Is Rebuild a Continuation of the Original Series / Movies?

[SurferJon]

Hi everyone! Ever since my trip to Japan last summer, I have become a huge fan of Eva - it's one of the most complicated stories I have ever come across in my life! I'm of course new to the community (and have only been a fan for a short time), so excuse me if my post sounds completely ridiculous. I haven't browsed these forums that much so if these have been brought up before and shot down, don't shoot me too. ;;

Could Rebuild be a continuation of the original series and EoE? I mean, I know it's supposed to be a new retelling and all, but there's a few things that don't quite sit right with me. I hope someone either comes here and explains the answers to these so I can put my wild theories to rest or that some discussion can be sparked if what I point out is indeed odd.

Remember how at the end of EoE Giant Rei's head fell off her body and sprayed blood on the moon? Why is there blood on the moon in 2.22? Or is that just red paint? Also, why is the sea a pool of LCL now when in the original series it was just a regular ocean? The reason I ask this is because at the end of EoE, of course, the Earth was left with the pool of LCL. And in Eva 1.01, one of the first shots is the new red sea, almost as if Anno is saying, "Hey, this is a continuation of the EoE!" I think the shot is almost exactly the same as the shot that introduced the red sea in EoE as well - even the sound effect of the water. And why does Kaworu know Shinji's name in 1.01 when he hasn't even met him yet - why does he say "the third one again" (Earth, the third planet, again?), and why does he say at the end of 2.22 "I'm here to make you happy," as if he knows that Shinji was an unhappy person from when he first met him in the original series. I also find it odd that Asuka's last name was changed along with her personality (to a degree). Why does she like dolls now, why does she not love Kaji, why is she after Ikari more than in the original? And why is Shinji braver now (as seen in the end of 2.22). It seems the basic things these characters were afraid of or had a flaw with have now improved. Could it be that they somehow "learned" from the previous events of the original series / movies in being the only two to survive the original Third Impact, and now are playing out their lives to a better degree? Like, could the world have basically began again, run the same course, but with the new and improved changes because these characters already lived their lives before and learned from their mistakes / flaws?

What do you think? I mean, I know that some of what I proposed is probably just because Anno wanted to make the changes and that's all there is to it, but some of it just seems a little weird to me.

[master_lloyd]

The Sequel theory is a bit of a hot topic in this forum, but see here for more information:

http://forum.evageeks.org/viewtopic.php?t=4369

http://forum.evageeks.org/viewtopic.php?t=6022

Personally? I'm a little agnostic about the whole thing, not really sure.

[SaltyJoe]

I'm sorry if it will feel like i'm shooting you down, but this theory has been brought up a million times before.

Here's a whole thread dedicated to it (now locked, as will this one be, shortly).

IMHO, the question is undecidable, at least for now.

[SurferJon]

Wow, just browsing those it looks like people have the same idea. It's funny how we can all come up with a similar idea, which just goes to show that it might be right.

Anno, to me, seems like someone who takes great pride in his work. I don't think he would just "erase" everything he worked on before. I'm a filmmaker in training and can relate to him in a way, and I feel like this is what he might be doing - connecting everything he has spent so many years sweating over.

It looks like some people don't like the idea of it being a continuation from browsing those threads, but I think it's completely cool, especially if it turns out to be true and most people did not recognize it.

Oh, another thing I forgot: Their technology is much more advanced. Satellites in space, traveling to the moon? In the original series, they made it a point to say they could not retrieve the Lance of Longinus because it was stuck in lunar space (or was that just because of its mass, not that they can't go to space?). Now it seems they can actually go up there, which might just go to show that the world has really advanced from the original series if this theory does indeed turn out to be true.

EDIT: Wow, some people pointed out the moon / ocean thing too. If so many people recognized these, I think it has to be purposeful. But who knows. It's fun to speculate though - it would be a shame to shut down this thread when there's so much that could be said based on the evidence we have (though I guess I'll read the other threads in depth first - maybe everything's already been said and discussed to death).

