Evangelion returns to legal English-language distribution with Netflix streaming deal【Video】

Get in the damn streaming service, Shinji.

Whether you find its mix of mecha action and psychological drama enthralling or baffling, there’s no denying that the Evangelion TV series has one of the most important legacies in anime, with its themes continuing to echo throughout brand-new series being made today. But what’s as impressive as the fact the anime fans around the world are still discussing Evangelion more than 20 years after it first aired on Japanese TV is that they’re still discussing it almost a decade after you could legally buy the original anime, or watch it online, translated into English.

Original English-territory Eva licensor ADV Films closed its doors in 2009, and since then the series has been unavailable for purchase or streaming. In the meantime, appreciation for the series has lived on and spread to new fans largely through unauthorized copies posted to video sharing sites, but director Hideaki Anno’s masterpiece is about to return to legitimacy in English-speaking territories.

Netflix has announced that it will be streaming the original 26-episode Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series, as well as the theatrical features Evangelion: Death(True) and The End of Evangelion (a.k.a. Evangelion Episodes 25 and 26: What’s Happening Outside Protagonist Shinji’s Head Edition). The company hasn’t set a release date more specific than spring of 2019, nor has it made any comment as to whether it will be using the remastered visuals from the Japan-only Blu-rays. It’s also still unknown if Netflix will be utilizing the existing ADV Films translation and English dubbing, so you may or may not be able to hear the origins of such old-school anime dub memes as “EVERY SINGLE MISSLE HIT THE TARGET!” and “I’m so f**ked up,” but at least you’ll be able to see the series that was one of the biggest turning points ever for the anime world.

Source: YouTube/Netflix, Anime News Network/Rafael Antonio Pineda
Images: YouTube/Netflix

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