ANN staffer Evangelion movie back when its subbed form first started circulating in the States in late 2009. That review is recommended reading for any who are interested in this title and may have skipped it the first time, and in the interest of avoiding redundancy I will refrain from commenting at length here on most of the issues that he talks about. (Much of what he said is what I would have said anyway.) This review will instead focus on the aspects of the movie that he either did not or could not comment on.

The second Evangelion movie was subtitled “Break” partly as a reference to a traditional Japanese technique used in drama and the martial arts. The name could not be more apt, because while the movie does reinterpret certain scenes from episodes 8-19 of the TV series, most of them happen in at least partly different ways which meaningfully change the thrust of the story; something as simple as Rei preventing Asuka from slapping her in the famous elevator scene carries weight because of what it implies about the different direction Rei will go this time. This version of Asuka is distinct from the get-go, too, as she is less bratty and more aggressively antisocial than the first one. She may have initially seemed to be the most socially adjusted Eva pilot in the TV series, but here she makes no pretenses about liking anyone – not even Kaji, whom she hopelessly mooned over in the TV series but doesn't give a second thought here – and seems motivated as much by establishing herself in a future career path in NERV as she is by her personal pride. She is quicker to show her vulnerabilities here, too.

The other part of the “Break” is, of course, the new content. While the general thrust of the story remains similar to the TV series, there are some entirely new events and scenes here (the stuff on the moon, Rei's planned dinner party), but none of those are as bold an addition as the new pilot. Mari's liveliness and enthusiasm cuts such a sharp contrast to the established Eva pilots that her addition feels incongruous, but that is likely the point: she is intended to shake up the status quo and show that one does not have to be socially maladjusted to pilot an Eva. Though she plays an important role in two of the movies' big fight scenes, she does not get enough screen time here for viewers to figure out much about her motives or purpose, but she is the breath of fresh air that the franchise needs and helps restore the sense of mystery inherent in the original series. On a more minor note, Toji's sister, whom we heard mention of but never saw in the original series, gets a momentary appearance here.

The other big story here is the visual upgrade, which varies between being merely very good and utterly spectacular. Like End of Evangelion. While the religious symbolism this time is mostly restricted to the cross-shaped blasts and some naming conventions, less obvious examples of it are still there if one looks carefully; the oceanographic institute's layout distinctly (and certainly not coincidentally) resembles the Kabbalan Tree of Life, for instance.

The musical choices used for this movie are also particularly interesting. Hikaru Utada, is also a winner.

The biggest story on the Spike is right on the money with that, too. The English script uses a bit more swearing than any previous Evangelion production but never sacrifices direct meaning or nuance in its revisions and, thankfully, keeps certain terminology the same as it was in the TV series dub even though the subtitles translates some of them differently.

Right Stuf also apparently got a NERV car window sticker as an added bonus.

Evangelion 2.22 is one of the rare anime movies that is as much an event as it is a movie. It is a glorious and exciting redefinition of the original series which strikes new ground without sacrificing the depth, drama, intensity, or humor which helped make the TV series the enduring classic that it is. At times it feels like it is rushing things a little, and certainly those who have not seen the TV series will not get quite as much out of it, but it delivers wonderfully on everything that it is supposed to do. The final post-credits scene and Next Movie preview will only drive fans into a frenzy over the all-new content of the as-yet-unscheduled third movie, and as anime franchises go, that's never a Bad Thing.