Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion

"What we've got here is failure to communicate." - Cool Hand Luke (1967) Evangelion in a nutshell. Neon Genesis Evangelion: arguably the most polarizing anime of all time. Known for its unlikable but well-written characters, unique storytelling, and, for many though not myself, disappointing ending. When reviewing Eva, it is crucial to specify that not everyone is going to like this show. Understandably, many think the show is overrated and flawed. However, I believe that while there are some significant flaws present throughout the series, it is not in a sense where the writing is terrible, more so in that, while good, it could've been better. Mostof these flaws stem from the sudden change in pacing and character focus after episode 7. Also, many of its famous symbolic and psychoanalysis scenes can often be difficult, but possible, to understand. In my own opinion, Eva's characters, while unlikeable, do not become annoying, except for maybe Asuka. I believe that unlikability does not necessarily mean poorly written. So, allow me to explain why Evangelion is, without a doubt, a "flawed masterpiece."

Story: 9/10
The story begins in a very cliche manner: a young boy named Shinji Ikari forced to pilot a giant robot and fight off the invading angels. However, it is after the first episode that the theme of the story becomes much darker and more complicated than initially thought. Throughout the story, we discover underlying character motives that often conflict with each other, like SEELE and Gendo, and that all is not what it seems to be. We learn of the history of the Evangelion units and that they are, in fact, alive. Also, the show slowly reveals the true nature of the angels and their history with humanity. These elements, along with the insightful and sometimes confusing, psychoanalysis scenes of its characters, help make Eva's story more unique and well written than the cream of the crop of anime. The writers also make the smart choice of focusing on the characters' personal lives and not just the Angel battles and therefore allowing the series to be overarching rather than episodic "Angel of the week" battles. The writers establish their cast of characters adequately, and everything seems to be going perfectly.
That is until episode 8, in which the show introduces us to the fiery Asuka Langley Soryu, the final member of the main cast. Usually, this wouldn't be a problem. However, due to the previous two episodes acting as catalysts for the development of Rei and Misato, the pacing and character focus changes completely. The pacing becomes much slower when it doesn't need to be and pushes aside several key characters like Rei, Misato, and Ritsuko. While the pacing never bothered me personally, I understand why it was a problem for some.
The other elements of the plot, precisely the mystery behind the angels, the Evas, and Human Instrumentality as well as the fights against the angels, are all still well executed. Evangelion does an excellent job utilizing show don't tell, less is more, and symbolism to convey its themes, plot progression, and character emotions. The battles against the angels are unique in that the writers were able to avoid having the show become episodic and repetitive. We see NERV develop believable and risky plans and put them into action. Next, we watch the pilots, Shinji, Rei, and Asuka put the plan into action and see the complications, character establishment, and results very fluidly and believably. These plans can take 1-2 episodes to set up and execute. Not to mention, we don't always focus on NERV and the fight scenes. Instead, we also watch Shinji slowly integrate into his new environment, whether that be Misato's apartment, NERV, or school.
The most controversial parts of Eva are the psychoanalysis scenes and meetings between Gendo and SEELE. Now, these scenes are undoubtedly difficult to understand. During my first time watching the series, I often ended up confused regarding the goals of SEELE and what the history of the angels was and why it mattered. However, at the same time, one can easily take away the main idea from these scenes, which is what's most important. In Eva, it is the minor details that are sometimes difficult to explain, but at the end of the day, the big picture is as clear as day.
Regarding the final two episodes of Eva, I can certainly understand why people were disappointed. Still, at the same time, it also gave tons of character development towards its main cast in a unique form and integrated its theme smoothly and coherently. Now within this review, I am not taking the movie The End of Evangelion into account. Though, I recommend watching it after the final two episodes of the series as it clears up any confusion you have and shows what was happening to Shinji during the last two episodes.
Ultimately, Eva's story is something that is unique with its techniques and themes but is hindered by its dramatic change in pacing and character focus as well as the lack of clarity present regarding specific details. Overall, Eva succeeds with the main ideas but, at times, fumbles with its minor features.

