Rebuild of Evangelion: Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone Movie
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone is the first of four movies in the Rebuild of Evangelion movie series. This series acts as a recreation of the Neon Genesis Evangelion story on a fundamental level and has major differences when compared to the original in both story, characters, and development. Although Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone is largely similar to the beginnings of the original series, there are some significant differences that set it apart from the TV anime.
Unlike the TV series (animated by GAINAX), the Rebuild series is animated by Studio Khara, an animation studio founded by Evangelion Director Hideaki Anno in 2006. In addition to Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto provided character designs and Ikuto Yamashita created the mecha design. The movie also included newly available 3D CG technology that wasn’t present in previous movies.
This movie first released on September 1st, 2007.
Summary
Much like the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series, 1.0 is set in an alternate version of Earth that suffered a catastrophic event called the Second Impact that resulted in the death of much of humankind. Shinji Ikari is called to Tokyo-3 by his father, Gendo Ikari so he can pilot Evangelion Unit 01. Angels begin attacking and are eventually defeated by Shinji and Rei, a fellow pilot in charge of Evangelion Unit 00.
The Sixth Angel proves to be an especially difficult foe, nearly killing Shinji in an instant with a deadly beam of energy. The Angel begins to drill into the ground in order to breach through NERV’s defenses and no one can seem to stop it. After Shinji has some time to recover Misato brings him down to the lowest section of NERV, where the Second Angel Lilith is being held in order to explain exactly why she needs Shinji to pilot Evangelion Unit 01 and that he is not the only person putting his life on the line by doing so. She continues to say that if an Angel is allowed to make contact with the giant white being, the Third Impact will occur, resulting in the deaths of many. This conversation seems to be enough to persuade Shinji to pilot once again. A long-range attack on the Angel is made using an experimental weapon called a positron rifle and the electricity of the entire country. The first shot misses the Angel’s core, leading to Shinji being attacked by an energy beam that blasts him away. Fortunately, he is relatively uninjured and is able to take a second shot. The Angel retaliates, but Rei is able to block the blast with Unit 00. The final scene shows the first major deviation from the original series. Kaworu wakes up on the moon and talks with Keel Lorenz (Seele 01) about commencing their plan. In the background, another enormous white giant similar to Lilith can be seen.
Differences Between 1.0 and the Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime Series
Although a majority of the plot between 1.0 and the beginnings of the original series is the same, some aspects have been changed. The following is a short list of the major differences:
Misato is introduced as a Lieutenant Colonel of NERV, rather than being ranked as a Captain in the original series.
Misato is well aware of Lilith’s existence within the bottom levels of NERV HQ. For most of the series, Lilith’s existence was only known by a very select number of individuals and some people, namely Ryoji Kaji, who mistakes it as being the First Angel Adam. It is only toward the end of the series in Episode 24 where Kaworu identifies the Angel as Lilith. Her increased rank in the movie may have given her clearance to learn about Lilith being kept at NERV, but this is not confirmed or denied.
The Angels in the Rebuild movies are ordered differently when compared to the original series. For example, Ramiel is referred to as the Sixth Angel in the movies, but it was called the Fifth Angel in the original series.
The design of Ramiel is considerably different. In the original series, it was simply a floating blue octahedron that was seen floating motionlessly through the air. However, in the movie, it possesses incredible shapeshifting abilities and can manipulate itself to create incredible geometric patterns and shapes. The various patterns it makes likely designate how the Angel is about to attack.
Reception
The movie was received eagerly by Evangelion fans before the release in theaters. Upon release, the film ranked 4th-highest grossing anime film at the Japanese box office during 2007. Creating sales of a total of 2 billion yen. The film topped the previous record set by the movie End of Evangelion which earned 1.45 billion yen. In addition to sales, Evangelion 1.0 received many awards such as the ‘Anime of the Year’ at the Tokyo International Anime Fair Awards in 2008. Director Hideaki Anno also received the award for ‘Best Director’ at the same awards.