Touji Suzuhara

Misato Katsuragi

Ryouji Kaji

Yui Ikari

Pen Pen

Rei Ayanami

Kaworu Nagisa

Shigeru Aoba

Ritsuko Akagi

Asuka Langley Souryuu

Shinji Ikari

Naoko Akagi

Maya Ibuki

Gendou Ikari

Hikari Horaki

Makoto Hyuuga

Kohzou Fuyutsuki

Shiro Tokita

Kensuke Aida

Kyouko Zeppelin Souryuu

Keel Lorentz

Narrator

In the year 2015, the Angels, huge, tremendously powerful, alien war machines, appear in Tokyo for the second time. The only hope for Mankind's survival lies in the Evangelion, a humanoid fighting machine developed by NERV, a special United Nations agency. Capable of withstanding anything the Angels can dish out, the Evangelion's one drawback lies in the limited number of people able to pilot them. Only a handful of teenagers, all born fourteen years ago, nine months after the Angels first appeared, are able to interface with the Evangelion. One such teenager is Shinji Ikari, whose father heads the NERV team that developed and maintains the Evangelion. Thrust into a maelstrom of battle and events that he does not understand, Shinji is forced to plumb the depths of his own inner resources for the courage and strength to not only fight, but to survive, or risk losing everything. 
(Source: AniDB) 
 
 Note: Later releases include edited versions of Episodes 21-24 called the "Director's Cut" with some visual editing and adding extra scenes that appeared in the theatrical recap 'Death'.

Neon Genesis Evangelion has, across multiple generations, spawned varied responses. Some respond with utter glee, others still pride themselves on the sole fact that they understand it, and others yet equate it to the Mariana trench (that is, 2deep4you). While clearly, it's faults cannot be downplayed enough, there is no doubt that Evangelion has made a spot for itself in the history of anime (and maybe even entertainment in general). After all, its been almost 20 years since it aired, and we are still talking about it. How many series that air today will be mentioned twenty years down the line? In fact, how many will even be remembered after a month? Still, Evangelion lives on in history, for what though, still remains.

 img(http://i.imgur.com/Fu88CKo.jpg)

 Artwork and Animation (3/10)
While NGEs animation was top of the line when it released, nowdays, it just looks like absolute trash. While NGE in itself shouldn't be blamed for the technology of its time, I must take into account what a person watching it now must go through, and the artwork stands as the biggest hurdle between you and NGE. First of all, the problems start with the fact that while NGE aired (1995), TVs used to be round screen and CRTs were the shit, a HD720 flat screen monitor was almost science fiction at that point. From that perspective, it is no surprise that NGE was never made in 720p (or a higher quality), and as such, a release of that quality cannot exist. So the best you can possibly get off the web is a 700~ x 480. Not even 480p. Oh, and this pseudo 480p release? Yeah, even that is upscaled. No wonder your viewing experience will be terrible.

 img(http://i.imgur.com/s6nw5aR.jpg)
>pic related. See how bad it scales?

While the choppy animation in itself isn't all that terrible -more like, you can get used to it- the artwork is bad. Yeah, twenty years of technological enhancement really spoils people. 

Any more on the art section is pointless. It is horrible (even the anilist icon for it is an exaggeration) , get used to it if you feel like watching NGE. Still, I'm going to rely on the pictures from the TV series (mostly the OP since it has much, much better artwork), just maybe you will get acclimated to it by the time we are done here. Maybe.

 Sound and music (9/10)
Let's start with the Voice acting. Almost all the releases that you can find on the web today are dual audio. Now, even though I'm no fan of dubs, the english dub is decent enough to be watched. Still, my preference goes to the Japanese dubs.While the voice acting for the Japanese side is fairly good, it isn't all that clear in terms of quality (not by modern standards anyways), though that can be chalked down to poor equipment more than anything. The environmental noises are great (2D4U's release somehow has 5.1), so there is something of value there.

Now, let's talk music. You know how all the old timers keep talking about how the music was better in their time? Yeah, well get in your seats for the greatest OP you ever listened to. Cruel Angel's Thesis (by Yoko Takahashi) is by far one of the greatest openings of all time, and its music video is extraordinary (if a bit mature) to say the least. 

youtube(3nQNSLB3Lpk)

But we aren't done yet, the ED, Claire's "Fly Me To The Moon", is iconic in its own way, but its a sad thing that its actually just a copy paste. Not that you would realize if you were born in the 2000's or don't listen to Frank Sinatra. 

 Story (29/30)
Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up, back up. Did I honestly, seriously, crazily just say that a story was 20/20? Why, that is the same thing as saying its perfect and perfection doesn't exist! 

Admittedly, 20/20 is a bit...too much, but I must say I'm impressed by the story. More impressed than I have been of anything. Some people like to point out (repeatedly) that NGE is 2Deep4you, and that that is a fault. To which I reply, how is deep anything but a compliment? How is, saying that a story is meaningful and complex possibly a fault? Do you not like an engaging story that keeps you at your wits end? Do you not like a story that all but blows your mind with its sheer size and complexity? 
If you said "I don't" to even one of the above, then you are a hundred years too early to ever watch (and enjoy) Evangelion. I suggest you flock to SAO or To-Love Ru for mindless grazing on the plains of fap material. See ya when you get bored of watching the same shit over and over.

 img(http://i.imgur.com/OFyapjc.jpg) 

 __Premise__ - The premise of NGE relies on a dystopian world set in 2015 (almost there!) when out of absolutely nowhere -for the second time- an angel attacks. This isn't your average god's messenger though, it is a big fucking robot/alien thingy which blows everything to bits, because why the fuck not - explosions are cool. The United Nations responds like it always does - with a LOT of firepower. Sadly, their firepower falls flat on their faces, because, well, its a fucking angel. It doesn't give a fuck about your democracy. At this point a secret branch called NERV comes in, hoping to destroy the angel using their own brand of killer robot - but science hasn't progressed far enough for the killed robots to be properly utilized. Half the time, that shit doesn't even launch and its a big thing if it can walk. Can humanity really save itself from getting rekt at the hands of the thirteen angels that will bring doom upon earth?

 img(http://i.imgur.com/BOaFwAD.jpg)

 __Execution__ - Say what you will about Evangelion, but the hard fact is that its execution couldn't be better. If you are even slightly impressed by the story before ep13, get prepared to get blown off the ridge. Because when I say NGE is extreme, I mean it. You will never see the turn on the road and half the clues will slip right by you. But when they come together, you will go "holy jesus fucking christ on a moped! That was awesome! Where did they pull that out of? I never noticed"
And that my friends, is what a story is. Something that keeps surprising you, something that engages your mind -fucks with it even- and most of all, something that makes you say "What happens next?". Evangelion puts a big red tick in front of all of those. Its almost akin to playing a card game, just that Evangelion's entire hand is filled with trumps and every card it plays hits you, and as you get  _ just _ that much closer to knowing what's in store for you the next turn, you get hit by yet another trump. 

If, even after finishing it, you feel like you don't understand something, then /a/ occasionally has "ask any eva question" threads. Just post (do lurk before though) and some kind anon will probably answer you within five minutes.

But the biggest problem with Evangelion is that it only has 26 episodes, and you  _ will _ want more. In that case, I would suggest you to follow it up with the Eva movies, which are quite brilliant (Actually, they are better than the TV series, especially "The end of evangelion"), and even have better artwork and animation. After that? After that you wait until 2015 for Evangelion : Final.

 Characters (24/30)
The crew of Evangelion was as real as real goes, but not a single person was likable. I'll explain that statement.
First, the reality part. From the start, I could see where Eva was going with the characters, the dense guy, the girl that fawns over him for no reason, the trauma'd girl and the overconfident tsundere with the god complex. It couldn't have been more clear.

And I couldn't have been more wrong. When the characters suddenly started changing, NGE dragged me out of my comfort zone. This isn't how it was supposed to be! Well, no-fucking-pe. Combined with the steep change in the direction of the story, I was suddenly in a unknown land. This wasn't the series I have been watching for the past 14 episodes! I had that one figured out till the end! 
Yeah, sure the characters seem cliche at first glance, but it suddenly changed as all the pieces fall into place and people's ulterior motives come to light. 

 img(http://i.imgur.com/2Jqy2NC.jpg)

On the other hand, there was no one on the character board that I did like - as is what happens when you completely bare your characters to their innermost, most fucked up, thoughts. 
And then there is Shinji. I didn't like the other characters, because -as I pointed out- they bared themselves and changed too much. Shinji on the other hand is a dipshit crybaby. Honestly. I hate that guy. All he does episode in, and episode out, is whine about his crappy dad and his crappy life and his crappy *insert moronic teenager bullshit here*. 

 Enjoyment (16/20)
NGE's sole source of enjoyment is its extremely great storyline. Sadly, even that is hampered by a technological gap in the art department which all but wrecks the series if you can't handle low resolution. If you can, though, you just hit the metaphorical goldmine of anime. While other factors may hamper your ability to handle Evangelion, if you actually sit through it, you won't be disappointed.
 __Final Verdict - 81/100__

 img(http://i.imgur.com/kZbyzOi.jpg)

NGE is one of most pivotal of anime shows, shaping the industry, and has definitely become the poster child of mecha.

Another drop of insight into the neverending debate, and so help me the Gods!

Everyone seems to have to watch Evangelion at some point, if for nothing else, so that they can wax philosophical about it. 

I avoided Evangelion for a long time as I had heard that the director had a lot of mental issues he was dealing with at the time, as well as the anime running out of budget near the end and having a somewhat "interesting" resolution. I was concerned that it was going to end up as too much of a mess to end up making any sense, but after viewing TTGL and a few other Gainax studio mech shows, I figured I should take finally take another look after 10 odd years or so since last seeing it.

Well, I finally ended up getting around to watching the series again, and I have to say that I'm left at a bit of a loss as to how to properly evaluate in comparison to other shows, especially considering my personal reaction was to be turned off by just about everything about it, but also wanting to try to be fair towards what (I think) the show was trying to do.

With regards to the technicals of the anime: 

The art is a bit dated, but is actually pretty good for the time. Many of the mechas and angels are unique and interesting to look at. There are issues as the series goes on with reusing things quite a bit, but for the most part, the art is fine. 

The sound and voice acting are pretty good. For the material that they were working with, my opinion is that the voice actors did an admirable job. The theme is a classic, and most of the soundtrack choices are nice as well.

As the technicals are done fairly well, it's a shame what actually ended up being presented as a story through the characters just didn't work that well given the issues I mentioned earlier.

Mecha is a tough genre to evaluate at times as it has such a storied history from Gundam on forward.  Liking one series doesn't even necessarily mean that you'll enjoy a different season or sequel either.  Evangelion is interesting in that it is at its heart, a deconstruction of sorts of the mecha that came before it.  A bit more of a surreal version of kids at war stories and what may psychologically be happening.  Even shows such as original Gundam deal with this somewhat, but Evangelion takes this theme of apocalypse and the kids fighting against it to interesting places and ultimately has you wondering a bit about what exactly is happening here as the internal and external worlds seem to be falling apart as the story progresses.  

There are occasions where art through adversity and stories told through depression make for some interesting looks into the darker side of character development. The problem is that as opposed to creating compelling story material, Evangelion relies heavily on shock factor, faux religious imagery (as the author himself has stated), and self indulgent trips into pointless downward spirals of self pity that become a tiresome pattern after a few episodes.

I think that different people are going to get different things out of Evangelion, but as someone who doesn't, and never has for that matter, had to cope with depressive episodes, I don't think that Evangelion was actually written for someone like me to relate to.  I've seen terrible things in my life that I don't enjoy remembering. I've also dealt with emotionally abusive people in many different life situations and while it's sometimes difficult, have developed healthy ways of coping and moving forward.  Everyone in the show seems to need an intervention before they get anywhere near their mechs and spiral into chaos.  

The major characters Shinji, and Asuka have a host of personal issues and angst that is related to the story, and unfortunately they are surrounded by people and situations that do nothing but enable downward spirals of negative character development for the most part. I was left wondering where the psychiatrists and emotional counselors were hanging out, because it seems like everyone trying to save the world had no business doing so.  There are no traditional heroes here save perhaps Misato.

Generally speaking, you need something in your heroes to root for, and while heroes are allowed to be flawed, at some point, you expect them to at least make an attempt to put aside their personal issues for the good of others. Generally speaking, outside of a few acts, this is a show where the heroes never get out of their own selfish, narcissistic, woe is me silliness and things continue to spiral because of it.  Having the director going through mental issues during the production no doubt had a lot of influence in this, and it felt quite a bit like watching someone railing at the world at times more than a coherent narrative that actually had some sort of meaningful resolution.

My biggest problem with the main characters was that I kept waiting for the payoff, where the heroes would ultimately step up and become something to aspire to, or at least have someone mature drop the hammer on them, and I was left with a character study of what might happen if you were to throw psychologically damaged and unstable people together and tasked them with "saving the world". It's a pretty frustrating experience from that standpoint.  Of course, this was quite likely besides the writer's ultimate point here. 

