Convenience stores lattes, eye-popping portables stoves, and of course laundry detergent: these are just some of the latest Evangelion tie-in merchandise developments to come this week. As we approach the final sprint towards January’s Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0, one of the most highly anticipated anime films in history, you’re going to see Asuka and Rei pop-up in the most unexpected of places. Despite his creation being downright sacred to fans, Anno’s never been scared to merchandise the hell out of the beloved anime. Today, we’re happy to cover an Evangelion thing you can buy that’s actually relevant to the original Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Groundwork of Evangelion Digest storyboard collection.
A number of Groundwork of Evangelion storyboard collections were released for the original series and all four of the franchise’s films years ago. Some of those old volumes can be hard to find, so now fans can cop the ‘best of’ Groundwork of Evangelion Digest, which collects some of the most iconic storyboards (hand-selected by Anno might we add) from Neon Genesis Evangelion. This digest version will include some recently discovered materials reprinted for the first time, making it enticing for fans who may have already collected the previous collections. Retailing for 3850 yen, it’ll come out on 23 January, the same day as the final film.
Owning several of the Groundwork Of Evangelion collections, I can assure you they’re well worth your 40-dollar investment. Not only do you get loads of beautiful storyboard art that more often than not looks better than the final TV product, but you can also better understand how anime’s most critically acclaimed work came to exist. Besides, if you buy the Digest version you’ll be getting the best of the best certified by Hideaki Anno himself, meaning you won’t have to worry about having additional offerings of 40 dollars.
The Groundwork of Evangelion Digest as well as 3.0 + 1.0 come out on 23 January 2021.