Episode #01: Next Episode Preview (Jikai Yokoku)
15-Second (On-Air and Renewal) Version
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| Next Time | ||
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| Misato: Eva defeats the Angel. | ||
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thewayneiac: Gee, isn't that a spoiler? Oh well, at least it's not as bad as the preview for episode #23. Reichu: The good guys always win this early in the game. |
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| But that was just the beginning of everything. | ||
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| Shinji runs away from his father. | ||
| Reichu: Notice the general lack of correlation between the narrative and the images… | ||
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| Misato's arrogance leads her to try to help him out. | ||
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| Next Time: “Unfamiliar Ceiling” | ||
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Plenty of service next time, too! Next Time: Unfamiliar Ceiling |
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thewayneiac: Promises, promises. Reichu: More on fan service at the bottom. |
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30-Second (Video Release) Version
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| Next Time | ||
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| Misato: Eva defeats the Angel! | ||
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| But that was just the beginning of everything. | ||
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| Shinji runs away from being in the same space as his father. While Shinji asserts that he is fine with being alone, Misato is lead to help him out herself. | ||
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| However, setting her heart on this was no more than her pride as an adult. | ||
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| That night, Shinji closed off his heart. | ||
| thewayneiac: (04~05) She's making this episode sound really depressing. | ||
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| Next Time: "Unfamiliar Ceiling" | ||
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| I'll give you fan service next time, too! | ||
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| Next Time: Unfamiliar Ceiling | ||
Reichu: As you can see, the Next Episode Previews were originally 15 seconds in the broadcast version, expanded to 30 seconds for the video release, and, enigmatically, cropped back down to 15 seconds for Renewal. (The exception to this are NPC episodes #21′~#24′, which only have the 30-second preview.) Considering Renewal is supposed to be the ultimate release of NGE, it's odd that they would do this.
Shin-seiki: The 30-second previews are, however, included with Renewal as extras.
Reichu: But for whatever reason, ADV completely neglects to include them on their “Platinum” version…
Keisuke-kun: I don't get the need for 30-sec previews. They both give the same info, except one has more pics than the other.
Reichu: Actually, the writeup is slightly longer in the 30-second version, as well.
Keisuke: If you own the series, why would you even watch the previews?
Reichu: To hear Misato's jolly voice, of course. Speaking of whom…
Misato's regular promise of “fan service” (she actually says "SÂBISU, SÂBISU") has earned NGE a bit of infamy — which is odd, considering how mild its service is compared to some of the anime out there. Incidentally, Gainax's other anime Mahoromatic continues the tradition of mentioning SÂBISU in its jikai yokoku, and one episode of Abenobashi actually pulls a parody on NGE's previews, complete with the “Jikai Yokoku” BGM and everything.
Soluzar: Considering that most anime gets mildly criticised for being too heavy on the “fan service”, isn't it odd that NGE boasts about it? It's definitely not as if the promise of seeing Misato's scantily-clad form could ever be what was drawing in the viewers, is it?
Reichu: Considering that the majority of NGE merchandise focuses on the three female leads, fan service (focusing on said leads) seems to have played at least some part in NGE's popularity…
Here's an interesting tidbit from AnimeNation's Ask John:
Fan service got its name because it's literally a “service” for fans. In Japan, where English words and phrases are often used in “creative” ways, the word ”service” often refers to “a favor” or something given for free. For example, if you come up a few yen short on your dinner bill, the Japanese waiter may wave it off with the phrase (like Misato of Evangelion), ”Service, service.”
There is a lot of argument about exactly what denotes “fan service” and what doesn't. But we'll settle here for the definition off Urban Dictionary, which seems to cover the basics pretty well:
In general, fan service refers to scenes designed to excite or titillate the viewer. This can include scantily-clad outfits, cleavage shots, panty shots, nude scenes (shower scenes especially), etc. Some broader definitions also include things like cool mecha, big explosions, battle scenes, etc. Basically, if it has little plot-redeaming value, but makes the viewer sit up and take notice, it's probably fan service in one form or another.
There is also a short article on fan service (that takes care to mention Gainax) here.