“Neon Genesis Evangelion / Ritsuko & Maya”, Original Japanese Promotional Poster 1996, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) O157A
This is an original Japanese B2 promotional poster issued in 1996 for Neon Genesis Evangelion, featuring Ritsuko Akagi and Maya Ibuki. Produced during the series’ original first wave of popularity, the poster is associated with SEGA and GAINAX / Project Eva, and belongs to the formative period when Evangelion was first establishing itself as one of the most important anime franchises of the late twentieth century.
Series background
First broadcast in 1995, Neon Genesis Evangelion rapidly became one of the defining anime series of its generation. Combining mecha action, psychological tension, religious and philosophical imagery, and unusually complex character writing, it changed the direction of televised anime and remains one of the most influential Japanese animated works ever produced. Ritsuko Akagi, NERV’s chief scientist, and Maya Ibuki, her loyal technical assistant, are central to the series’ institutional and psychological world, representing the human machinery behind the Evangelion project.
Poster design
This is a strikingly clean and design-led character poster, showing Ritsuko and Maya together in a composed studio-style arrangement. Maya is seated in her NERV uniform, holding the small penguin figure associated with Pen Pen, while Ritsuko stands behind her in a white lab coat. The pale background and soft pink rectangular field give the poster a restrained, elegant atmosphere, very different from more action-heavy Evangelion promotional material.
The left side is dominated by the tall vertical typography “RITSUKO & MAYA”, while the SEGA logo appears at the upper right. The lower-left credit line identifies the work as connected to Neon Genesis Evangelion, with printed rights information for GAINAX / Project Eva, TV Tokyo, and NAS. A further point of interest is the printed illustration credit to Katsuichi Nakayama, whose crisp character rendering gives the poster its polished mid-1990s anime style.
Rarity and significance
Because this poster was issued in 1996, during Evangelion’s original release era, it belongs to the franchise’s most desirable collecting period. Early Japanese promotional posters connected to SEGA campaigns, game tie-ins, and related merchandising were produced in more limited quantities than later mass-market Evangelion material, and surviving examples are increasingly sought after today.
For collectors of 1990s anime, original Evangelion paper from this first phase of the phenomenon holds particular importance. This example is especially appealing for its focus on Ritsuko and Maya, two important supporting characters who appear far less frequently on standalone promotional posters than Shinji, Rei, Asuka, or the Evangelions themselves.
Condition
Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
It is over 30 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
