Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion

The story of Neon Genesis Evangelion is one that's difficult to get into without spoiling the show, but, in a nutshell, the show is about a group of people set in the fictional city of Tokyo-3, defending the planet Earth from aliens called, "angels," using human-created robots called Evangelions. However, it seems there is more than meets the eye, as underlying plots begin to unravel themselves. The art of Neon Genesis Evangelion is, at some times, beautiful, but at others, it's a bit lackluster. This is especially noticeable later in the series, as the funds for animation were cut dueto a combination of unfortunate events. Overall throughout the series, the animation is good where it needs to be but the anime certainly takes some shortcuts over the course of 26 episodes, as all shows do.
The characters of Neon Genesis Evangelion are where the show really shines. Each one of them has desires and motivations that belong to them and them alone, and as the series progresses the viewer begins to understand exactly why these exist. The three main characters and Evangelion pilots, Shinji, Rei, and Asuka especially seem to suffer from some major problems in their pasts. Shinji struggles with his father's rejection, and his need of praise from others, while Asuka struggles more with keeping up her false persona of, "the nice girl," being too insecure to show the person she is deep down. Rei, unfortunately, can't really be explained without heavy plot spoilers.
My personal enjoyment of the show stemmed from my love of complex and well written characters, and it certainly helped that I enjoy both giant robots, and aliens. Shinji especially, is able to connect with not only myself but many other viewers of the show.
Overall, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a show believed by many to be a must-watch. Even if you don't particularly enjoy it, it's such an influential show (inspiring many current character archetypes, visuals, etc) that it really is an important show for any anime fan to have seen.