Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (2009) is the second part of a movie series that attemps to retell the story of Hideaki Anno's Neon Genesis Evangelion - a TV show that I utterly love and praise way more than anything else. Even though the first film was a rather uninventive remake of the first 6 episodes of the original show with brand new animation, the second film takes a significantly different direction to make the new films quite different from the original show.

Essentially Evangelion is about a group of teenagers saving the world in their giant robots from creatures called the "Angels" while mysterious old men smugly conspire for something much bigger. As interesting and mysterious as the plot sounds, it's only the framework for the grand psychological and philosophical issues which are also filtered through religious imagery.

Where this film seriously differs from the original show is its inclusion of a totally new character who - despite appearing as far less complex than the original cast - twists the storyline a lot via her chaotic (and badass) involvement. The already-familiar characters seem to evolve in slightly different paths this time, but I'm not sure if it is going to have an impact in the end since there are still 2 movies to be released. All in all, the writing is nearly as complex as in the original series (which is the ultimate masterpiece of cinema and TV in my opinion) and the film brings new interesting aspects to the characters and the world around them.

Anno's form is still top notch after 15 years. The editing is phenomenal throughout the film and the compositions are breathtaking. The vast budget is well used for gorgeous animation that only enhances the already rich cinematic experience. Shiro Sagisu's soundtrack might be a bit weird in comparison to the TV show because it includes some of his music from other shows and it is a bit more guitar-driven on a few occasions. Despite its different nature it is still quite awesome.

Hideaki Anno proves he is still at the top of his own game despite not doing anything for years prior to the earlier film. No matter how you look at the film, you can't find any flaws at all. It's a clear-cut diamond.

Score: 10 out of 10

Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?

Shoji Kawamori's Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984) is one of the most stunning animated achievements of the 80's. It's not only an ambitious rewrite of the original show (Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, which started the entire franchise), but its animation quality is miraculous. The franchise is known for combining mecha action, Japanese pop music and love triangles and Do You Remember Love? is not an exception to the trademark. A gripping love triangle is created between Ichijou (a young mecha pilot), Lynn Minmay (a ridiculously popular idol/singer) and Misa (a high-ranking female officer).

The idea of combining an epic battle scene with a pop song is not necessarily inviting, but Do You Remember Love? succeeds at making it work in an awesome way (the same can be said about the entire franchise). The jaw-dropping, mouth-watering climax is the reason why everyone should see it: that scene alone is a masterpiece in editing, animation and songwriting. The narrative rushes forward, but that never lessens the film's impact even though it doesn't give enough space for a few side characters. However, the film works very well on its own and that's a great achievement for a young director like Kawamori (only 20 or 21 years old back then). The idea of a love triangle is usually off-putting for me, but this film made it work incredibly well - and I have to give it credit for that.

Kawamori's insane editing can already be found in this movie (and he will develop it even further in the following Macross shows he went on to direct). For example, there are moments I would call crosscutting at its very best. Character and art design are also wonderful so the animation is not all about ridiculous amount of detail.

Do You Remember Love? is a landmark not only for the mecha genre, but for anime in general. Even though I have to admit that I feel like holding back from a 10 (because Kawamori is not in his most refined state yet), it's a film that should be considered a masterpiece.

Score: 9 out of 10