Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion
After about 17 years, I finally rewatched Evangelion. My opinion of this show has really improved after all this time. Neon Genesis Evangelion is a show about a boy named Shinji Ikari. Shinji is a 14 year old boy with a dead mother and a father that abandoned him. His father, the head of a military organization called NERV, calls on him to pilot the titular Evangelion: giant robots used as weapons against angels, mysterious alien monsters that have as an objective the destruction of humanity. During the show, we will accompany Shinji as he pilots the EVA and fights the angels. Make no mistake here. Thereal story is about Shinji Ikari. The planetary conflict is just dressing. Shinji is not your typical shonen protagonist: he isn't particularly smart, he isn't particularly handsome... he's average, really. His only saving grace it's that he can pilot the EVA-1. He hates doing it, but at the same time it's the only thing that makes others like him, so he keeps doing it. While he is rated as one of the worst anime protagonists of all time, it's difficult not to empathize at least a bit with him. Shinji is, as he puts it, "just a kid" put in a situation far above his paygrade. No wonder he is overwhelmed by it all. Which makes him the perfect protagonist Anno uses to explore the themes of the show.
At its core, NGE is about humans, how we perceive ourselves and how we relate to each other. Shinji starts the show trapped in his shell. Most everyone around him sees him as an asset, which makes him want to run away even more. But, over the course of the show, he meets other characters that see him as a person. It's these encounters that make him question himself and start to grow. Admittedly, he wallows in self pity, and is downright annoying at times, but what 14 year old in that situation wouldn't? Evangelion is not about well adjusted individuals, and it wouldn't work without the perspective of Shinji and the rest of misfits that populate it. NGE has its defects, but the exploration of its themes is not one of them.
Sadly, the plot is not handled as well. It serves its purpose, but there is little payoff. The religious imagery and allusions serve as a vehicle for the story, and it works for the most part, but there is no conclusion to them. Towards the end of production, the budget was running out, and the last stretch of the story is clearly rushed. With a bit more development, the story could have been brought to a satisfying conclusion, but as it Anno prefered to take the themes to its conclusion in detriment of the story. A shame, but it underlines what NGE was really going for.
On the technical aspects, the animation is fluid and the designs are very memorable. Particularly the robots and the angels are the strong point. The EVAs all have their own unique design, with bright colors and the angels feel like something otherworldly. It's no wonder the imagery of this show is still recognizable to this day, it's definitely one of its stronger points.
The sound is also noteworthy. The soundtrack is very good. The OP is legendary, and in my humble opinion the best OP in any anime ever. The sound effects are sadly not so great. The angels have the most interesting sound design, and the EVA cabin sound evokes feelings of being isolated, but as for the rest there is nothing too noteworthy here.
In conclusion, Evangelion is a conventional story told in an unconventional way. The talent of Hideaki Anno as a director cannot be disputed. A man that can deliver a product as this even as the budget is running out is clearly a man of talent. There is a lot of memorable parts to the show, and a testament to it is that almost 30 years later we are still discussing it. A classic on its own merits.
At the same time, it's divisive for a reason. The story is just a vehicle, and there are noticeable contrivances to make it work. The imagery, no matter how cool, has no deeper meaning. And, depending on what you are looking for, the payoff is nonexistent.
So, the million dollar question: should you watch Evangelion? I say yes. It's one of the defining works of an era, and a piece of art worth experiencing and thinking about. Give it a chance. if it ends up not being what you expected hey, that's perfectly fine. But you just might end up finding out why Evangelion has the fame it has.