Original ‘Evangelion’ Voice Actor Comments on Possible New English Dub

Netflix is continuing their strong push into anime licensing and distribution into 2019, and confirmed the streaming license for Neon Genesis Evangelion. But many fans of ADV Films’ original English dub were left wondering what would become of it when the series hits Netflix.

Comments from original dub voice actress Amanda Winn Lee seemingly confirms some bad news as she states Netflix will be re-dubbing the series upon its release.

When Netflix announced that they will be streaming the series 26 episode run along with the two films, Evangelion: Death & Rebirth and The End of Evangelion, in Spring 2019, Amanda Winn Lee, original English voice actress for Rei Ayanami, seemingly confirmed that the series will be receiving a new English dub on Twitter with some troubling comments.

First noting her disappointment with the decision, “First #BattleAngel, now #Evangelion. It’s like I’m being erased from anything I ever cared about and poured my heart into. #originalcast #netflix” When asked by a fan to clarify what she meant, Winn-Lee stated that the new English dub was “not a rumor” and that although she couldn’t give her source, she says that it is “definitely true” that the series will feature a new English dub.

Fans had suspected this when Netflix announced that they had licensed the property, but had no details as to what languages it would be available in upon its worldwide release. The series was originally licensed for an English dub by ADV Films, but after that studio shut down, the dub along with the rest of the anime series were stuck in a license and distribution limbo.

The series had been near impossible to watch in its entirety legally in the United States for some time, and while Netflix has yet to confirm whether or not the series would be receiving a new English dub, it would make sense for a fresh license to have a fresh dub. A new English dub of the series may not sit well with fans who have pushed the franchise to its current iconic status, however.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is an original anime series produced by Gainax and Tatsunoko Production. First debuting in 1995 with director Hideaki Anno, The series follows Shinji Ikari, who is recruited by his father to pilot the giant mech Evangelion in the fight against giant monsters known as Angels in the futuristic city of Tokyo-3. But Shinji is unwilling to bear this huge responsibility and is often conflicted about taking part in a war he was dragged into. This conflict of emotions leads to many introspective episodes that cover the range of religious, philosophical, and existential concepts.

The series will be releasing its final film, Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0, in 2020, and while that seems like a long time from now it’s an even longer wait for those who have been wanting to see the final film since it was announced in 2012. If the film does release in 2020, it will be eight years long in production