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The Engadget Staff on ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’
Netflix has lots of old TV shows in its library, but few of them have received as much attention and promotion as this one. A 24-year-old Japanese cartoon about giant robots fighting monsters hardly seems to deserve the red carpet treatment. But Neon Genesis Evangelion isn't just any old TV show, but one that's poised to be all anyone can talk about once it arrives. In the run-up to the show's worldwide Netflix debut on June 21st, our team looks back on why the show is so important, and beloved. And, since people are going to be discovering this show fresh, we'll try and keep spoilers to a minimum.
'Evangelion' will make its 'global streaming debut' on Netflix in 2019
Today in Tokyo Netflix announced another set of releases for its flood of content next year and focused specifically on the anime genre. The most familiar name on the list is Neon Genesis Evangelion, the classic series featuring children controlling massive robots battling aliens. All 26 episodes will make their "global streaming debut" (that's right, until now you've had to actually buy them in order to watch, and we're sure that license didn't come cheap) in the spring of 2019, as well as the followup films The End of Evangelion & Evangelion: Death (True)². It's not the only anime classic coming to Netflix either, as there's a brand new Ultraman movie and a series based on the manga 7 Seeds on deck in April. Rilakkuma and Kaoru is a stop-motion animated show about a woman with a stuffed bear as a roommate, while Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac takes place in modern day as warriors fight to protect the Greek goddess Athena.
No fair: Japan gets another 'Evangelion' phone
It's been 20 years since Shinji first piloted Unit-01 in the apocalyptic mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. The series is still incredibly popular, and to celebrate its anniversary there's a new NGE-themed Android phone for megafans to drool over. It's called the SH-M02-EVA20 and boasts a dazzling purple and green gradient on the back, contrasted with the white outline of Shinji's robot fighter. The power and volume buttons are bright orange and the entire device slips into a case that looks like a piece of Unit-01's armour. It'll cost 84,240 yen ($705) and only 30,000 are being produced -- to be in with a chance of buying one, you'll have to apply through the Japanese convenience store 7-Eleven. The first 5,000 are expected to ship in December, followed by the remainder in April next year.
Japan is building a 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' bullet train
Japan is yet to create any towering bio-machines in the style of Neon Genesis Evangelion, but it's doing the next best thing: decorating a Shinkansen bullet train to look like the iconic purple Unit-01. It's being put together by Japanese train operator JR West to celebrate the the 20th anniversary of the hit mecha anime, as well as the 40 years that have passed since the completion of the Sanyo Shinkansen line. In addition to its striking paint job, the "500 Type Eva" train will have an Evangelion-themed interior and heaps of special memorabilia for fans to buy. JR West says it'll launch this autumn and run until March next year, completing two trips between Hakata and Shin-Osaka each day. We're on board, as long as the train isn't required to fight any formidable Angels along the way.
Neon Genesis Evangelion SH-06D limited edition Android phone arrives June 29th (video)
Sharp's heavily customized NERV Edition SH-06D phone finally has preorder and release date info on Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo, and Neon Genesis Evangelion fanboys will want to get there early. It appears there will only be 10,000 of the phones available, with 3,000 sold via NTT DoCoMo's online store starting June 29th over three days, with 1,000 of them going on sale each day at noon. The rest will be sold at other retailers with preorders kicking off June 16th and although there's no price specified, we're expecting it to be around 25,000 - 30,000 yen with a two year contract. As we saw when the phone was announced in March, it features a heavily customized case, hardware buttons and 3D Android 2.3 skin designed to reflect its heritage. Getting one may require some camping out either in front of a store or on the carrier's website (in Japan of course, we don't expect to see any of these overseas), but at least it's got to be easier than life in Tokyo-3. Check out an in-universe video look at how NERV and NTT DoCoMo supposedly came together to develop the collectible's unique features after the break and our impressions of an unskinned SH-06D here.%Gallery-157463%
NTT, Sharp, Gainax make a Japan-only Neon Genesis Evangelion phone, get your plane tickets now
If someone offered you the chance to buy a Neon Genesis Evangelion NERV-branded phone, you'd jump at it right? After all, there's nothing better than pretending you live under constant threat of alien attack, or that the teenage clone of your dead mother could turn into a giant and... moving on. Sharp, NTT DoCoMo and Gainax teamed up to produce this SH-O6D with a custom case, new hardware buttons and a (as yet unfinished) skinned version of Gingerbread that resembles the readouts you're likely to see in the depths of Tokyo-3. See America? This is how you appeal to fans, by making the tiniest amount of extra effort, rather than just slapping a logo on the bottom of whatever regular handset you're selling.
