Posted: 06/07/2011

Evangelion: 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance

(2009)

by Ruben R. Rosario

Now available from Funimation Entertainment.

One of the most controversial anime of all time is back again in full force! Neon Genesis Evangelion was an anime TV series that was released in Japan in 1997. The show was so controversial with it’s unconventional ending and working as deconstruction of the Mecha genre, that the creator Hideki Anno received death threats after the last episode aired on television. The series is about a boy named Shinji Ikari being drafted into a secret organization called Nerv, that fights against alien beings called Angels. Shinji and two female pilots, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Sohryu Langley, fight against these aliens by using giant robots to prevent the Angels from bringing about the end of the world. Anno left Studio Gainax in order to create another studio, Studio Khara, an unlimited amount of resources to animate these films. Anno’s main goal was to recreate the series in an alternate way for a new audience to enjoy, while giving something for the old fans to come back and revisit the series.

The first film, Evangelion 1.11 You Are [Not] Alone was a recreation of the first seven episodes, with a few new aesthetic changes but had a different ending from the series. After seeing this, most fans wondered if the rest of the Rebuild series going to be what Anno promised. Well, Evangelion 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance puts all of those worries to rest and does a wonderful job in creating something new for old fans, but fails on establishing this story for audiences that have never heard nor seen the original show. Pretty much everything in Evangelion 2.22 is drastically different from the original series, from fights with the angels themselves to new characters showing up, creating new plot lines for the series to give meaning to the “Rebuild” of Evangelion. While Anno’s goals give the old audience new meanings and reason to keep up with this latest installment of the Rebuild, he falls flat with one particular problem.

The problem with these films that Anno has created, Evangelion 2.22 in particular, is the complete lack dimension to the characters. The original series had 27 episodes to flesh out all of these wonderful and flawed characters that would little by little crumble apart within themselves, whilst dealing with the end of the world. Evangelion 1.11 and 2.22 don’t offer that and new fans won’t be able to understand some of the importance to various decisions and actions by some of these characters and how important they are unless they’re familiar with the original source material. If I was an audience member that was coming into this with no prior knowledge, I’d feel as though the characters were lacking in depth and the pacing to be extremely quick.

Another interesting notion is the inclusion of even more religious symbols of Christianity and the Kabbalah. Anno and the rest of the crew have always downplayed the use of symbols such as the exploding crosses when the angels are destroyed, various crucifixions of the mechas the pilots are using to the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah. They’ve always gone on record as saying that these symbols do not promote the animators’ beliefs and are nothing but cool imagery with no serious merit. Yet, Evangelion 2.22 has even more religious symbols that make one wonder if he’s trying to provoke or create new meanings for the audience members, old and new.

Funimation presents the film in it’s original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The full 1080p resolution gives so much clarity and fluidity to the animation by Studio Khara, that it should be shown as a testament to the Blu-ray format and to the power to animation itself. Both of the surround tracks, Japanese and English 6.1 Dolby True HD, giving the film justice by utilizing a stellar sound mix in full uncompressed audio.

Overall, this is one of the best looking and sounding releases by Funimation of a truly fantastic movie. Even though new fans might not be able to fully appreciate the content of the story, animation enthusiasts and Blu-ray fanatics should still check this out in order to see the power of anime in HD and the potential of Blu-Ray itself. Highly Recommended!

Extras on the Blu-Ray: Commentary by the U.S. Cast that elaborates on the series’ popularity various technical aspects, such as remixing for the U.S. Dub and sound effects. The Rebuild of Evangelion 2.02 gives a breakdown between various CGI renderings and Cel Shaded animatics. I Would Give You Anything Noguchi Version is a remix of the final song. Deleted scenes, Various TV, DVD and Blu-Ray Spots, Trailers for other Funimation Series and a 20 Page Booklet that offers information on the series, characters and various terminology used in the film.

Ruben R. Rosario is a graduate from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Audio for Visual Media. He works as a freelance location sound mixer, boom operator, sound designer, and writer in his native Chicago. He’s an avid collector of films, comics, and anime.

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