How are you liking Rebuild so far? (ITT We tag Spoilers)

[catinajar]

From what I've heard I am itching with anticipation, although to be honest I'm not sure whether that's because what I've heard has caused optimism or concern.
Character development has obviously been cut right down because of the length of the film as opposed to the series...and although I am TOTALLY aware that there is practically no canon between 2.0 and the series before anyone cuts me down, it still worries me a little that characters who I've come to know as one thing might suddenly round about on me and become another (eg Party Time Rei and the new, improved Shikinami).
Just a healthy dose of scepticism.

Oh, and if it's all a dream, I'm coming to find you Anno...

[Jinroh]

I have two problems with rebuild.

1) The first movie is just a retelling of the original story. There's barely any change. I was fine with that, but once I realized that the serie took a new direction in the second movie, it makes it feel like 1.0 was kind of rushed, it really lacks of new angels/designs, and other details like that. It doesn't really have a fresh taste. Why changing the whole story afterward and not starting with 1.0? That's confusing.

2) We know Evangelion pretty well so we can't have any distanced/"objective" opinion about rebluid I think. We pretty much know most of the original story details, and it confuses me when I look at rebuild and try to understand its story, because I'm influenced by what I know from the original serie. For exemple there are things I might not understand, because rebuild doesn't say much about it, and I might interpret is based on what I know from the first serie.

And I also wonder if someone who's never watched Evangelion before will really understand what's happening in rebuild. It's way too fast paced, and it lacks of character developement I think. Everything seems lighter when it comes to Mistako, Kaji, Asuka, background characters like Toji, Kensuke, etc...

I think I enjoy rebuild a lot, but I still don't really understand its purpose, and who it was made for.

[Heromaster111]

I have two problems with rebuild.

1) The first movie is just a retelling of the original story. There's barely any change. I was fine with that, but once I realized that the serie took a new direction in the second movie, it makes it feel like 1.0 was kind of rushed, it really lacks of new angels/designs, and other details like that. It doesn't really have a fresh taste. Why changing the whole story afterward and not starting with 1.0? That's confusing.

Anno may have changed things drastically during the 2 years Eva 2.0 took to development who knows what the man's original plans for Rebuild was.

And I also wonder if someone who's never watched Evangelion before will really understand what's happening in rebuild. It's way too fast paced, and it lacks of character developement I think. Everything seems lighter when it comes to Mistako, Kaji, Asuka, background characters like Toji, Kensuke, etc...

I think I enjoy rebuild a lot, but I still don't really understand its purpose, and who it was made for.

SPOILER: Show

Kensuke and Toji just seem to be there for the ride, neither being really necessary I mean Kensuke had his scene took from him in 1.0 and Toji turns down the chance to pilot an eva in 2.0 so...

[Mr. Tines]

I'm withholding my full judgement on 2.0 until after i saw it myself, but... "Too much Girlfriend of Steel." I knew that character analysis and development will be shortened drastically, but i know it could have been done differently.

SPOILER: Show

Rei throwing a party and Asuka just blurting it out to Misato that she felt like she had to put on a facade to protect herself during a phone conversation are especially sore points for me. This stuff literally feels like the worst of faniction. But i have yet to see how it plays out on the screen.

THIS. Especially the spoilered bit.

[The Eva Monkey]

I don't really think I've heard too much negative concerning Rebuild. The real question is how to overall fandom will respond to Rebuild. I'm looking forward to the screenings of 1.0 at Otakon. I'm looking forward to seeing it with an audience.

[quixote77]

I know the story seems to have done a complete 180...diagonal-wise...there's something I got to get off my chest. Three things in fact.

1) It did not have nearly the same amount of character development that the series had I'll admit. That is something a lot of people have taken issue with. Though I haven't seen the movie myself, from what I've heard in summaries and board discussions, I can safely say that this film does possess a great deal of character development, it's just that it looks small compared to the degree in the series. Because let's face it, you can't squeeze 26 episodes' worth of angst into 4 films without making it clumsy. So in my eyes, they made up for the lack of time by making the development happen faster and with more immediate repercussions.

2) On the idea that Rebuild is not faithful to the series, I have a small anecdote to share: You know what kept me going throughout Evangelion's mountains of filler, wangst and Shinji's scrappyhood? Anticipation and Uncertainty. Evangelion was unlike any anime I had ever seen before and I had no idea where in God's name it was going in the next episode. Who'd live, who'd die? And as complex as it was, I was fascinated by the conspiracy aspect of it.

