End of Evangelion Preview , Death and Rebirth Trailers , and Magi Archives , you've found yourself into the Omega side of the disk . Unless you've watched the movie before and wish to activate the interactive extras special ( you watch the movie and have options to select information when they appear ) , I suggest you turn over to Alpha Side .
In the first hour of this movie ( Death ) we recap the entire series in a way I was impressed by . Yes , I did say : Hey , why's this repeating the last 11 - hours I've spent at my TV ? but this is a great way to refresh yourself on the series and I quite enjoyed it . After Death ends , a 4 and a half minute Intermission is activated with a neat timer ( I can only imagine how it would look on the big screen ) , but after we hit 0 : 00 , it's on to Rebirth
We start out in the hospital where Shinji is visiting Asuka , currently schizophrenic and unconcious , and he desperately tries to wake her . Meanwhile , SEELE , the evil organization that rules over NERV , is angry at Commander Ikari's victory over Kaworu ( yes , that's how they spelt / pronounced it in the movie ) , their 17th Angel / Fifth Child agent sent to initiate Third Impact and completely destroy humanity by means of the Human Instrumentality Project . So , they pull strings with the UN and JSSDF to launch a strike upon NERV HQ and Tokyo - 3 . This mission is very cold hearted ( they kill unarmed personel , even women ) and they only keep on advancing . Asuka is placed into Unit - 02 and sent to the bottom of the lake for safety and Shinji is saved by Misato from termination by UN SpecOps . The movie ends with Asuka realizing her mother's spirit is protecting her from inside the EVA and is the protecting force of the AT Field . But her early destruction of the conventional UN / JSSDF forces is nothing when the NINE FULLY OPERATIONAL EVAS are dropped into the area to kill Unit - 02 and Asuka as well as initiate Third Impact with Unit - 01 . Oh the tension rises , and my mother won't let me watch the End of Evangelion Movie becuase it's rated 17 + !
All in all : Watch this , watch End of Evangelion ( don't tell me about it though ) , and you'll mostlikely understand the entire Evangelion Series ( or at least you won't be as confused ) . I give it 4 stars because of disk problems and the very short length of Rebirth .
033 4 This is the first of the two-part ending movies that are supposed to finish the complex and interesting Neon Genesis Evangelion Series . I must note before anything that this disk has TWO SIDES . If you find yourself on a side with a starting menu containing : End of Evangelion Preview , Death and Rebirth Trailers , and Magi Archives , you've found yourself into the Omega side of the disk . Unless you've watched the movie before and wish to activate the interactive extras special ( you watch the movie and have options to select information when they appear ) , I suggest you turn over to Alpha Side .
In the first hour of this movie ( Death ) we recap the entire series in a way I was impressed by . Yes , I did say : Hey , why's this repeating the last 11 - hours I've spent at my TV ? but this is a great way to refresh yourself on the series and I quite enjoyed it . After Death ends , a 4 and a half minute Intermission is activated with a neat timer ( I can only imagine how it would look on the big screen ) , but after we hit 0 : 00 , it's on to Rebirth
We start out in the hospital where Shinji is visiting Asuka , currently schizophrenic and unconcious , and he desperately tries to wake her . Meanwhile , SEELE , the evil organization that rules over NERV , is angry at Commander Ikari's victory over Kaworu ( yes , that's how they spelt / pronounced it in the movie ) , their 17th Angel / Fifth Child agent sent to initiate Third Impact and completely destroy humanity by means of the Human Instrumentality Project . So , they pull strings with the UN and JSSDF to launch a strike upon NERV HQ and Tokyo - 3 . This mission is very cold hearted ( they kill unarmed personel , even women ) and they only keep on advancing . Asuka is placed into Unit - 02 and sent to the bottom of the lake for safety and Shinji is saved by Misato from termination by UN SpecOps . The movie ends with Asuka realizing her mother's spirit is protecting her from inside the EVA and is the protecting force of the AT Field . But her early destruction of the conventional UN / JSSDF forces is nothing when the NINE FULLY OPERATIONAL EVAS are dropped into the area to kill Unit - 02 and Asuka as well as initiate Third Impact with Unit - 01 . Oh the tension rises , and my mother won't let me watch the End of Evangelion Movie becuase it's rated 17 + !
All in all : Watch this , watch End of Evangelion ( don't tell me about it though ) , and you'll mostlikely understand the entire Evangelion Series ( or at least you won't be as confused ) . I give it 4 stars because of disk problems and the very short length of Rebirth .
047 4 Unless you are an Evangelion Completest , then dont purchase this film . All it is , is an hour long re-cap of Episodes 1 - 24 of the TV show , and the First Half of the First part of End of Evangelion ( up to where Asuka is about to battle the MPEs ) .
The real draw to this film is the fixed animation that was featured in the film , such as Rei smiling .
I Need You is concurrent with the series episode 26 The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World / Take Care of Yourself .
Much like the NGE series , the End of Evangelion ( EoE ) weaves a complex story where images and dialogue are closely related to the philosophy and symbolism . These themes are played out through the psychology of each characters ' own mind . It is essentially a microcosm of the entire series . The opening scenes before the Air title card of Ep . 25 of Shinji overlooking the ruins of the city , and then entering Asuka's hospital room and , ( I'll leave it there ) set the mood and atmosphere . Showing effectively and very disturbingly that this is NOT going to be an easy film . As the first half roars out of the gates at breakneck speed , we see the hostile takeover of Nerv by the Seele organization and each Nerv member's desperate attempt to hold it at bay .
We also see the mental states that the two main Eva pilots - Shinji and Asuka - have been reduced too . Shinji is severely depressed after killing the last angel , Kaworu , whom he had formed a close bond with . Asuka is in the same mental boat as Shinji as she sits at the bottom of the lake in her Eva , which she feels she can't pilot anymore . What's interesting is the paths that have driven these two characters to this point . The ideas of finding one's self-worth ( examined perfectly in the final two series episodes ) , and what happens to a person when that is taken away .
At the same time Seele is trying to initiate their plans for Third Impact using Unit - 01 and the downright creepy looking Mass-Produced Eva Series , Gendo has his own plans involving Rei and Lilith . As Asuka , ( with a little help and inspiration from her Mama ) rages an extremely violent battle with the Evil Evas , Gendo takes Rei down to Lilith . He does this to unite the souls and bodies of Adam and Lilith only to find his scorned lover , Ritsuko there . It's interesting that two of the most shocking and violent scenes ( the Asuka / Eva battle and the Gendo / Ritsuko confrontation ) are played out to Bach's beautiful Air . The infusion of the music in this film is truly brilliant and a major reason why many scenes are so effective .
However , this is the point in the film where most people will start to become completely lost . Without a really good understanding of the NGE story ( and perhaps even with one ) , it's hard not to . It's very difficult to make the extremely complex simple , however I'll try without many spoilers .
Suffice it to say that Seele were trying to initiate Third Impact and reduce humankind back to its original form - the Primordial Soup of Life where all souls and beings are one . Gendo had different plans and just wanted to see his ' dead ' wife , Yui again . Neither Seele's or Gendo's plans go exactly as they were meant to . Unit - 01 , along with Shinji , ends up becoming the Tree of Life , and the ark in which all souls are ushered through and into Lilith's Egg . Understanding the idea that in NGE , humans - Lilim , as we're called - were born from Lilith , and Rei is essentially Lilith helps make this clearer . What's happening near this point is 3rd Impact is occurring because of the Unit - 01 and the Mass Produced Eva encounter . This returns the Geo-Front ( the sphere like cavern where Nerv HQ sits ) to its original form , the Egg of Lilith ( we see this during the Eye - like explosion ) . After the Giant Rei / Lilith forms , Shinji is essentially given reign over the future of the human race by Rei / Lilith herself .
At this point , the tempo of the film slows to a crawl and the most surreal images and scenes begin creeping in . Even the most seemingly simple scenes such as a young Shinji playing in a sandbox with a swing , mountains , and a setting sun in the background is just rife with symbolism ( hint : try to relate everything in this scene with something in the show , be it scenes , characters , or themes ) . Here , the psychological interplay between the main characters is crucial , as Shinji's wishes are played out in the real world . When he feels that everyone has deserted him and essentially says ' everyone can just die ' is when the Instrumentality and joining of all souls through Lilith really begins .
What's important to note is Shinji's thoughts after his ' choice ' has been made . The place he escapes to - the world of Instrumentality where all souls are one - and his questioning of this choice and all his choices is what we see here . More than just his questioning of the choice , we also hear him questioning the meaning of reality and dreams . This is not just random philosophical ramblings . It's a study of a character's , as well as the creator's , thoughts and feelings . Shinji holds all of humanity's future in his hands or , more accurately , his own mind . When you consider how psychologically scarred Shinji is , the idea that he can completely shape the future of Earth and all of humankind is what makes this so interesting .
Once he is allowed to be in the world he escapes to , he's faced with another choice of whether to stay or come back . As he discusses these things with Rei and Kaworu ( Lilith and Adam ) , we hear his final choice and reasons why . The ending of EoE , titled One More Final : I Need You is rightfully confusing to almost everyone who sees it . However , it's also the perfect note to end the series with . Not only does it leave us as uncertain as the characters are about the future , but it also expresses the frustration and realization of Shinji's choice and the culmination of all the struggles that has lead them there .
This film is simply a divine marvel . Much like the series it has to be watched multiple times for one to uncover all of its hidden layers and meanings . But it doesn't lose its ability to invoke emotions and thoughts even after several viewings . There are scenes of immense power and drama in the film - many that match the best of most films I've seen . But I think it's the quiet moments that make this film so moving and memorable . The Sandbox scene is one I've mentioned . Another is the live action shots with the monologue and Bach's magnificent Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude ( Jesus , Joy of Man's Desiring ) playing along on piano with it . Even more subtle moments , such as Shinji's SDAT ( walkman type ) player out of batteries ( more significant than many would think ) , and Gendo's broken glasses in Rei's place . With the vivid beginning of Instrumentality played out to the appropriate sad-song-with-a-pop-beat Komm Susser Tod ( Come Sweet Death ) , it's these scenes that never fail to give me chills .
There's a great quote that goes something like A truly wise man always has more questions than answers . This is a series and film that asks more questions than it provides answers . What it tries to do is make you think about those questions , rather than provide an easily digestible story . Some may call the story incoherent and disjointed , but what many don't realize is that the deep psychological and philosophical leanings behind the show are inextricably linked with the storyline itself . So to distinguish one from the other is impossible without realizing how the two intertwine and effect the other . If you merely try to breakdown the sci-fi storyline , then you will be confused by much of it . This is because the story is so big and so encompassing that many finer details can't be uncovered without diving deep into the inner workings of the series .
In the end , I can only speak for myself when I say NGE did a superlative job of doing everything a great work of art should do . It made me laugh , it made me cry , it gave me chills on more than one occasion . . . . but most of all it made me THINK . Anyone who wants to enjoy this show as just a meaningless work of science fiction can do so , but will be baffled as they're crushed by the multiple layers of extra contextual meanings . So , if you want to understand NGE , you have to not only pay close attention to the small details within the show ( small scenes from many episodes back play a role in the film ) , you have to really open your mind up to the ideas being presented , and how they effect the story .
However , taken as a film , and the conclusion to the NGE series , End of Evangelion is a staggering achievement and powerful last testament to what is , in my opinion , the greatest visual series of all time .
* DVD NOTES :
Those considering whether to buy just the EoE or the EoE / Death & Rebirth 2 - pack , I suggest you go with the EoE unless you don't own the director's cuts of the last several episodes ( available in the Platinum Collection ) . ' Death ' is mostly a muddled re-crap of the entire series , while ' Rebirth ' is merely the first 30 minutes of EoE . Death also doesn't contain remastered visuals or audio like the Platinum Collection does , so you'll be getting a low quality re-cap at that . Death really doesn't even work as an introduction to NGE , because most everyone not aquainted with previous episodes would be confused by the structure of the recap . The only thing worthwile in ' Death ' is something called The Magi Archives which provides great information about key people , places , events , and thing in the series . This is very helpful to those who feel completely lost by all the jargon in the series and will help clear some things up , even if it won't answer any of the bigger questions . So just stick with EoE unless you feel the need for completeness to get Death & Rebirth as well .
002 4 For those turning to this film to answer all the questions that the last two episodes of the Evangelion ( NGE ) series didn't answer , I suggest you look elsewhere . If anything , this film will provide you with precious few answers but a multitude of new questions . For those wanting a highly provocative , thought-provoking , intelligent and most poignant conclusion to the NGE series , then have no fear . I will try to explain some of the more perplexing elements in this film , without giving too much away , as well giving my thoughts and opinions at the same time .
The film is structured to be the final two episodes of the series . So the first half , Ep . 25 Air / Love is Destructive is concurrent with the series episode 25 The World Ending / Do You Love Me ? . The second half , Ep . 26 . My Purest Heart for You / One More Final : I Need You is concurrent with the series episode 26 The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World / Take Care of Yourself .
Much like the NGE series , the End of Evangelion ( EoE ) weaves a complex story where images and dialogue are closely related to the philosophy and symbolism . These themes are played out through the psychology of each characters ' own mind . It is essentially a microcosm of the entire series . The opening scenes before the Air title card of Ep . 25 of Shinji overlooking the ruins of the city , and then entering Asuka's hospital room and , ( I'll leave it there ) set the mood and atmosphere . Showing effectively and very disturbingly that this is NOT going to be an easy film . As the first half roars out of the gates at breakneck speed , we see the hostile takeover of Nerv by the Seele organization and each Nerv member's desperate attempt to hold it at bay .
We also see the mental states that the two main Eva pilots - Shinji and Asuka - have been reduced too . Shinji is severely depressed after killing the last angel , Kaworu , whom he had formed a close bond with . Asuka is in the same mental boat as Shinji as she sits at the bottom of the lake in her Eva , which she feels she can't pilot anymore . What's interesting is the paths that have driven these two characters to this point . The ideas of finding one's self-worth ( examined perfectly in the final two series episodes ) , and what happens to a person when that is taken away .
At the same time Seele is trying to initiate their plans for Third Impact using Unit - 01 and the downright creepy looking Mass-Produced Eva Series , Gendo has his own plans involving Rei and Lilith . As Asuka , ( with a little help and inspiration from her Mama ) rages an extremely violent battle with the Evil Evas , Gendo takes Rei down to Lilith . He does this to unite the souls and bodies of Adam and Lilith only to find his scorned lover , Ritsuko there . It's interesting that two of the most shocking and violent scenes ( the Asuka / Eva battle and the Gendo / Ritsuko confrontation ) are played out to Bach's beautiful Air . The infusion of the music in this film is truly brilliant and a major reason why many scenes are so effective .
However , this is the point in the film where most people will start to become completely lost . Without a really good understanding of the NGE story ( and perhaps even with one ) , it's hard not to . It's very difficult to make the extremely complex simple , however I'll try without many spoilers .
Suffice it to say that Seele were trying to initiate Third Impact and reduce humankind back to its original form - the Primordial Soup of Life where all souls and beings are one . Gendo had different plans and just wanted to see his ' dead ' wife , Yui again . Neither Seele's or Gendo's plans go exactly as they were meant to . Unit - 01 , along with Shinji , ends up becoming the Tree of Life , and the ark in which all souls are ushered through and into Lilith's Egg . Understanding the idea that in NGE , humans - Lilim , as we're called - were born from Lilith , and Rei is essentially Lilith helps make this clearer . What's happening near this point is 3rd Impact is occurring because of the Unit - 01 and the Mass Produced Eva encounter . This returns the Geo-Front ( the sphere like cavern where Nerv HQ sits ) to its original form , the Egg of Lilith ( we see this during the Eye - like explosion ) . After the Giant Rei / Lilith forms , Shinji is essentially given reign over the future of the human race by Rei / Lilith herself .
At this point , the tempo of the film slows to a crawl and the most surreal images and scenes begin creeping in . Even the most seemingly simple scenes such as a young Shinji playing in a sandbox with a swing , mountains , and a setting sun in the background is just rife with symbolism ( hint : try to relate everything in this scene with something in the show , be it scenes , characters , or themes ) . Here , the psychological interplay between the main characters is crucial , as Shinji's wishes are played out in the real world . When he feels that everyone has deserted him and essentially says ' everyone can just die ' is when the Instrumentality and joining of all souls through Lilith really begins .
What's important to note is Shinji's thoughts after his ' choice ' has been made . The place he escapes to - the world of Instrumentality where all souls are one - and his questioning of this choice and all his choices is what we see here . More than just his questioning of the choice , we also hear him questioning the meaning of reality and dreams . This is not just random philosophical ramblings . It's a study of a character's , as well as the creator's , thoughts and feelings . Shinji holds all of humanity's future in his hands or , more accurately , his own mind . When you consider how psychologically scarred Shinji is , the idea that he can completely shape the future of Earth and all of humankind is what makes this so interesting .
Once he is allowed to be in the world he escapes to , he's faced with another choice of whether to stay or come back . As he discusses these things with Rei and Kaworu ( Lilith and Adam ) , we hear his final choice and reasons why . The ending of EoE , titled One More Final : I Need You is rightfully confusing to almost everyone who sees it . However , it's also the perfect note to end the series with . Not only does it leave us as uncertain as the characters are about the future , but it also expresses the frustration and realization of Shinji's choice and the culmination of all the struggles that has lead them there .
This film is simply a divine marvel . Much like the series it has to be watched multiple times for one to uncover all of its hidden layers and meanings . But it doesn't lose its ability to invoke emotions and thoughts even after several viewings . There are scenes of immense power and drama in the film - many that match the best of most films I've seen . But I think it's the quiet moments that make this film so moving and memorable . The Sandbox scene is one I've mentioned . Another is the live action shots with the monologue and Bach's magnificent Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude ( Jesus , Joy of Man's Desiring ) playing along on piano with it . Even more subtle moments , such as Shinji's SDAT ( walkman type ) player out of batteries ( more significant than many would think ) , and Gendo's broken glasses in Rei's place . With the vivid beginning of Instrumentality played out to the appropriate sad-song-with-a-pop-beat Komm Susser Tod ( Come Sweet Death ) , it's these scenes that never fail to give me chills .
There's a great quote that goes something like A truly wise man always has more questions than answers . This is a series and film that asks more questions than it provides answers . What it tries to do is make you think about those questions , rather than provide an easily digestible story . Some may call the story incoherent and disjointed , but what many don't realize is that the deep psychological and philosophical leanings behind the show are inextricably linked with the storyline itself . So to distinguish one from the other is impossible without realizing how the two intertwine and effect the other . If you merely try to breakdown the sci-fi storyline , then you will be confused by much of it . This is because the story is so big and so encompassing that many finer details can't be uncovered without diving deep into the inner workings of the series .
