Evangelion: a journal (spoilers!)

=Major spoilers ahead!=


What follows is the LONG journal I kept this past month as I watched the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series and OVA's. Sorry for the length, but I highlighted a few spots so you can catch them as you scroll down. And at the end I have some questions/theories that could use some replies.


Neon Genesis Evangelion (Ep's 1-8 ) 1/8/04

Well, I’m finally watching the series that is supposed to be THE revolutionary anime of ALL TIME!!!!!

Enh, it’s okay so far.

I have read some articles on this series, so there are some spoilers and such that I’ve got an inkling about. So maybe if I knew NOTHING about it going in (the religious stuff, the bio-connection of the evas, all the deaths and “weird stuff” at the end) maybe this would be more of a riveting, shocking, and mind-blowing to me.

As it is, I’m not sure what the big deal is all about. But I’ll hold my complete review until I’ve seen it all – including the “movies” Death and Rebirth and End of Evangelion.

Anywho, my thoughts so far:

Fan-service – Ugh. Man, I think I know why this show is so popular now. It’s obligatory, gratuitous, perverse, disgusting, over-the-top, and unnecessary. It’s basically animated soft porn. Especially with these 14-year old girls (who are more like 16 or 17). I know people chalk some of the explicit nakedness scenes to “cultural differences,” but smut is smut.

Shinji continues the tradition of whiny mecha pilots. It’s a little too much.

As for the other characters, mmmmmmmm, nothing much for me yet. No one I really care about. Course, that might be because I’ve heard about a lot of their future demises/circumstances. It’s hard to connect with them. The teens are all a little over the top with the “American Pie” sex-obsessed stereotype. And they all could use a little Ritalin. Rei – of course – is the enigmatic quiet girl who seems to have smitten a gazillion anime otaku (is there a Japanese term for “old pervert?”). I’m not sure what her draw is – though she seems the tormented type who came from a terrible background and is a little unstable, like they suggest.

There’s a lot of totally absurd stuff here. From the highly schemed ways the humans beat the angels, to the weird giant angel creatures themselves that attack one at a time in a Godzilla-type way, to the fan-service (again), a lot of these scenes are totally unreal and illogical when you stop to think about it. All of the angel attacks seem to simply be convenient plot tools to get the action and tension going. But I think that’s what the show is going for – to portray the show as a typical crazy giant robot/teen anime – then to totally blow it out of the water toward the second half of the show (I’ll have to watch to be sure).

The religious themes are not really religious – from what I’ve seen so far – and I’ll have to watch to have a better idea. It’s more of a mysticism – this is not at ALL based on any Biblical truth. And I think the director had some connections to the Heaven’s Gate cult. So I’m not putting any “faith” – so to speak – in the religious plot devices used in this show. I think that’s what hooked a lot of people – very few anime shows delve into the religious spiritual realm of Judeo-Christian themes. But this is taking a waaaaaaaaay far off branch of J-C mysticism that is not really the religion – like Christian Scientology or Mormonism or such. (And yes, I am saying that those examples are not true Christianity. Read your Bible if you’re not sure.)

The action sequences are rather unique at times. The hop-scotch from battleship to battleship with Asuka’s 02 Eva in episode 8 was neat. And the Eva’s themselves are unique (another thing that makes the show popular) in that they behave more like humans (well, that’s to be expected, knowing what their history is) in their actions. There is not clunky slow moving giant robot motion like we usually see – like in mecha series such as Gundam. (Except for 08th MS team – that excellent mini-series really shows exciting action from a “grunt’s” perspective. And then there’s the complete opposite to Eva with Big O – which shows a giant robot like it probably would be in real life: slow, heavy, and clunky – but none the less fascinating.) Anyhow, back to Eva – the lightning fast movements, the jumping, running, and effortlessly using weapons (w/o really explaining how it works) not to mention the relative imperviousness they have when falling and landing – but at the same time all the damage they receive from battles with angels and the subsequent repairs – all are a breath of fresh air compared to most giant robot shows.

