EVANGELION KAIBUNSHO
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND NOTES

• Background #1
Kaibunsho are not entirely uncommon in Japanese society for a couple of reasons.

1) Libel and slander laws in Japan are oppressive. If you expose or say something unflattering about someone, you can be sued for damages even if what you are saying is true! This means that any real expose must be made anonymously for reasons of self-protection, and one of these ways is the kaibunsho. This is not to suggest that most kaibunsho are true, and of course even those based in truth have some agenda. However, the fact remains that kaibunsho are one of the methods used to air grievances or bring otherwise unknown information to light in Japan, and readers are left to their own judgment as to the accuracy or motives.

2) Japanese culture in general tends to have difficulty keeping secrets. For example, during the post-war occupation, General MacArthur was known to remark in frustration at the inability of Japanese government officials to maintain confidentiality. The Japanese love to gossip, and there seems to be some compulsion to emphasize status and privilege by privately divulging secret information. This compulsion appears to be particularly strong among bureaucrats and otaku for whom information is a form of currency and a kind of control or status*. However, it should be noted that this flaunting of secrets is generally limited to one's extended "in-group", and rarely are de-facto truths (dirty laundry) that "everyone knows" within an insular group publicly aired outside the group.

* Eva Director's Cut Ep21 -- Antarctic base background conversation
Keel: "They are not so noble... Discovery is joy, and understanding leads to domination. All they seek after is their own aggrandizement." :P

• Background #2
The early February period during which this kaibunsho circulated corresponds to the period after completion of the TV airing (and controversial TV ending) up to just before the release of the first Eva movie "DEATH & REBIRTH". In order to better understand the kaibunsho in context, the relevant events that occurred during this period are as follows.

- 1996/03/20: TV Ep25 "Owaru sekai" airs.

- 1996/03/27: TV Ep26 "Sekai no chuushin de AI wo sakenda mono" airs.
Fan reactions to the TV ending are mixed, but generally negative or "WTF!?"

- 1996/03/27: MEGU (an anime magazine no longer being published) May issue presents a somewhat derogatory spoof story digest including Ep24: "Soshite, zenin ga fukou ni natta (And so, everyone became unhappy/miserable)" and Ep26: "Subete ga no to yama ni naru toki ga kita (The time has come for everything to turn into fields and mountains)".

- 1996/04/14: Director Anno appears live as a guest on Megumi Hayashibara's radio program "Tokyo Boogie Night" and says that fans should "return to reality."

- 1996/04/26: Shonen Ace-A June issue article states that: "The video/LD vol.13 (Ep25-26) release will be a complete remake of the TV ending and will focus on the story elements. In addition, a complete and new cinema edition that differs from the video version is scheduled for release in summer 1997."

- 1996/04/27: MEGU June issue becomes the first anime magazine to review the TV ending, and brands it a "betrayal" and "nightmare".

- 1996/05/10: Newtype Magazine June issue contains the first in-depth interview with Director Anno following the conclusion of the TV airing, in which Anno criticizes anime fans and otaku in particular.

- 1996/05~06: Eva remains a subject of interest, and various incidents of Eva fan obsession and "otaku-ness" occur such as the Mitaka City "Rei in kimono" posters and pencil boards mentioned in the kaibunsho.

- 1996/06/10: Animage (Anime Magazine) July issue includes a dialog between Director Anno and Yuko Miyamura (Asuka voice actress) in which Anno again criticizes anime fans (albeit tempered by self-deprecation and some jests by Miyamura) and makes a number of other frank remarks and criticisms.

- 1996/06~1997/02: Numerous review articles and interviews appear in anime magazines, some positive and some not so positive. Among these, the Quick Japan (music and sub-culture magazine) #9 issue features a lengthy Anno interview in which he once again criticizes the fans, but also makes some frank criticisms and observations about himself. He also mentions the harried production schedule and other behind-the-scenes talk. Various announcements are also made regarding the movie release schedule during this period.

- 1997/02/01~: TV series rebroadcast starts. 3-4 episodes aired every Saturday in the late-night time slot.

- 1997/02/9~11: Evangelion Kaibunsho circulates

- 1997/02/14: Director Anno and Tsuguhiko Kadokawa (Kadokawa Shoten President) hold an urgent press conference at which they announce that, "Original scenes will be added to the TV series compilation movie DEATH," "The initial theatrical release will include part of the new portion REBIRTH," and "The complete REBIRTH2 will be released in July." [Damage control?]

- 1997/03/03: The inaugural (April) issue of the Nikkei Entertainment magazine features an article summarizing the various Eva-related "disturbances", some of which were mentioned in the kaibunsho.

- 1997/03/10~: Quick Japan #9 and #10 issues contain interviews and a roundtable discussion by Gainax figures Toshimichi Otsuki (Producer), Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Eva character designer and manga artist), Hiroki Sato (PR Manager), Kazuyshi Tsurumaki (Assistant Director) and Masayuki (Assistant Director). The roundtable discussion covers topics ranging from Eva story contents to behind-the-scenes happenings, past activities, a personal critique/characterization of Director Anno, and so on.

- 1997/03/15: DEATH & REBIRTH appears in theaters.

- 1997/07/19: THE END OF EVANGELION (Air + Magokoro) appears in theaters.