Original subtitles

- Hey! It’s been a long time! - How’ve you been?

- You look good. - You, too.

You look bigger.

Not really.

Bigger than in grade school!

But you’ve really made your mark.

No, not really…

I don’t know what that means.

I was unusually fond of TV.

That’s how I spent most of my time.

We didn’t go out much.

My dad had only one leg.

That made it hard to leave the house.

What did you think of him?

My dad…

He hated the world.

The loss of his leg wasn’t his fault.

You know those two-handled saws for big trees?

It was an accident with that, apparently.

He lost his leg because of another man’s mistake.

Dad paid for that mistake with his leg.

He was handicapped the rest of his life.

He resented everything.

He was angry about his fate.

I suffered from his resentment, too.

The robots I drew as a little kid always had limbs missing.

I liked them broken. Limbs torn off.

My preference for something broken

is probably rooted in my dad’s missing leg.

My dad symbolized something always missing in life.

Maybe that’s why I feel that incompleteness is good.

It’s rooted there, I think.

It might explain my robot obsession, too.

It lets me express my dad.

I told him, just draw something and bring it to me.

And Anno said, is a manga OK?

When I saw his sketchbook, I was amazed.

It was a drawing of Battleship Yamato.

It had such descriptive power.

He doesn’t do half-baked work.

I knew he was someone to watch.

For a time, he didn’t go to class at all

and worked all day until he dropped.

He made several movies that way.

I’d never known anyone who could do that.

I was very impressed.

His work was as good as anything on TV at the time.

He’d do anything for his work.

He’d get others to do anything, too.

He doesn’t talk much, but he makes people listen.

He’s a genius at that.

Did you think he’d be a professional animator?

I knew from the start that was his path.

He turned out to be the best in Japan!

He visited me when he was on break in college.

He was manic about my work.

He knew who was in charge of which battle scenes.

He said he liked mine best.

I told him to come help us on his college breaks.

I had him working all night, the hardest jobs.

He’d neither sleep nor go home.

I’d slap him awake if he dozed off.

Play a radio loud in his ear.

Shouted at him to get up.

He didn’t ask you to stop?

No, he never did.

He never complained.

He just got himself up.

I knew he worked at a different level.

I wanted to see how far he’d go.

I kept pushing to see if he’d break.

I got carried away, giving him the hardest jobs.

It was like ordering Ultraman to slay Z-TON.

He could defeat the strongest monster.

Then he went to Ghibli.

I thought, he’s a space alien.

An alien.

He wore a suit he’d borrowed from a friend.

With bare feet and beach sandals.

I was fascinated the moment I saw him.

So I hired him.

A light beam that causes something like a nuclear explosion.

He studied videos of nuclear blasts.

He seemed deranged.

He lived in the studio, working God knows how many hours.

He’d sleep under his desk, bare feet sticking out.

I called him a dirty-footed caveman.

All cracked and stiff. He hates taking baths.

That’s the kind of man he is.

I don’t work with him. We end up fighting.

He’s always sure he’s right. And I am, too.

We have comments about Part D.

Please start, Tsurumaki-san.

It’s because they don’t know what you’re trying to do.

A little more guidance would help.

Otherwise, the audience will feel lost, too.

Well, I write as I go.

I don’t know myself what’s coming next.

It’s no wonder you don’t have a clue. Neither do I.

It only emerges when I get there, same as the audience.

I thought it was more understandable.

But it’s not understood at all, and that troubles me.

It’s not understood.

I’ll have to rethink it.

All the foreshadowed events have to be tied together.

This Eva project is overwhelming.

It’s the last one, after all.

This is terrible.

We’re way behind schedule.

This is the worst it’s ever been.

We won’t meet the deadline.

How will you catch up?

At this point there can be no hesitation.

I have a few things to discuss.

I think Okajima-san contacted you

about getting the script by the 18th.

Is that realistic?

OK. I’ll reschedule.

We want jobs you definitely want done.

Even if it took time.

There is a time limit, though.

I’m out of ideas.

The gods have forsaken me.

I don’t know. What would Rei Ayanami do?

It’s sounds too forceful.

Bring it down a bit.

As if you have no confidence.

I don’t know. What would Rei Ayanami do?

Ah. That was close.

Even less confidence.

I don’t know. What would Rei Ayanami do?

Keep that.

That was a keeper. Just a little more.

Less confidence still?

No, that was good.

- My reading’s a little off? - It’s not quite there.

I don’t know. What would Rei Ayanami do?

The answer’s there, but not there. It’s a rare work.

Anno-san has some idea what he wants,

but until the puzzle piece fits, he keeps looking.

We don’t know when a take’s OK, and that’s nerve-wracking.

We’ll do more in a few months. Thanks!

Thank you.

I have no idea how it’ll end.

Maybe it doesn’t have to end.

A finished story isn’t necessarily good.

Trying to force an ending on it is very painful.

It’s his story, after all.

These are his characters.

He’s the only one who knows what’s there.

We have no choice but to wait to get it from him.

It’s like a dad waiting outside the maternity ward.

Like, how many days past the due date?

Humans are isolated creatures who fear death.

