How to watch evangelion

The Quick and Easy Guide to Watching Evangelion

It’s easier than ever to officially watch all of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Here’s where and how to start.

How Much Evangelion Is There?

Then, releasing all the way from 2007 to 2021, there is the project known as Rebuild of Evangelion, a four-movie re-imagining of the story of Neon Genesis Evangelion at large:

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Should I Watch Neon Genesis Evangelion or Rebuild of Evangelion?

Ideally, the answer would be both—both versions of Neon Genesis Evangelion are in conversation with each other, not necessarily just through their lore and their character work but in what they have to say about the series’ themes of human connection, faith, and identity. But if you’re just intrigued by the hype and want to get a flavor for why Evangelion has become such an iconic, constantly discussed, and endlessly analyzed franchise, you’re perfectly fine just picking either the TV show and its movie follow ups or the Rebuild of Evangelion movies. If you like it, check out the other! If you don’t, hey, you tried—and that’s perhaps the most important thing you can do when it comes to Evangelion.

If you do watch the TV series though, a word of advice: you can just skip Death & Rebirth entirely. You don’t need a recap of the series if you’re watching all 26 episodes yourself, and you can just go straight into The End of Evangelion.

Do I Have to Watch Neon Genesis Evangelion to Understand the Movies?

That said, part of the joy of the Rebuild movies is watching them with the knowledge of what came before them. It’s not an incomplete experience to see the movies first and try out the show afterwards if you’re still hungry for more Evangelion, especially with how divergent the two eventually become. But it is satisfying to be able to pick up what’s changed, how, and why, if you have a familiarity with the original series that can enhance the Rebuild series.

A Simple Watch Order Guide to Neon Genesis Evangelion

The Neon Genesis Evangelion series is considered essential viewing by the anime-enamored masses, but its numerous releases make it the opposite of ‘newbie friendly.’ Without taking into account the head-spinning nature of the content itself, one look at the catalogue of films and director’s cuts will have even the most seasoned viewer second-guessing their watch order.

A brief disclaimer before we begin: some people will disagree with this order. As you step into the fandom, you’ll note that many viewers have very strong, and sometimes very complicated, opinions on just how to consume Hideaki Anno’s legendary works. There’s nothing wrong with that, and we wouldn’t consider any of these hyped fans wrong by any means. We’re just hoping to make it easier so you don’t get more confused by all the other Evangelion watch order guides out there, so let’s get started. Yes, where it all began…

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Original Anime Series

The original series aired in 1995 and spanned 26 episodes. Watch all of them.

Yes, you’ll hear people say that episodes 25 and 26 don’t fit, and you should skip them and come back… but watching them won’t hurt you. Without spoiling anything, the final two episodes seem very different, the reason being that the company was a bit tight on funds at the time. They are very strange, and while you may not understand anything that goes on, we actually defend them here at OTAQUEST. Yes, really.

(Also, Neon Genesis Evangelion is getting a North American Blu-ray release later this year, for the first time ever!)

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth

We’ll make this as quick and painless as possible. Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth is a two-part film released in 1997. The first half is just a recap of the show. The second half shows quite a bit of footage left out of the original series, including Shinji’s mental state and the ever-shifting political situation.

The End of Evangelion

Remember what we said about the last two episodes of the series being weird? Well, people didn’t like them when they were released. I mean, they really didn’t like them. Gainax got death threats. It was bad.

The End of Evangelion is basically a more grand and epic finale for the series. The film released in 1997 to epic fanfare. People were here for it: it’s got more action and wraps the plot a little better than the original TV show did. Now, whether this was better than episodes 25 and 26? That’s up for (eternal) debate. It’s also streaming on Netflix too. What a time to be a fan.

This one isn’t optional. You need to watch it.

The Rebuild of Evangelion Films

Evangelion has come into the new age with the most recent film tetralogy. The waves of new merch and crossovers you’ve been seeing? Thank these gorgeous movies.

The Rebuild films are a retelling of the original anime story, though as they have progressed, they have strayed away from that plot by this point. Some fans go as far as to call them ‘sequels’ to the original series, but that will be your decision to make. Either way, the Blu-ray releases are worth picking up on Amazon.

