[EVA] Moura interviews with Gainax people & others

[V V]

I deeply thank you for taking the time to explain this thoroughly.

So there were the TV versions, then the home video versions (minor changes)...and Director's cut was basically just "the home video version of 21-24"

So ADV for episodes 21-26 released the *TV version*...while ADV's 1-20 were the same as the home video version?

Anyway, this means that ADV's original releases were all based on the TV version, while the later, definitive "Platinum" version with Director's Cuts was the "home video version"

Oh crud;  near as I can tell, the "ending of episode 24 with all the EoE concept art" was flat out saying "next:  Air"

But...if the home release came out after the movies, why would they only put concept art in the trailer?

--- On Thu, 12/17/09, Peter Svensson <sun1jack at hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Peter Svensson <sun1jack at hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [EVA] Moura interviews with Gainax people & others
To: evangelion at eva.onegeek.org
Date: Thursday, December 17, 2009, 9:18 AM


> THe reason I ask is: if even the ADV folks say "End of Eva was nothing more than revenge on fans and wasn't the planned ending"..........it would real proof to say "well, why do your own VHS tapes have Mass Production Evas at the end of episode 24?"

Wait.... they..... BWAHAHAHA! That's rich! I mean, Gainax almost certainly mandated that ADV use the revised next episode preview, but still. That's hilarious.
 
> So I'm confused; how did the alternate cuts (not DC, I mean TV vs home video) come out in Japan and America, specifically with regard to those endings?

Evangelion aired on Japan. 15 second next episode previews. (1995-1996)

For the home video release in Japan, 2 episodes were released per laser disc/VHS at a time. Each episode had a few minor touch-ups done here and there, and now had 30 second next episode previews. (1997) I suspect the main reasoning for the longer next episode previews was to try and get the fans who recorded the show on VHS from the televised airings to buy it again. Gainax knows their fanbase.

The home video release schedule was stalled while Gainax was focusing on the films, and so the decision to re-animate and add new scenes to episodes 21-24 was made partially to reward the fans for being patient (or that's at least what the press releases said), partially to encourage the fans who had videotaped the show to actually buy the LDs, and to help tie-in with the movie. It is important to note that the revised versions of episodes 21-24 came out AFTER the films. One of the main reasons for Death and Rebirth was that the show wasn't officially out yet, and thus actually reminding people of what happened in a TV show that aired the year prior was pretty important. 

0:11 had episodes 21-22, the first of the revised editions. 30 second next episode previews, and lots of new scenes beyond the little clean-up here and there that the earlier volumes had. 

0:12 had episodes 23-24, same deal. (1998)

0:13 was a double sided disc, where one side was TV 25, which was 99% the same as original transmission. (One scene was altered IIRC, changed from full-screen to wide-screen) while the other side was a revamped 25', with altered eyecatches, credits, and a next episode preview that was more or less the prelude to the Karekano ending sequence. 

0:14 was also a double sided disc, where one side was TV 26, completely the same as the original aired version. The other side was a similarly altered 26', with altered eyecatches, and a credit sequence at the end. Also, Asuka speaks her "No" to Shinji in the fantasy sequence rather than speaking through a caption. 

If you bought all 14 volumes of the series in Japan, you could send in the proofs of purchase and then be able to buy a limited edition LD that contained the original version of episodes 21-24 as aired on TV in Japan.

A box set containing Death(true^2), Rebirth, and End of Evangelion was then released. Death had been edited once previously for airing on TV in Japan, as Death(true) and Rebirth so as to remove much of the new footage and thus discourage people from recording it from TV rather than buying the eventual home video release. It was re-edited a second time for the home video release, reinserting some of the original footage back.  End of Evangelion was as it was released in theatres. 

Later, a limited edition DVD box set was released that had the series as it aired on TV in Japan, 15 second next episode previews and all. Well, it also included 25' and 26', but it was close enough.

 ---

Now we get to the US release.

0:01-0:10 are identical to the Japanese home video release, each containing two episodes each. 30 second next episode previews.

But while the home video release was stalled in Japan, ADV didn't want to wait and lose their momentum. And while they started releasing the series on home video later, the delays between volumes in Japan meant that ADV had caught up to the Japanese release schedule. And since ADV's contract didn't include the revised 21-24, since it was felt that they had been revised to the point where it was more than just the little clean up, well, I suspect Gainax was hoping that ADV would try and renegotiate and get the rights to said footage. Instead, they just released the original TV versions of 21-26, and got them out before they were released in Japan.

Gainax reportedly was not pleased.

Manga Entertainment then got the rights to the films. They attempted to convince Gainax to re-edit Death for them, including the majority of the new footage created for 21-24, since at the time it appeared that ADV would never license that footage and thus it'd be the only way to release it in North America. Gainax said no. (Probably would have said yes had they offered more money, but that's the way of the world.) Death(true^2) and Rebirth were released, as were End of Evangelion.

Then we got the revised 21-24 released on two DVDs, with special features from the proposed Evangelion live action film which was in works at the time. (Oh, how the mighty have fallen.)

---

Back in Japan, Gainax remastered the series, releasing it as Renewal of Evangelion and released it on DVD. ADV licensed it, and released their Platinum Edition on DVD, and there you go. 

Peter Svensson
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