There is a layer of tragedy to the interactions between these broken individuals that could potentially be related to. As I mentioned earlier, as someone who works beyond these issues in life, I found it really difficult to get through the series and relate to the characters. I honestly didn't like any of the characters in this show.  I can understand and sympathize with their plights, but as much of it is self-inflicted and driven by choices they make, it's impossible to root for them and eventually they become quite tiresome to watch. Real people would also show some sort of empathy during these difficult situations too.  Not once did Shinji ask anyone else how they were doing, he just worries about himself.  To be fair, no one else in the story, save for Misato seems to have any basic empathy at all.  The characters are so deep in their own issues that they are difficult to relate to as a human being.  I kept hoping for some meaningful resolution and growth that never quite got there in the end.  

It isn't fun nor is it cathartic (at least for me personally) to watch characters spiral into the depths of despair and self pity and not find some growth to overcome obstacles.  It's best to avoid falling into these traps in real life and help people you know suffering like this get help, not wallow in the depths with them.  A quasi-military group like NERV would have to understand that keeping their pilots mentally sound and healthy is a top priority to keep them effective, especially when their mental state directly impacts their combat effectiveness.  Yet, they just seem to ignore it, or just be "disappointed" when Shinji doesn't want to get in the robot.  When they're treated like tools and not people, and the people themselves show little care for others, it's really tough to like them or see them as inspiring at all.  It almost seems to be a parody at times with how these people are responding to each other.  If these characters are "realistic" than reality is in a lot of trouble.  

These problems ended up making Evangelion a slog to get through. As the budget ran out and the story took the tone shift into these downward spirals of character development, I was relying on inertia to get me through the final few episodes. Much has been written on the ending to Evangelion, and my general feeling is that I was disappointed with it for the simple reason that it is obvious that you should "accept yourself and move forward".  As I mentioned earlier, any competent therapist could have worked with all these people and got something like that into their minds earlier and saved us all the freshman tier philosophy and pseudo-Freudianism.  Budget issues or not, rehashing the characters problems and trying to add some kind of deeper meaning to the narcissistic self-pity was taxing and in the end, it felt at best a cop out, and at worst a middle finger to everyone who hung around.  

Much has also been written about the supposed religious symbolism that the show used as well, but I tend to side with the folks who believe that it really doesn't mean much unless you are trying to insert your own meaning as it's difficult to find a coherent pattern to the symbolism and haphazard usage of actual religious lore. I tend to view the religious symbolism in much the same way that I view the Galactic Empire in Legend of Galactic Heroes vaguely Nordic religiousness. It was tossed in there to add a bit of flavor, but not much else. There isn't anything wrong with inserting a personal meaning, as this show leaves you with a lot of questions if you look for them, but personal interpretations are just that, personal. 

At the end of the day, I understand why the show is discussed as much as it is, but I'm also disappointed that it's discussed as much as it is as I can definitely see a path towards what happened to more modern anime because of this show.  I wanted to enjoy the series, but it felt far too self-indulgent and pretentious and ultimately didn't end up moving me like I thought it might.  I was pretty disappointed in that as the actual conflict with the mechas and the behind the scenes political intrigue gives this show the tools to be great, yet the overall themes I mentioned clumsily derail the train into a psychoanalytical mess of sorts.  The later rebuild movies make this far more explicit, which is likely why they get mixed reviews from Eva fans as well.  

For mecha, Tengan Toppa Gurren Lagann is a better (albeit cheesier in a great many ways) mecha story by the same studio. I have rewatched that show after Evangelion and have a deeper appreciation for TTGL reconstructing what Evangelion deconstructed. Simon from TTGL is a flawed character in terrible traumatic situations in a crappy world who finally ended up "getting it" and stepped up in meaningful self-actualizing ways.  Shinji... well, I just don't know.  I'm sympathetic with the poor kid, as it's an impossible situation and his colleagues certainly don't help, but I don't watch giant robot fiction to be disappointed with the protagonist's lack of development and triumph over adversity.  At the end of the day, I believe that an anime ultimately stands on its entertainment value. Evangelion was a chore to sit through. I didn't hate it, I certainly didn't like it, but I was very happy when I finished it and could check it off the list of "must sees" as I really wasn't enjoying it all that much and was a bit frustrated by how it ended.

The rebuild movies add some meta context which I'll spoiler as the 4th rebuild movie has only been released in Japanese as of the time of this writing.  I saw the movie recently and have a few additional thoughts on the series that I'll spoiler.  I won't give away the broad details of the movie, and I offer a deeper overview in my review of the second rebuild movie to flesh out these thoughts a bit more.  

~!After watching the full rebuild series, including 3.0+1.0 in Japanese, it becomes far clearer what Anno's intention with this story is.  The arc through 1.0 simply being a remake without comment, showing us how things were.  Not much needs to be commented on as it's mostly the same as the original six or so episodes of NGE.  The second rebuild showing a more idealized look at Evangelion, complete with personality changes and an almost rom-com feel at points.  Showing us that we're not advancing at all, and falling back into empty escapism with Shinji and his headphones.  The unfortunate connection with more modern anime can easily be seen here, as Asuka and Rei become harem protagonists showing affection for Shinji and the addition of Mari, who is so out of place that's it's amusing.  The third movie showing us the consequences of this escapism, where nothing changes in 14 years and we actually fear changes and moving forward.  This is clearly seen in Shinji's interactions with Kaoru.  Shinji refuses to move forward while the real world moves on without him.  Finally, the 4th movie, which ultimately ends with Shinji accepting that things need to move forward and that it's best to leave Evangelion behind and live life and progress.  This series is ultimately Anno's journey through depression and out again and realizing that the world is worth living in and him not so subtly telling the fans that's what we need to be doing too.  

Really, if you came for the robots and political intrigue, or perhaps enjoyed trying to decipher what all the religious symbolism meant, Anno doesn't have all that much of a coherent answer for you.  Show it to 5 different people and you'll get 6 different interpretations of scenery that was added essentially "to look cool and be different".  Evangelion seems all along to be a big therapy session where Anno pours out his mental issues and ultimately tells us to go outside, get a cheerful big boob girlfriend, and move forward in life.  Much like the man himself did.  Good luck everyone!  Sabisu Sabisu!    !~

It's tough to recommend people avoid something like Evangelion, as it is discussed so much that just about everyone who gets into this medium is going to be exposed to it sooner or later. There is some merit is seeing it if for no other reason than to help connect the dots on how anime was affected by it, but I don't consider this to be a show that I can say I enjoyed.  There are also works that offer different endings, such as End of Evangelion which can add a bit more context, but as a stand alone series, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a bit of a hot mess. 

Best I can offer as a final thought is to go in without preconceptions and see what you get out of it.  Hopefully it is more enjoyable for you than it was for me.

A frustrating mecha story that left me cold.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is closer to being _the_ classic of anime than anything else in the medium. The amount of debate that follows Evangelion is absurd, from the controversial ending of the TV series, Asuka vs. Rei (clearly Asuka is better), to the craziness of End of Evangelion, discussion follows. There have been so many essays written about certain characters or episodes that it's mind boggling. Additionally, the sheer number of shows that were influenced by Evangelion is almost to the point of incomprehension. No one can deny that Hideaki Anno has created probably the most influential and, perhaps, the most important anime of all time. (__WARNING__: There may be some lighter spoilers in the second to last paragraph, where I discuss some of the complaints with Evangelion, feel free to skip that one if you haven't seen the show yet)

Evangelion just did so many things _right_. It didn't overload you with information at the beginning, it just slowly and carefully fed you information with each episode, not overwhelming you with info dumps, like many shows do these days. I won't say that they never info dump you, but when they do, it's usually something that the watcher has a slight understanding of anyway, making it more digestible. Piggybacking off that point, it doesn't bog the watcher down with characters either. Shinji, Misato, and Rei are clearly the focus of the first 7 episodes and it doesn't deviate much from that. Then, Asuka makes her appearance (And the show gets 10000% better) and the focus shifts. Evangelion is kind of clever that way with its characters, sidelining even Shinji to develop whoever they're focusing on.

Of course, the soundtrack is phenomenal. A Cruel Angel's Thesis is one of the best openings out there, even two decades later. Fly Me To The Moon is a great ending, with all its different versions, keeping it unique throughout 26 episodes. The regular soundtrack is good too, though, I don't have too much to say regarding that. Artistically, you'd never be able to tell that Evangelion was made in 1995. It's just so beautiful and fluidly animated that it's comparable to many of the more recent anime. The color palette is something to be commented on too. The neon (heh) colors used to illustrate the Eva's is beautiful, adding a pop of color to a show that can be extremely heavy at times.

A couple of things to address, however, are two complaints I see fairly often. Those would be the TV ending and Shinji's whining being annoying. Not to be contrarian or anything, but I really liked the TV ending. In my opinion, it suited the message that Evangelion was trying to get across the whole time. The message that you can't close yourself off from people, push them away, and expect them to treat you with respect and kindness. We see Shinji and Asuka struggling with the same problems in opposite ways throughout the entire show: connecting with others. In fact, that's kind of the overarching theme of Evangelion, illustrated by their struggles with the Hedgehog's Dilemma. I just think that Shinji reaching the conclusion that he did was a beautiful capstone to that struggle, closing his character arc in a satisfying manner. Speaking of his character arc, many people complain that Shinji's whining is unbearable. I have one simple statement to make concerning that complaint: He's 14 with the weight of the world thrust onto his shoulders. Of course he's going to buckle under that weight, would you have been able to handle that kind of pressure at 14? It's kind of a double edged sword too. If he had been too capable of handling the burden, then people would complain about him like they do Kirito from Sword Art Online, like that he's a Gary Stu who can do no wrong (Which I disagree with, by the way). But I digress.

As a conclusion, Evangelion is phenomenal. Sure, you could debate certain aspects of its story or narrative, but the fact remains that it's objectively really good. I don't like it when people tell others that you _have_ to watch a show, but in Evangelion's case, it may be the exception. It's simply too good and its legacy too great to pass up.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a must-watch for any anime fan, even if only for its legacy.

Part 1: A loving embrace

“Just...hang in there...” -Misato Katsuragi

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the 1995 classic and brainchild directed by the legendary Hideaki Anno. It is a juggernaut that garnered fame and influence by challenging art that came before, directly spawning a cornucopia of successors, some of whom managed to become success stories themselves. Few pieces of animation hold such an honor, and monumental works such as this have a ginormous presence in their medium’s landscape, regardless of the fact that each of these select few titles are still around today with new, if less well-received installments gracing our screens.

Apart from what it became, Neon Genesis Evangelion is first and foremost, a brutally somber, touching, and emotional mech series that challenges the conventions of the genre. It is a story of broken people being thrust into a dangerous situation and forced to confront and harness things they don’t understand, such as their new biomechanical technology and even their own feelings and psychological hang-ups, in a desperate attempt to survive with their sanity intact. It is horrifying to witness, managing to eradicate one’s heartstrings with such sheer understanding of what demented, somber, and lonely states of mind are being depicted here. Not only does it exhibit how these broken, alone, depressed, and scared people came to be the way they are, but it does something even more important: it tells us that everything will be ok if we make it.

It understands people.  It encourages. It wants you to understand too. So, it shows a fraction of the desolate state its characters are in with its main character, fixes him, builds things back up and shows people adapting to their new lives and overcoming hardships, whilst slowly revealing, meticulously peeling the layers of everything out from under us. Then, it tells it all down systematically, dragging everyone through the mud and truly showcasing just how insecure these people are. It calls for and demonstrates introspection, and tells us that no matter what, we must live our lives and accept ourselves. We cannot have our perfect world, but we can try to have our perfect selves, our selves that we, above anyone else, understand and care about. Needless to say, it accomplishes all of this resoundingly and passionately. It was a loving work created by a depressed, mentally stressed director, a loving work crafted by a visionary who understood our pain, and entire teams in Gainax and Tatsunoko Production who sought to make his vision, his message, a reality.

Even with reuse of animation, the show still manages to do inventive things with it, take hold of that reuse, and channel it as a weapon for introspection. With oppressive, moody colors, brutal tones are set that wildly enhance how we are to feel in many scenes. Shots highlighting desolation and especially isolation from beginning to end, even when lingering for far longer than t needs to. The battles roar with intensity, especially in its mind-peeling, emotion-shattering second half. This roar rivals the roar of the Eva Units, fantastically designed bio-mechanical gods of death man hopelessly tried to wield and understand. These specimen who wield the machines are as fantastically and iconically designed. Everything works in tandem to craft a surprisingly well-produced product on a canvas where anything, even raw emotion and madness are both possible and allowed. It may cut abruptly on an insanely frequent basis, but such is merely a minor hitch that does little to impede on the visual splendor, especially once the show reaches its climax.

Each episode is accompanied by fantastic pieces from beginning to end that convey so much emotion, from pieces like “Rei I” that show a more desolate and disturbed feeling, to “Angel Attack”, which shows the severity and intensity of it all. By the show understands people, so it knows that bleakness is far from all there is, unlike many shows that are claimed to be mature. The piece “Misato” is the shining example of such music that accompanies the deceptively constant hilarity that ensues on occasion, with episodes such as 7 and 11 being the most predominant examples of this show’s sense of humor. Another shining example of this show’s range would be the triumphant piece “Nerv” that really sells the tense and roar-inducing impact of success after a deadly struggle that can nearly bring the planet to extinction. There are a myriad of other fantastic music pieces crafted for the show, courtesy of Shiro Sagisu. The incorporation of famous pieces of classical music works gloriously as well. Outside of those, the show is embraced by fantastic music at the beginning and end. With the opening, “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” by Yoko Takahashi, you see an iconic piece of incredibly catchy music tailored to inspiring the main character to rise up. Whilst not a personal favorite, such an iconic song is commendable. However, with the ending theme, “Fly Me to the Moon” by Claire, a personal favorite in both television and full versions, we get a truly majestic and heartfelt melody, from the vocals to the string instruments, to the piano, and the lyrics. It is a majestic song, with all alternate renditions in the show being unable to replicate its beauty, even if a few, more instrumental versions come somewhat close to playing those heartstrings. 

