Neon Genesis Evangelion is now available for purchase as a download through Apple TV and Prime Video.
Distributor GKIDS announced that the highly influential classic anime series is now available through a download-to-own option. The original 26 episode TV series is available, as well as the series' original two follow-up movies, EVANGELION:DEATH (TRUE)2 and THE END OF EVANGELION. GKIDS' physical releases of Evangelion included both the original ADV subtitles and English dub from the 1990s, as well as the revised localization from Netflix's streaming release of the series, but the listings for the digital releases of the series do not specify which versions of the series are included with this new download release.
GKIDS will also release a deluxe, "Ultimate Edition" package of the series and the two movies on Blu-ray. The $275 box set went up for preorder in September and quickly sold out. Only 5000 of the sets will be produced, which include a rigid-board box featuring art work that was previously only seen on the Japan-only Laserdisc releases of the original show, 11" x 12" art boards featuring the same art, a 156-page art book that features promotional art work representing the series' 26 year history, a lanyard with an ID card holder that recreates the look of the NERV ID passes used within the show, and a paperweight modeled after Sachiel, the first Angel that Shinji battles. GKIDS has also released the series in more affordable standard and "Collector's Edition" packages, which are still available for purchase but come with less bonus materials than the "Ultimate Edition."
Neon Genesis Evangelion was originally released in 1995 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon in Japan. Created by director Hideaki Anno, the series received widespread critical acclaim for its psychological themes and deconstruction of the mecha genre. The show is still widely regarded as one of the most influential anime series of all time. Following two highly divisive endings, the first being the final episode of the show and the second appearing in the movie THE END OF EVANGELION, the series continued in the form of the Rebuild of Evangelion movie series. The last film in the series, Evangelion 3.0+1.01: Thrice Upon A Time, recently made its international debut exclusively on Prime Video. Anno says that Thrice Upon A Time will be his final work within the franchise, though he has hinted that the series may continue with someone else at the helm. Anno is now working on the live-action reboot of Toho's long-running tokusatsu franchise, Shin Kamen Rider.
Source: GKIDS
