Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (2009)

Under constant attack by Angels, NERV introduces two new pilots: the mysterious Makinami Mari Illustrous and the intense Asuka Langley Shikinami. Parallel to the incursion, Gendo Ikari and ... See full summary »

Directors:

Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki

Writer:

Hideaki Anno (screenplay)

Stars:

Kotono Mitsuishi, Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kotono Mitsuishi	...	Misato Katsuragi (voice)
Megumi Ogata	...	Shinji Ikari (voice)
Megumi Hayashibara	...	Rei Ayanami / Pen Pen / Yui Ikari (voice)
Yûko Miyamura	...	Asuka Langley Shikinami (voice)
Fumihiko Tachiki	...	Gendo Ikari (voice)
Yuriko Yamaguchi	...	Ritsuko Akagi (voice)
Maaya Sakamoto	...	Mari Illustrious Makinami (voice)
Miki Nagasawa	...	Maya Ibuki (voice)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Ryoji Kaji (voice)
Motomu Kiyokawa	...	Kouzou Fuyutsuki (voice)
Hiro Yûki	...	Makoto Hyuga (voice)
Takehito Koyasu	...	Shigeru Aoba (voice)
Tetsuya Iwanaga	...	Kensuke Aida (voice)
Tomokazu Seki	...	Toji Suzuhara (voice)
Mugihito	...	Kiel Lorenz (voice)

Storyline

Under constant attack by Angels, NERV introduces two new pilots: the mysterious Makinami Mari Illustrous and the intense Asuka Langley Shikinami. Parallel to the incursion, Gendo Ikari and SEELE proceed the secret project that involves both Rei and Shinji.

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Plot Keywords:

older actors younger roles | giant robot | based on tv series | anime | dead mother | 

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Taglines:

In The War Between Heaven and Earth, Salvation is Machine.

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

This change in the Asuka's last name seems to establish a link between surname initials of the three female pilots presented in the film: Ayanami,Shikinami and Makinami.

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Goofs

Azuka is cooking, in the scene there is a pot on the stove, Misato comes to see what happens, from the Misato's POV, Azuka is holding the pot, but in the next shot, the pot is in the same position.

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Quotes

Ryoji Kaji: [Shows up behind Ritsuko] You lost a little weight, huh, Ritsu?
Ritsuko Akagi: Nice try, but I gained more than I'd like to admit.
Ryoji Kaji: Maybe you're just wearing too many clothes.
Ritsuko Akagi: I'd show you, but this room's being monitored.
Ryoji Kaji: Was monitored. I replaced the main feed with a loop.
Ritsuko Akagi: Thoroughly prepared as always, huh?
Ryoji Kaji: Hey, when I play, I play to win.
Ritsuko Akagi: But you've lost.
[an angry Misato watches from the window]
Ritsuko Akagi: You should've covered the windows too.

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits, there is a scene where EVA-01 is pierced with the LLance of Longinus, thrown by Kaworu Nagisa piloting the Evangelion Mark.06, who says that he will show Shinji "true happiness."

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Connections

Referenced in Super Robot Wars X-Omega (2015)

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Soundtracks

Beautiful World -PLANiTb Acoustica Mix
Performed by Hikaru Utada

User Reviews

The best Evangelion yet

This review is based on the Blu-Ray release version 2.22

Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance (or 2.22 depending on the version you saw) is the most successful interpretation of Evangelion thus far. While the first remake film 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone felt much like a mere recap of the first six episodes of the series, the second film takes a different approach and reaches a remarkable level of success. Everything is smoother, more refined and simply better.

The animation is gorgeous. The plot is more understandable. The characters are actually all likable this time. Many elements of the story are different, and the pretentious biblical gibberish seems to have taken a back seat. There is also warmth that was largely missing in the series: the characters seem to be genuinely content with their lives. Shinji isn't constantly mumbling about hating himself. Rei isn't a completely emotionless robot. Even Gendo seems more human. As a very small, but important detail we see his eyes through his shades far more than in the series, which may not sound like much, but it really makes a difference if you've watched the series.

The story remains mostly the same. The events cover mostly what happens in the episodes 7-19 of the series, but with all the filler cut out. Only the most meaningful angel battles are left. Instead of feeling episodic like the first film, 2.0 actually feels like a proper movie with appropriate highs and lows and character development, culminating in a huge climax which is one of the most exciting action sequences ever seen in animation.

The animation is top of the class. The level of detail is simply eye- popping, especially when watched in HD. With the help of CGI the angel battles look cooler than ever, and the evas are particularly impressive. The fairly simplistic characters are something of a letdown in comparison, but don't drag the overall presentation down.

The sound is also vastly improved from the series. The music this time is appropriately epic, matching the scale and size of the evas and angels. The voice acting is on par with the series with most of the original cast reprising their roles. The ending song, an acoustic version of Utada Hikaru's "Beautiful World" feels perfect for the film, as if letting out a sigh of relief yet still leaving the feeling there's more to come.

Yet there are still problems Evangelion can't seem to get rid of. The biblical imagery and names, though downplayed in this film, still feel somewhat goofy and superficial. Though the plot is more coherent, it still is very weird and it can be hard to grasp what exactly the big picture is. There is some weird dialogue and lines like "Do you hate pain?". Still, the rest of the film is good enough that the viewer is willing to overlook most of the flaws.

Evangelion 2.0 is the best interpretation of the series thus far, and it left me eagerly waiting for more. I recommend seeing the 2.22 version, as it gives more insight to the characters and story. Highly recommended for both fans of the series and newcomers alike.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese German

Release Date:

27 June 2009 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$84,157, 23 January 2011

Gross USA:

$133,640

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$41,177,742

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gainax, Khara Corporation, Studio Khara Digital-bu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min (extended cut) 108 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX DTS (DTS HD Master Audio) Dolby (Dolby TrueHD)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1