Someday, 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon a Time will come out. Probably.

Wait, a Manga Series?

We’d recommend saving the manga for the end of your journey through the lore. Think of it as your dessert: not completely necessary, but something that adds the perfect flourish to your very, very full meal.

Hopefully, you’ve taken our words to heart and are ready to set out on an unforgettable media journey through a large chunk of anime history. What are your thoughts? Nervous? Excited? Angry at the convoluted mess that this series has become? Understandable. But you’ll have a good time. Just let it happen.

Head over to our Discord channel to chat with us and let us know how things go. Also, if you’d like to raise an objection to our layout, we want to hear your thoughts. Really. Let’s talk. Evangelion is the ultimate conversation starter.

В каком порядке нужно смотреть «Евангелион»

«Евангелион» – японский аниме-сериал 1995-1996 годов. Получил ряд наград, особенно от журналов Animage и Newtype. Сериал снят в жанре «меха».

В каком порядке смотреть «Евангелион»: хронология, сколько у него сезонов

В сериале 26 серий по 25 минут, вышло также несколько фильмов. Есть несколько способов просмотра.

📌 Сначала Neon Genesis Evangelion – это как раз оригинальный сериал с 26 сериями.

📌 Дальше – полнометражный фильм «Конец Евангелиона» (The End Of Evangelion).

📌 И потом – полнометражные фильмы «Новая киноверсия Евангелиона» (Rebuild of Evangelion). Их четыре – 1.11 «Ты (не) один» (You Are (Not) Alone), 2.22 «Ты (не) пройдешь» (You Can (Not) Advance), 3.33 «Ты (не) исправишь (You Can (Not) Redo Evangelion) и 3.0+1.01: «Как-то раз (Thrice Upon a Time)».

Есть и другой способ, который поможет лучше понять сериал:

📌 Посмотреть 24 серии.

📌 Затем – фильм «Конец Евангелиона».

📌 Уже затем смотреть 25-26 серии – они слишком специфичные, а финал сериала запутанный.

📌 Далее – «Новая киноверсия Евангелиона».

Выглядит немного странно, но есть объяснение: конец сериала (25-26 серии) был неполным и неточным из-за финансовых трудностей у проекта. Так что «Конец Евангелиона» был снят позже, когда трудности были устранены.

А для пересматривающих рекомендован такой порядок. С ним будет интереснее заново пережить все, что происходит в сериале:

📌 Затем фильм «1.11: Ты (не) один».

📌 Дальше – серии 7-20.

📌 Далее – фильм 2.22: «Ты (не) пройдешь»

📌 После этого серии 21-24.

📌 Потом – «Смерть и Возрождение».

📌 Дальше – серии 25-26.

📌 Следующий – «Конец Евангелиона».

📌 И затем – «3.33: Ты (не) исправишь».

📌 А последний – «3.0+1.01: Как-то раз».

Через десять лет после выхода сериала насчитывалось около шести тысяч разновидностей сувенирной продукции, связанной с ним. Причем она выпускается и до сих пор.

Los Angeles Times в 2002 году рассказывал, что на тот момент сериалу были посвящены минимум 800 сайтов на 12 языках. Это как раз в те годы, когда интернет не был развит настолько массово.

В 2007 году министерство культуры Японии провело опрос. По нему «Евангелион» оказался на первом месте среди аниме всех времен.

«Охотник на колдунов: В поисках Евангелиона Кроули» – имеет ли этот фильм какое-то отношение к сериалу

Нет. Это разные вещи. Фильм о поиске книги «Евангелион Кроули» с Кристофером Ламбертом выйдет в конце 2022 года.

The right way to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion

A guide to prepare you for the anime classic’s Netflix debut

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This spring, Netflix will bring the mid-’90s animated series Neon Genesis Evangelion to the platform. For fans of the series, it’s an occasion on par with the Second Coming. For others, it’s a head-scratcher: What is Neon Genesis Evangelion? In short: It’s an anime — and so much more, making it difficult to know where to start.