In the end , I can only speak for myself when I say NGE did a superlative job of doing everything a great work of art should do . It made me laugh , it made me cry , it gave me chills on more than one occasion . . . . but most of all it made me THINK . Anyone who wants to enjoy this show as just a meaningless work of science fiction can do so , but will be baffled as they're crushed by the multiple layers of extra contextual meanings . So , if you want to understand NGE , you have to not only pay close attention to the small details within the show ( small scenes from many episodes back play a role in the film ) , you have to really open your mind up to the ideas being presented , and how they effect the story .
However , taken as a film , and the conclusion to the NGE series , End of Evangelion is a staggering achievement and powerful last testament to what is , in my opinion , the greatest visual series of all time .
* DVD NOTES :
Those considering whether to buy just the EoE or the EoE / Death & Rebirth 2 - pack , I suggest you go with the EoE unless you don't own the director's cuts of the last several episodes ( available in the Platinum Collection ) . ' Death ' is mostly a muddled re-crap of the entire series , while ' Rebirth ' is merely the first 30 minutes of EoE . Death also doesn't contain remastered visuals or audio like the Platinum Collection does , so you'll be getting a low quality re-cap at that . Death really doesn't even work as an introduction to NGE , because most everyone not aquainted with previous episodes would be confused by the structure of the recap . The only thing worthwile in ' Death ' is something called The Magi Archives which provides great information about key people , places , events , and thing in the series . This is very helpful to those who feel completely lost by all the jargon in the series and will help clear some things up , even if it won't answer any of the bigger questions . So just stick with EoE unless you feel the need for completeness to get Death & Rebirth as well .
003 4 From the reviews ot his I have read , most people think this is just Death & Rebirth , which makes since because Amazon labeled it Neon Genesis Evangelion - Death & Rebirth ( Special Edition ) . Well this is NOT just Death & Rebirth . It is a boxed set that also comes with End of Evangelion , as well as a postcard and mouse pad .
Sure , D & R wan't that great , but EoE was a masterpiece , plain and simple . I already own both , but I'm gonna buy this anyway , because I want the mouse pad .
004 4 Fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion will most likely want to get this DVD though it is not needed . The Death part of this movie is a recap of the first 24 episodes of the TV series . Only the bare highlights are given in order to cram that much information into such a short amount of time that I don't think this would be helpful to those who have not already watched the series . However , the recap can be helpful to possibly answer a couple of questions or bring a small amount of clarity to what you've seen before . Some of the animation has been redone to make it better and some previously unseen footage from the show has been placed here .
The second part of the movie is called Rebirth and is simply the first part of End of Evangelion movie . So in a way , it's almost a waste and certainly is a tease of what's coming up .
There are two big reasons to own this DVD . First , fans of the series will want it to fill out their collection . Second ( and the biggest reason ) is the audio commentary from the director of the English dub ( and English voice of Rei ) as well as Jason Lee and one other guy involved in anime . Since they worked a long time getting the translation right , they are very familiar with the story and what is going on . So they are able to provide insights into the story as well as pointing out things you might miss . Jason Lee is very helpful since he knows a ton about Catholic dogma / beliefs / stories ( which is the basis for the Christian themes in this movie ) as well as other mythos . His comments help a ton in explaining things .
The original Japanese audio is included as well as English subtitles if you need that . There are other extras as well , but I haven't taken the time to examine them all .
Bottom line : Neon Genesis Evangelion is a great series , but this DVD is not a required purchase . However , I am happy with this DVD .
005 4 First released to Japanese movie theaters in 1997 , Death & Rebirth is a double feature summarizing the Evangelion TV series and preparing viewers for the End of Evangelion . Evangelion : Death is a 45 minute long collection of footage from the first 24 Evangelion TV episodes , expanded by a small amount of new footage , that introduces the Evangelion characters and the themes and characterizations that surround them . The 27 minute long Evangelion : Rebirth is the beginning of an alternate , more action oriented conclusion to the Eva TV series that begins directly after the conclusion of TV episode 24 and disregards original TV episodes 25 & 26 .
007 4 Take an established genre , with strong cultural meaning , and turn it on its head . Then add a ghostly , dream-like quality and some of the most powerful , resonant imagery you can imagine . Mix in ancient mysteries and classic myths of unfiltered religion . Then tie up all the loose ends with characters you have grown to understand and love . Then end the world .
Its Anno's love letter to humanity and also his middle finger to convention . Its is one of the most important pieces of animation ever made and one of the most important pieces of art created in the last twenty years .
That being said , its sort of useless unless you've watched the series , subtitled and well translated . Its also sort of useless if you do not watch it with a caring , keen eye and an open mind . Dont expect to understand it conventionally . Its the punchline in a joke that you may never get .
Also , the american direction is absolutely nightmarish and the new translation questionable . Listening to the director commentary is like listening to some horrible person misinterperet your family photo albums . Amanda Winn Lee is simply not capable of acting , directing or producing something of this magantude , despite her gumption or opinions on the matter . do not , i repeat DO NOT watch this series or the film dubbed .
But no manner of nerdy american translation can ruin the raw genius at work in this film . Anno can still be felt and heard , and the quality of the images sure beats your best friend's cousin's fan-subbed bootleg . Take two weeks , watch the series , fall in love . Then take a night , turn out the lights , watch this film , get your heart beautifully broken .
009 4 This review is from :
Neon Genesis Evangelion - Death & Rebirth ( DVD )
Ever since I started watching anime ( which has not been all that long ) , I have been curious about some of the big series . Like the nearly infinite number of Gundam's , the Lodoss series , and , of course , Evangelion . The latter has such universal popularity that I finally decided to try it . Put off by the price of the episodes I was attracted to this DVD , because of its two features , ' Death ' was a recap of the series , and ' Rebirth ' would provide some insight into its ending and meaning .
As usual , I was being optimistic . My first viewing of ' Death ' left me feeling that I had just experienced one of those shorts that were titled ' 26,000 Years of Art in 60 Seconds . ' It does indeed recap the high points of the series , but as a crazed rollercoaster ride - with flashbacks . Don't get me wrong , I liked it . However , I felt that I had watched something incredibly momentous yet utterly inexplicable . Certainly , Evangelion is quite a bit more than the sci-fi , kid-in-a-robot series that I thought it was . In fact , it deals with a surprising breadth of issues . From emotional trauma to the future evolution of the human race .
What I did not realize until I read some reviews is that ' Rebirth ' is actually the starting episode of ' The End of Evangelion . ' As such , I was unprepared for an apocalyptic vision of the attack on NERV headquarters , complete with the new EVA circling above like vultures . The action and emotional pitch are intense , really a step beyond most of the films I had seen before . Lacking any guideposts though , I found it difficult to piece together the story behind the action . And , as in the companion piece , creator Hideaki Anno shows no mercy to the viewer .
However , the DVD includes an entire encyclopedia of Evangelion knowledge called the ' Mokuji Interactive Feature . ' This ingeniously flashes the names of people and things that I might want to know about , and provides a great deal of background data about them . Another useful tool was an excellent running commentary on ' Rebirth ' by Amanda Winn Lee ( the English language Director ) and friends . I'm not a great fan of commentaries , but this was excellent , and pointed out many things I would otherwise have missed .
What this DVD did was whet my appetite and draw me into the Evangelion world . It impressed me with both the fine artwork and characters that are far more than cardboard heroes . It convinced me that I wanted to see the rest of ' The End of Evangelion ' and all the previous episodes as well . So for me this DVD was a great success , although I will tell anyone who asks that they would be a lot less confused if they just broke down and bought the series DVD's . This production is probably better suited to those who are already fans of the series and are willing to keep freezing the action to examine the plentiful little details .
010 4 Ever since I started watching anime ( which has not been all that long ) , I have been curious about some of the big series . Like the nearly infinite number of Gundam's , the Lodoss series , and , of course , Evangelion . The latter has such universal popularity that I finally decided to try it . Put off by the price of the episodes I was attracted to this DVD , because of its two features , ' Death ' was a recap of the series , and ' Rebirth ' would provide some insight into its ending and meaning .
As usual , I was being optimistic . My first viewing of ' Death ' left me feeling that I had just experienced one of those shorts that were titled ' 26,000 Years of Art in 60 Seconds . ' It does indeed recap the high points of the series , but as a crazed rollercoaster ride - with flashbacks . Don't get me wrong , I liked it . However , I felt that I had watched something incredibly momentous yet utterly inexplicable . Certainly , Evangelion is quite a bit more than the sci-fi , kid-in-a-robot series that I thought it was . In fact , it deals with a surprising breadth of issues . From emotional trauma to the future evolution of the human race .
What I did not realize until I read some reviews is that ' Rebirth ' is actually the starting episode of ' The End of Evangelion . ' As such , I was unprepared for an apocalyptic vision of the attack on NERV headquarters , complete with the new EVA circling above like vultures . The action and emotional pitch are intense , really a step beyond most of the films I had seen before . Lacking any guideposts though , I found it difficult to piece together the story behind the action . And , as in the companion piece , creator Hideaki Anno shows no mercy to the viewer .
However , the DVD includes an entire encyclopedia of Evangelion knowledge called the ' Mokuji Interactive Feature . ' This ingeniously flashes the names of people and things that I might want to know about , and provides a great deal of background data about them . Another useful tool was an excellent running commentary on ' Rebirth ' by Amanda Winn Lee ( the English language Director ) and friends . I'm not a great fan of commentaries , but this was excellent , and pointed out many things I would otherwise have missed .
What this DVD did was whet my appetite and draw me into the Evangelion world . It impressed me with both the fine artwork and characters that are far more than cardboard heroes . It convinced me that I wanted to see the rest of ' The End of Evangelion ' and all the previous episodes as well . So for me this DVD was a great success , although I will tell anyone who asks that they would be a lot less confused if they just broke down and bought the series DVD's . This production is probably better suited to those who are already fans of the series and are willing to keep freezing the action to examine the plentiful little details .
012 4 This review is from :
Neon Genesis Evangelion - Death & Rebirth ( DVD )
Death is a very quick recap of the series . I didn't really care for this half of the movie . I can watch the series over and over again and still be completely captivated by it . I thought the Death recap was too fast and distant . I was actually quite bored by it and found it very hard to sit through it .
Rebirth is the first 30 minutes or so of the movie . When I ordered this I wasn't sure or not if this footage was also included on the End of Evangelion DVD or not .
* The entire Rebirth section on this disc is also on the End of Evangelion DVD . *
Before I received my copy of End of Evangeion I was extremely impressed with the Rebirth part of this movie . I also loved the special features . Now that I have the End of Evangelion DVD I'm pretty sure this disc will never find it's way back in my DVD player .
If you are on a tight budget and you already have or have seen the eva series this dvd is pretty pointless now that End of Evangelion has been released . If you are a collector you should definatly get it to help complete your collection and you will probably enjoy the special features .
013 4 Death is a very quick recap of the series . I didn't really care for this half of the movie . I can watch the series over and over again and still be completely captivated by it . I thought the Death recap was too fast and distant . I was actually quite bored by it and found it very hard to sit through it .
Rebirth is the first 30 minutes or so of the movie . When I ordered this I wasn't sure or not if this footage was also included on the End of Evangelion DVD or not .
* The entire Rebirth section on this disc is also on the End of Evangelion DVD . *
Before I received my copy of End of Evangeion I was extremely impressed with the Rebirth part of this movie . I also loved the special features . Now that I have the End of Evangelion DVD I'm pretty sure this disc will never find it's way back in my DVD player .
If you are on a tight budget and you already have or have seen the eva series this dvd is pretty pointless now that End of Evangelion has been released . If you are a collector you should definatly get it to help complete your collection and you will probably enjoy the special features .
015 4 Neon Genesis Evangelion : Death & Rebirth is not a must have for those who are fans of the series . I suspect that a lot of the confusion around this DVD has to do with Manga Entertainments production of it .
Death is essentially the first half of the DVD which is a fairly fast paced review of the entire series , but put to a very compelling setting . Death from what it seems is intended to refresh your memory of the series before taking on Rebirth . Oddly though , Rebirth is the 40 minutes of End of Evangelion .
So if you purchase both DVDs you will realize that there is this very large overlap between them . I'm not certain what Manga Entertainment was doing , however their production of Death & Rebirth seems to be sub-par , though the title screen on the DVD is haunting with the flashes of imagery and sound from the series .
Manga's bizarre production values aside , the story presented in Death seems intended to set you up for End of Evangelion . Death is a whirlwind of plot moments from the TV series along with additional moments that seem to at detail and heighten your understanding of the TV series . Death is a good refresher . After watching it , it leaves you of that sense of What's next ? and wanting more .
This DVD is really for Evangelion fans who want to round out their collection , and is only recommended for such people . If money is a bit short , I recommend that you get End of Evangelion instead as Death & Rebirth are not necessary in order to appreciate End of Evangelion .
016 4 This review is from :
Neon Genesis Evangelion - Death & Rebirth ( DVD )
Death and Rebirth is basicly the movie version of the whole NGE series , a sort of quick re-run which was intended to be an easy way for the fans to get into the whole story line again . One could wonder how fans would forget about a serie with the impact of Neon Genesis Evangelion . Or one could also wonder what good a re-run would do while you can quickly see for yourself that details are of high importance in the whole experience ( just check web forums , usenet groups , etc . ) . That is ; if you want to dive into the story instead of focussing on action scenes . So chances are high that fans would easier grab the VHS or DVD's with the original serie to relive the moment than grab this DVD .
In this aspect I really wouldn't recommend this DVD ; the ' re-run ' isn't going into much details , just the most important ones are included . And the story on this DVD isn't going in a very synchronized order ; you basicly start with scenes from episode 24 and end with them . Not very easy for any newcomer .
However ; if you are a fan of the series then its also not easy to simply ignore this DVD . Despite of the fact that in the end things are basicly a quick and dirty re-run it * does * give you some very nice extra's . For example some scenes which are viewed from a totally different perspective . Maybe not very special , but an interesting experience nevertheless where animation is concerned . And then there is the issue that some scenes are new when looking back at the original series . These scenes even got used in the Director Cut DVD's , so also not something which is easily discarded .
Naturally there are also downsides to this DVD for fans . Because they have made a whole new movie the whole voice actor cast ( I'm focussing on the English voice actors ) wasn't available . So some characters have completely different voices . While they managed to keep most of them decently close to the original , some are simply awfull when compared with the original serie ( for example Professor Fiyutski , the voice really doesn't match the character profile at all ) .
So summing up I think this DVD will be best experienced by fans . Its absolutely not a substitute for the entire series and the story line is nearly impossible to follow for anyone not closely familiar with the original serie .
However , even if you are a fan I'd seriously consider if you want this DVD since it mostly focusses on summarizing the serie . The End of Evangelion might be something you're really after .
017 4 Death and Rebirth is basicly the movie version of the whole NGE series , a sort of quick re-run which was intended to be an easy way for the fans to get into the whole story line again . One could wonder how fans would forget about a serie with the impact of Neon Genesis Evangelion . Or one could also wonder what good a re-run would do while you can quickly see for yourself that details are of high importance in the whole experience ( just check web forums , usenet groups , etc . ) . That is ; if you want to dive into the story instead of focussing on action scenes . So chances are high that fans would easier grab the VHS or DVD's with the original serie to relive the moment than grab this DVD .
In this aspect I really wouldn't recommend this DVD ; the ' re-run ' isn't going into much details , just the most important ones are included . And the story on this DVD isn't going in a very synchronized order ; you basicly start with scenes from episode 24 and end with them . Not very easy for any newcomer .
However ; if you are a fan of the series then its also not easy to simply ignore this DVD . Despite of the fact that in the end things are basicly a quick and dirty re-run it * does * give you some very nice extra's . For example some scenes which are viewed from a totally different perspective . Maybe not very special , but an interesting experience nevertheless where animation is concerned . And then there is the issue that some scenes are new when looking back at the original series . These scenes even got used in the Director Cut DVD's , so also not something which is easily discarded .
Naturally there are also downsides to this DVD for fans . Because they have made a whole new movie the whole voice actor cast ( I'm focussing on the English voice actors ) wasn't available . So some characters have completely different voices . While they managed to keep most of them decently close to the original , some are simply awfull when compared with the original serie ( for example Professor Fiyutski , the voice really doesn't match the character profile at all ) .
So summing up I think this DVD will be best experienced by fans . Its absolutely not a substitute for the entire series and the story line is nearly impossible to follow for anyone not closely familiar with the original serie .
However , even if you are a fan I'd seriously consider if you want this DVD since it mostly focusses on summarizing the serie . The End of Evangelion might be something you're really after .
018 4 I am writing as a great fan of Neon Genesis : Evangelion who likes both the series ending and the move ending ! My focus here is to provide a little guidence . This movie is essentially a great recap of Eva episodes and an intro to the main feature The End of Evangelion . For those who have watched the entire series , it provides no new information . These are my recomendations :
Buy this if : 1 ) You must posess the whole series for any reason 2 ) You have the whole series but don't understand the ending . 3 ) You just feel that you couldn't focus on the theme of the series . 4 ) You are buying the series and want to capture a bargain .
DON'T buy this if : 1 ) You never heard of it before . Start from Episode One , you will never get it fron this . Believe me , you will enjoy it well ! 2 ) You saw a couple of early episodes and want to catch up ( it won't work ) 3 ) You have the series memorized or at least well undertood and don't need additional focus .
My bottom line is that there is nothing * wrong * with this , but there is nothing new here either . The End of Evangelion is the definitive end of the series , this movie only serves to get you up to speed if you need it and contributes nothing new in it's own right .
019 4 Death and Rebirth contains two sections . Death is a recap of the first 24 episodes , so it is not very helpful if you've already seen them . It does contain some scenes that were removed from the US release of the show , otherwise there is little reason to watch it - the series explains things much more deeply , and there is more character introspection .
The second half , Rebirth , is the first half of The End of Evangelion . I'd just get the whole series and the other movie , but this movie is still good in itself .
020 4 Some years ago the TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion took the animation market by surprise due to it's overwelming success both in Japan as in the US and Europe .
In Japan the LD's , Video's and DVD's sold like hot cakes even outselling the traditional top bestsellers from Disney .
Spinning off loads of merchandise and two extra movies as a result .
