MickM

I read the great reviews of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion - Resurrection (Director's Cut, Episodes 21-23)' and also 'Neon Genesis Evangelion - Genesis Reborn (Director's Cut, Episodes 24-26)'.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=14978
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=15321

I'm new to anime and, with the current DDD 20% off sale, I'm going to buy the full platinum set. However, I have a couple questions first. The platinum vol6 includes both the original 21-23 and the directors cut 21-23. That's great! However, the platinum vol7 includes the original and directors cut of episode 24, but only the originals of the hotly controversial concluding episodes 25-26. I read that the directors cut versions of 25-26 went a very long way to improving these two episodes, so I think I'm bummed the platinum vol7 doesn't include these too. My solution to this is to also purchase the movie 'Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion' which I hear is a virtual replacement for those last 2 episodes which also did a better job on closing out the series. My question is - is that movie very different from the director's cut versions of 25-26? If so, that would make it THREE different versions of 25-26 out there!

Thanks,

Mick.

Liquid Death

I've only seen Eps 25 & 26 from the original release of NGE and End of Evangelion, and they're completely different (not so much in terms of the end result, but the perspectives). If you're a fan of Evangelion, you'd want both.

John Sinnott

Well, I liked the director's cut of 25 and 26 more than the original version. I thought it explained things a little better, but it could be that I had finally watched the last two episodes enough the finally understand it. The fact that both versions are on the DC disc is a great plus.

I agree with Liquid, the movie is different than the ending of the series, and you'll want both. I know I'm glad that I have both in my collection. What I would do if I was buying these for the first time is get the Plat ed' 1-6 and the DC of 7. (I haven't been reviewing the Plat editions, so I'm assuming that you're correct about the DC's of the last two episodes not being included.) I'd also get the movie, which was available from Columbia House last time I checked. It might be cheaper going that route to get it.

If you are thinking about getting a box set of the Platinum edition, where you can't leave the last disc off, you might want to get that, and wait for the DC until the next sale if $ is tight. After all, the original versions of the last two episodes were what fans saw for years. Just a suggestion though.

I hope you enjoy the series. It is masterful in my opinion. I love the way it starts off being a typical kids-piloting-mecha story and slowly turns into something much more deep and complex. It's so well done that you don't notice it happening.

Hope this helps,

-John

MickM

Thanks very much to both of you for your replies. So, it really does look like there are 3 versions of the ending (last two episodes 25-26) - the original episodes, the director's cut episodes and the movie. It still bums me up that the platinum v7 has both versions of only episode 24 (especially given that platinum v6 has both versions of all 3 of its episodes). It's almost as though the producers wanted to make a purist statement about the ending. Anyway, one negative about the director's cut of the last 3 episodes (Genesis Reborn) is that it's surround sound audio instead of the full 5.1 on the rest of the platinum series.

I must say I'm specifically drawn to this series because I'm into thought provoking stuff. So I'll take your advice (and then some) and buy all 3 versions, money isn't a factor - not on father's day anyway ;-). And if this is like my investment experiences, we can all expect the cheaper platinum box set to be released in a couple weeks from now...

This will be the first anime I've watched since (gulp) Astro Boy when I was a kid!!

GHackmann

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm under the impression that the Director's Cut versions of the last two episodes (25 and 26) have only minor touch-ups from the original broadcast versions, and so the Platinum set includes only the Director's Cut version of these episodes. That's what the liner notes say, anyway.

If that's the case, then there's absolutely no reason to buy anything but the Platinum edition (to get the mildly touched-up versions of the last two episodes) and End of Evangelion (for the completely different, feature-length alternate ending).

Be warned that the two Evangelion movies were released by a different company from the TV series, so there's no way to get the digitally-restored versions of the movies in North America. (In fact, as far as I know, there's no way to get them anywhere with English subtitles.) The movie's in non-anamorphic widescreen; and to add insult to injury, Manga put the subtitles on the black bars, so if you have a widescreen TV you can't just zoom in and crop the black bars off.

