Having just finished watching the Japanese Blu ray release in all its HD glory, I find myself both in awe and delighted that a film can be so complex, intricate, technically magical, but still hold on human emotions and an amazing storyline to get its true value from. The story here greatly deviates from the original series, and the more I feel where Anno wants to take us with it, the more I like it.

However, the choices he makes are sure not to be liked by many, specially those who loved the detached feeling that the original series conveyed. In its place, we now have characters that are far less extreme, and thus, ones we can relate to more easily. And that for me, is the true achievement of this film: That despite it glorious animation achievements (it is the best animation quality I have seen on any animated film from any country, ever not an overstatement by any means), it keeps us painfully aware on the trials and tribulations of these kids (and other entities) and on how the way they perceive the world will determine the fate of it.

That, without mentioning it has one of the most tense cliffhangers of any film I have seen. Can’t wait for the next release that (sadly for me who has to wait for the Blu ray versions), is surely at least 18 months away.