Creator Hideaki Anno thanks “every Eva fan in the world,” asks them to watch it on a big TV.
The premiere of an anime movie is always an exciting time for fans, and that was especially true in March when Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, the conclusion for the entire Evangelion franchise, finally made it to Japanese theaters after multiple delays.
However, a Japanese theater premiere is really just the start the start of a different kind of waiting for overseas fans, since they can’t just hop on over to a cineplex in Tokyo or Osaka and catch a matinee. Add in Evangelion rights holder Studio Khara’s reputation for taking a long time in approving its works for international release, and it would have been an understandable choice for Eva fans outside Japan to not get their hopes up about seeing Thrice Upon a Time anytime soon…but thankfully, as it turns out, an unnecessary one.
“Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time on Prime Video on August 13,” announced the official Evangelion website on Friday, and this treat is strictly for overseas fans, as the movie will be available to users of Amazon’s video service in over 240 countries and territories, but not in Japan, where Thrice Upon a Time is still playing int theaters. While a complete list of the 240-plus countries has not been made available, the news on Amazon’s side was broken by the company’s U.K. division, which adds that Thrice Upon a Time will offer subtitles in 28 different languages and also optional dubbed dialogue in English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and four other languages.
The subtly different title of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 seemingly implies that the Amazon Prime version will incorporate the retouched animation of the enhanced version that began showing in Japanese theaters some time after the original Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 release. Amazon Prime will also be streaming the three previous Rebuild of Evangelion movies, for anyone who wants to revisit the earlier installments of the tetralogy.
The announcement was accompanied by a message from Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno:
“I’d like to thank every Eva fan in the world for your continued support. We were looking for the best way to offer the movie to fans overseas as early as possible in a challenging situation with movie theatres during COVID-19, and are happy to have found Prime Video as a partner to stream it globally. We highly recommend watching it on a big TV screen for the best viewing experience.”
Considering that the previous Rebuild of Evangelion film, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, had more than a three-year between its Japanese and overseas release, the five-month wait for Thrice Upon a Time is a major improvement, and soon people all over the world will get to know what’s up with rice farmer Rei.
Source: Evangelion official website, Amazon U.K.
Top image: Evangelion official website
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