The two films are : Death , which is part 1 and Rebirth which is part 2 .
At first , in Japan , they were sold seperatly but luckily for us they have now been merged into one long movie .
Death is basicly the same story as the series episodes 1 through 24 , but compacted into a movie .
Rebirth can be considered a reworked edition of Tv episodes 25 and 26 but now stretched out in big-screen movie style .
The Tv series started off as something older children could watch and enjoy , there's comedy , giant robots and spectacular battles .
But half way the Tv series the story turns serious and ventures off into all kinds of religious , psychological and phylosofical subjects and starts asking some very existencialistic questions .
The movies are even more adult orientated because it does away with all the light entertainment and goes directly into the deep and complex storyline which is simply to dificult to follow for children .
Besides making the story seem even more dramatic and intens the quality of the animations and music is considerably better too .
Especialy Rebirth turns out to be very artistic and abstract .
Either you love it or you hate it . . . most people I know loved it to death !
I will not give a review of the story line for two reasons , firstly because it's a very complex storyline which is hard to explain in a short review and secondly because I don't wish to give away spoilers .
Besides , EVA D & R has to be experienced . . . you'll understand what I mean if you see it .
If you are looking for a high quality anime movie then look no further . . . this one became an instant clasic the moment it was released .
long lastng entertainment is guaranteed since you'll probably have to watch the movie several times in order to completely understand the entire plot .
Sit back , relax and enjoy !
021 4 . . . I think that this is the great untold story to the world . It is sublime . It is arguably some of the most beautiful and poignant animation ever created . . .
- Richard Taylor , Weta Workshop .
There is not much that I could mention here which has not been said many times before , but the TV series and movies combined are among the best on offer in any genre . A masterpiece , albeit flawed .
Hauntingly beautiful , disturbing , thought-provoking and terrifying , all at the same time . Definitely not for younger viewers .
That being said , I am sad to report that the English release of the films Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion were so poorly done that I do not believe there is yet a definitive English translation to be had ( unless you count the original fan subs by Bochan Bird ) .
It is clear listening to the commentaries that these films were not taken at all seriously or treated with the respect they deserved . The English director admits to adding campy sound-effects and alternative ( incorrect ) humorous dialog for her own personal amusement . Parts of the translation sound as if they were made by an immature teenager with a childish sense of humour rather than a professional translator . One might suspect that an attempt was made to turn this mature art-piece into a more stereotypical cartoon aimed at a younger and less discriminating audience .
The commentary offers little in the way of real insight , having very little to say about the underlying philosophies or symbolism . Ignorance abounds , and catch phrases such as that's Freudian substitute for real understanding . The producers took little care to spell check the subtitles and even invented words at times ( resonation instead of resonance ) . If you have any understanding of , or fondness for this series at all , the commentary is beyond immaturity , it is infuriating .
Serious fans of this work will be tempted to purchase the newly remastered and magnificently restored versions from Japan and subtitle their own ( the English releases are not the remastered versions and are not high quality video transfers ) . For everyone else , this release is better than nothing , but it should be remembered that it is a poor translation in parts , and that anything that seems childish , stereotypical or cliché are artifacts of translation .
I rate this product 5 stars solely on the basis of the quality of the original films , and without regard to the production standards of the English translation .
022 4 The Death and Rebirth is kind of an odd recommendation . The cover and the little that I knew about it was misleading .
The first part of the DVD is Death or basically a recap of the show . It tells the basic events of what happens to each character through the first 24 episodes of the original series . The flashback clips are done up in a nice interesting way as each child tries out for an orchestra . As they play their instruments the memories come flooding . It's a fun interesting way to remember all the things that happened through out the series . But if you are buying this then you probably already have the first eight DVDs and probably don't need much of in the way of a refresher course .
The second part or Rebirth is the new content for this disc . Rebirth however is the very beginning of the end of Evangelion , which is included in said End of Eva . Since you are going to have to get that one too to get the full ending a lot of people I know probably want to bypass this DVD altogether .
The extras are nice a few designed to get newcomers up to speed with what happened earlier . And I liked the audio commentary , something for some reason lacking in a lot of Anime .
Death And Rebirth is really only for two groups of people . Those who haven't seen the original episodes in awhile and needed a refresher course , and those who are Eva fanatics and snatch up pretty much everything they can find . I was kind of in both these groups so D and R worked well for me for what it was . Newbies to the series will find just way too much info to absorb in the short amount of time , and others will probably feel gypped for getting this and End of Eva .
023 4 I was fairly sceptical about this when I recieved it as a present as I had already seen the series several times .
However , I was pleasantly surprised . Death , the rehash part of the DVD was put together quite well . Focusing on the character development rather than the numerous battles , it gives a rounded view on each character along with extra scenes that explain some parts of the original series .
For those who haven't seen the original , this is a great teaser - the setup and atmosphere are great and pretty informative for the first time viewer . For diehard fans , it has its own surprise scenes and is a good refresher if you're in a rush or haven't seen it for a while .
I'm not sure if tacking bits of End of Evangelion on the end was such a good idea . Although its almost an advertisement for EoE ( I'm guessing that was the idea , its a filler and makes you want to see EoE and spend more : P ) its good to see how it starts and begins to develop and is more comprehensive than the original episodes 25 and 26 . Basically though its simply a marketing gimmick designed to make you want to see EoE . Its still worth watching of course , but there's nothing special there .
The features , particularly the Mokuji interactive onscreen encyclopedia are great for a first timer . The character index gives a brief decription and history of the main characters . The commentary is insightful and sometimes funny .
This DVD is worth getting if you're new to the series or a big fan . It gives a bit of extra info with some pretty good features and a teaser for EoE . More of a rent than a buy though .
024 4 I got a copy of this DVD out of Singapore about a year ago . So it is the sub-titled version . I hope that the US released one is dubbed because it is too hard to follow other wise . The first three fourths of the movie is just a recap of the entire series . I noticed two or three additional scenes slipped in there . Its the end Rebirth that is great , but it just ends . If you are really into Evangelion , you'll be more than into it , but you'll also feel cheated when it just ends on just a cliff-hanger , but then you only have to wait a month for the rest .
025 4 This disc contains Death ( a 60 min . recap of the characters , events , and themes of the first 24 episodes ) , and Rebirth ( 30 min . of the End of Evangelion movie ) .
Death is a very dramatic overview of the first 24 episodes , with a combination of music , certain dialog from the script over certain events that occurred in the series to show and explain what happened . I find it very effective and is an easy way to remind yourself of all the events instead of watching the whole series again .
Rebirth is a short introduction to the next Eva film called End of Evangelion . It starts of heated , and jumps right into the conflict and suspense . This 30 min . intro reveals some insight into Eva Unit 02 , we learn of Seele and Nerv's plans for 3rd impact , and we see Shinji totally devastated now that he has killed Kawru . This is a good short for getting Eva fans siked up for the next film .
The extras on this disc are amazing ! It contains a good Image gallery with pics of the characters in the most dramatic scenes . Also contains the previews for Death and Rebirth ( which were very fun to watch ) and End of Evangelion . One of the best features here is an encyclopedia explaining key ideas , characters , angels , and Eva's , which is very informative . There's a commentary track and an interactive feature where you watch the film , and at certain scenes you click on an item that comes on screen and it gives you detail and explanation for that scene .
Overall , I really enjoyed this DVD and would recommended it for any serious Eva fan . If you find the recaps that were in the series boring you will probably find this boring , and I would recommend you just wait until End of Eva comes out , for that new story . But , any fan with a slight interest in Evangelion will enjoy these extras , so I would say at least rent 1st if not buy , if you enjoy Eva . My only complaint is that they used different English voice actors , which didn't sound as good as the ones in the series , but overall you get used to it very quickly , and can still enjoy the film . 5 stars , enjoy .
026 4 Anyone who is a huge fan of Eva has found some way or another to see death and rebirth and or end of evangelion . Around a year ago ( I forget exactly ) I rented an import ( fan sub ) death and rebirth and then a couple months later I got end of Eva . Even though I've seen both movies , I won't be held back from getting both movies when they come out ( July 30 and September 24 respectively ) . These are two of the best anime releases to date along side of princess mononoke . To like this movie you need to have liked the series . If you didn't like the series , don't except your feelings to change and if you haven't seen the series don't bother watching the movie cause you'll just get lost or you'll find yourself not caring about the characters as much as you should .
The movies were created because fans of the series complained about the two final episodes of the series ( I personally liked them ) . To give the fans what they wanted , the creators of the series began the framework of a movie . The movie would be made up of two 45 - minute episodes , which would take place at the same time as episodes 25 and 26 . Sadly after the completion of the first episode , gainax ran out of money ( again ) , so the movie was split into two parts : death and rebirth , which is a half hour series recap with a couple of deleted scenes along with the first half of the movie . The second have is end of Eva , which is the whole movie .
The rebirth part of death and rebirth begins with a broken shinji and an auska whose mind had been raped in an earlier episode . After one of the most talked about Eva moments takes place , we move on to see the nerv invasion by seele . The invasion was an attempt by seele to speed of the process of causing the third impact .
What you see in the first ( and for that matter the second ) movie is far harsher then what you've seen in the series . There is a ton of violence and gore done onto both humans and angels . There is also a lot of ( non sexual ) nudity and a scene of masturbation . The rating has a very strong chance of being R or 17 + . Does this mean younger Eva fans shouldn't see the movie ? No , it doesn't . I think all Eva fans should see these movies . It just means that younger fans may have a slightly harder time getting their hands on the movies then on the TV series .
028 4 As you all probably know or have already read in the reviews here , Death & Rebirth is only a recap of the series up to episode 24 , and 20 minutes or so into End of Evangelion ( Rebirth ) . I do not suggest viewing D & R instead of the series ( it lacks alot of details , particularly many angels ) , but it is still recommended to watch it before End of Evangelion . Not only is it a recap , but it still is a theatrical release . It is composed and directed in such a way to create an experience all in it's own . It's also a great thing for those who wanna have a friend check it out and have him jump-started into End of Evangelion .
As to the DVD itself , i've never really been a fan of Manga's releases since they so successfully manage to take a great piece of work and make it seem like something out of the bargain bin .
I can't complain enough about the things i disliked about this release , so let me try and bullet list it for space's sake .
- No 5.1 Japanese audio track . Manga fails to realize the majority of ( hardcore ) anime fans prefer japanese tracks with english subtitles . Stereo just isn't enough for home theatre enthusiasts .
- Lousy video transfer . Many blurred spots throughout . If it weren't for the better quality subtitles , alot of people might think it's the unlicensed dvd ( MI release for those who know what i'm talking about ) .
- Double-sided . Same thing on either side except for the features and audio / sub tracks . A dual-layer would've been way nicer , particularly with a good disc print .
- It wouldn't have hurt Manga to include the corresponding pictures in the character and angel profiles .
- Some mistakes in names and terms , like Kaoru on subs , Kaworu on the profile and chapter title .
- Picture Gallery is just a handful of stills from the movie itself , but apparently taken from a movie that was dragged a mile or so under a truck tire .
- Audio commentary by the English Language Director . C'mon . I would've rather had a five minute interview with Hideaki Anno .
With all the time Manga has had the license to produce this , you would've expected them to release an S.E . flooded with features . After all , it was theatrically released in Japan in ' 97 , and this is the first time it makes it's way to the US . None the less , it's still up to DVD standards and it's the only R1 release . I just hope Manga allow themselves to break a sweat with End of Evangelion and give us something worthy of it's magnitude .
029 4 OK , before I start , let me just say that I thoroughly enjoyed Evangelion . I fell in love with its mech action and dramatic character development .
But I have to draw the line somewhere .
This DVD was a waste of time . It simply consisted of a lame recap of the original series with the first half of EoE tacked on the end . In other words , it serves no purpose . If you have the complete series and EoE ( the real ending ) , then you might as well set flame to $30 if you plan on purchasing this little farce .
And that's why I disliked D R so much ; I loved the Eva series . In fact , I even liked the original ending ! But this DVD was a huge dissapointment . It's an obvious insult to the fans . . . just more filler for the sake of profit .
However , it does have a few redeeming features . If you're one of those anime elitist types that wants to know a little about Eva without buying the entire series , you will enjoy the story summation at the beginning of D R . Also , to spite all of my gripes with the movie , it's a must-have for all you Eva fanboys out there .
But if you're just a casual anime-watcher , steer clear of D R .
030 4 When people say skip this and go straight to End of Evangelion , they actually mean it .
I love Evangelion but this movie is a waste of time and money . I bought it at HMV in the summer and bought it because I owned the series on DVD and TEoE .
I was excited and I nearly shat myself because it said 107 Minutes , and I thought it was a movie , and it had an 18A rating ( I'm from Canada , mind you ) . I bought it and rushed home with the DVD , taking it out of the silver slipcase and frantically taking it out of the package and putting it in the DVD player .
What a waste of time ! ! ! ! ! This is basically The series recapped in 45 minutes , followed by the first 20 minutes of TEoE . The minute I saw the opening scene from TEoE , I went wait . . . are you sure I bought the right movie ? . 20 minutes into that part , I just turned it off .
Either way I find this negativity sad , because I really did like the series . I really did . I also saw The End of Evangelion and loved it to death , and I think if I had seen The End of Evangelion before this I would have liked it more , however that does NOT change a thing .
I dunno about you , but right now I'm halfway into REALLY getting sick of the whole story . I mean , The creepy Angels , the forgettable protagonist , the girl he's after and all that other stuff . . . aren't they beginning to get a little . . . erm . . . boring ? I mean , really , the only original part of the movie is in the Rebirth section , which can easily be found in TEoE .
This is a waste of time and money , and the only reason to see is is for the Director's Cut stuff ( But not like there's a whole lot , there's only 2 seconds of it in total ) .
So this is basically my first Spoiler-free review , because really there's nothing at all to spoil . NO , this will NOT help if you haven't seen the show , and NO , the 45 - minute flashback ( snarl ) will not help , either .
Avoid like the plague ! Or only see it if you have a burning desire to find out what happened to Asuka in the series .
031 4 You can do without Death & Rebirth if you own the series . The End of Evangelion is the ending the series , in many ways , needed to have : while the original ending was adequate , Evangelion was never just a story about Shinji and , with all the talk about Adam and Third Impact , it needed something bigger than complete introspection . That said , both this film ending and the one occuring in the series do compliment each other and aren't entirely at odds . The difference between Third Impact and Human Instrumentality isn't quite so clear . . . as maybe it shouldn't be . Nonetheless , we get both . Oh , and Asuka gets a finale worthy of her character . I rate End of Evangelion a 5 star flick ; Death & Rebirth , basically the entire series edited into an hour with the idea that Asuka , Shinji , and Rei are performing / dreaming this collectively , is beside the point . Still , if you want a proper ending to Evangelion , The End is a must own .
032 4 Hello , fellow animetal otakuheads ! I'm back with more Evangelion ! Here is a nice retrospective of the series with a teeny bit of added footage . There are also some nice touches to the DVD itself . The quality is better , both sound and picture-wise . There is a nice audio commentary track by English voice actors Amanda Winn-Lee ( Rei , Pen Pen , and Yui ) , Jason C . Lee ( Aoba ) , and Taliesin Jaffe ( massive EVA fan and additional voice provider for the films ) . There is more than one Japanese or English audio track ( surround or stereo are available for both ) .
As for the film itself . . . it really does a good job at serving it's purpose , which is recapping several classic moments from the TV series and throwing in a bit of previously unseen footage . Also , the entire dub was redone . Many old actors returned ( namely the ones for Shinji , Asuka , Misato , Rei , Pen Pen , Ritsuko , Aoba , Aida , the third of the Tojis , Kaji , and Gendo ) . New actors were found for the roles of Ibuki , Kaworu , Fuyutsuki , Yui , Hyuga , and Hikari . Buy it if you are hardcore into the series ( which I am and which is why I am giving it such a high review ) , but I suggest you pass if you are just a casual fan .
034 4 If you are only interested in watching how the series is meant to end , just get End of Evangelion .
Ok Death is a recaps the series . Rebirth sort of leaves us with a disgusted feeling for Shinji , but he's pretty screwed up psychologically . He's 14 and he's been the pilot of an enormous , powerful , killing machine , and he hates to kill , and more importantly , he hates himself . So this is kind of understandable , but still . The first few scenes are kind of . . . well . . . a little disturbing .
The original ending left on a positive light . But this was not how it was meant to end , I guess mostly because there were many unanswered questions ; what happened to the other evas , what did they look like , what about Lilith , what about Adam , what happens to Seele ? So I guess that's why the ending was redone . You do get to partially see the finished Evas , as they ominously loom over Unit 02 and Asuka , but of course , without End of Evangelion , you are left wondering what the hell happens next ? You don't get to see Asuka fight unless you have End of Evangelion . . . so get it , otherwise it makes no sense .
This movie was really meant to replace episodes 25 - 26 of the original , so if you have the series and you've watched it , you'll understand why the initial ending felt as if it really didn't fit , because it didn't . So Rebirth really just opens it back up for the ending that was initially envisioned .
035 4 As you have no doubt deduced by now , this disk contains two episodes of the finale of Hideaki Anno's Masterpiece Evangelion . You have also surely discovered that this is the first part of a two part movie series . However there is very little point to buying this volume unless you are a hardcore Evangelion fan because there truly is no reason to buy it except to fill a hole on your shelf between your perfect collection and the End of Evangelion .
The first episode is a condensed version of the television series jammed into a 60 - minute episode . It is comprised entirely of scenes cut from the television show . However this will serve no use to either the experienced Evangelion Fan nor to someone who has never seen the show . The purpose of this episode was back at Japanese theaters in 1997 when the Evangelion fans hadn't seen the show for two years and were beginning to forget key facts ( I.E . Anno didn't want the Eva Fans going to see the ending only to shout out in the theatre , Who's Toji-kun again ? ) . I did fail to mention that there are a few new scenes put into here from the cutting floor ( one of the second impact , another of a conversation with Yuki and stuff like this ; nothing that earth shattering . ) Overall it is useful to see once just to say you saw them all . The Second episode is the first part of the End of Evangelion saga . It is a awesome end ! ! . . . However , this episode is also shown on the End of Evangelion DVD in its entirety so it isn't a reason to buy the disk now that both are for sale .
Many fans point out the extras on this disk which include some trailers for Death and Rebirth and E.O.E . , a very long , un-segmented preview trailer for other Manga works , a collection of screen text files that give info on different aspects of the NGE Saga , and a very over rated ( Double underline , triple exclamation point in a bold red marker ) commentary . Would it have killed them to get a subtitled version by some of the real cast or even Hideaki himself ? ! What you get is a American Dubbing - Actress and English language director explaining it to you .
