Title: Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone
Published by: Madman Entertainment (Australia / New Zealand)
Based on: Animated Film based off the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Mecha, Apocalyptic, Drama, Psychological horror
Audio: English and Japanese Dubs
Subtitles: English
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen (16:9)
Runtime: 98 minutes
Cost: $29.95 for the DVD Version or $39.95 for the Blu-ray Version.
Classification: This title is rated PG for Mild Animated Violence, Nudity and Coarse Language
Special Thanks: Special thanks goes to the Madman Entertainment PR Team for providing me with a review sample of this title.
You will realize that this review is very short. One reason is because I am currently down with a slight headache that I would like to sleep off if possible and secondly because this writeup is so I can do my full writeup of Evangelion 2.22 which to build-up to doing it, I have watched the entire anime series of Evangelion alongside this title. If you are interested in a bit of background reading before reading my review of Evangelion 2.22, please read on.
Tokyo-3 still stands after most of civilization was decimated in the Second Impact. Now the city endures the ceaseless onslaught of the deadly Angels, bizarre creatures bent on eradicating the human race. To combat this strange and ruthless enemy, the government agency NERV constructs a fleet of towering humanoid machines – the Evas – and Shinji Ikari is called into action, reluctantly taking his place at the controls of Eva Unit 01.
Living a long life of loneliness and questioning his existence, Shinji struggles to accept responsibility for mankind’s battle for survival in this visually strinking rebuild of one of the most important anime of all time. Shinji will fight the Angels alongside the only person who might understand his plight – Rei Ayanami, the elusive and frail pilor of Eva Unit 00.
This movie more or less covers the first six or so episodes of the original anime series and it is clear why the Evangelion franchise is so popular and no doubt would be considered the mecha anime of all anime. The protagonist, Shinji Ikari has been made through pressuring form his father to become the pilot of the Evangelion (Eva) Unit 01 and covers his fights against the Angels (Supernatural beings that have forced this world to succumb to its present post-apocalyptic state). Overall, whilst not being in the normal genre for a series I would watch, I think the series has an enjoyable storyline that regardless of your genre preference, should enjoy.
In terms of design, the overall picture quality is stunning, and is definitely enhanced by the blu-ray picture quality. Whilst there was the odd lighting complication or quality hiccup, I would say that this is one of the more visually appealing anime I have watched. In terms of music quality, it is also of a high standard. As for the voice acting, most of the roles were filled with suitable talent and all were well suited for their characters personalities.
In terms of extra content, there is a sizable collection on the disc including a Rebuild of Evangelion 1.01 video, Angel of Doom Promotional Music Video, News Flashes, Movie Previews and Trailers but the real winner here was the 20 page guide book that consisted of artwork, character profiles and other tidbits that was a nice little inclusion – and 2.22 also receives a guide book which I shall analyse indepth.
As you can see, this is a basic review covering Evangelion 1.11 alone, as I intend on covering both indepth when my review of Evangelion 2.22 is released sometime this week hopefully.
Final Score
Storyline/Character Development: A-
Design: A
Music/Voice Acting: B+
Packaging/Extras: B+
Personal Opinion: B+
Overall Score: B+