I must be honest, as cool as CG Ramiel was I was not particularly wowed by the first, as it was basically the series condensed. And new animation aside, I'm not a big fan of those anime movies as they set themselves up as offering something new, when they simply just polish a few scenes and string them together with sloppy editing (Looking at you Death and Rebirth). What made up for that lost 90 minutes of my life (aside from the cockpit scene at the end) was Kaworu on the moon and the trailer of You Can (Not) Advance. In those brief 90 seconds, I felt like I was watching Evangelion again. It had what I wanted from Rebuild in the first place: new plot pieces, new characters, new Angels and especially new EVAs. But the best part of all is that I had no idea what they were going to do with all this, I mean I had some idea, but as the newer trailers started coming out, I was once again completely oblivious to how it would turn out, and I loved every second of it. And let me tell you, I had no idea the story would move in this manner.

3) Relating to growth earlier; great as it was, I always felt the story of Evangelion was wrought with emotional impotency. Not that characters couldn't feel emotion (hell there was plenty of that being thrown around even when Asuka was offscreen), but that they didn't really go anywhere. For example, Shinji rescuing Rei after the 5th Angel battle, powerful scene, but their relationship didn't go anywhere after that. Asuka's being attacked by the 15th was horrifying, yet ultimately instead of seeing how this would affect her relations with other characters, we get her in a coma. The last few episodes could've wrapped these psychological loose ends up, the movie could have done that, but ultimately, they simply broke them all the more.

Infeasible as it is, you have to admit, there is something oddly touching about seeing Shinji, Rei, and Asuka actively try to get along with each other, a very rare occurrence in the series you have to admit. The TV versions suffered, struggled and sacrificed, but ultimately stood still; with only scant hints of potential evolution. WHat we see in 2.0 is the fruition of those hints: Asuka fessing up to her snobbish attitude, Shinji gaining confidence, Rei becoming more human. Even in text form, reading about this progress, made me feel warm inside. Newcomers will see it as a logical next step storywise, but for a fan like me, it's a wonderful thing.

Bottom line, Rebuild can not emulate the emotional power of the series, it pioneered it after all. But it delivers the essentials to a new audience, and actually got us wondering what the hell is going to happen next. As a bonus, the excessive melodrama in the character interactions appears to have been streamlined to give us all a payoff and perhaps a glimmer of hope that the series won't end with two scarred teenagers lying on a beach next to an ocean made of blood, or tang...yeah.

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

Haven't seen either yet. Theater releases in my area don't exist, and it's really something I'd rather watch on a high quality format than on some Internet stream. So I'm waiting for the DVD release.

*little off topic*... Before I go out out and buy the November DVD release of 1.0, how many extended versions of Rebuild 1.0 are there?

[Milton]

Because let's face it, you can't squeeze 26 episodes' worth of angst into 4 films without making it clumsy.

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy Theatrical:558 minutes.
EVA 26*20/4 = 130 min per movie or 520 min.

Also I don't like rebuild 1.0.

1) Virtually no difference from the original, and actually it felt very fast paced.

2) Some bad CG broke the immersion. (there was some very very good CG specially the city)

3) The battle against Ramiel was just too over the top. (the original was much more interesting because of all the planning and the tension that lead to the actual battle)

[Axell]

3) The battle against Ramiel was just too over the top. (the original was much more interesting because of all the planning and the tension that lead to the actual battle)

This is one of the times i find it very difficult to honor other's opinions

[Beskhu3epnm]

I don't want to make any direct comparisons yet. I really enjoyed the first Rebuild, but that was because all the characters were fully fleshed out in my head from watching the original TV series. I'd just as soon watch either of them and appreciate them for what they are, especially since we'll be seeing two very different stories by the time this is all finished.

[Eric Blair]

1.0 was mneh... I never understood the need to take a good story and twirl it around just for the sake of saying "It's not a rehash!"... like people will not go and see a "Big screen" treatment of Eva.

The whole story idea from 1.0 seemed like "I'm gonna cram as much as I can" and from that moment I had my doubts.

Then came the whole Shikinami thing.

