Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion

Fractured. Flawed. Faulty. These are some of the best descriptors for us. Us humans. No matter how hard each of us try, we will always end up with fallacies. Our strive for perfection is one of futility. Each one of us have sides of ours that we conceal and stow away from others - imperfect parts of us that causes us to self-loathe. But, these imperfections are what makes us human. We are weak and impaired, we are naïve and impotent, yet we try, try our best to have a happy day; week; month; year; this will to live on is enough. Many unfortunately giveup in this battle, surrendering; but to those who are still fighting - y'all are the strongest warriors amidst us.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is undoubtedly anime’s most divisive and polarizing show. One half of those that have experienced it think of it to be an unrivaled piece of character study and philosophies that proved the medium’s potential, whereas the opposite half thinks of it as the most pretentious piece of shit ever to grace our screens. And from my score for the show here, you’ll be able to easily conclude which group I may belong to.

Since it’s dawn in October 1996, the show has without a doubt changed the course of what anime can achieve. Instead of being just a deconstruction of the mecha genre, Eva can be considered as a deconstruction of the medium of anime itself. Revolutionizing how far a director can take his story and characters, how deep they can resonate with their audiences, how humane they can be depicted, and more.

Evangelion’s beginnings aren’t anything special, they are rather simple as it follows your usual world-ending-threat mecha show formula : An extraterrestrial being arrives threatening the security of humans > The organization on earth tasked with protecting it, prepares to defeat these aliens (Angel’s in Eva’s case) > They make use of biomechanical robots that are piloted by teenagers to achieve this. That’s somewhat of the formula that your usual Eva episode follows. And that was what it’s creator(s) had planned initially, but as Hideaki Anno’s (the show’s father) mental state started crumbling and deteriorating, he decided to approach the story differently - taking a deeper descend into the psyches of these teenagers - and anyone else involved - tasked with protecting the planet. This dive and also the characterization of it’s cast that followed is what makes Eva stand out from it’s colleagues.

These ensemble of characters are everything for Evangelion - all of the stakes of the end of the world are boiled down to the microcosm of one character’s seemingly impossible attempt to gain some feeling of self-worth. The characters are all broken in one way or another, all trying to deal with their myriad insecurities in their own way. The contrasts drawn between them, only furthers the exploration of each individual. The show’s themes of self-acceptance, trauma, love, familial bonds are all crucial for each of the cast’s perspectives and how their world view’s have been warped and contaminated by their damaging relationships with those who were supposed to be their resorts of comfort. However, no one here is demonized, because after all each of them are human - and we humans can't stop ourselves from hurting one another, even when trying to help. This fact forms one of evangelion’s most fundamental ideas. The characters’ emotional and mental troughs and crest are all exquisitely well realized through some impeccable direction + composition. The exposure of one’s self, and all of its aspects that no one wants to be revealed to another is what makes the show’s characterization so effective and potent, because it forces the audience to face their own selves. It appeals to the deepest parts of the human psyche and is so impactful because it - especially it’s creator Hideaki Anno - knows its audience better than anyone else

Whether it be in the approach taken while exploring, our lead, Shinji’s contradictory motives, that are: his need for love despite his mental anguish and fear of connection; or in the way Asuka’s hot-headed & egotistical nature of needing attention and proclaiming her superiority over others is peeled back to reveal her insecure and powerless condition; or be it the way that Misato’s struggles of showcasing different sides and personalities of her to appeal to the crowd that surrounds her, as she tussles to find a way to genuinely express her intimacy, is presented; they are all done with utmost delicacy and wariness, knowing how much these issues affect people in the outside world - people who are going to watch the show.

Another peculiarity of Eva - that enables it to stand apart - is its plethora of religious symbolism that has been spewed throughout the show. This is a facet of Eva that personally was quite unappealing when compared to other things. Other than adding some flair to the overall tone and nature of the overarching narrative, these imagery were just bloating and ineffective - not always. While many heed to the fact that its (officially) been revealed that all that symbolism was intentionally used to let Eva have an edge over other similar shows or in other words - to appear cool, I do firmly believe that Anno did mean things with it; though its execution ended being one that was fairly clumsy and botched.

The show doesn’t cut any slack when it comes to its audiovisuals too (at least when ignoring the last two eps). The art and animation were done by GAINAX - a studio co-founded by Anno himself. GAINAX has been very consistent with their works, with our show of concern being the one that really pushed the studio forward - into mainstream popularity and recognition. Crisp and smooth animation, with all the battles between the mechas and Angels having all the needed impact and grit. Both the, character designs - done by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto - and mechanical designs - done by Hideaki Anno - have all lived out to be as iconic as the show itself. UNIT 01 and Rei’s design are some evident cases of this. Just a splash of the color combo used on UNIT 01, purple + green, is enough to rebrand something as Evangelion merch.

These biomechanical beings are also vastly divergent from their counterparts in other animes, both literally and figuratively. In design, they aren’t bulky, and or tinted with a pale “gundam”-white/yellow, rather, they are sharp, slim, and dyed with vibrant and vivid colors; and figuratively, rather than being the show’s core focus/plot-device, Evas are used as a form of foil to all the multifaceted character studies in the show. But delving into more reasons why Evas are more important to the characters than just being a plot device will have to require me to indulge in some spoilers, which isn’t my intent here, so you’ll have to experience it yourself.

While the sound department isn’t my area of competence/knowledge, being able to recognize some fantastic soundtracks isn’t an issue for my ear; and in that case too, Eva is an easy pass. With its opening - “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” - being one of anime’s most iconic openings to ever be composed, having been memed and parodied bountifully. And every other soundtrack and OST used in the show too has also been very much effectively and compellingly made use of for producing their intended atmosphere/tone without fail.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is quite certainly one of the most visceral and emotionally gripping pieces of anime I have ever had the privilege to consume. I have undoubtedly enjoyed almost every bit of this delicate show: From its deeply and intrinsically human portrayal of its characters along with their struggles to define and accept themselves, to the brilliantly choreographed action packed and sakuga in the fights that take place each episode to its timeless opening that I can’t seemingly get out of my head since my first hearing. Evangelion is a complete package, a series anyone who is a fan of the medium should give a try, just to have an opinion on it. No matter if your take on it is positive or negative.

Sidenote :- Don’t have the misconception that I had before coming into the show: that you may not be able to appreciate the show as much, unless you’ve gone through a dark and tough period in your life; I am someone who, gratefully, never had to go through such times and yet found Eva to be deeply resonant and touching - this is due to the fact that like everyone in the show, each of us are broken too - even if their troubles are sometimes debatably hyperbolized for anime’s sake. So even if you have/haven’t had to fight through the worst points in your life, just give the show a chance. Eva is an experience to be had.

“Anywhere can be paradise as long as you have the will to live. After all, you are alive, so you will always have the chance to be happy. As long as the Sun, the Moon and the Earth exist, everything will be alright.” - Yui Ikari [ Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion ]

Thanks for reading, farewell.