Neon Genesis Evangelion Directors' Cut: Resurrection

The much-admired, much-discussed Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series --a bold, mysterious, and emotionally wrenching near-future epic chronicling the tortured lives of a group of adolescent orphans enlisted to pilot giant bio-engineered mecha known as Evas (Evangelion units) against a group of super-powered Angels bent on ushering in the Apocalypse, rates four stars and is an essential cornerstone of any good anime collection. The three-star rating above reflects the value for the money of the new Directors' Cut editions (this disc and its companion, Neon Genesis Evangelion Directors' Cut: Genesis Reborn, also available at the same price), in which scenes have been added and revised in episodes 21-24 (of 26 total). While those four episodes could have been released on one disc, ADV chose instead to make exact replacements for the last two discs of the original TV series release, tweaking episodes 25 and 26 slightly to create "new" versions, and including both the original and revised versions of all six episodes. Further, some of the added footage here is already available on the disc Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (VL-9/02). Still, the two Directors' Cut discs each present footage not available elsewhere, and the series' many fans will want to see it all. Also included here is an interview with designers from the Weta Workshop and samples of their conceptual drawings for a proposed live-action movie. ADV accurately rates the Directors' Cut discs for ages 15-up, and despite the duplication, libraries should add them. Recommended. Aud: P. (S. Raiteri)