Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time

WARNING: This review contains spoilers for the entirety of Evangelion as a franchise (at the exception of the manga).

I watched Evangelion for the very first time like 11 or 12 years ago. It was almost accidentally via youtube, dubbed in my native language as a little 7 or 8yo kid.
I still remember feeling lost, confused and mostly hooked while watching it. It wasn’t easy trying to understand any of its themes back then and in fact what I was more or less able to understand was rather little (obviously), but there was something about it that really caught my interest and in a weird way, the show felt like a warm haven where I could just relax and think about whatever was on my mind at the time. Through the years from then on I continued to watch and rewatch the show over and over again, and it became a tradition to rewatch it either every year or every two years. The first time I only had access to the first 25 episodes (I guess I wasn't able to find the 26th episode dubbed or something), and it was not until many years later that I would get to watch End of Evangelion for the first time. Which means that my experience with this series has been fragmented over time and the consequences of this is that it has become a very important part of both me as a person and my life as a whole; constantly revisiting the series over the years, excited to find new pieces of the puzzle and see how much I would be able to take away on my next rewatch.

I’m 19 now, and what seemed like a strange show full of personality that I did not understand but that did certainly attract me, ended up being my emotional refuge and even a happy place for me in my early adolescence and still is even to this day. It was a series that showed a hyperactive child the value of calm and the importance of paying attention to both music and sounds. Evangelion is an especially particular series when it comes to sound, at least for me. Since I always thought that the show does an excellent job at creating an atmosphere and context by making the most of the means that the medium has to offer, and I think that is an excellent starting point to start talking about the Rebuilds themselves. This is because I feel that Hideaki Anno has always strived to push the realm of animation to the limit and that he is someone who wants to make the audience feel something new with each work of his. The clearest and most recent example was the production of the last Evangelion film, where through the documentary produced by the japanese NHK chain, we can see how he wanted to get out of the traditional mold of animated productions and tried to use and apply methods used in "live action" cinema to accomplish it. For example, he rejected the use of traditional storyboards; so everything was recorded and built first with real actors and cameras in sets, and then the footage would later serve as a base for the drawings. I’m sure that this has been done before, but in an industry and culture as strict and traditional with methods as the japanese, the fact that he tried to do it despite knowing that it would be harder, and because he thought it would make for a better product and help in making this film feel much different than the other three, makes it really interesting and worth pointing out in my opinion.
To be completely honest I am neither the biggest fan of cinema nor the biggest consumer of it, but I firmly believe that anyone with an interest in this industry or cinema as a whole can appreciate what Anno tried to do and I think that we can all agree that this says a lot about Anno as a director; he’s an obsessive perfectionist whose goal is to surpass himself as a creator each and every time, and he will give everything for his own satisfaction and for the enjoyment of the viewer.

In the NHK documentary for the 3.0 + 1.0 film there’s a quote that I find quite interesting and one that is tied to this idea of Anno as a man who gives his everything; it comes from Hayao Miyazaki, the well-known studio Ghibli director and one of the geniuses of Japanese animation with whom unfortunately I am not particularly familiar but who I have learned to respect based on how little I have seen and how much I have heard and read about him. He expressed in relation to Anno; "Anno creates films while spilling blood."

I've seen a lot of people criticizing this film for its use of CGI, and while I think of that as a perfectly reasonable take (as I consider that for example, in Evangelion 2.0 there were also instances of CGI that didn't look particularly good), I think people are forgetting that this is nothing new. The use of CGI in evangelion goes way back to even EoE, and in my opinion Anno has always been a creative who seeks to explore different forms of expression in order to portray different emotions and ideas. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn’t. The scenes with Rei's head in 3D in this latest film, for example, seemed weird to me. But even so, I think it is important to value all the good that there was over the bad. Because there was plenty of good, and while there were scenes that were questionable, in general this film uses 3D in an absolutely masterful way in its construction of both scenarios, spaces and fights. Generally speaking, the production of this film is incredible and it looks breathtakingly beautiful. I also want to add that I don’t really like this tendency (of which I am also a part of on some occasions) of questioning 3D resources so fiercely, being that I think that we should prioritize artistic intention over how “good” something looks.

