Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a true masterpiece anime, the gorgeous artwork, masterful animation, and stellar story, create an iconic and inspiring work that stays relevant even three decades after its debut. The artwork in NGE is remarkable, featuring the characteristic style and quality of 90's anime but diverging from the mecha genre; the Evangelion look nothing like the mechas of the era, and the Biblical imagery (while only artistic and not metaphorical) is beautiful. The animation feels fresh and vibrant: the way Evangelion move with wild beastlike motion is unlike any other mechas. But the true achievement of NGE is its story. The first half (13episodes) of NGE follows Shinji's struggle to become an Eva pilot as it clashes with living a normal life. The story is more typical of mecha and shonen: self-doubt, the call of the hero, epic fights, and zany humor, it's incredibly entertaining. The dialogue is phenomenal: the characters feel strikingly human: bantering with one another and reacting to the absurd conditions of their world, their chemistry is perfect; each conversation is incredibly engaging and feels "real". The second half of the series: (11 episodes) turns dark, as the mysteries that have lingered behind the curtain thus far, slowly begin to creep forward. Dire situations reveal the character’s hidden natures and pasts, the humor that once filled the show begins to be replaced with more uneasy silence and dread. While this segment is tragic, this change in mood reveals something undeniably "human”. This leads to the finale: (2 episodes) which dive into an even more avant realm of storytelling and visuals, however, are in a sense replaced by the film: The End of Evangelion.

I absolutely recommend you watch NGE (I'm most definitely biased) but hey! It's not the most influential anime of the 90's for no reason.