There are some neat details – like the sounds of cicadas in the background – that really adds to the atmosphere of the show. You really feel like you’re out there with them in a hot summer day – even if it is a post-apocalyptic Japan.

Speaking of which, I’m not sure why these angels are only attacking Japan and none of the other nations in the world seem to be bothered by this. I suppose it would be the same if the show were made in American and everything centered around New York – which a lot of U.S. movies and television shows do use as setting. And I think the whole religious stuff will start to show why the angels are “attacking.”

Another neat thing – the editing – the cut from scene to scene is refreshingly quick and well done – even using the same animation of a character in one setting and then panning out to show them in a different setting at a much later time. There are a lot of neat editing tricks like this to move the show along and shift focus of the story innovatively.

Shows I like so far: The fourth one with the two boys at Shinji’s school did well to show the effects of the battles on the “common people” – and it gave a human connection to why there is a fight for survival in the first place. The sixth episode (and fifth, which sets it up) about Rei and Shinji first coming to know one another featured some nice quiet moments – in particular at the end when Shinji mirrors his father’s actions to help save Rei and see if she’s okay. The smile was touching. And episode 7, I believe, with the rampaging human-corporation-made mecha was a nice focus on Misato – how she can be such a slob yet also a professional soldier. Plus the ending when Shinji realizes that Misato is a slob around him because she trusts him as a close friend once again helps build the growth of Shinji as a socially capable person – i.e: a person with loving friends.

So what is my final judgment? Not in my top ten. Maybe not even in my top twenty. At least, not yet. (I don’t know if I’ve seen more than twenty anime shows yet!) The action is neat and there are some unique sequences and editing. The music really hasn’t been that impressive – it hasn’t made me sit up and take notice, like the best music soundtracks do. I’m not really won over by the supposed shocking and revolutionary plot twists. Maybe because my spiritual walk is very important to me and I have firm faith in what I believe about the “big things,” so I’m not as torn or amazed by what they do with the religious and mysticism things.

And the biggest thing that makes me not impressed: I really don’t care about any of the characters yet. Yeah, it’s funny, and I can see how flying a giant robot would be intimidating, especially if your father is in charge of things and is a total cold-shoulder jerk to you. But you’re still piloting a giant mecha – how cool is that!?! And in the end, most if not all of the characters – no matter how zany and over-the-top sexually obsessed they are – are fundamentally nothing too different from other anime shows I’ve seen.

If I don’t really care about the characters, then I really don’t care much about the show. And to me, that is the biggest measurement of how “revolutionary” and “important” a story is.

I'm not surprised you think that way. Though if you have a little more patience, you'll notice the series change direction half-way through. It's like how I've been putting it for years now: Eva is all rainbow clouds, fluffy bunnies and kittens frollicking gaily, hearts 'n lollipops... until you hit the middle of the series.

So I guess Eva is only worth as much attention you pay to it, or as much brain power you're willing to spend on it. I personally consider Eva one of the best animes ever made, but that's because I let it seep into my brain.

All I can say is just wait and see if you like the other episodes, and don't make all your judgements quite yet. Because, hey, we haven't even gotten to the S2 engine part, or Unit 03, or the dummy plugs, or why it really, really, REALLY sucks to be Rei...

(Oh, and if you think Eva is smut, you clearly haven't watched too many animes...)

quote:

Originally posted by Mistress-Samwise (Oh, and if you think Eva is smut, you clearly haven't watched too many animes...)

You're right. I probably have viewed less than 30 different series/OVAs/movies. So my experience is limited. I'm working on that - but at the same, there's some stuff I just don't want to spend time with - the same with some books, movies, video games, etc. If I had all the time in the world, I'd enjoy a lot more entertainment. But we all have to use our 24 hours per day wisely!

Anyway, back to some more of my Journal. (Just one person's reaction. Don't flame me!)



After seeing episodes #9-14
-The hints of a subplot/mystery of a conspirator or traitor among the NERV midst as well as this new SEELE organization seeming to compete for control are getting interesting and make the whole show more sinister – but just hints of it right now.

