The Groundwork Of Evangelion 3.0 (Volume 1) is a collection of genga (key animation drawings) and select layout boards from the third Rebuild Of Evangelion animated films. This art book covers content from the 1st half of the film, with over 300 pages of drawings.

The genga drawings are reproduced in high clarity and detail, with some key scenes given more print space on the pages, which allows for great viewing. From reviews I’ve read on the book’s Amazon Japan page, some form of clean-up have been done on the drawings, though the exact amount is impossible to tell. It really doesn’t take away anything from the quality of art work on display.

(above) The 3 tiny perforated holes at the top of every drawing are used to place the paper through the peg bar on every animator’s table, where they overlay drawn pieces to check their animation by flipping it up and down. If my memory serves me well the peg bar holes are located on the top of the paper in Japan ( as you can see here ), where in Disney it is located at the bottom.

The time-sheet ( the yellow column of tiny boxes on above right ) is where the animators record the timing and frame rate at which they are animating, be it on 1s, 2s, etc. It is also used by the scanner to know the exact timing of the animation when scanning the drawn frames into a computer for playback review/checks.

(above) The devil is in the details – even smoke effects are meticulously animated to bring maximum impact.

(below) A “run cycle” sequence. Notice how the subject matter’s form is distorted; the the legs and feet are much bigger compared to the torso and head. This perspective effect helps to sell the immense size and scale of the Eva units, as though you are gazing upon something gigantic.

The concept is simple enough, but the execution is entirely a different matter; not only does the animator have to pay attention to the fluidity and performance of the run cycle when he/she is drawing, they also needs to factor in the effect of distortion, which is no simple feat.

I’ve mentioned this many times but the Rebuild Of Evangelion series feature some of the most astonishing 2D animation I’ve ever seen in recent animated films, and this book is a great way to appreciate the enormous amount of work the animators have to put in ( not to mention the crazy skills ) to create such amazing pieces of work. Very highly recommended.

I’ll review volume 2 in the coming week/s.

Note on availability – The Evangelion Groundwork series are held in high demand, selling out very quickly, so if you see new copies in stock don’t hesitate if you want a copy. Amazon Marketplace sellers (third party vendors) usually sell them at higher prices.

Groundwork Of Evangelion 3.0 Vol 1 ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版 : Q アニメーション原画集 上巻 details :

– Dimensions – 29.8 x 20.6 x 2.2 cm
– Softcover, 322 pages
– Full color, in Japanese (book contains mostly images)

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