How would you improve the Rebuild movies?

[Asunji_Yuko]

Certain writing choices aside, I feel the Rebuilds would have been greatly improved if more time had been spent on building up the characters and their relationships with each other. Overall, my proposal would be a total of 7 movies rather than only 4.

1. You Are (Not) Alone - this movie can stay the same.

2. You Can (Not) Advance - this should be split into 2 parts. Asuka Shikinami did NOT have enough screen time. Neither did Mari!

Part 1- Introduce Asuka and Mari. Asuka and Shinji have to synchronize to defeat an enemy similar to Israfel. Instead of Rei threatening Asuka's dominance, Mari does. Also put an arc where Shinji saves Asuka's life or similar, cementing her feelings for him.

3. Part 2- A little more background and depth on Mari. A kiss and awkwardness between Asuka and Shinji. Asuka is destroyed by Bardiel and near 3rd impact happens like in the original movie.

4. You Can (Not) Redo - This can stay largely the same. I know it's usually regarded as the worst Rebuild movie, but that's because it didn't take any time to explain anything about the new world.

5. YC(N)R Prequel 1- Show the immediate aftermath of Near Third Impact. Asuka's recovery and gradual angel decontamination. Conversations between her and Mari. Kaji's sacrifice, and the birth of Ryoji Jr.

6. YC(N)R Prequel 2- More depth on the formation of WILLE and what exactly the new HIP is with NERV. More background on the Shikinami clone series, the original Asuka Shikinami, and how they made current clone Asuka feel a sense of inferiority. Maybe she lost her clone sisters or something. More background on Mari and how exactly she maintains her youth while being Gendo's age. I.e. Makinami clones generally don't have memories of the original Makinami.

7. Thrice Upon a Time - mostly the same. But it might make more sense.

Post your thoughts or your own ideas.

[BernardoCairo]

I could simply say I would change the characters or the story format (a series would probably work better as a new Evangelion story). But realistically, I think I would have kept the original version of Q intact. I love the movie we got, but I think it would have worked better as a fourth film rather than a third installment in the long run.

[C.A.P.]

I would give Anno a million dollars and tell him to not make up the story at the last minute. If he gets it all done, he gets more millions.

[thewayneiac]

Eliminate parts 3 and 4 altogether and start over with a new part 3 actually based upon the preview at the end of part 2. Then do a part 4 that naturally flows from whatever happens in the new part 3.

[Weird_ocean]

Rebuilds is a complete teardown. I would not use the old footage and just made it a new story. It was made to save money on production, and they shot themselves in the foot with this decision. They wanted to make something new by adding Mari, but realized that the original was so good, that she doesn't work at all, and in the end they just did nothing with her. Same goes with every character really, they needed to keep everyone from the original, to please the fans, so people would buy tickets, and in the end everything ended up underdeveloped, besides Rei, maybe. But Rei alone doesn't make these movies worth it to me. To me, when it comes to art, you either go all the way, or don't do it at all, and Rebuilds is just one big compromise.

[Allansfirebird]

The major thing for me would be to properly integrate Mari into the narrative of 2.0 instead of her just popping in and out in ways that don't tie in to the storyline. And also not doing it at the expense of Asuka's screen time. She doesn't really do anything to the story beyond hijacking Unit-02 against Zeruel, and her scene with Shinji falls flat because neither he nor the audience knows who the fuck this person is. This problem extends into 3.0 and Thrice Upon a Time, as well.

It's one thing to leave things purposely abstract for the audience to make their own conclusions, but nothing about the addition of Mari to 2.0 makes any sense.

[FelipeFritschF]

Eliminate parts 3 and 4 altogether and start over with a new part 3 actually based upon the preview at the end of part 2. Then do a part 4 that naturally flows from whatever happens in the new part 3.

We know they did have plans to do that eventually and have considered making a movie around those plans.

I think it will eventually happen but it would be somewhat creatively bankrupt. It feels like those new reboots for 40 year old franchises that are completely unnecessary, and I say this as someone that loved, say, Prometheus.

On topic, we should also remember that the original plan, and Tsurumaki admitted this in the Shin booklet (contradicting Anno lol), that they were simply going to recreate/reanimate "the first 80%" of the show and then come up with a new ending. Would this have been any better?

I personally still have 3.0 as my favourite. I think they could have done more with that setting, Shin just feels like a regression to a pseudo-2.0 in a sense.

[mastafishere]

Keep most of Q the same EXCEPT add a 20-25 minute scene after the middle title card (After Kaworu states "There is always hope.") catching us up on all the time skip events, giving us much wanted character development for Misato, Asuka, Mari, Sakura, and the rest of the Will-e group. After that sequence, the rest of the movie mostly continues as before.

[AsukaShikinami10]

I agree with making a second part for 2.0 which develops more of Asuka and Mari rivalship to friendship, while maintaining the same story from the battle with the 9th angel onwards.

