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Queer Fans Aren't Happy With Netflix's Neon Genesis Evangelion Dub
Longtime fans are accusing Netflix of straight washing the beloved anime classic.
After years of not being readily available on the internet, Neon Genesis Evangelion (one of the most groundbreaking, influential, and beloved anime series from the '90s) finally found a streaming home this year on Netflix.
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While many fans were excited about the prospect of being able to legally binge-watch Evangelion online, that excitement quickly wore off when they found out that Netflix's new English dub of the 26-episode anime seems to erase the queer subtext between main character Shinji Ikari and a pilot named Kaworu Nagisa.
\u201csorry but this is not ok (right is from the new netflix eva script)\u201d— Jimmy Gnome (@Jimmy Gnome) 1561121237
For those unfamiliar with Neon Genesis Evangelion, the anime (which originally ran from 1995-1996) follows a group of teenagers who must work with a shadowy organization called NERV to pilot giant mechs called Evangelions and fight monstrous beings called Angels to save a future Tokyo. The main protagonist is a teenager name Shinji and throughout the show, Shinji fights Angels, copes with a seriously messed up father-son relationship, has one existential crisis after another, and explores his sexuality with Kaworu. As we've previously mentioned on PRIDE, though Kaworu only appears in two episodes, his relationship with Shinji made a huge impact on fans, especially during a time where LGBTQ representation was almost nonexistent in many forms of media.
To say queer Evangelion fans were disappointed is an understatement, and many took to Twitter to vent out their frustrations.
\u201cof course the n*tflix release of evangelion would straight wash the subtitles during pride month\u201d— jg (@jg) 1561146789
None— Smith (@Smith) 1561135239
\u201cOK, found an Evangelion change I don't like. Why the hell would you straight wash this relationship. It's one of the more important relationships in the back half of the series and plays a vital part in Shinji's development.\u201d— Mao (The \ud83d\udcfc Cat) (@Mao (The \ud83d\udcfc Cat)) 1561130643
\u201cHOW DARE NETFLIX STRAIGHT-WASH NEON GENESIS EVANGELION......... NGE is a gays only event!!!!!!!!! and you would think people would\u2019ve understood that in the year 2019\u201d— Jade Domingos (@Jade Domingos) 1561185406
\u201cNeon Genesis Evangelion changed my life forever. 20 years ago I was depressed, closeted and struggling to find myself. Somehow, an anime made me feel understood for the first time.\n\nI\u2019m very upset that a new generation will see an incomplete, tone-deaf version of the series.\u201d— Josh Trujillo! \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Josh Trujillo! \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1561130041
\u201cNetflix: #HappyPrideMonth, we are an ally of the LGBT community \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\n\nAlso Netflix: (Straight washes Neon Genesis Evangelion).\u201d— Stan Rezaee (@Stan Rezaee) 1561173186
\u201cNeon Genesis Evangelion very explicitly makes their relationship queer whether people like it or not. Netflix changing the subtitles so the dialogue was interpreted as friendship instead of romance is absolutely disgusting :/ a big fuck you to Netflix lmfao\u201d— Julyssa \ud83e\udd20 (@Julyssa \ud83e\udd20) 1561165713
\u201cBecause it's #PrideMonth and somehow Evangelion gets less queer. Let's just not, @netflix, okay? https://t.co/Ktz1M92sgt\u201d— April Jane (@April Jane) 1561443295
So what are your thoughts on Netflix's new dub of Neon Genesis Evangelion? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter.
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Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and digital director of Out Magazine. The former editor-in-chief of PRIDE, he is also a die-hard Rihanna and Sailor Moon stan who loves to write about all things pop culture, entertainment, and identities. Follow him on Instagram (@raffyermac) and Twitter (@byraffy), and subscribe to his YouTube channel.
