Gainax

Gainax is primarily known for their anime TV series, such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, and making movies for both their own and other studios’ series. Luckily, there was a pleasant exception to this made in 1987, where the studio ended up producing a really good movie out of the blue. The anime movies based on their series are also usually quite good, essentially none of which are suggested for children.

Hiroyuki Yamaga

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise  (1987)
Ōritsu Uchūgun: Oneamisu no Tsubasa (王立宇宙軍 オネアミスの翼)

The only stand-alone original anime movie ever to come out of Gainax is still a gem in any anime collection. Not only have the animation and sound held out fairly well over time (particularly when compared to other anime movies that came out more than 20 years ago), but the story is still as relevant and enthralling as it has ever been. The dramatic story follows a guy named Shirotsugh Lhadatt who eventually decides that he’ll be the first man in space to give his country, which in on the verge of war, something to look up to and dream about. Of course, Lhadatt runs into many issues in his training, social, and spiritual lives striving to attain his dream, and that’s where the meat of the movie comes from. A very good watch and particularly great for people who appreciate cinematic allegory. Recommended for all older anime watchers, as this movie is not appropriate or exciting enough for children.

Hideaki Anno

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone  (2007)
Evangerion Shin Gekijōban: Jo (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版: 序) (lit. “Evangelion New Theatrical Edition: Prelude”)

I saw Evangelion 1.0 in its limited North American theatrical release and was absolutely blown away. Not only is this anime graphically amazing, but the sound is even more striking. The theatre rocked with explosions and you almost felt ill seeing and hearing the often quite bloody deaths of the “angels” attacking Tokyo-3. I had had no previous experience with the story of Neon Genesis Evangelion, so I was also struck by all of the characters and their personable qualities. Funimation’s English dub of Evangelion 1.0 is as good as they get and is easily interchangeable with watching it with subtitles, and probably actually better for native English speakers. Whether or not you have experienced Neon Genesis Evangelion before, this movie cannot be recommended enough. Evangelion veterans will find that their favourite series has been very lovingly touched-up and newcomers will be astounded at the quality of this remake of the first 6 episodes in the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. This movie can be watched in an even more touched-up version called “Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone” on Blu-ray (highly recommended) or DVD. Watch this right now!

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance  (2009)
Evangerion Shin Gekijōban: Ha (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版: 破) (lit. “Evangelion New Theatrical Edition: Break”)

Once again I was privileged to catch Evangelion 2.0 on its very limited North American theatrical release and once again I was blown away. The version I saw was subtitled, which normally is recommended, but in lieu of the fantastic dub of Evangelion 1.0, I was a little disappointed that it hadn’t been given the same treatment for theatres. The animation revitalization continues to be absolutely top notch in the second entry of the series, every single part of the anime looked great. While still host to the fan service and occasional humour that the Evangelion series became known for, this is a much darker and shocking movie than the first. New characters introduced in this movie very quickly become “part of the family” and you’ll be just as enthralled with them as the returning cast. An anime delight, definitely suggested viewing, but only if you’re an adult that has seen the first movie as it is definitely much more gory and fan service heavy than the series’ first entry (who would have thought that was even possible?). Do yourself a favour and get into this series of remake movies even if you were a fan of the original anime show in 1995 as new characters and scenarios are being added to lead into an all-new ending for the series that is to be in the fourth movie.

NOTE: Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo is an inscrutable mess and purposely excluded from this guide. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.