Neon Genesis Evangelion fans can now legally stream the anime’s classic English dub for the first time.
The Criterion Channel added all 26 episodes of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion television series on September 1.
The streaming service offers the series in Japanese and with the Classic English dub, according to Criterion. It marks the first time the older English dub has been made available on a streaming service.
Criterion also added two Evangelion movies.
Here is what fans need to know about watching the classic Neon Genesis Evangelion English dub.
Where Can You Stream the Original Neon Genesis Evangelion English Dub?
The original Neon Genesis Evangelion English dub is now available on the Criterion Channel.
Criterion added the 26-episode anime series to its streaming service on September 1.
The Criterion Channel describes the version as the “Classic English dub” and says this is the first time it has been available through streaming.
The series originally aired in Japan from 1995 to 1996.
Is This the Same Neon Genesis Evangelion English Dub as Netflix?
No.
Netflix released Neon Genesis Evangelion on its streaming service in 2019 with a new English dub.
The classic version predates the Netflix dub by more than two decades.
ADV Films produced the earlier English version for the anime’s North American release in the 1990s. It features Spike Spencer as Shinji Ikari, Allison Keith as Misato Katsuragi, Amanda Winn Lee as Rei Ayanami and Tiffany Grant as Asuka Langley Sohryu.
The older dub had previously been available through physical releases but had not been offered on a streaming service.
Who Voices the Characters in the Original Evangelion English Dub?
Several actors closely associated with Neon Genesis Evangelion voiced the main characters in the classic English dub.
Spike Spencer voices Shinji Ikari, the teenage protagonist recruited to pilot Evangelion Unit-01.
Allison Keith voices Misato Katsuragi, while Amanda Winn Lee voices Rei Ayanami and Tiffany Grant voices Asuka Langley Sohryu.
Tristan MacAvery voices Gendo Ikari and Sue Ulu voices Ritsuko Akagi.
The cast helped introduce Evangelion to English-speaking audiences when the series arrived in North America during the 1990s.
What Neon Genesis Evangelion Movies Are on the Criterion Channel?
The Criterion Channel also added The End of Evangelion and Evangelion: Death (True)².
The End of Evangelion came out in Japan in 1997 and provides an alternate and expanded conclusion to the original television series.
Evangelion: Death (True)² is a recap and reworking of material from the television series.
Criterion describes the two movies as companion films that revise and expand the original series.
The four Rebuild of Evangelion movies are not part of Criterion’s Neon Genesis Evangelion collection.
What Is Neon Genesis Evangelion About?
Neon Genesis Evangelion follows Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy whose estranged father brings him to the fortified city Tokyo-3.
Shinji is asked to pilot a giant artificial humanoid known as an Evangelion to fight mysterious enemies called Angels.
The series initially resembles a giant-robot action anime but increasingly focuses on its characters, their relationships and questions involving identity, loneliness and human connection.
Hideaki Anno created and directed the series.
The original television run consisted of 26 episodes.
Why Is the Original Evangelion English Dub Returning a Big Deal?
For years, viewers who wanted to stream Neon Genesis Evangelion in English generally encountered the newer dub produced for the series’ 2019 streaming release.
The older English version remained familiar to fans who watched the series on VHS and DVD.
Criterion’s release makes that version available through streaming for the first time, giving longtime fans another way to watch the series and newer viewers a chance to compare the two English adaptations.
The Criterion Channel began streaming Neon Genesis Evangelion, The End of Evangelion and Evangelion: Death (True)² on September 1.