-The show is getting more serious – which is a good thing – I’m enjoying it more now that the characters are becoming more serious and we’re looking deeper into their motivations, histories, and personalities. The Shinji-Gendo son-father thing is having a little more meaning.

-The teamwork among the three Eva pilots is making me enjoy the action more. And probably the neatest thing about the show is the unique human-feral like action of the Evas. It’s way unrealistic and physically impossible for these giant thin robots to do all these quick and jerky actions – but it’s still entertaining.

-Still an okay show. Could do without the obligatory and absurd fan-service (though it is toned down a little now). And the whole religious stuff is intriguing – but completely off-base and more of mystic fantasy than anything else.


After seeing all 26 episodes (not Death/Rebirth nor End yet)

Well, it certainly does get better – the weirdness, the psychological stuff, the myteries – all intriguing. But I still think this is an okay anime. I will give it credit for trying all kinds of new things. The fact is, there are a lot of neat things explored here. I’ll say Evangelion has a lot of neat characteristics – any one or two of which would set it apart from most shows:

-The fan-service. Yup, I’d say a lot of the appeal this show has is to all the perverts out there. There. I’ve said it.

-The religious/mystical twist on “alien invaders.”

-The mystery of who the Evas actually are – first that the use the angel “technology,” and second that it uses the “soul” of humans. (I’m still learning more about this when I watch the two OVAs.)

-The psychological stuff of people finding happiness and their place in the world. All the dream/mind sequences are pretty unique in anime – including the anime ranging from simple wavy lines to sketched animation.

-The music. From the brassy fight themes to the screeching strings for the horror of angel attacks to the game show-esqe cheesy sequences to the wonderfully mysterious dream sequences to the powerful use of the best in classics – from Pachelbel’s Canon in D to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (especially at the climax vs. the 5th child) – really unique use of music. As for original music – I like the piano minor key/atonal pieces Rei I, Hostility Restored, Crime of Innocence; and the trippy dream/mind sequences of Borderline Case, Do You Love Me?, Splitting of the Breast, Mother is the First . . , and Separation Anxiety (the upbeat one of the group). (And man-o-man! How many versions of “Fly Me to the Moon” does one show need?!!? Ugh!)

-The action sequences. The giant “robots” aren’t sluggish like most mechas. Instead, they are feral and savage – leaping, running, wrestling, and wielding weapons of all sorts. Yeah it’s completely unrealistic and physically impossible for a structure so big to move so fast and function, but hey, it’s entertaining.

-The editing. I think this is probably the biggest area where I’m impressed with the show. This includes the rapid cuts between scenes – even scenes lasting a second – to show the progression of time. Then there are other moments when the show hangs on one frame of animation for several seconds. Those moments are wonderful at setting the mood.

So since the editing is the most engaging part for me – not the characters, the animation, or the music, etc. – I’m pretty well settled that this is quite certainly a unique show, but not in my list of top 5 or 10 favorite anime shows. Most importantly, I have to care about the characters.



Yes, the show is extremely innovative in areas no one has tried before. Especially unique is how it starts out like a stereotypical giant mecha/alien invasion/teenage fan-service (ugh) show, but quickly turns to something much more sinister and mentally challenging. And yeah, there is a lot of foreshadowing and thematic study and symbolism, but whoopty doo. A lot of shows do that. Some people over-praise Evangelion for its “artsy-ness.” I would argue the show is quite formulaic in many ways. The angels only attack at moments when it’s rather convenient for the story line. Also, a lot of the characters seem to have parent issues. Freud would have a hey-day. More than once, I’ve wanted to take a character or two and give them a good shake – “Snap out of it!” “Get on with your life!”

I think another reason this is such a fan-favorite is because the studio/company has milked the show for all it’s worth – with re-releases, statues (of dead characters, nonetheless), and even in-jokes in other Gainax shows about it.

Sure, there are some interesting action sequences, character development, and psychological struggles, but I still don’t care for the characters like real people. And the best shows do that.


