Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth (1998 VHS)

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth is an anime film created by Gainax, Tatsunoko, and Production I.G. It was also distributed by Toei Company. It was released in theaters in Japan in March 15, 1997. It would get a VHS release in North America in 1998.

Death
This first part, Evangelion: Death, is a 're-cap' editing together scenes from the first 24 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion in the form of a clip show, along with additional animation created after the show's original broadcast. This includes scenes from the original show re-drawn shot-for-shot, entirely new shots augmenting existing sequences, and linking segments based around the premise of the four main characters playing Pachelbel's Canon as a string quartet. Some of the additional shots and re-drawn animation would later be re-edited into the new extended cuts of Episodes 21-24 included on the Japanese Laserdisc and American and European Platinum Collection releases of the TV series, commonly known as the "Director's Cut" versions in the West. The part ends with credits accompanied by a double string quartet arrangement of Pachelbel's Canon.

Rebirth
The second part, Evangelion: Rebirth, consists of approximately 24 minutes of entirely new animation that would eventually form the first third of the film The End of Evangelion, released four months later. Serving as a preview while the film was still in production, Rebirth only covers the initial preparations of the Human Instrumentality Project and the invasion of the Geofront by the JSSDF, ending with the arrival of the Mass Production Evas. Because of its unfinished state, there are differences between Rebirth and the portion it covers of the finished Episode 25' that makes up the first half of The End Of Evangelion. These differences include editing, shots that were later re-drawn entirely, and soundtrack cues that were replaced or further edited. The part ends with credits accompanied by the song Tamashii No Refrain by Yoko Takahashi.