I have to say that my interest in this franchise has always been completely external to Anno, which may sound strange but I never had an interest in him as a person; I was exclusively interested in Evangelion as its own work. That was until relatively recently when I really became interested in him as a creator. It’s important to note that I was always aware about his involvement in the franchise and his journey as a creator, but I just did not see him as a piece of interest in what the Evangelion puzzle was for me. Although with the passing of the years and my most recent rewatches of both the series, EoE and the rebuilds, I have to say that now more than ever I consider myself a fan of his. And above all, I greatly respect not only his way of working but his way of doing things and his trajectory, because I also know what it feels like to go through depression. The difference is that while I was locked up in my room, this man was able to carry out his life, his career, and his creative vision. I want to vindicate the importance of someone like Anno being who he is today, because we are talking about a man who has openly spoken about his struggles and even about having reached the point of having suicidal tendencies, and despite all of that he still continues to keep creating successful creative works as well as having a wife and people around him who love and respect him, I personally find it simply beautiful and motivating.

I consider the Rebuilds to be born from his perfectionism and for his own perfectionism (which doesn't mean that they are in fact perfect in any way, far from it), he is a man who is clearly having a hard time following his own message present in Eva (that about living life and not looking for refuges and places where one can hide from real life; because he continues to take refuge in the production of not only evangelion, but also in other franchises that he loves so much), but who is perfectly aware of it and wants to vindicate how difficult it is to apply the message in our daily lives.
One can never escape our desires and urges as human beings, but we can try and improve eventually, little by little. And I think that Evangelion is fundamentally a franchise that talks about the importance of continuing to try even if we know that we are never going to be perfect or the living image of what we want to represent. Always, at some point we are going to degenerate in some way or deviate a bit from our goal; but the message and our desire to continue must and can continue there. This is how I understand the Rebuilds, as a kind of gigantic metatext that serves as a comment for his work, the relationship that he has with it and the relationship that we have as fans/spectators with Eva as a whole.

I see each of the installments of this tetralogy as different windows that allow us to appreciate from different perspectives what Evangelion is and what it has been for all of us. There is an excellent essay on this subject on YouTube called "The Curse of Evangelion" with a duration of 39 minutes that I totally recommend.
Basically, its creator explains what each part of the puzzle means like this: “Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (not) Alone is about how Evangelion is still there, unchanged. Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (not) Advance is about how you cannot advance if you embrace escapism. Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (not) Redo is about how wasting your time in escapist limbo is wasted time that you cannot regain and that you cannot go back in the past to fix your mistakes. A personal theory of mine is that 1.0 is how Eva is, 2.0 is how the fans see Eva, and 3.0 is how Anno sees Eva. So 3.0+1.0 will be how Anno sees Eva and how it truly is. And it will likely act as a final resolution to the entire Evangelion franchise.” ▶

I also want to point out that I consider it a complete lack of critical sense to say that any of the four installments are bad as films. Again, I want to reiterate that I am not even close to being a cinephile, but you don't have to be a chef to know when a dish is delicious and when one is raw; and I consider that all films without exception have a spectacular direction, beautiful artistic designs, excellent color usage, a great and very remarkable soundtrack for each of the installments and an excellent structure for each of them. What I mean with “structure” has a lot to do with the pacing of the films, as I feel that they do a great job of constantly keeping you engaged and interested in what's happening.
I can understand if someone tells me that he liked “x” film less than the others or if they straight up hate one of the installments. And in fact when it comes to the third film, I honestly do not like it very much; mainly in the narrative sense. But I think that without a doubt all the installments are more than successful when it comes to being highly enjoyable and fun entertainment products that dwell deeper into the Evangelion universe. Which maybe wasn’t necessary but what is “necessary” anyway? When was Evangelion ever about “necessity”? It was always about conveying a message.

In my opinion, all of these films have an excellent cinematographic quality to them, and they work in the process of being individual, smaller units that are meant to be seen as a larger, bigger work whose purpose is to send us a message and give closure to us as viewers and to Anno as a creator when it comes to Eva.
Following that line of reasoning, it is important to understand that Evangelion is above all a work about characters and the themes that are tied to them. Everything else (although excellently executed) serves only as an accompaniment to aid the narrative of the characters and make their stories something more interesting and credible through (most of the time) psycho-cosmic parallelisms. By this I mean that, for example, both the angels and the city of Tokyo 3, are completely replaceable elements and whose presence can be completely ignored and the same story would still be able to be told, one that goes beyond the small parts that make it up. After all, this idea is explored in the series itself; in the original anime there are entire episodes where the presence of angels and the city itself (I bring them up again since those are the examples I used) is completely ignored and they work almost like background noise. How many scenes can you remember as a spectator, of Shinji or any other character completely lost in thought in an abstract setting without giving importance to said setting or the threat of the angels? And I think that’s the key, Evangelion has always been about the metatext and about giving messages above its own logical sense as a fictional world. And it's exactly what the Rebuilds do and prove by twisting and playing with many of these elements. Kaworu himself has an introspective moment in the last film where he seems to be recognizing his own role as a character in a fictional story.