Okay, I’ll put one more entry about this show after I’ve seen the two OVAs. I’d like to learn the history of why they had to put in the two last episodes just to make an OVA (End of Evangelion) that the creators wanted in the first place. Huh? Why didn’t they just do it the way they wanted the first time around? (I will admit, the last two original episodes – while very trippy and redundant and psychologically slothlike – do have a certain “re-set” new age quality to them. And it’s even “happy.” I’m looking forward to seeing these OVAs and finding out what the creators really wanted. It’s sort of like Charles Dickens and his rewrite of the end of Great Expectations.)

Don't watch End of Eva!!! ::is still upset with that ending::

I loved the original ending of the Eva series... It ended on such a high-note. Then End of Eva stormed into my DVD player and was like, "Dude, I'm gonna totally ruin the experience for you!"

AND IT DID!!!

I don't think Eva was *THE* greatest series ever, but it was pretty good. It had an important message at the very end of the series that the movie just totally crumpled up, ripped to shreds, set on fire, and peed on the ashes of.

Not that I have an opinion on the subject...

Voted "it's okay" because..well, I've moved on.

Don't get me wrong, I liked Evangelion. It was what got me interested in anime to begin with.

I still like it, I suppose...I just couldn't see myself going back and rewatching it anytime soon. Maybe someday but..not right now.

Also wasn't EOE made to shut up fans who found the series ending "too open ended"?

Personally, I was more wowed by the series ending. The movies...got kind of trippy.

Again, I loved both death and rebirth and end of evangelion. I'm just sure I probably missed alot of the point to them.

EDIT: JetAlone was awesome.

I watched it with a completely blank slate, meaning no hype and no spoilers.

And I watched all 26 episodes and the movie within one weekend, so I enjoyed it, but I don't go out of my way to make a big deal out of it, I just thought it was an interesting show that was worth watching at least once.

Its an ok anime I guess. But I dont go out of my way to watch it or get increadibly excited if its on. The only thing I realy dont like about it is the story. Everything else is pretty good though.

I think one of the appeals about Neon Genesis: Evangelion, at least back when it was first released, was because it was so revolutionary. There weren't any anime that really touched the themes Evangelion did...and even to this day, there are few that do.

Yes, the series definitely has its low-points. Budget mis-management led to a lot of wasted potential near the end in terms of animation quality, I think, and some of the themes could have been explored in greater depth...but overall, I have to say NG:E is one of my favorite anime of all time, if not my favorite.

Personally, I did care about the characters. Yes, they might seem rather stereotypical--the reluctant hero who has no self-confidence, the arrogant girl hiding feelings of insecurity, the diabolical administrator manipulating everything behind the scenes...but I was able to empathize with their plight nonetheless.

The religious symbolism...that's something that always intrigued me. The interpretations taken on Judeo-Christian beliefs I found extraordinarily fascinating...

I could probably go on for hours about NG:E, but I think I'll stop there. As for the End of Evangelion...well, I like both endings equally, but End of Eva is quite disturbing...

Y'know what? I'm sorry I didn't put in a category in the poll along the lines of something like "Liked it but not my favorite" or something like that. There's too big of a gap between the choices.

So, if you're in the "liked it but not my favorite" please let us know!


About the End of Evangeilon OVA: I heard on the DVD commentary track that it may have been possible that Anno (director/writer) was so fed up with the negative responses to the series end that he wrote such a savage and confusing alternative ending with the OVA's. Any truth to this?

quote:

So, if you're in the "liked it but not my favorite" please let us know!

I just assumed "it's okay" covered that. Because..yeah, I DEFINATELY liked it, but I wouldn't say it's my favorite...I mean, I don't feel some sudden compulsion to go watch it again.

quote:

About the End of Evangeilon OVA: I heard on the DVD commentary track that it may have been possible that Anno (director/writer) was so fed up with the negative responses to the series end that he wrote such a savage and confusing alternative ending with the OVA's. Any truth to this?

