I guess some congratulations are in order, Netflix.
Early this morning in Japan, Netflix revealed For the first time ever, Hideaki Anno’s seminal mecha/existential crisis anime Neon Genesis Evangelion will be made available for streaming worldwide starting spring 2019. Here’s a teaser that is, somehow, not set to one of the greatest anime opening themes of all time:
Evangelion’s distribution rights are a tale almost as traumatic as the series itself—it’s basically been impossible to own in modern formats outside of Japan for years at this point, without paying out the nose for out-of-print DVD collections. So not only is Netflix’s addition of all 26 episodes of the series—as well as the two movies Evangelion: Death True² and The End of Evangelion – practically miraculous for having navigated those rights, it means that one of the most influential works of anime ever made will now be more accessible than ever, for fans and newcomers (oh god, people watching Evangelion for the first time!) alike.
Suffice to say, between one of the all-time greats of the medium and some exciting looking new additions, next year is going to be an incredibly exciting time for Netflix’s push into anime distribution.