This film is a new adaptation of the classic "Neon Genesis Evangelion" series. I admit that I've never watched the actual anime except for "End Of Evangelion". I have however read the manga (which came second). I'm glad to have seen or read every version except the original! From what I know, this is a very faithful retelling of the anime with all the most important plot points appearing. I remember hearing about all this stuff when people talked about Evangelion online. It's great how realistic this movie and franchise is, particularly with how reluctant Shinji is to pilot the Eva.

I'm glad to understand the series better. What works here is the gorgeous animation. We even get all the original voice actors (including Spike Spencer) contribute to the film. There's no attempt to make the series modernized or anything. It's simply a faithful version of something very beloved. My favorite part is probably the final battle with the sixth angel. I don't know their names, okay? I also love the scenes in Misato and Shinji's apartment as it's great to see the characters dealing with such mundane problems. ***1/2

This film is more like an abridged version of the first few episodes of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series. It doesn't contain much that's new or interesting but has a much more polished level of animation and sound. I would have preferred more points of difference from the original series but only if there was a purpose to it. Some of the additions seemed a bit tacked-on.

It's hard to imagine that fans of Evangelion won't be pleased with this leaner, gorgeous rebuild of the original anime series. And if you're new to Evangelion, this is a great place to start. 

You Are (Not) Alone is a pretty straightforward adaptation of the first six episodes of Evangelion. It's somewhat condensed but still containing all the major moments and plot points. While the next three movies promise new story additions and characters, this movie contents itself with mostly cosmetic changes, along with tightening up the story, a few extra scenes, and eliminating some filler. There wasn't a lot in the first six episodes that needed to be altered. 

That means slightly less whining from Shinji. SLIGHTLY.

The animation and visuals are outright beautiful, especially on blu-ray. I could recommend this on that aspect, alone. The re-designed Angels and action scenes are improvements over the original's (especially the sixth Angel),in my opinion and the voice work is great.

Does You Are (Not) Alone make the original series redundant and unnecessary (or vice-versa)? No, I don't think so. Both of them have merit, and both are worth watching. But, I'm very interested in seeing if the next three Rebuild of Evangelion movies rectify some of the mistakes that the latter portion of the series fell prey to.