Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance - Reviews

Alt title: Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Ha

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skankfish's avatar
Jun 28, 2010

Demograph: 12+

I watched Evangelion as a teenager and liked it a lot. However the series was very repetative in the middle and clearly suffered production difficulties near the end. The movies didn't do much for me after the initial epic-scope aesthetics of End of Evangelion had worn off. Now more than 10 years later I'm pretty happy that things have been reordered and re-rendered to make the series into what it should really have been in the first place.

I don't like the fact than Anno Hideaki has been able to milk the somewhat unfinished series for so much cash and so many editions (not to mention pachinko machines) so far, but taking 1.0 and 2.0 as stand-alone works (and ignoring their pretentious titles) is pretty satisfying.

Story 8/10

Good: much more than a rehash of the series. The fluff has been removed and the important parts treated to a much more thorough and coherant treatment. The new direction for the story feels like more than simply an "alternate ending" - it's much too satifying to read like that kind of afterthough. Some awesome new snippets of what is to come later in the series add some real excitement to those who know the characters and original happenings.

However, there is still an element of "here comes the next baddy" which gets a little tiresome. It is dealt with much more effectively here than the series, but it's still predictable. Nevertheless, despite giving the impression of being about to enter the full-on "monster of the week" barrage, it never really does, which is a blessed relief. The interactions of the characters are becoming more believable, and individual personalities are being better exposed and explained.

But, and it's a necessary but, what's the deal with the fan-service? Come on, man. Take yourself seriously, won't you?

Animation 9/10

Well, it teetered between absolutely superb and a little dissapointing. The budget was clearly insanely high. Action sequences are fantastically detailed and choreographed for the main part, although suffer from gratuitious flailing of limbs and ridiculous acrobatics which unfortunately dumb it down a little. Backgrounds are simply amazing. The detail and range is incredible.

The failings lie in the characters. Sometimes character faces and expressions look out of place by their simplicity. The broad pen pines and over-simple shading are a bit of a let-down.

Sound 7.5/10

Not particularly amazing. Again we see the technique of using a mixture of classical and childen's music for depth and vulnerability. I'm surprised at some of the choices though. For example, one of the children's songs used is very popular in Japan and often used in elementary schools. The manner in which it is normally used and considered makes its appearance in the film almost comical; which can't have been the intention. Not really knowing many Japanese people who care that much about anime I haven't been able to ask what they thought, but it seemed a bit silly to me.

The Japanese people speaking English throughout the film are incredibly embarrassing. What a huge mis-calculation. How hard is it to train people to say a small number of lines in a natural way?

Characters 8.5

Although some of the characters (particularly Asuka) seem to have become even less likeable, for the most part the big-hitters have only improved. Although there is little time given for the minor-characters to develop or even really be involved, the well-developed personalities of the leads take somewhat new directions in their relations to one another. The relationship between teen-sap Shinji and his father has a more satisfying and somewhat relatable edge to it now, and Rei's annoyingly hyperbolic meekness has been flatted out to something more forgiving.

And the new lead, Mari, is much better than (at least I) predicted. She has a very interesting relationship with herself and her body. I am definately looking forward to her future development.

Eva designs seem to have changed slightly around the waist which was a curious choice, and doesn't add much to their attractiveness. In contrast, the Angels have been changed for the better. The old, sometimes Ultraman-ish designs were sometimes a little... Ultraman-ish. The reduced number and better designs have helped things along well.

Overall 8.5/10

Overall satisfying. For me the film didn't quite have the intensity ascribed to it by others, and the ending I thought actually lacked a little emotional attachment. I also thought that the amazing animation and choreography discussed above wasn't nearly as good near the end as it was earlier in the feature. But despite this, as a whole this movie blows the series out of the water. So much which was unsatisfactory is now shiney and new. Whether or not I would feel this way about the film without having seen the rest of the franchise is anyone's guess, but I really enjoyed it. Good work, keep it up.

8/10 story
9/10 animation
7.5/10 sound
8.5/10 characters
8.5/10 overall
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