Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby FelipeFritschF » Sat Oct 03, 2020 6:01 am

Looking up some stuff for the wiki, I have come across some old notes and turns out that the semi-mythical original episodes from Evangelion Proposal were posted a mere 19 years ago by our buddy MDWings, right here: http://animeboards.com/archive/index.php/t-23715.html It is now on the wiki as well, of course: https://wiki.evageeks.org/Neon_Genesis_ ... n_Proposal

At the risk of it being excessive, but also knowing how people talk about these rather frequently, I took the liberty of creating a thread for it, so that we can concentrate discussion here. If the mods think this is unnecessary, of course, feel free to send it to the Graveyard.

Episode 1: People's reunion: The story begins with a two-car train moving through the montain terrain of Hakone, headed for the city of Tokyo-3. On board is the main character, Shinji Ikari. He has been summoned by his father to come to Tokyo-3. Suddenly the trains stops. Through the mountains and trees can be heard the sound of emergency sirens. Two giant figures appear, before Shinji's eyes and begin a raging battle. Misato Katsuragi appears and saves Shinji. The battle is between the robotic giant "Evangelion" unit-00 and the metalic "Angel" Rajiel. The unit-00 defeates the Angel, but not without heavy damage. The Angel disappears into a lake and the damages unit-00 is taken back to whence it came. Shinji, under the guid of Misato, is taken to underground "artificial evolution" laboratory where he meets Ritsuko and Rei, and, for the first time in years, sees his father. Shinji confronts the Evangelion unit-01. He learns that he has been chosen to pilot it. The Angel, Rajiel, appears once again. The unit-01 is prepared for battle, and Shinji, clueless of what is going on, takes his seat in the piloting chair under the orders of his father and the other grownups. The unit-01, though ble to even walk straight, is sent to fight. In the dark of the night, in the fortess city of Tokyo-3, the two giants clash and the people who created the "Eva" see the true power of their own creation and are awed.

Episode 2: Unrecognizable ceilings: During battle, the Eva unit-01 goes out of control and shows unpredicted strength. Shinji's will defeated the Angel. After battle, the civilians' reaction to the Evas and Angels is shown. For Shinji, it is the begining of a new life in an unknown land filled with unknown people. The reoccuring fear from the battle. Misato and Shinji's interaction.

Episode 3: The first telephone call: Shinji's new school. His first friends there. A heavy battle in Tokyo-3.

Episode 4: 14 years, the first day: Shinji's birthday. But his father holds no words of congradulation for Shinji. Misato's decision for Shinji. A drama story of the people of "Nerv."

Episode 5: Rei, beyond the heart: Interaction between Rei and Shinji. The fearsome power shown by an Angel. The Eva's defeat. The laboratory's oncoming peril.

Episode 6: Deciding battle in Tokyo-3: A battle between human wit and the Angel. The Eva's revenge. Shinji begins to understand the people of Nerv.

Episode 7: A man-made thing: A new man-made humanoid battle machine besides the Evas. What happens during its test run. A different side of Nerv is shown.

Episode 8: Asuka's morning arrival: Asuka, Eva unit-02, and Kaji's arrival. Battle ships vs. a giant robot. A battle held on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Episode 9: A split second, hearts overlap: The Eva's first beside-water battle. Shinji and Asuka's interaction. A double battle with 2 Evas.

Episode 10: In the still darkness: An inoperative laboratory. The sadness of modern civilization deprived of electricity. A time suspense story.

Episode 11: Magma diver: For the first time, Nerv strikes first against an Angel. An Eva is sent into a volcano, specially equipped to capture the Angel. Battle in the magma.

Episode 12: An 18 second miracle: A highly explosive, unstoppable Angel decends towards Tokyo-3 Absolute peril. Misato's high-risk plan.

Episode 13: What comes after fear: The great defeat Shinji had expected to come. The breakdown of the Eva unit-01. Shinji gets trapped inside.

