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Criterion Channel Adds Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime, Evangelion: Death (True)², The End of Evangelion Films on September 1
posted on by Alex Mateo
GKIDS licensed the original television series and the two above-mentioned films in 2020. The company recently screened the two films in theaters on July 21 and 22.
The original anime and films are some of the most influential and critically acclaimed works in the history of the medium, but had long remained out of print and unavailable in North America. ADV Films' last release of the anime was the "Platinum Edition" DVDs in 2004 and 2005. The company shut down in 2009.
Netflix began streaming the 1995 television anime in June 2019, and it describes the story:
A.D. 2015. Tokyo 3 is under attack by powerful creatures known as the Angels. The protagonist, Shinji Ikari, is chosen to pilot the Humanoid Decisive Weapon Evangelion -- the only way for humanity to fight against the Angels. The battle for the fate of humanity starts now. What exactly are the Angels? What fate awaits the young pilots and humanity itself?
The franchise has inspired numerous spinoffs, merchandise, and collaborations. Hideaki Anno, the director of the anime, founded Studio Khara in 2006. He and the studio began producing a new tetralogy of films titled Rebuild of Evangelion, which reinterprets the events in the series. The tetralogy began with Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone in 2007, followed by Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance and Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo in 2009 and 2012, respectively.
Evangelion: 3.0+1.01: Thrice Upon A Time (Shin Evangelion Gekijō-ban :||), the final film of Hideaki Anno's Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy, opened in Japan on March 8, 2021, and ranked #1 in its opening weekend. The film surpassed 10 billion yen (about US$74 million) in the Japanese box office. The film's Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 version began playing in June 2021 for the film's "last run." The new version contains "minor revisions" to some animation sequences, but does not change the film's story. The film debuted on the Amazon Prime Video service worldwide in August 2021. GKIDS and Fathom Events screened the film in Japanese with English subtitles in U.S. theaters in December 2022.
The franchise is getting a new series.
A new anime short premiered at the "Evangelion:30+;" festival on February 21, and officially started streaming on March 8.
Criterion Channel began adding anime to the service in August 2025. The service added Gunbuster: The Movie and the first season of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex in March, added Gatchaman The Movie in April, and began streaming the K-ON! film in May.
Source: Press release
