Eva bullet train also scheduled to begin service in November

The Evangelion 20th anniversary project continues by going back to where it started. Exactly 20 years ago, on October 4, 1995 at 6:30 p.m., Hideaki Anno and Gainax 's Neon Genesis Evangelion television anime premiered in Japan. Its affect on the giant robot and anime as a whole is far-reaching.

On Sunday, at the exact same time as its original premiere, the first episode will air on nine giant Street Vision screens in five cities. A Street Vision is an outdoor screen, usually seen in shopping centers that plays advertisements. The first episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion will be viewable at the following locations:

ALTA vision screen in Shibuya

P'PARCO TV-chan vision screen in Ikebukuro

Street Vision screen in Ikebukuro

Street Vision screen in Akihabara

Tonbori Station S/N in Dotonbori, Osaka

Sakae Inter Vision in Nagoya

Street Vision screen in Fukuoka

Mega Vision 4 Pura in Sapporo

The episode will also be streamed via niconico. Nearby retailers will also have merchandise and tie-in goods.

Also coinciding with the series' 20th anniversary is the planned collaboration between Eva's Unit-01 and Japan Railways' Sanyo Shinkansen Line. The official website updated with new information on the "500 TYPE EVA" and how interested passengers can get themselves a ticket.

The train will have cars with separate purposes. The first car will be a diorama with a cockpit boarding experience followed by the second car will feature an Evangelion -themed interior. Access to these rooms has to be booked in advance. Applications are opening on October 7 and winners will be decided via lottery.

A promotional booth for the train will open at Tokuyama Station in Yamaguchi.

JR West plans to open the train to riders beginning on November 7 and run from Hakata to Shin-Osaka and back into March 2017. Anime director Hideaki Anno and original mecha designer Ikuto Yamashita are working directly on the project.

[Via Minna no Eva Fan, NetLab]