Celebrating 30 years since its TV anime debut, the still-massively popular Neon Genesis Evangelion continues to churn out collaborations, a testament to its enduring 30-year appeal.
Recently, the official announcement dropped: all six Evangelion theatrical films are returning to cinemas. But here's the kicker: this coincides with Studio Ghibli's masterpiece, Princess Mononoke, getting a 4K re-release. And get this – the original releases of both films clashed at the box office back in the day too! Khara President Hideaki Anno even took to X (formerly Twitter) to discuss the bizarre timing, shedding light on the original circumstances.
Let's rewind to the original clash. Back in 1997, The End of Evangelion (also known as Neon Genesis Evangelion: Air/My Pure Heart for You) hit Japanese theaters on July 19th. That was just a week after Princess Mononoke, directed by Hayao Miyazaki – a man Anno reveres as his mentor – premiered on July 12th.
Adding to the drama, Princess Mononoke's tagline was "Live!" – a stark contrast to The End of Evangelion's infamous poster text: "So, everyone, die."
Fast forward 28 years, and the six Evangelion films are re-releasing, once again clashing with Princess Mononoke's 4K re-release. Both are slated for late October, leading netizens to have a field day, joking that this "destiny" between the two titans is truly inescapable.
After the online buzz, Khara President Hideaki Anno stepped in to clarify:
"The 4K version of 'Princess Mononoke' starting in October just happens to coincide with the 'one Evangelion movie per month' screenings. It's a complete coincidence. And by the way, the overlap between 'Princess Mononoke's' first release in 1997 and 'The End of Evangelion' was also a pure coincidence."
"Speaking of 'Princess Mononoke,' back when I visited Studio Ghibli during production, Director Miyazaki proudly showed us some CG test footage, practically beaming with pride. Another time, I spotted a storyboard on the director's review shelf and thought the composition looked a bit loose. So I asked, 'Hey, Miyazaki-san, are you really going to greenlight this one?' He immediately shot back, fuming, 'I know! We're out of time!'"
"Also, back then, the ADR (audio dialogue recording) for 'The End of Evangelion' and the digital compositing (DB) for 'Princess Mononoke' were both happening in the same studio, at the same time. Once, during a recording break, I wandered over to the DB studio and ended up getting roped into eating a mountain of snacks (laughs). There were other little anecdotes too, but looking back now, they've all become wonderful memories."
Of course, for such a coincidence to repeat 28 years later has many netizens jokingly calling the master-apprentice duo of Anno and Miyazaki "hopelessly intertwined." Both fantastic works are definitely worth revisiting.
Still, the stark contrast between the two films' taglines from back then remains as amusing and ironic as ever, even today.