Overall the special features are interesting to look at every now and then , it's interesting to see what they consider the show's important points are in the first episode and the second episode is just a tack on . If you're new , go check out the perfect collection , if you've already seen it just don't drop End of Evangelion for this disk , if you want to buy both that's fine . Just remember , ONLY for the Neon Genesis collectors will this be a good buy .
036 4 Evangelion is undoubtably one of the most original mecha series to come out of Japan in a while . With that in mind , Evangelion became immensily popular , despite it's very disturbing imagery and storytelling . Therefore , when this double-feature arrived in theaters , it obviously drew a huge crowd .
Death and Rebirth is sort of a look back and forward at the Evangelion saga . Evangelion Death is not really a compilation of the series , but more of musical montage . It starts out with new footage of the Second Impact and eventually goes through a couple of scenes that were deleted from the TV series . Evangelion Rebirth is actually the first third of the End of Evangelion film . The point of this is so that the audiance can get a taste of what to come . And if this doesn't entice you to see the End of Evangelion film , nothing will .
What was a little surprising for me was that Manga entertainment kept everything of this title in tact . Everything from the original film is here . Even the 5 minute intermission sequence is kept in . But what really surprised me was they kept one of the most contriversial scenes in the film . Which is obviously the scene where Shinji is in Auska's hospital room ( nuff said ) .
The English dub of Death and Rebirth is really a mixed bag . Some of the voices are from the original series and some are not . Even more , the roars of the Evangelion had to be dubbed cause they were on the Japanese language track only . I am still pretty impressed at how great a job Spike Spencer does with Shinji in Death and Rebirth .
Manga Entertainment pulled out all the stops on this DVD . First of all , the disc is double sided . The first side features the feature film and the second side has the extras . The extras include Maji Files , which has everything you want to know on Evangelion in there , Audio Commentary by the English cast ( pretty funny ) , original trailers ( makes it worth buying ) and the End of Evangelion trailer . What more could you possibly want a DVD ?
Overall , Evangelion Death and Rebirth is one of Manga's best DVD features ever . If you can't wait for End of Evangelion ( who can ? ) then get this now . Even if you already have seen it , go out and buy it still . It's worth it .
037 4 Evangelion - Death & Rebirth is the must have DVD of year ! The entire series of Evangelion is recapped and new animations sequences are added . Didn't understand something ? Had to keep rewinding to make sure you heard right ? All you questions will be answered here . . . and of course new ones will be formed !
038 4 I watched this movie mainly because it was Evangelion . Should you ? Probably not . If you've seen the tv series then you've basically seen Evangelion : Death . Death simply recaps the tv series in a framework built around introducing the Eva pilots . Except for a couple of new scenes there is nothing fresh . On top of that , they had to re-dub the english dialogue and in some cases couldn't get the original voice actors back . It's pretty weird to hear the characters you've spent twenty + episodes with now sounding completely different . And for some reason they've changed the pronunciation of Eva . Not a big thing but grating . Evangelion : Death is followed by Evangelion : Rebirth , which is really the first part of what becomes the next movie , End of Evangelion . There is really no reason to watch Evangelion Death & Rebirth , not even if you've never seen Evangelion in any form and are hoping for a quick intro . This is not the way to do it . You'll only end up confused and thinking Evangelion is crap , which it most assuredly is not . Go ahead . Borrow , rent , buy , whatever , but watch the original tv series . Then if you're interested you can check this out as a curiosity .
Having said all that , this movie is not totally without merit . You could argue that it's worth seeing what the creator thought was ' important ' to take from the tv series . What scenes were really integral to understanding Evangelion ? Presumably they would be the ones included here . The real value though is the audio commentary . It's actually worth listening to . Yeah , it's not the creator of Evangelion or any of the Japanese staff which obviously would be preferable . But Amanda Winn Lee ( English Language Director , and voice of Rei Ayanami ) and two other guys from the English production staff do an alright job . They might be a little too flippant for some tastes . I thought Evangelion was very intense and very psychological , but that doesn't mean just because they were having fun recording the commentary that they weren't respectful of the work . After all , they've spent a good chunk of their time working with the material so it's interesting to hear their thoughts on what some of the symbolism might mean . They pointed out several things I missed , and their insights , while not canon , were nonetheless thought-provoking and made my viewing experience richer . Also , if you like South Park there is a hilarious bit w / Kaji you might enjoy ; )
Whatever you decide to do , definately watch the tv series . Evangelion is really amazing and you'll be glad you did .
039 4 Having only ever seen this movie in its fan-subbed version , I found it difficult to understand what was being implied by the characters and following the story was a little tricky too .
The evangelion movies are a recap of the episodes and a brief explanation of whats been going on , the main purpose of these movies was to make an alternative ending for the series , as the ending in episode 26 left much to be desired .
Death and Rebirth and Evangelion the Movie are much darker and enriched with deep , complicated notions , so you may need to expend a bit more patience than you usually would in following the story .
My main concern is that the new english language dialogue will faithfully recreate the intended storyline .
If you have collected the series on dvd or vhs BUY THIS . ( and the next DVD too )
If you don't know of evangelion or you havent seen all of the series , dont watch this . It will make no sense to you at all .
040 4 I've also hear the rumor about suicides in Japan . And jus wait for the next movie , it's a realy tour de force just watching the images .
The important part is this : Death & Rebirth is indeed a sumary of the series , but it's done completly focused on the characters . This movie was the very first thing I ever saw of Evangelion and I was hooked . The complexity on the relations is so condensed that are percieved in a more intense way than in the series .
The second part of this movie : Rebirth becomes the first part of the second movie but with a lttle more scenes . This is only the entrance to the terrorific ending of the series .
Evangelion is one of the more important anime ever made simply because it's a great plot . Remember , after all all the mecha element is a pretext to tell a very human story . Shinji , the protagonist , goes from the total image of a hero , to the total resemblence of cowardy and human weakness .
041 4 I think this movie is too fragmented and interrupted for someone who ( like me ) is a complete neophyte to the Evangelion TV series . It seems to be an ambitious summary , made by cutting / pasting small and sparse fragments of relevant chapters or events of the long series into the much more limited movie time frame . I haven't seen the series , but just judging this movie on its own , it is way too fragmented and over-compressed . It gave me an impression of too many omissions of important developments , and I found it somewhat frustrating to try to follow . Obviously the makers assumed the viewers would know some things about Evangelion that I didn't know at all . Some examples of the weak points I found : at some times the movie suddenly starts explaining ( e.g . resolving ) some issues as if it was perfectly clear to the viewer that those were pending issues in the plot , when I didn't even had a clue about the existence of those issues in the movie . Also some characters are just shown in one scene , and in the next their true nature is suddenly revealed , with no development in between . On the good side , I was particularly impressed with the musical fragments in the movie , absolutely beautiful , particularly the Bach one . If I ever have the opportunity , I'll try to watch the first chapters of the series to get into it , instead of ( or before ) trying to follow this movie . I would recommend the same to anyone that is not initiated in the series .
042 4 What I really think the second half and the next movie are is what physically goes on at the end of the series , while episodes 25 + 26 of the series are what goes on in Shinji's mind instead . . . You could say they're alternates but . . . well see the last film and you'll probably get it .
045 4 This review is from :
Neon Genesis Evangelion - Death & Rebirth ( DVD )
It had a good recap of the season . And it had a good teaser for the final movie .
046 4 It had a good recap of the season . And it had a good teaser for the final movie .
048 4 It continues the story , but makes it very difficult to understand what is going on . It has no clearcut answer to all the loose ends from the ordinary series .
049 4 The two part movies Death and Rebirth and End of Evangelion sum up the television series well . Not visually and intellectually disappointing . Some of what is actually happening between Rei / Lillith and Unit One is a little convoluted as to what actually any of it really means . Seeing the Evangelion Platnum Series Director's cut footage will shine a little light on some of the questions the movie will pose .
050 4 This movie is largely nothing more than footage from the series sporadically and randomly reviewed . Through most of this movie , time periods whimsically change nearly every three to five minutes in no sensible way : 15 years earlier , 7 years later , 10 years earlier , etc . Throughout the entire back-and-forth random time changes , black screens are flashed with large white Japanese words , subtitled at the bottom . The problem is that most of these screens are flashed so quickly that they are not readable . This causes the viewer to be subjected to many flashing black and white screens , which quickly becomes irritating . As to the new footage , it is largely negligible , presenting nothing that the average viewed didn't already pick up during the series .
051 4 This DVD is good if your a fan and have seen the entire series but if your in the middle of the series do not buy this at all or attempt to watch this because it will basically ruin the entire series for you . In a lot of video stores you'll see the first few volumes of Evangelion and then most likely you'll see this DVD next to them and anybody that hasn't seen the series or knows the DVD volumes will pick this up thinking it's apart of the series and it's not . It will show you a little bit of every episode because it's a recap for the series and the movie . It's a very well put together DVD for fans that have seen it but for those of you just getting into Evangelion stay away from this until you've seen the full series . If you've seen the series then this is a nice DVD to pick up but I would wait for a lower price or get it at a discount store because it's not a something you would terribly need .
052 4 This movie is the first part of the 2 - part End of Evangelion series . After watching the first half of the movie I was very pleased . As a note , anyone that is going to watch this movie should watch the entire series ( 1 - 26 episodes ) beforehand , otherwise , following this movie would be most difficult . The first half of the movie sums up the evangelion series just like the last chapters of the series . It was followed by the first half of End of Evangelion . One could think that this movie is just a bond to tie together the end of the television series and End of Evangelion although I've read that End of Evangelion picks up right where the series left off . Nevertheless , this movie is an essential for all die-hard Evangelion fans . I really enjoyed it . Those who really disliked this movie only thought so because it was basically the same stuff they've already seen . It includes a bonus disc with tons of extra features . Definitelly worth the money .
053 4 Death is just a recap of the entire series . It can be skipped . Rebirth , on the other hand , is a 23 minute necessary set up for the End of Eva . It's a tall price to pay for 23 minutes of new footage , but worth it if you are a fan of the series .
As most people reading this will probably know , the t.v . series ending of Evangelion so enraged both fans and creators , that this direct to video alternate ending was produced . I really enjoy the alternate ending to the series , but it is only properly enjoyed in one sitting with End of Eva ( I've had a fan sub of it for quite some time ) . After watching the entire series about 8 times with both endings , I can't really say which ending I like better . The original one does sit well after viewing a few times . Each ending leaves the viewer with very distinct things to think about .
As a die hard Eva fan , you won't be able to resist buying this in order to see the other ending ; but I strongly urge you to restrain from actually watching it until you can see the entire ending in one sitting , when you have both a copy of this and End of Eva in your hands .
As far as the story of Rebirth : Messed Up ! Violent . Nasty . Mean . No pulled punches . Psychological torment . Basically , what you've come to expect from the creators of this series . Unfortunately , you MUST see Rebirth . It sets up an incredible cliff hanger for the next disc .
054 4 Ok , I'll cut to the chase : this disk is about 70% recycled content . Basically , they have taken the series and boiled it down to an hour and 30 minutes or so . Mind you , it is the better parts of the series , all brought together , but really , do we need to pay to see that after we've bought the whole series ?
My take is that they sought to break up the real movie ( End of Evangelion ) on to two disks in order to jack the price . The last 30 - 40 minutes is new stuff that tells of the story after the Angels are all defeated ( read the synopsis ) . It IS fantastic stuff , probably best action in the series . The problem is that it ends at a completely arbitrary point that can hardly be called a cliff-hanger . Manga entertainment should have just added this to the End of Evangelion and called that the moive .
One final gripe : the movie is in wide-screen , but it is not anamorphic .
Shame on you Manga ! It is clear that you boffed this one ! . . .
055 4 I've seen this movie in it's original , Japanese format , and have been eagerly awaiting the English version for some time now . If you have never seen the series , the Death aspect of this DVD would be a very brief and confusing recap of the events , so you'll either need to see the series fully ( highly recommended ! ) or have someone who has fill in all the blanks ( and trust me - there are many ) for you .
The Rebirth part is a good teaser for the true ending , End of Evangelion , which is essentially Rebirth plus more footage , completely ending the series in the way some say it should have ended . EoE is coming out later this year . . . hopefully !
The recap is a little boring for those who have seen the series , but interesting nonetheless , and the better animation quality , and never-before-seen scenes make it worth an Eva fan's while . And while Rebirth leaves you waiting for the end , it will satisfy at least a bit of your curiosity and hunger for more Eva .
056 4 Death and Rebirth is , in my opinion , not the movie of the set of two you need to own . But you should have it anyway .
The first half is mostly re-hash of the entire series , to remind people what's going on and to bring up important points .
The second is the first bit of the next movie , End of Evangelion .
Why should you get this ? Well , I don't recall for certain because I haven't watched this movie by itself recently , but I believe some of the scenes that are clips from previous episodes in the series have somewhat alternate dialogue or added effects that are worth seeing . It also does a good job of explaining what is going to happen next and who the major players are ( and why ) .
You should have the Evangelion series . Or know someone who does . And watch it . Then you're really ready for the movies .
Anyway , this is the start of the end of everything . 17 Angels have made their moves . SEELE is poised to fulfill their plan , and NERV , under Gendo Ikari , is the focal point .
Eva Unit 01 , lift off . . . .
057 4 This review is from :
Neon Genesis Evangelion : Death & Rebirth ( DVD )
If you are a fan of the Evangelion series , do NOT waste your money on this movie . It's incomplete and was rushed to release .
Death and Rebirth is , as the title indicates , split into two parts . The first part , Death , is simply an accelerated recap of the TV Series Neon Genesis Evangelion . It's about as informative as a powerpoint presentation and aside from a few small extended scenes that aren't seen in the regular series , watching the whole thing is a practice in resisting the lure of the fast-forward button especially if you have seen the series in its entirety .
The second half of the movie , called Rebirth , is much more interesting and shows an alternative sequence of events that replace the last two episodes of the television series ( which are pretty universally hated ) . It's new material but it is incomplete and ends abruptly without any resolution leaving the viewer wondering what they did to deserve getting ripped off so magnificently .
The movie The End of Evangelion is Rebirth in all it's glory . Completed and with a very high production value . So if you are interested in Evangelion , skip this feature length teaser and just buy End of Evangelion . You'll save some money , and avoid considerable frustration .
It's advice I got but didn't listen to , mainly because I was just told not to get Death and Rebirth . If they had explained why , as I hope I have done above , I wouldn't have purchased it .
058 4 If you are a fan of the Evangelion series , do NOT waste your money on this movie . It's incomplete and was rushed to release .
Death and Rebirth is , as the title indicates , split into two parts . The first part , Death , is simply an accelerated recap of the TV Series Neon Genesis Evangelion . It's about as informative as a powerpoint presentation and aside from a few small extended scenes that aren't seen in the regular series , watching the whole thing is a practice in resisting the lure of the fast-forward button especially if you have seen the series in its entirety .
The second half of the movie , called Rebirth , is much more interesting and shows an alternative sequence of events that replace the last two episodes of the television series ( which are pretty universally hated ) . It's new material but it is incomplete and ends abruptly without any resolution leaving the viewer wondering what they did to deserve getting ripped off so magnificently .
The movie The End of Evangelion is Rebirth in all it's glory . Completed and with a very high production value . So if you are interested in Evangelion , skip this feature length teaser and just buy End of Evangelion . You'll save some money , and avoid considerable frustration .
It's advice I got but didn't listen to , mainly because I was just told not to get Death and Rebirth . If they had explained why , as I hope I have done above , I wouldn't have purchased it .
060 4 Death and Rebirth was a great remix of the series . It shed some light on things not discused or shown in the series and really gets you psyhed up to see EoE . A great movie in my book .
It seems unlike most people I did like the original ending that was part of the series but I must say that EoE has taken its place of episodes 19 and 23 as my all time favorites . Its hard to put EoE into words . It is simply mind blowing . If you consider yourself a fan of Evangelion you owe it to yourself to see this . Even if you thought the original ending was good , you should at the very least rent this . From the fighting to the always wonderfully deep story line , this truly is the best ending to the best anime saga EVER !
I also must state that I am not normally a fan of commentaries but the commentary done by Amanda Winn Lee ( voice of Ayanami , Pen-Pen and english dubb producer ) , her husband Jason C . Lee ( voice of Aoba and the Eva's and english dubb producer ) , and general Eva Nutt and voice actor Talison Jaffe really sheds some light on the greater mysteries of Evangelion and adds a hilarious tough to it as well . After you get done watchign the movies through the first time I recommend you go through with the commentary on .
The extras included beside the commmentary are excellent as well . It comes with a complete dictionary of all the terms used , every Angel , and in depth Character profiles as well . It comes with a photo gallery and much more . All in all this two movie set has some very great extras .
061 4 I agree this was a rip off ! I rented this movie and after 3 minutes or less I turned it off . Why shoulden't you see this ? well , for a whole 60 minutes they show nothing but flashbacks of old episodes ! They call this a movie ? Though , I think unless your a die hard eva fan skip to rebirth cause thats where it truely begins . But still This is a complete rip off . I think you should just skip to the end of evangelion the REAL full lengh movie !
062 4 Neon Genesis Evangelion ` s 24 episodes with new scenes , starts with second impact and ends with the last Angel dead , extra materials included , is what you get if you buy this DVD .
There are two parts , Death Reirth , Death is the main part and summerizes 1 - 24 episodes most important scenes , brilliantly done by the characters playing each of their own instruments and introducing themselfs , and then at the end when the group is together they play Kanon D-dur , beautifully reaching towards the end of Death and everything summerized it begins on Rebirth .
Rebirth isn ` t a summery of something , its an independent part that gives us some ideas of what to come in End of Evangelion .
This DVD is not worth buying if you have the series from ADV , but if you can get it cheap you should own this dvd
063 4 I have only good things to say about Neon Genesis Evangelion and recommend the TV series and the two films to all . My one minor gripe about this DVD is the audio commentary with Amanda Winn Lee , who supposedly was the English language director for this film . She will spoil The End of Evangelion for you if you haven't seen it . She lavished praise on all the English voice actors to a degree where it became ridiculous . She had nothing interesting to say and only degraded all the main characters with her superficial comments . Considering that one of the other commentators Taliesin Jaffe ( an anime enthusiast ) had the most hilarious and insightful comments on Evangelion , Amanda's squealing and her constant attempts to be funny became very aggravating .