Heartstrings...emotions… all get played with immensely, particularly with the oft-misunderstood cast. From the desolate and fragile Shinji Ikari who picks himself up when he needs to even when he runs away, to the insufferably egotistical and fragile Asuka Langley, and more, we receive a truly colorful cast. Misato Katsuragi, an absolute bundle of joy and comedy despite her ties to her father that make her connection to Shinji all the more powerful. Rei Ayanami, a constantly shaping conscious who seeks to release herself and wonder about life and death. The rest of the surprisingly fleshed out and grounded supporting cast of adults and each with their twistedly brutal moments and fates, such as Kaji, as well as others who are fortunate enough to survive seemingly contently. We have a fantastic high-school friend duo that has yet to be topped in Toji and Kensuke, the hilarious penguin Pen Pen, on top of the fantastic adults who remain grounded as they are unraveled piece by piece with foreshadowing littered throughout. We get a sense for who they are, why they are what they are, and who they like in what sense. No one is a monster despite how lovable or hateable they are, even Asuka and Gendo; everyone is complex human. The more we get to know them, the more we get to witness, the more we get to understand, even if we may forget the names of some of them, and loathe at least a few of them as people. Everything culminates into the end, into the ultimate, tragically, nay, criminally detested two-part finale of sheer introspection. 

Said introspection is majestic. Even outside of how accidentally prophetic it became of terribly cliched school anime, the two-part finale is a work of genius. It shows everyone tearing themselves apart as they unravel who they truly are, what their desires are, and everything that made them who they are. By the end, Shinji realizes that there are many possibilities in the word and that the perfect world cannot be one of them. So, instead of trying to make a perfect world where he can be loved by all in a peaceful environment free of real pain, he should love himself, interact, take the chance and truly live. He should better himself and understand himself just like anyone else. He must embrace himself if he wants to be embraced. Everyone should strive to do the same.

The presentation of this introspection is raw, raw and seemingly scattered. Interwoven with so many other moments of characters digging within themselves with the help of their perceived versions of others, and with impeccably inventive use of other moments, cut together with new dialogue to match the disputation for the characters’ state of mind, much like prior episodes such as 16 and 22. It uses crayon drawings, pencil drawings, marker drawings, 8-bit pixel renditions of scenes, all to illustrate a point that Shinji finally realizes and accepts. It isn't a disaster of production, it is an understanding reach to pull out a realization and tell a message, in which it goes where no series has in terms of visuals. It does so wonderfully, sometimes with immense fluidity and transitions, other times with purposely jarring static moments with incredible shots, often cutting to one another in quick succession. It is the culmination of everything Evangelion. It is more human than most pieces of art could ever hope to be, and it deserves all the respect it can get.

It may be raw, it may be gut-wrenching, it may showcase people who you cannot stand, it may try to get you to infer more than you should, and it may leave you floored with everything it does, particularly in the second half. From beginning to end, it grabs you by the wrist and rushes away with you to explore. It may be a tiresome watch or an enthralling watch. It may leave you with questions that like it or not, are meaningless for most part, minus insignificant details and loose things that require the most adamant of searching to understand and accept. It may move too fast and just ram you with far too much at once, or leave you with just enough to stew over, for too long or long enough. No matter what, it wants to tell you something important and showcase hell, depravity, grief, denial, and sorrow to illustrate its point. It does so lovingly, shouting it loud with sheer understanding. Remember that, even if you take nothing else from the show. Accept its embrace; you'll get your closure soon.

Part 2: https://anilist.co/review/3085

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a brutally somber, touching, and emotional mech series.

_Neon Genesis Evangelion_ is a remarkable show that combines a gripping plot of giant robots fighting aliens and a captivating message about the human psyche. Two decades have passed since it aired back in 1998 and it is still subject to praise and recognition. The show (and its movies) sparked an immense amount of discussion and countless reviews and analyses. It is because of Evangelion's legacy and its story filled with meaning, symbolism, and interesting characters that I recommend it to anyone slightly interested in anime.

img(https://static.vix.com/es/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/e/evangelion-portada-frases.jpg?itok=-LDKxfYL)

# Story and Characters

The show, as it is iconic of the mecha genre, isn't really about giant robots fighting giant aliens (Angels). However, as it is still an essential part of _Evangelion_, I feel it should be mentioned. The whole premise of Tokyo 3 and NERV being humanity's last stand, and the sub-plots concerning SEELE and other world organizations, was pretty solid. The universe the show is placed in makes sense, even if it is confusing to comprehend in its entirety the first time watching, and makes for brutal fight scenes and an intriguing science-fiction story. It isn't just an excuse to have our characters to participate in cool action scenes, an example of this strategy utilized poorly would be [_Darling in the Franxx_](https://anilist.co/anime/99423/DARLING-in-the-FRANXX/) (mainly due to its terrible world building).


_Evangelion_ has some of the most complex and interesting characters I have seen in anime. Even when the cast of characters was pretty large, Gainax was able to give every single one some form of individuality. It felt like most characters were main protagonists. For example, even if the three children and Misato were technically the main characters, other characters such as Ritsuko, Fuyutsuki, or even Touji, were given enough development so they weren't just part of the supporting cast; they were much more than that. To accomplish this the writers made sure to give each character personal motivations, strengths, flaws, a reason to be in Tokyo 3, and most importantly, a form of connection to the core theme of the show: loneliness. 

Loneliness, depression, and a lack of purpose are all recurrent traumas our characters undergo. Some characters find their answers and are able to move forward, and others are not as lucky. However, by the end of the series we have a clear view of what [Hideaki Anno](https://anilist.co/staff/100111/Hideaki-Anno) wanted to convey to his audience through his work. I will leave it up to you to understand what you will of its last two episodes and [The End of Evangelion](https://anilist.co/anime/32/Neon-Genesis-Evangelion-The-End-of-Evangelion/); as I feel like this is the most complex part of the show and is more of an experience than an absolute solution for depression. These core themes are what made _Evangelion_ the masterpiece it is today, for they sparked discussion and allowed every member of its audience to interpret it differently.

# Animation and Sound

The animation quality of a show is a topic with divided views. It is true that the show cannot be compared to today's standards and the lack of a remaster makes it a difficult viewing, however I had no problem with it and was still impressed. 

The fight scenes are brutal and exciting. They are filled with dynamic movement and well-crafted facial expressions from the pilots.

The soundtrack is very well done. It didn't stick with me unlike other shows, but it is able to set a tone and portray emotion to the viewer with ease. The opening is iconic and for a good reason, in a few minutes we know through the music and cryptic imagery what the plot and characters are about. The ending, even if it doesn't use an original song, makes good use of its simplistic visuals and Frank Sinatra's [_Fly Me To The Moon_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQR0bXO_yI8) to establish a tone consistent with the events of its respective episode. 

I should quickly mention my opinion on the christian symbolism. I appreciated it because it demonstrated the effort the creators put into the show. They used real world imagery and terms to tell its story in an unique style. Although some might consider it was ham-fisted and unnecessary, I do not think _Evangelion_ would be the same without it.

The shows undergoes various tone shifts throughout its run-time, however the animators and voice actors do a good job of accommodating the scene to fit the tone of the episode. We feel happy in the slice-of-life episodes, we feel fear when faced by the feral Eva Unit 01, and we feel sad when characters dies.

From an audiovisual standpoint, the show excels the most in its shot composition and visual directing. Almost every scene is crafted with care for the viewer to understand the emotion, tone, and what is happening in the scene only from looking at it. 

The opening scene is a good example of that. The alien enters the view of the soldiers by emerging from the now-underwater Tokyo, we get the idea that this is a post-apocalyptic world. We understand the severity of the situation as we see a barrage of missiles unable to scratch the invading Angel and the many cigarettes found in the commanders' desk add to the tension of the scene. However, the day is bright and the landscape is filled with green, as if fighting Angels was common practice for humans. Lastly, the faceless military officer's descend and are out of frame. We are presented with the new man in charge, Gendou Ikari. A menacing figure, one that uses gloves and orange glasses to separate himself from the outer world, almost like a hedgehog. 

img(https://i.gyazo.com/4182c690548d3ef97251bc841079b183.png)

# Conclusion

I understand that at this point the quality of _Evangelion_ might have been blown out of proportion as there is no such thing as a flawless show. However, it is undeniable the effect the show has had on the industry and its work in popularizing anime as a whole. Almost every single anime fan should be able to watch this and enjoy some part of it. As there is a lot of stuff to enjoy here, ranging from best girl Asuka to robot battles that will decide the fate of humanity.

A noteworthy series with a compelling story and captivating message.

It's a must watch, but not necessarily a must love.

An incredibly ambitious story about being human in a world ravaged by supernatural beings, Neon Genesis Evangelion is fascinating in how it takes the initial concept of mecha and transforms it into a uniquely philosophical take on what it means to be human.

On a surface level, Evangelion is a masterpiece.  It has a well-executed and deeply original story which weaves the emotional arcs of its characters into a compelling, high-stakes narrative.  Its visual direction is incredibly powerful.  The music is functional, with the series' greatest strength being its OP and ED.  The themes are solid, and the series doesn't let the audience forget about them.

That said, while Evangelion is fascinating and complex, it is not without its flaws.  It is, at its core, a deeply confusing story.  Many of the details of the story seem irrelevant to its central thematic element - a boy who is afraid of the world.  A lot of the plot feels unnecessary when considered in the context of the entire show - serving as little more than a distraction from what the story is truly about.  The extended pacing sees a lot of repetition, and this leads to the characters becoming obnoxious as the series continuously pounds their flaws into the audience's head, as if they hadn't already been shown to us a million times over.  This all, unfortunately, detracts from Evangelion as a whole.

However, while Evangelion's story may seem drawn out, it would be negligent to not mention the significance of its impact.  NGE had a huge impact on the anime industry, and is truly a titan of the times.  It is quite possibly one of the most influential mecha anime ever created.

Considering the show up until the finale, it is certainly an incredible work and something that is worthwhile to watch.  That said, I have one more area I wish to address - the ending.

The ending of Evangelion is very interesting and unique.  It is, perhaps, one of the most unique anime endings I have ever seen.  It is profound, and manages this profundity in a way that is neither fake nor completely detached from the thematic or narrative arc of its story.  This makes it worthy of praise.

Unfortunately, I don't actually like the ending much at all.  Don't get me wrong - I think it's interesting and not entirely unreasonable, but I fundamentally disagree with its philosophical thrust.  What follows below is a spoiler for the ending - read at your own risk!

~!I find the ending to be surprising in how it implies the success of the human instrumentality project and unification of all human souls into a single entity.  While this sort of event had been mentioned throughout the story, the term "human instrumentality project"  doesn't have a specific explicit meaning, so it was never really clear exactly *what* it was.  This makes the ending something of a deus ex machina - it comes out of left field and the audience is given very little to go on to interpret it.  The effect this has on the audience - that of confusion - isn't necessarily a bad one.  It inspires viewers to think about the story, and try to understand what its trying to say.  That said, many viewers may just completely fail to understand the ending.  This makes it technically questionable.

More importantly, I find the ending to be philosophically lackluster.  The ending frames the unification of human souls in a positive light through Shinji's self-reflection and character growth, and this is the core of my issue with it.  Because of this, I can't help but interpret the philosophical thrust of the finale as decidedly pessimistic and depressing.  It suggests that a supernatural apocalyptic event is the only way to grow and discover personal truth.  This is an incredibly anti-human sentiment - fundamentally cynical and fatalistic.

The fact that it wasn't until a supernatural apocalyptic event that Shinji could truly have meaningful character growth is so *wrong*, it feels like a giant slap in the face.  It feels like the story is saying that humans are fundamentally incapable of growth - that we're trapped by our insecurities - that the meaning of being human is to be *broken*, and that we cannot be fixed barring a supernatual event.  I fundamentally disagree with this sentiment.  While I acknowledge that humanity is flawed and that life is challenging, I refuse to give into pessimism and believe that humans are incapable of growth.!~

Overall, Evangelion has interesting ideas, and presents them in a compelling fashion.  I think it is impressive and worthy of note for this achievement, but its execution is not without flaws.  Ultimately, the fact that its thematic thrust is decidedly dark and pessimistic is what makes this anime less than a masterpiece, in my eyes.

# The breakdown

**Art:** 10/10 
-- Incredibly powerful, visceral work.

**Sound:** 7/10 
-- Fantastic OP, but otherwise unremarkable.

**Narrative:** 9/10 
-- Very unique and compelling, but some issues with pacing.

**Characters:** 8/10 
-- Deeply flawed and interesting, but a bit repetitive.

**Themes:** 6/10
-- Dark and pessimistic.  Focuses on humanity's flaws and denies our potential for growth.

**Overall: 8/10, B-** 

An incredibly ambitious story about being human in a world ravaged by supernatural beings.

