SciFi Japan

    EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE Press Notes

    Source: FUNimation Entertainment, NTV (Nippon Television Network) Official Movie Site: Evangelion 1.0 (US), evangelion.co.jp (Japan) Special Thanks to Jackie Smith

    On October 4, 1995, the animated TV series NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (Shin Seiki Evangelion) premiered on the Japanese station TV Tokyo. Produced by the animation studio Gainax Co., Ltd., EVANGELION started slowly in the ratings but soon became a international hit that spun off successful videos, books, and toys as well as two feature films; EVANGELION: DEATH AND REBIRTH (Shin Seiki Evangelion Gekiji-ban: Shito Shinsei, 1997) and THE END OF EVANGELION (Shin Seiki Evangelion Gekijo-ban: Air/Magokoro wo, Kimi ni, 1997). A decade later, the franchise returned to theaters with EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Jo), the first of four new movies labeled the "Rebuild of Evangelion" (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban) series. The movie immediately shot to the top of the Japanese box office, as did the second chapter, EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Ha), this past summer. The third and fourth "Rebuild of Evangelion" movies are tentatively planned to open together, but the release date has not yet been announced. International sales agent NTV (Nippon Television Network) began promoting EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE to foreign buyers, and the first US screenings took place in 2008. FUNimation Entertainment acquired the North American rights to the film. The English dubbed version premiered July 3, 2009 at Anime Expo in Los Angeles. EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE is currently playing in US and Canadian cinemas (check the FUNimation Films website for a list of theaters and dates) with the Region 1 DVD scheduled for November 17, 2009. The following press notes were provided by FUNimation and are supplemented with additional information courtesy of NTV...

    EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE

    The blockbuster Japanese animation EVANGELION has come back to the big screen! Created with the latest digital art technique 3D CG, the new animation and story will bring you a storm of excitement!

    Synopsis

    International sales flier for the film. Photo courtesy of NTV. © 2007 Khara

    There was no foreseeable warning before it happened— a catastrophe of unparalleled scale and magnitude overwhelmed the entire globe. This event, recorded in history as "The Second Impact," caused half the population of the Earth to perish and devastated the world. All that remains of Japan is Tokyo-3, a vast city that is now under attack from the terrifying Angels, creatures of an unknown origin bent on laying waste to anything they find. Fourteen year old schoolboy Shinji Ikari is called to Tokyo-3 by his estranged father Gendo Ikari, who he hasn`t seen in more than eight years. The tearful reunion he was hoping for does not materialize as his father has a far more nefarious reason for wanting his son by his side again. Led down into the underground labyrinth of NERV headquarters by agent Misato Katsuragi, Shinji is shown a gigantic humanoid weapons system that the special governmental agency has secretly developed to fight their monstrous enemies Angels. Gendo reveals that Shinji is one of only a few children that can control one of these enormous Evangelions against the Angels, and orders his son to pilot Evangelion Unit-01. Shinji initially refuses to be the pilot of Evangelion. But when he sees his replacement— a severely injured girl named Rei Ayanami— still has a strong will to fight against the Angels, the boy changes his mind. With the fate of the world resting on his shoulders, how will Shinji fight? What is the truth behind "The Human Instrumentality Project," an operation somehow related to the "Second Impact"? And who is the true enemy? The Angels, NERV, the mysterious SEELE, or the demons held within the hearts of all involved? Gendo Ikari, a man who holds many answers to these questions, watches silently and attentively as his son fights a desperate battle...

    The Unprecedented Eva Experience Returns

    ? EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE is the film follow up to the sci-fi animated series blockbuster NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (also written and directed by Hideaki Anno) which aired on Japanese television in the mid 1990’s. ? NEON GENESIS EVANGELION has earned a gross revenue of over 150 billion yen (approximately $1.4 billion US) and continues to remain popular 12 years after its initial launch.

    ? EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE is the first chapter in a four part movie arc entitled "Rebuild of Evangelion". The staff is the same as the TV series. ? "Rebuild of Evangelion" is neither a remake nor a sequel of the TV series. The story— which seems to be the same as NEON GENESIS EVANGELION at the beginning— has been changed. New characters will be shown, and the characters from the TV series will see their different fates… ? EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE does not use any footage from the TV series. Director in Chief Hideaki Anno and the creative staff of this film made a complete rebuild of the design and visuals rather than magnifying the original 16 mm film from the series. ? Since it became possible to alter numerous aspects of the narrative from its original form, the Eva`s themselves went through a make over. Numerous new details in their designs were added, new weapon systems were created, and the coloring was altered significantly. ? The team was also able to employ 3D computer graphics to enrich the depth and breadth of the EVANGELION world as well as digital photography and composite nonlinear editing. ? EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE opened in Japan on September 1, 2007. It was the top film at the box office. ? The first international screening of the film was in October 2007 as the closing feature of the 2007 Pusan International Film Festival.

    Character descriptions

    Shinji Ikari An introspective 14 year old boy and central protagonist in this work. Shinji becomes pilot to Evangelion Unit One and hopes to be valued by those around him through his efforts at fighting the Angels. Rei Ayanami A young girl who rarely shows her emotions. She has undergone extensive training as the pilot for the Eva Unit Zero. But why have all records of her past been erased? Misato Katsuragi The operations chief of NERV, the special government agency that has built the humanoid weapons system known as Evangelions or Evas. To a certain degree, Misato plays the part of Shinji`s parental guardian. While she usually puts on an optimist persona, it is a small part of her personality. Ritsuko Akagi The director of Eva development and maintenance.

    Gendo Ikari The supreme commander of NERV. Gendo is in fact Shinji`s father, but the extremes to which he places importance on accomplishing the mission causes him to come across as being cruel and distant. Kozou Fuyutsuski Deputy commander of Nerv. As Gend?`s confidant, Fuyutsuki`s relationship to Gendo is on equal terms. Toji Suzuhara Shinji`s classmate in Tokyo 3`s Junior High School No.1. They both are in Class A, 8th Grade. A boy with a strong sense of right and wrong that initially steered him to despise Shinji, over the course of time of watching Shinji fight desperate battles against the Angels, Toji comes to see Shinji as a true friend. Kensuke Aihara Shinji`s classmate in school. Toji`s best friend and tech geek. He knows a lot of what happens at NERV thanks to the fact that his father is employed there.

    Hikari Horaki The president of Shinji`s class. A girl forthright and honest to a fault, her stickler personality leads her to often chide upon Toji and his friends. SELEE The secret organization that administers and commands over NERV behind the scenes. The group clandestinely manipulates the world`s economic system as well as its political institutions, including the United Nations. Tokyo 3 The main backdrop in the world of EVANGELION, this city— busy with continual construction and expansion— is located on the shores of Lake Ashinoko. While the city is touted as being the future capital of Japan, in reality this is a façade maintained for a city whose real purpose is to be a fortified metropolis that would act as the vanguard against the assaulting Angels. NERV headquarters is located in an underground cavern located below Tokyo 3. Angels Hostile life forms that attack NERV headquarters. Their fighting capabilities and origins are all shrouded in mystery. Angels are equipped with a unique defense mechanism called the AT Field, a force field like barrier that cannot be penetrated by conventional ordnance. Only the Evangelions can neutralize the Angels` AT Field and effectively strike against them.

