Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion

STORY: A Japanese youth named Ikari Shinji is asked by his father Gendo (who abandoned him) to pilot an enormous, powerful, mysterious mecha (robot), the Evangelion Unit 01 (Note: there are 2 other units: 01 which is piloted by Ayanami Rei, and 02, which is piloted by Asuka Langley). What makes the Evas different from other mecha is: they have a nearly impenetrable barrier, the AT Field, only certain youths can pilot them, the Evas themselves do major damage to the city while defending it, and they are not so easy to control; you have to synchronize with them. The purpose of the Evangelion (Evafor short) is to defend the fortress-like city of Tokyo-3 (and all of mankind, really) from seemingly extraterrestrial beings with destructive abilities, called the Angels.

ART: The series was made in 1995, thus everything it is hand-drawn; and I must say, the animation is exceptional. Everything from the characters to the subtle things in the background is drawn well.

SOUND: The voice acting is excellent. The growls and roars from the Evas and Angels are breathtaking. In addition, the use of classical music always sounds appropriate and is enjoyable to listen to.

CHARACTERS: The character development is one of the reasons why NGE is such a good series. Many of the characters are depressed; they don't just do their job and fight the Angels mindlessly. They also have regrets and get angry like normal people would if they had to do such a thing. You have an idea of what almost all the characters have went through in their life (the personnel who sit at the computers are really the only ones who you know little about).

ENJOYMENT: The epic battles against the Angels are extremely thrilling. The times when Shinji "runs away" are interesting, as you try and figure out exactly what he's thinking. The parts where Misato drinks beer early in the morning and yells "yeehaaa!" are hilarious.

OVERALL: If there is any serious worthy if the title "masterpiece", it's NGE. Anno Hideaki "burned his soul" into NGE; the series basically tells his entire life (or at least his battle with depression) through the use of visually craft, symbolism, metaphors. This isn't a series you can analyze by watching just once. However, even if you view it superficially, it is still entertaining.