Again, I've heard EOE was motivated by the negative responses to the ending. I'm not sure if he intentionally wanted to make it confusing, but I know it came from the desire for a more concrete ending.

Also I believe the series was done when Anno was highly depressed, which might explain why every single character has some kind of troubled past, or is screwed up in one way or another.

After seeing the two OVA’s (Death and Rebirth; End of Evangelion)

I’ve heard different takes on these OVA’s. One (like they say on the back of the box) is that this is how the creators wanted to end the series. The other version is that after the original ending (the trippy two-episode one where Shinji basically “finds himself”), some people were so upset with all the stuff unresolved – some so much that they even wrote death threats to the director and creators.


Well, onto the show . . .

Very odd. I guess that’s how I’ll put it. And very violent. But I had heard about all the deaths beforehand. (I was spoiled.) Again, since I really didn’t care for most of the characters, it wasn’t as depressing. But it was still pretty brutal.

But I can see how OVA ending does wrap up things for the most part. The action with Asuka and Eva-02 vs. SEELE and the mass-produced Eva’s was pretty keen. And it is easy to forget that most of the “giant robot action” wasn’t like this before Eva. (Although there were some echoes of Robotech: Macross.)

Anywho, I guess my general comment about the ending is what my brother said about The Matrix movie: “I guess they had to end it some way.”

The whole end of the world/recreation/rebirth stuff was a little (okay a lot) disturbing. I was particularly saddened by the “demise” of the three controllers from NERV and Fujitski (sp?). Those characters were probably the most easy to relate to. (So on that note, I kinda prefer the original “happy” ending.)

And whatever happened to Shinji’s classmates? Those three characters (names escaping me right now, sorry) were also some of the most human – but we don’t see them at all in the final OVA.

Well anyways, I can see how this show is clamored to be “mind blowing” and all that jazz. Sure, it’s weird and gross and disturbing. But in my mind, just because it’s unique doesn’t mean it’s great art or even great entertainment. It was okay.

There’s a whole lotta mixed up religious and mystic and cult stuff at the end – most of which I’m glad I didn’t catch. It was interesting to note that not ever in this entire show is an actual “supreme being” mentioned – just all these “angels” (by the way, where do they come from?) and humans recreating themselves. This is definitely fiction. Don't call me an old fuddy-duddy. I calls it how I sees it. Pure fiction.

So wrapping it all up. I guess I’m glad I watched the show to see what all the hubbub was about. But I don’t think I’ll go out of my way to watch it again. Great editing, neat moments of inner reflection, bestially violent giant robot action, an interesting transition to stereotypical anime into something much darker and twisted, great use of classical music, and some interesting original “trippy” music too.

Now I’ll end with some questions – I’m sure these have been much discussed by other people more familiar with the series and such. So please forgive me if these topics are “so yesterday.” But just a couple of thoughts on the stuff that makes you think. (Like one of the DVD audio commentators said, Japanese anime gives you questions, not answers.)

Questions: (and my apologies for any sp’s!)

1 – Who shoots Kaji? (Ep. 21) My guess is either some triple crosser from SEELE or possibly even Mitsato from NERV.

2 – So how many Rei’s “existed?” I count the one choked to death as a child by Ritsiko’s mother; the one who died in the explosion of the M2 mine trying to fight off the angel attacking underground (the one which Shinji’s Eva “eats”); and the Rei who died self-detonating her Eva when the 16th (?) angel attacked – the hula hoop/glowing snake one. And then there was the last one who finally seemed to “get it” and merged with the white Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man angel.

3 – Okay, so the whole Rei/Shinji’s mom thing – Rei is simply a bunch of clones of Shinji’s mom, right? And Shinji’s mom somehow got absorbed into the Eva-01 (and unit 0 too?) and sort of become some type of “evolved” human in this giant biomechanical form. (Or something like that.)

4 – What does Gendo say to Ritsiko at the end? My guesses (2 of them) 1) Your mother was a better “girlfriend” or 2) Your mother liked me more and that’s why the computers don’t follow your self-destruct order.