3.0

Change the drones from space from the opening sequence to a proper battle with the11th Angel; maintaining the light-reflection attacks but the winged motif from its tv series version (redesigned to keep it in line with the new redesigned Angels).

No Shinji adrift in space nor long timeskip. Just him waking up months later from the events of the previous 2.0 part 2. That would place him in the early stages of the Wille rebellion, and would make more sense for them to not know how to properly control the Wunder under an Eva's direction as a vessel.

Misato trying to convince Shinji that the Ayanami who came to take him back to Nerv is not the Rei Ayanami he met (after that the sequence can go on like in the released film).

Shinji doing more actions to try to "reconnect" with Ayanami but failing every time he tries to.

No piano shenanigans. Just Shinji and Kaworu meeting in the same place as the tv series and spending time together inside Nerv's HQ as a result of Rei 6's uninterest in Shinji.

A more developed existencial crisis for Ayanami trying to understand why is Shinji desperately trying to reach her out.

A similar scene to the one in episode 24 were Kaworu says it's time and starts Mark.06 (this time from inside its entry plug, with Kaworu wearing his 06 suit).

Mark.06 descending to the bottomost part of Central Dogma going after the 12th Angel under SEELE's orders but not to try to stop it, but to start the Fourth Impact.

Shinji being deployed inside the early version of the Evangelion 13 (the one seen in the 2.0 next time episode preview, the original Eva 08) to stop Kaworu and a battle between Mark.06 and Evangelion 13 ensues.

Asuka and Mari join Shinji in the battle but Mark.06 is way too powerful to be stopped, even by 3 Evas.

Shinji no longer having control of Evangelion 13, as its control system (revealed to be Eva-01's original core with Yui inside) is the one taking over.

A scene similar to the deleted scenes showing that Nerv's personnel is actually just a bunch of souless Ayanamis.

An actual scene after Kaworu's demotion showing Gendo has injected the Key of Nebuchadnezar into himself (this time it being the First Angel's body) and transcending into an Angel status while killing SEELE'S monoliths as in the released film.

Revelation that Kaworu wears his own DSS Choker and it activates after he becomes a new Angel. SEELE'S backup program initiates and Kaworu loses control over his Eva.

Evangelion 13 fusing with Mark.06 to make a complete 4-armed resurrected Adams.

Mark.09 getting taken over by SEELE's program (as in the released film).

Kaworu getting absorbed inside the Evangelion 13+.06 abomination (now clear to us why Evangelion 13 was built as a dual piloted eva).

Evangelion 13+.06 absorbing the 12th Angel which already fused with a still alive Lilith, fully awakening the surviving Adams.

Evangelion 13 now wields a Lance of Longinus (the one holding Lilith), but there is still a missing spear for the 4th impact ritual (the spear of Cassius still impaling Eva-01).

Asuka and Mari try to defeat Evangelion 13 to no avail as it is now way too powerful.

Kaworu sacrifices himself inside Evangelion 13+.06 to try to stop the impact (Gendo's plan to get rid of SEELE's boy finally acomplished).

The Evangelion abomination still working thanks to Shinji still being inside.

Mari using the time borrowed by Kaworu's death to hijack the abomination and releases Shinji's entry plug, shutting down for now the Eva.

The end scene could stay the same IMO.

[penguintruth]

- No 14 year timeskip (a few months is all it needs) - the timeskip was unnecessary and stupid

- Develop Kaworu over two movies

- Develop or excise Mari altogether

- Give Ritsuko more screentime

- Give Pen Pen more screentime

- None of that spears/imaginary space nonsense from Thrice Upon a Time

- No abandoned child of Misato and Kaji

- Improve the CG for Big Instrumentality Rei

- Shinji doesn't end up with any of the girls at the end, he is able to get through life without attaching himself to any particular coupling and stand on his own without external validation

- Use "Fly Me to the Moon" in the credits, after "One Last Kiss"

[Ringworm128]

Assuming there's no budget/time issues the first thing I'd do is make each movie at least 2 hours and 45 minutes long. The added time for character and story development would at least soften a lot of the complaints people have about the rebuilds.

I'd get rid of the whole 14 year time skip and Wille thing, and keep it as a retelling of episodes 20 through EOE, but still keep the near 3rd impact and Shinji facing consequences for it and some other story beats from the rebuilds.

Asuka is "okay" after the 2nd movie but out of commission for the 3rd. Either in a coma or unable to pilot. Kaworu and at least one of Shinji's classmates are brought in as replacements. Hikari, or Touji and Kensuke help with fighting the remaining angels. Rei III/Q is the one who fights Arael but the mind beam scene is more or less amalgamated with Rei II's contact with Armisael.

