Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion

If you look at my anime list, you will see that I have watched quite a few psychological anime. It is my favorite genre, with ones like Monster, Perfect Blue, Death Note, and Paranoia Agent topping the list. I had been putting off Neon Genesis Evangelion because I wanted to save if for when I wanted an amazing anime, since everyone seems to say it is so great. After watching a bunch of anime that didn't live up to my favorites, I decided it was time for NGE. And... I was maybe, just a little disappointed. But also surprised. I thought that I would notlike the first half of the anime, which was said to be more mecha and fighting based, and that I would really love the second half, which was supposed to be more psychological. To my surprise, I actually liked the first half of the anime better than the second half. So, do I see NGE as being a 10/10 next to my other 10's? No. But I do think it is good.

Two things I want to say before I start:
1. I would recommend watching the original English dub if you are going to watch dub. I thought that it was a lot better than the Netflix when I compared them. However, it won't make too much of a difference either way, and the absence of Fly Me To The Moon in the Netflix version is not as big of a deal as people make it out to be.
2. As you may have heard, the creator of this anime had depression and that is evident from some of the episodes. Specifically, the last two episodes are a very real, almost disturbing depiction of anxiousness, helplessness, and depression. I think watching these in a bad mental state could be... not beneficial. So be careful.

Story - 7
Neon Genesis Evangelion has a very engaging and exciting story. Although the first half may be considered a tad episodic, it is still very engaging and fun, and I say this as someone who dislikes episodic anime for the most part. I don't even like mecha anime typically, but this one was just so fun and exciting. I think that the different type of Angels they encounter and at different locations makes the story seem different every episode. I also like how new characters are introduced gradually.

Then, we get past episode 16ish, and things start to shift a bit, as people may have told you. I actually think this anime has done something very unique in that it has a complete tonal and almost genre shift partway through the anime. Do I think A shift was necessary, and that it was done okay? Yes. But did I like where the story went with the shift? No. I think there are many avenues that the story could have gone to explore psychological themes, and I think a lot of them would have done better than what they did. I personally found the backstory of the Angels to be not only confusing, but not worth trying to understand. Sure, you can think that I am just stupid and can't understand any complex anime, but I watch almost exclusively psychological, preferably very mind-bending anime, so I think I'm allowed to say that in my opinion, it was too confusing and not interesting enough. I wish they had maybe done a flashback to a time when only the angels existed (if that time exists) and show what happened from there, or two episodes dedicated entirely to the first and second impact.

The ending was also a little... concerning. The creator having depression make a lot of sense when you see the last two episodes. I do think that they are very monumental for an anime in terms of showing psychological distress. However, I don't think they were a proper ending to an anime. The story took a halt at a very awkward, unfinished spot.

Art - 7
The art is pretty good. The style isn't my favorite, and it seemed almost a little lazy in certain parts of the last two episodes. However, I think some scenes are done really well and it is overall great to watch.

Sound - 10
The sound is pretty phenomenal. I love the opening, it is incredibly catchy and really sets the mood. The soundtrack in general is full of gems, like Angel Attack and A Step Forward Into Terror. The sound really made the dramatic moments so exciting.

I think it is nice that the endings change slightly from time to time. I wasn't a huge fan of any of the Fly Me To The Moon's, but some of them were better than others.

Characters - 8
I like that this anime has characters who are flawed, but still likeable and fun to watch. A lot of anime struggle to do this nowadays, with either super annoying wimpy characters, or completely overpowered characters who lose all sense of relatability since they don't struggle with anything ever. Personally, I didn't think that Shinji being kind of wimpy was that annoying, I didn't even see him as that much of a wimp to be honest. When you remember that he is 14, and it isn't the norm for someone to be like Asuka who is ecstatic to pilot this machine that battles angels, it makes sense that he isn't entirely enthusiastic about using the Eva. I also think that Shinji is a great example of a character who has social anxiety, but it isn't used for a romance or anything. Usually when I see a socially anxious or socially awkward character in anime, it is a romance anime and it plays into the plot. But Shinji is just plain awkward and obviously cares way too much about what people think about him. It is really cool that Shinji's social anxiety isn't the main point of the film, but is still present to give him dimension, and is very realistic.

But back to our likeable characters still having flaws, I think it is great how you can see the flaws in these characters. Especially in the last third of the anime, you see the struggles all of the characters face and the problematic traits they have. But, I can't really say that I hated any character in the anime, so I think that means their flaws were done well.

However, I don't give a ten because while I didn't hate them, I felt as if I didn't really know Rei or Kaworu. Kaworu, for one, is barely introduced before he makes a huge impact on the story. I really would have liked to see Kaworu and Shinji interact with each other more, I think it would have made Kaworu's part in the story more meaningful and dramatic. On the other hand, Rei is present in just about every episode, but I wish I had gotten more backstory on her. I know there is technically reasoning behind why she is so quiet and blank, but I still would have liked to learn more.

Enjoyment - 8
This anime is very enjoyable to watch. As I explained in the story section, I didn't like where the second half went, so that lost my interest a bit. However, I think the first half is very exciting and super fun. I would probably watch the first half again for the thrill.

One thing I did find annoying though is the amount of fanservice, I guess you would call it. It felt out of place and unnecessary.

Overall - 8
Neon Genesis Evangelion IS good. Do I think it is a masterpiece? No, but not too far away from being one.

If you are looking for a psychological anime, watch NGE if you have already seen the ones I listed above. I could see how people could rate this a 10/10, and by no means is it bad at all.