Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time concluded the 26 year Evangelion series created by Hediaki Anno in 1995.

“I was excited because the last movie was like 8 years ago, so finally having another movie got me pretty hyped,” said Griffin Shea (‘23).

The Evangelion series has a tremendous impact on Japanese culture, with some even likening this latest film to Marvel’s Endgame.

“When walking around in Tokyo, I saw advertisements about the movie, and it showed how the anime is integrated in Japanese culture,” said Tokyo resident Allen Kim. 

Fans of the series were beyond excited for the film, and it showed, with 500,000 people in Japan watching it on the March 8 Japanese debut date. 

“It’s one of those anime that really showed that anime isn’t just for kids, it’s also for adults, as it can cover serious topics like identity and depression,” said Daniel Lee (‘23).

Hediaki Anno created the Neon Genesis Evangelion series about a young boy, Shinji Akari, who tries to save Earth from an apocalypse by “Angels” by becoming a pilot in a machine that fights the Angels. The fourth and final movie, Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, concluded the Rebuild of Evangelion movies which is about the world after the end of the TV series. Its classic popularity allowed for the diffusion of the anime, along with its Japanese culture, around the world. 

“People are encouraged to take Japanese class because of anime, and without it, we might not have the class at all,” said Lee.

Many fans are happy to finish the series they grew up watching in their childhood. After a long wait of 8 years for the final movie and 26 years in total, Hediaki Anno concluded the Evangelion series, giving a sense of completion for many fans.

“The movie was a really good standalone movie, but it was a great way of completing the series. Honestly though, if the movie ended up being not that great, I still would have been satisfied with it being completed” said Shea.