Tatsunoko Production, one of Japan’s oldest animation studios turns 50 today. Even before Japanese animations became known as “anime” to the rest of the world, Tatsunoko has introduced countless iconic characters and television classics such as Mach Go Go Go (Speed Racer), Hakushon Daimaou (The Genie Family), Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets) and Yattaman among many others. In slightly more modern times, they also animated the incredibly popular Neon Genesis Evangelion series.

Hakushon Daimaou.

Mach Go Go Go.

Since early this year, Tatsunoko have been celebrating their 50th year through plenty of rebroadcasts and campaigns, such as these Tatsunoko themed “Please do it at home” inspired train manners posters for JR West. Other examples include a celebratory exhibition earlier in August at the Ginza Matsuya Department Store and will be releasing HD Blu-ray disc remasters of their most popular classic animations each month between June 2012 until April 2013 in the form of collectible boxed sets.

Shinzou Ningen Kyashyan.

Yattaman.

While Tatsunoko Production had produced some of the most loved classical animation series in Japan and beyond, they’ve had a diminished presence in the past decade. It’s great that their taking this opportunity to revitalize their company’s direction. And judging from the response so far, it would seem that the public who had grown up with their animations are in support. The company has more releases lined up for fans now than ever. It was even announced last week that a new live action movie of Gatchaman, that will debut in cinemas Summer 2013.

It has been more than 3 years since the last movie, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo was previously announced for a fall release in Japan, a promise that they have lived up to and in the past months, promotions and tie-ins have been steadily building up toward the film’s release. If previous movies were any indication, you can expect it to be screened in Singapore cinemas too albeit some time later. The final 4th movie is currently scheduled for 2013.

During the New Year’s holiday season, nearly every shop or brand offers Fukubukuro these days. Literally, translated as Lucky Bags, Fukubukuro are packs filled with random items but often of more value. This year, I ordered myself a bag from the Radio Eva store. We unbox the contents within.

Some less reputable shops may take the chance to pull a fast one on buyers. But it is usually tradition for bigger brands to give back to loyal customers to win over their continual support and perhaps clear out on some of their old stock.

We saw some really awesome fukubukoro by brands like LIZ LISA and CECIL McBEE. In the case of LIZ LISA, they offered lovely luggage bags for 10,000 yen, which also happened to contain a bunch of random clothing worth well over the cost. Other brands like Baby, The Stars Shine Bright chose to sell fixed fukubukuro sets, which offered an entire change of clothes from head to toe, for the price of a single dress.

While a fan of what Radio Eva has done with the Evangelion franchise, the limited edition nature and resultant prices of their clothing doesn’t fare well with my wallet. Seeing reports of really great hauls from the previous year’s goodie bags, inspired me to give this year’s Radio Eva Fukubukuro (RADIO EVA 限定福袋) a try.

The loot.

This year’s Radio Eva Fukubukuro was available for 10,000 yen a bag. I’ll be running through the items inside, while stating their actual cost at the shop and some thoughts.

For starters, all of the items were shipped to me in a large NERV EVERYDAY BAG (Black). 5,040 yen.

It was good that I got the black one here, since they come in a number of other less desirable colors too.

Random small items.

Here we have a bunch of random flyers, pin badges, stickers and an empty packing for a 3 pack of plain tees. Strangely though, the t-shirt pack was empty and I could find no instructions. Did they forget to include my tees? Am I supposed to claim them somehow? Did someone on the shipping end swipe them? Or did they have an extra wrapper? I will never know.

Most of the stuff here have little use or purpose. The only thing I managed to find an actual price for was this Eva Keychain Set 4. 1,000 yen.

Logo tote.

Next, another bag. ROOTOTE (Ivory x Black). 3,465 yen. Though it screams otaku pretty loudly and I will have less use for this tote than the previous.

Hoodie.