Episode 14: An illness that leads to death, and: A rescue from the damaged unit-01. A drama of people. Shinji learns true fear and hopelessness.

Episode 15: Shinji, once again: After his recovery, Shinji's decision to ride the Eva unit-01 once again. The Eva unit-01 is given an overhaul remake job.

Episode 16: In the heart of the enemy: Shinji is taken into and Angel and for the first time, communication is made. Part of the Angels' objective is brought to light.

Episode 17: Asuka's 1st date: Asuka goes to an amusement park for the first time. Misato's past. A romance comedy.

Episode 18: the choice of life: Shinji fights the Angel-controlled Eva unit-03 piloted by his friend. The choice Shinji makes.

Episode 19: A man's battle: Asuka is heavily wounded protecting Shinji. Shinji tries to prove himself to her. The Evas' first aerial battle. Kaji's death.

Episode 20: Nerv's birth: The Eva unit-05 is sent to Nerv from Germany. A story of what happened 15 years ago: The evaporation of the Dead sea, the creation of Nerv and the Evas. A story of Shinji's father.

Episode 21: At least, like a human: An underwater battle around a sunken ship. Shinji recieves a mental attack by n Angel. A story of Shinji's mother.

Episode 22: The cat and the transfer student: The first humanoid Angel (child with a pet cat) Nerv's accidental allowing of the Angel's entry into the laboratory. Shinji's delima of fighting a humanoid Angel. The laboratory's greatest secret is shown.

Episode 23: The Human Completion Program: The truth behind the Evas and the Human Completion Program. Ritsuko and Shinji's father's plot is revealed.

Episode 24: The promised time, now: Rei is defeated. Her secret is revealed. The most powerful, 12th Angel awakens, at last, and decends to Earth from the Moon. The Americas, along with the Eva unit-06 is erased from the surface of the Earth. Humanity learns futility against the Angel's absolute power. The promised time, when humanity will return to nothing, approaches. A human drama of hopelessness.

Episode 25: Aluka, the promised land: The laboratory seeks the ancient ruin, and key to everyting: "Aluka." The UN decides to abandon the Human Completion Program and focus on the destruction of the 12th Angel. Shinji's father opposes the idea. Shinji and the others stay in the laboratory for Rei. A human dram of people's conflict over differing objectives.

Final Episode: The only way: The ending. The laboratory's destruction and completion to all the secrets and dramas. Finale.

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby Xard » Sat Oct 03, 2020 6:23 am

These have been discussed previously - but keeping in mind the most recent thread is literally 10 years old I think it's fine to continue the discussion in this thread. The table is clean!

Rest of the material in Proposal makes it clear that while Eva was in many ways written as it went along there was quite a lot forethought put into its structure and general form from the start. This old translation could use some polishing, but it's fine overall. Some key things that are woth paying attention to are

- Kaji's death
- Shinji experiencing breakdown halfway through the series and the resulting shift to darker tone
- Episode named after Sickness Unto Death, meaning Anno was gorging up on existentialist & generally loldeep literature before the series was even greenlit.

So there's more method to the madness than is often presumed.

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby Zusuchan » Sat Oct 03, 2020 9:25 am

Also interesting to note though that despite the myriad of similarities that Anno kept, including the general episode plots, there were still dramatic changes that became more pronounced as the production went on. The early Kierkegaard reference is interesting, because that's the title of ep. 14, but then we get ep. 17 described as a romance comedy, so it's not that big a leap to deduce that this whole show was initially intended, despite psychological ramblings and discussions still intact, to be a much lighter affair.

Looking at the original ideas for the characters is really interesting too. Ritsuko being into punk music was unexpected.

On the other hand, are these kinds of really vague descriptions a common-place practice in Japan or the TV business in general?

