Shinseiki Evangelion Movie: Air/Magokoro wo, Kimi ni

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Shinseiki Evangelion Gekijouban: The End of Evangelion, EoE

Japanese: 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン劇場版 Air / まごころを, 君に

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Information

Type: Movie

Episodes: 1

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Jul 19, 1997

Producers: TV Tokyo, Toei Animation, Kadokawa Shoten, Movic, Sega, TV Tokyo Music, King Records, Audio Tanaka

Licensors: GKIDS

Studios: Gainax, Production I.G

Source: Original

Genres: Action, Avant Garde, Drama, Sci-Fi, Suspense

Themes: Mecha, Psychological

Duration: 1 hr. 26 min.

Rating: R+ - Mild Nudity

Statistics

Score: 8.55¹ (scored by 621,089 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #103²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #173

Members: 930,287

Favorites: 29,008

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@evangelion_co

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Streaming Platforms

Netflix

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8.55

Ranked #103Popularity #173Members 930,287

MovieGainax, Production I.G

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Episodes: /1

Trailer English Dub

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Synopsis

Shinji Ikari is left emotionally comatose after the death of a dear friend. With his son mentally unable to pilot the humanoid robot Evangelion Unit-01, Gendou Ikari's NERV races against the shadow organization SEELE to see who can enact their ultimate plan first. SEELE desires to create a godlike being by fusing their own souls into an Evangelion unit, while Gendou wishes to revert all of humanity into one primordial being so that he can be reunited with Yui, his deceased wife.

SEELE unleashes its military forces in a lethal invasion of NERV headquarters. As SEELE's forces cut down NERV's scientists and security personnel, Asuka Langley Souryuu pilots Evangelion Unit-02 in a desperate last stand against SEELE's heaviest weaponry.

The battle rages on, and a depressed Shinji hides deep within NERV's headquarters. With the fate of the world resting in Shinji's hands, Captain Misato Katsuragi hunts for the teenage boy as society crumbles around them.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Shinseiki Evangelion Movie: Air/Magokoro wo, Kimi ni is an alternate version of the series ending, which either supplements or replaces episodes 25 and 26, depending on how they are viewed.

The movie was awarded the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize for 1997, the Japan Academy Prize for Biggest Public Sensation of the Year, and Special Audience Choice Award by the 1997 Animation Kobe.

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Related Anime

Prequel:

Shinseiki Evangelion

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Souryuu, Asuka Langley

Main

Miyamura, Yuko
Japanese

Ayanami, Rei

Main

Hayashibara, Megumi
Japanese

Ikari, Shinji

Main

Ogata, Megumi
Japanese

Katsuragi, Misato

Main

Mitsuishi, Kotono
Japanese

Nagisa, Kaworu

Supporting

Ishida, Akira
Japanese

Pen Pen

Supporting

Hayashibara, Megumi
Japanese

Ikari, Gendou

Supporting

Tachiki, Fumihiko
Japanese

Kaji, Ryouji

Supporting

Yamadera, Kouichi
Japanese

Akagi, Ritsuko

Supporting

Yamaguchi, Yuriko
Japanese

Ibuki, Maya

Supporting

Nagasawa, Miki
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Ishikawa, Mitsuhisa

Producer

Anno, Hideaki

Director, Storyboard, Theme Song Lyrics, Creator, Music, Screenplay, Mechanical Design, Animation Director, Key Animation

Tsurumaki, Kazuya

Director

Tanaka, Hideyuki

Sound Director

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Opening Theme

No opening themes have been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding an opening theme here.

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Ending Theme

"Thanatos -If I Can't Be Yours-" by Loren & Mash

Reviews

Apr 26, 2008

TheLlama

Recommended

[Spoiler Warning]

After watching the final episodes of the original Evangelion series, I was really baffled. What happened? I understood that it all took place in Shinji's mind, but that's about it. Where was the ending? What really happened?

Those answers are provided by End of Evangelion. We get an alternate retelling of the two last episodes, outside Shinji's mind. From the awakening of Lilith to the result of the Instrumentality, we get to see it all. Of course, there's a lot of moments which are confusing (this is Evangelion, after all), but you kinda get a better understanding of everything that happened. Oh, and for the ...