065 4 The first section of this movie is merely a recap of the TV series . There's some new footage of Shinji , Rei , Asuka , and Kaworu at a quartet rehearsal sprinkled in here and there . . . but there's no dialogue during these segments and it isn't important in terms of the narrative . I can see why this was released theatrically in Japan ; The TV series had originally been broadcast in late 1995 and early 1996 . By the time the End of Evangelion movie was to hit theaters in 1997 , many TV viewers would have been in need of a quick refresher course on the series . But for those of us in the US who had to buy and own the series and can watch it at will , it just doesn't seem neccessary .
The second section is actually the first 20 minutes of End of Evangelion , which will be released in the US this fall .
The bottom line is , if you already own the series , you can skip this D & R and save your money , and spend it on EoE instead . You won't be missing anything crucial .
068 4 This movie is a great homage to the Evangelion series . A lot of the scenes are redrawn and look amazing . You almost take it for granted it looks so much like the original scenes . While , you only see a little bit of new footage , it's really cool to see all your favorite scenes put together all fancy . If you only want the 15 minutes of End of Eva you should probably wait till End of Eva comes out because it will most likely be included on it . Thank god Manga got a hold of this instead of ADV .
069 4 Neon Genesis Evangelion - Death & Rebirth , Probably the best half of the evangelion movie ! Giving a recap of the TV series and a further 25 minutes or more of extra footage leading up to the big finale at which point we're left at a cliff hanger ready for end of evangelion . . . . . sadly this is where it starts going down hill .
I'd recommend this DVD to all Evangelion Fans but I won't be recommending End of evangelion as I believe this to be a total waste of time , deep evangelion fans my disagree but I personally find the deep meaning religious overload of an ending a bit well . . . totally OTT and a mess of what was going on in the directors head at the time .
All in All good start disappointing finish .
070 4 With the controversial ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion , it is easy to see why no one liked it . It doesn't quite end on a cliffhanger , but instead of answering questions , it simply asks more questions without really answering any of them . For this same reason , I expect many people to not enjoy Death and Rebirth . Very few questions are answered , and what's more , very little of the animation is original . The one department which this excels is in the editing . Death and Rebirth is to Evangelion as uncut heroin is to the heroin that is actually injected . It concentrates the essential parts of the twenty-six episodes in the series into a couple hours . If you don't want to watch the entire twenty-six episode series in order to understand The End of Evangelion , then this will be a great primer . If , however , you have already have your suspicions on how Shinji , the Human Instrumentality Project , SEELE , and the Angels fit together , I recommend waiting until The End of Evangelion comes out so it can warp your thinking even more .
071 4 The first Neon Genesis : Evangelion movie ( It is really two long eppisodes , Death , and Rebirth , that gives an alternate ending to the series ) is coming out on Dvd and VHS from manga entertainment . As being one of the first to view the US version I can tell you that it is really good , but leaves you open and confused at the end . Though evangelion fans will expect this , the lesser hard core evangelion fans won't , giving slight disappointment to the casual viewer ( however the conclusion is coming this fall so don't worry ) .
The movie is very action packed ( and very violent ) , very thought prokvoking , and still attacks at your subconsious . Although it doesn't really have an ending , it still leaves you satisfied . 4.7 / 5
Warning , this movie is not suitable for childern because it contains nudity , violence , and extreme physcological pressures . ( actually , a rumor is that when this movie came out in japan , a few kids commeted suicide after viewing this movie , so it is really not suitable for childern )
072 4 One theme among the low-scoring reviewers ( apart from bad spelling ) is that you can see a lot of this material elsewhere . That seems like an odd premise to base a low score on .
But another theme ( its incomprehensibility ) I agree with . I feel that there are serious and inexcusable problems with much of the opening of this movie . Anyone who hasn't seen the TV series is going to have a tough time following it and that's a real shame and a waste of media . Most of the movie is short bits of the TV series cut up and pasted together in apparently random order with slightly different dialog and unhelpful captions . Imagine trying to watch any digest of a large body of work under those conditions . However , even for that fault , it is incredibly entertaining . And then there's the Rebirth section which is just excellent .
So , this piece of art is probably not worth 4 stars but the point of personal reviews is to express one's opinion . For me , this deeply flawed splinter of genius is 4 stars ' worth of goodness . And I never once said ' your ' when I meant ' you're ' . How many stars do I get for that ?
And by the way if you like this movie and you haven't seen the TV series then try and erase your memory of this and go watch the TV series ( with the original episodes or the director's cuts , it doesn't make much difference ) . It's put together in a very sane way . The Platinum box set is a good bet .
074 4 Death and Rebirth . . . While the first half is a good review of the 26 episode TV series , it also throws in some new details for good measure . After viewing the last 25 minutes though of new footage , I was hanging off the edge of my seat in anticipation of the following End of Evangelion feature film . The animation is incredible as is the story . Anyone who wishes to see this movie shoul also watch the original anime series as well to get the full story and scope . This is a series that has been highly rated and applauded . And with just cause . I have yet to see another anime series that can match the Evangelion series in all aspects of the genre .
075 4 Death & Rebirth is basically a jumble of things from the Neon Genesis Evangelion series . Mostly it's just a huge trip into the psyche's of the Eva characters . We get to see a lot of scenes from the TV series , so if you've never seen it , this isn't exactly a good way to start . Its not exactly a summary of the series either , for it's VERY non-linear ; for example , the beginning of the movie starts off with Misato as a child during the 2nd Impact , then as an adult , then later shows her as a child again , and then as an adult at the start of the TV series , and so on and so forth . Additionally , we get treated to some new scenes that were never shown in the TV series , and some that WERE shown , but are newly animated . Like the rest of the series , Death and Rebirth is very psychological , dealing with the different character's troubled lives . It wasn't made for those who want mindless action , but there ARE some action-packed scenes of the Evangelions fighting the ' Angels ' from the TV series .
The DVD includes both the English and Japanese language tracks . The japanese audio is superb , as usual , but the English one is a different story . Most of the TV series ' voice actors returned to their familiar roles , but some haven't . Of particular interest is Fuyutski's new voice actor ; He doesn't sound much like the TV series ' Fuyutski . Maya Ibuki has a new voice actress as well , and she has a better , more softer voice than the previous one ( IMO ) . Tiffany Grant returns as Asuka's , and I really didn't like her voice that much . She didn't sound like a teenager , but she did get Asuka to sound annoying , which is one small part of her character .
Gendo Ikari's voice was great , and I'm glad it was the same voice actor doing his voice .
The music is the same classic stuff we've heard on the TV series , but there's about one or two new ones added , including Canon in D Minor .
The English version does have one thing over the japanese version ; the sound is louder , and gets the bass to rumble even more than the japanese version .
The DVD has few extras , just trailers and a commentary ( which is quite insightful and funny ) . The picture quality isn't that good though , which is a shame for those with Widescreen TVs ( its not anamorphic either ) .
Anyway , Death & Rebirth isn't necessary to watch if you're trying to decide whether to get this before End of Evangelion . And it's not a good idea to introduce anyone to Neon Genesis Evangelion with this movie . But for those who have the extra cash and want to see a bit more things that you haven't seen in the TV series , you'd probably want to rent this at the least .
076 4 This is a real pleaser for alot of anime fans .
But if you didn't see the whole series it will hurt your brain and confuse you .
I still saw the anime series but there were so many freakin flshbacks in this .
The animation is petty good . And if you are a fan of evangelion you'll want to add this to your collection
078 4 This dvd is just a bunch of recaps put together , and not very well . With either put you to sleep or give you an headache . My worst anim buy ever .
079 4 This was released as the first ending to the series but all this DVD is the best of Neon Genesis . Basically they cram the entire series into an 90 - 120 minute DVD . There is no true ending aside from what came from the series . This is mostly for Fans of the series and actually should of been included in the box set . On the good side of things this would be a good idea to view before the DVD End of Evangellion which for all extensive purposes will make that one more entertaining without having to purchase the series in it's entirty . Overall this is only OK , just the best of nothing more .
080 4 After suffering through the last two episodes of Evangelion I was dumbfounded with disgust . No ! It can't end like that ! So many questions unanswered ! BLARGH ! I actually thought that this DVD was neccessary to the plot-line of the series ( its not , End of Evangelion is ) , so I was a little disappointed that it isn't . However , after watching Rebirth my faith in the series skyrocketted ! So happy ! This is packed with extra features that no fan of the series should be without . : - )
081 4 First off , no , this is not a ' new ' movie . The vast , vast majority of it is clips from the first 24 episodes . So right away , if you didn't like the original episodes , you won't like this movie . Second , this movie is erratic and is done in such away that it is more a collage of images rather then a plot driven movie . So be prepared for that ( if you didn't like the last 2 episodes , you won't like this movie ) .
But for those of us who did like those episodes , who recognized them for the artistic , philosophical , psychological genius that they were , this movie is a god send . It is pure anno . He juxtaposes harsh images together , and ties them together with the universal themes he developed in the show . All set to the most beautiful baroque music you'll hear ( I've had an obsession with Bach since I watched it ) .
The DVD itself is , quiet simply , the best I've ever seen from an Anime publisher . There is a commentrary track that is pretty good ( it illuminates much of the religious symbolism I missed ) , an extremely helpful Eva Encyclopedia , and menus to die for . It would be worth the full $ $ $ , frankly .
To reinerate : If you didn't like the series , you'll hate this movie ( and most likely End of Evangelion , really ) . If you did like the show , there's only a chance you'll like this movie . But for those of us that left NGE a little changed , this movie is perfect .
082 4 . . . Shame really because I enjoyed the TV series ( apart from the last 2 episodes ) . It seems to be snippets joined together in a random order , flashbacks all over the place and subtitles that are more like subliminal messages . At least Rebirth gives us some hope that the next part should be better .
I gave it two stars , one for the music and the other beause it is Neon Genesis . Fly Me to The Moon is conspicuous by its absence but the rest of the score is quite good .
083 4 Death and Rebirth is simply a recap of the whole Neon Genesis : Evangelion series followed by the first 15 minutes of End of Evangelion , an alternate ending to the series . You don't exactly need this DVD , as it doesn't really contain anything new , and the 15 minutes of End of Evangelion contained in Rebirth is also included in End of Evangelion . Most of the footage in Death is included in the series also . It's pretty cool , just an unnecessary addition to the series . I got it for collector's sake . It is a good thing to have if you can't remember everything that happened in the series and want to refresh your memory . The music is good too .
084 4 I purchased this DVD today , and frankly , I am disappointed . I have been waiting a long time for a North American release of the Evangelion movie ( s ) , and had hoped that such a behemoth title would demand a quality release . Manga has , on the other hand , produced a sub-par product ; although many will agree that this is not an uncommon occurrance with Manga DVD releases , this is Evangelion , people ; do it right !
What made it so dismal , you ask ?
1 ) Video transfer was never above average , and at some points poor , during ' Death ' portion of the film .
2 ) A 5.1 audio track is included , but only in dubbed English ; for those of us who like to enjoy our anime in its original Japanese form , we are relegated to a simple stereo audio track .
3 ) Instead of opting for a multilayer disc , Manga has released this as a double-sided disc - - no label , people . Film is on one side , Extras reside on the other . This causes two problems :
i ) It becomes difficult to handle the disc without fingerprinting a data layer , and
ii ) It has forced Manga to label the sides using a small ring on the interior of the disc , bordering the hole , in dark letters on a black background ; this , of course , makes it even more difficult than it already is to spot the small text . One more note on the labeling : the sides are labeled alpha and omega - - why ? Why not label them as Film and Extras , or anything less obscure than alpha and omega ?
4 ) This will more than likely not be a problem for most of you , but it definitely was for me ; my old , first generation RCA DVD player cannot play the Extras ( omega ? ) side of the disc . It loads , displays the Manga logo , and dumps me back to the DVD Player Menu with an error stating that the disc May Contain Bad Data . This side does , however , play correctly in 2 other DVD solutions I have tested , which causes me to wonder about this problem . ( Side note : there have been issues with other Manga DVDs performing in this fashion - - the Street Fighter movie , for example . )
There are , of course , positive aspects of this disc too . Though it may seem trivial , the cover art is beautiful . The video transfer for the ' Rebirth ' section of the film is excellent , and the subtitles are fairly unobtrusive . ( Note : the subtitles do , however , contain some typographical and grammatical errors ; watch for it's instead of the correct its in some places . )
Overall , this disc is not terrible , but does not live up to the standards that I , and I believe many other fans of Evangelion , expected it to . Buy it , and enjoy it - - the film itself is fantastic - - but don't expect stellar quality from this Manga release ; it's just not there .
( PS : I apologize for not being able to review the Extras section of this release ; as you have read , it just was not feasible . I am sure that there are useful reviews right here on Amazon that will contain detailed information regarding the extras . )
085 4 Death and Rebirth was a great begining to the 2 part ending of evangelion . If you had already seen the series and now what is all about death is a little slow . When you get to Rebirth things really start to heat up . The end of rebirth was well done as how it set you up for The End of Evengelion , you will be left gripping the arms of your chair and wanting more . If you like Evangelion youll love Death and Rebirth .
086 4 dont buy this if you havent seen the entire series at least a couple of times . the full spendor of the movie really comes from a deep analysis of a character who symbolizes the personification of human nature ( shinji ) and his struggles of finding out a reason for why the world is . evangelion takes the robot mecha genre of japanese cartooning and mixes it with semetic / christian theology .
we have evolved from emptiness to destroy emptiness . is that really what humanity wants , if not needs ?
strange , yet truly mindblowing .
087 4 While Evangelion was creative and interesting in concept , the ending was severely flawed , so much so that they tried in two succeeding movies to repair the ending and make it work . But neither repair effort took . The time investment of watching this anime story is great enough that it makes the disappointment all the deeper . In my opinion , there is no excuse to abandon a fairly good story to the extent that the storymakers did at what proved a fairly decent story up until the ending was ruined and the viewer totally let down .
Evangelion begins flying high on almost magic wings of imagination and conjures a world quite different from our own , yet very human and dramatic . The characters are engaging and remind us of the best and worst within ourselves . They are totally sympathetic and winsome .
The story unfolds in such a way as to reveal the characters little by little and keeps us guessing enough that the suspense and plot tension work to keep the viewer wanting more - - at least , this is true right up until the very end , where , for some inexplicable reason , the makers of this story decided to crash land Evangelion and cut it off abruptly , without warning and without explaining satisfactorily any of what they had it in mind to do .
I cannot , in good conscience , give Evangelion lower than a three . It was flying so high initially , and my approval of the overall concept was so favorable , that I cannot but give the first 50% to 60% of the story five stars . It rates anywhere from four to five right up until the totally vexing and inappropriate conclusion , wherein the crash achieves BOMB status and must needs pull the average way down .
If I could give it a 2 1 / 2 , I would , but I have to round to a whole number in the five star system available to me here .
If you are a real anime fan , you might want to view this one just so you might have the opportunity to witness the better aspects of the storytelling and also learn a lesson on what not to do to an ending .
But I must end with a warning : Caveat emptor ! Let the buyer beware !
088 4 This movie is divided in two parts - Death and Rebirth . Death is a 70 minute summary of the first 24 episodes of the series - with a few new bits added in . ( The running time is based on what my DVD player showed . ) The movie opens with second impact about to take place . The events that follow are not shown in chronological order . They are organized by character for the most part . The events are presented as Shinji , Rei , and Asuka get ready for a strings rehearsal . ( string instruments ) If you're reading the manga , some events may be a little different ( like what recently happened to Toji ) , but the main elements are the same so far . ( The manga version is not completed yet - even in Japan . )
Rebirth is the first 30 minutes of End of Evangelion . I guess it acts as a type of teaser for the next movie . The main fight at the end of Rebirth has some of the best animation I've seen in the series . However , after seeing this , I disagree with the use of the word angel here - except as a creative name . The series suggests it's not simply creativity . The creators of the series insisted the word angel be used in the translation even though the Japanese word has other meanings .
Even within Death , more secrets are revealed or confirmed than what was in the TV series . Truths about Eva - 01 and Rei are more obvious , and we learn some interesting details about Eva - 02 in Rebirth . If there are any doubts , the text-based information on the Omega side of the DVD spells it all out . This is also a DVD to use the still-frame function on . There are many one second flashs of some interesting items . Near the end of Rebirth , take a close look at the entry plug on the Eva as the plane is carrying it .
This is the first DVD commentary I've listened to completely . It's three members of the English production team who appeared to have no contact with the Japanese team . They discuss some of the headaches involved with the dubbing process . The different symbols in the series are somewhat explained like how the Evas are based on Babylonian gods . Because of how serious and intense the show can be , there is some joking around . . . . with Amanda Winn Lee commenting on how much hate mail they're going to get after certain comments . Amanda does the voice of Rei , and has also done voice acting for the dubbed versions of Gunsmith Cats and Blue Seed .
Most of the original English cast is here . They were unable to get some actors because they simply could not locate them . The substitutes do a very good job - even for Kaworu .
At the beginning , there is about a minute's worth of logos connected with the release of this movie . There is not a chapter stop at the end of them so if you want to skip them , you have to scan forward unless you want to miss part of the movie .
The DVD has the original Japanese with subtitles and English . For the English track , some sound effects were redone or enhanced . There is an English 5.1 track . There are no English titles during the credits . That kinda bugged me at first because I didn't know they were credits . All story related text has been translated . Even though parts have been dubbed before , everything has been redone here . For Death , they didn't simply borrow from the English track from the TV series . The pronounciation of the word Eva changed in the English version . In the TV series , they said ay-va , now it's more like eh-va .
Unlike the TV series DVDs , there are no French or Spanish tracks here .
Essentially , you can get the entire story by watching the series and End of Evangelion . This DVD is not required . For a true fan , this is still a nice DVD . There is commentary on Death which the TV series does not have . Plus , Second Impact events are actually shown - not just the wings extending from the explosion . The actual experiments are not shown , but you get voices on a radio talking about it as it's happening . You also have a radio or phone conversation between Asuka and Kaji before she arrives . Most of the new items are before the opening titles . There are a few other items scattered throughout . There should be no major surprises for anyone who has seen the series , but you do get a few additional details .
089 4 This is a really confusing film to write a review for . It is divided into two halves , Death and Rebirth . Death is simply a collage of images that seem to be taken from the TV series ( which I havn't seen , I was hoping this was like the Gundam I , II , and III compelation movies ) . There isn't really a plot , it's like animated cliff notes . Rebirth , however , follows a coherint storyline which is quite good .
