Post by solidbatman on Sept 11, 2012 23:14:51 GMT -5
-Details-
Genre: Drama/Action/Mecha
Company: Gainax/Khara
Format: Movie (108 minute run time)
Dates: 27 June 2009
-Visuals- 10/10
I will fight you if you challenge this score. Evangelion 2.22 surpasses every anime I have ever seen, even out doing Evangelion 1.01, which is quite the feat. Everything that I said in my Evangelion 1.01 review applies here, and more. The final scenes are stunning to say the least. Not to mention a lot of little touches throughout the film that make for visual candy. Once again, fight scenes are wonderfully done and the CGI usage is perfectly done to add, not take away, from the movie.
I mentioned how the visuals have a lot of little things that make this perfect (or as close as it can get). One of these is a scene involving a piece of reclaimed ocean in the sea of red LCL. Around that same scene we see a memorial to those who died in the Second Impact, which puts it into perspective, how many people died during it. Speaking of the Second Impact, the flashback we see of it is perfectly executed and hits the viewer with the weight one of the characters carries. Once again, the visuals do their job perfectly, there are no complaints about them from me.
-Characters- 9.7/10
Building on the first film, the characters are much stronger than they were in the original show, especially Rei and Shinji. Rei's personality actually exists, and her desire to bring Shinji closer to his father really makes her feel human, rather than a doll as in the original series (though that was the point of her character, it dragged down the show as she was just boring). Shinji is, as I've said in my previous review, a character the viewer can pull for. He actually has a strong will, and while he is still a flawed character, that no longer means he is a bad character as he proves himself capable of overcoming his flaws. Asuka is still Asuka (yes she is finally in the movie) and her character is also improved upon in two simple but powerful scenes, one with her cooking and another in the form of a phone call with Misato. Now what holds this back from being perfect? A new character is what. The film opens with her, whic really threw me off. She pops back up apparently as some sort of super sneaky child seeing how she sneaks into Nerv with no one noticing. It was just off for me. Otherwise, she is quite the character and I look forward to seeing her more in the third film.
-Story- 9.9/10
Powerful is an understatement. To bolster Earths defenses against the Angels, Asuka Langley Shikinami is tranferred from the European branch of Nerv to Tokyo 3's Nerv HQ, along with her Unit 02 Evangelion. She must assist Rei and Shinji as they fight to protect Earth from the Angels. That is the simple, and I mean simple synopsis of the story. In reality, there is a ton going on. With so much going on, it might be easy to be overwhelmed but it doesn't happen. The pacing of the story is spot on and the story moves along at just the right speed to keep things interesting. All the little sub plots add so much to the story and characters, but the biggest selling point for the story is the huge narrative changes that differentiate from the show. I mentioned the new character all ready, but there are so many more changes that I'm not going to write about. No need to spoil the fun. The changes are all for the better, but also seem to serve a larger purpose than simply making the series more accessible to new viewers. I won't ruin the fun, but pay close attention to the post-credit scene in particular.
-Overall- 10/10
Yes, the first perfect score that I have given out for an anime, and possibly the first perfect score for any anime review. Evangelion 2.22 is a top notch production with gorgeous animation and engrossing characters. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat. I was glues to the screen during both of my viewings. Evangelion 2.22 is certainly an experience, one that rivals The End of Evangelion in terms of how memorable it is. The ending to 2.22 will leave you begging for Evangelion 3.0, and with good reason. Make sure to watch the credits for a very important scene, and the awesome music. Evangelion 2.22 is a must see for anyone who has seen 1.01. If you havent seen 1.01, go watch it, then come back for 2.22. You will not regret it.
