Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise

Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, Shin Seiki Evangerion^?) is a Japanese media franchise created and owned by Gainax. Most of the franchise features an apocalyptic mecha action story, which revolves around the efforts by the paramilitary organization NERV to fight hostile beings called Angels, using giant humanoids called Evangelions that are piloted by select teenagers. Other works deviate from this theme to varying degrees, focusing more on romantic interactions between the characters, side stories which did not appear in the original works, and/or reimaginings of the conflicts from the original works.

The Neon Genesis Evangelion manga debuted in Shōnen Ace in December 1994, as a way to generate interest in the upcoming anime release. The Neon Genesis Evangelion anime was written and directed by Hideaki Anno and originally aired from October 1995 to March 1996. The show was groundbreaking, delving into religious, psychological and philosophical themes on an otherwise standard mecha backdrop. There was some debate over the controversial ending of the television series. In response, two films were made to provide an alternate ending for the show: Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth, released in March 1997, and The End of Evangelion released in July 1997. Death is a compilation of clips from the TV series, with some new footage added, and Rebirth comprises the first 30 minutes or so of End of Evangelion.

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