I can think of at least one person who would like this Uniform NERV 003 Hoodie. 7,665 yen. It’s one of safer options in the bag, since it solely features the new NERV logo from the Evangelion movie remake. Probably not going to wear it in Singapore though or best kept for the office.

First tee.

RADIO EVA SPECIAL FLCL T-Shirt 01. 3,675 yen. The first of 5 t-shirts inside. This should be one of the more wearable designs with its plain colors. It’s also the cheapest out of the lot being a fairly new, still in stock design. Not so sure about the anime characters. But it’s not very apparent from far.

Wearable tee.

The Baseball-T(黒02). 5,040 yen, is easily the most wearable tee out of the lot with its varsity theme. There’s a huge “02″ in bold behind though. But only those in the loop would get the reference.

Unwearable tee.

Yet another standard t-shirt. This one is a pretty gaudy limited edition cross over featuring a Japanese MMA fighter called Sauraba Kazushi. PREMIUM14 Sauraba Kazushi. 5,040 yen.

Couple generic looking tees.

Here’s a pack of one long and one short sleeved shirts with the same Unit 01 logo as on the tote. RADIO EVA 023 and RADIO EVA 044. 5,985 and 8,190 yen respectively

Watch. In Mari colors.

There was already quite a bit of stuff inside. But the shop promised a possible accessory with each fukubukuro. Mine contained the DAYKEEPER (RELAX PLUS PLUGSUITS EDITION) マリモデル. 5,040 yen. It’s a watch in Mari Illustrious pink. It also comes with purple, blue, red as well as white and black versions (which are sold out). Would have loved the blue or red ones, but this is still much better than the purple. The watch is pictured here sitting on a set of Large-sized Handkerchief (monogram). 3,465 yen.

Finally, there’s a pretty cool bonus plastic calendar poster, which I can put no price to.

Calendar poster.

All in all, the items unboxed have a combined value of 53,605 yen (SGD$900). A pretty good value for the 10,000 yen the bag cost. From other unboxings, found that others seemed more lucky in their selection of items, especially when it came to tees but that might be a matter of personal taste. Few others got the neat watch though. Everyone else received items of a combined value of 55,000 yen or higher, with some getting bags worth as much as 70,000 yen (mostly due to getting a pair of shoes for their accessory).

Overall, the fukubukuro was definitely worth it, even just considering the few items that I would wear. You can be sure I’ll be a grabbing a bag next year too as well as more bags from other favored brands.

Spearheaded by Radio Eva, the cult classic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion has slowly evolved into a lifestyle brand in recent years. By collaborating with popular brands and designers, the Evangelion name has has grown beyond the usual gaudy merchandise featuring anime characters.

The enigmatic motifs used in their new products form a new branding, identifiable only by those in the loop. Having won over many new fans, this new identity has proven so successful that we will be seeing the first ever Evangelion Store Tokyo-01 open next month in Harajuku.

Doors to the Evangelion Store will open on 23rd November 2011. It will serve as the permanent home for the distribution of Evangelion goods that were previously found only at the Evangelion Online shop. Under the concept of “Real Eva Style”, we will also see a continuation of designer exclusives by the Radio Eva Project.

Whilst still under construction, you can find the website for the new physical store here. You will also be able to visit the store starting next month at the address below. If you’re a fan of the franchise, be sure to mark it on the map for your next trip.

EVANGELION STORE TOKYO-01
8-23 Jingu-mae Ichi-chome
Shibuya Ward, Tokyo

EVANGELION STORE TOKYO-01
東京都渋谷区神宮前1丁目8-23

View Larger Map

KT (who last purchased the Itazura Cat Coin Bank) brought us over to China Square Central again this week to pick up this Neon Genesis Evangelion Rei Ayanami figure by Yamato Creators Labo. I’m not a really a fan of anime toys or figures, but if there was one worth considering, it might just be this one.