I'm not a fan of anime in general , I wathed this because I read the entire contents of a web site ( yes , I do have a life , I'm just not living it ) and it fits the dictionary definition of science fiction . So , I will compare it to other works in that genre .
On an intellectual and moral issues scale , it strikes right below Star Trek and Gundam ( the original , not the Wing stuff ) and right above Star Wars . The characters are right up with the greats , although you can probably imagine Shinji going to the Toshi station to pick up some power converters . As for the fight scenes , they dont quite match the battles of Hoth or A Bau Qu .
I'd say 14 and up , you'll like it if you enjoy anime or Sci-Fi / Fantasy . But if you want real jems from those geners check out Gundam III , The Two Towers , and Nemisis !
( Note : It would be futile , of course , to compare any of the afforementioned to the Lord Of The Rings Books )
090 4 Death and Rebirth , as a package , is an utter waste of money . Granted , the animation is nice , and it makes for some good eye candy , but the content is completely pointless . The first episode ( Death ) is nothing but a clip reel recapping the first 24 episodes of the series . The second ( Rebirth ) appears at first to be original content , but it's nothing more than the first half-hour or so of the End of Evangelion . The only content here you won't be finding more completely in either the series or End of Eva is the original song that plays at the end of Rebirth . . . Just buy End of Eva : you'll get all the original content on this disc , without the cliffhanger .
091 4 Atter watching the re-caps of old episodes , you get treated to a good half hour episode . But please . I can think of better ways to spend my [ money ] for 30 minutes of fun .
And to add insult to injury for all the hard-core fans ( who obviously are the ones buying this DVD ) they have added new speech to the re-cap section . . . Which in my opinion is like re-writing the bible so that the simple folk can understand it .
092 4 I missed out on seeing the rest of the evangelion series and whey they made this and when I seen it . . I got a good view on what I missed and what is yet to be . What's so cool about this is that its two versons the Alpha and omega both which explains what people who are new to the series what that story its all about and some like me who missed some or most of them what we missed out and what the final series ( even though there were some parts that I didn't undertand and I might thave to get End of evangelion to understand more ) which is very good and very graphic .
All in all , Evangelion is a masterpice at work both with music and its controversal story lines that makes this series the best in show . and with the DVD which gives you a certain feature that you can get more info on the characters and the Angels that attack during the previous series this is something worth getting for the true fan at heart or just for someone who is starting out in the series . . I say its better than buying the entire collection that is very expensive cause it IS the entire collection and recap all in one but its a suggestion that you should get the entire series to understand the gist of it .
But I must warn you . . teh final series is one of the most saddest and graphic of them . . . cause it deal with alot of sad events all at once and it leaves you in a cliffhanger for the next movie The End of Evangelion which I hope will explain more and I would suggest for any body who feels the same way but all in all this IS a worth while get ! !
093 4 Wow , this movie is the beginning of the alternate ending for the Neon Genesis Evangelion Series . It definitely whet my appetite for End Of Evangelion . The first half is a summary of events up to the last DVD with some added content . The second half continues the story on the alternate path . I believe this ending will be MUCH better than the original one and I cannot wait to recieve my copy of End Of Evangelion in September . This is a MUST-OWN for any Neon Genesis fan .
095 4 There is only one reason to watch this movie : there are maybe 2 minutes worth of cut scenes that you CANNOT watch anywhere eles scattered throughout the Death segment of the film that take place within the T.V . series . The rest of the movie is scattered scenes from the T.V . series , ( the Death segment ) and the first 26 minutes of End Of Evangelion ( the Rebirth segment ) .
The scenes that can only be found on Death Rebirth are : Asuka talking to Kaji just before we meet them for the first time in the series , Shinji playing the string quartet at school and later being joined by the other three children who pilot the Evas ( including Shinji's guy friend , whose name I have forgotten , as it's been quite some time since I watched the series , who pilots the fourth Eva only once when it is possessed by an angle and must be destroyed , ) and they come in one at a time and play violins , and there is minimal dialoge spoken by Shinji and Asuka . Then there is Kaji's death scene . Actually we don't exactly see him die . He is shown standing outside by a huge fan , and then he looks at us and says , You're late . We don't see who comes to meet him . Fade to black , and in the English version we hear him shot , and then Shinji tells Asuka Kaji is dead . In the Japanese version we hear him slapped , and then Shinji tells Asuka Kaji is gone . This to me would seem to suggest that Kaji met Misato one last time , and then she slaps him and he leaves for good , while in the English version he meets an undercover contact who kills him . In both versions we then see Asuka call Shinji a liar .
These scenes are the only reason to buy the VHS version of this film , and that's only depending on how badly you want to see the few minutes of new footage you can't see anywhere eles , and only if you don't have a DVD player . Rent it if you can find it at any video store , unless they don't have the language version of your choice . On the DVD there is a commentary option where you can listen to the thoughts of Amanda Winn , English voice actor of Rei , and two other guys who worked on it . The commentary is insightful and funny , ( they apologize for using levity and say it is only to relive the depression of working on such a heavy series , ) and the part of the commentary that runs through the Death segment can only be heard on the
Death Rebirth disk . However , the commentary that runs through the Rebirth segment is the same commentary that plays over the beginning of End Of Evangelion . Also there is an option only on the D R disk that lets you access infromation while you watch the film for anyone still confused about anything .
If the scant new footage that can only be found here , Death commentary , and information menu aren't enough to spark your interest , watch the T.V . series , ( the first 24 episodes , anyway , ) then skip this and go directly to End Of Evangelion .
096 4 I was told by several people that this was a good movie . When i saw it was onsale locally for [ price ] i went out and bought it . I've been an eva fan for about a year now , and GEeZ ! Nobody told me it was only a summary for those too lazy to watch the whole series ! This is ridiculous . I've seen the whole movie and the only thing interesting was the 4.23 minute intermission and the string quartet ! This is definately NOT a movie for avid eva watchers . The only thing it does is shows the characters information and large events from the series but not in chronological order . Also , it gives the first 20 minutes of the movie that comes out in teh US in mid september . DEfinately , if you're an eva fan watch the series and then watch The End of Evangelion . . . . Death and Rebirth is ridiculous and a waste of money for true fans .
097 4 Don't get me wrong , I love the series . . . but if you just buy The End of Evangelion , that dvd starts where this one does but finishes through to the end . . . making this DVD a redundant purchase if you just want the full story . Buy it if you really have to own the full collection . . . wish someone told me this before I bought it .
098 4 Let me preface this with the following statement : I very much enjoyed Evangelion . Anime typically does not win me over , but this is one of the good ones that I could watch again and again . I ran out to buy this movie , eager to see more , I was so impressed with the series . I spent money I couldn't afford to spend . That said , this movie is the Antichrist of the series . Before I even get to why it was bad , you should know that Death & Rebirth , unless my disc was broken , is no more than a recap of the series . You're essentially buying what you already own .
The first scene in this movie is absolutely symbolic of what the entire movie is . Asuka , laying in a coma , is completely helpless as Shinji masturbates on her . Shinji reprents Hideaki Anno , the director who is ejaculating on you , the helpless viewing audience . Take this imagery in mind as you watch the next two hours ; it's essentially an abstract representation of the rape you experience in the first five minutes . Everything you love about the series is systematically bastardized and / or destroyed . I've read that Anno did not make this snuff film of an anime as revenge ; I cannot imagine that being true . I want to believe that it simply came from simple rage and is not actually considered by him to be an actual work of art . It is brutally cold in its efficiency . I would urge anyone who reads this and enjoyed the series , or just saw portions of it , or values their own sanity to not open this Pandora's Box , because it is filled with more human agony than the namesake .
099 4 Everything in the first half of this movie can be found in the series , and everything in the second half can be found in the movie . Maybe 2% of the footage in here is from the Director's Cut episodes , but that tiny amount of footage ( which isn't even new , just unreleased in the US ) just isn't worth the cost of buying this DVD . If you buy the Perfect Collection and End of Evangelion , then there is no reason whatsoever to get this disc .
If you're really that desperate for Director's Cut footage , buy the Japanese DVDs . Then you get ALL of the Director's Cut footage , not just 30 seconds of it .
100 4 Death and Rebirth is a complete waste . It contains a recap of the series and the first part of End of Evangelion . The only reason you would even consider renting ( but certainly not buying ) Death and Rebirth is if you are a fan of the series but have not seen it for some time and want to watch End of Evangelion . Even so , you can always refresh your memory by visitng various Evangelion fansites on the internet . There's no need to waste money .
If you haven't watched the series , watch the series . If you've just watched the series , rent ( or buy ) End of Evangelion . If you haven't watched it a long time , read a summary on the net and then rent End of Evangelion .
Death and Rebirth will be a dissapointment for majority of even the most hardcore fans out there . You might want it for the sake of adding it to your collection , but there's no reason to watch it . . . there is no original footage at all . . .
101 4 It is really not fair for me to review this DVD at the moment , since I learned that this one is meant to be a digest and the sequel of a popular Japanese TV anime series , which must be watched beforehand . But who knew ? I paid for it and didn't get the money's worth , so at the moment I still have to warn potential viewers . Without knowing how the work is meant to be appreciated , I must say the story is totally incomprehensible . I picked the DVD up solely based on the reputation and curiosity , when I had time to finally watch it . Only after reading Wikipedia , I learned how to appreciate this movie .
I only wish that point is made very clear on the DVD package ! !
I hope to come back to this DVD , once I have chance to watch the original TV series hopefully in Japanese ; that really seems to be the only way to enjoy this one . Before doing that , those who are just curious should stay away ; don't make the same mistake as I did - - - it is just a waste of time . I have heard that it is a thought-provoking story , and am looking forward to rewrite the review once equipped with better appreciation of what once was a cultural phenomenon in Japan back in late 90s .
103 4 Although Evangelion is an excellent anime , Death & Rebirth on the other hand , it well . . . not so good.It's nothing more than recycled material from the first few episodes . Other than that it is kind of confusing . I suggest purchasing the Boxed set it will satisfy your needs .
104 4 I think this DVD is wonderful . Very very good .
106 4 This movie does justice to the series , it is wonderfully done , the soundtrack is superb . But all in all this movie is a brain fryer and will really make you think about what has happened and what is going on . It leaves off on a very good cliffhanger on Rebirth which picks up on The End of Evangelion . The intermission for this movie is very good with music directly from the soundtrack itself which also is excellent in itself .
Well for those who haven't seen the End of Evagelion i will tell what happens in my next review . Ta Ta For now
109 4 This was a real let down for me . When i saw on the box that it was almost 2 hours long i was realy happy , i was expecting it to be a movie , but insted it tournd out to be nothing but a cheesy colash of jumbled flashbacks from the series , only about 25 to 30 minuts is original , and the extras were pretty { terrible } i would only suggest this only for hardcore evangelion fans like me who wernt happy with the confusing and meeningless ending of the original
series .
110 4 This was a real let down for me . When i saw on the box that it was almost 2 hours long i was realy happy , i was expecting it to be a movie , but insted it tournd out to be nothing but a cheesy colash of jumbled flashbacks from the series , only about 25 to 30 minuts is original , and the extras were pretty pathetic . i would only suggest this only for hardcore evangelion fans like me who wernt happy with the confusing and meeningless ending of the original
series .
111 4 I have only watched the first four episodes in the Neon Genesis Evangelion series . I remembered them being pretty interesting so I bought this movie hopeing to understand it better , and I have to say it was freaky and confusing ! I realized that it was an intire review of the series and some parts look really awsome but when they show those awsome parts for ten seconds it . . . ! They show parts of really awsome mecha battles then they bust out with these interuptions of words like anger , battles , hurt , fear and all kinds of other stuff and they flash them so fast that you can bearly read them ! They get really annoying when they show like fifteen of them for a ten second battle clip ! ! I dont recomend this movie because its just not worth your money and trouble . You should just buy the series ! This movie skips back too fast and a movie isnt a movie when its made up of a bunch of clips that go back and fourth ! The only good thing about this movie is the fact that they have all kinds of review clips from the series , but thats it and its not that great when its put all together !
113 4 well , If Have an incredible memory and are able to puzzle random events together , and are very patient . then you might like these movies . one thing about The series , Manga , and Movies . Is that it is Emotionally intense . never found a series so constructed over the raw emotiones of the charactor . Example : Opening scene .
After Shinji does something that most would seem messed up , I am not going to say what he Does but after he bluntly says I am So F * * * * * Up . normally you can find alot of other scenes such as when Auska is in here Eva near the end She Repeats I dont want to die for About 30 Seconds . thats when she goes randomly nuts . and before the other Evas Kill he she Repeats im going to kill you . Of course after that She dies .
my advice , watch the series , end of EVA , then you will understand what happened and the background of it .
My take on the End of Evangelion is that this movie explains gaps in the story and awnsers alot of the Questions from earlyer on in the series . hope you enjoy it , I did .
114 4 If you're going to see the series and the End of Evangelion , you're wasting your time here . This DVD contains a short overview of the series , followed by the first bit of the End of Evangelion . If you don't want to sit through the series ( shame on you ) , you'll want to see the first half of this first .
117 4 I enjoyed the Evangelion series , but was sorely disappointed by the ending . Not only is it disjointed and largely incomprehensible , but it is a profound anticlimax , the series deserves better . As the plot becomes less involved in external events ( which rapidly begin to leave behind the strictures of even the most basic logic anyway ) and more in the minds of the characters ( always my lease favorite part of the series ) we are forced to deal with more of the least attractive parts of the series , Shinji's whiny self-absorption , Rei's withdrawl from reality , and Asuka's bipolar depression and rage . If you liked the series up to this point , stop before watching this ending - whatever you may imagine as the end has to be better than what they came out with .
118 4 This was the first time i Ever saw Evangelion and i dindn't understand anything . The movie didn't make any sense and I stopped watching after half an hour of confusement
NEON GENESIS-EVANGELION 2 BOX SET ( DVD / 2 DISC ) ( DVD )
For those turning to this film to answer all the questions that the last two episodes of the Evangelion ( NGE ) series didn't answer , I suggest you look elsewhere . If anything , this film will provide you with precious few answers but a multitude of new questions . For those wanting a highly provocative , thought-provoking , intelligent and most poignant conclusion to the NGE series , then have no fear . I will try to explain some of the more perplexing elements in this film , without giving too much away , as well giving my thoughts and opinions at the same time .
The film is structured to be the final two episodes of the series . So the first half , Ep . 25 Air / Love is Destructive is concurrent with the series episode 25 The World Ending / Do You Love Me ? . The second half , Ep . 26 . My Purest Heart for You / One More Final : I Need You is concurrent with the series episode 26 The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World / Take Care of Yourself .
Much like the NGE series , the End of Evangelion ( EoE ) weaves a complex story where images and dialogue are closely related to the philosophy and symbolism . These themes are played out through the psychology of each characters ' own mind . It is essentially a microcosm of the entire series . The opening scenes before the Air title card of Ep . 25 of Shinji overlooking the ruins of the city , and then entering Asuka's hospital room and , ( I'll leave it there ) set the mood and atmosphere . Showing effectively and very disturbingly that this is NOT going to be an easy film . As the first half roars out of the gates at breakneck speed , we see the hostile takeover of Nerv by the Seele organization and each Nerv member's desperate attempt to hold it at bay .
We also see the mental states that the two main Eva pilots - Shinji and Asuka - have been reduced too . Shinji is severely depressed after killing the last angel , Kaworu , whom he had formed a close bond with . Asuka is in the same mental boat as Shinji as she sits at the bottom of the lake in her Eva , which she feels she can't pilot anymore . What's interesting is the paths that have driven these two characters to this point . The ideas of finding one's self-worth ( examined perfectly in the final two series episodes ) , and what happens to a person when that is taken away .
At the same time Seele is trying to initiate their plans for Third Impact using Unit - 01 and the downright creepy looking Mass-Produced Eva Series , Gendo has his own plans involving Rei and Lilith . As Asuka , ( with a little help and inspiration from her Mama ) rages an extremely violent battle with the Evil Evas , Gendo takes Rei down to Lilith . He does this to unite the souls and bodies of Adam and Lilith only to find his scorned lover , Ritsuko there . It's interesting that two of the most shocking and violent scenes ( the Asuka / Eva battle and the Gendo / Ritsuko confrontation ) are played out to Bach's beautiful Air . The infusion of the music in this film is truly brilliant and a major reason why many scenes are so effective .
However , this is the point in the film where most people will start to become completely lost . Without a really good understanding of the NGE story ( and perhaps even with one ) , it's hard not to . It's very difficult to make the extremely complex simple , however I'll try without many spoilers .
Suffice it to say that Seele were trying to initiate Third Impact and reduce humankind back to its original form - the Primordial Soup of Life where all souls and beings are one . Gendo had different plans and just wanted to see his ' dead ' wife , Yui again . Neither Seele's or Gendo's plans go exactly as they were meant to . Unit - 01 , along with Shinji , ends up becoming the Tree of Life , and the ark in which all souls are ushered through and into Lilith's Egg . Understanding the idea that in NGE , humans - Lilim , as we're called - were born from Lilith , and Rei is essentially Lilith helps make this clearer . What's happening near this point is 3rd Impact is occurring because of the Unit - 01 and the Mass Produced Eva encounter . This returns the Geo-Front ( the sphere like cavern where Nerv HQ sits ) to its original form , the Egg of Lilith ( we see this during the Eye - like explosion ) . After the Giant Rei / Lilith forms , Shinji is essentially given reign over the future of the human race by Rei / Lilith herself .
At this point , the tempo of the film slows to a crawl and the most surreal images and scenes begin creeping in . Even the most seemingly simple scenes such as a young Shinji playing in a sandbox with a swing , mountains , and a setting sun in the background is just rife with symbolism ( hint : try to relate everything in this scene with something in the show , be it scenes , characters , or themes ) . Here , the psychological interplay between the main characters is crucial , as Shinji's wishes are played out in the real world . When he feels that everyone has deserted him and essentially says ' everyone can just die ' is when the Instrumentality and joining of all souls through Lilith really begins .
What's important to note is Shinji's thoughts after his ' choice ' has been made . The place he escapes to - the world of Instrumentality where all souls are one - and his questioning of this choice and all his choices is what we see here . More than just his questioning of the choice , we also hear him questioning the meaning of reality and dreams . This is not just random philosophical ramblings . It's a study of a character's , as well as the creator's , thoughts and feelings . Shinji holds all of humanity's future in his hands or , more accurately , his own mind . When you consider how psychologically scarred Shinji is , the idea that he can completely shape the future of Earth and all of humankind is what makes this so interesting .
