“Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth”, Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1997, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) Q93
This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster printed in 1997 for the first release of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth, the landmark cinematic continuation of Hideaki Anno’s revolutionary anime series. Produced by Gainax and Tatsunoko Production, the film features key voice performances by Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Yūko Miyamura, Kotono Mitsuishi, and Fumihiko Tachiki. This poster is one of the most recognisable and visually powerful pieces from the Evangelion theatrical campaign, centred on Rei Ayanami beneath the glowing Evangelion title and the ominous symbolic imagery associated with the series’ apocalyptic mythology.
Film background
Released in Japan in March 1997, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth marked the franchise’s transition from television phenomenon to cinema event. Following the enormous impact of the original 1995–96 TV series, this film was created both as a theatrical reintroduction to the story and as a bridge toward its then-awaited conclusion. The “Death” portion re-edits and condenses the television series into a highly stylised recap, while “Rebirth” presents the beginning of new material that would soon be expanded into The End of Evangelion.
Few anime titles altered the course of the medium in the way Evangelion did. Blending mecha spectacle with religious symbolism, psychological tension, and emotional fragmentation, it redefined what television anime could do in the 1990s. Original posters from the first theatrical run are especially desirable because they belong to the period when Evangelion moved from cult success to full cultural phenomenon.
Poster design
This is a superb and highly iconic Evangelion design, instantly recognisable to collectors of 1990s anime. The composition is dominated by an intense red-magenta field, against which the title EVANGELION glows in a vivid, almost neon-like white and red treatment. Above it hovers a stark symbolic motif: a suspended human figure framed within a geometric form and flanked by multiple stylised eyes — a powerful evocation of the series’ religious, psychological, and existential imagery.
Below stands Rei Ayanami, rendered frontally and almost expressionlessly in her white plug suit, isolated against a dark, abstract ground. Her stillness is central to the image’s power. Rather than promoting action or mechanical spectacle, the poster conveys the film’s atmosphere of unease, mystery, and emotional distance. It is a design that functions not merely as film advertising, but as a distilled visual statement of Evangelion’s world.
The lower margin credits the image to Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, whose character designs were crucial to the identity and lasting appeal of the franchise. As such, the sheet is especially attractive not only to Evangelion collectors, but also to admirers of Sadamoto’s artwork and late-1990s Japanese graphic design.
Condition
Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
It is over 29 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