Found myself so wrapped up in the humanely flawed yet amazing characters and sick action scenes that I binged it without even realizing. If you're not willing to open your mind to different views or look back through the series to understand better then you might not love it as much; however, if you are then you will find instances that resonate with you and like me you will love the series. If I had to point out the first thing that really hooked me to continue it wouldn't be the ambiguous yet suspenseful story, great animation quality (for 1995 lol), or even the sick action scenes but the characters. These aren't your typical black and white, good and bad characters. They're grey characters who's attitude you feel toward them is dictated by the scenarios in the episodes and how the character chooses to act to conflict. I found my attitude to Shinji (the protagonist) changing from feeling sorry for him, to being angry at him, and even feeling proud in him. Furthermore, instead of just being thrown flawed characters and being told to accept them as is we are given their reasons for being the way they are. Episodes that elaborated in this were intriguing because they made me like these supporting characters and actually accept their flaws. The relationships between character like Shinji and his father, Misato and Ryogi, Asuka and Rei etc... were incredibly believable human behaviour. These interactions furthered the plot and furthered the feelings of empathy I had for the characters. Now for the sense of playing the devils advocate I will point of some of the things that might push you away from the anime. First its the quality of the animation (I know I know I praised it above) because this was created in 1995 its hard to be drawn to it and the quality you find from streaming websites that aren't legit make it even worse. Their is some flimsy animation scenes when it comes to the characters face, but I can guarantee that mostly every scene where the EVA (big mecha robot) is in is absolutely crispy. Those scenes look amazing and attention to detail is great for it times. The second thing that might push you away is all those out of body scenes. They can be confusing at times but if your experienced in anime I'd say you'll understand if not just keep rewatching the scenes (that's what I had to do at times I'm pretty experienced :) ) Then comes episode 25-26 these were difficult to digest/interpret but once I took my time to really experience and plug previous scenes together I found these two episodes to be the most rewarding. Overall Neon Genesis Evangelion is an iconic must watch  anime that left a huge impression in me that made me want to even write this review. For anyone who read this entirely thank you and I hope you watch it!

It's not only a must watch for the anime culture, but a series you can find gratitude in for watching it.

~~~img420(https://filmschoolrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/fixed.jpg)

Can't afford therapy? Watch Evangelion!~~~

__Score__: 9.5/10
- __Plot__: 9/10
- __Characters__: 10/10
- __Art & Music__: 10/10

__Recommended for__: lovers of philosophy and psychology, realistic characters, blend of action and humor, dark undertones, apocalyptic world, character focused, religious symbolism, shows that make you think, shows that make you depressed. 

First off: nothing can be said about Evangelion that hasn't already been said. It was hugely influential, it changed the way people look at anime, its imagery is still being referenced and reproduced today, and so on. Yet for someone who has never seen Evangelion, it doesn't say much. I'm just here to tell you why I like it, and hopefully it will convince you to give it a try.


__Plot__
Your name is Shinji Ikari, you're fourteen, and the fate of the world is in your hands. That's the premise of Evangelion and for the first few episodes, it does seem that simple. There are some funny interactions, the monsters are imaginative, and the fights are exciting. Then we get glimpses of a deeper mystery, and as we pass the halfway point, the story takes a morbid turn.

Who are the Angels? What is the First Impact? Why did they build the city right above the epicenter of conflict? We don’t quite get an answer to these questions, which leads to understandable frustration. Evangelion is often called ‘pretentious’ because of its philosophical undertone and heavy reliance on symbolism, be that as it may, it's still impactful. People have theorized about themes of determinism, nihilism, Oedipus complex, and every other term in the book. Few other anime have sparked such versatile debates, and isn't the point of a good story to make you think? 
It's interesting that the religious imagery was chosen simply because it looked exotic. Does that mean Evangelion is a matter of style over substance? Is it a satire? What is this show trying to tell me? Quite frankly, Hideaki Anno takes you on a whirlwind trip and leaves you standing in the rain.

While being a story about saving humanity, everyone is in it for their own personal reasons. The story is propelled by the choices of these characters, and the fate of the world hinges on these decisions. Despite Earth being a post-apocalyptic wasteland, humans are still trying to come out on top, like humans always do. The Human Instrumentality Project, the battle against the Angels, to me they’re a plot device that is used to guide viewers to a more introspective nature of the show: to make us examine our own consciousness and confront our fears.

~~~img300(http://i.imgur.com/OFer9Po.jpg)
~~~

__Characters__
Shinji is painfully human, so much so that people hate him for it. He is weak, indecisive, he's a pushover, a crybaby, and you hate him so much because you hate yourself for the same reasons. And you hate Asuka, because she's annoying, loudmouthed, needy, manipulative, you hate how she's constantly yearning to be acknowledged because you too are looking for other people's approval. And you hate Rei, because she seems apathetic throughout it all, and you hate Gendo too. You hate everyone in this anime because they're weak and flawed and you realize you hate yourself more than you hate any of them.

We tend to dislike these characters for they represent the fragments of ourselves that we hide from others. The characters are realistic this way. Their behavior is in line with their flaws, they make decisions influenced by it and they make mistakes because of it.
Similarly, some fight against their fate until the very last moment, and some resign to it. In the end, while events of Biblical proportions are taking place, we humans are still thinking about the small, insignificant desires that pertain our existence. The mistakes we have made, the things we still want to say, want to do. Life is too short for regrets but oh do you regret it now. Does that make us worth living? Does humanity persevere despite of its flaws, or because of it? These are the questions that I asked myself while watching. And the answer to that? It’s all quite beside the point.

~~~img300(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/44/94/e1/4494e1ac1dbb230324959fad8d1d358d.jpg)~~~

__Art & Music__
Dystopian but make it art house. Evangelion is stunning in its use of static shots, we see Tokyo-3 at twilight, the cold interiors of NERV, these scenes are drenched in an oppressive atmosphere. It truly is a beautifully crafted piece of art.
The iconic opening song, the various covers of Fly Me To The Moon, the use of classical music, the constant hum of cicadas in the background: Evangelion wouldn't be Evangelion without it. Perhaps my favorite soundtrack is one titled ‘Mother is the First Other’, it’s wonderfully haunting.

「Definitely check out Evangelion. While watching this show you might ask yourself questions such as, _'What is the meaning of life?'_ or _'What is reality? What does it mean to be an individual?'_ 
Does the answer really matter? Because no matter the circumstances, we always have our own desires, the need to connect with others, to have a purpose, to feel a sense of belonging, to enjoy the little things in life. And it is often these little things that keep us driving forward.
Evangelion is catharsis, If you can come out of it with a personal interpretation of its message, I feel the show has done its job.」

We all go through dark periods, and sometimes we just need someone to take us by the hand, and tell us: _it's okay, you're gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay._ 


An introspective therapy session with philosophical undertones, presented as an apocalyptic dystopia.

A seminal work of animation. Does it live up to its legacy, or stumble at the finish line?

Let's talk about Evagelion, one of the best works of Japanese animation. They do not believe me? Even the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology confirmed in 2007, through public surveys, that this series has been chosen as the best anime of all time. Few series can cause a stir more than twenty years after their premiere and this is the case of Neon Genesis Evangelion.
A cult anime that was born from the mind of Hideaki Anno when he was in a depressive well, perhaps that's why many of us identify with various characters haha
Neon Genesis Evangelion is a science fiction series of a post-apocalyptic future, a fragmented world that licks its own wounds, just like each of its characters, who fight for a tomorrow and for their own happiness. It is a series of action and adventures of great psychological weight in which each character saves a space to be occupied by the viewer, and thus present a change. What exactly is happiness and human strength to live? Or more interesting still, what is the individual compared to the rest? Why do people feel the need to bond with each other even despite the damage and destruction they inflict?
In the first chapters one gets bored thinking that it is a common and ordinary wick without any sense, but as the story progresses, a totally new world is created that makes you change your mind. Not only is the physical action of the Eva fighting against the Angels captivating but also the psychological question behind it. Are the Eva alive or are they zombies? Are angels aliens or really disciples of God? Who is and what is God?
Something I always like to talk about is the psychic complexity of its characters; as someone said, "in Evangelion everyone is totally crazy". There is not a single character that does not have some kind of obsession, complex, trauma or morbid fixation, which gives them a wealth that no character in the anime had before.
The plot is very elaborate, with exceptional documentation and fantastic Biblical references. So many stories arise, so many reflections and dilemmas of the human race.
Many love it but also many hate it and perhaps it is because of its strange ending that today leaves many in doubt of WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED HERE AND WHY EVERYONE BECOME ORANGE JUICE?
>Toussaint Egan in Paste Magazine says: Perhaps one of the most nihilistic, edgy, and devastating endings of an anime series ...

But its story is not the only good thing, the soundtrack is excellent.
let's start with its opening, _ Cruel Angel´s Thesis_
youtube(https://youtu.be/bNBzOiavw_4)
IS AMAZING but his ending is not far behind, the series gives us a beautiful cover of fly me to the moon originally composed and written by Bart Howard
youtube(https://youtu.be/eq5tXnflvKQ)
His soundtrack is so wonderful that even the Japanese military band performed it at the JSDF Marching Festival 2017
youtube(https://youtu.be/Gzo2St_NU3M)
From head to toe, wherever you look at this anime is a work of art.

pew pew robots waifus and depression: my review of N.G.E

*I might bring up some talking points about end of evangelion & might end up spoiling things on accident

Neon Genesis Evangelion is quite the something in this community. For 2 and a half decades it has inspired many, & created a bunch of hate surrounding the series. I don’t really know what else to say in this introduction that hasn’t already been said about the series prior, so lets go I guess.

Story: 9/10

The story of Neon Genesis Evangelion is really good albeit has minor flaws. The story is that 15 years after the second impact, organization SEELE is trying to pass the human instrumentality project, assisting in this operation is organization Nerv. In that same 15 years later, beings known as the “Angels” begin to attack again, & Nerv has to stop them.

The only minor flaws I can really think of is the purpose of fighting the angels & what exactly they have to do with achieving the human instrumentality project that SEELE wants isn’t the most clear thing in the world, & it really isn’t explored all that much, we’re just told that the angels are preventing SEELE from achieving their goals, they’ll destroy the world if they aren’t stop, so we must stop them. While saving the world is a pretty big deal, the intricacies aren’t explored in depth & they give us just what we need to know. This flaw is easily forgiven with how great the angel battles are. From the staging, the directing, & visual flow of the battles, this minor grievance is made up for.

One of the other things that makes Evangelion’s story really good is the great visual directing, & storyboarding on the part of Hideaki Anno & his team. Shots flow into one another pretty seamlessly for the most part. The dynamic camera angels & far out shots of the city & other environments really sell the scope of this world. Compliment that with how well the storyboarding flows & you’ve got yourself some of the most memorable episodes of TV anime I’ve ever seen.

Characters: 10/10

Evangelion has some really good characters. The main cast has a lot of things going on for them & offer a ton of great character moments. Shinji for example suffers from abandonment & trust issues, his father abandoned him when he was a kid & Shinji was an orphan until he turned 14 & his father called him to Nerv because he needed him to pilot the Evangelion unit. The thought of hurting others pains him more than the thought of being hurt himself. Shinji is a well built character with flaws, but his flaws aren’t overexaggerated to a point where they become unbelievable. He also isn’t a pussy because he has to pilot a giant mech that connects to his nerves, so whatever pain the Eva feels, Shinji also feels. In contrast to Shinji, we have Asuka Langley Souryuu, brash, outspoken, obsessed with being the best, Asuka is also a great character. Much like Shinji, Asuka also suffers from abandonment issues, as her mother mistook a doll as her own child, neglected Asuka, & committed suicide, leaving Asuka not only a sight, but a traumatizing image that haunts her for the rest of her life. Asuka’s combative & brash personality might come off as annoying to some, but for me, I find the show punishes her enough by putting her into embarrassing situations or having Shinji or Rei do a better job than her on missions, so the show does punish her in some way, & once you learn the backstory, she becomes much more sympathetic.

The rest of the characters in Evangelion are all characterized well, & receive some good development & backstory. The side characters come off as underdeveloped, but that’s ok. As the side characters still have their own character traits & enough of a personality to belong in the show. The show also doesn’t give them excessive screen time that detracts from the main story at hand or the development of the main cast, so the side characters are a welcomed edition & help bring some life to the world of Evangelion.

Art & Sound: 10/10

Art is one of Evangelion’s strongest points. The colors are bright & vivid, backgrounds are detailed and have a lot going on in them, but aren’t so cluttered as to become to much of a busy mess. The design work is great, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto’s character designs are excellent & do a good job at selling who the characters are before you even watch the series & learn of their personality. The color choices also help them to stand out from the background & the main 3 of Asuka, Rei, & Shinji look great together in any scenario. Ikuto Yamashita’s mechanical design work is iconic, anything less than that is a disservice, you all recognize the Evangelion units even without watching the series, & his work elsewhere in the series is no less great. Animation is also excellent, it flows well, blends well, moves well, has weight, & is largely consistent. Sequences such as ep 2’s angel battle, dance like you want to win it, & episode 21 in which Eva Unit 01 grows a human arm are all memorable & well staged sequences, & great showcases of Eva’s animation. Eva does falter a bit near the end of the series, with reused animation becoming more & more frequent, along with other corner cutting techniques, but it’s negligible overall & doesn’t take away from the great animation elsewhere (even in the episodes where reused animation becomes frequent).

