Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion
(MINOR SPOILERS.) I will be reviewing one of my first ever psychological animes and my favorite personal series. I have re-watched this series 3 times now, and the separate movie 5 times. To start off, Neon Genesis Evangelion was a phenomenal success in Japan, and arguably worldwide. It has influenced a large part of nowadays popular and other successful animes; such as Gurren Lagann, Serial Experiment Lain. Other aspects such as character personality and designs were recycled in Excel Saga and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Merchandising exceeded 400 million dollars 2 years after the initial release of the series. Summarizing the series, it's about 3 teenagers whopilot their own giant mecha-robot and fight giant aliens known as "Angels".
3 pilots are named Shinji, Rei, and Asuka.
STORY: Understanding the story is, well, a bit of a brain teaser as the story is more about the characters development then the aliens. But this was purposely the intention. Following the actual background story, it's rather a cool concept. They find this alien body in Antarctica and remove the spear from the body. The alien begins to wake up and this is called "second impact". Flash-forward 15 years, NERV, an agency is helping the Japan Government defeat these "Angels". The weapons against the "Angels'' are these giant robots called the EVA's, or EVA Series. 3 pilots have their own special EVA to fight against the ongoing attacks of the aliens.
ART: Ok. I am going to be honest here. This anime was clearly low-budget, especially for it's time. We do get some weird angels, disproportionate faces, and maybe not nearly the coolest special CGI effects for fighting. But there are times it has charming, and beautiful moments. The colors contrast perfectly, and as the series progress the lighting and tints begin to change. The series still manages to properly show the darker tones successfully. The designs of the characters are also likable, original, and don't cause a distraction.
SOUND: I adore the OP Song "A Cruel Angel's Thesis". It's such a catchy song that you'll feel the need to dance, trust me. The audio is good, I felt as if they're recycled too much or used too much; specifically Rei I and Asuka Strikes. I wish there were more songs or at least remixes just to make it not seem like I've heard the same audio 1000 times. But the songs are good, so it doesn't bug me as much at the same time? They make sense and they sound good. so it works.
CHARACTER: This is where Evangelion really shines on. The development, personalities of the 3 pilots and their caretaker are extremely realistic and heartbreaking. The main character; Shinji, is probably my personal favorite and just a number 1 character. There must be countless articles and videos dissecting Shinji's personality and complex. I do not want to dig deep into the other pilots as it's up to watchers to decide for themselves. But 100%, these characters are done marvelously.
ENJOYMENT: You will be deceived, and probably really sad. As long as you are okay with having emotional moment towards the end. Then it's a wonderful series, I'm sure you will be thankful that you took the time to watch it. I wouldn't stress so much if the first couple episodes are boring. But after EP. 17, I would start to pay attention greatly, otherwise you'll be lost and confused. It's sad, but happy? It's up to you.
OVERALL: It's a 10. I cannot describe my love for this series, and I can't even begin to describe the feelings that happen after completing such a masterpiece. It's worth a watch.