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How would you rate this anime?
May 13, 2011 9:05 AM
#1

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Spotlight Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion



MAL Anime Information Page: Neon Genesis Evangelion


MAL Score – 8.32 (by 63429 users)
Ranked - #173
Popularity - #12


Old Spotlight: Neon Genesis Evangelion


For the next two weeks I would like to have a discussion about the anime that focuses on the key elements that we here on MAL use to critically rate an anime: Animation, Sound, Characters, Story, and Enjoyment.

I would like everyone to approach this thread as if you were going to write a review and structure your initial post like this:


Animation - insert rating
Sound - insert rating
Characters - insert rating
Story - insert rating
Enjoyment - insert rating

Animation - discuss any pros and cons of the animation styling used in the series, try to include some specifics.

Sound - describe any of the things you liked or didn't care for in regards to the music and sound effects used in the series

etc...



If you are having trouble writing up a review or coming up with specific pros and cons, please don't worry. Just do the best you can with it and if you can only write two or three sentences about any of the 5 elements then that's OK. Not everyone here is currently at a level which will allow them to articulate their thoughts and opinions.

After your initial post is made you can feel free to civilly discuss issues of contention. I am sure there will be many opinions expressed here that some of us will disagree upon and criticise and it is for that reason that this entire club exists. So I hope everyone has fun and I am really looking forward to watching this discussion unfold.


Due to rule changes in January 2014 this title is eligible for resurrection.

RESULTS OF THE RESURRECTION POLL
05-16-14
- Yes: 46
- No: 27
- I haven't watched this anime: 14
~ Abstained: 9
Congratulations on this anime not being inducted! Back to resurrections with you! - 63%




Challenge You Decide results:

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Anime) (30/05/21)
- Yes: 44
- No: 12
- Haven't Watched: 1
~ Abstained: 1

- 78.57%
HiroM_Aug 6, 2021 10:05 AM
You do not beg the sun for mercy.
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May 13, 2011 12:23 PM
#2

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Mar 2008
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I never really put that much thought into it, I guess I just don't like it THAT much...

But I do know that it has some of the best writing in any medium, ever.

And the last two episodes are among my all time favorites.
May 13, 2011 2:25 PM
#3

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May 2010
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I wish they spent at least just an episode talking about what really happened before the "explosion". I find the episodic fillers pretty fun to watch, I didn't regard it deeply as all the fans or haters did, I am actually not even sure how can you find it "deep". I enjoyed the series, but I am going to vote "no"

I also checked that this is the series, and not the movie...
Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone
May 14, 2011 2:24 PM
#4

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Jul 2007
1420
I applaud the show for deconstructing the super robot genre by throwing in elements from the real robot genre, Kabbalistic Gnosticism, and perhaps even a bit of Lovecraft. The Angels and the methods required to defeat them were unique, and the idea of fighting off alien entities with even more monstrous and terrifying living weapons was pretty refreshing. Basically, I loved the series for fucking around with conventions.

Unfortunately, that's also one of my pet peeves. The Angels and EVAs are fascinating as concepts, but they're far too abusable as literary devices. I'm tempted to call the series "The Attack of the 500-Foot Plot Device". They're far too volatile, unpredictable, and convenient. Need a missing wife to turn a major character into a stoic extremist? Have her disappear in the EVA. Need to probe the mind of a pilot? Call an angel. Break the fragile ego of an emotional teenager? Call another angel. Need a quick victory? Berserker mode. End the world as we know it? Tang.

If the writer simply wanted to stir things up, all they had to do was design another gigantic freak, slap it with the power necessary to advance the plot, and have it waltz into Tokyo 3.

[aside:]
It's interesting to note how spiritual successors in genre deconstruction seem to have learned from Evangelion's mistake. Narutaru, Bokurano, and Madoka have slowly been improving in toning down the unpredictability of the fantastic elements and tying them more closely to the development of their respective themes.


As for the story and its characters... The Uncyclopedia article is surprisingly accurate. The drama felt too contrived with its dependence on Freudian excuses in attempting to give the characters some depth.
YuunagiMay 15, 2011 7:21 AM
May 15, 2011 12:55 AM
#5

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Oct 2008
4666
To be honest I didn't enjoy it a lot of the time. It was hard to because the characters were all unlikable and it was depressing and the fights were kind of boring to me. But I still think it's very very good and should of course be one of the club's recommendations.
May 15, 2011 8:34 AM
#6

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Sep 2009
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I am left with one of those annoying cases where JesuOtaku's review manages to say everything I want to, only better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUqdYo-2iU8

But yeah, as much as I loved a lot of things about it, it's going to have to be a no.
May 15, 2011 11:55 AM
#7

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Lind_L_Tailor said:
I am left with one of those annoying cases where JesuOtaku's review manages to say everything I want to, only better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUqdYo-2iU8
Blocked where I live. Fortunately, there are alternatives.

The second part of the review had me chuckling; it reminds me too much of the lively discussions we once had over a certain topic.

JO said:
Point is, Shinji, if you're lost, don't go looking for the answers inside yourself. You're the one who's confused.
YuunagiMay 16, 2011 8:24 AM
May 16, 2011 8:20 AM
#8
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Lind_L_Tailor said:
I am left with one of those annoying cases where JesuOtaku's review manages to say everything I want to, only better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUqdYo-2iU8



In the same boat as Lind, except I'm still undecided at the moment.
Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
May 16, 2011 12:55 PM
#9

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Dec 2007
9219
ladyxzeus said:
Long story...


tl;dr version:
10/10 Yes, it has my vote as many times as possible


On a side note, 10/10 for any anime that makes me have this conversation with my best friend Andreia.
Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori
May 16, 2011 3:50 PM

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Yuunagi said:
Lind_L_Tailor said:
I am left with one of those annoying cases where JesuOtaku's review manages to say everything I want to, only better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUqdYo-2iU8
Blocked where I live. Fortunately, there are alternatives.

The second part of the review had me chuckling; it reminds me too much of the lively discussions we once had over a certain topic.

JO said:
Point is, Shinji, if you're lost, don't go looking for the answers inside yourself. You're the one who's confused.


Right, Right? Thanks for the working U.S. link Yuunagi. That review basically touched on all that needs to be said in the series. Jo did a better job at explaining why I had so many problems with the hype that Evangelion always received. Her focus on Shinji and why his character is basically a failure, and the inability to find an ending, highlights other less objective arguments I've made in the past. It appears Ano was perhaps so depressed at the time he couldn't actually see the ending. This argument reminds me of some of the other discussions from other people who love this fact. Freudian tropes were interesting but overused which made Shinji's internal pursuit for happiness, philosophically redundant, scene after scene. Plus Jo's mentioning about the idea of being told vs. shown is always a criticism that I tend to make. Basically, I agree with her review on most levels.

I'm not sure where this leaves me voting wise though.
Orion1May 16, 2011 3:56 PM
May 20, 2011 3:36 PM
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Oct 2008
295
I wrote at length about it here:

http://ghostlightning.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/neon-genesis-evangelion-tv-revisited-better-than-i-remember/

I rewatched the whole TV series last year just after Rebuild 2 came out. I expected to validate the complaints I've nurtured since I met the backlash against this show, but instead I found myself more profoundly impressed.
May 22, 2011 4:11 PM

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Sep 2009
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In retrospect, I'm now wavering a bit closer to voting yes, since for all it's faults I consider Evangelion to be the absolute best (or close to the best) at no less than three things: Character study, Monster of the Week style, and Atmosphere.

Yeah, I'm back on the wall with this. I think I may give it a rewatch.
May 22, 2011 6:06 PM

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Character study, Monster of the Week style, and Atmosphere.
Evangelion was good at these, but there's probably a handful of shows out there that could trump it in 2 or even 3 aspects (off the top of my head, Mushishi and Madoka).
May 23, 2011 4:49 AM

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Yuunagi said:
Character study, Monster of the Week style, and Atmosphere.
Evangelion was good at these, but there's probably a handful of shows out there that could trump it in 2 or even 3 aspects (off the top of my head, Mushishi and Madoka).
Madoka did well for monster of the week and atmosphere, but not as well as Evangelion, and it certainly wasn't nearly as good a character study. I've only read the Mushishi manga, so maybe you're right there.
May 23, 2011 10:06 AM

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Debatable. I'll talk about Madoka when the spotlight eventually comes.



Either way, I give credit to Evangelion for pioneering or popularizing certain tropes and conventions, but judging it on its own ... it's quite a mess.

