Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion

I think this is one of those shows that you're really better off knowing less and less about what's going on ahead of time. It's been almost 25 years since Evangelion came out, yet it's considered a cornerstone among the anime community. From what I can tell it's for two reasons: the reaction at the time; and the youth of yesterday are now the writers and reviewers of today. Evangelion comes with a heavy pedigree that can be hard to get past, so really all I can say is what I like and what I don't like about the series (I'll watch the movie ata later date).

Story: So I was one of the lucky few that never got the full story ahead of time. I got snippets of the religious iconography and the mind grind of an ending, but past teasers I never got someone to sit me down or give me an outright line to spoil it. That being said the story and world are easily the greatest thing to get lost into. The creepy nature of the NERV shadow government, the participation of Shinji's dad, and then the intense feeling on the ground versus the almost dispassionate observation from the operations room all come together to construct a world that feels "lived in". You come to understand there is history and lore from before the story starts, and that the important bits aren't just starting "right now." This lore building does wonders for keeping me fully invested regardless of character interaction, because I want to solve the mystery. The only real time I felt the story was lagging was around the second half where it felt like the story was going to retread the same ground, and while it sort of did, it's so close to the end I don't really have too much issue with it.

Art and Sound: I really, really, REALLY loved the robot fights for this. They felt like there was some actual weight to these robots that I feel like modern mecha anime (let's say Darling in the Franxx) don't seem to capture as well. I really got a feel for the sterile world that they seemed to live in while humanity holds on to their one chance for survival, since that sterile environment is designed to be "bland," it really means the flavor comes from the characters and story to develop this laboratory-like atmosphere. While the sounds still seem a little samey, the music still could get me hyped for the next battle without a problem. I appreciated something that seemed more orchestral than the rock guitar that seems so common today for a hype instrument. It honestly felt more like a Jaws movie, which made the enemies seem more like animal-like beings rather than a defined and known enemy.

Character: I really kept flip flopping to have the Character at a 7 or 8. Some decisions characters make seem almost nonsensical to me, only to suddenly be flipped around where it turns out they were deluding themselves the whole time. Other times the character traits seem obvious, and really take the entire series to explain something you already knew. Still Shinji wasn't near as insufferable as so many reviewers and watchers seemed to make sure you understood before. Rather, I came down closer and closer to Shinji's side as the series went on. My theory for his fate didn't pan out, however I still think their choice is a narrative satisfying one.

Enjoyment and Overall: I binged this anime a lot harder than I do some others, but less so than when I binged the Monogatari series; thus, my excitement lies between that grey area. Still I was usually excited to start the next episode, and I found the cliffhangers actually drawing as opposed to cheap. Overall, the series really does show kinda the new anime structure right before jumping into the 21st century. You can see some areas of influence from Evangelion still today, while also noticing trends or tropes that died out not too long after it came out. Neon Genesis Evangelion is an very interesting and thoughtful show that even 24 years later is still worth the time invested, and I highly recommend watching it.