The 30th anniversary Evangelion festival brought an unexpected announcement. Studio Khara and CloverWorks will produce a new Neon Genesis Evangelion series. For the first time, Hideaki Anno will not be handling the script. This task falls to Yoko Taro, creator of NieR. The direction is by Kazuya Tsurumaki and Toru Yatabe, with music by Keiichi Okabe. There are no plot details, but speculation includes explorations of humanity, identity, or the temporal cycles of the Rebuild.
A Generational Handover in Production: From Gainax to a Hybrid Studio 🔄
The technical and creative change is notable. Studio Khara, founded by Anno, oversees the project, but the main animation is handled by CloverWorks, a studio with a contemporary visual style. This marks a distance from the original Gainax animation and from the Rebuild, made by Khara. The inclusion of Yoko Taro suggests a different narrative approach, possibly more fragmented or metafictional. Okabe's soundtrack, away from Sagisu's choirs, could bring a different electronic and melancholic atmosphere.
Prepared for Another Existential Trauma (But with a Touch of NieR) 😵
With Yoko Taro in charge of the story, fans can expect a familiar experience. That is, unanswered questions, tormented characters, and endings that will generate debates for years. The difference is that now, in addition to questioning your existence, maybe an android in a black dress will ask you to choose between destroying humanity or... destroying it in another way. At least the soundtrack will sound good while we reflect on our uselessness. An endless cycle, literally.