[berto]

If it is a sequel that would imply that the characters are trapped within some kind of time loop, I think it's called a Möbius, where events involving time travel force those involved on an infinite time loop.

I deffinitly see the possibileties. There are a lot of hits to support the theory.

[Ornette]

Essentailly:

Blood on the moon: as yet unknown, there's a base there too, maybe the blood has something to do with those "coffins" and the excavation of what ends up being Eva-06

Red Ocean: This is explained as an effect of 2nd Impact. It destroyed all life in the oceans. That's why there's that preservation facility in the second movie.

Everything else kind of falls into the "this is a retelling" or "this is a retelling and it's not finished yet". Bottom line, who knows? There's plenty of things that won't make sense at all if this is supposed to be a continuation, like why is it still 2015 and how everything got Doctor Who'd back when the original series took place but everybody, and everything (like the oceans), are somehow tied to their future selves. I think these coincidences were purposely put into the movies. I don't think canonically they have anything to do with the original series.

[SurferJon]

Essentailly:
Red Ocean: This is explained as an effect of 2nd Impact. It destroyed all life in the oceans. That's why there's that preservation facility in the second movie.

Oh, that makes sense - the ocean would have always had to have been red for that theory to work. Unless Rebuild just literally continued off right from where EoE left off and somehow everyone's memories have been modified, everyone reimagined themselves within their hearts and popped back to life, and all the buildings magically grew back. Meh, too wild. Unless Shinji or Asuka decided to have the world the same again, just with less pain, and it somehow happened.

Now that I've seen from those two threads that the beach-sand scene is literally the same one from EoE, coupled with the fact it's shown in the very beginning of the 1.01 movie, it's pretty foolish to not consider that there is probably a very important reason for Anno deciding to do that.

[SaltyJoe]

.Now that I've seen from those two threads that the beach-sand scene is literally the same one from EoE, coupled with the fact it's shown in the very beginning of the 1.01 movie, it's pretty foolish to not consider that there is probably a very important reason for Anno deciding to do that.

Just pointing this out, but every time a seashore is shown in NGE and Rebuild, it's the same bit of animation, with different colors and backgrounds. But the angling and the way the water moves is always the same.

[Joseph the PRPD]

Wow, just browsing those it looks like people have the same idea. It's funny how we can all come up with a similar idea, which just goes to show that it might be right.

Just because a certain number of people share the same thoughts doesn't mean it's right.

I don't think he would just "erase" everything he worked on before.

It's not that hard. It's a new story.

My posts against the sequel theory:

SPOILER: Show

http://forum.evageeks.org/viewtopic.php?p=311910#311910
The Eva Multiverse
http://forum.evageeks.org/viewtopic.php?p=312896#312896
Disecting the old and new "Biggest Troll Ever" image.
One little detail
Blood on the moon
http://forum.evageeks.org/viewtopic.php?p=336104#336104

Shinji or Asuka decided to have the world the same again, just with less pain, and it somehow happened.

Shinji is the one who could have decided to change the world but he didn't. He rejected instrumentality. That's it. He had his chance.

Now that I've seen from those two threads that the beach-sand scene is literally the same one from EoE, coupled with the fact it's shown in the very beginning of the 1.01 movie, it's pretty foolish to not consider that there is probably a very important reason for Anno deciding to do that.

Or he simply wanted to reference EoE's ending.

[Taekmkm]

Kaworu.

[Sailor Star Dust]

I don't buy sequel theory, BUT I do agree there is a huge motif of "Eva is a story that repeats" in terms of similiar NGE/EoE environments--and the NME characters--ending up on similiar paths (just different means of getting there) of episode 20 or even EoE.

Perhaps New Movie Edition is something of a literal (maybe, due to Kaworu?? Doubtful right now, at least.) or most likely metaphorical (going back to the Anno "story that repeats" quote) time-loop, if nothing else.

[Fallingtogrey]

Maybe.

[Sailor Star Dust]

Well, yeah. I always figured the very first shot in 1.XX is meant to make you react in a "Holy shit! LCL Sea! EoE!" manner... Until a little bit later, you find out from Maya it's due to Second Impact.

