Anno Hideaki’s four-part film remake of Neon Genesis Evangelion was originally envisaged as a quick and cheap affair, with each digest film hitting cinemas at a rate of one every six months. After a relatively underwhelming first film, Anno’s original plan goes wildly off in a new direction in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. Not only is the animation enormously superior in this second film, with good advantage taken of computer-generated effects, the story clearly begins to twist in its own direction. Fans of the original television series may start scratching their heads at this point – this is not how the story previously played out.

Part two opens with teen robot pilot Ikari Shinji still reluctantly working for his inplacable father Gendo, and attempting to foster an awkward friendship with fellow pilot Ayanami Rei. That process is interrupted by the arrival of new pilot Shinkanami Asuka, which long-term viewers may be expecting, as well as the later arrival of Makinami Mari, an entirely new character they probably will not see coming. All the while Earth continues to come under attack by the mysterious Angels, with only NERV and the EVA units to defend it.

Add in piles of secret plans, esoteric religious imagery, hidden agendas, hormonal teenagers, and potentially the end of the world, and you have Evangelion: 2.0. It looks better, is paced better, and has a much stronger handle on its characters than both the previous film and – surprisingly – the television series too. One aspect which does feel better developed and integrated this time around is the element of teen sexuality. The original series was notorious for its ‘fan service’, basically sleazy shots of female bodies, and while that continues here it actually feels better linked to the individual characters’ anxieties and desires. Is it still problematic? For sure, but at the same time it feels improved and at least thought about by Anno and his co-directors Tsurumaki Kazuya and Masayuki. Asuka in particular feels as if she has been re-developed and better defined in this new version, and the changes all improve the character and her place in the film.

Mari represents the film’s key new addition to Evangelion lore, and despite a strong introduction she then vanishes from the screen for about half of the film. It reflects some broader structural problems with the screenplay – it was originally supposed to condense six episodes into a 90-minute feature, but it ultimately incorporates new material and shifting directions as well. A cynical viewer might suspect the character only really exists to generate new merchandise opportunities; the ongoing sale of Rei and Asuka statues and figures must generate almost as much revenue as the films themselves.

Evangelion: 2.0 is a significant improvement over its predecessor. It is visually striking and dynamic, emotionally charged, and only a little bit incoherent. Pity the audience of the time, who had to wait another three years to see Evangelion: 3.0.