5 – Exactly how did they get the Lance of Longinus back? (I think SEELE appeared with it during the “End” – but wasn’t it lost in lunar orbit?) I’m sure someone can fill in this plot hole.

6 – So exactly why did everyone fight to control the end of the world? First of all, where were these angels coming from? And why did all the humans (Gendo from NERV and the bigwigs at SEELE) want to end the world? Just so they could recreate it in their own image? Or they thought joining all the world’s people’s consciousness would be a good thing? Or was it just a power trip?

7 – Okay, at the very end when Shinji is on the beach with the red water. The body is Asuka’s, but the eyes are brown (like Misato’s). Also, the injuries are like Rei’s from the beginning of the show, but also correlate to Asuka’s injuries when she fought the mass-produced Eva’s. So, is this character a mesh of the three? Kinda weird if it is. And why did Shinji try to choke her? Is he that lame a character? It was really hard to see this mopey kid as a “hero” of the story. And what exactly did this Asuka character say? “How disgusting.” Right? What does that mean? The commentators said they tried to translate it just right, since the Japanese language has no equivalent for “I.” So was she just saying that she felt disgusting or what? Quite the weird way to end the “masterpiece of all anime.” Of course, none of that frustrated sex stuff really caught my fancy, anyway.


Well, just a few (million) thoughts. Glad to have seen it, but will happily live on enjoying other anime a lot more.

I guess one thing you can credit to the show is that it makes people who have seen it talk about it long afterwards!

Ugh, I really don't want to this to be a flame, but please consider my post. Evangelion -requires- you to think for you to enjoy it on any level other than surface entertainment. I can't really even begin to voice all my problems with this thread. Furthermore, I can't even believe half of the things you bothered to type. Please forgive my laziness, I copied and pasted plenty.

Did you watch it subbed or dubbed for one? I'll assume subbed since pretty much all anime dubbed = junk.

The angels are attacking japan because of rei. Why? Her false soul is that of Lillith.

The fan service in eva is relatively weak to almost any anime you'll see with -real- fan service, and albeit what there is, is tasteful and adult (even if you can't agree with that, it's pretty creative in many instances and often conveys conflicting emotions with a single sexy goal, eh? ~_^). When I think of fan service, yet still a pretty decent anime, I think of something like Love Hina.

And I'm not going to bother with anything you say about the plot or things being unprobable and/or impossible. Let it be known that when you start with an impossible premise, anything goes.

TFP hits the nail on the head. Furhermore, Evangelion as art (not just theme) is compositionally an incredible masterpiece. I suggest you take in the scenes as you would watching a movie (you did note the editing, which was an excellent point). Elaboration on the characters from my point of view: its their clear emotional extremes on top of old stereotypes that make the characters identifiable to incredible clarity.

1. You're not supposed to know who shoots Kaji. Don't bother speculating, the creators say the easiest explination is someone from the intelligence department (no one important). Though, romantically, I like to have believed it was Misato. ^_^

2. Countless total bodies. However, you are aware that there are three living clones of Rei.

3. Uh, no. Shinji's mom's soul is in Eva-1. As asukas is in eva 2. Eva-0 is controlled by Rei because her soul is that of Lillith. Rei's body, yes, is a clone of Shinji's mother and thus she possibibly contained genetic memory.

4. Most people wouldn't agree with you. Too lazy to explain: http://www.animenation.net/forums/archiv...p/t-117875.html

5. Plot hole? Refer to what I said earlier. Lets make up something entirely plausible: The world is comming to an end, that which brings it about will draw the lance to it like say... the gravity of a black hole. Makes sense to me.

