Happy New Year from NERV! We crack open the 2020 Evangelion fukubukuro lucky bag【Pics】

Plenty of fanservice awaits in this end-of-year Evangelion package, and we didn’t even have to queue for one.

Neon Genesis Evangelion first hit screens in Japan in 1995, meaning 2020 marks its 25th anniversary. Directed by Hideaki Anno and starring a team of expert animators, talented voice actors, and more existential dread than a Jean-Paul Sartre convention, Evangelion is still a powerhouse in 2020. There have even been real-world hot springs, bars and apartments patterned after the series’ aesthetics!

So our Japanese-language reporter, Takashi Harada, was surprised to find a stand of as-of-yet unpurchased Evangelion lucky bags on his trip to Evangelion Store Shinjuku. The much-awaited fourth and final film will come out this year, so Takashi was a bit surprised to see lucky bags still available for purchase.

▼ Each bag is guaranteed to contain a limited edition hoodie and a bath towel!

A bag costs 11,000 yen (US$101) and is e filled with various Evangelion goods besides the standard hoodie and towel. Takashi, still amazed the bags weren’t sold out three days after New Year, hastened to trade his cash for one of the bright red bags.

Upon returning home and opening the bag, he realized that “filled up with goods” was a bit of a euphemism. Most of the offerings were quite small, though the chunky hoodie and towel did help to fill up the NERV-stamped bag. Speaking of which, time to check out that hoodie…

▼ One size fits all! (A Men’s XL, or extra large.)

▼ “Beautiful boy…♪”

▼ The text reads “Episode 1: Angel Attack”.

The bath towel brought a splash of color, featuring all the Evangelion pilots in seasonal kimono. Each one is accompanied by a cute animal critter, and the text behind announces the name of the store where Takashi bought it as well as the new year.

▼ Who wore it best?

The contents of the bag may have been small, but the bright art and array of familiar faces are sure to please any dedicated Evangelion otaku. Many are practical, too:

▼ Clear files to store your documents, in both cute and cool styles.

▼ The kind of mechanical pencil NERV employees use, we presume?

▼ These sticky notes come shaped like all your favorite characters, including Shinji.

▼ A postcard book, so you can spread the word of the angels wherever you want!

▼ Plus two extra postcards, just in case.

▼ A “Human Instrumentality Project” notebook, for when you’re instrumentalizing humans.

There’s also gauze cloth patterened with dewy-eyed renditions of the characters by Yurie Sekiya, and a coin bank with a threatening image of Gendo splashed across it.

The collection is rounded out by some truly esoteric merchandise.

▼ These blue bandanna are typically worn by members of WILLE, an anti-NERV group.

▼ This catalog is titled “Milennials”, though we’re unsure if it depicts Shinji and pals munching avocado toast or not.

▼ And this unnerving pack of bath salts is titled “NERV Hot Water”.

But maybe the coolest item in the entire bag was… another bag! This stylish tote comes bearing the word Longinus, the name given to the series’ famous, two-pronged artifact that can penetrate any Absolute Terror Field.

This bag definitely had some fun charms, but it didn’t quite compare to the intense volume of Evangelion goods Seiji found in his lucky bag back in 2016.

And if you’re in the mood to see more Lucky Bag treasure hunting, make sure to check out one of our rarest finds from Starubucks this year, and one of our most hilariously disappointing ones from Akihabara.

Images: ©SoraNews24
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