“A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.”

― Stanley Kubrick

Neon Genesis Evangelion. Undeniably one of the most controversial anime of all time. More than 20 years after its initial release, it still garners massive attention, discussion, and of course, partnership deals. A great many may not be so keen on the idea of anime promotional advertisements, but lo' and behold. The torch that Hideaki Anno lit years ago has now been handed to this phenomenally kino, goat of a masterpiece.

Be aware of spoilers!

The Horizon

The establishing shot exudes an eerily tranquil atmosphere. We're presented with our silent heroine gazing at the clouded, blue horizon, with the name of the collaboration plastered smack in the center. The level of perfection and craftsmanship is faceted in this one mere second. The cinematographic decisions made works extremely well in favor of Rei's character. Particularly, the fact that we don't see her face as she stares over there yonder, points to her identity dilemma and quiet observational presence in the TV show. In just a few frames, this has already concisely and compactly characterizes just who our lovely heroine is.

The music and sound production elevate this already superb quality dramatically. The ambient buzzing, one found only during the sweltering summer days in the country, graciously nods to Evangelion's notorious use of the cicada, simultaneously creating that same hypnotizing, calm feel and offering a sweet nostalgic taste to its fans. The subtle wind accompanies the ambience, a nice, subtle touch as we see the invisible wind lightly pushing against Rei. No dialogue is spent nor is necessary, despite being a product advertisement. The age-old line, "Show, not Tell", couldn't have been better executed.

UP, UP AND AWAYYYYYY

The ambient serenity is then broken by a cut to a sharp, smooth drop of water. It breaks the hypnotic tone from the first few frames, promptly treating us to the real, raw meat of the story. The abrupt cut snaps both the audience and Rei to consciousness, as the camera pans upwards to what Rei is now looking at.

A single, white clothes line gently fluttering in the blue sky. Honestly, I had to rewatch several times to really get a satisfying interpretation of this. Initially, I believed that the clothes line was meant to represent the fabled legend of the red string of fate. The romanticized myth that two individuals are metaphysically connected by an imaginary red string, regardless of any outside circumstances such as time, place, etc, and it leads them to each other to become eternal lovers. Of course, an obvious counter to this theory is that the line is white, rather than red. I immediately scrapped this theory, then slowly realized the symbolism wasn't so profound or far-fetched.

The use of white simply illustrates purity, cleanliness, innocence and holiness. Characteristics all strongly associated with the color. This again works in a faceted nature. The obvious meaning behind this palette choice is nodding to Kao's featured laundry detergent in this work. What else would you say about it other than it making your apparel squeaky, white-clean? An obvious and easy-to-see move.

However, the flip-side of this color scheme may also nod to, again, Rei's character.

A notable motif in Rei's character is the idea of the doll. Apathetic, silent, untainted; Rei so very rarely acted in a way that wasn't an order or expected from her for the majority of her screen-time. Some morbid fans behold her as the penultimate waifu, as a result; submissive, fair-skinned and meek. Needing protection and innocent, in comparison to her much more rowdy female counterparts in the show. As we all know, Rei has depth much richer than this shallow shell that blatantly bypasses the doll motif as the show progresses, and has been just as controversial as a character as the show. The use of white subtly commentates on this, presenting Rei's innocence and misinterpretation rather sarcastically, mocking the fans who religiously idolize Rei as such. A rather tongue-in-cheek message, wouldn't you say?

In addition, I think the more impressive and my favorite interpretation of the color choice is that it may illustrate the actual holy stature Rei gains in The End of Evangelion and Neon Genesis Evangelion's general motif of white as an indication of holiness. Rei, during all the fuckery, evolves into GNR (Giant Naked Rei), effectively turning the world in tang, etc. Though Shinji is arguably the God figure here, as his decision ultimately saved the world, Rei was much more explicitly elevated to a godly existence. More than that, however, white has also represented emptiness. Solitude. Isolation. Even Spongebob Squarepants implemented this lonely sentiment in its existential scene to characterize Squidward's isolation in the scene. By the end, Rei becomes an observer of humanity. Well, she always was, but just with god-like authority now. She's effectively alone now. The fact that she can see what will unravel from now on, but cannot actually interact with anyone, is simply the loneliest lonely one can feel. Thus, this work adds another nuanced layer to its narrative.

Whoosh Whooosh

Now, Shinji's voice quietly accompanies the newly introduced classic symphony soundtrack. Another tasteful add from the impressive sound production choices, as one of Evangelion's beloved motifs is classical orchestra. Unfortunately, I'm unable to understand what exactly he's saying due my lack of nihongo comprehension and the lack of subtitles, but it's likely just some ad shill blabber. I think Shinji being the narrator rather than Rei worked best, as it would've broken the mysterious, silent nature that she's so well known for and exudes so greatly in this short.

The real meat and what we should focus on is the clothes on the white clothes line. If you pay attention, you'll see that there are clothes from several characters from the show; Gendo, Ritsuko, Rei and likely others I can't pinpoint as of now. This may be a tongue-in-cheek reference to the "Tang" scene from The End of Evangelion, where everyone is reduced to orange puddles, leaving only their clothes behind. But I have a nuanced interpretation for this, hear me out. Perhaps this is canon, post-Instrumentality and Rei gathered the clothes of those still in the primordial soup to dry them in anticipation that they decide to return to the real world. It's a bittersweet idea that I like to entertain.

Say "Cheeeeese"

The wind then harshly blows, flipping the clothes and making Rei slightly wince and even more subtly smile. I don't think there's much to interpret here, it really just embodies the Stanley Kubrick quote I inserted in at the start of this review. The tranquil emotions are at its peak here, while we finally get a close up shot of Rei's face, successfully tugging at my heart strings, heightened by the uplifting orchestra. The subtle smile, lack of words. They execute that mysterious aura Rei has in such a way that I don't think can be further improved upon.

I love blue

The blue themed color palette is lovely and aesthetically pleasing. The different shades of blue, from the sky to Rei's hair to the clothes, work together well. One complaint I have, though, is Rei's skin tone being blue, as well. I wish they stuck to her usual flush white skin tone (NOOOOOO IM NOT RACIST PLEASE DON'T SEND ME TO HELL), since I think it'd look more natural and perfectly complement the light blue background of the horizon and sky. Alas, the color choices were overall still great. Instilled the peaceful and calm tone it intended to.

Conclusion

I don't believe I need to say anymore than I've already. This 32 second short is an exemplary manifestation of the human condition, tranquility and Rei's character in the franchise. Please watch it if you haven't.