Fans Are Going Crazy Over The Upcoming ‘Evangelion’ Blu-Ray Release, And Not In A Good Way

Back at the end of last year we heard that the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series and movie would get a Blu-ray release this year. Well, it’s now here and available for pre-order and some fans aren’t exactly happy about it.

The set itself, released by GKIDS, looks lovely and mostly comprehensive but the point of contention seems to be the fact that the song Fly Me to the Moon will not be included in this release, much like it also wasn’t for the series when it came to Netflix.

This song was used in the series itself as well as being is ending theme. This is not a new thing for anime, as Zeta Gundam has had something similar with the Neil Sedaka songs used for the original broadcast but being absent on more modern releases.

When it comes to Evangelion, it feels like the music rights holders want a bigger cut of all that sweet anime money, without realising that that this industry doesn’t operate at all like Hollywood.

This particular Blu-ray release is being called the Ultimate Edition (shown above), costs $275 and is split across 11 discs, containing over 7 hours of bonus features. Not to mention including extras such as a 156-page book, art boards and limited edition artwork, a Sachiel resin paperweight and a NERV ID Card with lanyard.

In any case, the pre-orders on the GKIDS site are all gone by this point (though other regular editions are also on their way), so the absence of this song doesn’t appear to be an actual deal breaker for many, despite all the noise about it online.

Personally, I am glad that the original series and movies for Evangelion are getting a Blu-ray release. It’s a proper 90s mecha anime classic, though not without many influences, and having it more widely available on home video is something I entirely approve of.

In the meantime, you can now also watch all the new Rebuild of Evangelion movies over on Amazon Prime.

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