It feels like an eternity that we have been waiting for the final film in the Evangelion rebuild series. And it’s fair, given the third film of the series was released in 2012. The official website for Evangelion announced in 2021 that after two previous delays, they finally set a release date for the film. The last two dates were pushed due to both coronavirus and declarations of emergency in Japan as a result of the pandemic. The final film of the Rebuild of Evangelion series is titled, Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time.
Review
Evangelion has become a cult classic and staple of cornerstone mecha anime that has lived on through the decades since the series was first released. Famously the creator Hideaki Anno’s clinical depression and mental state heavily influenced how the story went in those final episodes of the series left many people scratching their heads. However, years later Anno announced a Rebuild series of films that would tell the story of Shinji and the Eva’s in the way he originally intended and thus here we are 16 years after the first Rebuild film came out in 2007, with the conclusion to the story.
The final film is no less heady on its psychological story elements and may require more than one watch to truly understand where it was all going but nonetheless, the conclusion that did happen for Shinji and the others was nothing short of fitting. As Anno tries to show off locals that were special to him in real life and reflect many of his own personal struggles in Shinji, the character’s story comes full circle in the final film as he comes to grips with the reality of the world and the Eva’s themselves.
The final film is just as much a story of humanity as it is about the complex science fiction that comes with it. Each character story comes to a proper conclusion with a few surprises in there as this film, like much of the last one, dives into territory the series stopped short of. It is sad that this has all come to an end, Evangelion was the very first anime that I ever watched in my 20s. It has been a huge influence on my love of anime and mecha in general. So this next statement is more than just a poster tagline.
Bye-Bye, all of Evangelion. And here is a music video tied to the title theme song of the final film, One Last Kiss.
Blu-Ray Release
Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Collectors Edition UHD release. Photo by Three If By Space 2023.
The 4K UHD Collector’s Edition of EVANGELION:3.0+1.11 THRICE UPON A TIME is a three-disc set that includes one 4K UHD disc featuring the film, a Blu-ray of the feature film, and a disc of brand-new bonus features encased in a rigid box case. Featuring both the original Japanese language version and an English dub, the set includes a 28-page book, art cards, and a poster, as well as bonus features including EVANGELION:3.0(-46h), EVANGELION:3.0(-120min.), character promotion reels, stage greeting, trailers, and more!
The Standard Blu-ray Edition of EVANGELION:3.0+1.11 THRICE UPON A TIME is a two-disc set that includes both the film and a disc of brand-new bonus features, including EVANGELION:3.0(-46h), EVANGELION:3.0(-120min.), character promotion reels, stage greeting, trailers, and more! This edition includes both the original Japanese language version and an English dub.
The Digital Download to own edition of EVANGELION:3.0+1.01 THRICE UPON A TIME will be available in both original Japanese language version and an English dub.
Courtesy of GKIDS.