Characters: 10/10
The characters are easily the best-written aspect of the series. Seeing as how the show is a deconstruction of the mecha genre, it makes sense that some of the characters will come off as unlikeable. However, while watching them grow, regress, and interact with each other, I never felt my experience ruined. They were the most significant source of my enjoyment. However, I want to make clear that they can be unlikable for the shonen demographic. If you've seen shows like Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, JoJo, or any battle action shonen, and if those are your favorite types of anime, these characters will come off as annoying and terrible. Still, I hope that you will try to sympathize and understand why these characters act the way they do and put yourself in their shoes. Don't assume that you would bravely get into the robot to protect everyone and do the right thing every time. Not everyone grew up or developed in a manner that leads to success or a healthy life.
Let me begin with Shinji Ikari, the main protagonist known for his lack of bravery, complicated selfish desires, and crippling depression. He is probably the most sympathizable character of all time and, for some, like me, the most relatable character of all time. His nature revolves around his desire to bond with someone and receive their affection. However, he is too afraid of being abandoned and hurt as his father did to him as a child. As a result, he ends up pushing those away who try to get close to him. The writers execute this trait in a way that does not annoy the viewer. They accomplish this by giving Shinji reason to do so.
An example of this is when Misato attempts to comfort with Shinji when not too long ago, she abandoned him after one of his many traumatic missions to go off and have sex and get wasted. Misato even explains that he realizes she's getting close to him at that moment, not for his benefit, but her own. His personality is mostly passive, and we learn of his complexity through many symbolic motifs such as the train scenes. During these, Shinji converse with a younger version of himself who criticizes his actions, and Shinji desperately tries to justify them and run away from confronting his desires. His fantastic development also consists of his bonds with multiple characters, each one having a unique relationship with him.
Additionally, nobody ever clues Shinji in on NERV's actual plans are and does not ever try to discover them. In other words, he is insignificant. Yet, he still feels more substantial than life because of his insightful development and compelling characteristics. He is easily one of the best-written characters of all time, disregarding likability. His relationships with other characters are deep but don't define him nor them thankfully. Misato is his guardian, and they both share a complicated relationship with their respective father. At times she encourages Shinji while other times she is careless when advising Shinji, which he follows, leading her to chastise him. He and Rei are birds of a feather, and he is the catalyst for her development and causes her to feel emotions she's never felt before, not even with Gendo. Asuka and Shinji follow the opposites attract trope, and despite acting completely different, they are more similar than initially thought.
The rest of the main cast: Rei, Misato, and Asuka are all unique and have their separate subplot. Rei, who is known for popularizing the kuudere archetype, slowly becomes more human, mostly due to Shinji, despite repeated claims, mainly from Asuka, that she is just a doll. Also, she seems to be more critical to the plot than we at first believe. Misato, Shinji's new guardian, is trying to discover the true nature of NERV and the Evas' purpose. This motive causes her relationships with Ritsuko and Kaji to alter, one for the better the other for, the worse. Lastly, Asuka, who, despite being thought of as the best pilot, ironically causes the most trouble and missions to fail due to her arrogance. Like all the characters, though, she has her reasons for her personality and family issues too. Unfortunately, though, the amount of screentime given to her is unwarranted and hinders the development of other characters who are by far more exotic such as Rei. Also, her introduction and character focus hurts the pacing by slowing it down tremendously and can be a struggle to get through at times. Not to mention many of her interactions with others are more comedic and repetitive and can get annoying times. She is a tsundere with very little dere. While her relationship with Shinji is significant, and when I first watched Eva, it was one of the best aspects. However, I write this review after seeing the three Rebuild movies and the manga, both having significant differences. The films and manga focused more on Rei's relationship with Shinji, instead of Asuka's, and was emotionally resonating and progressed steadily. Asuka's, on the other hand, for almost half the series, was almost entirely static. In short, the show focuses on Asuka for far too long when they could've done the same arc in half the screentime.
The supporting cast is also intense and complex. Gendo is tough to understand and has unclear motivations. He is very cold to those around him and manipulative, yet it seems like he's chasing after something and running away from his child. Ritsuko is complicated too. Most of it stems from her view of her mother. She has an inferiority complex and, despite being the most intelligent, makes many questionable decisions caused by insecurity and lack of empathy. Kaji, a womanizer and special inspector of NERV, has a romantic history with Misato and slowly rekindles their relationship and often gives Shinji the most thoughtful advice of the cast. Lastly, the students: Toji, Hikari, and Kensuke, all get establishing moments are help make Shinji feel more like a student rather than someone full of depression. They are the few characters who genuinely understand what Shinji is going through and sympathize with him. Kensuke, interestingly enough, can be seen as a representation of the audience who finds the characters annoying, he wishes he was an Eva pilot and wishes he could live with Misato as Shinji does.
Overall, each character has a purpose that they fulfill perfectly, and their characterization is insightful, relatable, thematic, and compelling. It adds to the many themes of Eva, one being self-acceptance, having hope for the future, and others involving depression and anxiety.

