Review of Neon Genesis Evangelion

Despite being slightly overrated, Evangelion is easily within my top 10 anime. Evangelion is unique in the way that it portrays characters vastly different from the majority of anime out there. The interesting story paired with animation that holds up to this day, brilliant soundtrack, sound design, and voice acting, along with its unique portrayal of characters makes this anime something truly special. The base premise of the story is simple, Shinji is your average teenager. He ends up having to fight giant monsters in a giant robot/cyborg, that was created by his neglectful father. As the story moves on, new characters are introduced and thestory becomes vastly more confusing and weird. Depression, neglect, and suicide are themes that are clearly explored throughout the show. The only downside is the last two episodes being a convoluted mess of bullshit that doesn’t make sense unless you watch the movie or do outside research.

I truly love the animation of this show, despite being made in the late 90s. Its animation had held up to this day, I truly respect the work done by the animators at Gainax for this work. The animation of the Eva units is done brilliantly to make them feel as if they are truly a part of the environment. The art style is good but there isn’t much to comment on it, it’s just good. The environments are animated brilliantly, portraying the advanced yet decaying world of this anime. There are some weird moments of animation, but these are very minor moments.

The sound design is amazing, to say the least, the OST has become something that is recognizable anywhere and was brilliant enough for it to be reused in the rebuild films. The OP had become iconic, a cruel angels thesis is an op that is recognizable anywhere and fits the story of Evangelion. The voice acting is also something brilliant, all the voice actors make a truly great performance. Through the voice acting the personality of the characters is easily reflected. Rei is detached, Shinji is depressed and Asuka is an angry person. Although the original English dub was dog shit, to say the least.

Each of the main characters reflects different ways that people react to the situations that are present in Evangelion. Rei represents idealism, she is a character that as a result of her detached outlook on life will follow orders without regarding her life. Doing her job perfectly without caring about her personal needs. The idealistic way NERV wishes their pilots will have. Shinji represents realism, he is depressed and reacts to the situation as any normal person would. He’s only a tool, an object that can be cast out. He doesn’t feel valued and as a result, doesn’t value being an Eva pilot. Asuka represents realism that strives for idealism, she wants to be perfect and does everything in her power to achieve that. But is still bound by her envy of those around her and her selfish nature.

There is so much to Neon Genesis Evangelion that I could talk about, the series is amazing. Would I say it’s peak fiction, no I would never believe that but it’s still amazing. The bizarre yet captivating narrative, the animation that holds up to modern standards, the brilliant voice performances, and sound design paired with brilliant characters.

Overall, I rank this 9/10.