For those who have been frozen in Bakelite for the last decade, YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE is a retelling of the television series, in particular the first seven episodes. After the eradication of half of humanity through the Second Impact the world has changed. Mysterious creatures called Angels appear to decimate humanity’s last hope for survival, Tokyo-3. The story focuses on Shinji Ikari, anime’s most infamous protagonist, as he pilots the Evangelion mecha in an attempt to defeat the Angels and assure the world’s safety. With a broken and difficult life, young Shinji may not be up to the task; nevertheless, he’s the only one who can pilot the Evangelion.

You Are (Not) Alone is a vast improvement over the aging original. Visually, there is no comparison. The film is clearly superior with contemporary animation and cinematography. Viewers will find pleasure being able to see the series re-animated in a fresh, sleek, and modernized way without loosing the spirit its predecessor. With updated aesthetics, there’s the musical score that’s been redone to meet the same standards as its visual counterpart. Audiences will feel right at home with these changes, as they enhance what story was already being told, except in a more modern fashion.

There are two versions – dubbed 1.01 and 1.11. What is the difference between the two? For starters, 1.11 has a second disc of bonus content as well as improved audio. 1.11’s packaging also includes a booklet which I was unfortunately was not privy to with the screening copies given. But the most noticeable improvements are the fix of the severe darkness issues that 1.01 had and an added 3 minutes of footage. But does all that make it worth buying again for one who already has the original release? Yes, without question. The darkness issues of 1.01 were dreadful, making some points on the movie literally unwatchable because the screen was completely black at points.



Also, collectors will eat 1.11 up. The whole second bonus disk contains a music video with scenes from the next film, You Can (Not) Advance which has yet to be released state [But we do have a review of it on our site – ED], as well as all the promotional trailers and TV spots. Although the second disc doesn’t have any ‘making of’ documentaries, there is a comparison between scenes from both versions of the film for fans wanting to see the differences.



In short, this film is amazing. Even when I didn’t take a liking to the original series, I loved this film. It serves as an excellent gateway for Eva virgins and budding anime fans alike. Perhaps the only drawback would be that it may feel too fast paced for those not already familiar with the original, but that’s easily overlooked. It’s just that good. “Eva, launch!”



Overall: A
Review by: Josh Dunham
Director: Hideki Anno
Animation Production: GAINAX
Distributed by: Funimation