Neon Genesis Evangelion is arguably the most influential science fiction anime series of the 1990s, though it is certainly not without its controversies.  The final episodes of the hugely popular series were either an avant garde and thought-provoking exercise in minimalism or the result of Gainax Studios running out of money (or both).  After the series was broadcast Gainax put out two Evangelion films.  The first, entitled Evangelion: Death & Rebirth (see 'First Evangelion Movie') recaps the first twenty-four episodes and includes the first part of the apocalyptic ending that leads up to The End of Evangelion.  It was released by Manga Entertainment last month.  The End of Evangelion is comprised of two alternate episodes that are intended to take the place of episodes 25 and 26 of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series.  The End of Evangelion is a visual tour-de-force that anime fans won't want to miss.

 

Manga Entertainment has both Evangelion: Death & Rebirth and The End of Evangelion, but another company, AD Vision, has already issued the 26-episode Evangelion series.  Retailers will want to recommend that serious anime fans will want to have both the ADV TV series and the two Manga Entertainment films (which were released theatrically to great effect in Japan), which bring both resolution and revelations to entire Evangelion saga; and that casual fans might want to just buy the two films from Manga Entertainment, which do synopsize the story as well as provide a fitting conclusion to what has gone before.  All the key roles in the English language version of The End of Evangelion and Evangelion: Death and Rebirth are provided by the original voice actors who dubbed the TV series.