Neon Genesis Evangelion. 1.01 You Are (Not) Alone.

The world of anime gets Metaphysical/philosophical yet again with the reboot of the Evangelion franchise. Neon Genesis Evangelion first surfaced nearly ten years ago in anime and manga form, posing deep questions about individuality, the meaning of the soul, self worth and giant robot versus monster battles. This head mash of an anime also threw some religion into the mix and ended up creating one of the most iconic combat epics ever in anime history.

Evangelion is a show that poses big questions but doesn’t get too pretentious and still features an ample supply of what can only be dubbed ‘fan service’ in cute school girls and expertly orchestrated battle sequences.

what followed the original series were two movies which only further confused the audiences who had seen the rather cryptic ending to the story. Now the entire saga begins again with the manga now re-adapted for the screen into 4 movies. The first of which is Neon Genesis Evangelion 1.01: You Are (Not) Alone.

Some scenes go into more depth and all are animated in superior cinematic stock. Fans of the original western release will be happy to know that most of the original english voice cast returns to reprise their roles.

Soon to be available stateside, international dvd sales are expected to begin early 2010, with a further 3 films to follow. In the first 8 minutes available to stream online fans are teased with the crisp animation and first appearances of key characters and enemies of the series, the so called ‘Angels’.
I cannot over emphasize the cultural relevance of this anime which ranks well up there with the similarly mindedpost/repeat-apocalyptic Akira. Upon its release rumors abounded about the authors depression and the manga can be read as a tale of one mans search for approval, worth and human connection in the midst of despair.

On the whole the show is enjoyable and depressing in equal portions but nethertheless, is  essential viewing.
Preorders of the dvd are available via Amazon.co.uk which lists the release date as March.