Music in Evangelion is great, Shirou Sagisu brings some excellent compositions, the scenarios each piece is used in are used to great effect & help sell the weight & tone of a scene. There are som pieces that are overused such as “Angel Attack” but it’s nevertheless an outstanding OST with a lot of great material on it. The sound design in Evangelion is also excellent, from the sounds of an Eva’s footsteps, to A.T Fields, explosions, the sound design is used to great effect & much like the music, helps to sell the scene in particular, & add to Evangelion’s world overall. One of my favorite episodes in Eva is ep 4, an episode in which not a single piece of Sagisu’s compositions are used (outside of an announcer thing playing music faintly in the background in one scene). With the tone, story, & purpose of the episode in question, it was a really great choice & helps sell the weight of the episode. The voice acting is also top notch, everyone brings a great performance with them & offers great range in emoting the characters.

Overall: 10/10

It’s easy to see why Neon Genesis Evangelion has gone down in history as one of the all time greats, it’s also easy to see why Evangelion has garnered as much hate towards it as it has over the course of 2 and a half decades. But it’s 100% deserving of its reputation & remains a force to be reckoned with. The characters are well written, the story is good, it animates well, the design work is insane. Hideaki Anno’s directing is really inventive & brings with it some of the most memorable shots I’ve seen out of a TV anime. The storyboarding is excellent & brings with it seamless flow & outstanding structure in the episodes. It’s simply an excellent anime. My final rating is gonna be a 10/10

Update (30-8-2021)- to anyone who reads this review- I wrote it immediately when I finished the series; I guess a year ago, and some negative remarks I made about the show didn't age well in my own eyes, and exist due to me being extremely frustrated with the show. And while I still stand with a lot of points I made, I'd like to clear the fact that, if looked at with a fairly "objective lens" Evangelion has really really good character writing, probably the best in the medium. Asuka is a tough character to watch at times, but I take back my comment where I said that she is a shallow character. She is probably the best written tsundere in the entire medium. Same goes for the character writing of shinji and the other important supporting cast members.  And anno's exploration of various psychological themes and realistic character study in general is done really well. I just have major major gripes with the way the plot is structured, and how it frustrates you with its stagnancy. 
Alright with that being said- Y'all can read the review down below

Neon Genesis Evangelion is an example of a show causing a rift between its audiences. It's extremely divisive in nature and people still debate whether this anime is deep or 2deep4u shit.  However its easy to call someone as not being deep or mature for not liking this anime, I will be honest, when I watched this anime, I was wondering, how the fuck did this anime, get this god-like legendary status, and when I finished I wondered the same. This anime does everything, a fictional story should avoid doing, and it still gets away with it due to its philosophical and thematic (or rather psychological) exploration. So let me just explain why I feel this anime is overrated and is probably the worst thing I've watched so far.

1. Repetitive in nature- The show is too repetitive. Till episode 14 nothing dynamic occurs, it's has a monster of the week pattern to it, which leads to virtually nothing. The story is not building up on anything that's important or matters to the plot and just keeps showing these battles. There is zero character development, no plot progression, and zero subtext or foreshadowing of coming events. All we get is Daddy issues, Some Filler, and an insecure redhead whining about her life. And then we are suddenly introduced to the concept of the spear of Longinus, the Dead Scrolls, and All that, but dare I say, those things are barely explained or mentioned in the anime. And the anime keeps all these concepts, vague and alien, and doesn't even try to explain them. Like there are too many Plot-holes and important questions that are unanswered or are hinted at like a single time. I didn't get what Adam was and what the purpose or motive of angels was behind attacking earth.  Like none of this is explained in anime and nor is it foreshadowed. Which makes the story sloppy, full of plot devices, and pretentious. Also, episode 17, was the only episode, which had something to it, but hell they used Shinji's friend as a plot device, so Shinji can deus ex machina his way and save the day, and then the series, made a huge exposition dump, to explain stuff which they couldn't explain, which felt cheap and lazy to me, so yeah I don't dig all this. In a nutshell, the anime doesn't do anything to keep you excited as a viewer, since there is nothing at stake.

2. Characters- Just three words for them, I hate em. Sure Shinji's character is a realistic depiction of a mentally unstable guy who never received any love and at first, I sorta did empathize with his internal monologues, and Shinji's psychological character study was pretty good ngl, but then it started getting repetitive and for the most part, took away half of the episodes. Which sucks. Shinji as a character is not likable or at most doesn't feel like the heroic protagonist, which is totally fine by me. I like characters with good characterization, so It doesn't matter if they are wimps or kind of unlikeable. But if your character's monologues and surface-level personality is the only thing that is shown, while conflict, worldbuilding, foreshadowing and other factors are literally ignored and thrown away, then I feel the series is absolute crap. Also, let's talk about Asuka, shall we? She is a character I absolutely despise and hate with my all might. She doesn't even feel real, she is a stereotypical Tsundere, and that aspect of her personality is so overused that she comes out as being whiny and too dense and I literally don't care about her and her instability, because unlike Shinji she rarely breaks out of her character and is thus uninteresting. Rei, on the other hand, had the most potential, for dynamic development, since her character demanded change, however, we never really say anything of her personality. All she does is ask questions to Shinji and follow Shinji's father. There's nothing more to her, she is one-dimensional, flat, and out-right boring and robotic. It's absolutely fine to make likable or unlikable characters, however, if they are barely developed or their monologues are stretched far too much, then all this meaningless, and as a viewer, I won't be interested into the characters. Also, realism doesn't equal good stories or good characters, all the time. You can make likable or eccentric characters, who have internal conflicts. It's not necessarily about likeability or realism, its more about how the characters are used and developed or characterized in the context of the story. In the case of evangelion, the shows uses a staggeringly high amount of repetitive monologues which makes the viewer feel bored to the point of death. 

3.Themes-Philosophy-Symbolism-Message and whatever the hell you call it- A story needs to have an ongoing theme to it, which adds depth to the story. Symbolism enhances your story. The message/takeaway or the philosophy of the story gives value to the viewer. However, TPSM (Themes-Philosophy-Symbolism-Message) can't carry an anime and make it artistic or deep or even likable. The plot and the characters of the show need to well rounded and fleshed out, so TPSM can work its magic on the story. Also, a story being overly complex or dark even doesn't equate to a worthy anime. Ergo Proxy is an example of a Pseudo Psychological Thriller with metaphors, symbolism, and deep and dark themes done right. The show has a great sense of intrigue to it, and just raises a lot of philosophical questions and beautifully answers them, something Evangelion couldn't do.
So my point is, If a show has some deep artistry attached to it, that doesn't mean your critical eye should be turned off and all praise should be showered to the show for being dark and complex. It's just bullshit. 

4. The Ending- To be honest, by episode 22, I had given up on this series, but for the sake of competition, I decided to watch the ending of the show regardless, and for the first time in my life I couldn't get myself through a 40 minute episode. The ending was the same recycled internal problems and flashbacks shit, where the characters just whined about their problems, and then some philosophical explanation on human instrumentality project crap popped up, which tried to make it look all deep and artsy. Thus the show ended with the characters being peace with who they are aka losers, and the anime in the most cringe filled way possible ended on that note. Which made go wtf, but at the same made me happy that I finally got across this overhyped crap.

5. Art/Music- Art is fine for a 90s anime, the mech designs are quite unique and were revolutionary to the genre so props for that. Even though I nearly hate this series, I will say the cinematography and the color palette used in this anime can be visually appealing at times, and I would like other series taking inspiration from it. So that's one minor redeeming quality for me. The Music and Soundtrack were okay. Just Okay. 

Final Verdict- The show is something I would still recommend people watch because even though I didn't like this show; It kind of changed the industry and normalized the depiction of deep topics in anime, brought some classic character tropes we love, and is a popular piece of anime history in general. I acknowledge that however the show in itself is pretty crappy and ill-executed IMO. The anime is a character study of people who face depression, and it was pretty good, but they certainly overused it and didn't capitalize on it in the end. so, with all this said, I will give this anime a score of 
36/100
UPDATED SCORE
46/100

Classic doesn't equal quality. A critique of one of the most iconic anime.

O Clássico que a cada dia que se passa se torna mais relevante

How do you begin an analysis of Evangelion? In his video on the series and how it connects to its highly controversial film, Folding Ideas describes it as “practically myth” which I couldn't agree more with. With the amount of coverage the series has gotten, trying to find a common consensus about what to make of all of this is impossible. Discussions about the metanarrative of Evangelion, its jumbled production, thematic explorations, there should be a rule of the internet constituting that “if it exists, there’s an in-depth discussion about its relevance to the Evangelion text”. And I feel this may be why it is such a renowned series; Evangelion is a perfect starting point for any discussions one might have for any theme or idea. It has a lot going on, a lot of imagery that’ll inevitably lead to 40 different interpretations, yet doesn’t feel chaotic. The simple use of the Christian cross is probably one of the biggest discussions of the series, which is just the tip of the iceberg that is the community surrounding Evangelion. A lot of different people have watched and enjoyed Evangelion and it seems everyone has taken something unique from the series. It makes it a very interesting essay topic as it’ll never become overdone, or at least in concept. And I think what I want to focus on in this analysis is what I feel lies at the center of everything about the series, Hideaki Anno and his transformation throughout the series.

This review will contain some major spoilers, be cautioned

~!Having read some autobiographical work about him, it is clear that Anno is a massive fan of early animation and anime if it wasn’t already explicit enough in the work he has made. Having worked on many greatly influential features of the 80’s such as ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind’ and ‘Grave of the Fireflies’, and even stating the many other old classic animations that came to inspire him such as Devilman, Gundam, and Ultraman, it is no surprise that he has taken such a liking to the many tropes of the era. It is emblematic of the intent of the series itself, wanting to attract more people to the medium, its quirks and the culture surrounding it. And this is very much reflected in the content of the series. The early episodes general tone is akin to that of the early animations of the ‘70s and ‘80s that Anno was influenced by. In a way it was a full expression of what anime was and what made it special. A culmination of the work Anno had made. The witty dialogue, the inspired direction, everything about it felt like a true passion project for Anno especially. But on the other hand it is clear that much of it serves a self-escapism and self-pity from Anno. He had become very depressed during the production of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, and so the establishing portion of the series is made through this lense. It is to an extent reflected in the lead of the series, Shinji. Aside from dealing with anxiety and depression of the pressure from being an evangelion pilot and the human condition, can be seen to be very toxic in his coping mechanism. He seems to be figuring that he can only improve if the world improves before him, that he can only open up if the world does so for him. And this often comes off manipulatively and inconsiderately. He seems to exist in a state where his existence can only prevail off the affirmation and service of the people around him, without putting in the effort needed beforehand. This is manifested in many of Shinji’s relationships, especially early on with Misato. From the moment the two move together, Shinji can’t stop himself from being vocally disapproving of her lifestyle and how she chooses to spend her free time, because of how it breaks the perception that she’s some sort of perfect trad woman. And while we can sympathize all we want with the depressing mindset he goes through in the series, the way he copes with this grows to be incredibly toxic. And even aside from Shinji’s behaviour, we can see Anno’s worldview and state of mind reflected in many other elements of the series, particularly how its female characters are depicted. They are often presented very sexually, and set up as to make the audience feel like their favorite girl can hook up with Shinji who they can already relate to. It is almost a parody of the series you might expect, at least in retrospect for how the rest of the series reframes this introduction. For this portion of the series, this is largely expressed inactively however, not really addressing the worldview expressed, but passively bolstering it. And what makes the series so great in the end is that Anno grows aware of this. Painfully aware. As he becomes more interested in psychology we can see the attractive masks of his characters being peeled off. And while many would argue this begins in the sixteenth episodes, I feel I had the most notable reaction to this two episodes later

After a set of circumstances unimportant in this context, the newly brought fourth child is being controlled by the 13th angel and manipulates their Evangelion unit. None of the children want to take down the angel knowing that a child lays inside of it, and when the angel stands in front of Shinji, refusing director Ikari’s commands, the unit’s ‘Dummy Plug System’ is activated, and the evangelion proceeds to slaughter the angel in a senseless rage. The juxtaposition between the action-heavy and dramatic music that we’ve gotten used to, to the horrific actions being illustrated is chilling and an element that is at its peak the episode later. As Shinji finally enters the Evangelion after revolting from the trauma he went through the day before, he loses control of it again. As the Eva’s true nature escalates in power, it slays the 14th angel and eats its remainders like an animal. The scientists stand in morbid fascination and disgust for what they’ve created, as the evangelion rips of its armor. This speaks nothing to the changes in which the series redirects its characters, but is nonetheless a dramatic presentation of the direction that Anno changed the series towards. It’s not simply a self-insert action show that it might’ve been before. 

