Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion

This is a review of the show, and does not take the movies into account. Evangelion is an anime I believe no two people will have the exact same opinion of. It has a different effect on each viewer, either good or bad. Personally I believe that fans tend to give this anime too much credit. Though I do not think Evangelion is a bad show it is certainly a show that has made mistakes and could have been better, as is true with any show ever made. Firstly the story. Something most people can agree on is that the story for this show is unusualand something new, unorthodox; especially in the field of anime. This is certainly true, the show's heavy use of imagery, symbolism, and dream-like sequences that seem to have no context was definitely new and unusual, but in my opinion, overused. The beginning of the show followed a predictable format: angel shows up, they fight the angel, encounter a problem, solve problem, beat angel, end off with sexual humour. As the show progressed this gradually changed and there was more character development and use of the aforementioned dream sequences. The ending of the show, the last two episodes particularly, used these sequences to point where their relevance and impact waned. The first time I took time to try and understand them, but eventually they felt overused and unnecessary. Some say that these episodes are the highlight of the show, but I say they are a poor and inconclusive ending, flawed and haphazard. The story would also seem confusing to many, who do not devote time to understand it. The show went from being predictable to overly convoluted, the story was enjoyable but could have been done better.

The characters in the show are complex and intricate, the highlight of the show. Throughout the show Shinji is internally conflicted, and the way we see his character progress and change is one of the main focuses of the show. The epiphany at the end makes for a nice ending, but a nice ending for him specifically, the rest of the characters are left without an satisfying ending, their stories left untold. Shinji, in my opinion was not the most interesting character of the show, and focusing the last two episodes on him was a poor choice. The episodes were repetitive and somewhat boring, an injustice to the rest of the characters. Also the motivations of some of the other characters throughout the show are left unclear at times, forcing the viewer to make up his or her own reasons. This works in some cases but not in all, and causes some confusion.

Is Evangelion a bad show? Certainly not. But it is not a show that would work for everyone. Some may find the show to be thought provoking and evocative, while others convoluted and repetitive. I personally liked the show, but I do not think it deserves the recognition it gets from most fans. It is highly controversial and unique, but that alone should not be enough to put it on a pedestal, above shows that are actually better. Some say that certain aspects of the show should be excused because it is old; this is bullshit. There are anime that came out before that, such as Akira or Graves of the Fireflies, that still stand as some of the best anime of all time. Evangelion was one of the first anime to do what it did but should not be applauded for that reason alone, there are many shows that have come out afterwards and have achieved better results. I think it is an anime fan's responsibility to approach all shows unbiased and not to be influenced by the history of a show.

Evangelion was a unique experience and one cannot get a good feel of it from simply reading a review. I believe this is a show that all anime fans should watch even though it is not a show all anime fans will enjoy. So I encourage you to watch the show if you have not and develop your own opinion.