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I don't believe there is a more polarized base of watchers than there is for Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE). Some hold it as a masterpiece and revolutionary for its time, while others argue that it is just confused writing and just a vent for Hideaki. I myself believe that although it has some pretty well deserved criticism, Neon Genesis Evangelion should be held in high regards for what it does right.

Regardless of whether you'll like it or not, the key thing about NGE is to tell People you have watched NGE. It is without a doubt the most highly debated and discussed anime stemming from ... the original best girl contest (Rei vs Asuka) to actually diving down the rabbit and weeding out the symbolism Hideaki uses.

So don't just take my word for it and discover whether or not NGE is your cup of tea

Now to actually breakdown the review:


Story 8/10,

In my opinion, Evangelion is a Drama Slice of Life disguised as Mech series, with a straight forward space invaders type plot where the protagonist is the main player. Not to say that this is not exciting or bad, but the real money and enjoyment comes from the development of Shinji/Asuka and some Hideaki Anno spice (the dumpster loads of religious symbolism). All in all, between the fighting and inner character struggles, NGE has a very entertaining storyline that will keep you watching

My MAIN criticism for evangelion stems from the ending, there is no way for me personally to come up with an explanation for the ending of the tv series without supplementing it with the End of Evangelion movie. So whether someone dropped the ball on funding, or Hideaki wasn't able to tie the end nicely when making the tv series. The fact is if I can't explain the tv ending alone without the movie then the anime feels very rash and incomplete. Without the movie I would score the tv series story a 6.5-7, with the movie I would score it an 8-9 so overall the score of 8 is slightly generous but deserving.

Art 9/10,

If Gainax was struggling with funding (as stated in synopsis) I did not see it in this anime. The action and fighting looks very smooth and it still has that old anime feel to it (not an animation expert sorry for the vague feel). It surprises me when I realize that NGE(1995) is older than other big animes such as 'Berserk'(1997) and Cowboy Bebop(1998). For it's time and what Gainax had in the tank Evangelion worked magic.

Can't also forget the iconic explosions (the cross) that is used in many series for the next 2 decades (i.e Unlimited blade works, kill la kill off the top of my head)


Sound 9/10,

Pretty generous but I believe that there are some songs on the ost that play at the right crucial times.

Voice acting wise it is phenomenal,speaking of the japanese version, I have not watched the dub.



Character 10/10

Although side characters are not fleshed out that well, the main cast, specifically Asuka and Shinji are extremely well written with their specific issues and back stories.

This anime is a story of discovering self reliance through adversity not only physically but primarily psychologically. Just to give a heads up, there are plenty of times where you will get extremely frustrated at the characters' thought process and actions but that's one of the points of NGE.

I will come out and say the protagonist is probably the best written character in all anime although I know there are plenty who agree with that statement.

*sigh* In terms of Best Girl I am Team Rei, the writing for Asuka is atleast 100x better, but I believe Hideaki goes out of his way just to make Asuka unlikable. Character wise Asuka>Rei, Best Girl Wise Rei> Asuka


Enjoyment 10/10,

I originally intended to take like a week and a half to watch this anime. I ended up watching it+ End of Evangelion in 4 days... I just was so interested in it the history/hype, the action, trying to find the true meaning behind it. It has good rewatch value because I've watched the tv series twice+the end of evangelion+ the rebuild movies. It just the type of series that draws me in


Overall 10/10,

As I stated in my intro I stand on the side that deems NGE as a masterpiece. Just the fact that it opens discussion about it ~20 years later is just a testament to how historical it is in the anime world. With Gainax's and Hideaki's personal strungles it is a huge feat. That is why I herald it as the most iconic anime of all time and regardless of the outcome of your opinion, I would highly suggest watching it

Gintama, a show that is capable of both producing tears of laughter along with tears of joy, has not failed to impress me over the past decade it has been aired and this season is no different. If you haven't watched the first few seasons go ahead and do so. This review will just go through category by category
(story-art-sound-character-enjoyment) and conclude with my overall statement about this seaon

Story: 8/10
The true magic of Gintama is that it is episodic in nature and very comedic in nature. These comedic arcs and episodes help to connect the watcher to the side characters, so that when eventually a ... serious well-constructed arc does take place it takes a dramatic impact on the reader/watcher. The thing that this season will get a lot of flack for is stringing two serious arcs together. The arcs themselves are really good and I would place them in the top 3 in terms of serious arcs (courtesan of the nation is the best imo). However, it just so happened to be too bad that the arcs led directly into each other.

So to sum up this point, I really do enjoy the serious arcs and they are an essential part to Gintama. However, Gintama's strength lies primarily comedy and making the audience connected to side characters that would not get attention in typical shounen anime. But I do applaud Sorachi's attempt to steer Gintama in a new direction towards its finale.

Art 9/10
This is where this season truly separates itself from the others. Although the fight scenes aren't as crisp as the season before, the back grounds are much prettier and the lines are much bolder. The detail in the faces are much more visible and give Gintama a great look.

Sound 9/10
As always, Gintama has a pretty great ost that establishes the emotional backdrops of scenes. However, 3/5 of the OPs this season were pretty mediocre until the last arc blew me away,the second OP was excellent as well. In terms of EDs Gintama was pretty excellent. Voice Actors 10/10, Gintama knows how to cast

Character 10/10
No other anime does better at connecting the audience to ALL of its characters as Gintama. It's one thing to have a well-written MC with strength and weaknesses as well as villains. But Gorilla has made it to where any character can be placed in the spotlight of an arc and the audience will feel sympathy for them. Gintoki will always have the focus on him as the main character should, but the voice acting and writing of the side characters truly propel it further than other anime

Enjoyment 10/10
EFFING HILARIOUS

Overall 9/10
I like that in this season Sorachi is trying to lead Gintama to its inevitable close. However, it makes me feel sad when I'm reminded that Gintama is going to tie ends but it has to be done. If a lot of comedy has to be sacrificed then I stand by Gorilla-Sensei in making sure the series has a solid ending. This season is a success and it's no suprise Gintama composes most of the top 10 on MAL