Evangelion on Netflix is a disservice for anime fans, says Funimation president

Funimation is the biggest name in Western animation distribution, but in 2019, Netflix will make moves to usurp that title. On top of a series of original programming and remakes (like a live-action Cowboy Bebop), the streaming platform acquired the long out-of-print, cult anime hit Neon Genesis Evangelion for debut next year. But Gen Fukunaga, founder and president of anime distribution company Funimation, said that Netflix isn’t a great place for major anime releases, especially big ones like Evangelion.

“Honestly, Netflix is willing to significantly overpay for something like [Evangelion] and outbid anybody by multiples, no matter what their ROI is,” Fukunaga tells Polygon, shortly after Netflix announced that it will distribute the mid-’90s classic. “I’m 100-percent sure that we’d have done a much better job brand-managing it and turning it back into what it was.”

Fukunaga is adamant that the Netflix acquisition is a loss for anime fans. According to the CEO, who has been importing anime through Funimation for nearly 20 years, Netflix just won’t do Evangelion the service it deserves.

Evangelion used to be, in his eyes, an iconic series worldwide. Through its ’90s debut, Evangelion was synonymous with the medium, at least until licenser ADV Films’ clash with the series’ production studio, Gainax, led to tangled rights ownership in 2010. The series remains a pinnacle of anime visuals and storytelling, however, thanks to a unique blend of classic mech action and modern psychological drama.

With DVDs of the original anime unavailable, it’s hard for newcomers to discover the series. The Netflix news was akin to a resurrection, with the chance to watch Evangelion with ease becoming a tantalizing offer for anime fans who might be choosing a primary streaming platform.