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Posted by: X-Nightcrawler at August 10, 2004, 1:13 am

Topic: Neon Genesis Evangelion - Perfect Collection Forum: JoBlo

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) Cast: Megumi Ogata - Shinji Ikari Megumi Hayashibara - Rei Ayanami/Yui Ikari Kotono Mitsuishi - Misato Katsuragi Yûko Miyamura - Asuka Langley Yuriko Yamaguchi - Ritsuko "I can't run away. I can't run away. I can't run away. I can't run away." -Shinji Plot: In the year 2015, mankind is threatened by huge creatures called "The Angels". They can't do nothing against them so human creates the Evangelions, (the coolest mecha-thingees you'll ever see) the only thing that has a chance against the Angels. A young pilot by the name of Shinji is summoned as the last hope to pilot the Eva (Evangelion, short). The story unfolds like anything you' ve seen before. What I Thought: To be perfectly honest, I wasn't an anime fan until very recently . . . since I'm being honest, I might also add that I was never even remotely interested in Evangelion, as a series. That all changed a fatefull afternoon when I sat down to watch "The End Of Evangelion" but that's another story. Neon Genesis Evangelion is, without a doubt, one of the most popular, beloved and influencial anime series of all time but, what exactly makes this different from all those billions of other "giant-robot-saving-mankind" motifed anime series? Well, that is one impossible question to answer with just one word. So basically, you'll have to keep reading. The story of NGE or Evangelion (how I'll call it for short) is right up my alley. In short, it's epic, huge, intricate and unbelievably complex. What starts as an easy to follow episode quickly turns into a trek of plot twists, turns and intricacies that won't let go. This series has the perfect example of how Japanese people write their stuff. Every episode is extremely important and adds dimension to the evergrowing plot, but, intentionally leaving literally hundreds of questions out on the air. Some of which are answered in the movie followups, some of which aren't. This could be the one minor flaw I can give to the series overall, it's vagueness. Although we do get what's going on through the series perfectly, there are a lot of things to "look out for". For instance, I have spent HOURS researching about Evangelion stuff and everyday I've found something new I didn't know. Have in mind I've seen all episodes and "The End Of Evangelion". Hey sure, I love this stuff, I love to learn more stuff by myself but that isn't the general case. If the story is extremely complex (trust me here), why leave it so vague? I also need to say that I think that the story itself is way too inteligent. With religious overtones spreaded in it and enough symbolism to drive your brain into overdrive, the story in Evangelion towers over anything else I have ever seen/played/read in terms of story quality. But, this elegant story, how does it flow? Well, basically: great. Due to it's complex nature it's virtually impossible to be close to getting it without having seen one episode. Each episode is more important than the last and the interest grows with every second of playtime. When episode 17 begins, trust me, everything will just get better and better. This is when the series begins sporting it's darker and crueler mood, driving our beloved characters over edges we never expect. The plot begins to twist and turn every episode with one exciting climax in the last 'good' episode, 24. Episodes 25 and 26 are, with a reason, the forgotten Evangelion episodes. Anno took the series into a 'deeper' meaning and it all bases itself on symbolism. The result is one dissapointing finale to one of the greatest series ever. That was later changed with the release of "The End Of Evangelion", the greatest movie experience ever. Although not everything in Evangelion is roses and candy, the creators didn't forget to give us a unique brand of humor that doesn't rely on "anime wackiness" (although that is present). The humor arrives when Asuka does and I welcomed every second of it. Without a doubt, what is regarded as Evangelion's 'specialty' (what everyone loves) is it's characters and their relationships but more importantly, their flaws. We are presented a cast of characters like nothing you have ever seen before. The hero is all but a cliché hero who wills to save the universe. Shinji Ikari would prefer to be anywhere else. Of course, this is not the only character you'll find unique. Shinji and the gang are all unique characters with great personalities. Asuka (the favorite character of millions), Rei, Misato . . . all of them are unique and developed like little you've seen. Their dimension grows bigger and bigger until all you do is forget that you're watching a cartoon. The characters could be one of the best ever brought to me. I loved every single scene where Rei, Asuka and Shinji are left alone, simply priceless. But what exactly is behind Neon Genesis Evangelion? What is it trying to tell us? The obvious choice would be to imagine it's a basic cry out or heads up to religion. Is this true? I doubt it, I don't think that's what Evangelion is about. The way I see it, Neon Genesis Evangelion is about being and feeling alone. This is reflected in every main character's decent through the series. This makes the audience to easily identify and relate to someone in the series and that's another point of brilliancy, everyone is going to relate to something or someone in the series, I almost guarantee that. Hideaki Anno gave us his story in a unique way. Yes, the animation isn't exactly perfect but it works perfectly fine with the story. The camera moves greatly and I loved the atmosphere shifts. A cheery scored scene can quickly turn into a dark and gloomy atmospheric action scene with a classical score of a soundtrack (you'll be amazed of how it works). The action scenes are a fucking blast to watch and most of the time it gets my blood pumping. Anno didn't forget the drama either. There are various events throughout the series (albeit in the 6 or so final episodes) that really shook me over. All character related. I was surprised more than once. Gore: The series itself lacks over violence but it's still very present. We see snapped arms, blood, gunshots, a beheading and more. Trust me, if it's violence you want better check out the movie follow-ups. Rating: 9.5/10 -- "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is the peak of animation for me. It's basically a once in a lifetime experience that doesn't end when the final episode does. I am blown away and I am sure I'll be watching this again and again.

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