Fifty Evangelion 3.0 Character Goods Revealed

What better way to commemorate the release of Evangelion 3.0 You Can [Not] Redo than with just about 50 awesome character goods to be sold by theaters starting this Saturday. Well, 46 awesome merchandise to be exact.  You can expect to find the usual (and beautiful) clear file folders, stickers, pens, straps, and different mobile goodies.  But within the 46 items are some special picks that have got this EVA afficianado giving her gotta-have-it face.

If I were lucky enough to make it to theaters in Japan, my shopping list would include:

• Item 17 - Who doesn't need a letter opener?  So why not make it a spear letter opener?
• Item 22 - Sure, there are plenty of keychains out there, but this one has got that special something.
• Item 25 - Why not a monolithic way to tell time with this Seele-type clock...
• Item 31 - To all the Ritsuko lovers, you gotta have an official Nerv ashtray.
• Item 35 - And you'll definitely need a pass case when you catch the train.
• Item 38 - My personal favorite is the perennial calendar that is made to last...genius-ly styled after the Nerv elevator floor number display.
• Item 43 - Because we all get hungry eventually, why not have some cookies with Kaworu's silhouette?

Check out the entire list here and full catalog photo here.  And while you're at it, be sure to drop me a line if you find it in your heart to pick up some items for me from my wishlist :) From one Eva fan to another...

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can [Not] Redo Trailer

The official website for the Evangelion franchise began streaming the theatrical trailer for Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (Evangelion Shin Gekijō-ban Q), the third film in Hideaki Anno and Khara's four-part remake of Gainax's Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series. Check it out below (hey, new characters!!).  The film is set to open in Japan on November 17th.

Evangelion Rei Ayanami Slide

As part of the Shiohaku Expo 2012 summer amusement event, an 18.5 meter (60 foot) long figure of Rei Ayanami (Neon Genesis Evangelion) will be built outside of the NTV Tower in the Shiodome area of Tokyo.

The "Gundam-sized" figure will feature a slide that attendees can slide down during the event, which will take place from July 25th through August 26th, 10 am to 6pm daily.

And if that wasn't enough, a third branch of the beautiful wallet-breaking Evangelion store will open in the nearby NTV building and will feature limited edition merchandise.  Check out the official NTV site as more details (and hopefully pics) emerge. [Source: Evangelion via ANN]

Kotobukiya Makinami Mari Illustrious -PLUG SUIT Style- Figure

Because even the vision impaired can kick ass!

Kotobukiya couldn't screw up if they tried as they once again create a fantastic Evangelion figure. Standing at about 10" tall with twin tails flowing, helmet in hand and tubing in glove (haha), Mari is ready to be paired with last year's previously released Rei and Asuka Kotobukiya PLUG SUIT figures. Making it even more unique, an added aspect to this version is that our Eva Unit 05 pilot's red glasses can be removed to show off those secretive blue eyes. If you are like me and prefer Mari in her green plug suit than her pink, which most figures of her are, this is a must have for your Eva collection.

Get your November preorder's in now over at BigBadToyStore for $114.99.

EVA Vol. 13 Worldwide Simultaneous Release

The newest volume of Neon Genesis Evangelion manga is due November 2nd and will be available in North America the same day as the Japanese release, both in print and digitally!

The wait for the next volume has always been daunting.  Not too long ago its release date was confirmed in Japan and retailers were already taking pre-orders for the limited edition of the book which features a special cover, 3D card, and six postcards by none other than Sadamoto himself; and what I can only assume to be immensely beautiful, a 50-page Sadamoto chapter illustration book.  No word yet if Volume 13 will be the final volume or not.


"In Volume 13, as mankind tilts on the brink of the Third Impact, human feelings are fault lines; good, for cracking the world open, or bad, to be welded forever shut. Once Shinji didn’t care about anything; then he found people to fight for – only to learn that he couldn’t protect them, or keep those he let into his heart from going away.

