Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion

**Review contains light spoilers** Hello, dear traveller reading this review, after a long time I finally decided to write a review on one of the most, if not the most, overrated animes of all times. I must say right away that before watching "Evangelion", I heard only good things about it, that it is a masterpiece for all time and so on, so my brain, which at that time had already watched "Code Geass", was expecting at least something the same or maybe even better. But alas, I was trapped in my own expectations. And the point is not even that in Eve the emphasis ison psychology, and not on action and so on, but rather on the fact that the quality of the product itself as a whole caused me some questions about the fairness of criticism of its "masterpiece". But first things first.

Let's start with what is easiest to rate, namely the SOUNDTRACK (10/10). I think that only a deaf person might not like the soundtrack of "Evangelion", sorry if offended anyone. An excellent opening theme and a no less excellent ending theme, J.S. Bach and other compositions make a very strong impression.

Now about the ART (8/10), and here everything is not so simple. On one hand, yes, it is good, much attention is paid to small details, and on the whole, the picture is made with high quality, especially when compared with other animes that came out during that period. On the other hand, there are a lot of static or near-static frames in Evangelion, on which there is almost no action or no action at all, which makes it naturally difficult to watch. And I'm not even talking about the elevator scene right now, or the last two episodes where the studio ran out of budget. Don't get me wrong: I don't mind when there is no action, but some scenes here are just static frames that stretch the timing.

Let's talk about the main thing: the PLOT and CHARACTERS. I will not rewrite the synopsis, which is almost the same for all Mechs: schoolchildren defending the Earth. Better to discuss what the authors and the director "stuck" on the skeleton of the plot.

CHARACTERS first (5/10):
How funny it is for me to listen and read about the originality of these heroes and so on. I think it's not a secret for anyone that the problem of "boomers and zoomers" ("fathers and children") is present in every work of art. But here all the conflicts of the characters are built on it, which gives the feeling that you are looking at the same person, just in its different forms (I will return to this later). I will consider the characters in the order of their importance for the plot (personally, this is how I understood their importance):

Shinji: Probably the worst protagonist of all times. Firstly, his motivation: “my mother is dead, the harsh dad does not love me and does not respect me, I do not have enough of his attention, I need to prove to him that I am not useless, but I cannot, I'll go to cry”. Secondly, excuse me, but, as for me, Shinji has not developed at all, I'll explain: at first, in one episode he makes a fateful decision, and you, as a viewer, think: “Well, the Rubicon has been crossed, now he will become a man!”, but, after only one or two series, it rolls back to its original state. Thirdly, I repeat, he annoyed me the whole series with his whining, and all because most of his whining is unnecessary, moreover, his whining is a kind of logical hole, I'll explain now. It all starts with the fact that Gendo (Shinji's father) calls his son to make him the pilot of Eva-01, and Shinji, seeing what awaits him, is frightened and refuses to climb into the robot. Many say that this is "normal behaviour of a student in a stressful situation", "put yourself in his place" and so on. Yes, this is normal behaviour, if not for one THING. All of us who watched the show, is well aware of the "highlight" of Eva-01, and Gendo knew about it very well, so he had to assume (well, or at least he could do it, he is so smart, right?) That Shinji - is the only one who can properly pilot Eva-01. So he could and should have prepared his son for piloting Eva, because the same Asuka, damn it, got a preparation! But no, he did nothing and demands something from his son. The question arises: "Gendo, are you dumb?" But Gendo is not dumb, the reason for this stupidity is different - that the director of "Evangelion" decided to shift a part of himself onto Shinji and, as it were, sat in a puddle. Shinji's relationship with Asuka: um, well, it kinda doesn't change much either. In one episode, they show us how they get closer, train together to reach mutual understanding and defeat the angel, and you think: “WOW, they became a team!”, And literally through the next episode everything returns to normal. The question is: why the hell was all this shown to me if it didn't lead to anything?

Asuka: Also kinda annoying though to a lesser extent. Her conflict is the same, okay, almost the same as Shinji's conflict: “Mom had troubles with her head, she died, Dad didn’t care about me, I don’t have enough attention, so in order to attract him, I will show off (if not to say more rudely). " Her relationship with Rei, like her relationship with Shinji doesn't change much - cold hatred and rivalry.