Once he is allowed to be in the world he escapes to , he's faced with another choice of whether to stay or come back . As he discusses these things with Rei and Kaworu ( Lilith and Adam ) , we hear his final choice and reasons why . The ending of EoE , titled One More Final : I Need You is rightfully confusing to almost everyone who sees it . However , it's also the perfect note to end the series with . Not only does it leave us as uncertain as the characters are about the future , but it also expresses the frustration and realization of Shinji's choice and the culmination of all the struggles that has lead them there .
This film is simply a divine marvel . Much like the series it has to be watched multiple times for one to uncover all of its hidden layers and meanings . But it doesn't lose its ability to invoke emotions and thoughts even after several viewings . There are scenes of immense power and drama in the film - many that match the best of most films I've seen . But I think it's the quiet moments that make this film so moving and memorable . The Sandbox scene is one I've mentioned . Another is the live action shots with the monologue and Bach's magnificent Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude ( Jesus , Joy of Man's Desiring ) playing along on piano with it . Even more subtle moments , such as Shinji's SDAT ( walkman type ) player out of batteries ( more significant than many would think ) , and Gendo's broken glasses in Rei's place . With the vivid beginning of Instrumentality played out to the appropriate sad-song-with-a-pop-beat Komm Susser Tod ( Come Sweet Death ) , it's these scenes that never fail to give me chills .
There's a great quote that goes something like A truly wise man always has more questions than answers . This is a series and film that asks more questions than it provides answers . What it tries to do is make you think about those questions , rather than provide an easily digestible story . Some may call the story incoherent and disjointed , but what many don't realize is that the deep psychological and philosophical leanings behind the show are inextricably linked with the storyline itself . So to distinguish one from the other is impossible without realizing how the two intertwine and effect the other . If you merely try to breakdown the sci-fi storyline , then you will be confused by much of it . This is because the story is so big and so encompassing that many finer details can't be uncovered without diving deep into the inner workings of the series .
In the end , I can only speak for myself when I say NGE did a superlative job of doing everything a great work of art should do . It made me laugh , it made me cry , it gave me chills on more than one occasion . . . . but most of all it made me THINK . Anyone who wants to enjoy this show as just a meaningless work of science fiction can do so , but will be baffled as they're crushed by the multiple layers of extra contextual meanings . So , if you want to understand NGE , you have to not only pay close attention to the small details within the show ( small scenes from many episodes back play a role in the film ) , you have to really open your mind up to the ideas being presented , and how they effect the story .
However , taken as a film , and the conclusion to the NGE series , End of Evangelion is a staggering achievement and powerful last testament to what is , in my opinion , the greatest visual series of all time .
* DVD NOTES :
Those considering whether to buy just the EoE or the EoE / Death & Rebirth 2 - pack , I suggest you go with the EoE unless you don't own the director's cuts of the last several episodes ( available in the Platinum Collection ) . ' Death ' is mostly a muddled re-crap of the entire series , while ' Rebirth ' is merely the first 30 minutes of EoE . Death also doesn't contain remastered visuals or audio like the Platinum Collection does , so you'll be getting a low quality re-cap at that . Death really doesn't even work as an introduction to NGE , because most everyone not aquainted with previous episodes would be confused by the structure of the recap . The only thing worthwile in ' Death ' is something called The Magi Archives which provides great information about key people , places , events , and thing in the series . This is very helpful to those who feel completely lost by all the jargon in the series and will help clear some things up , even if it won't answer any of the bigger questions . So just stick with EoE unless you feel the need for completeness to get Death & Rebirth as well .
001 4 This review is from :
NEON GENESIS-EVANGELION 2 BOX SET ( DVD / 2 DISC ) ( DVD )
For those turning to this film to answer all the questions that the last two episodes of the Evangelion ( NGE ) series didn't answer , I suggest you look elsewhere . If anything , this film will provide you with precious few answers but a multitude of new questions . For those wanting a highly provocative , thought-provoking , intelligent and most poignant conclusion to the NGE series , then have no fear . I will try to explain some of the more perplexing elements in this film , without giving too much away , as well giving my thoughts and opinions at the same time .
The film is structured to be the final two episodes of the series . So the first half , Ep . 25 Air / Love is Destructive is concurrent with the series episode 25 The World Ending / Do You Love Me ? . The second half , Ep . 26 . My Purest Heart for You / One More Final : I Need You is concurrent with the series episode 26 The Beast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World / Take Care of Yourself .
Much like the NGE series , the End of Evangelion ( EoE ) weaves a complex story where images and dialogue are closely related to the philosophy and symbolism . These themes are played out through the psychology of each characters ' own mind . It is essentially a microcosm of the entire series . The opening scenes before the Air title card of Ep . 25 of Shinji overlooking the ruins of the city , and then entering Asuka's hospital room and , ( I'll leave it there ) set the mood and atmosphere . Showing effectively and very disturbingly that this is NOT going to be an easy film . As the first half roars out of the gates at breakneck speed , we see the hostile takeover of Nerv by the Seele organization and each Nerv member's desperate attempt to hold it at bay .
We also see the mental states that the two main Eva pilots - Shinji and Asuka - have been reduced too . Shinji is severely depressed after killing the last angel , Kaworu , whom he had formed a close bond with . Asuka is in the same mental boat as Shinji as she sits at the bottom of the lake in her Eva , which she feels she can't pilot anymore . What's interesting is the paths that have driven these two characters to this point . The ideas of finding one's self-worth ( examined perfectly in the final two series episodes ) , and what happens to a person when that is taken away .
At the same time Seele is trying to initiate their plans for Third Impact using Unit - 01 and the downright creepy looking Mass-Produced Eva Series , Gendo has his own plans involving Rei and Lilith . As Asuka , ( with a little help and inspiration from her Mama ) rages an extremely violent battle with the Evil Evas , Gendo takes Rei down to Lilith . He does this to unite the souls and bodies of Adam and Lilith only to find his scorned lover , Ritsuko there . It's interesting that two of the most shocking and violent scenes ( the Asuka / Eva battle and the Gendo / Ritsuko confrontation ) are played out to Bach's beautiful Air . The infusion of the music in this film is truly brilliant and a major reason why many scenes are so effective .
However , this is the point in the film where most people will start to become completely lost . Without a really good understanding of the NGE story ( and perhaps even with one ) , it's hard not to . It's very difficult to make the extremely complex simple , however I'll try without many spoilers .
Suffice it to say that Seele were trying to initiate Third Impact and reduce humankind back to its original form - the Primordial Soup of Life where all souls and beings are one . Gendo had different plans and just wanted to see his ' dead ' wife , Yui again . Neither Seele's or Gendo's plans go exactly as they were meant to . Unit - 01 , along with Shinji , ends up becoming the Tree of Life , and the ark in which all souls are ushered through and into Lilith's Egg . Understanding the idea that in NGE , humans - Lilim , as we're called - were born from Lilith , and Rei is essentially Lilith helps make this clearer . What's happening near this point is 3rd Impact is occurring because of the Unit - 01 and the Mass Produced Eva encounter . This returns the Geo-Front ( the sphere like cavern where Nerv HQ sits ) to its original form , the Egg of Lilith ( we see this during the Eye - like explosion ) . After the Giant Rei / Lilith forms , Shinji is essentially given reign over the future of the human race by Rei / Lilith herself .
At this point , the tempo of the film slows to a crawl and the most surreal images and scenes begin creeping in . Even the most seemingly simple scenes such as a young Shinji playing in a sandbox with a swing , mountains , and a setting sun in the background is just rife with symbolism ( hint : try to relate everything in this scene with something in the show , be it scenes , characters , or themes ) . Here , the psychological interplay between the main characters is crucial , as Shinji's wishes are played out in the real world . When he feels that everyone has deserted him and essentially says ' everyone can just die ' is when the Instrumentality and joining of all souls through Lilith really begins .
What's important to note is Shinji's thoughts after his ' choice ' has been made . The place he escapes to - the world of Instrumentality where all souls are one - and his questioning of this choice and all his choices is what we see here . More than just his questioning of the choice , we also hear him questioning the meaning of reality and dreams . This is not just random philosophical ramblings . It's a study of a character's , as well as the creator's , thoughts and feelings . Shinji holds all of humanity's future in his hands or , more accurately , his own mind . When you consider how psychologically scarred Shinji is , the idea that he can completely shape the future of Earth and all of humankind is what makes this so interesting .
Once he is allowed to be in the world he escapes to , he's faced with another choice of whether to stay or come back . As he discusses these things with Rei and Kaworu ( Lilith and Adam ) , we hear his final choice and reasons why . The ending of EoE , titled One More Final : I Need You is rightfully confusing to almost everyone who sees it . However , it's also the perfect note to end the series with . Not only does it leave us as uncertain as the characters are about the future , but it also expresses the frustration and realization of Shinji's choice and the culmination of all the struggles that has lead them there .
This film is simply a divine marvel . Much like the series it has to be watched multiple times for one to uncover all of its hidden layers and meanings . But it doesn't lose its ability to invoke emotions and thoughts even after several viewings . There are scenes of immense power and drama in the film - many that match the best of most films I've seen . But I think it's the quiet moments that make this film so moving and memorable . The Sandbox scene is one I've mentioned . Another is the live action shots with the monologue and Bach's magnificent Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude ( Jesus , Joy of Man's Desiring ) playing along on piano with it . Even more subtle moments , such as Shinji's SDAT ( walkman type ) player out of batteries ( more significant than many would think ) , and Gendo's broken glasses in Rei's place . With the vivid beginning of Instrumentality played out to the appropriate sad-song-with-a-pop-beat Komm Susser Tod ( Come Sweet Death ) , it's these scenes that never fail to give me chills .
There's a great quote that goes something like A truly wise man always has more questions than answers . This is a series and film that asks more questions than it provides answers . What it tries to do is make you think about those questions , rather than provide an easily digestible story . Some may call the story incoherent and disjointed , but what many don't realize is that the deep psychological and philosophical leanings behind the show are inextricably linked with the storyline itself . So to distinguish one from the other is impossible without realizing how the two intertwine and effect the other . If you merely try to breakdown the sci-fi storyline , then you will be confused by much of it . This is because the story is so big and so encompassing that many finer details can't be uncovered without diving deep into the inner workings of the series .
In the end , I can only speak for myself when I say NGE did a superlative job of doing everything a great work of art should do . It made me laugh , it made me cry , it gave me chills on more than one occasion . . . . but most of all it made me THINK . Anyone who wants to enjoy this show as just a meaningless work of science fiction can do so , but will be baffled as they're crushed by the multiple layers of extra contextual meanings . So , if you want to understand NGE , you have to not only pay close attention to the small details within the show ( small scenes from many episodes back play a role in the film ) , you have to really open your mind up to the ideas being presented , and how they effect the story .
However , taken as a film , and the conclusion to the NGE series , End of Evangelion is a staggering achievement and powerful last testament to what is , in my opinion , the greatest visual series of all time .
* DVD NOTES :
Those considering whether to buy just the EoE or the EoE / Death & Rebirth 2 - pack , I suggest you go with the EoE unless you don't own the director's cuts of the last several episodes ( available in the Platinum Collection ) . ' Death ' is mostly a muddled re-crap of the entire series , while ' Rebirth ' is merely the first 30 minutes of EoE . Death also doesn't contain remastered visuals or audio like the Platinum Collection does , so you'll be getting a low quality re-cap at that . Death really doesn't even work as an introduction to NGE , because most everyone not aquainted with previous episodes would be confused by the structure of the recap . The only thing worthwile in ' Death ' is something called The Magi Archives which provides great information about key people , places , events , and thing in the series . This is very helpful to those who feel completely lost by all the jargon in the series and will help clear some things up , even if it won't answer any of the bigger questions . So just stick with EoE unless you feel the need for completeness to get Death & Rebirth as well .
006 4 This review is intended for the Neon Genesis Death and Rebirth / The End of Evangelion two-pak edition .
First of all , Death and Rebirth is probably not enjoyable to anyone already familiar with the series.However , it is useful to someone who needs a crash-course on the Eva storyline history , which must be known in some detail to appreciate End of Evangelion .
The End of Evangelion , movie #2 in this pak , is rather extraordinary - for better or for worse . The 1st portion of the movie is a fine example of animation in terms of how beautifully the battles of the movie are depicted . The human drama is very real as well ; a certain character experiences sudden joy and victory - and then meets brutal , tragic defeat .
The 2nd portion of the movie becomes visually chaotic as the minds of individuals become united as one through a scifi-esque process called Instrumentality . The imagery is as strange as the idea itself , and they require a bit of examination - but , just as a minor tip , the final scene takes place on Earth after Instrumentality fails , and the person next to Shinji is the REAL Asuka ( this has been cleared up by the studio behind the movie , and I believe it is something the viewer must understand to fully appreciate the moment ) .
On a final note , the ending of this unique story is somewhat inconclusive . All we know for sure is that Instrumentality failed , and at least 2 of the main characters have returned to a now ( at least partially ) damaged Earth . Here is the director's reasoning : With Evangelion , we are trying to get people to think independently . We will never supply all the answers for you . Love it or hate it , that is the spirit of Evangelion .
P.S . The commentary of this movie is TERRIBLE . None of the individuals giving the commentary show any respect for the movie , and they discuss long-disproven theories about the final scene . Take my word for it : IGNORE THE COMMENTARY ENTIRELY .
008 4 Neon Genesis Evangelion is by far one of the best anime series ever made . The movie Death and Rebirth is nothing short of breathtaking for fans of the series for those whom have never seen it it is confusing and bizare . The focus of the first movie death is a recap of key scenes , which have been reanimated using theater quality cell designs , of the series as well as a few scenes which were never in the series such as a monolog from Gendo and Keel the two conspirators , or how Asuka tries to seduce Kaji on the way to Tokyo 3 . This is true eye candy for fans and it is essential for those whom have not seen the entire series .
The second movie Rebirth takes place after episode 24 . The sevententh angel now is dead and the orginization known as Seele moves to bring about the biblical armagedon they have been planning Third Impact . The young boy Shinji must over come his self loathing and hatered of the world as Tokyo 3 and the HQ of NERV come under attack by the UN and SEELE's new Evangelion units . The young piolet Asuka also must over come her own self distructive thoughts and the angst of her past in order to piolt her Evangelion . This film is beautifully animated and the music is incredible . Rebirth is by far the most violent of the three Evangelion films and the characters do not always act as they did in the series . The epic battle Unit 2 wages against the Evangelions of SEELE is by far one of the most breathtaking scenes in the movie . As are the presonal confrontations of the whole cast . This is a film for those whom like both action and a unforgettable story . For those whom were dissapointed with the ending of the series this is the way the series was ment to end , yet you will need to wait a little longer for Neon Genesis Evangelion : End to find out the conclusion to the cliffhanger ending of Rebirth . WARNING Neon Genesis Evangelion : Death and Rebirth contains scenes of Graphic Violence , Gore , Language , Nudity , Sexuality , and Strong Thematic Elements . Recommend viewing age is 17 + only !
011 4 One of the most popular Japanese animation's of all time , Neon Genesis Evangelion is given star treatment from Manga Entertainment who own the rights of the first half to the conclusion of the series .
When I say star treatment , Manga Entertainment delivers because this is perhaps one of the most beautiful anime on DVD at this time . Not only is it packed with special features galore ( which is surely lacking in anime DVD's ) , it also features a Mokuji Interactive feature for the seasoned Evangelion fans eager to know more about the series . Also , it features an awesome menu screen that makes you just want to kick back and just watch . Beautifully designed !
Before I go on to the special features , a little background on this film . In 1997 , Gainax released Death & Rebirth which are two films and the first half of the conclusion to Neon Genesis Evangelion ( the second and final conclusion is the The End of Evangelion film ) .
Originally , fans were not to happy with the final episodes of Evangelion and the truth is , how can a series like Eva be completed in a 30 - minute episode . Thus , Death & Rebirth was first released .
The first half of the film starts out with Death ; an orchestrated retelling of episodes 1 through 24 which includes new animated sequences and insight into the personal worlds of the characters conceived by the series ' director Hideki Anno .
The second half of the film is Rebirth ; where we see an alternate vision of episode 25 of the original series . In this version , SEELE ( the secret international organization behind the development of both the Evangelion project and the Human Complementation Project ) is concerned about how the projects ' director , Ikari Gendo , is proceeding . Convinced that Gendo is implementing his own plans , they decide to wrest control of the projects , capture EVA Unit - 01 and to undertake a full-scale invasion of Central Dogma and to literally destroy NERV using the nine-production model Evangelions .
For followers of the television series , the films are a must and Death & Rebirth is a wonderful first half which many Evangelion fans will be proud of .
But even more , Evangelion fans will be proud of the DVD . This DVD should set a high standard for anime DVD's with simply the most beautiful menu I have ever seen on an anime DVD and also packed with features which include , the English and Japanese trailers for the film , audio commentary by the English language director and voice actress of Rei Ayanami , Amanda Win Lee . An indepth index of characters , Angels , Evas and Terms , photo gallery , the End of Evangelion preview and much more .
The DVD is featured in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound ( English only ) and is in letterbox format . The film sounds beautiful with its awesome soundtrack and action scenes . The Japanese stereo track is available as well as English subtitles for dialogue and on-screen text .
As for those who worry that their favorite English dub actors may be different with this Manga Entertainment release , they shouldn't because all key roles in the English language version of Death and Rebirth are reprised by the voice-actors from the Neon Genesis Evangelion series .
The true gem is the Mokuji Interactive Feature which allows the viewer to select from an on-screen , chapter specific index of Eva-related terms , character descriptions and other valuable information while viewing the film .
This DVD in our mind is worthy of an A + and should set a standard in showing the anime industry how anime DVD's should be . A beautiful film and a high quality DVD . Highly recommended !
THE MOVIE : A +
THE DVD EXTRAS : A +
THE DVD OVERALL : A +
014 4 The Neon Genesis Evangelion ( Death & Rebirth / The End Of Evangelion ) is the 2 MOVIES of the saga of Neon Genesis Evangelion ( Death ) is just a Recap of the episodes 01 - 24 ( Rebirth ) is just a beginning of ( The End Of Evangelion ) the End Of Evangelion continues where Rebirth left off this 2 disc set is a 3 part commentary .
