The End of Evangelion

The End of Evangelion
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Hideaki Anno Kazuya Tsurumaki
Produced by	Mitsuhisa Ishikawa
Written by	Hideaki Anno
Starring	Megumi Ogata Megumi Hayashibara Yūko Miyamura Kotono Mitsuishi
Music by	Shiro Sagisu
Cinematography	Hisao Shirai
Edited by	Sachiko Miki
Production company	Production I.G Gainax
Distributed by	Toei Company
Release date	July 19, 1997 (1997-07-19)
Running time	87 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	¥1.45 billion

The End of Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン劇場版 Air(エア)/まごころを、君に, Shin Seiki Evangerion Gekijō-ban: Ea/Magokoro o, Kimi ni^?) is a 1997 Japanese animated and live-action science fiction film written and directed by Hideaki Anno and animated by Production I.G. Fan theories posit that the film is an alternative finale for the series Neon Genesis Evangelion however this is not confirmed.

The film is divided into two episodes: Episode 25': Air / Love is Destructive and Episode 26': My Purest Heart for You, Sincerely Yours / ONE MORE FINAL: I need you.

The End of Evangelion initially received mixed reviews, despite obtaining the Animage Anime Grand Prix in 1997 (among other awards). A 2014 Time Out New York poll of filmmakers saw The End of Evangelion voted one of the 100 best animated films of all time.

Teenager Shinji Ikari is the pilot of Evangelion Unit 01, one of several giant cyborgs designed to fight hostile supernatural entities called Angels. Distraught over the death of his friend Kaworu Nagisa, Shinji visits fellow pilot Asuka Langley Soryu in a hospital and masturbates to her comatose body.

The shadowy committee SEELE has discovered that commander Gendo Ikari intends to use NERV, the paramilitary organization that deploys the Evangelion units, for his own plans. SEELE dispatches the Japanese Strategic Self-Defense Force (JSSDF) to seize control of NERV, killing most of the staff. NERV major Misato Katsuragi orders Asuka moved to the cockpit of Evangelion Unit 02 and placed at the bottom of a lake, then rescues Shinji from JSSDF troops. Determined to have Shinji defend NERV, Misato brings Shinji to Unit 01's bay doors, but is mortally wounded in the process. Misato implores Shinji to pilot Unit 01, kisses him, and forces him into the elevator. Shinji discovers that Unit 01 is immobilized in JSSDF bakelite.