    Director Bio

    Original concept, screenplay, director: Hideaki Anno

    A Japanese animation and film director, Hideaki Anno (born May 22, 1960) is best known for his work on the hugely popular anime television series NEON GENESIS EVANGELION which ran on TV Tokyo in 1995-96. Anno has been involved in the production of amateur films from his days in high school. He began his film career as an animator in numerous commercial projects such as Hayao Miyazaki’s 1984 film NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND. Later that year he helped found the animation production studio Gainax— a group that rose from the independent film group Daicon Film— with others he had met while enrolled in Osaka University of Arts. In 2006, he established the film development and production company Studio Khara. Anno is currently involved in the production of a new series of Evangelion films including EVANGELION 1.0: YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE and EVANGELION 2.0: YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE. Animation and Live Action Filmography: ? GUNBUSTER (1988: Video Animation / Director) ? NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER (1990: TV Animation / Chief Director) ? NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (1995: TV Animation / Director) ? EVANGELION: DEATH AND REBIRTH (1997: Animation Film / Chief Director) ? THE END OF EVANGELION (1997: Animation Film / Director) ? HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES (1998: TV Animation / Director) ? LOVE & POP (1998: Film / Director) ? SHIKI-JITSU (2000: Film / Screenplay, Director) ? RYUSEI-KACHO (2002: Short Video / Director) ? THE INVENTION OF DESTRUCTION IN THE IMAGINARY MACHINES (2002: Short Animation shown in Ghibli Museum Theater / Director) ? CUTIE HONEY (2004: Film / Director) ? RE: CUTIE HONEY (2004: Animation / Chief Director) ? EVANGELION 1.0: YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE (2007: Animation Film / Chief Director) ? EVANGELION 2.0: YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE (2009: Animation Film / Chief Director)

    EVANGELION 1.0: YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE Credits

    98 minutes Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Japanese Theatrical Release: September 1st, 2007 Japanese Voice Cast Shinji Ikari: Megumi Ogata Rei Ayanami: Megumi Hayashibara Misato Katsuragi: Kotono Mitsuishi Ritsuko Akagi: Yuriko Yamaguchi Gendo Ikari: Fumihiko Tachiki Kozou Fuyutsuski: Motomu Kiyokawa Toji Suzuhara: Tomokazu Seki Kensuke Aihara: Tetsuya Iwanaga Hikari Horaki: Jyunko Iwao Maya Ibuki: Miki Nagasawa Makoto Hyuga: Hiro Yuki Shigeru Aoba: Takahito Koyasu Kiel Lorenz: Mugihito Kaworu Nagisa: Akira Ishida Yui Ikari: Megumi Hayashibara

    English Voice Cast Shinji Ikari: Spike Spencer Rei Ayanami: Brina Palencia Misato Katsuragi: Allison Keith-Shipp Ritsuko Akagi: Colleen Clinkenbeard Gendo Ikari:John Swasey Kozou Fuyutsuski: Kent Williams Toji Suzuhara: Justin Cook Kensuke Aihara: Greg Ayres Hikari Horaki: Leah Clark Maya Ibuki: Caitlin Glass Makoto Hyuga: Mike McFarland Shigeru Aoba: Phil Parsons Kiel Lorenz: Bill Jenkins Kaworu Nagisa: Jerry Jewell Yui Ikari: Stephanie Young Eva: Mike McFarland Production Production: Khara Inc. Production Company: Studio Khara Japanese Distribution: KlockWorx and Khara International Sales: NTV

    Original Story / Screenplay / Chief Director: Hideaki Anno Directors: Masayuki / Kazuya Tsurumaki Main Character Design: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Main Mechanic Design: Ikuto Yamashita New Storyboard: Shinji Higuchi / Tomoki Kyoda Animation Director: Hiroshi Haraguchi Chief Key Animation Supervisor: Shunji Suzuki Key Animation Supervisors: Hidenori Matsubara / Kazuchika Kise (Production I.G) / Atsushi Okuda / Yuji Moriyama Mechanic Key Animation Supervisor: Takeshi Honda Special Effects Director: Shoichi Masuo Production Designers: Hiroshi Kato / Tatsuya Kushida (BIHOU, Inc.) Supervising Color Designer: Kazuko Kikuchi (Wish) Cinematography: Tohru Fukushi (T2 Studio) CGI Directors: Daisuke Onizuka / Hiroyasu Kobayashi Editor: Hiroshi Okuda Sound Production: Rakuonsha Effects: Tohru Noguchi (Anime Sound) Music: Shiro Sagisu Theme Song: Beautiful World by Hikaru Utada (EMI Music Japan Inc.)

    About FUNimation Entertainment

    FUNimation Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit funimation.com.

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