Neon Genesis Evangelion recently saw a resurgence thanks in part to the arrival of the legendary anime series on Netflix, and the story of Shinji Ikari and NERV has once again made the rounds with a new phone commercial that portrays some of the characters of EVA units in stunning live action footage! Though the series has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with the last film in the Rebuild of Evangelion series being delayed to an unspecified date, it’s still fantastic to see the characters created by Hideaki Anno make their way into the spotlight time and time again.
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While there hasn’t been a live action movie or television series that re-create the anime franchise of Neon Genesis Evangelion, that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been attempts to translate the animated adventures of NERV to the big screen. The company known as ADV films had originally secured the rights for a live action Evangelion film though they hit a big snag when a legal battle against the original studio behind the series, Gainax, erupted. Though ADV Films no longer exists as it once did, the rights are seemingly held by Khara, the same studio that is currently putting together the Rebuild of Evangelion films. Whether we’ll actually ever see a live action version of the franchise, this phone commercial certainly gives us a good idea of what it might look like!
The phones themselves were created by the company OPPO, giving fans the opportunity to buy cellular devices that are modeled after the main EVA unit that is piloted by the troubled protagonist of the franchise, Shinji Ikari. Paired with headphones and a charger that are also modeled after the renowned anime franchise, we’re sure fans of the series in North America would jump at the chance to grab some of these.
The future of Evangelion following the eventual release of the fourth feature length film in the Rebuild of Evangelion series, Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon A Time, is still unclear, though we would imagine it will only be a matter of time before the series is revisited again in either a television series or movie. Next year, fans can look forward to an ultimate edition Blu-Ray set that is once again giving fans a new way to experience the series.
What do you think of this insane Neon Genesis Evangelion live action commercial? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of NERV!
