The End of Evangelion

is a 1997 Japanese anime apocalyptic science fiction film written by Hideaki Anno, directed by Anno and Kazuya Tsurumaki, and animated by Gainax and Production I.G. It serves as an ending to the television series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which aired from 1995 to 1996 and whose final two episodes were controversial for their atypically abstract direction. The story follows the teenagers Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu, who pilot mechas called Evangelion to defeat enemies who threaten humanity named Angels. Shinji is subjected to the Human Instrumentality Project, a process in which human souls are merged into a single divine entity. The film features the voice actors of the original series, including Megumi Ogata as Shinji, Yuko Miyamura as Asuka, and Megumi Hayashibara as Rei. Shortly before The End of Evangelions release, Anno and Gainax released another film, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, which summarizes the first twenty-four episodes of the series. Like Death & Rebirth, the creators conceived The End of Evangelion as a duology comprising "Episode 25: Love Is Destructive" and "Episode 26: I Need You", remakes of the last two episodes of the original television series. In 1998, the overlapping films were edited together and reissued as Revival of Evangelion. The End of Evangelion was a box-office success, grossing . It was honoured at the Awards of the Japanese Academy, the Animation Kobe, and the 15th Golden Gloss Award. The movie also won the 1997 Animage Anime Grand Prix, and was praised for its animation, direction, editing, emotional power, and screenplay, though some reviewers criticized its oblique religious symbolism and abstraction. Since its release, the film has frequently been cited as one of the greatest animated films of all time.