Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion
This is not a review of NGE. Well here is a review: It is a masterpiece of post-contemporary art, up with Neuromancer, Ghost in the Shell, Nirvana's 2nd album and Radiohead's fourth, Assayas' Late August, Early September, The Goon Squad, whatever Gerhard Richter qualifies and Cindy Sherman's photos. But like all of those and indeed the idea of post-contemporary art, they may not be your cup of tea, so mileage will vary. However, I do want to review those reviews and comments here where the stumbling block for an anime fan is how "whiney" or dour or gloomy or just a total trainwreck of a characterthat Anno stuffed all his depression into, so unsympathetic, unlikable or unbelievable as an MC or more properly protagonist. This complaint is so irritating, especially due to the rise of isekai with their OP MCs. 90% of those characters totally loath themselves until they get powers when they magically turn from depressed moaners into Typical Shonen Protagonist. Or the inversion as the bitch of a Shield Hero.
More broadly, animé, manga and comic writing in general often begins with a morose, complaining, probably depressed but not aware of it, male main character or more properly, protagonist. Harvey Pekar as a writer and Robert Crumb are great examples, but Juno Iti made a manga of a novel by a man who deemed himself so "No Longer Human" that the novelist killed himself. (Ito is more positive.) Starting with a depressed or anxious protag is a regular fixture of comic art.
Shinji's glumness is not explained directly but it can inferred. He is virtually an orphan, though a privileged one. His first (non)meeting with his father after three years is to be made to pilot the monstrosity that is the Eva. He only does after picking up the injured Rei after she falls off a stretcher and having her blood on his hands. The only reason he wins the first battle is because he has a total freakout which basically puts it into "Gear 5" mode. And he is 14 years old, which is an age that few people are "happy" at. None of this is a spoiler because basically this is the first episode. Leaving aside that NGE is a post-apocalyptic animé, this set-up is sufficient to explain why he dithers or acts out or runs away about having to be the Third Child. To be positive like Gon or--dog help us--as relentless as Naruto with this burden would be to be delusional. Shinji is as realistic a portrayal of a depressive teen boy in animé which means he is not going to be a "fun hang." Rather he is going to be irritating and infuriiating.
Has Japanese fandom ever thought Shinji was a bust; maybe suffering in silence is understood there as it is in Britain, but not so much US. I am certain that americans do not naturally like the emotive voice acting present in a lot of animé, and the original US Shinji voice actor went harder on irritating like Naruto's VA, though not as "cringe". The hard truth is that at the age kids in the US likely encounter NGE, 12-14, it is frightening to have the MC/protag of this great anime behave a lot like they do when struggling rather than how they wish they did or, worse, how they imagine they do. In that, they are like Anno who said quite sincerely what he hated about NGE were the parts that were him. And Shinji Ikari is as autobiographical as as 14 year turned into humanity's savior(?!?) by getting the torture device that Evangelion.
Tl:Dr: Trashing NGE when the only thing trashed is Shinji Ikari makes me think a reviewer doesn't get psychology. Don't worry, there will always be a Dragon Ball.