FUNimation Acquires EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE from NTV

: 28 August 2010

Source: FUNimation Entertainment press release Official Movie Site: funimation.com/evangelion (US), evangelion.co.jp (Japan) Special Thanks to Jackie Smith and Manny Alcala

FUNimation Entertainment announced that it has acquired the North American home entertainment, broadcast, digital and merchandise rights to the animated sci-fi action film EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Ha, 2009) from international sales agent NTV (Nippon Television Network). EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE is the second of four "Rebuild of Evangelion" films by Hideaki Anno and Studio Khara based on the Gainax television series NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (Shin Seiki Evangelion, 1995), a long-running anime about teenagers defending the world from monsters and mass destruction. The film is produced by Toshimichi Otsuki and directed by Hideaki Anno, Masayuki, and Kazuya Tsurumaki from the screenplay written by Anno. The mechanical designer is Ikuto Yamashita.

The setting is Tokyo 3, an outpost in a future world devastated by the "Second Impact." Repeatedly attacked by shape-shifting mecha-behemoths known as “Angels”, what`s left of Earth is defended by giant "Eva" robots piloted by high school students. Selected for duty by NERV, a top-secret military organization, the children are linked to their Evas by a design feature that channels the spirits of deceased family members into the machine`s circuitry. The lead pilot is Shinji (voiced by Megumi Ogata in the Japanese version), the troubled son of emotionally distant NERV scientist Gendo Ikari (Fumihiko Tachiki). Rebelling against his predestined path, Shinji is brought back into the fold by teacher-mother figure Misato Katsuragi (Kotono Mitsuishi) and fellow pilot Rei Ayanami (Megumi Hayashibara). EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE opened as the #1 film in Japan the week of its debut in October 2009. FUNimation Entertainment will release the film on Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray in 2011.

About FUNimation Entertainment

FUNimation Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit funimation.com.

For more information on "Rebuild of Evangelion" please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: