New ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ Anime Short for the 30th Anniversary

EVANGELION:30+, an event celebrating 30 years since the debut of “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” took place in late February this year, allowing fans of this epic anime to not only immerse themselves in a full-scale anniversary showcase but also witness the franchise’s newest animated material: a 13-minute short created specifically for the festival.

The Event-Only Experience

The short itself was positioned less like a new release in the Evangelion franchise and more like a special performance that centers around Asuka (one of Evangelion’s main characters) and plays with alternate possibilities and glimpses of different outcomes. This includes at least one scenario where Asuka and Shinji end up together.

Two things made this particular short stand out: the involvement of its creator and the scarcity of information that surrounded it. Hideaki Anno, the franchise’s creator, was credited for planning, scripting, and overall supervision of the anniversary program, including the short. Direction was handled by Naoyuki Asano, with other familiar names from the “Rebuild” era also listed in supervisory roles.

The involvement of some of the biggest names associated with the Evangelion franchise signals that the 30th Anniversary event wasn’t just a side vignette made to cash in on fan interest, but a deliberately curated addition to the works that are adjacent to the franchise’s canon.

The scarcity of information also played a major role; at the time of announcement, the audience was privy to just the basic creative credits and not much more. There was no full title rollout, no cast details, and no official summary of the subject matter, indicating that the short was meant to be an experience, rather than a completely new addition to “Evangelion”.

The fact that it was screened on the event’s main stage once per day, on a massive LED screen (nearly 3,000 square feet), only goes to position the short animation as a centerpiece of the entire experience, and not something designed for immediate online circulation.

In fact, the event organizers emphasized that unauthorized recording and reposting of the short were strictly prohibited, warning the attendees that violations could lead to legal action, further reinforcing the sense that this was intended to remain an on-site experience, and not a shareable “new episode” of their favorite anime.

Introducing the Next Phase of Evangelion

Despite its magnitude, the 13-minute short wasn’t the biggest news at EVANGELION:30+. Namely, the short was paired with a clear “next-era” announcement of a brand-new “Evangelion” series in production with Studio Khara + Clover Works. Some of the key staff listed, including Kazuya Tsurumaki and Toko/Tōko (Toru/Tōru) Yatabe, were key creatives in different “Evangelion” projects.

This signals that the next “Evangelion” is being led by the franchise insiders and those who intimately know how it ticks, rather than outside creatives. Other creatives mentioned in some reports are Yoko Taro and Keiichi Okabe, both of whom had worked on NieR, with the former as the franchise creator and the latter its composer.

For those unfamiliar with “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” the anime released in 1995 to massive success, becoming a critically important series because it redefined the mecha genre by shifting the focus away from the action-heavy robot battles to deep psychological introspection, depression, and existential philosophy.

It was completely different, in many ways, than almost every mecha anime before it, especially since it features a non-stereotypical protagonist (at the time), and for its targeting of more adult audiences with its darker, more complex narrative. This led the anime to become a cultural phenomenon that still continues to influence modern storytelling.

The Future of “Evangelion” Still Remains a Mystery

Sadly, any additional information associated with the upcoming “Evangelion” series remains a mystery for the time being, though it’s safe to assume that more information will surface as the production nears its end. As for the aforementioned 13-minute Asuka short, it has been confirmed that the material won’t be released digitally or screened elsewhere.

Update: The “Neon Genesis Evangelion 30th Anniversary” Short has been released on the Khara inc.Official youtube page.