This article is based on a visit made on Wednesday, 16 November 2016.
Edit 3 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
Edit 10 May 2021: As of the 9th of May, Evangelion World has been permanently shut down. A new roller, set to open in Summer 2022, will be constructed in its place. More information:
(English) (Japanese)
Previously on Sekai Ichi, I described my time at the
Fuji-Q Highland theme park. I left off at the entrance to Evangelion World, so let's get right back to it.
For those unaware of the Evangelion franchise, allow me to summarise it for you. (This description was copied from my article
"Know Your Trains: Type-500 Eva".) In the near future, the city of Tokyo-3 is being beseiged by extraterrestrial monsters called Angels. Humanity's only defence lies in fighting them with giant robots called Evas. The main character of this story is one such Eva pilot, a 14-year-old boy named Shinji Ikari. Unfortunately, Shinji is beset with a fragile, emotional state, fueled partly by his father Gendo -- who just so happens to be his new commanding officer. Furthermore, their organisation, known as NERV, may have a secret agenda that may forever alter the future of humanity...
Inside the entrance, visitors are greeted by a scale-model of Unit 01, the robot piloted by the main character, Shinji Ikari.
That metal spear hanging overhead is the Lance of Longinus, which was used to take down a space-borne Angel. It was named after the spear (a.k.a. the
Holy Lance) that a Roman soldier stabbed the body of Jesus with during His crucifixion. Evangelion is filled with such Judeo-Christian symbolism and references, and there has been a long-running discussion among fans as to whether it all means anything.
I see someone's read and/or seen
2001: A Space Odyssey... Actually no, this is a re-creation of the meeting room of the secret organisation Seele, named after the German word for "soul". At the start of the series, there were actual people at their meetings, but as the series went on, they were represented simply by the monoliths you see here.
This lit-up table in the Seele room was just the place for me to try out my Gendo Ikari impression. I've done cosplay of Gendo on previous occasions, such as when I went to New York Comic-Con a couple of years ago. In fact, that's how I got my current beard: I shaved it to match Gendo's chin-strap, and I liked it so much that I kept it that way.
Deep within the back of the exhibit space, there is a life-size bust of Unit 01. Every so often, a light show plays where the Eva "faces off" against original Angel monsters based on the other rides at Fuji-Q.
asdf
One of the rooms is a museum of screenshots, concept sketches, and other images. There's even a map of events from the franchise, and their corresponding real-life locations (in the Hakone area, only 35 km / 20 miles away). Also, up front in this picture is a model of an Eva pilot's cockpit. According to (translations of) the FAQ on their website, you may be able to have your picture taken in it, for ¥500, but I didn't see anything to that effect. If you're there, maybe you could ask about it...
Much of the fun to be had at Evangelion World is in recreating scenes from the show and movies, by way of character statues, standees, and such. There are plenty of opportunities to take pictures with your friends, or if you're like me and you're travelling alone, ask someone else to take your picture for you. For example, here's me breaking through an AT Field, a protective barrier deployed by both Evas and Angels.
If you've watched the original series, you'll know that they had some creative solutions for getting around budget constraints. And by "creative", I mean, "sequences with little to no animation going on for a minute or more". This scene, with Rei Ayanami (left) and Asuka Langley (right) standing in an elevator, was one of them.
Here I find myself in an awkward moment with Ryoji Kaji, whose role in the series is working behind so many people's back that he can be described as a "
double reverse quadruple agent". This was based on a scene from
Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, where he puts the moves on Shinji for some reason. I forget why, because he's not usually this gay.
Also, UCC coffee is a real brand that is used in later episodes.
Speaking of awkward moments, I seem to have walked in on Rei-chan putting on her plugsuit. I'll just (pretend to) cover my eyes...
One of the rooms was focused on the most recent movie,
Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo. It took its sweet time coming to video in North America, almost 4 years after its Japanese debut, but it finally did and we are happy for it. Anyway, here's Asuka as she appears in that film, punching a glass wall.
Another room had a focus on the character Kaworu Nagisa. This mysterious white-haired boy joins in late in the series as one of the Eva pilots, and I don't want to spoil his role in the plot, but I will say he has a large fanbase for someone with so short a role. (Although, in the new Rebuild canon, he does have a bigger part in
Evangelion 3.0.) So I thought I'd mess with him a bit...
...then share a more earnest moment with him.
Of course, Evangelion World has its own gift shop. Among my purchases, I bought a T-shirt with Asuka on it, and it fits and feels so nice. I even wore it when I rode on the
Evangelion Shinkansen near the end of my trip. For a more unique souvenir, you can even create your own NERV ID badge with your name and picture. It costs just ¥500, and there are even a few accessories you can put on for your photo!
If you can't get enough Eva merch, you can also visit the other official Evangelion Stores around the region. There's one in the Parco P' mall at Ikebukuro in Tokyo, and another at Hakone-Yumoto Station. But, the connection with Fuji-Q Highland means there is exclusive Eva/Fuji-Q crossover merchandise you can't find anywhere else, such as this lenticular 3-D poster of the gang in front of Evangelion World and Fuji-san itself! Truly, this is an experience not to be missed by Evangelion fans!
Hours: Open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or to 6:00 PM on weekends and holidays. No regular closing days.
Costs: ¥800, plus admission to Fuji-Q Highland itself. If you bought the one-day free pass (¥5,900), you can get into Evangelion World for no extra cost.
Directions: From the south entrance, head straight, then turn left after you pass "Fujiyama". Throughout the park, coloured lines along the ground mark the routes to certain major attractions. Follow the red, yellow, or blue lines from the south entrance, and it will be on your way.
From the north entrance, pass "Cool Jappaan" on the left side and head straight. At the dead-end, turn right, and you should see it. Follow the yellow line from "Eejanaika", near the north entrance, and it will be on your way.
