Hideaki Anno's Bonbori Matsuri Lantern 2022

[trattopen]

Eva Unit-02 is called "02'(kai)" in Q and "New 02" in Shin Eva... Something is off.

(Unused concept/design or midquel between 2.0 and 3.0 under works?)

Source: https://eva-fan.com/blog-entry-6893.html

[nerv bae]

Random aside: someone has probably already said this, but if they make Evangelion 2.5 I hope they title it "Evangelion 5/2" or "Evangelion 5÷2".

[JoelcrNeto]

Don’t give me hope!

[kuribo-04]

I'd say it's highly unlikely this'll be another Eva film. Especially one done by Anno.
Since the BD is taking pretty long, I could see this being a ahort included with it. Set shortly after 2.0. Fight against 11th Angel? Third Impact?

I hope it's not something "invasive" if that makes sense. I like Rebuild as it is. If it's a short fanservicey thing like that manga then it's fine by me. But I'd also like khara younger staff to invent their own things.

Let's see what this is in any case.

[ElMariachi]

I'd say it's highly unlikely this'll be another Eva film. Especially one done by Anno.
Since the BD is taking pretty long, I could see this being a ahort included with it. Set shortly after 2.0. Fight against 11th Angel? Third Impact?

I hope it's not something "invasive" if that makes sense. I like Rebuild as it is. If it's a short fanservicey thing like that manga then it's fine by me. But I'd also like khara younger staff to invent their own things.

Let's see what this is in any case.

The interesting thing is that unlike Anno's previous lantern illustrations, this one doesn't look like something hand-drawn, but a finished model used by the production team, like those you see in the bonus booklets.

[kuribo-04]

∆ Yeah exactly. It's a printed out 3D model. It's something being worked on already.

I was thinking alternatively it's maybe some added sequence for 3.0+1.11?

[AsukaShikinami10]

El mariachi wrote:

unlike Anno's previous lantern illustrations, this one doesn't look like something hand-drawn, but a finished model used by the production team, like those you see in the bonus booklets.

Exactly! That got me thinking maybe they'll do a shorts movie covering the events that happened before and during Actual Third Impact.

I hope this becomes true and we can finally have our answers on whatever happened between movies in animated format.

I think it could easily cover the events seen in 2.22 trailer (which were pretty interesting things IMO), from the 11th angel's attack to the A3I.

Crossing my fingers!

[JoelcrNeto]

I’d preffer a TV show format, honestly.

I particularly like the mystery of what could have happened between 2.0 and 3.0, but I won’t deny that I’m curious to know what the creative minds of khara imagine what must’ve happened in that period, so at the same time I want to see something new from them.

SPOILER: Show

And I also want to see the best Evangelion character ever created in action: the donkey

[ElMariachi]

∆ Yeah exactly. It's a printed out 3D model. It's something being worked on already.

I was thinking alternatively it's maybe some added sequence for 3.0+1.11?

You mean an added flash-back of the events of the 2.0 NTP ?

[kuribo-04]

You mean an added flash-back of the events of the 2.0 NTP ?

Yeah something like that, although I really don't know where that would be placed. The flashback with Misato is very centered on her and Kaji. I don't know if Eva action would fit there. It'd be too long too.

I was thinking it could be a short about how the 11th Angel was fought. Maybe the first collab of Asuka and Mari.

[nerv bae]

We could finally get an explanation for dripping wet Kaworu.

[BernardoCairo]

Another version of Unit 02... Something tells me that it's the staff's favorite Evangelion. It's the one Unit they're always experimenting with. Perhaps because it is in this gray area between moderately iconic (stuff like Unit 00; the MPEs) and Unit 01 (which is the icon of the series). It's arguably the second most famous Evangelion. So the team can play around with it, knowing that it won't upset fans, but actually hype them up!

By the way... 5.0/2.0 sounds awesome. However, 3.0 - 0.5 is also pretty good. It keeps the 3.0 tradition, which I think it's important, as these movies are all dictated by the Q's signature vibe (the last two, that is). Seeing as how the last two movies are two halves of the same story beat, I feel like this hypothetical third should be a part of that too. As if these three films come together to form the last act of the series.

[Gendo'sPapa]

It's a neat design and does look like a piece of production art for animators to reference that could've been made at some point in the series long production but I'm surprised everyone is already jumping to ideas that this could signify a 5th Film.