They will follow the crowd and abandon their own will.

This is the story of a youth who acquires great power and makes a brave decision.

I was a little over 30 at the time.

They say people do their best work at age 35.

That being the peak, I wanted to do it right.

That’s an order, Shinji! Withdraw!

Shinji!

That idiot!

He said he was ready to die for it.

It would influence people and last forever.

Once it was done, he had nothing more to do.

That’s the commitment and energy he brought to it.

He had something like a director’s room.

I doubt he ever went home.

His room was a real mess.

His diet is terrible, right?

He’s vegetarian, so he didn’t smell bad even without a bath.

But then he started to smell.

He stank like a chicken coop.

Other directors aren’t nearly as demanding.

He’ll do retakes for the slightest reason.

He doesn’t demand acting.

He wants you to expose your whole life for all to see.

That’s his kind of retake.

No one will hold me close!

No one! No one! No one! Look at me!

Evangelion itself

depicts many people’s pain.

It’s like blood flowing from different people and mixing.

Hurting someone without meaning to.

Being hurt because you’ve hurt someone.

Move! Move!

Come on move!

If we don’t move now, we’ll die!

I can’t let that happen.

So, move!

One expects perfection but gets something broken.

That’s why it’s fascinating.

My idea of “fascinating” is a little warped.

My preference for something missing

might go back to my father’s missing leg.

I might want to affirm him as he was.

“Why do you pilot Eva?”

Because it’s my everything.

The Beast That Shouted ‘I’ at the Heart of the World

I have no “self.” I don’t know it.

How can I treasure it?

“You're anxious.”

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

Congratulations.

Congratulations.

Thank you!

To father, thank you

To mother, goodbye

And to all the children,

congratulations

I was an emotional wreck after the TV series.

I felt I’d done my best for the world and for anime fans.

I felt I’d done a good job.

But viewers thought I’d been sloppy and careless.

There was a lot of criticism.

There were online threads about killing me.

They discussed

the best way of doing it.

People came up with ideas about how to kill me.

When I saw that, I lost my will to live.

I didn’t want to make anime anymore.

One time, I nearly threw myself in front of a train.

Another time, I decided to jump off a roof.

Fortunately, I didn’t follow through either time.

What stopped you?

The prospect of pain.

I didn’t mind dying, but I didn’t want it to hurt.

Faced with the reality, I stopped.

He was really stricken by it.

As if he’d lost all confidence.

His heart was broken.

I thought that creative work would be the best medicine.

He had to take a step forward. That meant a new project.

I developed several proposals.

They were all just recycled Evas.

They were like self-parodies.

I’d already put everything that interested me into Eva.

When I tried to do that with a new project,

it inevitably resembled Eva.

So I decided to rebuild the story of Eva as a series of movies.

Mom’s smell,

Ayanami’s smell.

Can’t you at least stand by yourself?

I was broken.

I didn’t think I had the talent to pull it off.

I felt that the Eva story should end by itself.

I didn’t need to finish it.

I felt I was unable to end it in a way that would satisfy fans.

I didn’t think I could do it.

He was driving himself down.

It was a destructive way of thinking.

I thought it would help him if he knew he wasn’t alone.

So I told him,

even if everyone else abandons you,

I’ll be at your side.

My wife says I don’t speak clearly.

- That’s what we want. - Really?

I hope it goes well. This is interesting.

Aren’t you starving?

Eat this.

That’s great!

You’re hired.

I thought I was fired.

I want you to do it.

How can I refuse you?

I’m so delighted!

Look! A beautiful rainbow.

I’d forgotten all about rainbows.

Isn’t it wonderful to be alive?

Let’s go. Father must be very worried.

I said, “Eva’s not done yet?

Hurry up and finish it!”

We had that exchange, but that’s about it.

Anno is always Anno.

That’s all he needs to be.

All I did was tell him to keep trying.

I said, “I’m worn out myself, but you have to keep going.”

No matter how depressed or discouraged he gets,

I know he’ll go off somewhere and start making something.

He’ll start up again as if nothing happened.

That’s the only way he can live.

There’s no way forward for him if he doesn’t create.

He always calls it “work,”

but I know he does it because he loves it.

I’m the same way, of course.

He just loves to create things.

I couldn’t just give up.

I couldn’t create, but I wanted to.

I felt I had to finish what I’d started.

For myself,

for my staff,

and most of all for my audience.

I had to do it.

Sugitani-san,

Did you get the Part D script from Anno-san?

Yes.

I think he made it easier to understand.

Personally, I’m grateful for that.

I like what he’s done.

I just want to do something interesting.

I write what I think is most interesting.

We’re really at the limit.

If we don’t have Part D done by the end of May, it’ll be too late.

That’s for sure.

I myself know it’s the deadline.

Finishing it is the top priority.

We’ve heard that kind of talk before with Eva.

But this time he sounded like he meant it.

It’s an ending everyone can understand, in a good way.

It might be called ordinary,

but Anno-san struggled to reach it.

He broke down barriers to get to “ordinary.”

It has weight. It’s a good ending, I think.

- Please go ahead. - I’m OK here.

The movement feels forced.

That’s not how it would be.