This is the second run of the Rei Ayanami V2 figure. Both the previous batch of V2s and the original V1 figures were a smash hit with fans last year. This batch was fully sold out even before it had shipped but luckily for KT someone had canceled their pre-order so there was a spare set to be had. This figure set him back $136.

Yamato’s more realistic stylization of Rei is definitely a beauty and the concept was painstakingly reproduced as this well crafted model. The V2 in particular is a lovely figure. Paint work has been dramatically improved over the last version (no more cheap shiny paint) and the eyes have been made narrower and less anime.

As before, special thanks for letting me grab it away for some photos. Photo spam commences.

Packaging.

A peek.

Some will probably not want to open it.

The concept art from which the figure is based off.

Unboxing.

Frontal shot.

Close up.

Back down.

Camwhore angle.

Down low.

Another.

Behind.

Base.

He didn't know it had an alternate head till I checked it off the internet.

Comparison.

Decapitated.

With the other face.

Up front.

Lower.

Close up.

Back.

Above.

It was great fun taking specifically taking pictures of a anime figure for the first time. Realized how much trouble the modeler had to be put through to take a lazy drawing and turn it into something that could look good from multiple angles. Excellent craftsmanship here. There are probably more Evangelion merchandise out there than for any other anime but this rendition of Rei has got to be the best yet.

The next figure coming out this November will feature a similarly stylized Asuka Langley. PlayAsia is taking pre-orders for the figure now. USD$109 or SGD$141, inclusive of shipping. Unfortunately since the figures are based off the original series, we probably won’t be seeing a Mari Illustrious model.

The second installment of the theatrical remake of cult classic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion will be released on DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow on the 26th of May 2010. After months of procrastination, now is good as any time to a run through Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance.

Those unfamiliar with the Evangelion franchise, can refer to this overview of the previous movie that I wrote last year. Following the success of the first movie, Evangelion 2.0 graced cinemas last year to the rejoice of the eager awaiting fans. I personally caught the movie in November, with a colleague one evening after work. At this time, I was still enamored from watching the series and first movie only recently, so while I wasn’t aware that it was airing in cinemas, I easily agreed to catch it.

The principle characters Shinju Ikari and Rei Ayanami.

EVA-00 and EVA-01.

Evangelion 2.0 continues with the invasion of Tokyo-3 (Hakone) by the mysterious angels. The first movie left off at around episode 6 of the 26 part television series. Surprisingly, this movie accelerates the plot greatly, covering the story from episode 7 (though most of it is removed) up until about episode 23.

Some who saw Evangelion 1.0 were disappointed that it was a literal rehash of the original story. Those who have already seen the previous rendition of the anime will be glad to know that this time round approximately 50% of Evangelion 2.0 differs from the original story. White some purists may be offended by the liberties taken to the plot, the changes are clearly for the best. Those without a knack for philosophy will find the new Evangelion all the much easier to comprehend.

Mari Illustrious Makinami and EVA-05.

Perhaps the biggest publicized change to the franchise, is the addition of the new pilot, Mari Illustrious Makinami and her Evangelion Unit-05. Though the unit was briefly mentioned in the television series, this is the first time that we are introduced to the European pilot. The movie opens with Mari launching the EVA in English, so I was initially worried that the movie might had been dubbed. While she does feature prominently, like most characters in the series, Mari plays a secondary role to the protagonist, Shinji. Whether Mari will play a central role in subsequent movies or if she was simply a means to sell more merchandise is still unknown at this point.

Asuka Langley, EVA-02 and EVA-03.

Evangelion 2.0 is also the awaited arrival of the second EVA pilot after being absent from the last movie. Asuka is given a flashy introduction early in the movie, in a very different manner from the original story.
In the movie, Souryuu Asuka Langley was renamed Asuka Langley Shikinami to match the other lead characters’ who are named after different Japanese warships (Souryuu was an aircraft carrier). She is also given the rank of captain in the movie but it is unknown if this will have any significance to the plot yet.

