Art and Tech Meet in Evangelion 30th Anniversary Exhibition Area

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Renowned anime franchise Evangelion has entered its pearl anniversary year. And to kick off the 30th anniversary of the franchise, the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan hosted the Evangelion:30+; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion fan festival from February 21 to 23. Celebrating all things Evangelion, the event had several stage shows across the three days, a massive exhibition Evangelion, an official merchandise store, and a fan merchandise area. Anime News Network had the chance to check out the exhibition and fan merchandise area for the event...and they lived up to the pearl anniversary celebration.

The entrance of the Evangelion:30+; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion fan festival featured a large statue of the Evangelion Unit-01. While not always by the statue, event staff dressed as NERV staff were always close by.

Entering the exhibition area, Evangelion fans were greeted with the Central Tower, a hexagonal tower featuring special Evangelion videos.

The exhibition area hosted five major displays. The first section highlighted Evangelion pachinko machines, figures, and other assorted official merchandise across Evangelion's 30-year history.

One of the largest exhibition areas of the Evangelion:30+; 30th Anniversary of Evangelion fan festival was the retrospective of the Evangelion franchise. Included with the retrospective was a giant autograph board for fans to sign and leave messages. The highlight, though, was 26 CRT TVs simultaneously playing all 26 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Evangelion fans could enjoy VR experiences in the exhibition area, including the upcoming Evangelion: Δ CROSS REFLECTIONS. Fans could also experience “filming” combat scenes at the Virtual Camera Studio.

Of particular interest to many fans was the large display of original cells from Neon Genesis Evangelion and key art from across the Evangelion franchise. Scattered throughout the display area were also equipment used for filming and set models.

The Exhibition area had a few large displays dotting the Yokohama Arena. The displays included a massive bust of the EVA Unit-01 and a life-sized Rei Ayanami in a tube. A large art piece featuring Shinji Ikari, Rei, Asuka Langley Shikinami, Mari Illustrious Makinami, and Kaworu Nagisa was also in the Exhibition area.

The fan merchandise area featured Evangelion merchandise made by fans of the franchise. While figures were prominent, there were a few standouts like Japanese lacquer goods, fingernail accessories, jewelry, and a NERV emergency button.