A stunning order to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion

The order to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion explained

Neon Genesis Evangelion: watch order guide.

Neon Genesis Evangelion constitutes a pivot masterpice in the contemporary anime genre. In fact, Neon Genesis Evangelion completely deconstructs the mecha genre focusing the storytelling on the psychology of the characters. Hideaki Anno‘s anime represents a turning point for animation unmistakably imprinted by autobiographical references and psyhcological dilemmas. Considering the longevity of Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE), with the first episode aired in 1995 and the last film Rebuild Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time planned for 31 March 2021, let’s find out the right watch order of Neon Genesis Evangelion series.

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A stunning way to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE).

In case you’re running out of time, the shortest way to enjoy Neon Genesis Evangelion without losing the true essence of the animated series is:

  1. Neon Genesis Evangelion (the original series): episodes 1-20.
  2. Neon Genesis Evangelion (director’s cut): episodes 21′-24′.
  3. The End of Evangelion.
  4. Evangelion ‘rebuild’ movies. As final stage enjoy the cinematic release of Neon Genesis Evangelion rebuilds:
    • Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone (September 2007)
    • Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance (June 2009)
    • Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo (November 2012)
    • Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon a Time (March 2021)

More about Neon Genesis Evangelion series and films.

What is Evangelion: Death and Rebirth about?

Evangelion: Death and Rebirth is the first cinematic release premiered in 1997. Death, is a recap of the TV series, with the reanimation of some scenes the addition of new footage. The latter provides a new backstory, including two plot points not originally in the series that would become important to the story that would come next. There have been three versions of Death: the original, an edited version called Death (true), broadcast on Japanese TV in early 1998, and a second edit called Death (true)^2, considered the final version. The second part, Rebirth, is an all-new animation that picks up where episode 24 left off.

Should I watch The End of Evangelion?

You should watch it. Is is the second cinematic release of 1997, after Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. The End of Evangelion is split is two parts denoted as episodes 24′ and 25′. The first half of episode 25′ is the Rebirth part of Death and Rebirth with some scenes reanimated and some new music; the rest is all-new. This cinematic adaptation is important because it provides an ending reported from a different, external point of view.

Which is the difference between Director’s cut and original episodes in Neon Genesis Evangelion?

For episode 21-24 of the original series of Neon Genesis Evangelion, also a Director’s cut version has been broadcasted (referred as episodes 21′-24′). The director’s cut version are, from one to several minutes longer than the episodes of the original series. In fact, new footage and few scenes are added to increase the audience comprehension of the drama.

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Are Evangelion rebuilds connected to the original anime series?

Evangelion universe is complex. For this reason, Evangelion rebuilds should be regarded as complementary to the anime series. It’s advised to watch them after the series in order to have a better understanding of the deepest topics explored in Neon Genesis Evangelion. According to some anime fans (look for example at the loop theory of Neon Genesis Evangelion) the original series and the rebuilds are someway connected in a timeline which is not linear but repeats over and over with only small differences each time. Evangelion rebuilds titles’ also refer to this concept of time ‘You cannot Redo’ and ‘You cannot advance’.neon-genesis-evangelion-order-watch

Watch order to Evangelion fans: Neon Genesis Evangelion releases.

For full entertainment, an Evangelion fan should enjoy the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime and cinematic release in chronological release order. In fact, the most important points of Hideaki Anno’s story arise only after few rewatch of the series. Keep in mind that Neon Genesis Evangelion is a dark, someway depressing and in some cases also gruesome story. It’s a masterpiece because of the several narrative layers soaked within the storytelling which tend to overwhelm the spectator at first view impact.

Full chronological order to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion.

  • Original animated series: Neon Genesis Evangelion (26 episodes).
  • Director’s cut episodes (21′-24′).
  • Death and Rebirth (with reference to Death (true)^2).
  • The End of Evangelion.
  • Evangelion Rebuilds:

    Evangelion 1.0:  You Are (Not) Alone (September 2007), Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance (June 2009), Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo (November 2012), Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon a Time

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