As the initial screenplay had to be rewritten and abandoned, we can see this effect as a larger focus is put on the mental state of each of its lead characters. Opening up their mind, exploding them in a sense. Asuka’s performance declines, exposing her obsession with attention and being of use, and its source. We learn that her narcissistic tendencies stem from her lack of support from her mother, being mistaken with a doll. Her insistence that she is the best, prompted by the feeling that you have to be the best in order to be worth anything. We learn about Rei’s true nature as an attempt to revive Ikari’s wife, while her own self-image and philosophy start centering around this conflict of what is and isn’t selfhood. Can Rei really be her own person if there are effectively hundreds of other vessels who could have taken her role, and two that already have? Is the fact that she is herself enough to overlook the fact that her selfhood is forged? Shinji’s behavior is seemingly made aware of, or at least uncovered, from both the staff as well as the characters in the show. Imagery symbolizing his increasing willingness to essentially merge with his female acquaintances, his dependence on the emotional and sexual affirmation growing stronger and noticeable. It all culminates into the two last episodes of the series where we witness the characters confronting their most honest and worst selves. Shinji momentarily accepts human instrumentality and is shown the consequences of this. A loss of individuality and what it means to us. This is presented admittedly very abstractly because of the inadequate production budget the staff had to work with, but it effectively conveys the state of mind Shinji is in and the message it reaches for. Throughout the series, Shinji defines himself with exterior elements like his relationship with his father, work acquaintances, and his role as an evangelion pilot, and it is only when all of these elements are taken away from him that he realizes that he can only live as an individual to achieve satisfaction, that living as a mass of other people and others’ decisions won’t lead to a life worth living. This is not only important for Shinji to learn but for everyone in the series who expects the world to live for them. It is an important message both for the audience that was watching the series, but also for Anno himself. When I watch the original ending of Evangelion I get the feeling that Anno finally found an answer to his own question, that he could satisfy himself. You can almost see Anno himself getting congratulated by all of his characters, who are all in a sense an extension of himself.

And of course, everyone had to fucking hate him for it. The series, already controversial as it was as it started changing, was the focus of many death threats that the studio and Anno himself received after the final episodes. Even now 25 years later it is looked down upon as an inferior conclusion to the series in comparison to one we will be discussing, if even to be considered one at all. People wanted doom and gloom, more glamorization of its characters and the lifestyle it promoted and a less metaphorical and symbolic expression of this. It led to Anno Hideaki creating several alternative conclusions to his project, still going on to this day. And it’s not surprising then how frustrated he seems about this. After all of the changes that Anno went through in the production of the series, it was all for nothing. Finally getting his own little meaning to life only to have it stripped away from him in an instant. Anno gave the fans what they wanted but in another sense the complete opposite. End of Evangelion is a pure incarnation and adaptation of Anno Hideaki’s anger towards the fans that led to its creation and himself for giving in to it. It has no interest in conveying whatever it wants to say through nuance particularly, but aggressively presents its disgust with the project and the people watching it. The only sexually-focused scenes in the film end with Shinji ejaculating over Asuka’s comatose body, the only fight scenes ending in either lovecraftian horror and gore-filled slaughter. Even as Shinji goes through the realization he made in the original ending of Evangelion, Anno throws him back into the abyss like he was himself. We might react to this harshly, that it is antithetical to the message of the series and only serves the purpose of shocking the audience that hated the original ending. But I feel the frustration that is so apparent in Anno to be what saves the series from being so. Anno fucking hates everything and needs you to know about it, and I feel this immense satisfacion watching this. The film serves as a cycle of aggression and depression that never let us go. An expression of the cyclical despair he went through, wanting to give us the same nightmare. Many people have tried to form their own little canon where End of Eva was the true ending that was rejected for budgetary reasons, or a physical representation of the thematic development the series goes through in the conclusion, all of which might be true. But I don’t think I can accept it as anything but a sequel to Neon Genesis Evangelion: the phenomenon.!~

Neon Genesis Evangelion and its postmodern evolution

Why do people call this show 'one of the best of all time', again?
So when I originally watched it I was like "wow! this might be a cool mecha show." and for the first half, it was. But... I'm really not a fan of this. Like, at all.
First 20 episodes are alright. Like, there's some cool mecha stuff (the Dance Dance Revolution one is among the best in the series) in the earlier episodes, and I was having a great time. 

However.... don't even get me started on the last two episodes (26 and 27). you're going to tell that _me_ after getting impaled by the Angel, shinji is 'okay'?? no. mm-mmm. that's not how it works.
In the alternate episode, it's somehow even worse. it just makes me upset how they knew the first ending was bad (the congratulations scene is kind of sweet. too bad it comes out of nowhere and I'm soured when I look back at it) so they made an alternate one in the form of End of Evangelion. And I really, _really_ don't like this movie.
When I first watched it I remember being so disturbed. Now, it only makes me so, so angry. you're here to tell me shinji's father suddenly 'cares for him'??? rei is the bringer of the apocolypse?? There are crosses in the sky and the 3rd impact is made out to be the second coming of jesus??? nuh-uh. you can reference the Bible and Christianity all you want, but then having it ruin your kinda-cool mecha show from 20 episodes ago????
Every single character... I just don't like them. It's hard to root for Shinji when he's a coward (Although a very relatable one, he and I are basically the same person) that whines too much and never wants to do anything. Asuka is a jerk for??? no reason??? She obviously has a connection with her mother (who is implied to have killed herself prior to Asuka joining the Angel-fighting cause) and I wished they spent more time delving into her psyche. Instead, the show focuses too much on Shinji and Asuka's character is left out to dry, making her out to be way more unlikable than she probably is. Rei is emotionless and never does anything until *she* starts being awful to shinji too for never doing anything (which, she is in her right to do. but she never acts either so its hypocritical!) Misato comes close to being cool but then she starts getting mad at him for no reason, too. Gendo is a meme.  Ritsuko is actually pretty neat, unfortunately her time to shine comes too little too late.. sees is stupid. (pen-pen is the best, though)
I just... I don't get the hype for this one. Maybe I went in expecting something cool. What excited me turned into something disturbing, but then just turned into something that makes me too angry when I look back on it. I'm no 'anime connoisseur', so I'm sure my opinion on this isn't that good anyway. But, I just wanted to share my thoughts.

Basically, this is why I hate Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion saved my life. While that doesn’t quite mean what you think it does, I couldn't possibly overstate it’s impact on me.

webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/28264be2efb711f9284f16cb84e6d1af.mp4)

Eva is a quarter decade old, so I won't waste your time with a typical review, but rather share what I've found in the mirror Anno has held to me. 

>The most valuable thing about an individual is their perspective, so let's lean into that angle. Do something only I can do.

Through all the suffering I see a cast of people suffering from delusions. Delusions about where value in life comes from, and who can provide it.

It was inevitable that they would develop toxic coping mechanisms when their worldview is at odds with reality (and in some cases is derived from a hatred of reality itself) It's the very basis of a tragedy.

To understand the limitations of things all it takes is desiring them. This comes to a head in episode 25 when escapism and external validation collapse in on themselves.

>A thread of my impressions and takeaways from watching the series. It all starts after the break, with a healthy dose of [visual] fanservice!


~~~__Neon Genesis Evangelion • A Personal Impact
__
~~~
img720(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810931510227763300/810959588588388363/VideoCapture_20201027-165013.jpg)

>Ep 2 

Shinji is isolated by triangle shaped frames in the hospital. Even though Misato enters the scene and joins him, she never ‘’crosses the line’’. The staging of an understated scene turns a small detail like this into characterization on both sides. 

>It's the kind of show you could watch muted, though few would ever dare.


img720(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810931510227763300/810959587674685470/VideoCapture_20201027-172558.jpg)

>Ep 5 

The episode in which the iconic sequence of Shinji groping Rei occurs (though I'm far from the first to point out it's subversive nature)

This scene works because it's the logical result of Rei's character first and foremost, as opposed to an attempt at being clever.

A lesser show would’ve played it straight [breaking character] or subverted the joke for the sake of itself. Rei doesn't care if she's in a compromising situation because her self worth is fractured. Her priorities lie elsewhere.

img720(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810931510227763300/810963155411927101/VideoCapture_20201027-182432.jpg)


>Ep 8 

Asuka realizes Shinji is worthy of bragging to and so drags him off to show off her Unit 002. In the first half of Eva Asuka takes every chance she gets to court the third child's attention. Naturally, this enthusiasm won't last for long.

webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/adbb4ad85e486cbf293c2db4d89809d6.mp4)

>Ep 11

Amazing direction and storyboarding allow different shots to seamlessly blend together by using Hideakian techniques like having characters finish each other's sentences. 

Playful transitions such as having Asuka wipe the screen. It’s a blast to watch on a moment to moment basis, and perhaps the funniest episode of Eva, bringing a dose of much needed levity. 

>[Mankind’s greatest enemy is man himself] - Gendo

>[Yeah, but without the lights it seems like there are no humans here] - Asuka

[Lights turn on]

>[There, I feel much more comfortable this way] - Asuka
>>This quote reveals a lot about Asuka in a subtle way. There's a pervasive desire lurking under the surface, between the lines.

img720(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810931510227763300/811818479429746688/VideoCapture_20210215-194138.jpg)


> Ep 15


There's an implication that living with unresolved feelings towards your parents inevitably seeps into all of your other relationships in some fashion. An attempt to chase a foundation of love that was missing.

>Parental complexes lie at the bedrock of most of the cast's issues.

img720(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810931510227763300/810966781934043136/VideoCapture_20201030-152427.jpg)


>Ep 16


When I was a teenager I thought I needed a girlfriend. Someone, anyone to love me. Being too scared to even approach my crush I fell deeper into depression. But even if I found someone they wouldn't make me happy. 

Years later when I found someone I used them for validation of my existence. I was incapable of truly empathizing with them. But how could I? 

The relationship was about me. In retrospect it seems anyone that accepted me would've done. This led to me questioning my sexuality which I'll go into more at ep 24.

>[You are blind and deaf to what you wish to avoid. No one can justify their existence by linking their happiest moments into a rosary] - Shinji

Shinji hates loneliness and the world, and so his coping mechanisms become more desperate. Being worthless isn't a fact, it's a matter of opinion. The one thing he believes in wholeheartedly.


>Ep 20

[Shinji has an ego death]

Drifting in the LCL, Shinji realizes he has to find a reason to want to fight the angels besides them being his enemy. He is given validation for piloting the Eva, yet he feels like a worthless human being.

img720(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810931510227763300/810972654856437831/VideoCapture_20201227-103159.jpg)


>Ep 23

Asuka’s life is shown time and time again to be expendable, and her pain is palpable. A feeling Rei is familiar with. 

Eva is underpinned with a cast of characters using others as a replacement for someone. Or rather something they crave more than anything else.

>Ep 24


Possible hot take but, I've never perceived Shinji actually being bi. The biggest reason being as a ‘Shinji’ myself, I've had a Kaoru in my life.

Experiencing unconditional love for the first time was intoxicating. I was desperate so it blinded my judgement. I wanted them because they wanted and took an interest in me. 

>The moment they stopped showering me in attention the attraction faded.

img720(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810931510227763300/810977352199831572/VideoCapture_20210215-122746.jpg)

>Ep 25

Misato berates Ritsuko for the shallow nature of their relationship, something she also holds responsibility for.

In high school I felt alone. I hated that I didn't have people I actually knew that would reach out to me, but I didn't do the same for them either. I am equally to blame. In the midst of despair, I gave in to to self loathing and helplessness created my own hell.

>[Despair is inevitable, but giving into it is a betrayal] - BREADSWORD

img720(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810931510227763300/810979688822210570/VideoCapture_20210215-130343.jpg)

>Ep 26

If what I think of myself becomes me, and living for something outside myself means I will never be happy, the only way to change reality is to accept myself.

In the end you will either find something to connect with, or something will bond itself to you. Like a symbiote it'll amplify your worst characteristics.

>I hated being alive and as a matter of course, my life imploded. For as long as I felt that way, it was inevitable.

It's my obligation to smash this ceiling above my head. The one I created. I've always known how. 

God's in his heaven. The gospel of the new century is finding salvation in yourself.

img720(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/810931510227763300/810980243589562408/VideoCapture_20210215-143155.jpg)

The gospel of the new century is finding salvation in yourself.