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby Shun » Mon Oct 05, 2020 9:15 am

"12th Angel" is a mistake, in the final episodes there is an attack caused by a group of 12 Angels. This is clear considering that in the Proposal there are 28 Angels, as indicated on this page:

Image

Moreover, you can read this answer by Olivier Hagué: http://web.archive.org/web/201107110253 ... 05610.html
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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby orcot » Mon Oct 05, 2020 2:45 pm

funny how kaworu has a pet in the original script in the manga he has a brief interaction with a cat

the alt episode 17 As a romance comedy. would have been nice.
I'm having difficulties to figure out witch episode could not be made afther the sarin gas attack tough

What's your tought abouth Rei, it seems she survives in the script but the angel defeats her and reveals her nature? Meaning Rei probably uses a AT field to protect herself

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby dzzthink » Tue Oct 06, 2020 2:35 pm

Interesting to see the original concept! These outlines have a lot hidden details but sticks to the main story of the characters and the instrumentality project. I think that there is a big reveal of the the seele plans and some human elements in the end, which translated similarly in the series. Although it doesn't mention third impact as much, I think this could be referenced in the 'completion to all the secrets and dramas'. By the way, I think the wiki page needs a correction, as says 'ruins of Arqa' in the Miscellany section rather than Aluska, which is in the outline.

Shun wrote:"12th Angel" is a mistake, in the final episodes there is an attack caused by a group of 12 Angels.
Could be that the 12 angels influenced the idea behind the mass production evas.

orcot wrote:she survives in the script but the angel defeats her and reveals her nature? Meaning Rei probably uses a AT field to protect herself
seems to me she has transformed in another wordly being if she is somehow capable of fighting off an angel.
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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby FelipeFritschF » Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:13 pm

Reichu has pointed out to me that the episode summaries were already re-translated by her and already on the wiki, so sorry about that: here you go, fixed
Last edited by FelipeFritschF on Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby orcot » Wed Oct 07, 2020 12:29 am

View Original Postdzzthink wrote: Could be that the 12 angels influenced the idea behind the mass production evas.

A recycled idea? sure
View Original Postdzzthink wrote: seems to me she has transformed in another wordly being if she is somehow capable of fighting off an angel.


You might enjoy the manga, in the manga kaworu pops up a bid early and is present during the battle of armisael. Armisael infects both Rei and kaworu (operating unit 02). However kaworu uses his own AT field to stop armisael from penetrating further.(I realy mean his at field not that of unit 02 eventough he uses that aswell)

Somehow it is missed are HQ as everyone is focused on Rei, it also has some side effects that are interesting to read. (arguably kaworu attraction to Shinji during Rei's wake are Rei's emotions that got poured into kaworu).

(this also to seems like a recycled idea because armisael encountering the soul of his parent would have give him pauze and he would be sure to investigate further ones Rei is no longer a thread). I think sadamoto wanted to include both the concept and the anime plot line at the same time and used kaworu as a Rei substitute.

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby Blockio » Wed Oct 07, 2020 9:19 am

Can we keep this thread about the proposal stuff please? There are already enough threads on the manga out there, no need to hijack another one for it.
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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby orcot » Wed Oct 07, 2020 10:19 am

View Original PostBlockio wrote:Can we keep this thread about the proposal stuff please? There are already enough threads on the manga out there, no need to hijack another one for it.


The train of toughts is:

Episode 24: The promised time, now: Rei is defeated. Her secret is revealed. The most powerful, 12th Angel awakens, at last, and decends to Earth from the Moon. The Americas, along with the Eva unit-06 is erased from the surface of the Earth. Humanity learns futility against the Angel's absolute power. The promised time, when humanity will return to nothing, approaches. A human drama of hopelessness.


orcot:
What's your tought abouth Rei, it seems she survives in the script but the angel defeats her and reveals her nature? Meaning Rei probably uses a AT field to protect herself


dzzthink:
seems to me she has transformed in another wordly being if she is somehow capable of fighting off an angel.


orcot:
...wrote a lot but summary it sort of happens in the manga (using kaworu) Rei did not had to turn into some being to fight the angel also she still get's defeated

conclusion this is still on the proposol stuff as you like to call it.

