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Year: 1995-1996
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Dementia, Psychological, Drama, Mecha
Episodes: 26
Rating: 6 out of 5
Let’s change this up a bit. I only do this when I write about an anime that is beyond outstanding. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have watched another anime that just blew my mind and almost made me feel more depressed and confused than I ever had been. An anime that I had to watch freaking TWICE because I didn’t get it the first time, but also because it was that damn good. Neon Genesis Evangelion is by far one of the best and most compelling, and mind-blowing anime ever made and seen. It is an anime that has been constantly ranked in the top 5 for the story, emotions, music, characters, and everything else you can think of. I have always heard that “If you haven’t seen this anime, then you just haven’t watched anime.” I warn you! Get ready for your mind and emotions to be genuinely messed up after watching this great anime.
Overview:
In the year 2015, the world has gone to complete and utter s**t. Fifteen years ago, the global cataclysm known as the Second Impact has brought the world to the brink of destruction. Creatures known as Angels attack known places with destruction and have a near-impenetrable force field. Humanity’s last and only hope lies in the hands of Nerv, a special agency under the United Nations and their Evangelions. Evangelions are giant bio-machines, synchronized to the nervous systems of their pilots, and are the only weapons capable of defeating the Angels.
Fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari is summoned to Tokyo-3 by his estranged and not loving father, Gendo Ikari, director of the special paramilitary force Nerv. Gendo believes that his son can synchronize with one of the Evangelions and fight against the angels. Nerv officer Misato Katsuragi escorts Shinji into the Nerv complex beneath the city. Shinji’s father pressures him into piloting the Evangelion Unit-01 against the Angel. If he doesn’t want to, he can go home and live the rest of his life as a failure. During an Angel attack, Shinji decides the best way to defend people is to pilot the 01-Unit. With the fate of mankind on his shoulders, the once-proud mission soon becomes a horror that his young mind cant take.
Review:
I want to put this out before really starting this review. Neon Genesis Evangelion is an AMAZING and ICONIC anime, but holy s**t is it off the wall and strange. I had to watch it twice to really get it, and I still don’t think I fully grasp it. Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the BIGGEST mindf**k anime series I have ever seen. The anime will attack you from so many different areas that it will honestly leave you exhausted and confused. With that said, it is so damn good when it comes to the story, animation, themes, music, characters, and everything else.
As far as the story goes, it is a complete mindf**k like I said before. First, this anime revolves around so many religious themes. The anime revolves around an apocalyptic future where a paramilitary organization, NERV, fights hostile beings called Angels, using giant humanoids called Evangelions that are piloted by select teenagers.
The MAJOR theme of and most prominent symbolism of this anime is the use of religious sources. It seems like all religions were on display, but Christianity, Islam, and Kabbalism were prominent. First, the idea of God and the idea comes into major display. Does God exist, and what are angels? The “Angels” come and attack the people of Earth. In the series, the first Angel is named Adam, just as the biblical Adam is the first man created by God. The second Angel is named Lilith, a reference to the Jewish folklore in which Lilith is the first wife of Adam. Lilith is shown crucified and impaled with a spear named the “Lance of Longinus,” the same lance used to pierce the side of Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. The goal of the Angels is to return to Adam and create the Third Impact, which would destroy mankind. The Eva units are considered ribs from Adam. Once again, this anime gets freakin’ religious. Oh, and you will see some crosses.
Another theme that anime shows in great detail is depression. Creator Hideaki Anno stated that he used his own personal struggles and his long battle with depression was the premise of many of the characters. Holy shit is it an eye-opener. Watching Shinji straight up lose his mind and become more and more depressed with each mission will make you feel terrible. Shinji’s introversion and social anxiety stem from the death of his mother at an early age and his abandonment by his father. Asuka, who is all pride and wants to always prove herself, loses her mind and goes into a depression when she loses and thinks people don’t view her the same. When she can’t control her Eva unit, Asuka comes to the realization that she has zero personal identity and states: “I’m the junk… I’m worthless. Nobody needs a pilot who can’t control her own Eva.” Rei, who you think is one that is quiet and content with life, is just as flawed as everyone else. You feel sorry for the lives the characters went through. One scene I didn’t like was the ending. Shinji is straight up on a suicide watch in my eyes, and he just berates himself. Then he starts speaking positively, and the world around him cracks and breaks until everyone is clapping around him after he says he is needed. After all that Shinji went through in the anime, and this is the ending?
