A Film Directed by Hideaki Anno

Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance, the second installment in the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, directed by Hideaki Anno, successfully builds upon the foundation established in the previous film, offering fans a fresh and exhilarating take on the classic series while introducing new twists and turns to the storyline. The film continues to follow the story of Shinji Ikari, a reluctant Eva pilot, as he grapples with his emotions, relationships, and the ongoing battle against mysterious beings known as Angels. While the plot of this film shares some similarities with the original anime series, it deviates significantly, introducing new characters and plot elements that keep viewers guessing, even if they’re familiar with the source material.

“The landmark anime Evangelion evolves, reaching new heights of intensity in the feature film: Evangelion 2.22. In this explosive new story, brutal action and primal emotion clash as a group of young pilots maneuver their towering cyborg Eva Units into combat against a deadly and disturbing enemy. In the battle to prevent the apocalyptic Third Impact, Shinji and Rei were forced to carry humanity’s hopes on their shoulders. Now, as the onslaught of the bizarre, monstrous Angels escalates, they find their burden shared by two new Eva pilots, the fiery Asuka and the mysterious Mari. In this thrilling experience for fans of giant robot destruction, the young pilots fight desperately to save mankind – and struggle to save themselves.”

Perhaps the biggest departure from the original TV series is the introduction of an entirely new Eva pilot named Mari Makinami Illustrious. Considering the fact that literally all of the other Eva pilots are on some spectrum of depression or misanthropy, Mari adds some much needed levity at times with her somewhat more upbeat attitude. Mari seemingly works for an unknown third party, and is one of the only characters in the entire franchise that appears to enjoy being a pilot. She often claims that she loves the smell of LCL fluid, the breathable liquid that fills an Eva cockpit, and uses that fact to hit on Shinji all the time. Their first encounter involved her seductively crawling up to him on all fours and sniffing for the smell on his uniform.

More than perhaps any bit of media that I’ve seen that alters established canon, Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance is a masterclass of playing against the viewers expectations. Every longtime fan likely went into this just expecting a rehash, and instead had the rug pulled out from under them. The only other thing that I can think of like this is Final Fantasy VII remake.

The inclusion of Mari is the first instance where we can tell “everything is up for grabs” in this version of the Evangelion timeline. There are some minor differences in the first film here and there, but this second film takes the later half of the original TV series and flips it entirely on its head. Some big differences include the fact that In the Rebuilds, Kaworu debuts earlier, the line-up of angel attacks is different, Asuka is now named Asuka Shikinami (something that doesn’t mean anything until a later film), and a MAJOR storyline alteration happens with her later on.

In the original show, Shinji’s friend Toji ends up piloting Evangelion Unit 03, becomes possessed by an angel and ultimately loses a leg in the ensuing battle, never to be seen in the show again. In these films, Asuka is the pilot of Unit 03, remains merged with Angel Bardiel after it possesses the Eva unit, necessitating that she wears an eyepatch to keep the Angel contained. Oh, and Shinji nearly causes the third impact!

Character development remains a key focus in this installment, with Shinji getting a tad more to do than what we’re used to. Shinji’s emotional journey always takes center stage in any iteration of Evangelion, and thankfully he’s a tad more assertive here versus falling headfirst into a depressive doom-spiral for the majority of the film (that happens in the fourth film!). Granted, his actions while being more assertive literally kick off the events that many would see as “The End of the World”, so I guess there’s a double-edged sword there. Honestly, Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance was one of the first times when I somewhat got proud of Shinji. Not only does he almost defeat the Angel single-handedly, he does it like a real champ, and to top it all off he saves one of his friends.

One can make the argument that he is far more selfish in this iteration than he ever was in the original television series, which is interesting due to the fact that it is eventually revealed that his father is perhaps the most selfish person ever in existence (I won’t go into details on THIS review), and it’s not until Shinji realizes he’s just like his father that he truly gets his act together.

The soundtrack is once again composed by Shiro Sagisu, the original composer for the television series, and combines a mix of new tracks and reimagined classics from the original series seamlessly as he did in the first Rebuild film. The music enhances the emotional impact of key scenes, adding depth and resonance to the characters’ experiences. This is what every film composer should strive to do, but a lot of Hollywood films have a tendency to have very lackluster scores and soundtracks nowadays.

While Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance is a strong entry in the Rebuild series, and honestly is the superior iteration of this section of the story, it does have a few minor drawbacks that some long-time fans may have issues with. Some viewers who hold the original series in high regard may find the changes to the storyline and character dynamics divisive. Additionally, the film’s pace occasionally feels rushed, with important plot points unfolding very quickly. This leads to a tendency for the film to slam the viewer with jargon and expository dialogue that would make no sense to a casual viewer.

As I stated in my previous review: “I went back to these because I had an opportunity to see the fourth movie in this series, Evangelion 3.0+1.11 Thrice Upon a Time, which I missed out on entirely because it came out during the time I was not going to movie theaters. It was fun going back to this, the beginning of the Rebuild of Evangelion series, and I plan to keep going until I finish this out. Stay tuned for more.”

In conclusion, Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance successfully revitalizes the classic Evangelion story, offering fans an exciting and visually stunning reimagining of the series. It combines intense action, character development, and intriguing mysteries to create a compelling viewing experience. While it may not satisfy every fan of the original, it undoubtedly stands as a strong entry in the Rebuild series and keeps the momentum going for the films that follow. I feel that it is a superior second half to the show, differing enough to not only subvert expectation, but to prepare fans for the real “meat and potatoes” of this whole thing – two more films of entirely new content!

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