6. Nope, nope and nope. The basic idea is that the human heart, or human soul rather is incomplete, lacking in something basic and primal. SEELE believed that mankind had turned into a "colony of worthlessness" and that the only way for mankind to achieve happiness was for all life to die and become one in a single perfect being. They felt that humanity had hit a dead end in its evolution, and the only way for mankind to continue living was for it to return to the womb (quite literally). Here's where things got tricky; I didn't understand this until I watched the directors cut. Gendo is controlling the ENTIRE situation from the very beginning, SEELE is basically his bitch. How do you know this? Gendo, knew better than SEELE and did not want to initiate Human Complement Project to simply kill everyone in the world. In fact, all evidence says that Gendou's version of Complementation did not entail the genocide of all humanity at all. When SEELE idealizes the death of God, man and all living things, Gendo replies to them "Death gives birth to nothing." This is basically the climax of their conflict, Gendo has drawn a line in the sand and all that is left is for SEELE to react. All Gendou seemed to want was to re-united with his beloved wife (In the face of Complementation he says, "I've been waiting for this moment for so long... To finally be with you again, Yui.") He knew Yui's soul would be trapped inside and was then contained in the Eva. More important: He created the instrumentality project! His goals, however, are questionable (Gendo had a different scenario for the Complementation of mankind and his process seems to have included the use of Rei, Adam, and Lillith while SEELE's focused on Eva-01 (direct clone of Lillith), Evangelion Mass Production Models and the Spear of Longinuss (at first intended for the original Spear, but the replicas would have sufficed)). He wanted Rei to bring him to Yui through the power of Lillith, for what purpose, is unknown, though it is obviously in conflict with SEELs "scenario".

7. And further, no - the person on the shore with Shinji is Asuka and Asuka only. Shinji rejected Human Complementation Project, and as such he has no control over whatever happens next. He is an ordinary boy. Yui says that anyone who can "imagine themselves in their own hear" can come back, on their own. Apparently, Asuka is one of those people. A person with the will to live. A combination of people is impossible outside of the Complementation project that Shinji rejected. Why did Shinji choke her? This is the largest speculation to which the creators offered no answer. Remember t hough: Shinji chose real pain over false pleasure. Possibly Shinji tried to choke her because he wanted to be sure it was real? Initial reaction after suffering? Anyway, she said it was disgusting, because even as she understood of what had happend (she was awake and in incredible shock), she found Shinji's reaction to be disgusting.

[In reply to IamRogerSmith's post, since it is too long to quote.]

You certainly hit the nail on the head, or as close anyone could ever get when it comes to Eva. I especially agree with what you mentioned about who shot Kaji and Gendo's lip flap. Sometimes, voids like those are better for the imagnation.

Being so abstract as it is, Eva can't be defined by one set of rules; each aspect has to be interpreted individually. There's no mistake that I spent more brainpower on it than any other anime. It was a lot of hard work, I will admit, and it is very, very easy to write off Eva as unentertaining because of that. True entertainment works for you so you won't work for it.

So that is why I would be willing to say that Eva really isn't entertainment. Definitely, it is not anything like, let's say, Castle of Cagliostro, one of the most entertaining anime movies I've ever seen. It is a rollercoaster, whereas Eva is a maze. It's fair to say you're not required to come out feeling entertained when you exit a maze. So it's fair to say you're not satisfied by Eva.

[GRAH! The bell rang for my next class. Sorry!]

Thanks for your (respectful) replies. This is why I kept my log after watching the episodes and posted them. I know I repeat myself (sorry!), but they were the thoughts that I had at the time.

And I posted them just for this reason - to find out what everyone else thinks about the show. I must admit I would have preferred to see this show unspoiled and - more importantly - without hearing all the hype about it. That way I probably would have watched it with less skepticism.

And I'm not so concerned about the answers to any of these questions. I've come to enjoy the open endedness of anime, and to further enjoy the discussion that follows.

As it is, Evangelion is great anime. If I can, I'll watch it again and study it - hopefully the Platinum editions! But also as it is, I've only got 24 hours every day and only have so much $$.

I'm currently in the process of watching Neon Genesis Evangelion right now on The Anime Network. For what I've seen so far, it's a pretty good series. It took me a very long time before I got to see what the hype was all about. For me it's not the best series, but it's a very good series. It is, however, perhaps the most talked about series ever.

