Neon Genesis Evangelion Complete Series Blu-ray

Almost the perfect release. It has the entire series and two films at an affordable price with great visuals and sound. Included are plenty of specials. With this standard edition, however, you are getting a new dub and subtitles by Netflix. This is not the same version as the older ADV release. As well, the ending theme "Fly Me to the Moon" is not present. While this is very transparent, it's still rather disappointing.

But the release at its core is very good and I recommend it.

For better or worse, Hideaki Anno's ambitious 26-episode series NEON GENESIS EVANGELION has become one of Anime's most popular titles. In some ways it's easy to see why; the show is rich with creativity and portrays its characters not as clear-cut, but as multi-faceted. But the show is also gratuitously gloomy and depressing, and the aforementioned characters are so messed up and spend most of the time making zero progress with each other that it's almost impossible to sympathize with any of them. (The sole exception is Misato, and even then, she, too, has issues of her own.) Perhaps the real problem with EVANGELION is its pacing. After an interesting if uncertain start, the show's plot becomes more and more messy and confusing, especially in its second half, and its conclusion is absolutely baffling. As a result, the show ends up becoming a mixed bag more than anything else. Whether any of this provides any entertainment value is up to the viewer.

THE POSITIVES: The BD looks great in 1080p / 4:3 format, can choose either 2.0 or 5.1 audio format, enjoyed the full length opening music video in the extras section, and the addition of two movies in one package was a good bonus.

THE NEGATIVES: With all 26 different "Fly Me To The Moon" closing songs gone, including any of the 'background music' in the series edited out, changes the mood of key scenes in the anime. The one most impacted is revealed in Episode 21 with the phone message scene. The "FMTTM" ending songs are replaced with the gloomy "Rei's Theme" piano piece which was terrible to me. You only get the Netflix Dub/Sub in this standard release, and the original ADV Dub/Sub can only be obtained in the LE set. Netflix VA's in Dub pronounce NERV" as "NERF" or "NI'ERV" throughout the show...which was irritating. Netflix Sub are also changed, so much so, that it becomes confusing to me. Just unbelievable the obvious lazy and cost cutting done here to save money on licensing fees.

I purchased this thinking it would be a great way to save space on the shelves and an easier grab for a rewatch. Finding out after purchasing that this is not the original Dub but the awful Netflix re-dub, my disappointment is immeasurable and my hype is ruined. And to make matters worse, I now know that the LE version has the original Dub included and I feel like this was wasted money. The only reason I didn't give this review 1 star is because it is the full series and both original movies. Might be worth a purchase for someone new to the series, who has not seen the original.

This anime masterpiece is finally back on Blu-ray. Neon Genesis Evangelion is arguably the most important anime series in history because how it changed the anime industry.

For some this is a highly controversial anime, but it cannot be denied that Hideaki Anno created an imaginative story with deep concepts and complex characters.

As far as this BD set, $60 is a fantastic value for 26 episodes and a movie. It is a shame that Fly Me to the Moon is not included, but it is not a deal breaker.

This Blu-ray set drew a lot of criticism, some of it warranted most of it unnecessary. Regardless of how you feel about this collection or Gkids in general, that doesn't change the fact they moved haven and earth to bring Eva back to north America in one complete, affordable package. Yes, they removed Fly me to the moon, yes they used the new DUB instead of sticking with the original and yes they edited the subtitles but guess what? This is the very last we will ever see of Eva in north America. Mark my words its not coming back, EVER. So unless you want to track down the grossly overpriced platinum DVDs or absurdly expensive Japanese Blu-ray set this is your best and cheapest option. Buy it while you still can, because it when the license expires this set will skyrocket in price.