades-long debates about which character is cutest (the answer, for the record, is Misato), “3.0+1.0” and its brethren are essentially art films, the visions of a creator brave enough to bare his damaged soul on screen — and help us look inside ourselves.
Why redo “Evangelion” in the first place? There is a parallel universe in which Hideaki Anno has directed three or four original films since 2007, and that’s a place I would like to visit someday. Still, the continued success of this franchise is a powerful rebuttal against lowest common denominator filmmaking. It’s inspiring to see audiences willing to grapple with this emotionally and intellectually demanding story time after time.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/20 ... on-a-time/
Criticism by Hiroki Azuma
I greatly anticipated this one, as Azuma has involved Anno more than once, made a notoriously negative review of 3.0, decrying it as "deconstruction for deconstruction's sake". He even reviewed (and praised) Re-Take, lol.
He calls it a Grand Masterpiece. According to a certain someone, this is NGE-levels of praise, unprecedented with other Rebuild movies by grade-A reviewers. If this is echoed with other critics, it effectively equates to the 1990s Eva Boom.
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP3L6JT ... html?twico
Criticism by Akiko Sugawa
Seems to be focusing on the female characters.
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP3L6K7 ... html?twico
Criticism by Ryota Fujitsu
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP3L6KB ... html?twico
Criticism by Asushiri Ohara
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP3C5SZ7P3BUCVL00Q.html
Does anyone have an Asahi Shinbun account for these last 3 ones?