You've got an entire cast with a truckload of issues.
Fine.

Throw in conspiracies and abstract eldritch abominations.
Okay, you've caught my attention.

Now, slap one story on top of the other and you've got a terrible coincidence. SEELE doesn't give a fuck about Shinji. 16 or 17 out of 18 Angels don't give a shit about the little squirt. Hell, Gendo isn't overflowing with love either when it comes to his own son. Yet this guy has been chosen to be the main factor which will decide the fate of mankind. The reason? Absolutely none; he just happens to be the Commander's son and the only boy whom mommy would allow into her cockpit.

Within the context of the story and from the writer's point of view: Why would anybody want to focus on Shinji? Why hand the biggest role to that one character with no purpose in life?
YuunagiMay 23, 2011 10:11 AM
May 23, 2011 10:18 AM

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Monster of the Week.

I would like to inquire what are the qualities you guys are seeking from this.
May 23, 2011 11:00 AM

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@Yuunagi

Because he's such an uninteresting character. It's interesting to see what an interesting character with no charisma whatsoever could do. If Shinji was Amuro, NGE would have been just another Gundam.
Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori
May 23, 2011 11:37 AM

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Yuunagi said:
Debatable. I'll talk about Madoka when the spotlight eventually comes.



Either way, I give credit to Evangelion for pioneering or popularizing certain tropes and conventions, but judging it on its own ... it's quite a mess.

You've got an entire cast with a truckload of issues.
Fine.

Throw in conspiracies and abstract eldritch abominations.
Okay, you've caught my attention.

Now, slap one story on top of the other and you've got a terrible coincidence. SEELE doesn't give a fuck about Shinji. 16 or 17 out of 18 Angels don't give a shit about the little squirt. Hell, Gendo isn't overflowing with love either when it comes to his own son. Yet this guy has been chosen to be the main factor which will decide the fate of mankind. The reason? Absolutely none; he just happens to be the Commander's son and the only boy whom mommy would allow into her cockpit.

Within the context of the story and from the writer's point of view: Why would anybody want to focus on Shinji? Why hand the biggest role to that one character with no purpose in life?
I think you answered your own question as far as Shinji being given the fate of humankind goes.

He was chosen because nobody cared about him, thus making him more likely to initiate the instrumentality that the angels wanted so that everybody would be forced to care about him as he would be part of them. As for the first Angels not caring about Shinji, I don't have an argument for this, except they might have been psychologically weakening him to further increase the chances of instrumentality being initiated and I don't particularly care about having one either, since I'm not a huge fan of the series myself.

The main question is why did the Angels want to initiate instrumentality in the first place? If the only Angels that existed were the ones seen in the series, why did they want mankind out of the way, bearing in mind they probably weren't going to populate the earth? I'm guessing it has something to do with Adam and the Angel's believing (rightly) that the humans wouldn't leave him alone once he was discovered.

But then we could go even further back, to the Second Impact. If Adam caused the Second Impact, why did he do it the first place? And if he didn't and it was caused by a meteorite (assuming that the "First Impact" was the extinction of the dinosaurs), how was he only discoverable after the Second Impact?

This series had some good moments, but not enough to justify a yes vote, so this is a no vote for me.
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May 25, 2011 1:38 PM
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After first 13 episodes I hated it – thought it`s pointless series of fights with “monsters of the week”, characters (especially Asuka) annoyed me, simply I wasn`t particularly interested in it. Fortunately, next episodes were much better, plot started to be more and more original, near the end there was an excellent psychoanalysis. Nevertheless, it was still to little to vote on it.
Then why will I write yes in “you decide” topic? Due to the last scene which I consider as the best I `ve ever seen in anime. After watching this I realized the sense of those boring episodes, scenes, irritating characters. Alike many other Gainax series (FLCL, TTGL) it`s also about (IMO) adolescence and overcoming adversities, but there it is depicted in much more realistic, maybe even naturalistic way. There are no heroes, godlike humans or sth like that – only people with their flaws and limitations. That`s why some characters may be so irritating.

Animation – 10/10

Even after 15 years it`s still very impressive.