Art/Animation: 8/10
The art of the show for its time is 10/10, but due to the drop in animation quality that is obvious to anyone with eyes and is especially apparent in the final two episodes, I cannot give it higher than an 8/10. That is not to say that it will ruin your enjoyment; the character designs are all unique and insightful into their personalities. Rei's blue and short hair personifies her shyness, coldness, and mysterious background. Misato, on the other hand, has long purple hair and a curvaceous body that suggests femininity. However, her appearance contrasts with her loose, promiscuous, and sloppy lifestyle. Asuka's long red hair and her poses demonstrate her arrogance and fieriness. Ritsuko's appearance also says a lot about her as she dyed her hair a different color than her mother's too separate herself from her, yet her actions speak the opposite. Now, the fight animation is also very entertaining and fluid. Special effects are on point; the movement of Evas are clean and crisp—nothing to complain about in that department. The designs of the angels are easily the most creative aspect of the art. Each one is unique and different from the previous one. Not only are their designs unique and beautiful, but each battle is different in terms of planning and execution. Some are all-out brawls; some require precision, patience, or strategy. Also, the opening animation and ending animation are both artistically and cleverly done.
The Eva Unit's designs were unique and felt more like cyborgs with their facial features, as they should. Each Eva has a color pattern that fits their personality and is visually appealing.

Sound: 10/10
When you put a "Cruel Angel's Thesis," a different version of "Fly Me to the Moon" every episode, and a soundtrack that personifies the intended mood, you know the sound is going to be a masterpiece. Not to mention the Japanese voice actors, specifically Shinji's, are dramatic yet calm. They never exaggerate or underperform their lines. Whenever I hear Shinji scream, I get goosebumps every time. In short, the voice actors know how to illustrate their characters' complex personalities through their voices, something rarely seen in today's anime. Also, make sure to watch in English sub, because while the English VAs are spectacular in the Rebuild movies, they don't personify the characters in the original series. Most people who watched the dub end up hating the characters, while those who've seen the sub are more sympathetic.
Also, the OST knows how to set the tone, mood, and, best of all, is memorable. The song, "Misato," is catchy and helps make those slice of life moments that much more enjoyable to watch. Rei's theme is deep and mysterious, reflecting herself. The tracks that play throughout battles are tense and make the mood feel like these are battles that could end the world at any moment. The songs will give you goosebumps, make you want to bop to the melody, or make you simply marvel at their design.
The sound effects are on point, and for the 90s, they were pretty clean. They help give life to the environment and make you feel like you're living in Tokyo-3.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Evangelion is my favorite anime of all time; it has my top two favorite characters of all time in Shinji and Rei, who is "best girl" by the way, respectively. I am an EvaGeek without a doubt. I related to all the troubles the characters experienced, and their flaws allowed me to resonate with them further. Even though I had a tough time understanding certain things, I still got the main idea and enjoyed the entire series. I do recommend watching "The End of Evangelion" after finishing this series, as it does provide more clarity to the anime's ending. If you're into storytelling techniques like "show don't tell," "less is more," hidden meanings, themes, symbolism, and other literary devices, you'll have a great time watching. On the other hand, if flawed and complicated characters aren't your thing and you prefer your more powerful "shonen" characters (not that there's anything wrong with that), this isn't for you. At all. Evangelion is a deconstruction, meaning it makes popular tropes within its genre more believable and realistic. If you like psychological/dementia anime, you'll have an engaging experience like I did. In my personal opinion, NGE is one of the best-written anime series of all time. However, I understand that its characters and confusing storytelling are very off-putting for many.

Overall: 10/10
Despite its issues, Evangelion is a masterful work of art and literature in the anime industry. Despite having a rather large cast for 26 episodes, all of them are well established, develop in some shape or form, and are significant in some way to the overall series. The plot contains ideas that were only vaguely touched upon at the time and handled them very realistically and believably. It prevented itself from becoming a generic "Angel of the week" mecha show by becoming more character and theme focused than action orientated. I hope Eva will get an anime series remake that takes some ideas from the manga, Rebuild, and original anime, along with some new ideas. Every time I watch this show, I gain new lessons and experiences no other anime can provide.

So, I hope this review gave you a sense of why this series is one of the greats and whether it will be to your liking. Try to be understanding with its characters and try to emphasize with them if you want to understand what makes this show genuinely remarkable.