Evangelion tells a concise and beautiful story that tracks the psychological trauma of its teenage hero characters, who stand as the sole fighters of a war that humans don’t stand a chance of winning. They’re required to pilot giant robotic monsters (Evas) to battle inscrutable enemy ones, called Angels. It’s a losing game from the start: Friends are hurt, repeatedly, irrevocably; our lead, Shinji Ikari, is put through the ringer time and again by his own father. At the same time, he’s going through the pains of puberty, and working alongside two high school girls is not helping him focus.

Neverending Evangleion: How one man turned his depression into a phenomenon

A eye-opening look at the troubled life of anime artist Hideaki Anno

This is the story that unfolds over the course of the original anime. Yet Evangelion is more than just the 26-episode series that wrapped in 1996 (and has been held in high esteem in the years since). There are also two direct feature-film follow-ups, and an entire set of movies that “retell” the TV show’s story.

If you’re an anime fan who still hasn’t seen the show but means to, you may be tempted by film-length recaps. They’re much more readily available than the original series is (until it’s streaming, that is), and they theoretically condense 15-ish hours of action and drama and existential dread into a shorter package with sleeker, modernized animation.

To you, I say: Don’t do this. Don’t watch the Rebuild of Evangelion film series before watching the anime as it was. Hold out for Netflix. There is a correct way to enjoy the anime, and it requires patience.

Begin with the beginning: the TV show

Our best girls (and boy). Gainax

Evangelion is notorious not just for its scattershot pacing, but also the production hell that begat it. Both are obvious when you watch the anime. Don’t be scared off by this: It doesn’t affect the quality. It also doesn’t hinder the storytelling. There’s something necessary about how Evangelion folds perfectly in half, from an action anime not unlike Gundam to an introspective treatise on emotional abuse, adolescence and their ties to mental health. A recap slides into the middle of these two parts to make that transition, if not easier, pointed.

The notoriously dialogue-heavy, two-part finale may also be a turnoff to people who know the show only through retrospectives or memes. It’s followed by yet another recap, Death & Rebirth, and then the very dark, depressing and gruesome cinematic conclusion, The End of Evangelion.

Death & Rebirth is absolutely essential. It retells the entire season up until these final moments, but it includes new scenes for episodes 21 through 24. The revamped episodes are referred to as the “director’s cut” versions, and they fill in gaps left behind by the original broadcast editions of these episodes. (The director’s cut of episode 22 in particular is required viewing, and should be seen in place of the broadcast edition. It’s very upsetting! But also good.)

Also included in Death & Rebirth is the first cut of episode 25 of the 26-episode anime. It’s worth a watch too, but mostly out of curiosity; it also is essentially the first part of The End of Evangelion, which you should obviously watch after you finish episode 26.

Altogether, the original Evangelion anime will do a number on your psyche. Have fun!

But what about the movie remakes?

The cast of the Rebuild of Evangelion movies. Who are these people? This is not my Evangelion! Studio Khara

The first film, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone., retreads the ground of the anime’s first six episodes or so, making it a mostly contained action film. It’s beautiful, and clearly made with a much higher budget than the original series. Director Hideaki Anno reportedly suffered from severe depression while creating the 26-episode series, but found himself more able to work on the tetralogy. The first three of the Rebuild movies hit theaters at a steady clip, from 2007 to, most recently, 2012.

The next two movies diverge from that “accessibility” premise. There continue to be scenes and story beats from the original show, but there are also completely new characters. The ending of Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance., the second movie, bucks expectation completely; it somehow fits in episodes seven through 26 and then keeps on going with an original plot. The third movie continues that thread, becoming something else entirely.

Plus! Even the movies get kind of convoluted to keep up with. The DVD versions of the Rebuild films are rebranded — 1.11, 2.22 and 3.33, respectively — and come with new animation and other tweaks. Oy.

Personally, having watched 1.11 before watching Evangelion from the beginning, having the more generic beginning of the show compressed into a singular film without the successive twist that immediately follows the first six episodes of the show was an emotionally bereft and unspectacular experience. It should not be your introduction to the brooding, difficult, brilliant Evangelion.

Most importantly: With the final of the four Rebuild films, 3.0+1.0, not expected until at least 2020, you’re better off just doing yourself a service by watching the classic Studio Gainax anime in full. That’s the one that gave birth to the legacy. You may have to wait until 2019 to do so, when the classic Neon Genesis Evangelion saga is part of your Netflix subscription — since the most complete DVD box set is out of print and costs hundreds of dollars from resellers — but it will be worth it.