MickM

GHackmann: If you're right then you just saved me buying a redundant dvd! The review of Platinum v7 at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=15321 seems to imply only the director's cut of episode 24, but perhaps I'm misinterpreting. Either way, I just placed my 20%-off DDD order for platinum 1-7 and the movie End of Evangelion (but not Genesis Reborn as I had previously said I would) for a cool $130...

I just looked on eBay and see active bids on just the platinum v1-7 for $120 - and the set is USED!!!

My final question - is this something my 14yo daughter might be interested in watching with me? I hear this series might be way out of her league (intellectually and maturity wise).

Thanks again - you guys have really helped me out.

GHackmann

The DVD Talk review is actually the first I've heard about the last two episodes having substantial changes -- I've always heard that there were superficial changes but nothing that anyone would notice. I guess the best way to tell is for someone who has the second ("Genesis Reborn") release of the last disc to post the runtimes of episodes 25 & 26.

The TV series is probably OK for your daughter, with a warning that the violence in a couple of episodes is a little intense, and there's a little non-sexual nudity and some strongly implied (though not explicit) sexual tension running throughout the series. (ADV rates it 15+, which is probably a good indicator of whether or not it's age-appropriate.) You should definitely screen the movie first, since it's got some scenes with coarse language, graphic violence, and sexual content.

Liquid Death

From animeondvd's review of NGE: Genesis Reborn:

The final official directors cut episode and the last two that were also slightly tweaked brings Evangelion, once more, to a close.

From reading their review of Platinum 7, it doesn't seem clear if 25 & 26 are the DCs or not, but with only minor tweaks, I'm not sure I'd buy both to find out.

John Sinnott

The changes in the DC of the last two episodes are minor....additional text card inserted here and there if I recall correctly. There isn't minutes of extra scenes. I did find these changes very helpful in understanding these episodes though. (Of course, when you only have one neuron firing, you need all the help you can get.)

As for your 14 YO, that depends a lot on her maturity level and what you'd like her to see. There are some intense scenes, some of the good guys get beaten up so badly that they end up in the hospital, for example. Most of the main characters have emotional problems that are fairly significant too. The show has a part that looks at suicide and the effects on the survivors for example. The thing about the violence is that it's a little intense in an emotional sense, not just becasue of splattered blood.

Reading over this reply I've made the series sound darker than it is. This isn't a major part of the show, but it is there. Just wanted to warn you.

You got a good deal on the series Mick! You'll have to let us know what you thought of it after you've finished watching it all.

Josh Z

To elaborate on this a little, the last 2 episodes and the End of Evangelion movie take place concurrently, that is they show different events that are happening at the same time as one another. They are very different from one another and you need to see both to get the full story.

You can skip the Death & Rebirth movie, however, which is just a clip-show of important moments from the series with the first half hour of End of Evangelion tacked on to the end.

Randy Miller III

I can't really comment, since my head exploded after watching them all in succession.

AmonTwin

So let me make sure I understand this correctly. If I have the Platinum Collection, I do NOT need Resurrection as everything on it is duplicated on Vol. 6 of Platinum and I do not necessarily need Genesis Reborn either as the DC changes are very minor in Ep. 25 and 26. So far so good right? So where do the two movies fit in? Death & Rebirth is completely redundant if you have the Platinum set, but End of Evangelion sheds some light on the series and is needed, correct?

I only ask because I apparently have all of the above - the Platinum Collection, Resurrection, Genesis Reborn, and the two movies. I don't recall ever purchasing the two DC discs and I haven't even opened them. I am just making sure I got it right so that I can maybe try and return/exchange whatever I don't need. After reading the posts above, I am planning to return Resurrection, Genesis Reborn and Death & Rebirth at this point and keeping End of Evangelion, but just wanted to be absolutely sure....

Sorry for rehashing such an old topic, but any clarification would be greatly appreciated....

GHackmann

Correct.

I haven't seen Death & Rebirth, but I understand that it's just a recap with tiny, tiny amounts of new animation that aren't worth keeping the movie over unless you're a completist.

End of Evangelion is literally a feature-length alternate ending to the series done with much higher budget. Its content is completely seperate from what's on the Platinum Collection. In other words, keep it. (Whether it "sheds light on" the series or just obscures it further is debatable, though . . .)