I want to take a moment to talk about the action scenes. They are so great but freaking intense. The episode where Shinji and Asuka have to get along to fight an angel and go through this whole dance is funny. When Shinji loses his mind the first time, and his Eva unit goes berserk is a mouth drop moment. The entire Kaworu episode when it is revealed he is an angel and attacks is intense. Every episode is a nonstop heart racer from each Angel. The most intense moment of the whole anime is when Asuka and Rei are in the elevator. That is one of the most intense moments because you can feel the tension.
The animation of the anime is PERFECT and FLAWLESS. The colors and tones of the animation really add to the appeal of this anime. As the characters descend deeper and deeper into their depression, the whole scenes are just dark and full of misery. It is not a world one would want to live in. Some scenes are drawn so crazy that you wonder what you are watching.
Let’s not forget the music. The music is by far one of the best soundtracks for an anime. I usually don’t listen to the music in anime unless it is mind-blowing, but this anime brought some heavy hitters. First, let’s talk about the opening theme, A Cruel Angel’s Thesis, performed by Yoko Takahashi, is one of the best opening theme songs ever. The lyrics seem to just be perfect for Shinji and the overall anime. That upbeat tone is needed because you will get the exact opposite from this anime. The ending theme is just as great. Fly Me to the Moon is that lovely jazz melody that seems so out of place for this anime. I think it is perfect because you need a breather after watching some of these episodes. The anime also uses classical music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Giuseppe Verdi, and George Frideric Handel. When Kaworu attacks, the anime blasts that Beethoven to get your heart pumping.
As far as the characters go, Hideaki Anno attempted to create characters that reflected parts of his own personality. Each character is flawed in their own way while dealing with their own trauma. At first, I thought Shinji was a punk because he complained and just didn’t seem right, but when you got deep and personal in his backstory, you saw the dude went through some shit. His mother died, and his worthless father couldn’t give two shits about him. Shinji is considered the Third Child and the pilot of Unit 01. I didn’t like him at first because he is emotionally hypersensitive and sometimes does as expected out of fear of rejection. Over time he becomes less cowardly and soon stands up to his punk ass father. You feel bad because many of his relationships are destroyed at the end. The whole ending was a headscratcher.
I really didn’t like Asuka Langley Soryu, the Second Child, and the pilot of Unit 02. I really couldn’t stand her. She was brash, egotistical, verbally abusive, and has an exaggeratedly high opinion of her appearance and her skill as an Eva pilot. She was a straight-up BITCH! Homegirl was a pain, and I wanted someone to slap her. As the series progressed, you see that her whole attitude was just a front for what she really felt inside. The girl had some MAJOR issues. She was insecure about herself from her childhood. To watch her mental collapse was truly sad to watch.
Rei Ayanami was cool, but I really didn’t know about her. She is the First Child and the pilot of Unit 00. She didn’t seem to care about anyone and was socially withdrawn, seemingly emotionless, and remote. Her only apparent relationship was with Shinji’s punk-ass dad, who she defended to the fullest. As the series progresses, we learn that she is a vessel and was created explicitly by Shinji’s punk-ass dad to be used as a tool for accomplishing instrumentality. We also find out that she is a clone, but she does grow closer to Shinji.
There are so many other characters that I could speak on, but this review is starting to get a tad bit long, and I should move on. Just know that almost all the other characters have their flaws and reasons for doing things. Some of them are straight-up depressing and manipulative.
If you are about to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion, please strap in because your mind will go on a rollercoaster-type trip. With that said, this anime is a TOP 5 anime of all time. It is that good. It is one of the best anime series I have ever seen. It is still a mind trip, but the story, music, character, and themes are top-notch. You will enjoy this anime and still be confused about it after watching it.
