Sequel to Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone
Genre(s): Mecha, Psychological, Drama, Sci-Fi, Action
Age-Appropriateness: 17+ (Violence, gore, language, brief partial nudity)
Platforms: None
Episodes: One 1 hr. 50 min. movie
TheAwersome Rating: 8.8 / 10 (Here we go!)
Premise: When the threat of the Angel menace escalates, mankind’s defense force is pushed to its limits, with Nerv at the forefront of the struggle. Shinji Ikari and his partner Rei Ayanami are assisted by two new pilots: the fiery Asuka Langley Shikinami and the mysterious Mari Illustrious Makinami. With the aid of their mechanized Evangelion units, equipped with weapons perfect for engaging their monstrous opponents, the four young souls fight desperately to protect their loved ones and prevent an impending apocalypse. But when startling secrets are brought to light, will the heroes’ greatest challenge prove to be the monsters…or humanity itself?
TheAwersome’s Thoughts: The first Rebuild movie was mostly showing us the stage as we already know it from the series, with a few twists. In this second one we get some new characters, and everything changes heavily from the main series, setting this apart as its own version. Not having to speed through previously seen events, the pacing is much better in this movie than in 1.11, so you can relax into it a bit. Which is very good because we get a good amount of character exploration which lets us see how this time around certain characters are just a bit different, and how that affects the trajectory of the story.
Action sequences are very impressive; the unsettling moments are amped up so much that I literally pulled a muscle in my neck recoiling in horror at one of the scenes. Get ready to get swept up in the moments with full body goosebumps and shaking hands as Evangelion 2.22 brings the best that Evangelion has yet to offer.
TLDR: Now that the Rebuild’s own different story is rolling, you’ll be on the edge of your seat (or hiding behind it).
I have to say, I really appreciated some of the changes that were made in this compared to the original chain of events in the series. I feel the changes made certain scenes far more impactful for character growth and helped focus the series’ characters that much more. Again, in theaters it was released as Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, but then for the Blu-ray/DVD release there were some minor improvements/tweaks so they rename it for kicks and giggles.
There is a a sequel movie Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo.
At a Glance Anime 