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Neon Genesis Evangelion

Platinum: 01

Review by Matthew Anderson

26 Episode TV Series

Company: ADVision

Running Time: 125 minutes (5 Episodes)

Region: 1

Rating:PG-13 (Language and Violence)

EXTERNAL EXAM

According to official reports, in the year 2000, a meteor crashed into Antarctica. Called the Second Impact, this event causes massive flooding and environmental disasters all across the globe. In the resulting chaos, a new United Nations was formed, under the auspices of a group called Seele. Using information from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Seele knows that strange creatures called Angels are coming. According to the scrolls, if the angels succeed in their mission, the Earth will be destroyed.

Fifteen years later, the organization known as NERV has been created. It's purpose is to defeat the Angels by any means necessary.

Their leader, Gendo Ikari, has assembled some of the finest scientific and military minds to work on creating and maintaining the Evangelions. Using an unknown technology, these gigantic robots are the only thing that can combat this new threat.

Shinji Ikari, son of Gendo Ikari, is recruited to be the pilot of Eva unit one his father. Despite the tenuous relationship between the two, Shiji agrees to pilot the Unit One Evangelion (test type). During his first battle he meets Rei Ayanami, pilot of the prototype, Unit 0.

As Shinji adjusts to his new roll as hero, he begins to discover that his actions can affect others. Soon, he must make a decision. Stay and fight, or run away, like always.

The battle for Earth begins now.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The DVD quality is excellent. On all three of our video systems, there was nary a pixel, color bleed, or wrinkle to be found. On our Samsung, I magnified it X4, and it still was flawless. The colors are stronger and you can see some of the little details that were missing on the original DVD release. Never has Evangelion looked this good, not even on Laser Disc!

AUDIO: Just like the improved video, the audio has been amped up as well. The Japanese and English 5.1 audio tracks are superb. Both have a full bodied sound, with splendid directionality. You feel like you are actually in the EVA, it's so good.

The audio commentary on episodes one and two is pretty typical. Matt Greenfield and Spike Spencer are in the foreground, while the show barely eaks out from the back speakers.

EDITS: The Opening and closing themes use the "clean" versions, replacing the Japanese titles with English. Other than that, every single edit made in the original ADV DVD release has been restored. The original Japanese episode titles are back. The crappy overlays are gone. The original music for the next episode segment is back. In fact, in a reverse edit, they have re-recorded the "Next Episode" segments. Even Hideaki Anno's name has been restored to the opening animation.

EXTRAS: The only bitter taste on an otherwise perfect platter. We have the clean open and close, along with audio commentary by Matt Greenfield on episode one, and Matt and Spike on episode 2. Pretty standard fare.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: One of the best written series of all time. Credit is due largely to series creator and director Hediaki Anno (who also worked on the movie) and his group of script writers. This series is hard core science fiction. The scripts tackle a wide range of topics, and they pull no punches. From nerve wracking fights, to X-Files paranoia, this series will keep you riveted to your seat.

ACTING: The English dub is absolutely wonderful. Every voice fits each character. They are distinctive, and easy to tell who is who. Amanda Winn is perfect as Rei Ayanami. She does a fantastic job at keeping the low, quite tone needed for her character. Cheers for Spike Spencer for his awesome Shinji!

As much as I love the English dub, the Japanese cast is also excellent. Since this is how we saw the series the first time around, they hold a special place in our hearts. There are times when the actors voices don't match the urgency of the scene, but most of the time, they are right on the emotional mark.

FAN SERVICE: Nothing really in this episode except for a couple of tame shots of Misato leaning over or taking a bath. You do get to see Shinji's bony butt a little, but that's about it.

FINAL EXAM

When Evangelion hit the scene in Japan, it was the re-birth of the giant robot genre. Taking the standard plot devices of the brave hero, philanthropic father figure, and sexy assistant, Evangelion added a dysfunctional twist. The hero was not brave, the father was a jerk, and the sexy assistant had her own demons to exorcise. This tale of complex human emotion, combined with hard hitting robot combat, guaranteed it's place in the anime history books.

[EDITORS NOTE: To those of you who are new to Evangelion, please check out our reviews of the original 8 volume DVD release from ADV, and our reviews of the movies "Death and Rebirth" and "End of Evangelion" released by Manga Entertainment.]

When ADV brought the original TV broadcast version to the US, American's got caught up in the EVA craze. It's intelligent writing, hard core sci-fi, and excellent acting reminded many of why they got into anime in the first place. When ADV released this landmark series on DVD, not everyone was happy with the presentation. The video jittered, they used crappy overlays, ADV eliminated most of the Japanese text, and the color was washed out. Even the re-release of some of the earlier volumes failed to sate their desire to see EVA the way is was meant to be, crisp, clean, and un-edited.

Testing the water with their big toe, ADV released the last two volumes in a "Director's Cut" edition. While the DC versions provided some much needed insight, the presentation was not what people were expecting. Things did look better, but they still were not up to par. This didn't seem to matter as the DVD's flew off the shelf faster than Unit 1 in a launch harness. People could not get enough Evangelion, even though almost 10 years had past since the original airing.

When ADV announced the release of the "Platinum Edition" I was a little skeptical. Having been disappointed with the "Directors Cut", I wondered if re-master really meant improved.

It's time for me to eat crow, a whole plate full.

The transfer is gorgeous. Better than VHS! Better than Laser Disc! Better than any DVD that came before it. The colors are bright, not washed out at all. The details are fine, with no noticeable edge enhancement. There are no pixels or artifacts that were noticeable. The picture is a little darker than the original release, but it helps add to the dire tone of the series. I really need to get a plasma screen TV so I can really experience the beauty of this transfer.

The audio is also fantastic. Both the English and Japanese 5.1 will blow the door to your video room off the hinges. Considering that these are the same audio tracks from the original 2.0 versions, you have to give the recording engineers credit for all their hard work.

The extras are cool, but for a name like "Platinum" I would have liked more. Things like outtakes, interviews with the voice actors, original Japanese promotional material, or more sneak peeks at the live action Evangelion movie. I did enjoy the audio commentary, but I found myself wishing it had gone more than two episodes. I'm a little disappointed, but with the improved audio and video, I got over it.

So, those of you (like myself) who spent the $200 or so dollars for the original release, may be wondering if it's worth the investment to spend another $200 on this version. The answer is an unequivocal....yes. This is the best way to see the series, period. How can you not?

Here is a suggestion to lessen the sting. After you buy the Platinum version, donate your original to those who are less fortunate. That way, you get the series the way it's supposed to be, and you can hook another on this particular anime drug.

Simply put, Neon Genesis Evangelion-Platinum:01 is sublime. This is a close to perfect as you will get. I am now ready for the third impact!

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