The legacy of Neon Genesis Evangelion may have ended with its 26-episode run back in 1996, but its status as a cult classic has well withstood the trial of time. Following the release of two feature-length movies under the “Revival of Evangelion” line-up, the anime saw another adaptation in the form of 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (2007), 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, and 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012).
With Evangelion 3.0 + 1.01 Thrice Upon A Time, the “Rebuild of Evangelion” slate of films will officially be coming to an end. The film, which is the final entry of the adaptation series, was finally released in Japan in March this year after a delay past its original 2020 release date, but international audiences won’t have to wait long to witness the last stages of Shinji’s journey, courtesy of Amazon Prime Video.
The movie is set to make its way to the streamer on 13 August 2021, marking its global premiere in over 240 countries and territories. Additionally, the previous three films will also be available for streaming on the service on the same day.
Amazon’s acquisition of Thrice Upon a Time and its predecessors deals a blow to its competition, especially where Netflix’s anime empire is concerned. To miss out on more Evangelion titles is quite the loss for the latter, considering the extensive and massive influence of the series.
Evangelion 3.0 + 1.01 Thrice Upon A Time features Hikaru Utada’s “One Last Kiss” as part of the OST, and will follow Misato Katsuragi and her anti-Nerv group as they arrive Paris, which is suffering from the effects of core-isation. While the trailer doesn’t give away too much plot, we see glimpses of Shinji, Asuka Langley, and Gendo Ikari, as well as a fight between two Eva units, possibly suggesting some sort of internal conflict.
North American audiences, meanwhile, can expect a Blu-ray release sometime this year – a first for the series. Set to be distributed by GKIDS Films, the collection will include all 26 episodes of the original anime, alongside the two “Revival of Evangelion” movies: Evangelion: Death (True)² and The End of Evangelion.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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