The world hangs in the balance as Asuka fights to survive an onslaught of Evas determined to destroy her. Shinji rushes to help but he may be too late – deep inside the NERV command center, Dr. Ikari is about to set in motion the last act of the Instrumentality Project. Everything has gone according to Ikari’s plans so far, but even he cannot foresee the role Shinji will play in determining the future!" [Source: VIZ and Crunchyroll]

Hello Kitty x Evangelion

Sanrio's easily recognizable and iconic Hello Kitty brand is no stranger to massive collaborative projects. Wrapping myself around attempting to name them all has got me dizzy.

From the makers that brought us Yoshikitty, for example, comes another collaboration that has got my full attention (and wallet). On one side you've got Hello Kitty, and on the other Evangelion.  The two join forces creating what may be the fourth impact.

Just in time to commemorate this fall's theatrical release of Evangelion: Q (Rebuild of Evangelion, You Can [Not] Redo), the collaboration will feature EVA pilots 00 Rei Ayanami and 02 Asuka Langley.

10 companies will open the flood gates in the form of stationery, general merchandise, and apparel.

[Source: Sanrio]

Life-Size Evangelion Bust Built Near Foot of Mt. Fuji

Japan's Fuji-Q HighLand amusement park, located near the foot of Mt. Fuji, has announced on Wednesday that it will open a new pavilion called "Evangelion: World - Life-Size EVA-01 Construction Project" on July 23. The pavilion will house the world's first life-size recreation of the scene where the Evangelion anime's main character Shinji Ikari encounters the Eva-01 unit for the first time. The recreation will have a mockup of the Evangelion unit from the bust up.

The pavilion will also have a life-size cockpit of an Evangelion unit (from where visitors can pay to have their photos taken), a life-size figure of the character Kaworu Nagisa, a video corner, a museum, a studio gallery for taking photographs, and a shop.

I don't know about you, but this is something I've always just dreamt of. I would love the privilege to see the life-size EVA-01 bust and replay Shinji's first encounter in my head. And the thought of even being next to a life-size cockpit has me giddy. Bring on the LCL!! With the wonderful monument-sized Gundams making several appearances, it's wonderful news to see that my favorite "robot" is getting the spotlight.

Check out the official website here. [Source: ANN]

Evangelion-themed Convenience Store - Lawson Tokyo-3 Shop in Hakone

Step inside the world of Evangelion - to the Lawson Tokyo-3 Shop in Hakone, that is. The japanese convenience store franchise, Lawson, has launched an Evangelion-themed convenience store in Hakone, Kanagawa - the location of the fictional city Tokyo-3) - filling it with a slew of Eva goodies.

In addition, several character panels (with the EVA pilots including Nagisa Kaworu and Makinami Mari) line the ceiling with phrases such as a Rei Ayanami one saying: "You won't die...I'll protect you."

From the images I've seen, the Lawson Tokyo-3 Shop is sure to make any EVA fan, especially the avid fan, swoon and go weak at the knees. From evangelion tie-in snacks, UCC's coffee, tissue paper, stationary, headphones, action figures, manga, and more...And to top it all off, your purchases will be put in a Lawson Tokyo-3 plastic bag! Be sure to check out Gigazine for more pictures and a detailed [Source: GIGAZINE]


UPDATE (4/28/2010): Seems that Lawson was forced to shut down the store temporarily only a few days after it opened. Apparently, there were too many Evangelion fans and they jammed up both the streets and the parking lots. All these led to illegal parking and the otaku mob just created to omuch trouble for the local residents. In the end, Lawsons had to temporarily shut down the convenience store. [Source: Alafista]

Almost feels like a press cover-up and all this was really due to an angel attack...

Fender USA + EVANGELION

If you live a life of the dreaded Evangelion Collector like me, then you know the angst and crave in my tone. If you're like me, then this post only re-states what you already know. Get ready, EVA fans, to be hit hard....very hard. Sure, being an avid EVA collector is draining yet we continue to yearn in its dedication (or exploitation) and beauty. So here comes a glorifying addition to the "Dead Sea Scrolls" of EVA brought to us in a whole other level.

