The Minato Mirai neighborhood is looking extra futuristic with Eva light-up and fireworks.

In the grand scheme of things, there really isn’t all that much Evangelion anime. There was the original anime TV series that ran for 26 episodes, which was followed by two theatrical features made largely of recycled footage. 1997 brought the in-hindsight ironically named The End of Evangelion film, and then there were the four anime movies collectively called the Rebuild of Evangelion, which wrapped up in 2021.

That’s a drop in the bucket compared to franchises like Dragon Ball, Pokémon, Demon Slayer, or Attack on Titan, but Eva remains one of the most influential anime ever made, a massive presence that, for three decades and counting, has been looming in the background of the Japanese animation world, and as of this weekend, Eva will be a massive presence looming in real-world Japan too.

As part of Evangelion’s 30th anniversary celebration the Minato Mirai district of Yokohama, half an hour south of downtown Tokyo, will be lit up for a special Eva illumination event. The harborside neighborhood already boasts some very futuristic-looking architecture, and it’ll be looking even more so with the arrival of the head of Eva Unit-01 to the light pattern of the Cosmo Clock, the gigantic Ferris wheel in the Cosmo World amusement park that’s become a symbol of Yokohama itself.

This part of Yokohama might look familiar to anime and video game fans, as a giant Poké Ball has also graced the Cosmo Clock, and the sailing ship-shaped Intercontinental Hotel across the street served as the screen for a Final Fantasy projection mapping display. Fans will have no trouble figuring out who the collaborative partner is for the Evangelion event, though, as buildings around the waterfront will be illuminated in the immediately recognizable purple-and-green color scheme of Unit-01.

Light-up dates vary by building, but they’ll all be sporting the Eva colors from February 6 until at least February 19, and the Unit-01 Ferris wheel pattern will appear through February 24, with the biomech’s head appearing on the hour and at thirty minutes after between 6 and 9:30 p.m. In addition, Minato Mirai’s five-minute fireworks show series, Night Flowers, will be lighting up the night sky in the character image colors of the Evangelion core cast on February 7 and 14, with the pyrotechnics going off at 7 p.m. from the Shinko Futo Pier.

And don’t worry, Minato Mirai is just a short subway ride from the Shin Yokohama neighborhood, where the Evangelion:30+ ; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion fan event will be hosting the Evangelion kabuki performance and screening the brand-new Eva short anime.

Source, images: Yokohama City Visitors Bureau
Evangelion ©Studio Khara
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