Rei: The only one of the main characters who didn't piss me off with her behaviour. It is interesting to watch her, to watch how her attitude changes, first of all, towards herself, and only then towards others. Thank you for making at least enjoyable her.

Misato: Shinji's quasi mother. Her father died, with whom she had a cold relationship, just like all of the above. Nothing is known about her mother, I assume that she just died. She is Shinji's mentor, who helps him overcome the barrier from his familiar world, into a new world for him (see "The Hero with a Thousand Faces").

Gendo: a tough father, a scientist who is focused only on his work, a person whose end justifies the means. Having lost his wife, he reflects on this topic, going deeper into work and neglecting, even more, his son. Cliche.

Dr. Akagi: I don't remember anything special about her either. Has some similarities with some of the other characters. Ask what? That's right, the mother is dead.

Kaji: Purely James Bond so the female audience doesn't get bored. Well, he pushes the plot a couple of times. And that's all.

Kaworu: this, for me personally, is the biggest mystery, because almost wasn't revealed at all (as a character). Sorry, but the time that he was shown is simply not enough to get feels and at least somehow empathize with him.

Now about the world and its lore: it is not disclosed. Seriously. I waited the whole series for a clear explanation and answers to the questions they put to me, but in the end, I was told only about the second impact and how it happened. Thanks, damn. Where did the angels come from? What kind of creatures are they? Why exactly 14 year olds can rule the Evas? There are many questions, but no answers. I really was waiting for an explanation, until the last episodes I hoped to hear them, but the director decided to go into self-digging of the heroes, forgetting about the world.

DIRECTING: let's talk about it, and at the same time about the director of "Evangelion" - Hideaki Anno. Those who think Anno is a genius, please fear God. Kubrick is a genius, Hitchcock is a genius, Miyazaki is a genius, but not Anno. Really, can you name anything worthwhile of what he filmed and directed, besides "Evangelion"? Okay, back to our rams. As you remember, I wrote about “personality, in its various forms”. So this person, if suddenly someone else did not understand is Hideaki Anno. You know, I do not mind when the creator shoves a part of himself in the main character. But here, in my opinion, instead of creating different characters, even if clichéd idiots, but different, Anno simply created himself from different stages of his own life. Cool, cool (no). Some more directorial decisions seem to me very dubious, I will give an example. Mechs are fighting, all the viewer's attention is focused on the action, the situation is tense to the limit, and at the same time something important for the plot is happening in the background, it happens so imperceptibly, especially against the background of the battle, that the viewer will most likely miss this moment, or will not perceive it, or notice. But after a few episodes, when the director decides to send us to this episode, without any reminders at all, the viewer will sit, stick in and not understand what is happening. And okay, if you watch the series in one gulp, but if you take breaks for a day or more, then, most likely, you will lose the thin thread of the plot. But I didn’t go to a movie directing school, so maybe this is a normal direction, if there are specialists, correct me. In general, after watching it, one gets the feeling that Anno's series was made only for himself, in order to sort out his own internal problems, and he made me the viewer listen to his, excuse the expression, sh*t. Perhaps I could empathize with him and, as a result, with all the characters, if I had the same problems, but I do not. Therefore, it would be better if he just went to a psychiatrist, honestly, but we have what we have.

On this, the main part can be considered complete. I will devote a few words to why such a cult has formed around the anime, worse than around Stalin at the time. Here will be my personal assumptions, you can skip them. I think the main reason is that Evangelion just came out well, and that's it. If it came out at the same time as "Berserk" or "GTO" it is still unknown if it would have got the same fame, but history does not like the subjunctive mood. The cult that exists around it is now explained, as for me, much easier - people have always wanted and want to refer themselves to the elite minority, and Evangelion allows you to do this, because if you “understood” it and “you liked it”, then you definitely are an "enlightened" of a sort, and if not, then you are “not yet ripe”. I think you understand what I mean.

I don't even know what to write in conclusion, whether to recommend "Evangelion" for viewing or not ... On my own behalf, I will say that if the king was not naked, then half-naked for sure. All dissenting and ready to debate are awaited in the comments.