Just when I thought Hideaki Anno had finally tied a neat little bow on all things Neon Genesis Evangelion, the iconic psychological mecha anime pulls me back in. It remains one of the biggest franchises on the planet that continues to make millions each and every year thanks to merchandise and licensing partnerships, so I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised.
But the last thing I expected to be announced during the 30th anniversary celebrations this month — aside from a short film that confirms Shinji Ikari ends up with Asuka Soryu Langley in either the original or Rebuild timelines — was that a new anime series is in production. It’s not being helmed by Hideaki Anno either, with the original creator living up to his promise that the series would grow into something that could be expanded upon with exciting fresh interpretations that extend far beyond his own.
Instead, Nier: Automata and Drakengard creative director Yoko Taro will be taking up the mantle and penning a story in this universe with frequent collaborator Keichii Okabe working on the music. Rebuild’s Kazuya Tsurumaki and Toko Yatabe will return to direct as Anno’s Studio Khara and Cloverworks help co-produce the wild new series. What exactly it’s about, and whether it will act as a continuation to either the original series or existing films, is unclear. But what I do know is that I’m incredibly excited.
What Is The New Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime Series About?
The announcement confirmed that this will be a completely new series, but considering just how drenched in lore and convolution Neon Genesis Evangelion tends to be, I’d take this phrasing with generous amounts of salt. The teaser released shortly afterward offers more concrete ground to speculate upon and what exactly we might be dealing with.
Firstly, it sounds like classic Yoko Taro and Keiichi Okabe. An ethereal yet haunting choir is accompanied by stirring strings that unsettle as much as they inspire, while Japanese that I sadly can’t properly translate is interspersed across the screen. The visuals depict a ruined orchestra in the midst of a destroyed pit filled with water (perhaps a concert hall?) long after the world around it has been left to rot. This has me wondering whether this project will be taking place after the original series or Rebuild films, or at the very least a version of Eva’s world that has already been ravaged by destruction.
My eyes are immediately drawn to instruments associated with key characters, such as the piano frequently played by Kaworu Nagisa in the Rebuild films before Shinji is forced to kill him, the cello that Shinji is only referenced to have played during the OG series. The fact this instrument’s decayed wooden frame acts as the opening shot and is lingered upon for several seconds feels deliberate, with it standing tall compared to all other instruments as the sun shines down upon it. It has to represent Shinji, or at least a form of the troubled protagonist and the fact they are set to appear in this new series.
The piano being utterly destroyed and sinking into the water while Shinji’s cello stands tall with only minimal wear and tear also feels purposefully symbolic.
But the final series of shots, which feature a new form of EVA Unit 01, are the most striking. It’s once again more animal than machine as its purple maw opens to reveal a mouth filled with sharp, hungry teeth. It’s shrouded in shadow as a strange vapour emerges from its lips, a twisted being both organic and mechanical. Once again, Evangelion offers effective yet brief visuals that draw us in without giving anything away.
Considering how the final Rebuild film ends with Shinji Ikari bidding farewell to all Evangelions and creating a new world in which he and his fellow pilots can finally live a normal life, this almost certainly has to take place in some form of new or alternate universe, unless it wants to undo that conclusion.
And I’d hate it if it did, since it felt like Hideaki Anno had finally reached a place of personal and creative growth to let these characters go and have the happy ending they have always deserved, in spite of everything.
It brought me to tears a few years ago due to how final it felt, a gentle kiss on the forehead to these characters after going through hell. I understand that capitalism dictates Neon Genesis Evangelion continues in new forms, but it needs to be done for the right reasons. And it turns out that Yoko Taro is one of the very few creators I’d trust with such a task.
Why Yoko Taro Might Be The Perfect Person To Bring Back Evangelion
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Taro’s work has always been heavily influenced by the work of Hideaki Anno, and Neon Genesis Evangelion especially. He’s one of the few auteur directors in video games who is willing to offer up truly harrowing and contemplative stories that ask massive questions about the nuanced nature of humanity, our world, and the place we occupy within it.
Games like Drakengard or Nier: Automata are uncompromisingly beautiful experiences, but they also are not afraid to make players feel uncomfortable or ask them to look far beyond the art itself to consider the bigger picture. How our own world has become one twistedly obsessed with conflict and devoid of empathy when it often proves to be the most powerful tool we have.
Moments in Nier: Automata and Drakengard mirror parts of End of Evangelion exactly, such as an otherworldly being emerging in the middle of Tokyo at the end of Drakengard’s secret ending to both destroy humanity and usher in the events of the original Nier. Or 2B choking an immensely corrupt version of 9S to death during the final moments of Automata’s initial ending, before releasing that the two share a human bond that can’t be thrown away, even if the world around them offers so little to fight for.
Considering the influence of Evangelion that so obviously permeates through his body of work, if Taro’s past work is anything to go by, I can trust him to carry this universe into an unknown future. He is the one to give voice and purpose to new and existing characters even if it dares change resolutions that once felt absolute.
At the end of the day, the narrative must mean something, whether it broadens to philosophical ideas at Evangelion’s core or dares to tell new stories that reflect our own world. There are so many moving parts to this property I’m both intimately familiar with and blissfully naive about, and I want to see Taro get his hands on all of them.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most beloved stories in modern Japanese history, and its global impact can’t be understated either. Even three decades after its debut, it stands as one of the most influential pieces of media of the modern age, animated or otherwise, so there is no stopping it from living on in some form.
But like all great works that attract universal levels of appreciation, there is an opportunity for it to be remixed and reimagined by generations of new creators. Hideaki Anno seems to have given his blessing, and that’s all I can ask for. If you need me, I’ll be getting in the damn robot.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
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Megumi Ogata
Shinji Ikari
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Megumi Hayashibara
Rei Ayanami
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Kotono Mitsuishi
Misato Katsuragi
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Spike Spencer
Ritsuko Akagi