Made by Fender and built by the renowned Yuriy Shishkov - Rei Ayanami Stratocaster and Telecaster, done, if I may say so, deliciously splendid. The Lance of Longinus inlays are stunning! And even the case makes a perfect finishing detail. Check of the specifications of these beauties here: http://www.fender.jp/evangelion/spec.html

These guitars will be auctioned off this December 1st (*frantically calculates budget*). I'll add more details as I find them and if anyone has more information regarding the actual auction, please contact me at eva001berserker@aol.com.

18-m Eva Movie Poster on Charity Auction

Evangelion 2.0: You Can [Not] Advance celebrates its two millionth viewing of the film by auctioning an 18-meter-tall movie poster charity on the Yahoo! Auctions Japan website. The poster features Co-director Kazuya Tsurumaki's storyboard sketch as well as his autograph. 3.5-meter-wide (11.5-foot-wide) poster, which was created with weather-resistant printing on vinyl-covered cloth, hung on the 109-2 department store building in Tokyo's Shibuya district for three weeks starting on June 13. The auction will benefit the Japan Committee Vaccines for the World's Children (JCV).

A separate 2.78-meter-tall (9-foot-tall) character poster is also being auctioned for the same charity. The second poster features an illustration of the three main Evangelion pilots by animation director Hidenori Matsubara as well as Matsubara's autograph. The poster hung during the elaborate opening weekend event just outside a participating theater in Tokyo's Kabukicho neighborhood on June 27 and 28. Both auctions end on August 19; as of August 14, the larger storyboard poster is going for 70,000 yen (about US$734) while the smaller character poster is going for 111,000 yen (US$1,160). [Source: ANN]

The Misato Katsuragi News Project

On June 6th, Namco Bandai will start offering software in Japan that creates a live news program anchored by Evangelion's very own Misato Katsuragi.

The Misato Katsuragi News Project software takes the daily news from real-life politics to the economy, the anime industry, and sports. The software then uses the voice synthesis engine from Cellius to have Misato read the news blurbs in realtime as if she was the newscaster for a television program called Nerv News 24.

Users can customize the backdrop of the news program's "studio" as the secretive Nerv organization's headquarters, Misato's dining room, and other options. Users can also customize Misato's clothing and hair. [Source: ANN]

Mini 4WD EVA-01 Special

Ever wondered what a race car that has been modified to reflect Evangelion Unit-01 would look like? Well wonder no longer for Tamiya has brought that vision to life with the Mini 4WD Pro Avante Mk.III Azure EVA-01 Special. Retailed at 1,680 yen and due out August 2009, reservations may be placed through Dengekiya.com or inquire about reserving through Tokyo Hunter here.

SH-O6A NERV Cell Phone

I really don't think I need to offer my sincerest thoughts regarding this piece of beautiful technology morphed into a phone that embues the essence that is NERV. So rather than voice my yearnings for this bad boy, I will just offer you the facts.

With the partnership of NTT docomo and Sharp, and the supervision and participation of both Anno and Khara, comes the SH-O6A NERV mobile phone, specifically designed for the new Evangelion films. In their fictional description, the "Type 5 information management and control device" was developed for personnel of the secretive Nerv organization, using MAGI System technology that has rarely been provided to civilian companies.

The 135-gram (4.76-ounce) phone features a 3.3-inch main display, a 10-megapixel outer camera, and a 0.4-megapixel inner camera. A Nerv logo hologram appears on the matte-coated casing, and the phone comes with an exclusive Frame Holder 01 case/stand and a Nerv 50% Be@rbrick mascot strap. Users can choose from several Evangelion-theme menu layouts, alert window animation sequences, clock display, and standby images. 20,000 will be available for pre-orders in the official Evangelion Store, and 10,000 more will be sold regularly, but only from June to July. For more photos, click here. [Source: ANN]

UPDATE (6/06/2009): Though this comes as no surprise, pre-orders for the 20,000 Eva phones sold out on Friday in just five hours. NTT began taking pre-orders for Sharp's SH-06A NERV phone for 90,000 yen (about US$900) on Friday at 10:00 a.m. By 3:00 p.m, NTT docomo had to announce that all phone pre-orders had sold out. 10,000 more phones will be sold in regular stores from the end of this month until the beginning of July.

