Gainax offices and images of fans at Shinjuku Milano cinema appear on the screen, so the concept of the dream has been interpreted as a metaphor for anime. In the overlay, the authors inserted the caption ; the question, according to a pamphlet on The End of Evangelion, is addressed to both fans and staff members of Neon Genesis Evangelion. According to Yūichirō Oguro, editor of materials from the home video editions of the series, the segment was included to show animation fans have the same problems as Shinji and criticizing fans who take refuge in fiction. According to Andrea Fontana, a writer and scholar of Japanese animation, at that moment the otaku "could admire themselves, discuss themselves, just as Shinji did with himself", interpreting the scene as "a desirable rebirth for everyone". At the end of filming, moreover, the Lilith in Rei's guise dismembers and Shinji rejects the cosmic fusion of Instrumentality. According to Oguro, the series' most popular character Rei represents Neon Genesis Evangelion pleasure principle and her dismemberment indicates the end of the otaku dream and a return to the real world. Release Marketing A wide range of merchandising products dedicated to The End of Evangelion, including posters, drinks, action figures, keychains, chairs, bags, and clothing, was distributed for the release. An official, A4-sized, illustrated booklet about Evangelion dubbed Red Cross Book by Western fans containing explanations and interviews with staff and voice actors, was sold in theaters for ¥800. In 1997, Kadokawa Shoten released two anime comics on The End of Evangelion: one on "Air", on October 28, 1997, and the other on "Sincerely Yours", on November 18 of the same year. Bandai distributed a trading card game called , which was released in September 1998 as a supplement to the Japanese magazine RPG. The production materials such as storyboards, sketches, and preparatory studies were collected in two books called Groundwork of Evangelion: The Movie, which were published on October 26, 2001, and January 18, 2002, respectively. In 2012, during the Shiohaku Expo 2012 event, a reproduction of Rei Ayanami's character was built near the headquarters of Nippon Television, taking inspiration from the scene in which Rei assumes a giant size after joining Lilith. Japanese release Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion was released in Japanese theaters on July 19, 1997. Pre-sales began on May 17; customers with unused tickets for Death and Rebirth were