In this article we will cover a question that many new fans might have: how to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion?. This saga has the original series and different movies, so where do we start? Here we tell you how you can see it without missing a single detail!
First of all, we can recommend seeing it in the order of departure of each thing. Curiously, Netflix has the rights to the franchise, and the versions that are available from episode 21 to 24, are the director’s cuts.
1.Neon Genesis Evangelion [Episodios 1-26] (1995-1996)
Hideaki Anno’s original series is a classic of Japanese animation. We fully enter a post-apocalyptic world where Japan almost loses completely to a threat that comes from beyond the stars. These creatures are called Angels, and after suffering immeasurable human and material casualties, humanity established a contingency plan. The city was turned into an underground bunker, and they developed a series of giant robots (called Eva) to deal with the Angels.
But the group of people who pilot them is even more peculiar: they are adolescent children who have the fate of humanity in their hands. This is how we meet Shinji Ikari, the son of the creator of the Eva project, whose insecurity and lack of affection paralyze him when making a decision. Will he be able to overcome his fears and get on the robot?
Hideaki Anno finished evangelion at a very difficult time in his life and the series was recognized as an “incomplete” story. It did not follow the idea raised for the penultimate episode, and the last one also suffered from these decisions. This created a stir among fans, the media, and the studio itself. Fans felt that the main plot had been abandoned in favor of addressing the show’s psychological dilemmas.
Anno received threats for not finishing the play, and much of his state of mind carried over into the next film. End of Evangelion, something he felt forced to do by the angry fans. In fact, the harassment was such that he was about to leave the world of animation.
2.End of Evangelion (1997)
After the events of the series, we discover that the NERV company has been betrayed by those who controlled it, SEELE. Gendou Ikari has Rei “inactive”, Asuka is in a coma, and Shinji tries to recover from a complete mental breakdown. And as if that were not enough, he will have to face new Eva, terrifying and powerful, with the power of a single robot. Meanwhile, Tokyo-3 is under attack by the army sent by SEELE and Gendou dives into the underground zone of Nerv together with Rei to try to cause Third Impact.
Years later and precisely because of everything we have, Anno decided to “remake” the series completely. This was an attempt to give the story a more positive conclusion and a slightly happier ending. From this noble idea come the Reboots, also known as Rebuild of Evangelion. Another positive side is that Anno’s mental state was much more stable and he felt that his work deserved a dignified closure.
3. Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone (2007)
The plot of the first installment of the rebuild covers episodes 1 through 6 of the original series. Logically, due to the nature of this new project, some events were rewritten and original characters were added. Alternative stories were even created that would be taken into account in the rest of the films.
4. Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance (2009)
This second film also touches on some elements of the original series, but prepares the viewer for the radical change that is coming in the third film. After meeting the new pilot, Maki Makinami, we discover that she is a highly capable and brave girl to fight against the threat of the Angels. In addition, we see old scenes reimagined with modern technology, and completely new creatures designed for this version.
5. Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo (2012)
After the events of the previous film, Maki and Asuka try to rescue Shinji from the Eva 01 container. After completing the mission, Shinji will have to accept his role in the events that brought destruction to the earth while preparing to pilot a Eva’s new unit.
Curiously, this is the worst rated movie of all the rebuild, receiving criticism for the weakness of its story and the confusion of its argument. The bad reception that it had, in addition to the decisions that were made for the film, made Anno refuse to work on the continuation of the story, declaring that he was depressed and that he did not want to continue.
6. Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)
Final delivery that closes the rebuild from Evangelion. After many delays and date changes, it was released in 2021. In contrast to the previous film, the end of this version of the saga was received much more positively. Interestingly, the movie almost ended up not being made, again due to Hideaki Anno not being well. Thanks to conversations with the composer of the soundtrack and the actress who plays Shinji’s voice, Anno was again inspired to bring closure to Shinji’s story, despite not feeling identified with the character.
As an important note, Amazon Prime has extended versions of the rebuild. This will make the viewing much more complete. In fact, the versions that we put on this list are those, since seeing the originals is, first, very difficult, since they are not easily achieved, and second, it is not the complete experience.
So, a little review of the recommended order:
- Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes 1-26 (with director’s cuts of episodes 21-24) (1995-1996) Available on Netflix
- End of Evangelion (1997) Available on Netflix
- Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone (2007) Available on Amazon Prime Video
- Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance (2009) Available on Amazon Prime Video
- Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo (2012) Available on Amazon Prime Video
- Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021) Available on Amazon Prime Video
Now, if they want to make a more precise chronological view, things get complicated. But we can explain what steps to follow so that your experience is as complete as possible.
Chronological order
- Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes 1-24
- first hour of End of Evangelion
- Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes 25-26
- Finish End of Evangelion
- Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone
- Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance
- Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo
- Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
completionist version
- Neon Genesis Evangelion episodes 1-26
- Evangelion: Death(True)2 Available on Netflix
- End of Evangelion
- Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone
- Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance
- Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo
- Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
When it comes to viewing evangelionthe film is never included Evangelion: Death(True)2also known as Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. This is because said movie is a retelling of the original series with some scenes from End of Eve. Because of this, we excluded it from our recommendations.
There’s nothing new to add to the viewing, but if you want to see the series in its entirety, you can see it without problem if you include it between the original series and the first movie. Then they can continue with the reboot quietly.
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