Overall, it’s boring.

Pull back here.

This pulls back too far.

This is too close.

The long shots and close ups feel reversed.

The earlier take was easier to follow.

Do you have time to redo it?

Yes.

I’ll redo it.

Shouldn’t the head move?

- Yes, move it. - OK.

If there’s nothing good to see, I can’t make comments.

Yes, I understand.

I have no choice but to do it.

I promised Anno-san I would, no matter what.

That’s what creative work is.

That’s what it means to make something.

Every detail counts.

I say it from the start.

People apply for jobs saying they love Evangelion.

I tell them, keep loving Evangelion until the end.

You mustn’t hate it.

You’ll redo something many times, and it’ll get cut.

But stick with it until the end.

The only thing a director needs is readiness.

You have to be ready to take full responsibility.

I don’t want to be satisfied.

I want to keep searching.

I don’t ever want to feel I’ve done enough.

Starting where?

Part D, page 6.

Pilot of Unit 01, I have something to show you.

What…!?

Is the end here the start of a new story?

No new story starts.

It’s sad, but we’re graduating.

It had to come eventually.

This is the end of my Eva.

How to portray Gendo in Part D.

- That’s the point. - It comes through.

That’s the peak.

He’s a lonely man.

You’ve embodied it, this time.

I mean...

he’s been calling his son weak and frail.

But actually, he himself is the weak one.

I hope that gets conveyed.

I understand.

Do it until you yourself are satisfied.

It’s our last session, so go ahead and cry if you want.

That’s hard to do.

I’m at a loss…

I don’t want to cry too much.

OK.

Do it the way you want.

Make me cry.

I know you can do it.

I’ll pilot Eva.

When I’m onboard, I don’t care if I’m hated or maligned.

I have no other value.

Thank you.

Asuka was a difficult role.

I’m glad I could see how things turned out for her.

It was good, right?

A happy ending.

Yeah, for sure.

I wonder what’ll happen to Shinji in the end.

25 years, all in one place.

Don’t say that! Too heavy!

Put 25 years’ worth of goodbye into it.

Let’s do it.

Goodbye,

all Evangelions.

Can you give me more?

It felt half-hearted.

Can you give me more?

Goodbye,

all Evangelions.

Can you give me more?

I don’t know the right answer.

I don’t know.

Maybe I should really let go.

OK. Try that.

Goodbye,

all Evangelions!

That might work.

If you put your heart into it, we’ll have it.

You’re asking a lot.

Goodbye,

all Evangelions!

Yes, that should do it.

You gave it your all. Thank you.

It’s been a heavy weight on him.

Fans accuse him of abandoning it.

They say they’ll wait years for the ending.

I’m sure he wants to end it quickly

and be relieved of the load.

I imagine that’s why he took this on.

The Nikkei hasn’t fallen as much as I thought.

Sorry I’m late.

Ah, they’re all wearing masks.

Is COVID-19 affecting Eva?

It’ll be tough if this continues.

There’s not enough time to do all the editing in Japan.

But other companies face the same problem.

It’s not just us.

If COVID continues, it’ll be tough.

I have to do this myself to meet the deadline.

I’m declaring a state of emergency.

I want 70-80% less outdoor traffic.

I’m asking people to stay home.

Hello?

I’m here.

It doesn’t have enough impact.

What does “impact” mean?

Otherwise, we can go with black and white.

You have a lot more corrections?

We’re doing digital to digital.

Anno-san got an upgrade.

He now has high emergency response ability.

He comes from above and hits,

slides down, and collapses.

When it hits, this side shakes.

The cell below this….

I’d like this to blend in more.

Let’s make the slanted part horizontal.

We have about 30 cuts left.

I’m waiting for a monitor.

Waiting on two more cuts.

Requests for changes are flooding in.

They’re countless.

OK.

They have multiple takes.

Yes, there are lots of them.

Two more, huh?

We’ve done a lot.

Everyone’s waiting.

7:00…

That’s OK.

- Thank you. - Good work.

- Good work. - Thank you.

Good work, everyone.

Good work, everyone.

Good work. We did it.

Thank you so much.

A long haul, eh?

Indeed.

- Is it really finished? - Yeah.

- No such thing as an unfinished anime. - Right.

The release date is set. It has to be finished.

Are you happy with it?

Yes, I think it’s all right.

Thanks for all your work.

Let me hug you.

Wonderful work.

Please get some rest.

Let’s go for a drink when things settle down.

Thanks for your work.

We can finally relax.

8 years since the last one.

It was a long hiatus, but it’s finally done.

Thanks to all your efforts.

It was hard work over a long time.

I’ll keep this brief:

Thank you very much!

I hope you enjoy it.

You’re not going to watch it?

No.

Why not?

I never do.

Is there a reason?

Not really.

Once one thing’s finished, I’m on to the next one.

I don’t know. What would Rei Ayanami do?

Eject from Ship 3.

Steady as she goes. Maximum speed.

Roger.

I hope they’re glad that they worked on it.

That’s the only way I can repay them.

It was great.

I’m so glad I could work on it.

I almost cried.

Why did you hold back?

I enjoyed it.

Thanks.