:anime: This Ain't April Fools! New Evangelion on the Way!

[Unconfirmed (though now confirmed, see below) report from Anime News Service, though it is not out of the realm of possibility, considering next week's supposedly big Eva scoop in the Newtype Japan magazine. Either way, new Eva is on the way.]

What is sure to shock many (or not some at all), Hideki Anno & GAINAX announced a new four-part film series of the classic Neon Genesis Evangelion. An interview of sorts with one of the producers (the unconfirmed part) yields some information on them, in which they will be "quite different" from the content of the original, will nonetheless take place in the same timeline. It will feature newer animation (though lacking the rapid word splice-ins from the series) and can be accessible to both fans and those unfamiliar with Eva (it will be a "remake" yet also a "new work"). Evangelion Shin Gekijou Ban, as it will be called, it will apparently also serve as "an antithesis to current animation industry segments,” which I take means that it will use either different animation techniques or it will be told in a way unlike most anime productions. In short, this sounds a lot like the Girlfriend of Steel-ish Evangelion stories that GAINAX has been pumping out for a while, which basically are alternative storylines that had more of a school/teen comedy flavor. That might not be the news that some fans were expecting (like a sequel concerning End of Evangelion would have been so exciting :P ), but fans of those stories might be welcoming this with open arms, pending that this actually true.

UPDATE: It appears that Newtype Japan did make good on its promise with this information, as ANS confirmed its truth with scans from the magazine feature.

UPDATE 2: [9/7/06] Looks as if Anime News Network has posted some extra info on the project, complete with format layout, as well as saying that it is not a remake (Either way it is, old will be new again). On an interesting note, Kazuya Tsurumaki, of FLCL fame and director of the sequel to Anno's Gunbuster, will helm this Anno-originated work. It seems that he holds much trust in the eyes of the legendary director to allow him to create sequels to two of his most famous and revered works. And considering the good job he did with Diebuster, I can see why (not to mention, he also directed the Rebirth part of the Death & Rebirth Eva movie).

:boxing: Deja Vu All Over Again & Again...

It is the biggest fight in either man's career in a long while. The young upstart boxer with a lot of promise, but not a whole lot of polish, versus the aging, yet wily, veteran who wants to show the critics that he can still take this young'n to school. They engage in a tight, physical brawl, unyielding to either's barrage of attacks. The veteran fighter, confident that he would have a field day with the "little boy," finds that the tactics that he has mastered for over a decade are being challenged by the skills of that very same kid. The young upstart, usually reliant on his innate power and physical prowess, begins to get a taste (and perhaps too much of a fill) of what it really means to be a "boxer." The early rounds appear to clearly go in his favor, but as the bout presses on, the elder fighter seems to be landing more shots and looks to be the more energetic of the two. Undaunted by the presence in front of him, the younger fighter still tries to go for broke, counterpunching with each volley flung at him by the master boxer, even coming up with a few new attacks and tactics in his arsenal . The years of ring-hardened, round-by-round savvy, however, has helped turn the tide of the fight towards the man that has been through the toughest of battles and the longest wars. After the chime of the final bell, both fighters raise both gloves above their respective heads, knowing for sure that they won the fight. The ring announcer reads off the three judges' scorecards to the nervously awaiting crowd and the studious corners. To the many shocks and awes, the young upstart fighter is handed the victory, leaving the wily old veteran in a state of disbelief, knowing that despite giving him all he could handle and more, he could not obtain the win in their eyes.