20https://bestanimations.com/SignsShapes/Arrows/Right/rightarrow29.gif https://anilist.co/review/6531520https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/112/112560.gif If youve read some of my reviews chances are Ive mentioned Neon Genesis Evangelion a few times. Id say this is a testament to how highly I regard the show. I only watched it three years ago but it feels like such a cornerstone of my anime experience. Even if I have some misgivings about the canonical conclusion to the series Neon Genesis Evangelion has remained among my favorite anime. Shocker I know. An anime fan who likes Evangelion? In fact it would be more marvel to state that I didnt like Evangelion but it took my breath away when I watched it and I still feel I need an inhaler. I think its important context for this review to know that I absolutely love Evangelion particularly the beginning. Being a fan of the series I naturally heard of the Rebuild movies a retelling/reimagining of the story made to be accessible to old and new fans alike. They also offered a new conclusion to boot. My mixed feelings regarding End of Evangelion should have made me jump at the chance to watch the Rebuilds. When I completed Evangelion in 2017 three Rebuild movies had been released. The latest installment premiered in Japan in 2012 and there was absolutely no word on when the third and final entry would release. Even independent of reviewing I tend to prefer watching things that have already finished to ensure my experience of the story isnt arbitrarily extended. Id prefer knowing the end was in sight so I could go into the final movie with the predecessors fresh in my mind. But with word that the final movie 3.0+1.0https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NPlusOneSequelTitle would be releasing this Summer I decided it was finally time to watch the Rebuild movies ...then the Covid19 Pandemic caused it to be delayed. There are more dire things that the virus has caused than the delay of my Japanese cartoon so I wont complain. I decided to begin watching the movies anyway. So as a fan of the original show what do I think of the beginning of this new saga of Evangelion? Does this retelling live up to the excellence of the original? In short yes. It achieves this by and I say this lovingly being Evangelion. Save for a very select few new bells and whistlesEvangelion: 1.0 You Are Not Alone proceeds like a remastered Neon Genesis Evangelion. 520https://wiki.evageeks.org/images/thumb/d/d9/SachielMonitor.jpg/260pxSachielMonitor.jpg Evangelion: 1.0 You Are Not Alone known in Japan as Evangelion: The New Movie: Prelude takes place in the postapocalyptic haven known as Tokyo3 fifteen years after a cataclysmic event known as the Second Impact. We follow Shinji Ikari a meek depressive boy who finds the world suddenly on his shoulders as hes sent by his aloof father to pilot the newly created Evangelion Unit01 in order to combat the Angels mysterious lifeforms who are hellbent on breaching Tokyo3s GeoFront and accessing the secrets that lie within in order to put an end to humanity for good. 520https://tenyearsago.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/eva3.png?w=400h=200crop=1 If youre a returning fan this premise will doubtlessly sound very familiar as its the exact same as the premise for the original series. If youve watched the original series you know exactly what youre getting into with You Are Not Alone. The similarities dont end here as its virtually the exact same as the first arc of Evangelion. Now bear in mind that its the same as far as I can remember. I concede that I have the memory of a goldfish at times but this felt very familiar and I recall distinct story beats from the original. And to be fair Im not the only person who felt this way. My friend who watched it with me stated that it was exacflysic the same as the anime. This isnt exactly a bad thing. 1.0 looks absolutely beautiful in ways a TV anime budget would never allow for. Scenes from the original are just as striking but now with the added pizazz of a movie budget to make them even more beautiful. The scene of Shinji seeing the massive Unit01 for the first time comes to mind. 520https://i.ur.com/4pBy2jA.png Shinjis distinct personality shines through You Are Not Alone and I cant help but be compelled at how depressingly real he feels. This kid is a broken doormat and it shows in how he reacts to his duty piloting the Evangelion feeling both used yet ignored. Realistically this is a kid who wont jump at the call to arms. Some might find this frustrating but I appreciate its genuineness and it makes it all the more satisfying when Shinji does pull through in the end. We dont really see anyone nearly as much as we do Shinji but others are strongly characterized as well. Reis robotic lack of emotion despite the embarrassing situation she finds herself in during the signature scene in her room is quite chilling. This might just be my memory but I think the movie did a better job of characterizing Misato than the