I think the Rebuilds were an attempt by Anno to play with our expectations and our understanding of the series, with the purpose of showing us how far he was capable of going with his own perfectionism and trying to make the message behind the series clearer than ever, along with the different motivations of the main characters.
On this note, I want to add; I think that the Rebuilds do an excellent job of expanding the characters and showing different facets of them. We saw a Shinji more mature than ever, and finally we were shown the kind of change that he was supposed to have undergone at the end of EoE. We saw Shinji confront Asuka directly and talk to her, we saw him confront his father and learn to understand him (and in the process giving the viewers many answers that many of us may have already had before, but that were mainly theories only sustained by pure interpretation. I think now more than ever it became clear who Gendo was and what his motivations and intentions were, same with some other characters), we even saw an evolution in his relationship with Misato. Who in this film takes a literal role of mother and acts like one, and Misato is a character that, to me, brings out why I like the versions of the different characters in this last film so much. It's been years for both the characters, the staff and us in real life, and seeing Misato being a mother, Touji being a father and a doctor (someone who used to be rude and a bit violent, now treating people with affection and consideration), seeing Kensuke as this kind of understanding fatherly figure, Hikari as a mother and a mirror of humanity to Rei, even seeing Kaji's son was something I liked. Yes, they are fictional characters, but we have some form of appreciation and “love” for them after so many years. And I think the biggest lover of all of them is Anno himself, who has said on occasion that he doesn't have any kind of emotional connection to the work. But still, I firmly believe that he has to have some kind of appreciation and affection for them regardless.
I think if he really didn't love Evangelion he wouldn't have dedicated a quarter of a century to the franchise, and it seems more than reasonable to argue that if he decided to go that far and do all of this it is because at some point he cares. And I am convinced that in some way this latest film is an effort that he makes to feel completely satisfied with his masterpiece and in an attempt to give it what he might perceive as “proper closure”. We are talking about a person who literally put his soul into his work, from good to bad. Including his own traumas and concerns.

Keep in mind though that most of this is obviously pure interpretation of my own, and I want to highlight that because I feel like I've seen people make a huge mistake while talking about Anno on the internet. Because the truth is: we don’t know him, and we are never going to. And I don't think it's reasonable nor logical to base your entire perception of an individual and think that you truly understand something about him or what he was truly going for with any of this from just little bits and pieces scattered on the internet from interviews and documentaries from different points in time.

Having seen the documentary made by the NHK japanese chain, I have to say that it is obvious how involved this man was and the amount of sweat and blood he left on the road to get this film done. It would give the impression that Anno first of all wanted to vindicate his message with the Rebuilds; a message that he seems to consider was incomplete with the original work. I remember hearing something about how he commented that he would like to have the same capacity that his wife has when it comes to making people leave her stories with this notion of wanting to live and go outside.
The expression "going outside" is particularly interesting today, in a near-post-pandemic context where some countries are returning to "normalcy" while others are still trying to rise to the surface for a breath of air.
And it is that now more than ever in this context of pandemic the message of a film like Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 is particularly appropriate and comforting. Since the film reflects a post-apocalyptic world where the worst that could happen has happened and where it does not seem that things are necessarily going for the better, and yet people continue to fight to rescue and show the beauty of life and the value of the small things. All the scenes in the village and the scenes with a focus on agriculture are essential to convey what I think is a romantic message about the value of routine, of what you have, and of appreciating the little and even seeking happiness when there is a clear lack of abundance.
I think the fact that we don't see anyone die or suffer in the village reinforces this idea; It is a safe space but surrounded by death where we are taught that there is always and can always be a place for hope. The only death we see is that of Rei and even that is relatively far from the village and particularly "happy", since Rei dies in peace and with a smile. And Shinji sees this event as a push that makes him want to move on, now with more conviction than ever instead of portraying it as a traumatic event that pulls him back. Showing in the process the great evolution of the character and, for the first time, a self-confident Shinji who actually seeks the best for everyone.