Asuka arrives!

A key difference between Evangelion 2.0 and the original, is the increased focus of the relationship between Shinji, Rei and Asuka. Many of the angel battles are removed to make room for character development. The additional action scenes will be sadly missed but for the first time, the characters (even the expressionless Rei) are given more personality beyond their constant clinical depression. It is interesting to see how the three emotionally inept characters react to the new social situations introduced within.

Rei begins to open up to Shinji.

Without spoiling too much about the plot, I can only praise Evangelion 2.0 for a much cleaner story. Throughout the movie, I was truly excited by the differences between Evangelion 2.0 and the original. The improved pace and new imagery helped make the new movie all the more enjoyable for me as a fan. New viewers will also benefit from the more understandable plot.

Evangelion 2.0 builds up to a strong climax and ends with an unexpected surprise ending that will leave viewers wanting more. Hopefully, the next movie in this four part re-imagining of the series isn’t too far off. With this movie already covering most of the entire series, the teasers seem to suggest that the next movie will stray even further from the original.

Now (partially) in 3D.

The DVD and Blu-ray versions of Evangelion 2.0 will be renamed Evangelion 2.22 and will feature additional footage that was cut from theatrical release.

Images courtesy of kodomut and copyright © Gainax Co Ltd 2010.

A good 10 years ago, an acquaintance of mine spoiled Evangelion for me by summarizing up the entire plot. I’ve never been much of an anime or manga fan, so despite all the hype, I never saw the need to watch the anime. While researching on some topics a few months ago, I happened upon this classic series again. I decided to give the show a chance. It was then that I came to the realization, had I experienced Evangelion 10 years ago, I could have very well ended up growing up as an Otaku today.

For those that require an introduction, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a 26 part animation series created in 1995 through a collaboration between Gainax and Tatsunoko Production. Both highly acclaimed animation studios, Gainax was created by former Studio Ghibli’s Anno Hideaki and Tatsunoko Production is best known overseas for creating Speed Racer.

The cast of Evangelion 1.0.

Disguised as a giant robot anime, Evangelion featured various philosophical themes never seen before in the medium. Written and directed by Anno Hideaki, the show drew inspiration from Christian and Buddhist beliefs. It tackles religious topic and offers an alternate retelling of our world’s mythos. And even though it inspired many other similar animations in the years following, Evangelion remained as the pinnacle anime of its kind.

One of the defining features of Evangelion is that despite being an anime, the show manages to feel incredibly lifelike. To maintain believability, the show incorporates many realistic imagery into its environments. The future technology remains imaginable because of the many familiar sights. From the city streets, to the individual props within each scene, most of what is featured in Evangelion is an accurate recreation of modern Japanese living. Of course, this comes with the side effect of lots product placement.

A realistic future Tokyo, down to the tiniest details.

The critically acclaimed Evangelion has attracted a rabid fanbase. The animation continues to spawn multiple movies, manga and an endless stream of random merchandise. It continues to be one of the most profitable anime franchises to date. Evangelion: 1.0 is the first part of a new reboot of the original TV series, formatted into 4 feature length movies.

I was exposed to this movie just a few months after my infatuation with the television series so my memories of the original series were still fresh. To those who are already familiar with the franchise, Evangelion 1.0 covers the events from the first 6 episodes. The movie stays true to the anime series, even going so far as to accurately recreate it on a scene by scene basis (albeit with much higher production values). The producers have promised that the subsequent movies will offer a complete retelling of the series though.

Another promo image featuring EVA-01.

The new high resolution visuals are definitely beautiful. The movie is a great watch for anyone who requires an introduction to the Evangelion series. If you have already watched the series you might want to pass. You could still enjoy the show, if only to refresh your memory though some might find the lack of new material disappointing. Fans will definitely feel nostalgic throughout the show and if your memory serves you well, you will have an entertaining time comparing the individual scenes.