"Neon Genesis Evangelion", Hideaki Anno's magnum opus and a reflection of his depression at the time. Long have I heard of this legendary anime, but never felt the drive in giving it a try until recently. Is it worth it? Well, yes but in some ways no.
Plot: Years after the apocalyptic event known as the 2nd Impact, the story concerns Shinji Ikari, a lonely boy who is suddenly summoned by his neglectful father Gendo, the head of the group called NERV. The reason: to pilot a mech called an Evangelion (Eva for short) to combat unusual creatures called Angels alongside brash Asuka and stoic Rei. Despite considerable reservations and low self-esteem, he agrees, going on a journey involving giant-sized battles, unnerving revelations, and a dive into others' inner demons.
On the surface, this seems like a standard action series, but it's really a character study filled with religious parallels, psychological analyses, and sexual elements. Most of the major characters suffer from some shortcoming and have different ways of coping. My favorite is Misato, a woman who is both head of operations against Angels and Shinji's caretaker/mother figure; she shares common ground with him, is a risk taker, and has relatable flaws. Shinji, though, is a divisive figure as your enjoyment of the show depends on how much you invest in or even tolerate him. Having "hedgehog's dilemma" among others, he hesitates on things from fighting to getting close to anyone. While at times understandable, it does try one's patience (he's more tolerable after the first few episodes). There are scenes that offer levity with light-hearted moments, which I appreciate. While sometimes short, the battles alone are worth a watch with cool strategies, gruesome bloody violence, and a pantheon of monstrous Angels whose designs are as alien as their origins and motives. Outside the fights, though, the animation tends to be minimalistic. In fact, many scenes involve still shots that go on for too long, which bugged me. There's also no real explanation of why the Evas have to be piloted by 14-year olds and some side characters are written out in a way that doesn't feel conclusive.
"Evangelion" has two endings. First, the show's last 2 episodes are an abstract mind trip where the staff literally ran out of money and scraped together. The second is the movie "End of Evangelion", which is more grand and decisive, but also VERY trippy. Analyses from other people helped me understand the film, but it's not satisfying entertainment-wise. I'm curious about the remake "Rebuild of Evangelion", but that's for another time. While not for everyone, the anime certainly earned its reputation.
Plot: Years after the apocalyptic event known as the 2nd Impact, the story concerns Shinji Ikari, a lonely boy who is suddenly summoned by his neglectful father Gendo, the head of the group called NERV. The reason: to pilot a mech called an Evangelion (Eva for short) to combat unusual creatures called Angels alongside brash Asuka and stoic Rei. Despite considerable reservations and low self-esteem, he agrees, going on a journey involving giant-sized battles, unnerving revelations, and a dive into others' inner demons.
On the surface, this seems like a standard action series, but it's really a character study filled with religious parallels, psychological analyses, and sexual elements. Most of the major characters suffer from some shortcoming and have different ways of coping. My favorite is Misato, a woman who is both head of operations against Angels and Shinji's caretaker/mother figure; she shares common ground with him, is a risk taker, and has relatable flaws. Shinji, though, is a divisive figure as your enjoyment of the show depends on how much you invest in or even tolerate him. Having "hedgehog's dilemma" among others, he hesitates on things from fighting to getting close to anyone. While at times understandable, it does try one's patience (he's more tolerable after the first few episodes). There are scenes that offer levity with light-hearted moments, which I appreciate. While sometimes short, the battles alone are worth a watch with cool strategies, gruesome bloody violence, and a pantheon of monstrous Angels whose designs are as alien as their origins and motives. Outside the fights, though, the animation tends to be minimalistic. In fact, many scenes involve still shots that go on for too long, which bugged me. There's also no real explanation of why the Evas have to be piloted by 14-year olds and some side characters are written out in a way that doesn't feel conclusive.
"Evangelion" has two endings. First, the show's last 2 episodes are an abstract mind trip where the staff literally ran out of money and scraped together. The second is the movie "End of Evangelion", which is more grand and decisive, but also VERY trippy. Analyses from other people helped me understand the film, but it's not satisfying entertainment-wise. I'm curious about the remake "Rebuild of Evangelion", but that's for another time. While not for everyone, the anime certainly earned its reputation.