This is a good time to talk about Mari, a character that I think is being particularly divisive in the community but one that I personally adore. She went from being a character that I didn't understand and didn't like at all to being one of my favorites.
I think the best way to define Mari is as an external element to Evangelion that appears out of nowhere and with great force to present to the viewer what the original series tries so hard to hide; that one can (even in the worst of situations) find enjoyment and joy, and that many times it’s all a matter of seeing the situation from the right angle or having someone who allows you to appreciate how enjoyable something can be. In fact, for example Hiroyuki Imaishi (who has participated in the different entries of the Evangelion franchise and was the head of projects such as Gurren lagann or Kill la Kill in recent years) has expressed in interviews that he precisely did not like that idea that is in Evangelion about how being an eva pilot is a horrible thing. Well, he said that if it were up to him, he would gladly get on the eva. And the fact that the Rebuilds give way to represent that way of thinking with a character seems great and perfectly logical to me.
Mari is an antithesis to everything Evangelion represents, she is literally the only character who loves with all her soul to pilot her Eva and who does it with energy, emotion and joy even if she is in the middle of very dangerous situations. And even in those moments she can smile and try to give everything. And not only in extreme situations but also in more everyday situations, she shows what seems to be great affection for the people around her. In particular, scenes she shares with Asuka come to mind, where we see that clearly some kind of friendship bond is formed between them and how despite the fact that this Asuka (Shikinami) is much more shy, introverted and lonely, she allows Mari to be around her, she trusts her, and even lets her hug her.

There is a scene in the documentary that shows the "behind the scenes" of the film where Moyoco Anno (Hideaki Anno's wife) talks about how she felt when meeting him, and what she says I think reveals exactly the kind of character that Mari represents in the movies. She expresses that: "Back then it was like he didn't care about himself, it was all about work. At some point I thought he would actually die. It was as if he… had forgotten how to live. (... ) It was like "Nobody is taking care of you? I guess I'll have to."
Many interpret these words as definitive proof that Mari is a character created by Anno with his wife in mind, as a kind of archetype that represents in the movies what Moyoco represents for Hideaki in real life. I won’t act like I have any right to confirm nor deny any of this, but the truth is that in my head, this idea of him wanting to create a character of this style, with a more positive and supportive attitude and worldview makes perfect sense.
And for me Mari is just that, more than a character, an archetype of solidarity, affection and fun that exists as a resource to personify a change of tone in the movies. Much can be said about the character but the truth is that as strange and stupid as her fan-service seems to me, I think that’s exactly the point. I think Mari's point is to tell us "look, you can just enjoy things and be stupid and that's fine. After all, you're not hurting anyone."

I do not intend under any circumstances to discredit or belittle the work done in the original series and in EoE, but the truth is that both end in abstract, ambiguous points and are full of possibilities for continuations at a narrative level. And actually from that perspective I love Rebuilds as I feel like they gave us just that; they gave us answers to questions like: “well, we were just told that shinji changes and accepts reality at the end of EoE. But what does this mean? How is he going to act from now on and what exactly did he actually learn?” What I mean is: I consider that while EoE provided us with a more “meta” final where the closing of the narrative of the characters is open to interpretation and where the final message is "Go outside and live your life" without properly giving closure within the context of the narrative of the show, the Rebuilds are more like, “This is what happened, and this is what the characters are going to do. Now go ahead, Go outside and live your life just as they will”. A difference that may be insubstantial or even unnecessary for some, but one that to me marks a clear division between NGE and the Rebuilds, and to be honest right now I think I much prefer this ending rather than the one present in the original work.

But at the end of the day, does it matter? The only thing I hope is that people have enjoyed all of these works and that they have helped them to want to be better or at least that they have had fun while watching. In the end that is what truly matters, and we should be super grateful that not only Anno but also an important part of the staff and people who worked at NGE are still with us and that they were able to once again work on another project of this franchise one more and final time.
26 years have passed, and we should celebrate that the greatness of Evangelion not only lives on, but also that its creators are still here with us and continue to create.

Bye bye, all of Evangelion. And thanks for reading.

DISCLAIMER: The final rating isn’t representative of anything, the only reason why i’m even giving a rating is because anilist doesn’t allow you to post a review without assigning it a number that ranges from 0 to 100. If it were for me, I would post all of my reviews without ratings as I feel that trying to encapsulate a work of art on a numerical scale is completely nonsensical.