The logs you have written are pretty interesting, Schoolie, as are the replies from everyone else. Right now, I have seen about 14 episodes. I hope the experience will be a good one once I finish the series. Perhaps then I'll be able to have more of an opinion.

Ok, I finished watch the series today. I didn't get a lot of stuff but I still have the two movies to watch.

Schoolie, I agree. I barely cared about the characters. The only character I did care about, Kaoru (sp?) was only around for one ep (btw, the music in that ep was awesome). I know he was an Angel, but I still cared about him more than Shinji or anyone else. Actually, if you think about it, the Eva's are almost like characters themselves. I definitely found them more interesting than the "real" characters. Oddly enough, I also liked Gendo Ikari, who was probably the only person in the series with a real goal.

I wasn't too upset with the ending since everyone was FINALLY happy. But I was annoyed that it pretty much disregarded the 25 episodes that came before. I mean, I didn't see how everything could just be fine and dandy all of sudden after all that happened. It was kinda like the lame "oh it was all a dream" ending. Though I did like in either ep 25 or 26 when Shinji wakes up and proceeds to have a normal life. I just wanted him to act normal and stop being so depressed!

So yeah, Eva wasn't great. Pretty much every anime fan should watch it though right? So now that I've got that out of the way, I would definitely recommend the NGE manga. In my opinion, it makes a lot more sense than the anime, plus you can control the pace so important things don't flash by in one second and you miss them. Also, there are short essays at the end of each volume that are QUITE interesting. Definitely check it out.

I might watch this series again someday, after I've read all about it so I can go back and say, "Oh yeah, I get it now".

Yeah, this is definitely one of those anime shows that you want to watch again (and again) to catch everything.

What is the story on the movies? Are they really the "real" end that the creators wanted? Or did they just make them because of a fan outcry about the original ending?

I agree that Kaoru (sp? - the fifth child/angel) was a pretty interesting character. And the battle he initiates between Shinji and the controlled Unit 02 is pretty sweet as they crash down the complex. An excellent climatic battle scene - especially after the peaceful nature of the first half of the episode.

It kinda makes the freaky mind-trip of the last two episodes somewhat of a letdown. I mean, I still dig the trippiness factor, but it was quite weird for weirdness' sake.

quote:

"Oh yeah, I get it now".

Theres not a ton of stuff to "get".

Well..I should rephrase that.

Apparently Anno didn't mean all that much with the series, it's well known most (or..all) of it was made during a time when he was fairly depressed, so alot of the overly-traumatic backstory to nearly everything came out of that.

As far as why theres symbolism thrown around nearly everywhere, that apparently just looked good and appeared to fit. So it was mainly for aesthetic purposes.

It's a good show, and I think everyone who watches it initially thinks its deep. Then you go and realize alot of it is just kind of there for effect.

EDIT: Though looking back, alot of it is just so over the top I almost find it funny. Examples of this include the mind rape scene, and how rei "dies" so often she basically becomes a monotone, albino version of Kenny from south park. While I'm not saying I dislike the show, it would be kind of hard to watch it completely through again, and not be somewhat amused even the giant robots have some level of angsty behavior going on.

quote:

Originally posted by Sharpshooter005 quote: "Oh yeah, I get it now". Theres not a ton of stuff to "get".

Well it's kinda like how when you watch a show like Big O or FLCL for the first time and you're somewhat confused and then when you go back and rewatch it you see a bunch of things you didn't notice before. Then you get a fuller understanding of what's going on. I'm not saying that it's going to be incredibly deep but it's fun to make those sort of connections and say, "Hey, I didn't notice that before".

Plus it's gotta make more sense than it did the first time.

Iam just a little curious I was trying to get into this series a little while back but I kept confussing all of the titles and order in which the volumes and the movie go in, I think when I was looking thorugh a bunch of them they were fan subbed versios as well but Iam not sure. Iam just wondering if someone can point me in a direction where I can get all of them or at least the whole series and then the movie together so I don't have to buy all the volumes by themselves. And so I can watch them all at once too. Thanks a bunch!

-Beth