Anno knows he's doing, despite popular belief that he doesn't.

[EdZ]

Obligatory link to that image

[Taekmkm]

Kaworu is Anno's pen-name.

I FIGURED IT OUT!

[Joseph the PRPD]

Obligatory link to that image

Yeah, I've seen that image.
With the chalk outline I stated that it could also be a failed Eva test and/or an early [failed] attempt at fighting Sachiel (or Anno just fucking with us).

Also take a look behind the pit of Mark/Unit-06, there is no streak of blood and the blood ends at the pit. Which is why I stated that streak of blood up until the pit could have been from the body being dragged.

It was also stated in 2.0 that [in this universe] the sea is red because of second impact.

And like I said with EoE's ending how does it go:

Shinji strangling Asuka in a destroyed Tokyo-3 on a shore and they both look traumatized to -> Shinji looking normal, Tokyo-3 looking fine, Sachiel attacking, and no one having any memory of 3i/inst.?
He had the chance to make the world the way he wanted during instrumentality but he rejected it instead.

I also want to add the position of the crucified MP EVA compared to the chalk outline.

The legs.

All of the MP Eva's legs are together while the legs of the chalk outline are a little apart.

[the_seventh_child]

I view Rebuild as an upgrade-burger of the original burger. Like, with moar saucy stuff and this and that. Most of people will find the idea of exploring the new burger and stuff quite cool but they will always think "dude, the original, like THE ORIGINAL <3". /or they can eat both and be happy.

That made sense, yeah.

In a more literal sense, i see it as a retelling. That, given the information we got for the first 3 movies. Idk about the 4th, since it is supposed to be totally new stuff, so i will hold my 100% judgment until then, but in the majority, it is kind of retelling for me.

[NemZ]

Saying that things repeat therefor it must be a sequel is a gross misunderstanding of Anno. The man just reuses things constantly, often to very different purposes.

Case in point... the waves. Yes, EoE ends with such a shot. Yes, Rebuild starts with one. But what about this one?



Aside from being blue rather than red (and being from an entirely different anime), it's the same shot, right? Does that mean that Nadia is a prequel or sequel to EVA?

flawed logic is flawed.

[Azathoth]

You know, now that I think about it, most of the stuff in that image has been addressed or at least referred to in some way. But the chalk outline on the strangely red hillside remains enigmatic, and in fact utterly bizarre and inexplicable.

It doesn't seem like it's from an Eva, since it has no pylons (compare the chalk outline of Unit 01 after the Shamshel battle), yet it can't be from an Angel, either, as all of them are accounted for. So is it from an Eva sans pylons? That doesn't make a whole pile of sense. Unit 01 couldn't move yet and Unit 00 surely hadn't been sortied (quite apart from the fact that there's nothing for it to sortie against, we surely would have heard about it), and as far as we know NERV Japan didn't have any other Evas yet. It's rather odd. It's one of the opening shots of the movie, and it shows something distinctly unusual and bizarre, the implication being that we were certainly meant to notice it and remark upon it.

Yet no explanation for it has been offered; indeed, it has not been mentioned or referred again, even once, in any Rebuild material so far. And with the devastation Unit God wreaks on Tokyo-3 at the end of 2.22, it doesn't look like there's going to be much of it left to explain. So are they planning to just let it go, or what?

Maybe it's Jet Alone.

[Reichu]

The chalk outline is probably an early teaser for some of the mind-numbing new material they've barely begun to explain (if even that). Adams, anyone? We don't even know how clueless we are.

The streak on the Moon, while sizable (its scale is more obvious in 2.XX), is not large enough to be seen from Earth with the unaided eye. The EoE blood spray, on the other hand, was ENORMOUS. They're not the same thing.

Kaworu's cryptic words will probably make more sense in-universe once more context on the various machinations and his own motivations are provided.

It might be prudent to wait for this version to finish playing out before falling into the "it's a sequel/continuation!" trap. I know it's tempting, but...