See anything you like blockio? Care to comment on the proposal stuff some stuff you like to have seen from the original proposal or stuff they clearly did better? So stuff you clearly agree/disagree with that someone else posted? If so feel free to comment if not...

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby Blockio » Wed Oct 07, 2020 11:40 am

It is not proposal stuff. It is the manga, and you are deliberately derailing this thread. Which, in the more and more likely seeming case you didn't bother to read them, is explicitly against the forum rules.
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: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby orcot » Wed Oct 07, 2020 12:46 pm

View Original PostFelipeFritschF wrote:Reichu has pointed out to me that the episode summaries were already re-translated by her and already on the wiki, so sorry about that: https://wiki.evageeks.org/Resources:Neo ... ranslation)#Page_24_.28Episode_01.29

You are missing a ")" in your link could you fix it please :)
also this does not seem to be a translation of the same text it has some good stuff in it tough

View Original PostBlockio wrote:It is not proposal stuff. It is the manga, and you are deliberately derailing this thread. Which, in the more and more likely seeming case you didn't bother to read them, is explicitly against the forum rules.

Oh Blockio always personal, cheap and with no input of your own on the subject. I will not repeat myself to you and your personal attacks bore me.


I wouldn't mind a remake of evangelion according to the original script as a 26 episode series. It looks fundamentaly good. if not a anime a even more worked out story proposal would be nice :)

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby Zusuchan » Wed Oct 07, 2020 1:01 pm

orcot, what I believe Blockio meant is that you entered a rather long and detailed description of a manga-only event and therefore risked thread derailment by instead having the discussion primarily moved to the event you described. Since there are many existing threads about the manga, if you are interested in discussing some events, use them or create your own. This thread is supposed to primarily be about the Evangelion Proposal and while discussing events from the manga is acceptable if you wish to show how some of the events/characterizations etc. in the Tv show might have originally been planned in your opinion, there's still no need for the frankly overlong descriptions you're putting here. Especially since even though I understand how your train of thought lead to the manga, there was still no need to tell someone ''you might enjoy the manga'' and then enter a description of some events there despite them having very little value to the matter at hand. I've been guilty of thread derailment too, but then again the matters I discussed were at least already previously talked about in the threads at some form.

On an unrelated note, I do wonder if there is potentially anything out there to tell us more about what the original plans were. These episode proposals are nice and informative, but they are irritatingly vague.

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby orcot » Wed Oct 07, 2020 1:30 pm

View Original PostZusuchan wrote:orcot, what I believe Blockio meant is that you entered a rather long and detailed description of a manga-only event and therefore risked thread derailment by instead having the discussion primarily moved to the event you described.


This again at least it has more value then our friends remarks. The proposal says Rei get's defeated and that her secret get's revealed this is different from the anime. I wondered how that original script would have played out.
I liked dzzthink point but do not believe Rei would have turned into a celestial being at that time

That said the suddenness of Rei's death in the anime is one of NGE best plot twist I think. I wouldn't change that for the world.

View Original PostZusuchan wrote:On an unrelated note, I do wonder if there is potentially anything out there to tell us more about what the original plans were. These episode proposals are nice and informative, but they are irritatingly vague.


That they are.

However at least for now I'm tired of discussin episode 24 you can if you like and I watch and read in intrest but for now let's discuss any episode beside that one

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby The Eva Monkey » Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:02 pm

I see no issue here, orcot is touching upon how the proposal stacks up against both the anime & manga. There are some ways that both series adhere and deviate from the original plots. Just please try to keep discussion along those lines.

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby FreakyFilmFan4ever » Thu Oct 08, 2020 6:00 am

In b4 someone tries to find "Unused Character Mari Illustrious" in the proposals.

