After its overwhelming success in Japanese theaters, the final chapter in the Rebuild of Evangelion saga will soon premiere all over the world on Amazon Prime Video. Now, the streaming service is hyping up its release with a new trailer preview for Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.
Prior to the news of Amazon picking up the entire Rebuild of Evangelion film series, it wasn’t entirely clear how Hideaki Anno’s final work for the saga would make it outside of Japan, especially due to the already complex deals that surrounded the anime’s licensing prior to its acquisition by Netflix. However, an Amazon Prime Video release opens up the door for many more people to enjoy a 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time chapter that has already surpassed its Evangelion predecessors both critically and commercially.
The new 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time teaser was uploaded to Amazon Prime Video’s Japanese channel as part of its promoting efforts for Comic-Con at home events. The preview definitely seems to pick things up right where Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo left off. Most scenes feature Asuka, Rei, and Shinji stranded after saving the world from almost certain doom once again, though it seems like Asuka is again doing her best to drag Shinji along for the ride, just like in the good old days.
It is now expected that the version Amazon will release on August 13 will be the same final cut of 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time with extra scenes that made their way into Japanese cinemas near the beginning of the summer. Luckily, for those who have missed out on the previous Rebuild movies, Amazon will make available all four Evangelion films available for streaming on that same date.
Although 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time still lacks a dubbed version, Demon Slayer’s own unprecedented success in the United States speaks volumes of the growing comfort for widespread audiences with original language dialogue, especially for hardcore anime fanatics. Aside from the usual visual spectacle offered in prior Rebuild of Evangelion movies, most critics have commented positively on 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time’s plot, which seems to go back a bit on the anime’s themes of individuality, consciousness, and existentialism.
Be that as it may, that won’t stop some misguided fans from absolutely hating 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, to the point where some Studio Khara employees received death threats and hate mail a couple of months ago. Maybe some Evangelion-themed Asuka cosplays can help those fans lighten up a bit and remember this is just an anime.
Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time will be available on Amazon Prime Video starting August 13, 2021.
Source: Amazon Prime Video JP|YouTube