Ask John: Is the Japanese Version of Evangelion “Adult?”

Question:
I have heard from many sources that Evangelion was more “adult oriented” when released in Japan. I’ve heard that some scenes had sexual content, and Shinji even gets Asuka pregnant! I just got into Evangelion, and almost all forums I’ve been to claim this fact. They claim that there is a whole hentai style episode, and that it’s floating around the internet for anyone to download, and it is authentically drawn by Gainax with all the actual Japanese voice actors. Does the Japanese version of Neon Genesis Evangelion contain “adult” scenes? And if it does, is the version released in America edited?

Answer:
What you have heard seems to be a jumbled mix of several different mostly unrelated facts, doubtless merged into a single typical “internet rumor” by repeated discussion. The Japanese version of Evangelion is no more “adult oriented” than the version seen in America. The version of the television series released in America is identical to the version of Evangelion broadcast on Japanese television in 1995. The only difference between the American version and the Japanese release of Evangelion is between the US version and the Japanese home video version, which added a small amount of original footage to episodes 21-24. None of this “director’s cut” footage from TV episodes 21-24 is “adult” in any way, at least, no more so than any of the footage seen in the unaltered episodes. The Evangelion Otaku Page has published an extensive detailed report on these extended episodes, including screen-shots and dialogue translations of the new footage.

There is a 10 minute long pornographic Evangelion “episode” that features background music and voice acting, and unusually good character design for this sort of thing, but this hentai Evangelion episode is not “official” and was not created by Gainax or any authorized studio. This short hentai episode is totally fan produced. It’s one of a small number of relatively well known Japanese fan produced adult anime parodies. Other similar works include “Sailor & the Seven Balls,” the Magic Knight Rayearth Ani-gan,” which also includes background music and voice acting, and at least three “Shower” anime productions by a Japanese artist known as “Sato-san” that feature well-known anime characters from shows including Ranma, Tenchi Muyo, Maison Ikkoku and Sailormoon in graphic sexual situations. None of these productions were ever sanctioned in Japan, but have been released in Japan on VHS in limited production runs sold through doujinshi stores like Mandarake and Comic Toronoana. Many Western fans have discovered the Eva and Rayearth hentai anime clips through internet download or Chinese VCD versions subtitled in Chinese.