30 Years Later, An Iconic Anime’s Lost Dub Is Finally About To Start Streaming
It’s time to get back in the EVA.
“What anime series do you absolutely need to watch?” is a question that could keep a forum arguing for years, but there are a few answers that are more or less agreed upon. And at the very top of most lists you’ll probably find Neon Genesis Evangelion, Hideaki Anno’s smash-hit masterpiece that stands as a foundational pillar of the art form.
Now, the series is coming to the Criterion Channel, as the movie streaming service continues to dabble in television. And this isn’t just any streaming release — Criterion is bringing back a version of the series that’s been lost for decades.
Neon Genesis Evangelion will stream with its original English dub track for the first time.
According to IGN, The Criterion Channel announced that all episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion will be available to stream beginning on September 1. This release includes the original Japanese version of the show, as well as the first English dub, which was recorded by ADV Films for the series’ VHS release. That dub has been out of print for decades now, and if you watch the series on Netflix, the English dub is currently a new version recorded specifically for that release.
The ADV dub was famously recorded with a shoestring budget and often used production members who lacked voice acting experience, so it’s not going to be nearly as polished as the dubs you’ll find on more recent anime series. But in this case, that’s part of what makes it interesting.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is famous enough to have its own theme restaurant.
The quality and necessity of English dubs are another debate that can keep anime fans going, but if your goal is to witness Neon Genesis Evangelion in the way American audiences did back in the ‘90s, this is a fascinating option. And of course, there’s always the subtitled version, which might be your best option if you’re watching for the first time.
Whichever side of the subs/dubs debate you fall on, this release is a huge deal. The Criterion Channel is very choosy about what titles are made available for streaming, and choosier still when it comes to TV series. This addition — and the effort to include the original dub release — is a testament to Evangelion’s role in anime history. And once you’re done watching the original 26 episodes, you can follow that by watching the movies, too.
