A monument of Japanese animation, a legendary series from the 1990s and an object of fascination for fans, Neon Genesis Evangelionhas never ceased to influence, even to haunt, pop culture, and more particularly the otaku culture, which she both celebrated and criticized. Came to see giant robots save the world, the spectators left overwhelmed by adolescent spleen and an existential crisis. The arrival of the series, and films Death (True) ² and The End of Evangelion, streaming in 2019 on Netflix was already an opportunity to see it again for the nostalgic and to discover it for the new generations.
But it is on another platform, on Amazon Prime Video, that the real event takes place on Friday with the exclusive and worldwide broadcast of the film. Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.01: Thrice Upon a Time, fourth and final film of the project Rebuild of Evangelion. The previous three, already available on DVD and Blu-ray from Dybex, are also on Prime Video in their final versions. If the starting pitch is the same, Rebuild of Evangelion allows its creator and director Hideaki Anno to “reconstruct” Evangelion as close as possible to its original vision, with no budget problem and with a different, definitive ending. Because Evangelion is inseparable from Hideaki Anno, as Twin peaks may be David Lynch.
The result is not really a reboot or a remake, but a Evangelion new, different, which completes and sheds light on the original series, but also on the “original” personality of its author. Rather rare in an interview, Hideaki Anno nevertheless lent himself to the exercise during a round table, an exclusive 20 minutes for France.
After the series and films “Death (True) ²” and “The End of Evangelion”, why did you feel the need to revisit “Evangelion” 20 years later?
In the early 2000s, when I had to think about my new project, Evangelion has become obvious. I tried working on other ideas, but each time they looked like Evangelion. I still had some interesting things to do with the franchise, or rather to redo. I didn’t want the same ending. Times have changed since the show, the world is different, I’m different, in another place in my life.
The last movie took 10 years to make, why was it so long? Were you less connected to the franchise, to the characters?
The third film, Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, left me in an impossible state, I was broken. I took a lot on myself to finish it, but it affected me more than I would have thought both physically and mentally. I needed to distance myself for a while, to work on something else to find myself and to confront myself again Evangelion. Without this project [le film live Shin Godzilla], I don’t think I would have come back.
You have shot several live films, did this experience have an influence on the “Evangelion” films?
The only limit of the animation is what you want to tell. Me, I have always used live shooting techniques in the animation process. Or when I couldn’t yet, I always kept it in mind. For the fourth film, Evangelion: 3.0 +1.01, I was able to use the latest technological advances, such as motion capture for example.
Has having more budget allowed you to accomplish things that you can’t on TV?
It’s true that I had a hell of a budget for films Rebuild, but there were a lot of things I wanted to do, like action scene previews. A difficult, expensive and impossible process on a TV series. But I could not have such a budget only because it is Evangelion. I’m not sure I would have the opportunity to work again with a budget of this magnitude, opportunities are rare in Japan and it has to be in line with my ideas. Either way, I’m gonna focus on the live action for a while, and maybe come back to animation someday.
What’s the main difference about the hero Shinji between the show and the movies, and what message do you want to get through him?
In the show, Shinji wasn’t ready to take on the world. He was only able to talk about his own story, in an almost selfish survival reflex. In the movies he is more mature, able to look around and help the people around him. If there is a difference, it is there.
Could the “Evangelion” series have been misinterpreted, what do you think as a creator?
It is the characteristic of works, to be interpreted, even badly interpreted. It happens all the time. We create universes, stories, characters, but how they’re going to be received really depends on the people. People suffering from anxiety were thus able to feel closer to Shinji, to his discomfort, and to receive the series and its themes more strongly. But we want to reach everyone.
Why do you think “Evangelion” is so important to some fans? Did you expect such success outside of Japan?
When we thought about and built the series with the crew and the cast, our driving force was to be always more interesting. Our brainstorming sessions have led us to question ourselves, to push our limits. So when viewers started spreading the word, debating the show, taking it back, it was pretty exciting to watch. Afterwards, I am Japanese and address myself above all to the Japanese public. That the series traveled outside of Japan and reached so many people came as a real surprise. A happy surprise.
How do you feel now that you are done with “Evangelion”? If you’re really done of course.
I can only speak for myself, but yes, the story ofEvangelion is well and truly over. I will not continue. After the last film was over, I felt an inner calm, a kind of liberation. Still, from a pure story standpoint, there’s that 14-year ellipse at the start of the third movie, and therefore the potential to tell something, in any form. But I don’t have the desire now, I don’t feel it to be completely honest.
If animation in general, and Japanese in particular, has always been successful, it is enjoying record popularity with the boom in streaming services. What do you think ?
Animation is, in my opinion, the best medium for transposing imaginations into images, and therefore for creating entirely fictional worlds. It therefore has the potential to cross borders, cultures … We must not forget that in a not so distant time, cartoons were considered, and often intended for children. But that has changed, animation is now for everyone, for adults, and the democratization of platforms and series is proof of that.