Shinseiki Evangelion

Fifteen years after a cataclysmic event known as the Second Impact, the world faces a new threat: monstrous celestial beings called Angels invade Tokyo-3 one by one. Mankind is unable to defend themselves against the Angels despite utilizing their most advanced munitions and military tactics. The only hope for human salvation rests in the hands of NERV, a mysterious organization led by the cold Gendou Ikari. NERV operates giant humanoid robots dubbed "Evangelions" to combat the Angels with state-of-the-art advanced weaponry and protective barriers known as Absolute Terror Fields.

Years after being abandoned by his father, Shinji Ikari, Gendou's 14-year-old son, returns to Tokyo-3. Shinji undergoes a perpetual internal battle against the deeply buried trauma caused by the loss of his mother and the emotional neglect he suffered at the hands of his father. Terrified to open himself up to another, Shinji's life is forever changed upon meeting 29-year-old Misato Katsuragi, a high-ranking NERV officer who shows him a free-spirited maternal kindness he has never experienced.

A devastating Angel attack forces Shinji into action as Gendou reveals his true motive for inviting his son back to Tokyo-3: Shinji is the only child capable of efficiently piloting Evangelion Unit-01, a new robot that synchronizes with his biometrics. Despite the brutal psychological trauma brought about by piloting an Evangelion, Shinji defends Tokyo-3 against the angelic threat, oblivious to his father's dark machinations.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Souryuu, Asuka Langley Main

Miyamura, Yuko Japanese

Ayanami, Rei Main

Hayashibara, Megumi Japanese

Ikari, Shinji Main

Ogata, Megumi Japanese

Katsuragi, Misato Main

Mitsuishi, Kotono Japanese

Nagisa, Kaworu Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Pen Pen Supporting

Hayashibara, Megumi Japanese

Ikari, Gendou Supporting

Tachiki, Fumihiko Japanese

Kaji, Ryouji Supporting

Yamadera, Kouichi Japanese

Akagi, Ritsuko Supporting

Yamaguchi, Yuriko Japanese

Suzuhara, Touji Supporting

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Anno, Hideaki Producer, Director, Script, Storyboard, Original Creator, Key Animation, Mechanical Design

Yamaga, Hiroyuki Producer

Kobayashi, Noriko Producer

Sugiyama, Yutaka Producer

Reviews

Apr 14, 2025

Galleguian

Recommended

After about 17 years, I finally rewatched Evangelion. My opinion of this show has really improved after all this time.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a show about a boy named Shinji Ikari. Shinji is a 14 year old boy with a dead mother and a father that abandoned him. His father, the head of a military organization called NERV, calls on him to pilot the titular Evangelion: giant robots used as weapons against angels, mysterious alien monsters that have as an objective the destruction of humanity. During the show, we will accompany Shinji as he pilots the EVA and fights the angels.

Make no mistake here. The ... real story is about Shinji Ikari. The planetary conflict is just dressing. Shinji is not your typical shonen protagonist: he isn't particularly smart, he isn't particularly handsome... he's average, really. His only saving grace it's that he can pilot the EVA-1. He hates doing it, but at the same time it's the only thing that makes others like him, so he keeps doing it. While he is rated as one of the worst anime protagonists of all time, it's difficult not to empathize at least a bit with him. Shinji is, as he puts it, "just a kid" put in a situation far above his paygrade. No wonder he is overwhelmed by it all. Which makes him the perfect protagonist Anno uses to explore the themes of the show.

At its core, NGE is about humans, how we perceive ourselves and how we relate to each other. Shinji starts the show trapped in his shell. Most everyone around him sees him as an asset, which makes him want to run away even more. But, over the course of the show, he meets other characters that see him as a person. It's these encounters that make him question himself and start to grow. Admittedly, he wallows in self pity, and is downright annoying at times, but what 14 year old in that situation wouldn't? Evangelion is not about well adjusted individuals, and it wouldn't work without the perspective of Shinji and the rest of misfits that populate it. NGE has its defects, but the exploration of its themes is not one of them.

Sadly, the plot is not handled as well. It serves its purpose, but there is little payoff. The religious imagery and allusions serve as a vehicle for the story, and it works for the most part, but there is no conclusion to them. Towards the end of production, the budget was running out, and the last stretch of the story is clearly rushed. With a bit more development, the story could have been brought to a satisfying conclusion, but as it Anno prefered to take the themes to its conclusion in detriment of the story. A shame, but it underlines what NGE was really going for.

On the technical aspects, the animation is fluid and the designs are very memorable. Particularly the robots and the angels are the strong point. The EVAs all have their own unique design, with bright colors and the angels feel like something otherworldly. It's no wonder the imagery of this show is still recognizable to this day, it's definitely one of its stronger points.

The sound is also noteworthy. The soundtrack is very good. The OP is legendary, and in my humble opinion the best OP in any anime ever. The sound effects are sadly not so great. The angels have the most interesting sound design, and the EVA cabin sound evokes feelings of being isolated, but as for the rest there is nothing too noteworthy here.

In conclusion, Evangelion is a conventional story told in an unconventional way. The talent of Hideaki Anno as a director cannot be disputed. A man that can deliver a product as this even as the budget is running out is clearly a man of talent. There is a lot of memorable parts to the show, and a testament to it is that almost 30 years later we are still discussing it. A classic on its own merits.
At the same time, it's divisive for a reason. The story is just a vehicle, and there are noticeable contrivances to make it work. The imagery, no matter how cool, has no deeper meaning. And, depending on what you are looking for, the payoff is nonexistent.

So, the million dollar question: should you watch Evangelion? I say yes. It's one of the defining works of an era, and a piece of art worth experiencing and thinking about. Give it a chance. if it ends up not being what you expected hey, that's perfectly fine. But you just might end up finding out why Evangelion has the fame it has.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Apr 6, 2025

Gucci100

Mixed Feelings

Although the ending was strange and the idea of the movie was not good, you can say that it was just good.The last two episodes are the only ones that could have been rated 9/10 or even 10/10 without discussion. The problems are not solving the mystery of the anime ending, as I did not even understand what happened to the characters or what will happen next.
Characters: Some characters were written very empty, as they do not belong to any kind of mystery, only a past written to be the character’s complex
In the end, I want to give it a good 7/10 because ... it would have been better if the story was clearly explained from the beginning.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Feb 16, 2025

Yikor

Not Recommended

Funny

Awful.
I'm 100% certain sure that everyone who recommend this either wants to make the people suffer or want to pretend to be an intellectual because "It's a hard to understand piece" NO IT'S NOT. This thing is literally: "Deppression for dummies", "We live in a society for dummies" and "I'm an intellectual, I'm an intellectual... LOOK AT ME"
Crap from the very first second to the end.

Characters are horrible.
Shinji it's the worst main character I ever saw in any type of fiction work. Crying baby+"I suffer a lot"+"I am the worst type of introvert"
Asuka, the supposed waifu... Every second she appears makes me want more and ... more tho hit her face with a hammer.
Shinji's dad could be replaced by a photo or a statue making no difference, he did LITERALY NOTHING during the whole anime.
Oh yea and lets talk about Misato aka "I seduce a 14yo child to manipulate him" a literal criminal who must be in jail.

1/10 it's the worst rating I can give here, sadly cause I would give a -100/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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