Up to this point, Neon Genesis Evangelion has depicted themes surrounding "the human heart" and "communication between people" through the stories of the main characters. However, the climactic episodes, Episode Twenty-Five "The World Ending" and the Final Episode "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World," reverse the relationship between the story and the theme. What would normally be considered the story is kept to the bare minimum and "the theme itself" is told. The material is theoretical and experimental, and without a doubt, something never seen before in TV animation. When it originally aired, it became an incredibly hot topic and divided the fans in their opinion.

The conclusion to the drama and illuminating the mysteries. In response to fans clamoring for those two things, it was decided that there would be a remake of Episode Twenty-Five and the Final Episode. The result of that are Episode 25 "Air" and Episode 26 "A Pure Heart For You," which were released as the theatrical "The End of Evangelion."

Thus, the story of Eva would branch into two stories with the diverging point being the end of Episode Twenty-Four "The Final Messenger." The two stories each unfold differently and arrive at their own climaxes. Episode Twenty-Five and the Final Episode tell the theme directly. And the other version, Episode 25 and Episode 26, depict the same, following the story. It is not that one is the complete version and the other is incomplete. Just like the multiple endings of a game, two different endings were prepared for one story.

(Source: Evangelion Platinum Edition Booklets)


But that's not correct. I talked with Mr. Yamaga and Mr. Anno. They said, "It's not only a problem of schedule or budget. It's a problem of what the ending is going to be." Mr. Anno couldn't decide.

This is a singular piece of work with an exceedingly experimental structure. In spite of the story unfolding only through monologues and conversations between characters, the directing does a brilliant job maintaining the high tension. When it was originally aired, many voiced their opinion that they could not understand the story in Episode Twenty Five and the Final Episode. However, there is actually a bare-bones explanation of the story within the show. That being… Gendo uses Rei to execute the Human Instrumentality Project and the complementation of man begins. Seeing the remakes, Episode 25 “Air” and Episode 26 “A Pure Heart For You”, may in fact make the content of Episode Twenty-Five easier to understand. The depictions of Misato and Ritsuko being shot to death, Unit-02 hugging its knees in the lake, and Asuka likewise hugging her knees within Unit-02 all correspond to Episode 25.

Gendo says, “All souls will become one and find eternal peace”. His Instrumentality Project must have been for all human souls to be combined as one and to compensate each other for what they have been deprived of. In the story that follows from Episode 25 “Air” to Episode 26 “A Pure Heart For You”, he was not able to execute the scenario he had drawn up. It may be that it was in Episode Twenty-Five and Episode Twenty-Six that his wish actually came true.

It is left for the audience to decide whether this ending is the Best Ending or the Bad Ending.

(about NGE TV ending).