Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum Edition Vol. 1 1994 - 1995 ADV Films Official Japanese Website Buy It Now

Alright, I'd like to start things off by saying that to properly prepare myself for this review, I was forced to do a bit of in-depth investigation into this series.  Mysteries had to be solved, questions answered, and some light finally shed on the question that has been plaguing me since I first saw this phenomenal series...just which Neon Genesis Evangelion character am I most like, anyway?!  A trip to this site gave me just the insight that I needed and at long last I was able to continue on with my assigned task of reviewing these discs.  I am most like Misato Katsuragi.  Friendly, nice and spontaneous.  Whew; and now that we have put that behind us...we're moving on.

It was just this sort of fan enthusiasm that propelled Evangelion to be one of the most popular anime series of all time, and without doubt one of the most popular anime series in the West.  Perhaps its greatest success is that Evangelion was responsible for elevating anime out of the assumption that the genre is simply nothing more than kids and robots fighting creatures bent on destroying mankind, and spreading the truth that anime can take the form of drama with intense depth, and can span storylines that equal if not surpass anything that Hollywood can pump out.  The real wake up slap-in-the-face is that this was achieved using a formula of...you guessed it...kids and robots fighting creatures bent on destroying mankind! 

Because of this enormous popularity and intense success, these episodes have seen many a release over the 10 years since they originally aired in Japan.  We have seen VHS sets, then DVD volumes, followed by Director's Cut DVD releases, and every other possible box set or collectors edition you can think of.  But one thing was never available for any of these releases that it has taken ten years to get together for a final, epic Neon Genesis Evangelion release wave.  This missing ingredient was technology, and with technology comes great power...and also, great responsibility!  So the folks over at ADV have decided that it is their responsibility to bring to you, faithful consumer, the epitome of what Evangelion can be...sound, picture, translation...everything perfect, or as nearly as can be to it.

We here at Underland Online have reviewed our fair share of Evangelion releases, so I will not bore you with a lengthy sermon on why this anime series is one of the most influential series to date and why it is an absolutely mandatory addition to any decent anime collection.  Instead, I will simply give you some insight as to why these Platinum Editions are THE definitive, end-all editions that you simply must have; even if it means selling all those other copies of this series that you have purchased to your friends and sticking them with the discs that don't have Dolby Digital sound, more accurate synchronization and enhanced picture quality.

A tad bit of history for you...Evangelion takes place in the year 2015; fifteen years after a huge meteor impacted the polar ice cap of Antarctica, melting the ice and flooding the Earth in a massive wave of destructive water that killed a huge portion of the Earth's populace and submerged coastlines and inlands all across the globe.  Unbeknownst to the general populace, the catastrophic event was no accidental impact of space rock however, and was actually the result of a massive explosion caused by an "Angel".  Angels are enormous and powerful creatures with a hazy origin and even more unknown motives.  One thing is for sure, however, and that is the fact that without some form of defense, the Earth will not survive any more encounters with these visitors.

It is for this reason that the para-governmental organization known as NERV is instituted and given the resources necessary to assemble a team of mechanized, humanoid Evangelion units (EVAs) to do combat with the encroaching Angels.  When one young man is drawn into the world of mecha-piloting by his father, the director of NERV, he embarks on a journey of horrible combat, betrayal, discovery, pain, suffering, corruption and heartbreaking naivety that is guaranteed to strike a chord with everyone who views it.  This is the stuff of fantastical legend...the stuff of epics...this is, in a nutshell, what anime should inspire to be!

And these Platinum Editions are the way that it should be seen!  I will go into detail here about the updates in audio and sound engineering and will tackle the aspects of video, translation and story in the reviews of further volumes.  Heck, I have to do something to make all these reviews worth reading when we have already brought you two complete series overviews in the past!  So let's have a look (or should I say listen) to what they have done with the audio of this series...

When Evangelion was first gathered together by ADV to be recorded in English and released, the technologies that exist now, simply did not.  Combine this with the fact that ADV had only put out about a half dozen English dubbed releases (including Samurai Showdown, Burn-Up, and Devil Hunter Yoko), and that this was only the second attempt at completing an entire television series (after Blue Seed; the rest were all OVAs), and what you get was a very laborious task that was destined to emerge less than 100%.

Now, however, ADV has taken those original 8-Track audio tapes and gone through them...sound by sound, line by line...and isolated each and every piece of audio that takes place in the series.  These tiny pieces were then cleaned up, noise-filtered, enhanced and re-recorded to completely even out and tune-up every piece of audible information that is passed from speakers to your ears.  With this tender loving care and a new multi-channel sound mix, there are now voices from beside you, explosions from in front of you, ambient sounds from behind you and nearly every other conceivable combination of co-existing audio.  No longer do two voices fight for dominance of the audio track and meld together into a mish-mash of jargon.  Now, each and every important bit of sound reached you unmolested and with the utmost clarity!

To put it plainly, Evangelion has never sounded so good...and will never sound better!  It is time to experience one of your favorite anime series as it has finally been brought up to speed with your state of the art stereo equipment and multi-channel surround sound speaker array!  Even if you are like me and don't have any of that crap, you will still notice a huge difference in quality from your old discs.  I am not even talking about the bragging rights you will possess when your friends discover that their discs are now outdated and far-inferior to your own, or the fact that these suckers come in a really sweet looking new graphic format of keep case, nor the fact that each volume has included discussions on the changes which have been implemented and some commentaries of various episodes with the series' English language director, crew and cast.

Next volume, we will take a peek into what has been restored and enhanced visibly with the Neon Genesis Evangelion: Platinum Edition episodes and discuss a few of the other reasons you simply must have these discs!  See ya then...

Episode 1 – Angel Attack

When Shinji arrives at NERV headquarters, his life isn’t going to get any easier. It’s hard enough that he has to be in the company of his long estranged father, but when the Third Angel Sachiel attacks Tokyo 3 and threatens the NERV compound, there’s only one solution. Shinji is placed inside the cockpit of an EVA, and sent out on battle with zero training experience. This first encounter is the one that will change his young life forever.

Episode 2 – The Beast

Successful, although quite shaken, with his first battle experience, Shinji has proven himself to be highly capable, and he is considered to be the Third Child. The decision has been made that he lives within the NERV compound, but Misato has other ideas and takes the young pilot to live with her. Maybe the battle with the Angel was easier than life with Misato.

Episode 3 – A Transfer

Shinji begins school, but has trouble adjusting and making friends. His classmates soon discover that he is in fact an EVA pilot, much to the delight of many of them. Toji on the other hand isn’t pleased at all and takes an immediate dislike to his new classmate. All of that will change soon enough when he and Kensuke find themselves in the middle of another battle, this time involving the Fourth Angel Shamshel.

Episode 4 - Hedgehog Dilemma

With his last battle behind him, Shinji decides that being an EVA pilot and having the fate of humanity rest on is shoulders is too much to bear. He runs away, only to be found by and returned by agents of NERV. Shinji decides to leave the project, but soon the developing relationship between his friends, and some worldly advice, convince him otherwise.

Episode 5 – Rei I

Shinji is developing a slight interest in the quite and shy Rei, but when he’s asked to take her newly renewed NERV card to her home, things don’t turn out exactly how he had anticipated. Rei on the other hand is unset over his opinion of his father, the same man who had saved her life when the initial EVA testing when horribly wrong. All their difference will be put aside however when the fifth Angel, Ramiel, attacks Tokyo 3, and there seems to be no way to stop it.

-aaron-