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Jun 20, 2014

2deep4me

Mixed Feelings

“Man is spirit. But what is spirit? Spirit is the self. But what is the self? The self is a relation which relates itself to its own self, or it is that in the relation [which accounts for it] that the relation relates itself to its own self; the self is not the relation but [consists in the fact] that the relation relates itself to its own self. Man is a synthesis of the infinite and the finite, of the temporal and the eternal, of freedom and necessity; in short, it is a synthesis. A synthesis is a relation between two factors. So regarded, man ... is not yet a self.”

If you do not understand the quotation above, it is doubtful you truly understand The End of Evangelion. Does this mean you are an idiot? No. Both Kierkegaard and Anno use flowery, pretentious language. Instead of getting to the point, they use convoluted phrases to give the impression of depth.

The End of Evangelion. This film, like the anime series, has its fair share of fans and critics. Although this reviewer liked the film, which does not mean he necessarily enjoyed all of it, he belongs to the latter group. From its incoherent narrative to its plot holes to its implausibility—let us not forget clichés and contrivances—the film is riddled with flaws; this is an undeniable fact. Were it not Evangelion, it is reasonable to assume the film would have been met with a negative reaction upon release.

Let us be honest. Several reviewers on here, as well as fans in general, were disappointed with the ending of the series. People were confused on what actually happened and did not like the philosophy and psychological introspection; the finale seemed to be a departure from the already established storytelling format—and it was. The End of Evangelion, the alternate ending, is no different in this regard, so it is puzzling why fans accepted it.

The film has the same structure as the series: the first half is typical fare, and the conclusion goes into an overload of philosophy (but with more visuals). As with the original ending, existential themes are explored. Philosophical discussion is welcomed, but only if it serves a purpose. It does not. The ending—no, the film itself—is controversial and for good cause. Many of the scenes, and the ending itself, are ambiguous. Hideaki Anno did not bring closure to his story: people still have no clue what happened or what it all means. (According to MAL reviewer Kajia, even the DVD commentators could not comprehend several scenes.)

Anyone who states they understand the true meaning (the intended interpretation) behind the film is a liar. Without input from the director, we cannot know. This is not a flaw, but a positive characteristic. The beauty of The End of Evangelion is you are allowed to take what you want from the film, and your viewing experience depends entirely upon your past and knowledge base. If the film changed your life, if your interpretation of the film differs from others, or if you believe the film is nonsensical, that is fine. No one can say you are wrong. With that said, an interpretation of the message(s) behind the film will be given. (Do not read any further if you have not watched the film.)

From the beginning, Neon Genesis Evangelion has provided commentary on humanity and life. Continuing on from the series, Shinji, the protagonist, struggles with determining whether his life is worth living, although it does seem he is quite resolute on ‘no’ for the majority of the film. It is only when circumstances—no, the world—changes Shinji realizes it is better to keep living and within the company of others. He is essentially embracing the absurd: he understands he will keep attempting to find meaning but will never be able to find any. It is better to live a life without meaning rather than not live at all, even if we are miserable.

The goal of the Human Instrumentality Project is to merge all souls or individual consciousness into one entity, one consciousness. No individuality—just sameness. No conflict, no pain, no struggle for identity. This seems like a good thing, right? Wrong. Life is a continuous struggle for identity, and conflict & pain are inevitable. Shinji realizes this and rejects Instrumentality. Multiple individual existences can be born once again from the single entity, given that people realize what differentiates themselves from others; in other words, they must find their self.

"How disgusting." This final remark is not directed at Shinji but rather humanity. Hideaki Anno does not like that society forces us to be what we are not (inauthentic self) instead of what we actually are (authentic self). We are all pressured to act a certain way, even though these behaviors are not true to ourselves. We act for them (the they-self) rather than for our self. Our personality or mindset is shaped by the collective; our identity is created for us. Anno thinks we should create our own identity, not be easily influenced by society, and remain true to our self, living authentically rather than inauthentically.

There is disagreement over character development in the film. Some reviewers claimed the characters did not develop in the series but did in the film. No. This reviewer does not hold to this belief. In the series, their development was directly related to their mental state. We observed how the characters' mental condition deteriorated. The series served as a character study, and the characters were great and realistic. (Those who suffer from depression or emotional problems do not recover easily. Without help, their condition can easily become worse.) In the film, there was character development, but it was limited to Shinji and Rei. Shinji became more disturbed (the infamous scene) and Rei became independent, no longer a puppet to Gendo. Asuka's recovery should not be accepted as character development: it was a contrivance.