Let me make this clear, I'm not talking as an A/S fan, in fact for this movie alone, I have walked down the Tines path of anti-shipping them, but besides that, I can not find ways to express the utter contempt and disappointment I feel at both the movie, the creator and the so called Asuka fans who seem to have forgotten all of what made Asuka that character, and how it was all cast aside carelessly.

SPOILER: Show

Asuka Soryu never liked dolls, she hated them, Shikinami has one and uses it to talk with herself because her mom gave it to her; gone is the "I think this doll is my daughter" trauma; worst yet, all the things that meant something for the redhead, her Plugsuit and A-10, her Mother and Eva, were taken away, and not an explanation was given.

She no longer has the Soryu last name, and by the looks of Mari, 02 does not have a "mom soul", unless it happens that Mari si either Asuka's "Sister" or Nerv Germany's own version of Rei, only this time it's Lillith/Kyoko.

Shikinami has been turned to a stereotypical weak, frail girl, so forgive me if I can only shake my head in disappointment at the people who are enamored of the new version, like the mice running behind the pied paper of Hamlin.

I sincerely hope the movie is good for them, but for me, every time I see anything that has to do with 2.0, I feel like a small part of what I loved in the fandom is chipped away, which has already had an adverse reaction on my "anonymous" contributions to the fandom.

Not like anyone here would care.

Tl;DR WHINEoneone? some call a WAAAAAAAHmbulance.

[Lagann]

Ornette has done said that the party thing and Rei smiling all the time has been over exagerated from people reading the reviews. The criticisms do not count to me unless you have actualy seen the movie.

[Eric Blair]

Actually the thread said "How are you liking Rebuild so far" it's not necessarily talking about "how have you liked Watching Rebuild so far.

you get a 0 in "paying attention."

[JimmyWolk]

1and the so called Asuka fans who seem to have forgotten all of what made Asuka that character, and how it was all cast aside carelessly.

So... one isn't allowed to call himself an Asuka fan if he can enjoy both Asukas? I'm not entirely sure yet if I can apply that to me, but so far, I don't see why not. Yes, they're glaringly different on several accounts

SPOILER: Show

though I doubt the "weak, frail girl" part will shine through as much in the actual movie as you make it out to be - she still seems badass in fights and has her share of tsundere moments. And even for the rest, it depends to a large extend of *how* its handled

, but... I dunno, maybe I've gotten immune from seeing so many different takes on her of which many were also far, far off from the original character, AUs where her background was entirely flipped around even to the point that she never had a tragic past at all - and still, I could enjoy a whole lot of them (and I dare think you did too).

So what's the problem here? That people are talking mostly about Rebuild at the moment? Can't really blame them for discussing the news. That it's been done by the original creator? Not even him can "overwrite" the original series though - in fact Rebuild will always have to face the comparison to it and will likely lose in most aspects.

So one could complain that the original Asuka isn't in Rebuild. But neither are (even if the differences aren't quite as glaring on first sight) the original Shinji, the original Rei... which leaves us with the name deal. That's still bothering myself somewhat, but mostly because it still just seems pointless (and with Shinji and her apparently being on last-name basis for a while, it might gonna make my ears bleed -_-; )

But again, with the fanfictiony and fanservice elements, and all the more if the backstory of Rebuild's idea being formed after a marathon session of the series is true, ie: him basically going at it like a fan would (and who knows, maybe time, pills, a bump on the head,... really made him forget a large bits of it), I really think it shouldn't be regarded as anything but "Rebuild of Evangelion - a fanmovie by Anno Hideaki! *Disclaimer: I don't own Eva... oh wait, I do!*" - at least I find it hard to do otherwise, and likewise don't see why I should like/dislike it anymore than any other fanwork screwing around with the series.

SPOILER: Show

and by the looks of Mari, 02 does not have a "mom soul", unless it happens that Mari si either Asuka's "Sister" or Nerv Germany's own version of Rei, only this time it's Lillith/Kyoko.

SPOILER: Show

Mari's obviously original Shinji/Asuka's daughter/descendant. SEQUAL!!1

I sincerely hope the movie is good for them, but for me, every time I see anything that has to do with 2.0, I feel like a small part of what I loved in the fandom is chipped away, which has already had an adverse reaction on my "anonymous" contributions to the fandom.

Not like anyone here would care.

I know someone... (how could you?)

[Eric Blair]

So... one isn't allowed to call himself an Asuka fan if he can enjoy both Asukas?