<a href="https://imgur.com/M5GVo3V"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/M5GVo3V.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
>On ne comprends jamais les gens complétement. D’ailleurs,peut-on se connaitre soit même ?
- Ryouji Kaji

La psychologie des personnages de Evangelion est le point fort de l'anime même si l'histoire n'a rien a lui envier. Cependant je parlerais que des aspects psychologique et peu de l'histoire :
youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho07Ag6lV9g&t=17s) 
~~~___Shinji Ikari___~~~
<a href="https://imgur.com/sDWDA77"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/sDWDA77.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
Ce garçons a subit de très lourd traumatisme tout au long de l’œuvre.
 l'abandon de son père le Commandant Gendou est le premier facteur qui a renfermer le jeune garçons sur lui même et on le constate lors des premiers épisodes ou Shinji se balade dans la ville, sans ost, avec des expressions de visages déjà si vide <a href="https://imgur.com/6G5lgjU"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/6G5lgjU.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
Il veut a tout prit être compris de son père, être aimé et on le voit quand son père lui adressa un simple compliments, poussa le garçons a aller plus loin.
Shinji va devoir travailler sa phobie sociale et le contact humain. Cependant, un nouveau point de rupture psychologique provient quand le 4ème enfant, Touji Suzuhara, perd le contrôle de son Eva et perd contre Shinji avec cette scène ou Shinji pousse un hurlement effroyable.. La scène en dessous résume clairement a quelle point le personnage subit une fracture dans son âme youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgiESzLrCHc)
Déjà que il est dépressif sur les bords, solitaire il vient de prendre la vie ( dans le manga surtout dans l'anime il survit) de son ami le poussa dans un rejet total de conduire l'Eva mais malheureusement c'est la seul chose qui lui permet d'avoir une identité..
En comptant la mort de Kaworu, Shinji a atteint un stable ou il est brisé : Avec déjà les nombreux phase d'introspection il devient totalement vide et cela durant The end of Evangelion. 
Kaiji a été avec Misato les seul a l'aider mais cela reste pas assez.
___~~~Asuka,Rei,Misato le coté psychologique féminin ~~~___
Chacune des 3 on beaucoup de regret a travers le temps. La solitude, la dépersonnalisation, l'amour ils doivent toute les 3 affronter leur démon.
Asuka a été détruit après que elle n'arrive plus a rentrer dans son eva.<a href="https://imgur.com/tH19o5H"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/tH19o5H.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
Elle est bloqué avec le passé de sa mère qui s'est tuée devant elle et la laissant seul, sans objectif.
Rei elle pour faire court est a la quête de trouver une véritable identité car pour moi c'est celle ou la psychologie est le moins touchée
Quand a Misato on parle de son problème de dépendance affective que elle doit gérer.
C'est assez court sur les trois asuka est la seul qu'on puissent en parler plus en profondeur sauf que le personnage de Shinji est plus intéressant pour une review
___~~~Que penser de la fin de Evangelion~~~___
Je pense que la première fin et la deuxième pourrait se compléter. Pourquoi ? Car ont un d'un coté l’accomplissement psychologique de Shinji contre sa personne. Alors que l'autre film va plus nous parler de la finition de l'histoire et c'est ce qui est le plus juste. D'un coté Shinji,dans Shin Seiki Evangelion,accepte la complémentarité de l'homme dans the end of Evangelion, non.
C'est donc une fin alternatif pour conclure. Mais la première fin est simplement mal mis en place elle aurait du continuer sur la lancée du film et choisir une des ''deux routes''
La fin du film permet de comprendre la mentalité du père de Shinji et montré que son père n'est d'autre que Shinji plus grands et que il risque de se diriger dans son chemin il explique beaucoup de chose plus intéressant que dans la fin du premier Evangelion..
Enfin bref, Evangelion est vraiment un anime psychologique et philosophique a voir avec du recul pour les personnes les plus fragiles. Beaucoup de question existentiel, d'introspection, de haine envers sa personne comme la peur du rejet, de décevoir ou autre.
Cela dit l'anime possède vraiment quelle que chose de poignant et d’intéressant que seul les personnes qui vivent permettent de comprendre l'acheminement que l'auteur a prit. On rentre dans un monde nouveau pour moi.
Les film reboot seront clairement visionner pour ma part.

The hedgehog’s dilemma is an analogy for how human intimacy causes pain, how people, despite seeking the warmth of connections, choose to shut themselves off in fear of getting themselves hurt. Neon Genesis Evangelion, the critically acclaimed 1995 series which was born out of Hideaki Anno’s clinical depression, delves into this aspect of human nature.


At first glance, its just another typical mecha anime just like the trend of the 90s animes packed with cool looking robot designs, and a heavy dose of action and gore. Except- Evangelion is nothing like that. It serves as a deconstruction of the mecha genre by painting the painful truth of reality along with presenting us with a remarkable sci-fi plot about a post apocalyptic universe. The plot revolves around a 14 year old boy Shinji Ikari who is forced to pilot giant machines called ‘evangelions’ for the aggressive fight against alien like creatures called angels who attack the Earth. The show gives more importance to the conflicts every character has to face. What makes Evangelion special is its wonderful set of characters who seem to appear incredibly ‘human’ which is quite rare for its genre. Over the course of the 26 episode series, we’re repeatedly faced with questions that dive deep into the philosophical aspects of human nature. We’re presented with characters who desperately try to escape the harsh reality they’re in, which ultimately culminates into the manifestation of that desire. The series is heavily influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis, and other psychological theories which try to unravel the mysteries of the mind. My personal analysis of the series leads me to believe that the show has also touched on topics like misogyny and sexism subtly while portraying the agony of women at instances. The show also portrays the vicious effects of trauma, isolation and lack of affection. The show has also been known for the extensive religious symbolism and portrayal of a mysterious secret society, something that feels quite like the illuminati. The series is excellent at being raw and realistic despite being a story about robots and monsters. The show is crafted so carefully that incredible detail and attention is imparted to every single scene almost distinguishing it from every other show that came before it. It's not surprising that there is a cinematographic technique named the Evangelion shot in film making. The famous escalator scene has also managed to tell its audience how unique Evangelion is.
In a nutshell, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a series about self acceptance layered within a deeply complex sci-fi post-apocalyptic mecha plot and it is something that you should definitely watch in your lifetime for the sake of the moral it imparts even if it isn’t quite everybody’s cup of tea.

A deeply layered adventure that delves into the intricacies of the human mind.

_[contains heavy spoilers]_

—

Sitting down to watch _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ for the first time, with little to no prior knowledge could only really be described as ‘ballsy,’ but it had to be done—I had to know what it was that caused this anime to be regarded as one of the ‘greatest of all time.’ All I knew about _Evangelion_ going in was not much: it was categorized as a mecha, it was one of the first really successful anime ever, and it was good... apparently. What pushed me to finally cracking down on _Eva_ had to be my roommate going on and on about her own watch of it whilst I sat cluelessly listening, and as one does with learning about their best friend’s new interest, I set out to match her for the sole purpose of discussion—so there I was, episode one loaded up on a lone browser tab, a bottle of water to get me through the night, and a blanket to combat the cool 1 a.m. fan oscillating back and forth in our dorm room.

Writing this would be much different had I not been coached by my roommate’s researched knowledge on the series that she shared with me throughout the few days it took me to finish the series—explaining to me the nuances of the director’s cut [an edited version of a few of the later episodes with additional scenes], dynamics of the ending, some of the reactions in the 1990s when it aired, and the fanbase now.

My initial impression was influenced heavily by the style and the animation and—wait, wait, wait, did Gainax and Tatsunoko Production… _is that frame-by-frame animation for a mecha??_ I knew it was an old anime, but _wow_—my roommate looks over my shoulder. That’s why they ran out of funding for the end of the series, no wonder. But I digress, so far I’m impressed by the animation but have no idea what’s going on besides that. Good start. What the fuck are ‘Angels’ and why are they attacking the earth? We don’t know? It never explains it, okay that’s fine, not the first time I’ve seen an anime where the main plot point is left in the dark. This kid Shinji is having a rough day. _Little did I know that it wasn’t the last rough day he’d have at age 14._ Wait, no, everyone’s having a rough day. Everyone living in Tokyo-3 is having a rough week, a rough few months, if you will.

As the show continued and I was introduced to additional characters, the Evas, and Shinji’s terrible dad, I began to be pulled into the plot a little more. The character relationships had me intrigued—this boy was _traumatized,_ and I’ll be damned if I don’t appreciate a little fictional trauma. Not only did the plot become much more serious than I thought it would, but these characters were also _well-written._ I don’t have a lot of experience with mecha anime, but to me, this was seeming to be more than just big robots punching each other and more of a thought-provoking story—big shocker [sarcasm].

Halfway through, this was no longer a mecha, but me, being the expert plot-predictor I am, had already called out _“Eva Unit-01 is Shinji’s mom, bet”_ at least 4 episodes ago. A lucky break, really, but at this point, I was enjoying myself quite a lot. Not only was the plot interesting—_how does NERV expect to keep fighting these Angels?—how many Angels are there?—what’s up with Gendou?_—but I realized how easily and thoroughly this anime could be analyzed. It already has been analyzed. It’s still being analyzed. Almost every frame of the anime has been written about. All this symbolism was almost literary, and I found myself invested in Shinji’s mental state, how the story seemed to be from his point of view, and yet it wasn’t restricted to that, and how his relationship with the other characters changed the story. It was enthralling, and I quickly approached the end, through the director’s cuts all while learning more and more about the world at the same time that Shinji did.

My roommate had warned me that the last two episodes were "weird." Alright. Episode twenty-four, a tragic loss as Kaoru is killed by Shinji, and as I’m left wondering if their relationship was more homosexual than the story was implying, then _boom:_ episode twenty-five and twenty-six, we are now in Shinji’s mind and—that’s a heavy markdown, John forgot to do his part of the group project and he was in charge of the conclusion, ah shit.

I was then informed that the animation budget was gone at that point, it was meant to be the part showing the Human Instrumentality Project, and that the actual ending was a bit different and a lot smoother. Apparently, the fanbase at the time had been so upset with the ending of the anime that we got a few movies out of it, which at the time of writing, I haven’t watched yet.

Overall, and based entirely upon enjoyment, I loved it. I was surprised I had enjoyed a ‘mecha’ at all, having never been interested in the genre. The plot was interesting, the gags were funny, the mellow bits were cute and the intense bits were exciting. From an analytical point of view, there were flaws, yes, the ending was shoddy, the execution and pacing of several parts were subpar; however, the characters alone, the rewatch value for analysis, and the stunning animation were some of the anime’s huge strengths.

As an anime alone, _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ is above average, nothing god-tier exceptional, but considering the huge influence it was and still is on the anime community, it’s easily considered a classic. Would I recommend _Evangelion?_ Yes, definitely, but know what you’re watching first. If not for my roommate’s background knowledge, I would have been lost and would have disliked it a lot more, but the history of the show is what makes _Eva_ so special.

A definite must-watch, but do some reading about it as you go along. There are countless threads and theories and watch-order lists. _Eva_ is a community, and trust me, you want to be a part of it.

~~~img220(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/111/111890.gif)~~~

more than a mecha; Eva is a look into the human psyche [and a genuinely fun time]

Neon Genesis Evangelion needs no introduction. A classic and almost certainly a must-watch for any anime viewer, the influence this show had on the anime industry and the way it redefined storytelling in its genre and the medium is simply profound. 

Its popularity as a classic and anime staple has garnered all kinds of praise and even criticism (especially in recent years). Many fans would tell you that Evangelion is a masterpiece, a brilliant work of art, but others may tell you its messy, pretentious, or just a complete waste of time. I’ve never seen an anime more polarising than this (but that might change as I’m still new to anime).

From my experience watching Evangelion, I’d say there is some truth to both sides. Personally, I wanted to fall in love with this show but sadly, I couldn’t. Despite its moments of sheer brilliance, its flaws are also too significant for me to ignore.

Evangelion is unique, if anything. You’d be justified for thinking this was simply a typical robots vs aliens/monsters story at first, but quickly you realise that greater focus is on the characters, the humans, rather than the Evangelions themselves and the conflict between the humans and the Angels. And above all, I believe that the characters are the strongest part of Evangelion. 

__Part 1: The Characters__

__“I mustn’t run away.”__
Our protagonist, Shinji Ikari, isn’t your typical anime hero protagonist. He’s timid, insecure, and is reluctant to open up to other people as he is afraid of getting hurt. The brilliance in his character development is in how he learns to muster his courage and face his fears and perform his duty as a pilot time and time again, even if it only brings him more pain and suffering. His qualities and his growth make him a relatable and human character. 

__“You won’t die because I will protect you.”__
Rei Ayanami is a bit of an enigma. She appears to be cold, distant and emotionless. She exerts no will of her own, and readily obeys whatever orders are given to her, as if she’s merely a tool to be used. Well, that is how she views herself.

She holds almost absolutely no regard for hew own life and sees herself as expendable, as seen by the times she was prepared to sacrifice herself for her comrades and for the sake of the mission.

But eventually, she learns how to connect with others and begins to experience and process her emotions, as well as seeing her own worth as actual human being.

__“I’ll live for myself and think for myself!”__
Asuka Langley Soryu can be a bit frustrating for viewers to watch at times. She is obnoxious, arrogant and attention-seeking but at the same time, headstrong and intelligent. A child prodigy, she excelled in her academics and has been training since young to pilot the Evangelions. Doing so, and succeeding at it, is her main purpose in life.

Her high self-esteem and confidence is a virtue and a curse at times. She believes herself to be superior to Shinji and Rei, and her ego is easily bruised when either of them do anything better than her. 

__Despite__ these glaring differences in personalities between our main trio, they do have one thing in common: they all yearn for some form of intimacy and meaningful connection with others to repair and fill the void in their broken and lonely hearts.

The side characters and pretty interesting and have a considerable level of depth to them too, which I really appreciate. My favourite among them has to be Misato Katsuragi. It was intersting seeing her balance both her roles as a superior and guardian to Shinji and Asuka.

Seeing these complex and well-developed characters interact (especially the main trio) given their very contrasting personalities was a joy to watch. I only wish that Shinji and Rei’s relationship was further explored and developed as the events in episode 6 would have served as the great foundation to build upon.

__Part 2: Story__

Evangelion’s story is ambitious to say the least. A mecha show that attempts to juggle complex philosophical themes and uncomfortable subject matters: identity, individuality, freedom, responsibility, depression and trauma, to name a few. Episode 16, “The Sickness Unto Death”, references the book of the same name by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. While episode 4, “The Hedgehog’s Dilemma”, references Arthur Schopenhauer’s analogy of the challenges of human intimacy. It perfectly illustrates both Shinji’s desire to bond with others and his hesitance to do so, as the closer any two people are, the more mutual pain can be inflicted.

