Get in the damn Blu-ray player!
It’s impossible to understate how much waiting fans had to do for the fourth and final Rebuild of Evangelion movie, Thrice Upon a Time. Multiple pandemic-related delays and creative difficulties resulted in a nine-year gap between Thrice Upon a Time and the previous Rebuild film, and if you go back all the way to the original Eva anime TV series in 1995, the total wait for the franchise’s conclusion came to 26 years until Thrice Upon a Time premiered in Japanese theaters in March of last year.
The wait for Thrice Upon a Time to reach streaming services was mercifully short, as it arrived on Amazon Prime in the summer of 2021. If you want to own your own copy of Thrice Upon a Time, though, you’re still waiting, but thankfully not for too much longer, as its home video Blu-ray release date has finally been announced.
March 8 will be the long-awaited day, no doubt chosen as it’s the two-year anniversary of Thrice Upon a Time’s Japanese theatrical release. Hard-core Eva fans may have noticed that the above video refers to it as Evangelion: 3.0+1.11 Thrice Upon a Time, and those numbers aren’t just technobabble.
The original version of the movie that began screening in March of 2021 bore the numerical designation 3.0+1.0. Roughly three months later, Eva creator Hideaki Anno and Studio Khara released a retouched version, 3.0+1.01. For its home video release, Thrice Upon a Time is getting yet another revision, 3.0+1.11. The package also includes a disc of bonus materials, called Evangelion: 3.0(-46h), though the specific contents, as with so many things in the Eva franchise, are still shrouded in mystery.
Pricing is 8,580 yen (US$60) for the standard Blu-ray and DVD versions, with the limited first-edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray costing 10,780 yen. All versions include the bonus features disc, and there are also a wealth of extra goodies depending on where buyers purchase their copy of Thrice Upon a Time, featuring the character artwork pictured above. The by-character breakdown of specific retailers and items is:
● Shinji and Misato
Amiami Online Shop (B2-size tapestry)
Tower Records (A4-size clear file)
Evangelion Store (post card)
Kinkurodo (A5-size acrylic plate)
● Rei
Sofmap Animega (B2-size tapestry)
Rakuten Books (acrylic art block)
@Loppi HMV (iroshiki square card)
Tsutaya (A4-size clear file)
WonderGOO/Shinseido (acrylic key holder)
Evangelion Store (post card)
Kinkurodo (A5-size acrylic plate)
● Asuka
Toranoana (acrylic carabiner)
Evangelion Store (post card)
Kinkurodo (A5-size acrylic plate)
● Kaworu
Akai Kuma-san (metallic pin)
Animate (A-4 Campus notebook)
Seven Net Shopping (acrylic smartphone stand)
Bic Camera/Kojima (B2-size tapestry)
Neowing (acrylic key holder)
Evangelion Store (post card)
Kinkurodo (A5-size acrylic plate)
● Mari
Gyokkodo/Vanda Records, Liondo, Ikeya Music (A5-size clear file)
Gamers (B2-size tapestry)
Yamada Denki (Card-size calendar)
Joshin Disc Pia (acrylic key holder)
Evangelion Store (post card)
Kinkurodo (A5-size acrylic plate)
Amazon Japan, meanwhile, is offering a slip-case and postcard set, Tsutaya an A4-size Rei clear file and three-panel box and “bromide photo set,” and Yamano Music a stainless steel logo clip.
So while Thrice Upon a Time isn’t cheap, at least you do get some cool extras with it. Just don’t expect Anno himself to sit down and watch the movie again.
Source: Evangelion official website
Top image: YouTube/「KING AMUSEMENT CREATIVE」公式チャンネル
Insert images: Evangelion official website, YouTube/「KING AMUSEMENT CREATIVE」公式チャンネ
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