While I personally would love for Evangelion to be 100% finished for good at the very least I certainly wouldn't anticipate a new Evangelion project from Khara for at least a few years. The next anime project is likely going to be whatever original Kazuka Tsurumaki is making right now that Anno hinted at during the release of Shin Ultraman.

If this image comes to anything I'd more likely expect it to be something that shows up in an extended cut of 3.0+1.0 on the eventual disc release. Maybe Asuka at some point reflecting on what happened in the past like how Misato did regarding Kaji - when we got the quick glimpses of the 12th Angel & Mark 06 fusing - but a whole new film is a big leap.

[kuribo-04]

Yeah there is no way it's a new film. Everything khara staff has said seems to indicate they are moving on to other major projects, you don't just decide making something so huge from one moment to the next. Also Anno is still in the middle of shooting Shin Kamen Rider.

[nerv bae]

By the way... 5.0/2.0 sounds awesome. However, 3.0 - 0.5 is also pretty good.

Oooh yeah that's good too.

[Szmitten]

A few points since this thing's existence is making me manic:
-Moyocco also had a lantern there, and it was also a print rather than hand drawn. Prints might be more of a theme this year?
-This isn't really a "production reference". It's an actual cel shaded model. Either a whole thing exists or they rendered a bust just for this.
-I keep threatening to make a fanmade 2.5 comic and actually seeing an official one-armed 02a variant (both ideas I was going to go with) in addition to the knowledge of Asuka's -120min/Mari-style plugsuit is very vindicating.
-Can't speculate on colour choices but the green is reminiscent of 05 sure but also the cancelled 06-derived MP Evas, but the implication of a green themed 02 to replace the horn is interesting. The slate/blue led me to think it might have been 03 but it isn't. Digital camo, but wondering if a letter/number is on the pylon.
-This is not the way to announce something like this. I'm leaning toward it just being service. But the witheld CRC's and Tsurumaki supposedly working on something is enough reasonable doubt. But also, no way.

[Archer]

Yeah, unless further evidence suggests otherwise I’m leaning toward it being a model from an unused/deprecated version of the script. We know for a fact that there are Eva models that didn’t show up in the final product, such as the prototype black “Unit 8”/Mk 13 shown in the preview at the end of 2.0. That version of the movie would’ve almost certainly featured some Unit 2 action, it’s very possible they had already made the model before scrapping their plans for it.

[Szmitten]

Another thing is, the previous lantern illustrations were for projects that were expected and announced. This would constitute a soft announcement or tease, which, considering this isn't being presented on either Khara Twitter account and is only sourced from photos from one visitor via eva--fan, wouldn't be a very effective announcement.

I don't think the model is that old, and certainly think it's new, or it's a very new render of a retouched old thing. That's what's so confusing about it.

[nerv bae]

They Did (Not) Announce

[trattopen]

Obviously Anno won't direct an eventual new Eva movie/short/series based on the 14-year gap between 2.0 and 3.0 because he's now (finally) done with Evangelion and he's working on other projects. But as he said, he has already written the major plot events and he'd like to shed light on that portion of the story with the work of other artists.

And, if you think about it, this already started to happen with Evangelion: 3.0(-120 min.)

Furthermore the Rebuild project was born with these intentions:

"I wondered what would happen to the anime industry if it continued to have only "Gundam". Even in tokusatsu, which is said to be an industry that is losing ground to newcomers, there are "Kamen Rider", "Ultraman", and "Super Sentai" to support it. [...] Gundam is the anime goods that office workers can put on their desks at work. If it's a Gundam mobile suit, even if others see it, they can just think, "He likes Gundam." It's not just for nerds, it's an anime that's approved by the general public. That's the great thing about that work. There aren't many other anime goods that you can put on your desk at work. That's why I want there to be as many contents other than Gundam that support the animation industry in a different category than Ghibli, or Hayao Miyazaki now. That's one of my main motivations. Eva is an anime goods that you can barely put on your desk at work. So, I want the new "Evangelion" to continue ten or twenty years from now. I hope that young people, not me, will be able to do it one after another on their own. [...] I hope that Eva can help as one of the contents that support the entire anime industry. If there was anything else, anything would have been fine, but objectively speaking, "Evangelion" has the highest potential. It's a work that you can go ahead with as you like without worrying about the original rights or other troublesome circumstances."

Hideaki Anno, Evangelion 1.0 CRC Interview

So it's not that crazy to think that a new Eva project is already under works, and I expect in the future more and more collateral/spin-off/extended universe-like projects to come.