( Part 1 - DEATH )
( Part 2 - REBIRTH )
( Part 3 - END OF EVANGELION )
If you buy Death & Rebirth on DVD thier is 2 parts but 1 disc what is going on here ? If you want to know what is going on Death & Rebirth has 1 side that says
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION DEATH & REBIRTH * ALPHA *
the 2nd side says
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION DEATH & REBIRHT * OMEGA *
Alpha has no COMMENTARY part , I guess the disc ran out of room .
but
Omega has the COMMENTARY if you want to hear COMMENTARY part all you have to do is FLIP the disc over and it should say OMEGA .
on the back of DEATH & REBIRTH has the most important following :
AT THE DAWN OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM , MANKIND HAS AWAKENED A THREAT UNLIKE ANY FACED BEFORE - THE ANGELS . Conventional wapons are useless against them . They can only be stopped by means of the Evangelions - bio-engineered vessels born from the Angels ' own technology . But this forbidden knowledge is also the key to bringing about starting new genesis for the human race . Placed in the hands of 3 young pilots , the final fate of humanity resting upon thier shoulders , the Evas are the world's last hope . . .
WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE
From the animators at Production I.G . ( Ghost in the Shell , Blood : The Last Vampire ) & Studio GAINAX ( The Wings of Honneamise ) comes the first half of the sensational TWO-PART conclusion to the NEON GENESIS EVANGELION saga .
Featuring groundbreaking animated actimated action sequences and mind-blowin gdramatic revelations , DEATH & REBIRTH is truley a composition of epic proportions !
Also look for THE END OF EVANGELION , the final chapter in the NEON GENESIS EVANGELION epic .
DOUBLE-SIDED DVD 10 FEATURES :
* LETTERBOX
* 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND ( ENGLISH )
* ENGLISH & JAPANESE STEREO
* SUBTITLE OPTIONS FOR DIALOGUE & ON-SCREEN TEXT
* AUDIO COMMENTARY BY AMANDA WINN LEE ( ENGLISH
LANGUAGE DIRECTOR & VOICE OF REI AYANAMI )
* IN-DEPTH INDEX OF CHARACTERS , ANGELS , EVAS & TERMS
* PHOTO GALLERY
* ORIGINAL JAPANESE TRAILERS
* JAPANESE PRODUCTION CREDITS
* THE END OF EVANGELION PREVIEW
* MANGA PREVIEWS * WEB LINKS * MANGA FAN CLUB
RUNNING TIME : 115 MINUTES ( 1 HOUR & 55 MINUTES )
THE END OF EVANGELION :
ONE OF THE FINEST ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF VISUAL ENTERTAINMENT - PLAY MAGAZINE
AT THE DAWN OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM , MANKIND HAS AWAKENED A THREAT UNLIKE ANY FACED BEFORE - THE ANGELS . Conventional wapons are useless against them . They can only be stopped by means of the Evangelions - bio-engineered vessels born from the Angels ' own technology . But this forbidden knowledge is also the key to bringing about starting new genesis for the human race . Placed in the hands of 3 young pilots , the final fate of humanity resting upon thier shoulders , the Evas are the world's last hope . . .
From the animators at Production I.G . ( Ghost in the Shell ,
Blood : The Last Vampire ) & Studio GAINAX ( The Wings
of Honneamise ) comes the FINAL INSTALLMENT of the
sensational TWO-PART conlusion to the NEON GENESIS
EVANGELION saga .
Manga Entertainment presents THE END OF EVANGELION ,
the mind-lowing finalie to the incredible NEON GENESIS
EVANGELION series . This stunning anime fature was
comprised of two alternate episodes intended by the animators at GAINAX Studios to take the place of episodes
25 & 26 of the original series . Acclaimed Japanese
animation director Hideaki Anno creates a visual tour-de -
force that resolves many questions about the epic
series while also generating some interesting new ones .
This special DVD boasts sonic audio superiority with the
inclusion of Dolby Digital-EX and DTS-ES Surround Sound in
both English and Japanese languages .
Also look for DEATH & REBIRTH , the first chapter in the
epic conclusion to NEON GENESIS EVANGELION .
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES :
* Letterbox
* 6.1 DTS Surround Sound in English & Japanese
* 5.1 Dolby Digital EX Surround in English & Japanese
* English & Japanese Stereo
* Subtitle Options for Dialogue & On-Screen Text
* Audio Commentary by Amanda Winn Lee
( English Language Director and Voice of Rei Ayanami )
* Additional Voice Commentary by Taliesin Jaffe & Jason C . Lee
* Japanese Production Credits
* Manga Previews - Web Links - Manga Fan Club
RUNNING TIME : 090 MINUTES
Total Running Time ( both discs )
115 + 90 = 3hours & 25 minutes
027 4 The 1st movie , Death and Rebirth , is nothing more than a summary of the events that took place in the Neon Genesis series , and is of little interest if you're already a big fan . But it isn't a total disaster , and is an acceptable way to quickly familiarize yourself with the story .
That leads us to the 2nd disc , End of Evangelion . This is by-and-large the most incredible animated movie I have ever seen , which is saying a lot . It is a profound visual experience , and it features characters that are easier to identify with than usual . It is satisfying for fans that the character Asuka , who fell short of completion in the series , finally emerges as the 2nd-most important character of the movie , the 1st being Shinji.The scene in which Asuka fights the Evas and PROBABLY dies is charged with sadness and disgust on the viewer's part .
The only down-side is that sometimes you just don't understand what the heck is really happening in this film , so ADV and GAINAX had to release a lot of info regarding obscure scenes .
THE STUDIOS THEMSELVES HAVE CLEARED THIS UP : The final scene takes place in REALITY , not inside the Instrumentality Project as some fans believe , and the character with Shinji at the end is the REAL Asuka , not a mixture of her , Rei , and Misato .
The reason for this confusion comes from Asuka's bandages and seemingly dark eye color . While you never find out where the bandages come from , they cover her wounds from the Eva battle earlier . As for her eyes , they are their natural BLUE . They are grayed due to the night , but so are Shinji's eyes ( whose natural color is also BLUE , even though they are often shown incorrectly brown on DVD covers ) .
Even with these persistent rumors now debunked , whatever happens next is up to the viewer - making for a movie that can satisfy anyone with the will to imagine .
044 4 I know you've been waiting for this DVD for a long long time , right ? The last series of the Neon Genesis Evangalion , or the Movie is consists of ' Evangelion Death & Birth ' and ' The end of Evangalion ' . This very DVD , Death & Rebirth will show you the highlight of all the previous 26 episodes . You might ask what's the purpose of rewatching this then ? Well , in my humble opinion , you really need to recapture all the highlights , all the essence , all the significant part of all 26 previous episode . Trust me , you will be grateful since the next DVD , ' The end of Evangelion ' will confuse you big time .
Not only this ' Death & Rebirth ' series will recapture all the previous highlights , but also it shows you what really happened at the end . Of course , it will only show tip of iceberg , in terms of what's really going to happen , nevertheless , it is crucial to see this last part in order to get connected to next episode , which will be THE last episode .
You might ask why then separate this episode apart from all 8DVD series , why not make this whole thing as 10DVD collection ? Well , to be honest , I was really anxious to watch this ' the Movie ' part , and now I've seen it , I understand why . They really needed to separate this and forth coming episode in order to differtiate them from previous episode . They needed to differentiate from previsou episodes because it will really show you what really happened , the truth behind NERV , SEELE , EVA series , Rei , and more , of course , this DVD will show you only part of it .
They changed everything in terms of ending music ( no more ' Fly me to the Moon ' I know , but you will appreciate this new music scores ) and graphic is as you know the best you can find .
BUT I HAVE TO WARN YOU .
This is the tip of iceberg , period .
064 4 I've been a fan of Evangelion since it was originally brought into North America back in 1996 . As probably a lot of fans are , I really didn't understand what most of the series was trying to say . So when I heard that the ' real ' ending to the series would be released this year , I was overjoyed .
The first portion of the DVD , titled ' death ' is basically a recap of the original 24 episodes ( we won't include the 13th volume as it's ' purpose ' is to also recap the first 24 ) . It is mainly flashbacks of the series , using animation already seen plus new footage . It chronicles everything from the origin of the Second Impact to every major character in the series . It's nice the way it was done as it's not done in chronological order but rather broken up into pieces and each ' episode ' relates to a song played by Shinji , Asuka , Rei , and Kaworu in the school's auditorium .
Following a portion titled ' Intermission ' , we get ' Rebirth ' , which is the beginning part of the next movie titled End of Evangelion . This is the beginning of the official ending to Neon Genesis Evangelion . In it , NERV is issued an order to surrender the Evas , Adam , Lilith and the Magi to SEELE . They refuse , which promotes an attack on NERV HQ by the JSSDF . This portion of the movie is basically non-stop action all the way to the end , which ends in . . . well . . . you'll have to buy it and find out . . .
The ' Mokuji Interactive Feature ' is pretty cool as it is the regular movie but when it comes to certain important parts you are able to select key choices from a menu about characters , events , items , etc . that relate to the scene ( s ) . It's a very nice feature as even long-time fans of the series can learn from it ( I did , for one ) .
Other nice features include the usual image gallaries , an audio commentary , and a comprehensive dictionary including files for all the characters , organizations , equipment , the angels , and events that are in the Neon Genesis Evangelion series .
One of the original concerns was that because of the fact that this movie is published by Manga Entertainment , many fans were concerned if the English dubbed version would retain it's ADVision ( it's North American original publishers ) version voice actors . Don't be alarmed , all the original dubbed voice actors are still here .
If you have not seen the original series , SEE IT FIRST ! You will probably be completey lost if you buy this one first . Otherwise , fans of Eva shouldn't have this missing from their DVD library .
066 4 This is a good movie ! Wanna know why ? Read on .
If you've seen the first 24 episodes of Evangelion then you've seen MANY shots from Death , the first portion of this release . Yes , that's right , this film is mostly a recap of the TV series , but you have not experienced a recap like this ! Believe me ! The reason : the order of the scenes is non-linear , so what you get is a retelling that is out of chronological order ; instead , certain characters and themes develope one at a time through related scenes that were once episodes apart . On top of that , you get a number of sequences that WERE NOT in the ADV release of the show , scenes which are available in Japan in the fabled Evangelion Director's Cut Episodes ( Episodes 21 - 24 with some redone scenes and other completely new shots . These were commisioned AFTER the completion of the show ; they are not outtakes . Don't let anyone tell you otherwise ) . If you can't get a fansub of the Director's Cut , or are intrigued by the idea of a non-linear recap , GET THIS MOVIE !
Additionally , there is an awesome 30 minute preview of the finalw of the show , End Of Evangelion ( this section of the movie is called Rebirth ) . If you hated the infamous first ending , you should be blown away by this one . If you loved the original closing ( like I did ) , be sure to give the new one a whirl . It's just as good as those original episodes . If you can't wait until the End Of Evangelion release , then Death & Rebirth is a must have ( just for Rebirth ) .
All in all , there is but one flaw in this amazing package and it's a minor one . Despite the fact that Death is a recap , do not think that it can be used as an introduction to the show . It is completely unintelligable to anyone who doesn't know what's going on ! To these people , it would be like reading the pages of a novel in random order . Not fun ( or so I imagine . . . really ! ) . But , like I said , it's a minor flaw to anyone who's seen the entire show .
067 4 Besides being a more lucid and a more entertaining ending than the last TV episode was , it made the previous Evangelion episodes tie together into a much better finale .
The movie is divided into two stories Death , and Rebirth . Death is a recap of all of the Evangelion episodes defining the characters , the situations , and the events that got them there . Rebirth is what happens after the last Angel is defeated .
Rebirth is very violent and is not for children . The violence is there as a plot device rether than for entertainment value .
The circumstance that brings on the violence is that NERV headquarters is under attack because the body politic of planet earth now fears the potential abject power that Nerv has with the EVA units . Hence , all NERV personel are targets , especially the EVA pilots . And subsequently these children are targeted to be killed .
No spoilers here , but during the melee , a particular EVA pilot has a wonderful epiphany and just shreds her foes hardware into razor blades . I also liked the scene whereas Misato rescues a particular EVA pilot in a dramatic shoot out !
The English voice acting has greatly improved . Perhaps it was the budget , maybe the fan criticism of the previous episodes made the actors take note , or maybe it's the way it is edited together , I can't figure it out . Nonetheless it is a great improvement .
The musical score is beautiful . Thumbs up to Sagisu Shiro who oversaw Bethoven's 9th , Pachabel's Canon and I think a Bach concerto .
The movie ends with a cliff hanger and I am looking forward to next one .
Death and Rebirth is a double sided DVD . ( Something I have never seen before since DVDs are new to me . ) The user interface , though stylish , was a bit clunky for me but it does have this really neat option called MOKUJI INTERACTIVE . Mokuji is Japanese for ' contents ' and if you activate it , pop-ups will appear on screen to define concepts or plot points in finer detail . So when a character says Instrumentality Project , a pop up appears and you can get all of the info about it and then seamessly jump back into the film where you left off .
I hope this review was helpful .
Tony
094 4 Highly recommend watching the following :
1 . Neon Genesis the perfect collection ( Episodes 1 - 24 )
2 . Then watch Neon Genesis Evangelion - The End of Evangelion
There is no point watching Episodes 25 and 26 or Death and Rebirth for the following reasons :
EPISODE 25 - - Crude images , Philosophical , no connection to series .
EPISODE 26 - - Nothing but random scenes from previous episodes .
DEATH - - Nothing but random scenes from previous episodes .
REBIRTH - - This is the first part of End of Evangelion , thus no point watching it .
I do NOT know what happened , but my theory is that they ran out of time or money at the end of the series and needed to release something . End of Evangelion is what episodes 25 and 26 should have been .
102 4 I am a big Eva fan , but the movies are . . . well . . . they seem to be designed for people who couldnt handle the depth of the show . Also it was made by a different company , Manga Entertainment , who im not a big fan of . You can also very easily tell where clips are taken from the show that were not put in the episodes and where they came up with new material of their own . All in all it IS something EVA fans should see . You might like it , you might hate it . . . but you should see it . Maybe rent it or borrow it before you buy it .
105 4 there is probibly one priblem with this DVD and ill say it know to get it out of the way . DEATH , some what meaningless yet somewhat cool . It was a nice recap and is really good for newcommers to Eva . but it was way to long , about 40min ormore for a recap ! tolong . But rebirth was fantastic , finally Asuka is backin action and people are fighting people ! This has great action but itmakes you mad that END OF EVA . isnt out yet ! Go for this then get END OF EVA . Last i checked MANGA will be making a BOX SET in NOVENBER w / both so its your choice !
107 4 i have been looking forward to this dvd since it was announced early last year . it was set for an october 2001 release but it was delayed along with End of Evangelion . i was pissed . needless to say when i was at comic-con and i saw some geek dressed as Rei Ayanami carrying a copy of Death and Rebirth i rushed to the Manga booth and bought myself one . On the train back to my house i slipped this into my portable DVD player and watched this movie from beginning to end . the first part ( Death ) was just an hour long recap of the entire Neon Genesis Evangelion series with some added scenes . The second part ( Rebirth ) is a replacement for the second to last episode of Evangelion . It is the greatest of all the episodes . the scene where Asuka's EVA fights the SELEE marines is better than any Angel fights . I wont spoil anymore , since you have to see it for yourself . Now for the extras . This DVD has a lot of extras for an anime disk . there is a commentary with Amanda Winn Lee ( the english voice for Rei Ayanami ) , her husband , and the guy who does the EVA and Angel voices . The commentary is funny and informitive . there is some Mokoji interactive thing which i havent tried yet and there is information for all of the characters . Overall this DVD is the best anime disk yet . You also need to buy End of Evanglion which comes out in September .
112 4 Lets get things started eh ? If you haven't seen the series , GET IT . It is a epic journey through a biblical time . If you are too poor or you don't want to waste your money , but still want to see the series , get it . Basically it is a pointless journey that hits all the highlights of the series . Rebirth is just the first 30 minutes of the End , so just get that IS YOU HAVE THE SERIES .
119 4 LET ME FIRST SAY I LOVE THE SERIES
BUT THIS DVD WAS THE WORST WASTE OF MONEY
SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GET THE WHOLE BOX SET MUCH BETTER
THIS DVD IS JUST A BUNCH OF JUMBLED SHOTS PUT TOGETHER
120 4 THE THING IS THAT DEATH & REBIRTH AND THE ORIGINAL SERIES ENDING ARE BETTER THAN THAT STUPID HUNK OF JUNK
END OF EVANGELION . I LOVE D & R SO VERY MUCH . IT IS PROBABLY MY MOST FAVORITE ANIME MOVIE EVER !
This recaps the whole series for all the people out there who didn't understand what happened . You get the impression the writer is speaking very slowly , loudly and making hand gestures to try to make you understand . This is probably a good thing considering how confused some people seemed to be by the original series . He also throws in a few minutes of new scenes to take care of the very few plot mistakes he made . Considering how complex this story is it's amazing there were so few to fix .
Part two Rebirth : SEELE attacks NERV and kills just about everybody . Lot's of blood and gore , your standard war . Which were for me the most upsetting action scenes so far in the series or the movies . Asuka is back to wanting to destroy everything to prove she's the best . Shinji is even more depressed and doesn't even want to live anymore as apposed to before when he just wanted to get away from all this horror . Once again things that you might have missed during the original series are made clear . It stops right as the big battle between all the Evas is about to begin .
The problem with this is they seem to disregard the last two episodes of the original series . Shinji actually found some peace with himself by the end of those episodes . So now we enter into Rebirth and Shinji is a complete wrack again . When did this happen ? It seems like they are exchanging a more mature and satisfying original ending for a load of less meaningful carnage . With a writer this good he could find away of explaining the original ending without editing the whole thing out . It feels like he spent all this time making very complex characters and an amazing plot and now he's letting it all fall apart .
059 4 I've had this set for a few years - so before the 16x9 came along it never bothered me -
but beware - there are new ones coming , so DON'T BUY THIS - they're not optimized for 16x9 , and the transfer is quite poor .
I hope they'll come out with Blu Ray versions along with the new movies .
116 4 For those of you looking for more Eva action after seeing the original series take heed . DON'T BUY THIS DVD ! The Death part of the DVD , part 1 , is nothing but a terrible rehashing of scenes from the regular season , and the second half , Rebirth , part 2 , is new stuff , very good , BUT ! If you buy ' The End of Evangelion ' you get Rebirth AND a much better and easier to understand ending to the whole series in completely new material . So , don't buy ' Death & Rebirth ' . Buy ' The End of Evangelion ' instead .
