[Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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zenogias
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[Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby zenogias » Wed Mar 09, 2022 11:23 am

Good morning, all. Hope you're doing well.
I'm going to be showing Evangelion to a group of newcomer friends for the very first time this summer, and I know that over the years, I've seen Evangelion in all sorts of subtitles and releases. As it stands, I'm curious what we recommend the definitive subtitles and release of the series - and what would be best especially for newcomers? I was looking at Evageeks user Mjolnir Mark IV's VHS subtitle restoration and thought that looked pretty solid. Just hoping some of you with a little more up-to-date knowledge on the series might be able to make some recommendations. Thanks a ton.

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby Blockio » Wed Mar 09, 2022 5:24 pm

You're probably best off with the Netflix release, dub or sub. The objective translation quality and, in the case of the dub, voice performance is significantly above that of the old ADV/MangaEnt release; outside of those who have already watched the old one and have a lot of nostalgia for it, most people watching them for the first time these days will likely (and, in my opinion, correctly) find the old releases to be not all that great.
As for fan projects - I leave that one to someone more familiar with the matter, that one is besides my area of expertise
I can see why Gendo hired Misato to do the actual commanding. He tried it once and did an appalling job. ~ AWinters
Your point of view is horny, and biased. ~ glitz2hard
What about titty-ten? ~ Reichu
The movies function on their own terms. If people can't accept them on those terms, and keep expecting them to be NGE, then they probably should have realized a while ago that they weren't going to have a good time. ~ Words of wisdom courtesy of Reichu

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby hui43210 » Thu Mar 10, 2022 10:29 am

I 2nd that the Netflix dub is superior to the 90's one. If you have nostalgia for the original dub, that's fine, but the quality of dubbing has come a long way since then.
I mean, predictability is the central attraction and the narrative hook that we've all come to expect from the Evangelion franchise. How come Anno can't realize this? Twice? - FreakyFilmFan4ever

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby neongenesisvandelay » Mon Mar 21, 2022 11:10 pm

I’ll toss my out my opinion that the OG dub is still a great way to experience the show if subs aren’t your thing. I’ve had a few friends try out the Netflix dub, only for them to end up disliking the lifeless performances and bland translation. They switched to the classic dub and enjoyed the show infinitely more despite its imperfections.

(Also, for what it’s worth: most people who recommend the Netflix dub don’t even watch dubs, they’re sub enthusiasts who dislike the OG version.)
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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby Blockio » Tue Mar 22, 2022 10:32 am

Let's not throw around baseless accusations, shall we? Trying to undermine people's points by suggesting they never watched the thing they're recommending because they have some sort of agenda doesn't fly here.
I can see why Gendo hired Misato to do the actual commanding. He tried it once and did an appalling job. ~ AWinters
Your point of view is horny, and biased. ~ glitz2hard
What about titty-ten? ~ Reichu
The movies function on their own terms. If people can't accept them on those terms, and keep expecting them to be NGE, then they probably should have realized a while ago that they weren't going to have a good time. ~ Words of wisdom courtesy of Reichu

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby FelipeFritschF » Fri Mar 25, 2022 2:20 am

Netflix is fine. "Iconic" voices are only iconic to the people who've grown up with them and are emotionally attached to them. Yeah I understand the translation (apparently an early version of the translation) is a bit weird, but it's so, so much more accurate than the ADV/manga ones and their multiple creative liberties and "additions", it's just so much better for understanding the show. And, you know, the only "original dub" is the Japanese one, as directed by the actual series creators.

Netflix sub and Platinum Collection subs are both good, avoid the earlier ADV ones at all cost, and be aware that a lot of, ahem, extra legal NGE distributions use fan-subs that people tend to mistake for official subs a lot.

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby GentlemanX » Fri Mar 25, 2022 4:26 pm

If the person you're introducing it to prefers subs, I personally recommend the ADV Platinum subs for the series and then either the Netflix or the Manga subs for EoE. Haven't watched the Amazon subs for NTE, but the FUNi subs for 1.11, 2.22, and 3.33 were all decent.

If the person you're introducing it to prefers dubs, I personally recommend the ADV dub for the series, the Manga dub for EoE, and then the Amazon dubs for NTE. We can argue quality of the dubs forever, some folks here prefer the Netflix dub; I prefer the FUNimation dubs for 1.11 and 2.22, but watching the aforementioned order is the most consistent English dub experience in terms of casting, allowing the viewer to complete the entire story with core characters (Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Misato) the same from beginning to end.

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby Blockio » Fri Mar 25, 2022 4:43 pm

Regarding Netflix vs Platinum subs, they each have their strengths and weaknesses; roughly speaking, Netflix is better when it comes to the dialogue, where Platinum more accurately represents the aspects of the lore, some exceptions nonwithstanding.

I'd advise against the Manga Ent version of EoE, it quite badly butchers Ritsuko's motivations.
I can see why Gendo hired Misato to do the actual commanding. He tried it once and did an appalling job. ~ AWinters
Your point of view is horny, and biased. ~ glitz2hard
What about titty-ten? ~ Reichu
The movies function on their own terms. If people can't accept them on those terms, and keep expecting them to be NGE, then they probably should have realized a while ago that they weren't going to have a good time. ~ Words of wisdom courtesy of Reichu

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby hui43210 » Fri Mar 25, 2022 8:51 pm

View Original PostBlockio wrote:Regarding Netflix vs Platinum subs, they each have their strengths and weaknesses; roughly speaking, Netflix is better when it comes to the dialogue, where Platinum more accurately represents the aspects of the lore, some exceptions nonwithstanding.