show did. We still see the lighter jocular side of Lt. Colonel Mitsuragi but I feel like the movie emphasizes the serious nononsense side of her more. This could simply be a product of her newfound rank but I appreciated the change. It made Misato easier to take seriously which helped foster the dire tone of the film. 520https://cdn.themismedia.com/media/global/images/galleries/display/61/61061.jpg Speaking of which one thing that Ive always appreciated about Evangelion is that tone. The world is a mess and it always seems that with one false move humanity will be wiped out. This combined with the strained character relations makes everything feel tense: from simple conversations to heartpounding battles between the Evas and Angels. I know how vague it sounds but this contributes to the movie feeling very real. There wouldnt be much glamor to be had being thrust into the pilot seat of a mech it would be grim and nervewracking and 1.0 captures this feeling very well. The OST is great too and also feeds into the tone. Listen to Bataille Decisive and tell me it doesnt get your blood pumping. https://www..com/watch?v=PV1SmbU82E But these are all things that I could say about the first six episodes of the original series. It doesnt really seem like Evangelion: 1.0 You Are Not Alone brings anything significantly new to the table. Oh sure the ocean is red we see important plot information much earlier and Kowaru briefly appears at the end of the movie but these additions feel more superflous than anything. Im not sure what veterans really get out of Evangelion: 1.0 You Are Not Alone. 520https://33.media.tumblr.com/10df4a7f5439ba533d6f1cc0a8ec99be/tumblrnoit4nfs5F1rb06tgo1r1500.gif Incidentally I happen to be going through another reimagination as I embark on the Rebuild series Final Fantasy VII Remake. From my experience with that game I know that opposing arguments can be made in regards to the beginning of a remake. I believe Im roughly a fourth through the game. On one hand Ive already experienced a number of drastic changes from the original game and one could make the argument that so far in significant changes are necessary lest it feels like nothing more than a slight edit. On the other hand the Bombing Mission the first section of the game is pretty identical to its original incarnation. From this the argument can be made that its necessary for a remake to play it safe at first allowing viewers to get acclimated to the new continuity by utilizing familiar aspects. 520https://i.pin.com/originals/6c/36/82/6c368216106bb2256f4876ec46ea1d2d.png So what about me do I ultimately praise 1.0 for sticking to the source material or do I criticize it for playing it safe and feeling uninspired? At the end of the day I dont really care. It feels weird to praise something for lack of innovation but as the adage goes if its not broken dont fix it. Evangelion: 1.0 You Are Not Alone ultimately reminded me what I loved about Neon Genesis Evangelion. As of late Ive thought a lot about why I dont really care for End of Evangelion but this made me think about why I loved those first few episodes: the somber tone the tenseness the gripping mecha action the mystique the lack of Asuka. Even if there isnt much new brought to the table Im not going to complain because I already love whats on the plate. Besides the ending is the whiff of the new aroma from the kitchen. Im excited to see what Anno has cooking up for us in the kitchen. 520https://i.kymcdn.com/photos/images/original/000/797/729/8af.gif Im sure newcomers will appreciate this movie even as a standalone fare. Shinjis narrative ties the whole movie together his loneliness driving him further into depression. This culminated in a touching climax wherein he discovers that his belief is false: the entirety of Japan is behind him and his fellow pilot is behind him. The title of the movie You Are Not Alone ends up ringing true for Shinji. Evangelion was as good in 2007 as it was in 1995 and the improved visuals only make 1.0 even more appealing for newcomers looking to get into the series. You could watch the movie alone as a decent mecha/comingofage movie. For veterans it might seem like a big ask to watch a glorified recap of a show you already watched. Hopefully it seems like less of an ask when I stress that its a recap of fucking Evangelion. Its a very entertaining watch if youve seen it before and I cant see how its a bad thing to start off the new journey with something tried and true something you know and love. Im sure more radical changes are on the way. The only veteran that might not like 1.0 is one who didnt like the original Evangelion in which case it might behoove them to conduct research to see if the other movies go in directions theyre interested in. Ultimately Ill have to hold off judgement regarding the new continuity until it becomes well new but it was nice revisiting a show I love in a fancy coat of paint. From the ending I know changes are coming and Im excited to see where the reimagining takes us. 8.8/10 B+