Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion
THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. I must say I didn't understand NGE the first time I saw it. I was maybe 15 years old, and NGE was an anime scheduled for a late-night spot. No matter how much I wanted to understand this intriguing anime, I simply didn't. I re-watched the series a bit later, and to my great frustration, I could only grasp some of what was really going on – failing to grasp the bigger picture. In my opinion, such an experience is the reason why NGE has gained so much interest and yet so much hate. You may love it like I did,feeling you just watched something spectacular, but still feel like something was amiss, that something was lacking, and it feels really frustrating. NGE doesn't open itself easily: It needs to be pried open. Like a damaged entry plug.
Neon Genesis Evangelion both is and isn't a mecha anime. Or rather, it would be more appropriate to say it's a mecha-themed anime—about dealing with depression. The alternative title of NGE could be "How I Had a Major Depressive Disorder and Had to Pilot My Dad's So-Called Robot".
The reasons that make NGE so frustrating and confusing are varied. Miss a single piece of dialogue and you'll miss lots of implications. Witness the ambiguous, undefined motives and relationships between the characters. Insults and rants are simply left hanging in the air. Terrifyingly rapid or slow-paced cuts combined with psychedelic visions and accusatory flashing statements. In the end, nothing seems to be resolved. Nothing seems to make sense. And yet, that's a glimpse to what depression looks and feels like. It's also what life is like; the present is unexpected, the past unresolved and the future very much uncertain. In real life, dramatic structures don't exist and everything is ambivalent.
The entire series seems to function as a backdrop for illustrating the feelings behind a personal crisis and the resulting depression: the hopelessness, the rumination, the uncertainty, the yearning of being accepted, the lack of direction or energy. Essentially it's a story of personal growth and finding one's place in this world. I didn't understand NGE until I had gone through severe depression and was healing from it. Does one have to be depressed in order to understand and appreciate NGE? I don't think so, but I do believe it's best enjoyed if you're dealing with challenges in your personal life. For Shinji, the challenge is to get into that damn robot. Despite the more or less abrasive actions and attitudes of the characters depicted in the series, NGE may function as a certain kind comfort: you're not the only one battling and overcoming your inner demons. And what are those? Whatever you carry inside you, be it childhood trauma or something else.
The premise and setting of NGE are excellent. The so-called wrap-up of episodes 25 and 26 explains what happens to our depressed protagonist, but the ending of the series does not really give a solid conclusion of what happened to the world. Which is a shame, since the setting is really quite interesting in the context of science fiction. But hey, that's why we have EoE and all that other stuff. Hahah!
For an anime produced for the TV in the 90's, the art and animation are great. The backgrounds are often painterly and atmospheric, the palette shifting between serene and gritty. Designs for characters, EVAs and machines are especially wonderful to look at, and sometimes quite intricate. The more experimental and abstract scenes are delightful. Sure, one can achieve a lot more with today's CG, but the difference makes NGE look sleek, even sophisticated.
NGE might not be perfect, and it may not be for everyone. However, it's hard to come by an anime that'd be more intriguing and self-reflexive. It may not be the series what Anno really wanted it to be, but it fills a certain kind of role in the history of anime. That's why I'lll always keep recommending NGE.