The philosophy, symbolism, and unclear ending are the reasons why this film is still actively discussed. The aforementioned elements made The End of Evangelion an influential film, but not a masterpiece. Furthermore, the philosophy was incorporated to make the film look cool. It was redundant and often jumped from concept to concept. The original ending, although repetitive as well, is the superior ending. It provided for an interesting meditation on individuality, bad faith, Dasein (authentic self), and das Man (inauthentic self) through psychology.

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Feb 21, 2014

vivafruit1

Not Recommended

Story

The story starts in a fairly disorienting manner and then moves quickly from there. After about 20 minutes of confusion, however, the anime soon finds its feet and I began to be able to follow what was going on. At around 40 minutes in I was actually somewhat interested... and then, the anime falls apart under its own philosophical weight. Apparently, the creators of this anime thought that they could substitute all semblences of plot with random scenes that supposedly have symbolic meaning. A quote from Roger Ebert's movie glossary comes to mind: "If you have to ask what it symbolizes, it didnt."

I have seen ... this movie several times, and still cannot enjoy the film one iota. I do not believe that it is because I didn't "get" the film; I believe that there is quite simply nothing to get. Certain Neon Genesis Evangelion fanboys have gotten a huge kick out of analyzing the show and attempting to fabricate some sort of interpretation of the events that transpire, but in my opinion this is a futile endeavor. The shows plot was deliberately made incomprehensible for incomprehensibilitys sake; there is no meaning to the show other than to have no meaning whatsoever.

The difference between this film and other virtually indecipherable anime (see: Cat Soup, Paprika) is that End of Evangelion pretentiously demands interpretation.There is nothing to entertain the viewer beyond the movie's pompous symbolism, and this is the film's downfall.

Animation

Generally, the animation is pretty damn good. Because of the film's obviously larger budget, End of Evangelion improves on the excellent original character designs with greatly improved fluidity and backgrounds. A sequence near the end, where iridescent crosses spring from Earth, is one of the nicer pieces of eye candy that I have seen. Another highlight is Asuka's central fight midway through the show, which oozes with perfectly stylized violence.

The awesome animation is marred, however, by two dreadfully awful sequences. In one scene, the "anime" is not animated at all. Instead, a person with a low budget camcorder randomly wanders around town, filming things like empty movie theatres. This comes as quite a shock midway through and manages to come across as exceedingly ugly. Many people I have spoke with have tried to defend the scene by citing its symbolic meaning, but all of them have given me different answers. Ultimately, the sequence is a jarring break from the continuity of the animation, and definitely hurts both the show's pacing and overall video quality.

In another scene, there is a horrendously long sequence in which thousands of still frames are flashed across the screen at a mind-numbing rate. Never before have I had to sit through such an obviously expensive, thoroughly pointless, and horrifically painful section in anime.

Sound

In general, I found the sound to be pretty much flawless. The music does a pretty good job of setting the mood even as the story is falling apart, and voice acting is still excellent. Sound effects, particularly in Asukas battle, are nicely done.

Characters

Some may disagree, but I thought the original characters of Evangelion were excellent. All of them were almost perfectly imperfect, and as a result managed to capture some of the darkest parts of the human soul. While none of the characters were particularly likeable, every single one was captivating in their infinite flaws.These promising characters, however, are pretty much destroyed in the treadmill of an awful story. By the end of the show, just about every single individual has lost his or her humanity; their actions no longer reflect any semblence of logic or compassion. Forget character development - this is an anime about action figures.Because of this, what was arguably Neon Genesis Evangelions greatest strength becomes End of Evangelions biggest fault.

Overall

I went into this anime genuinely hoping that at last I would find a little closure to Evangelion. Instead, I got this. Deliberately plotless, the creators apparantly assumed that they could pass off mindless and pointless scenes under the pretense of "art." A huge budget is wasted, a good storyline is desecrated, and one of the most promising animes of 1997 is put to shame. Pretentious and disappointing, End of Evangelion is certainly down there among some of the worst anime that I have seen.

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Shinseiki Evangelion Movie: Air/Magokoro wo, Kimi ni

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