New York Times Reviews Evangelion 2.0
- January 26th, 2011
The New York Times published a brief, and somewhat scathing review of Evangelion 2.0 online on January 20th, and in print on January 21st. While I, and some of my peers, would likely go into fanboy-mode and defend the image of Evangelion to the New York Times, citing certain misunderstanding or oversight into the franchise, I must be humble and point out that this is a mainstream publication writing about Evangelion. So regardless of how little is said, positive, or negative, the fact that they are reviewing Evangelion 2.0 says a lot. In many ways, it validates FUNimation’s theatrical run of these new films, which many of us fans find unnecessary and pointless. Many of us have already seen the fansubs of 2.0, and those who haven’t will likely get the home video release, due for release only a few months past the theatrical run. But the fact that mainstream publications are writing about 2.0 says that this run is helping get the series exposure, which is exactly what we as fans want. We want Evangelion to prosper and flourish, and that can only happen when the show is supported by an audience that is large and growing. I’d also like to point out that despite what fans have claimed, FUNimation has stated that these theatrical runs are not a requirement of their license. Both they, and their licensing partner in Japan want to see a theatrical run, so both sides are happy with the arrangements.