Just a hair over 30 years ago, one of the most legendary anime series of all-time premiered: “Neon Genesis Evangelion.” Since then, it has had a massive impact on anime, video games, manga, and a mess of other forms of media. It pushed Japanese animation forward as an art form by combining otherwise familiar character archetypes and mecha with themes that were deeply philosophical and religious, with a touch of the avant garde. It also had one hell of a theme song in the form of “Cruel Angel’s Thesis.” Now, three decades later, we are excited to report that a new series of “Neon Genesis Evangelion” is being written by Yoko Taro.
Why Yoko Taro Is the Perfect Choice
While not quite being a household name, Taro has become a legend of sorts in the world of video games. He’s crafted some of the more bizarre, complex and deeply thematic worlds that gamers have ever come across. His most well-known work is Nier: Automata, the sequel to Nier and spin-off of the Drakengard series. He served as the creative force behind all of them. They are profoundly powerful narratives that cover concepts like identity, existentialism, the nature of good and evil, impact of violence, and other elements of philosophy and religion. Are you sensing a connection here?
While Taro will be responsible for writing the project, “Evangelion” veterans, Kazuya Tsurumaki and Toko Yatabe will be directing it. Tsurumaki and Yatabe previously worked on the series of “Evangelion” remake films with the former as the director and the later in the animation department. Even more enticing though is that Kiichi Okabe will be composing the music for this upcoming series. Okabe has an extensive list of works throughout games and anime, but his presence is especially fitting here since he worked on the music for the aforementioned Nier titles. And as anyone who has played that series can tell you, the music is absolutely incredible.
What Could This New Evangelion Series Be About?
We don’t know what this new series will be about yet, but it’s being reported that this won’t be a remake or retelling. Instead they’re saying it’s a new series entirely. Does that mean it’s going to take place in the same universe as the previous series? Only Yoko Taro presumably knows at this point but he isn’t one to shy away from alternate universes. In fact, the entire premise for Nier was based on an alternate ending to the first Drakengard that saw the protagonist and main antagonist ripping through dimensions to land in modern day Tokyo. It didn’t end well, for anyone.
There’s always a sense of trepidation when a classic series gets reinvented or reimagined. Even if its just continued from where it ended there is a lot scrutinized when this happens. We get that and we certainly feel a degree of that. However, if there is anyone who can wrap their own uniquely twisted mind around the themes in “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” it’s Yoko Taro. After all, this is a man who named one of the main characters of Nier Automata, 2B. And the homophone of that being “to be” was not just intentional, it was imperative to the existentialist themes. We remain intensely excited to see what happens in the weeks and months to come.