I'd advise against the Manga Ent version of EoE, it quite badly butchers Ritsuko's motivations.


Just to clarify, it's Shinji's motivations for rejecting instrumentality that it butchers, not Ritsuko's. It also adds bad sound effects, and inserts joke dialogue that doesn't belong in the actual film.
I mean, predictability is the central attraction and the narrative hook that we've all come to expect from the Evangelion franchise. How come Anno can't realize this? Twice? - FreakyFilmFan4ever

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby Blockio » Fri Mar 25, 2022 10:05 pm

I do distinctly remember it also butchering something about Ritsuko; I believe it may have been her backstory?
I can see why Gendo hired Misato to do the actual commanding. He tried it once and did an appalling job. ~ AWinters
Your point of view is horny, and biased. ~ glitz2hard
What about titty-ten? ~ Reichu
The movies function on their own terms. If people can't accept them on those terms, and keep expecting them to be NGE, then they probably should have realized a while ago that they weren't going to have a good time. ~ Words of wisdom courtesy of Reichu

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby nerv bae » Fri Apr 01, 2022 8:41 am

View Original Postzenogias wrote:Good morning, all. Hope you're doing well.
I'm going to be showing Evangelion to a group of newcomer friends for the very first time this summer,

Be sure to send them to EGF afterward so they can ask questions about WTF they just watched :D

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby penguintruth » Sun Apr 03, 2022 3:06 pm

I’m personally more of a fan of the newer, VSI/Netflix English dub of Evangelion, despite a little clunkiness in the scripts (which has been overblown, in my opinion). I find that, while the voices may not be quite as distinct as in the ADV dub, the actual acting is far, far better. It’s less hammy and the voice actors have more nuance in their performances.

But honestly, both dubs are fairly accurate, as far as scripts. It’s just a matter of what you think of the voices.

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby CoolJosh2002 » Mon Apr 04, 2022 10:23 pm

I'll present my opinion.

In terms of subs, you can't go wrong with either the Netflix/Khara or ADV Platinum subs for the show, with my personal preference being Platinum. Both are available on the Blus if you have the Collector's or Ultimate editions. ("Official" is Netflix, "Classic" is ADV) Avoid the ADV VHS/Perfect subs at all costs. They aren't that great. In terms of EoE, Netflix is better, Manga's subs are fine, but make a couple major mistakes (one of which the Netflix subs make as well, although I'm not sure whether it's been fixed on Netflix or not, it definitely isn't fixed on the "Official" Blus Discs.), but either works fine. For Rebuild, either set of subs is fine, whether its Funi or Amazon.

Now, for Dubs. For the Show/EoE you have two options: ADV/Manga and VSI. ADV/Manga is the original dub, recorded back when the show came out in America. (1996-1998 for the Show, 2001 for EoE, 2004 for the DC Episodes) It's quite an impressive dub for the time, if a bit inconsistent in its quality, as the cast themselves have said it was recorded on a budget of a metaphorical showstring, so it's honestly impressive it turned out as good as it did. The main cast take a few episodes to get used to the roles, but they're fantastic, Secondary cast is generally pretty good. Extras are... not great, let's say they're definitely 90's dub extras... EoE adds a couple of lines in an attempt to make the film more darkly comedic, some people like it, others don't, I personally fall in the latter field. Because of the times at which this dub was recorded, some of the secondary characters change actors throughout. For the most part it's not really noticable, but there are a couple that do stick out. Now, VSI is a more recent dub, recorded in 2019. It keeps the same cast all the way through which is a plus. It's quality is more consistent, at the expence of never really reaching the same heights as the original imo. It's script is drier as well which doesn't help the cast very much, and some translations are odd. It's a well-done dub, and perfectly viewable, but not my personal recommendation. ADV?Manga is my personal rec.

As for Rebuild, 1.11-3.33 also have two dubs: Funimation and Amazon. While 3.0+1.01 only has one dub, Amazon. Funi's dub is generally considered better, with better performances and more natural langauge. Amazon's dub is also quite good, if very rough early in 1.11. You can't really go wrong with either, but personally I recommend Funi then Amazon for the last film. The cast in both shares a lot in common with ADV/Manga, with the main cast pretty much staying the same. Shinji, Misato, Asuka and Gendo have the same actors in both dubs.

If hunting down copies is annoying, than Netflix than Amazon is perfectly fine, although you're dealing with a complete cast switch from Series to Rebuild. Hopw your friends enjoy the show!

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby heavyR » Mon Apr 11, 2022 12:56 pm

I'm a little shocked no one has brought up Fly me to the Moon as the main reason for anyone to go back to the ADV/classic dub/subs. I think VSI is servicable, and I prefer their version of the EoE dub, but I stick to the "classic" when it comes to the series just for the Fly me to the Moon during closing credits and the 2-3 times it pops up as a background song.

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Re: [Request] What is, currently, the best option to present this series to newcomers in English?

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Postby AyrYntake » Tue Apr 12, 2022 11:40 am

I broadly agree. I'm in the process of screening a watchparty for some folks online and since they're not used to watching subs, I've been using the ADV dubbed version. Some parts are a little overacted, but that's my only complaint so far, and Southerner Misato is kind of entertaining to listen to.
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