I do like how much of this actually stay the same, more or less. Like, certain episodes were rearranged before completion, and the series seems to be attempting to tie up loose ends earlier than the finished show ended up doing, but the classic Eva mood of crippling depression under crushing existentialism is is still apparent in the proposals. The fact that I can't even tell what exactly was changed in response to the sarin gas attacks in 1995 is actually quite impressive. I wonder if it was more of a detail that would be better fleshed out in the script than it was an overarching plot device. I mean, not even the proposed Angel fights have a lot of detail to them in this proposal. Many of them just mention that there an angel present. It doesn't even tell us what kind of angels they are just yet, outside of the rough description of the first "metallic" one. I can imagine a similar case with whatever plot element was changed in regards to the sarin gas attacks. So it's probably not a detail you're gonna find in the overall, basic proposal of the show itself. However, depending on how far along the production was on anything that involved that plot detail, it was still probably enough to derail the workflow of the production. Even minor detail changes can cause huge ripple effects in the production pipeline if they're changed too late in the game. Imagine if a prop design was changed halfway through production, and various scenes involving that prop were already in production before that design change was made. Many of these shots were not animated in order of screen appearance, and only a couple of the animators got the memo on the updated prop design If every shot involving that prop wasn't reanimated from the ground up, the appearance of that prop could switch back and forth from one shot to another throughout the course of the entire episode. So I can see how a changing a larger detail (but not a detail large enough to appear in the proposal's skeleton of a series summary) could derail Eva's production enough to platy somewhat of a role into creating the chaos that surrounded the EoTV delivery. (I love those episodes, but you can't tell me they weren't a compromise on production in order to meet a deadline.)

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby orcot » Thu Oct 08, 2020 12:45 pm

View Original PostFreakyFilmFan4ever wrote: In b4 someone tries to find "Unused Character Mari Illustrious" in the proposals.
The fact that I can't even tell what exactly was changed in response to the sarin gas attacks in 1995 is actually quite impressive. I wonder if it was more of a detail that would be better fleshed out in the script than it was an overarching plot device. I mean, not even the proposed Angel fights have a lot of detail to them in this proposal.


my best guess is that during the episode with matriel (the spider). The air started to get stale and poisenous instead of it becoming warm
View Original PostFreakyFilmFan4ever wrote:Imagine if a prop design was changed halfway through production, and various scenes involving that prop were already in production before that design change was made.

Any examples of this? I only know of when Shinji was in unit 00 and his monitors kept saying he was in Unit 01.

(I love those episodes, but you can't tell me they weren't a compromise on production in order to meet a deadline.)

Yeah a actual remake similar to dragonbal kai perhaps a little bit more stretched out with 26 HD episodes that ends in a final movie (meaning it has 2 more episodes [3 if you count in episode 14]). I would have loved to see their Episode 17: Asuka's 1st date: Asuka goes to an amusement park for the first time. Misato's past. A romance comedy.

All to be released in the span of a year.

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby FreakyFilmFan4ever » Thu Oct 08, 2020 3:56 pm

I don’t have any specific examples off the top of my head, my example was completely hypocritical. A lot of productions try to avoid mishaps like that at costs, so the few times they do occur and rare and usually not all that noticeable.

I never caught the Unit 00 cockpit being labeled as “Unit 01.” Nice catch!

Yeah, Ep 11 feels like it would have a scene that mirrors the satin gas attacks, if only because it’s the only episode that features some aggressive human espionage happening.

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Re: Original Episode outlines from Evangelion Proposal

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Postby orcot » Fri Oct 09, 2020 12:33 am

View Original PostFreakyFilmFan4ever wrote:I never caught the Unit 00 cockpit being labeled as “Unit 01.” Nice catch!

Episode 14 around 17:24 minutes in Asuka is talking to Shinji, (they do get it right earlier). PS I've read it earlier but never bothered to check it out


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