It does not shy away from using religious symbolism and references either. The progenitors are named Adam and Lilith. The Lance of Longinus and Dead Sea Scrolls reference their historical counterparts. NERV’s slogan comes from one of poet Robert Browning’s literary works, and it goes, “God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world.”

Evangelion largely succeeds in incorporating these themes and ideas into its story. The show isn’t trying to be smart or intellectual just for the sake of it. Its themes, ideas and references are actually relevant to the story its trying to tell, making it that much more compelling.

Evangelion also has an meaningful message it wants to deliver to the audience, one of accepting yourself regardless of your flaws, with the hope of loving yourself too.

But unfortunately, Evangelion’s potential to be a true masterpiece is not realised due to the flaws in its plot.

Everything I’ve said up to this point actually seems pretty postitive, but from here on out this is where I go in hard on the flaws of Evangelion.

The first third of the show did well to draw me in, with its post-apocalyptic setting, melancholic and bleak atmosphere, and both the external and internal conflict.

But after a while things got really repetitive. 

For a long stretch of episodes, the same structure applies: All is well in the beginning, then an angel shows up, the pilots think they got the upper hand but something goes wrong, they need to come up with a plan, they successfully execute the plan and finally destroy the angel. After a while, the story feels lacklustre and at times boring.

And in the middle of it all you get Gendo Ikari using words and terminology that make absolutely no sense to the audience.

This show will raise a lot of questions (to try and keep you interested). But what makes me frustrated is that the show never gets around to answering most of these questions (at least, not in a satisfying way) and explaining these words and terms that are critical to understanding the lore of Evangelion. If I had a dollar for every time I had to go evangelion.fandom.com just to understand what something means, and by extension what is going on in the bigger picture, I’d probably have at least 20 bucks. In that regard, the show handles the mystery aspect of the story quite poorly.

The pacing of the show at times is simply atrocious. Besides the middle of the story being largely uninteresting, when the story does pick up, it does so too quickly and suddenly in my opinion. Certain pivotal and key moments are not as impactful as they should have been as they never received enough build up, thus feeling underwhelming.

There were moments of brilliance which genuinely blew me away towards the end, especially episodes 18-20, which is where the show peaks in terms of quality in my opinion. The episodes that come after were pretty good, but they never hit a peak or climax befitting of an ending.

Speaking of the ending, it is certainly an unorthodox method of storytelling. Instead of the last 2 episodes wrapping up any loose ends or the story having any form of resolution, the characters have their own inner introspective monologues and reflections (I’m guessing). On paper, it sounds like an interesting idea, but the execution was poor. It felt so dragged out that I remember thinking that I just wanted this show to end. And when the end did come, it was so abrupt.
_“Wait. That’s how it ends?”_

Poor execution and pacing ultimately comes down to one thing, poor writing. Evangelion could have been a masterfully told story if only its writing was better. The story does have its moments. But it’s a shame, because Evangelion has the potential to be so much greater given its ideas and themes. The seeds were there, but they just weren’t nurtured properly.

__Part 3: Animation and Sound__

Studio GAINAX’s animation holds up decently well to this day, though one should still not have such high expectations for such an old anime. Certain visual elements definitely look poor by today’s standards, but I have no complaints. I personally quite liked the cinematography and composition of Evangelion, especially the way lighting is used to render scenes and set the tone and atmosphere of the show.

The sound design and effects of Evangelion are pretty good, but the same cannot be said for the generic OST. Tracks are also used way too often for them to have any impact or meaning. The opening and ending are far better.

__Conclusion:__

Every anime viewer should pick up Neon Genesis Evangelion at some point, but there’s no need to rush. I personally believe the show is not the masterpiece fans claim it to be, nor is it downright terrible. There’s things I really like about this show, but its problems stop me from truly loving it, as much as I wanted to. In the end, its moments of sheer brilliance were few and far between. Maybe with a rewatch I will appreciate the show more, and perhaps even grow to love it as much as some of you do, but I definitely won’t do one anytime soon.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Watch it for yourself and see how you feel about it. You might just love it.







____

Neon Genesis Evangelion is no masterpiece, but it's not downright terrible either. It's good, but sadly not great.

__Story__
Neon Genesis Evangelion, one of the popular animes in the Mecha genre. Though, the anime doesn't really focus on the mecha as much as the psychological aspects of the show which shapes the story and allows the narrative to progress forward. The progression of the story might seem slow to some due to its repetitous tone but that's exactly what makes it unique. Evangelion as the name suggests makes use of biblical themes which I believe are used as a metaphor to some of the scenarios in the storyline but are also depicted as ironic in terms of the outcome. The show utilizes the emotions of its characters as a plot device while furthering the events of the story based on what's going on in their world. Although it might be a little confusing in the end, it does give off a fitting and unique conclusion to the character's arcs. Overall I would say the story is well-built and despite the time of its release, is still definitely a unique classical masterpiece to this day.

__Characters__
~~~
img220(https://c4.wallpaperflare.com/wallpaper/437/965/174/neon-genesis-evangelion-classic-anime-anime-characters-wallpaper-preview.jpg)~~~

What truly makes Evangelion very compelling are the characters. Throughout the show, you will find yourself being frustrated with the characters and might even drop it because of their actions. The show gives more detail to the psychology of each character showing their complexity and emphasizing that although these may be the heroes we follow, their mindset isn't entirely black and white. Each of the characters has a grey area that can go a little twisted at times in a moral perspective.  Although you might not root for the characters and at times their actions might even disgust you as a viewer, the anime does a real job of portraying the growth and demise of each of the characters in a way that you may empathize with them or just naturally hate them. A lot of the characters may seem mysterious even by the end of the show but if you pay attention the details are there. Anyways I spent time watching a number of analysis videos after watching the show so who am I to talk about details lmao.

Some of the characters I would like to talk about further would be Asuka and Shinji. Spoilers for those who have not seen Evangelion.

~!__Asuka__
img220(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/38/39/48/383948c12eeac2f64e9987c0e47a5029.png) 
First I want to talk more about one of my personal favorite characters of all in Anime History which is Asuka Langley Soryu. Arguably the most popular character on Evangelion and the character that popularized the tsundere trope. This girl might outright appear as some abusive German chick to a lot of viewers but that's not all there is to her character. What makes her different from most tsundere we see nowadays is that she is actually a tsundere for a reason. Her tragic past shaped her into becoming what she is now. Being seen as a doll by her mother who's gone mentally ill and becoming an outcast from the people around her. All she wanted was to be loved and she shows that's what she wants by trying to save the world in order to get recognition for her deeds but even that doesn't fill the empty hole in her heart. She wants to be seen and truly appreciated by someone but her ego and her aggressive nature which developed as a result of her past disrupts her chances with our main character Shinji. Although that is the case, her being aggressive is her actually trying to avoid being too attached as she believes that attachments to people will hurt her more like how her attachment to her mom gave her so much pain. She is probably one of the most relatable characters of the show and that's one of the reasons I love her. She is a very misunderstood character but nevertheless tries to open up and be closer with some of our characters through suggestive means. 

__Shinji__
img220(https://shannaroshoujo.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/shinji.jpg?w=350&h=361)
Throughout the series, viewers might see him as annoying and a coward but we must understand his psyche and the absolute heck that he's been put through out of nowhere. Shinji Ikari our main character is very similar to Asuka, he is also someone who is afraid of attachments because of how his dad treated him but has a very different way of avoiding attachments. Unlike Asuka who acts aggressively in order to protect herself and the other people around her from these attachments, Shinji simply neglects to talk to people in a shy and calm manner. He's basically a shut-in but for a good reason. After losing his mother years ago, his dad has basically become stone cold and doesn't even talk to him like a son. He sees him as more of a tool rather than his biological offspring. Hey! This calls for a "Father of the Year Award". Jokes aside, this ruins his own self-image and prevents him from ever trying to praise himself for any achievements. Poor Shinji, if only his old man treated him better. Asuka and Shinji's dynamic definitely could've saved each other, to me Asuka was definitely the moral compass that Shinji needed vice versa. !~

There are only so many characters in the show whose psychology contradicts the way you feel about them. Although Shinji's dad wasn't the best of fathers even his personality can be pretty understandable. This show just has too many well-written characters to mention and don't even get me started with Misato, Rei, and Kaji. A lot of the Evangelion characters can be deplorable and might make the show hard to watch but that just shows how well written the characters are. Overall seeing the characters interact and develop in this show is the major reason this show is a masterpiece.

For those of y'all who want to watch analysis videos on some of the characters I personally prefer these:
youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etig8-Pbz-s&ab_channel=SeaTacticsSeaTactics)
youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25DFIacPg08)
youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH1mzZaYr-o&ab_channel=miksanzmiksanz)

__Entertainment__
~~~img220(https://media1.tenor.com/images/6863669abb7bb57c71886bc8cbfb274f/tenor.gif?itemid=4884859)
~~~
The tone of this anime might not be for the faint of heart and not just because it's dark and depressing but because it might feel soulless and tedious for a lot of viewers. Although there are a number of battles throughout the show, the moments and emphasis are more focused than the Mecha & Action. So for all you mecha fans seeking huge and massive entertaining fights from Robots and Monsters, this might not be your type of show. A lot of times there are still shots that might take too long which actually focuses more on the moment of the scene and gives you time to absorb what's happening. The audio might feel monotonous to some and you can hardly hear any audio at times but it's actually what helps set the psychological tone of the series. Nevertheless, the show does have its light-hearted moments and fun times for the characters. For its time, it's definitely a shocker, one which allows even you as an audience to question your own sanity. For many people out there, this might not be your type of anime and that's ok. Not everybody has to like something just because it's popular and adhered to be good but for me this show is a unique masterclass and proves to show that entertainment doesn't always have to follow the same formula.

Is it an action anime? Well Yes but No, its a Therapy Session!!!

~~~---Revision (Changed for less hostile wording, still a negative review)---~~~

When I first started watching EVA I didn't have a ton of experience with anime and still have a relatively small amount of watch time. But I still feel that when watching this anime the entertainment value of it dropped tremendously. I must admit, even going in I didn't care for the mecha genre or narrative style. Now that my introduction is out of the way, if my opinion upsets you at least you'll be able to note me on my bias.

As for the anime itself, I took a very long pause after the first couple of episodes. I find the early pacing very slow and I feel suffocated by the drab-like environment and characters. When I picked up the anime again sometime in the next year I watched it with a friend that swore by the anime. Claiming it was their favorite of all time and saying that they extremely enjoyed every second of it. However, after a second viewing of the anime, their perspective switched entirely. The characters don't have a personality.

Shinji - This character literally feels like a skeleton with just a leather bag of a body. Emotion is just null and void. I do understand that that is supposed to reflect his character. However, he is not interesting in the slightest. I don't care how he is able to do anything and when the anime hypes up his ability or power. They might as well rename him to Superman and then I'd at least slightly care about his character.

Asuka - This red pimple is probably the biggest stain on the series. She is so loud and obnoxious to the point where when she speaks I wanted to cover my ears. I couldn't stand to listen to her whine and complain over things that didn't matter. When the anime would introduce a supposed problem she would just complain and the problem would magically go away.

Rei - She might be my favorite character. Her character brings the most to the table and leaves a lot of questions. I would love her so much more if I cared about what those questions were. When watching the anime she is partially the center of all these questions but not only do they never get answered but most of them are boring.

The Magi - There's not much to say about this, and that's the problem. There are so many moving elements in this anime that could make it an easy 90 or 100 but it falls short because of this. The Magi falls into this category and it's a massive shortcoming of the anime. The episodes where this mysterious system is mentioned are easily where I was most intrigued. Only for it to fall short nearly immediately and the episode just pads the runtime.

I have been told several times by plenty of people that these plot points are explained either in the movies or if you read the manga. My only problem with this statement is that I shouldn't have to read or watch several hours of more content just to find out what a very simple plot point is. That's the whole point of watching the anime, to discover what these items are and why they're important.

Probably the best example of this is the Spear of Longinus, which is easily the most interesting plot point. But as I mentioned above falls short because it requires me to have read or watched more of the EVA universe. I was genuinely eager to learn about this but the anime ripped it away from me only to have another anthological fight scene.

Now for the final episodes, this is where I lose all understanding of how you could praise this anime so highly. I've heard time and time again that these episodes make the entire anime worth it. I don't understand how they could, considering I never found the characters interesting in the first place. When they're suddenly undergoing the mental and emotional battle I showed no interest at all and considered breaking my rule of skipping an episode. Not only was it completely random, but it was pointless. NERV isn't gone, the angels still exist, why are we going the therapy? None of it added up for me and it left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

Which draws me to the end. After watching the anime's very bitter ending I wasn't satisfied. This anime had single-handedly made me upset and bitter. I did some research and found out that the entire anime is in its own canon. After learning about this I was genuinely ecstatic because I thought that I'd finally get the satisfaction I was craving. Leading to the present day, I have picked up EVA in its manga form and I'm currently reading through it. Still very early on and I can without a doubt confirm that I already enjoy the premise much more. Shinji is set up better and NERV feels real instead of a hollow organization. So, to close off, if you really want to get into EVA I'd read the manga first.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Series Watch Order

Complete Series