The Final Challenge of Evangelion Amazing Documentary By Hideaki Anno

With cameo appearances of the one and only Hideaki Anno, as well as raw and never-before-seen footage of the animation process, ‘The Final Challenge of Evangelion’ is one of the most watched anime documentaries right now. 

Hideaki’s anime ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ aired on our tiny screens back in 1995. The anime has since then gathered quite a fanbase. This is why many were excited to see behind the scenes of the creation process. ‘The Final Challenge of Evangelion’ offers a sneak peek of the animation process of the latest Evangelion anime, which is ‘Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time’. 

About Evangelion

Starting back in 1995, Neon Genesis Evangelion definitely changed the course of anime back in the 1990s. It is a psychological anime that lasted for one season with a total of 26 episodes. 

Apart from the main anime series which was animated in 1995, the Evangelion franchise creators added 6 more movies. These six movies have a specific order for you to watch them, in order to fully break down the complexity of Evangelion.

The first movie in the order of watching is ‘Revival of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth’, which aired in 1997. It is followed by ‘Revival of Evangelion: The End of Evangelion’, the second movie in the franchise which also aired in 1997. 

‘The Final Challenge of Evangelion’

From 1997 to 2007, fans pretty much made peace with the fact that their favorite anime ended. However, the big surprise came in 2007, as Hideaki created yet another movie titled ‘Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone’, which marked the new era for Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Hideaki created three more movie sequels from 2010 to 2020, with the titles ‘Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance’, ‘Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo’, and ‘Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time’.

‘Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time’ is the final movie in the franchise. It will ultimately be the end of the franchise. After seeing the ending in ‘Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time’, it is a very overwhelming and a satisfying ending.

Spoiler alert (ending): The final sequence of the anime movie shows Shinji as a grown-up, and Mari as she joins him at the train station. As Maji and Shinji head out together, Shinji lets go of her hand. This marks that all of the Children have ultimately found closure in real life. 

‘The Final Challenge of Evangelion’

‘The Final Challenge of Evangelion’ Documentary

The Evangelion fandom was very sad to find out that ‘Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time’ will be the final chapter in this franchise. However, Hideaki Anno collaborated with NHK (Japanese national broadcaster) in order to create a documentary movie. 

The filming of this documentary took around four years to wrap up. This documentary is easily considered one of the greatest documentaries about anime. It certainly offers a very in-depth and detailed preview of everything going on behind the scenes of Evangelion. ‘The Final Challenge of Evangelion’ includes several interviews with the creators, as well as stretches and animation drawings. 

The documentary is showing Hideaki Anno and the crew’s anxiety, arguments, and tense moments. However, fans appreciate how raw the documentary is. ‘The Final Challenge of Evangelion’ offers a never-before-seen peek into character creation, scenery, and animation. 

Obsessed with anime, all-things magical, collecting rare editions and funko pops, Natalija is a young writer who strives to read every comic and manga out there!