Medicom's Shinji Ikari RAH Figure

As mentioned briefly in last week's post, Medicom has released its latest figure in the RAH series of Evangelion's Shinji Ikari.

The pictures are pretty impressive as far as details and likeness goes. The facial characteristics and the attention to detail with the Third Child's plug suit is amazing. If a photograph looks this good, I can only imagine what it looks like up close.

Shinji is about 12 inches tall, looks to be poseable with extra items, including a stand, and is retailed at 17,640 yen. [Source: AmiAmi]

Travel in EVA-style

The EVA store boasting all things Evangelion have listed two limited versions of luggage commemorating the new EVA movies - one of Shinji's EVA-01 and the other of Asuka's EVA-02. These nifty 360-degree rotating rolling suitcases are due out April 2009 and retailed at 15,750 yen. I guess this is one way of picking out your suitcase among the crowds.

EVA Entry Plug with Rei Ayanami Figure

The first pictures I saw of this piece was in May of this year and with its actual release date just around the corner, I thought I should give a heads up to those wanting to preorder. Measuring at 50cm or about 20 inches in length, this Evangelion Entry Plug Die Cast will also include a PVC figure of Rei Ayanami seated in the inner chamber of the plug. The chamber itself is illuminated by blue LEDs. The piece is very intricately detailed - noticeable hatch opening, great paint job, and the ability the close and open the chamber. The entry plug + figure is retailed at a little over 8,000 yen. Now the next thing to do while I wait for her arrival is to find a perfect spot in my room.

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

The official Japanese website for the theatrical anime remake of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" has re-launched confirming the tentative release and the english title. "Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance" will open in Japan in early summer 2009. The first movie, "Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, opened in September 2007, earned over 2 billion yen (about US$20 million), and sold over 600,000 copies on DVD.

The website promises that the second movie will feature the fan-favorite character Asuka, the EVA-02 unit, "new Evangelions," "added items previously unknown to anyone," "a shocking new story, and new visuals." [Source: ANN]

Evangelion Entry Plug USB Drive

The game software and goods company Kaga Create will be selling USB drives in the shape of the entry plug cockpits from the Evangelion anime on September 27 in Japan. The two-gigabyte drives will come in EVA-00 and EVA-01 designs for the suggested retail price of 3,980 yen (about US$37.40) each. Kaga Create notes that the entry plug drives are based on the designs from the recent movie remake, and not the original television series version. [Source: ANN]

EVA: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project

Dark Horse Comics has announced that it has acquired "Shin Seiki Evangelion: Ikari Shinji Ikusei Keikaku (Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project), Osamu Takahashi's manga based on an EVA game spinoff, at their recent Anime Expo panel. The game has the player "raising" Shinji Ikari and determining what path his life will take. The manga version adapts the game storyline, particularly its school sequences. The manga has been running in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Shonen Ace magazine — the same magazine that serializes Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's main EVA manga — since June of 2005, and five compiled volumes have been published in Japan. Dark Horse will start the manga in late spring or early summer of 2009. [Source: ANN]

Kotobukiya and Alter PVC Figures: Rei Ayanami

Kotobukiya and Alter bring us 2 new high quality PVC figures of Evangelion's Rei Ayanami.

First, we have Kotobukiya's release of Gothic Lolita Rei with 3 color versions: black, white, and red. This figure was designed to match Kotobukiya's earlier release of Gothic Lolita Asuka Sohryu Langley. At 7,140 yen, this 1/7 scale figure is set to be released this October.

Next up is Alter's Rei Ayanami, New Movie Version figure. At 6,090 yen, this 1/8 scale figure can be yours by the end of the year, December 31, 2008.

Both these manufacturers do a wonderful job with Rei and Asuka. Kotobukiya has also done exceptional work on their new figures of Misato Katsuragi and Kaworu Nagisa. However, it's been over 2 decades and I still don't have a Gendo Ikari figure. Guess it's more waiting and hoping for me...