How to Watch Evangelion in 2022: Neon Genesis Evangelion Watch Order

Legendary Japanese TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion paved the way for a new era in anime. Whether you’re a fan or just getting started exploring the anime world, read on to find out how to watch Evangelion.

Japanese animation series Neon Genesis Evangelion, directed by Hideaki Anno, is iconic in the anime world. Experimental and controversial, this fantasy world has its roots in complex, real-life issues and themes. If you’re a fan of the series, the Evangelion movie or the rebuild movies, this guide explains how to watch Evangelion from anywhere in the world.

Key Takeaways:

Tracking down the Neon Genesis Evangelion series online — including the movies — is pretty straightforward. However, it’s not all on the same streaming service. Additionally, if you’re in a country that exercises strict geoblocking, you’ll need a VPN (virtual private network) to be able to watch it. Our top choice is ExpressVPN, but there are plenty of great VPN options for streaming.

Ready to catch up with the legendary Shinji Ikari? Stick around and we’ll share where you can watch Evangelion and the subsequent movies online from anywhere in a few simple steps.

Updated to include information on how to watch Evangelion on streaming services with a VPN.

The easiest way to watch it is in release order, but it’s completely up to you. You can always watch it in chronological order if you want to get a new perspective.

It’s not a good idea to skip the series before watching End of Evangelion or the rebuild series, as this sets you up for a better understanding of the movies’ narratives and characters.

If you want to stop there, then sure, but the subsequent movie, End of Evangelion, is connected to the final two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion. For this reason, we recommend you watch the movie too.

You can watch End of Evangelion and Evangelion: Death (True) 2 on Netflix. The four rebuild movies are on Amazon Prime Video.

How to Watch Evangelion Online

If you’ve got a Netflix subscription, you can watch the Evangelion series, the 1997 movie The End of Evangelion and the 1998 movie Evangelion Death (True) there. We found the original series — and these two movies — in a variety of Netflix libraries, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, Canada, Australia and France.

The rebuild films are not on Netflix, though. To watch these, you’ll need to head over to Amazon Prime Video, where all four movies are free with an Amazon Prime subscription. Though widely available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, if you’re planning on traveling to a country with strict censorship, you may not be able to access your usual streaming services.

Likewise, if you find Evangelion missing on Netflix in your location for whatever reason, you can work around this with a VPN. A VPN changes your IP address to make you appear as if you’re in a country other than the one you’re located in.

For example, if Netflix is blocked in your location, you would connect to a VPN server in a country where it is available, like the U.S. This allows you to access the U.S. Netflix library no matter where you are in the world. Stay tuned and we’ll show you how it works.

How to Watch Evangelion With a VPN

If you’re new to VPNs, you’ll be pleased to know that acquiring and using one is very straightforward. Here’s how to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion from anywhere in the world with a VPN. Our top VPN recommendation for streaming is ExpressVPN.

Please note that you can use this method with Amazon Prime Video and a variety of other streaming services in addition to Netflix.

Go to ExpressVPN’s website and sign up for a plan. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Go to “products” and select the ExpressVPN app for your device. Download the app and install it.

Open the ExpressVPN app, then go to the location box to choose a server. Select a U.S. server and click the “connect” button.

Open Netflix and search for Evangelion. Choose the episode or movie you want to watch and start streaming.

The Best VPN for Watching Evangelion: ExpressVPN

More details about ExpressVPN:

If you’re new to VPNs and looking for recommendations, ExpressVPN tops our list for streaming. ExpressVPN’s excellent speeds and ability to unblock a wide variety of popular streaming services — including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video — are what make it a great streaming VPN overall. It’s also very consistent when it comes to breaking through geoblocks.

Using a VPN when you’re streaming, gaming, and surfing the web also keeps you anonymous and safe from hackers, snoopers and your internet service provider, all of which can view your online activity. If you’re interested in learning more about ExpressVPN, check out our full ExpressVPN review, or try it out risk-free with the 30-day money-back guarantee.