‘Rebuild Of Evangelion’ Tetralogy Now Streaming Exclusively Through Amazon
Amazon has now released all four films in the Rebuild of Evangelion series on their Prime Video service – including the latest installment, which is seeing a western release for the first time.
Back in July, it was announced that the tetralogy of Rebuild of Evangelion films, serving as a spiritual successor and reimagining of the seminal anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Interestingly, this leaves the Evangelion streaming rights split between two services: Netflix for all 26 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the compilation film Evangelion: Death(true)2 recapping the events of the original series, and Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion, the grand finale. Netflix’s version came with a new dub, while Funimation’s dub of the first three Rebuild of Evangelion series retains several members of the cast involved with ADV’s critically-acclaimed Neon Genesis Evangelion dub. The film series will arrive on Amazon, both subtitled and dubbed in English, including a new dub for all four movies, finished just in time for the final film. that will reuinite even more of the original cast.
Initially presented as a typical mecha anime set in the then-far-off future of 2015, Neon Genesis Evangelion follows the stories of Shinji, Rei, and Asuka, three teenagers born after an apocalyptic event known as the Second Impact. Shinji joins Rei and Asuka to become a pilot for the Evangelions, which are biomechanical titan that serves as world’s last hope against the threat of an invading alien race known as the Angels, who emerge following the Second Impact and threaten the survival of the human race. However, as the series progresses, the show takes a focus to the deep-rooted psychological issues of each of the major characters, delving into deeply unsettling horror themes as the show draws to its nightmarish conclusion. Ultimately, however, Evangelion is a story about human nature, self-acceptance, and a willingness to persevere in a harsh world.
The original series was developed following the psychological breakdown of its creator, Hideaki Anno, caused him to rethink his life, using the dark series as an outlet to overcome depression. However, he found inspiration to revisit it for a new take in an alternate continuity, which is where Rebuild of Evangelion comes in, as a new take on the material made with a less cynical mindset. Anno later had another breakdown following the release of the third film, which led to the film series – which started in 2007 – having its conclusion delayed to 2021. (Anno thankfully kept the lessons he came up with in the original series in mind, as he reached out to his wife Moyoco Anno and his dear friend Hayao Miyazaki, to make a full emotional recovery.) The new movies have been well-received and critically-acclaimed, so it’s likely that Anno is happy with the end result as he moves beyond Evangelion.
Rebuild of Evangelion: You Are (Not) Alone, Rebuild of Evangelion: You Can (Not) Advance, Rebuild of Evangelion: You Can (Not) Redo, and Evangelion: Thrice Upon a Time are now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
