On Monday, the Neon Genesis Evangelion website released an exciting update: “Production of a completely new Evangelion series has begun.”
The new production will be from Studio Khara x CloverWorks, with Yoko Taro (NieR franchise) writing the script. Kazuya Tsurumaki (FLCL, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX) and Toru Yatabe (Chainsaw Man, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX) will direct, and Keiichi Okabe (Tekken, NieR franchise) will handle music.
The news follows the Evangelion:30+; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion festival in Yokohama, Japan, which celebrated the iconic anime in all its glory.
Neon Genesis Evangelion doesn’t need much introduction. The original 26-episode series ran from 1995-1996 and has been heralded as a “deconstruction” of the mecha genre, amassing a huge fandom for its incredible storytelling.
It’s also one of the first anime I ever saw, albeit unknowingly; my uncle would rent the VHS tapes from Blockbuster (when it still existed in my neighborhood) when I was a baby.
Following controversy over the series finale, Evangelion been rebooted through the Rebuild of Evangelion run from 2007 to 2021. The newly-announced series marks the first time an Evangelion series will not be written by series creator Hideaki Anno.
The passing of Evangelion to Yoko Taro of NieR fame for potential reinterpretation and/or extension feels similar to the generational shifting of Mobile Suit Gundam. At time of writing, there have been no details about the new series revealed. But with Taro, Tsurumaki, and Yatabe’s involvement, I can only guess it will be centered around themes of humanity, identity, morality, and possibly even the meaning of good and evil.
Then again, things could also go a completely different direction. The series could even explore one of time cycles implied by 2021’s Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.
Are you excited about a new Evangelion series? How do you feel about this announcement? Let us know down in the comments!
Source: evangelion.jp