Personal feeling is personal; it doesn't necessarily have to be rooted in logic or sound sane, so forgive me if I had hurt your sensibility but yes, for me it's like that.

Words, spoilers, reasons.

Like I said, comparatively speaking I'll always prefer the original series, but so far, didn't we already have this conversation privately? If you really want to we can discuss ALL of it here

SPOILER: Show

Mari's obviously original Shinji/Asuka's daughter/descendant. SEQUAL!!1

SPOILER: Show

Yes, and her name is Mai, or Aki, or Kami or I forget the names St. Rio gave the twins.

[size=6](how could you?)

Sorry, just as you seem immune to other take on Asuka's it seems I too am inmune to little girls tears.

[Mr. Tines]

"Rebuild of Evangelion - a fanmovie by Anno Hideaki! *Disclaimer: I don't own Eva... oh wait, I do!*"

Sigged for great justice!

[Ornette]

I don't even think she's that different from the original. Are you guys really taking all of this from people's reviews? That's much more than I got out of the actual movie, even twice.

[backseatjesus]

Some of you are pathetic. You're basing your opinions off other people's opinions! This is exactly why I think reviews are evil.


But I honestly can't dislike a series that turns Asuka into a pirate.

[Reichu]

My feelings towards Rebuild have ranged everywhere from indifference to excitement to nerd-rage, sometimes in combination.

My pointless speculation is that I'll continue to cycle through these feelings until Rebuild's release ends (well, the myriad inevitable revised editions aside), and then I'll go through a frustrated period of resolving my inevitable ambivalence towards the whole thing ("They're destroying everything I held most dearly!!!... but..."). Then these obnoxious newfags who popped their Eva cherry on Rebuild will show up, and I'll decide that the path of least resistence is just to hate Rebuild for being loud and big and shiny and new and for attracting newfags who want to start dumb debates about Rebuild being better than NGE.

By the way, I'm fine viewing them as separate things. But it's worth keeping in mind that my interest in Rebuild is entirely due to my preexisting investment in NGE, so, unless it manages to affect me in some new and profound way -- stake out psychic Reichu territory that NGE didn't, which is an exceptionally high order -- Rebuild is pretty much invariably doomed to be a sort of sideshow/distraction. I don't really expect much more.

We'll see.

[MugwumpHasNoLiver]

But it's worth keeping in mind that my interest in Rebuild is entirely due to my preexisting investment in NGE, so, unless it manages to affect me in some new and profound way -- stake out psychic Reichu territory that NGE didn't, which is an exceptionally high order -- Rebuild is pretty much invariably doomed to be a sort of sideshow/distraction. I don't really expect much more.

This is a good point. On one hand, I appreciate what Rebuild is trying to do, and am highly anticipating the remaining films, but I really don't see what will come of it. Eva dug deep into the deepest recess of my mind and violated me purely, which is something I doubt can happen twice. Still, I get brilliant nerd hard-ons from seeing Nerv and the Angels and the Evas all re-done is modern animation and CGI and wonderful, wonderful newness!
I'm being milked entirely for nostalgia and I both recognize and accept that.

3) Relating to growth earlier; great as it was, I always felt the story of Evangelion was wrought with emotional impotency. Not that characters couldn't feel emotion, but that they didn't really go anywhere. For example, Shinji rescuing Rei after the 5th Angel battle, powerful scene, but their relationship didn't go anywhere after that.. ... The TV versions suffered, struggled and sacrificed, but ultimately stood still; with only scant hints of potential evolution. WHat we see in 2.0 is the fruition of those hints: Asuka fessing up to her snobbish attitude, Shinji gaining confidence, Rei becoming more human. ... Newcomers will see it as a logical next step storywise, but for a fan like me, it's a wonderful thing.

This is another good point. While what I found most appealing about the series was the human drama and all the characters general fucked-up-ness, I know it's all a swing of mood. Personally, I find that people are capable of change, but ultimately never do. That's a fatalistic attitude and it's something the series embraced. Why? Depression is fatalism. So, new happy Anno has cast off that mood and embraced people's will to change, because he did.

So while I think that the new won't affect me anywhere near as the original series did, I think 'shiny sideshow' is a bit condescending. I like to think of the new Eva being a counterpoint to the old Eva. They both touch upon the same themes and motifs, but will demonstrate them differently or arrive at a new conclusion.

Now, this is just speculation, of course. I believe the original Eva to be art, but while art doesn't change, artists do.