Final movie follows a similar plot to EoE but incorporates moments from the TV series last 2 episodes and keeps a similar ending to the 4th rebuild, except Shinji gets with Asuka. In this timeline Shinji actually gets the will to push through and ends up fighting the MPEs, but isn't able to stop the 3rd impact. However in this timeline Shinji is more sure of himself and rejects instrumentality pretty easily.

[Darth Plato]

For those saying that the third installment doesn't follow the show, I personally noticed three or four clearly deliberate parallels so that it could be seen as a version of the same story.

For instance, instead of choking Kaworu with the hand of his Eva, Shinji is responsible for him being strangled by the DSS collar.

There are a few others but that was the first that came to mind.

[AsukaShikinami10]

3.0+1.0

Shinji waking up at the hospital feeling sad until Toji appears (as Asuka told him he was there) and seeing him alive (as opposed of what Gendo made him believe in 3.0) makes Shinji really happy.

Shinji stays with Toji while Rei 6 stays with Hikari and her father.

Shinji becoming happy again after Kensuke arrives at Toji's home and sees he is alive too.

Instead of Shinji being depressed in the 1st half of the movie, they should only keep the scenes where he is reflecting alone at the wrecked Nerv's HQ.

No Rei 6 dying. Instead she decides to stay in Village 6 and keep working at the rice fields.

A longer scene with the Wunder crew visiting their families and friends from Village 6, which touches Shinji.

Instead of the useless and dumb Mark.07 from the movie, have them be less mass-produced units that are an actual pain to defeat.

Mari and Asuka fighting against the mass-produced Mark.07 over Nerv's inverted pyramid instead of fighting those dumb arms with knives.

Mari getting to handle the last MP Mark.07 while Asuka goes for Evangelion 13+.06.

No dumb "Eva-02 is afraid of Evangelion 13". Instead having her use the angel within her as a safe card.

When Asuka is confronted by her original, the original Shikinami should be the Asuka we met in 2.0, so we get the revelation that the Asuka with the eyepatch is a clone that succesfully held within her the 9th Angel [as Ritsuko said in 2.0, she (the original Asuka ingected by the 9th angel) was a valuable specimen].

When eyepatch Asuka is absorbed by her original, a helpless Mari is attacked by the Evas Opfer type by the vicious Ayanami advanced type and Eva-08 and her are ripped apart (a paralel to Asuka in EoE).

The spears of Longinus and Cassius fusing to create a key to open the doors of Guf.

Gendo taking Eva-01 out of the Wunder, removing the spear of Cassius and preparing to go to minus space to start Instrumentality with Eva-01, the spear of Longinus, the spear of Cassius and Evangelion 13+.06.

Shinji desperately screaming for Ayanami to help him and is suddenly transported inside the entry plug where Ayanami 2's soul is.

Gendo telling Shinji to go after him if he has the courage to try to stop him and then falling inside the doors of Guf as seen in the movie, but this time he is followed by Shinji inside Eva-01.

The minus space being that rocky place with flowing river/rapids as seen in the presented drafts from the Eva exposition (can't remember the year of that expo).

A battle between two godly evas using eyebeams and AT-Fields as weapons.

Both Evas are way too powerful to beat each other.

Gendo tricking Shinji to get closer to his Eva and a fusion between Evangelion 13+.06 and Eva-01 (forbidden union of Lilith and Adams) happen.

Instrumentality begins through this forbidden union.

Through Instrumentality it is revealed Eva-01 is Lilith's clone with Lilith's (Ayanami 2) soul inside, as opposed to Evangelion 13 being two fused Adams (Evangelion 13 itself and Mark.06), the body and soul of the First Angel (the 9th angel used as fuel for Evangelion 13+.06 reawakening as im the finalized version of the movie).

Shinji gets the help of Ayanami/Lilith and Kaworu to take over Instrumentality and wishes for all the evas to be erased from existence.

All evas including the Opfer type, Evangelion 13+.06 and the Adams-based ships ceasing to exist.

Wille crew escaping via pods as in the movie.

As Shinji is ceasing to exist, Ayanami 2 pulls out his entry plug so he doesn't die.

Shinji, Ayanami 2 and Kaworu exchange their last goodbyes.

Shinji waking up at the beach, the ocean is blue again as there is no longer influence from evas nor Adams.

Shinji briefly sobbing the loss of Ayanami 2, Kaworu, Asuka and Mari, then resolving on moving on to honour them.

A prolongue set months later showing the survivors life now that there are no Angels, no Adams, no Evas.

Toji, Sakura, Kensuke and Hikari happily going their way to school again in Tokyo III.

Shinji descending the electric stairs to meet them but now without the headphones nor the S-Dat, showing he moved on from the past and now has a new will to live and appreciate the friends he has.

Ayanami 6 living as her own individual in Village 6 with the old ladies at the rice fields, as all of them decided to stay there.

THE END.