"The Best Official Fan Work" - Praise Floods in for 'Evangelion' 30th Anniversary Short Animation Release, Fans Say "This Made Me Cry" at Asuka's Conclusion

A short animation video screened at "EVANGELION:30+;", the 30th anniversary festival for the 'Evangelion' series, has been released on Studio Khara's official YouTube channel and is generating significant buzz.

The released video features a story centered on Soryu Asuka Langley (CV: Yuko Miyamura) and Shikinami Asuka Langley (CV: Yuko Miyamura). Within the footage, Asuka is powerfully depicted not as waiting for salvation from others, but as carving out her own future and happiness through her own strength, with the content emphasizing her "hero" mentality. Additionally, illustrations suggesting a future between Shinji Ikari (CV: Megumi Ogata) and Asuka appear, and scenes where Kaworu Nagisa (CV: Akira Ishida) is treated comically are also included, resulting in a highly engaging video that seems to summarize the 30-year history from a unique perspective.

In response to this video, fans flooded in with emotional comments such as "This is essentially the Asuka Instrumentality Project," "I've been waiting thirty years for Asuka to be saved. This made me cry," "I really love that Asuka's conclusion isn't about having someone else make her happy, but about seizing happiness with her own power," and "I'm so grateful from the bottom of my heart that I could watch this short animation, and for some reason I cried out loud after finishing it."

Furthermore, numerous praises have been directed at the production and the cast's passionate performances, including comments like "The best official fan work," "It was amazing to see official future illustrations of the Shinji × Asuka route," "It's fresh and funny to see Kaworu-kun getting casual treatment lol," "Yuko Miyamura is incredible for subtly differentiating the way Soryu and Shikinami speak even though they're both Asuka...," and "It felt like meeting my first love after several decades. Soryu was this kind of girl. I'm grateful to Miyamura-san."