Sound – 7/10

Seiyuus did a great job, unfortunately some tracks have become quite obsolete

Characters – 9/10

Realistic, with great development. The only ones which I consider as a real mistake was Gendo and Rey both (in NGE only) pillar-like and unconvincing

Story – 9/10

Refined, ambiguous, with great, daring (in very positive meaning) scenes – like moments of silence lasting even a few minutes

Enjoyment – 8/10

Unfortunately, it was quite often boring

Overall – 9/10 and “yes”
May 26, 2011 8:23 AM
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live2win said:
Monster of the Week.

I would like to inquire what are the qualities you guys are seeking from this.


Well, the ideal monster of the week show would have unique (but not laughable) monsters that challenge the characters in new ways, forcing them to take a different approach with every single one. This is something Evangelion does very well. It also benefits from the fact that the technical staff supporting the Evangelions are actually given something to do, rather than sitting around and basically being cheerleaders for the pilots, like in many other mecha. So it is safe to say Evangelion is a top-notch monster of the week show.
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May 26, 2011 9:29 AM

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So the anime is certainly not without its fault, but I still think it's an exemplary title in the "mecha genre". Though I never regarded this show as a mecha one.

Overrated ?...Maybe, but I'm still going for the yes.
-Fixing-
May 26, 2011 3:17 PM

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kubusk said:
There are no heroes, godlike humans or sth like that – only people with their flaws and limitations.


The monsters are called Angels, that's a straight forward god like allusion/metaphor. Shinji does have a typical shonen element of powering up, when he learns to control, or merge with his evangelion and is able to control unit 01 when it becomes an Angel. I'm thinking that's a cliche hero element. It took a lot of self hatred and whining about why his father being such an unloving parent, and he also has to over come his rebellion against his father's wish for him to pilot the evangelion, but eventually shinji does snap out of his self pity and decides to save the world. His father's lack of attention/love forced shinji's rebellion, but ultimately it's hard to watch so much self pity. I think I'm beginning to see why others liked this element though. Without holding on to the depression factor, the power up or emotional evolutionary moment would be less climactic. In shinji's case I don't think he ever really defeats his inner demons. He only responds to his inner instinct to survive and help his friends. All the inner dialogue about why he shouldn't save humanity because his daddy doesn't love him was hard to watch, but it was effective in making evangelion more than just another mech series. I really never liked the Angel character designs, but once again they were unique monsters. I suppose Rei could also be seen as a god like character, however in her case she never evolves into the cliche, so she was more like a seed. She never really gains any special powers but has potential that is never realized. Emotionally she is like the special child with emotional shortcomings, someone to pity, hence a reason why shinji is so attracted to her. Of course maybe it's just her blue hair and tight suit. I know I love me ladies with blue hair and shinji is as already mentioned, going through adolescents. In many ways, Rei's lack of ability to love shinji, shadows Gendo's lack of emotion towards his son. Shinji appears to be evolving into a masochist during this series. Why else would he fall in love with a character devoid of real emotion? But if anything I think I just made myself like the series a little more. I see your point about there not being any true hero's in this series. Shinji just never really completely evolves, Rei is static and the rest of the cast doesn't seem able to help Shinji. One hug from his father and some encouraging words would probably make all the difference in this aspect. Perhaps a kiss from Rei, or a little emotional evolution on her part for shinji might have also sufficed. But it never happens and shinji is left as the limp hero.
Orion1May 27, 2011 4:23 PM
May 26, 2011 4:35 PM

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For me the selling point of Evangelion is the characters. I think the dynamics and development of the cast is amongst the best I’ve seen in anime. The main story is a convoluted mess and to make sense of most of the symbolism is pointless, still the merit of Evangelion is to make the best of its simple(dressed as complex and deep) plot and sometimes incomprehensible situations to evoke realistic emotions and behaviors from the characters. IMHO, Evangelion was at its best when the symbolism, the why of the Angels, the core of the plot was peripheral to the story. After all if you were to determine the reason d’etre of Evangelion then it would surely have to be the desire of Anno to create an anime that explored his mental state at that time. That being the case Evangelion triumphs spectacularly in what it sets out to do, it's an outstanding study of the interaction and behavior of people with this kind of mental, social, and/or emotional problems.

So that’s why im voting yes the story is a 7 but the characters, soundtrack and animation are a 10.

On a side note I think Madoka is the complete opposite of Evangelion in that it manages to create an engrossing plot along with meaningful symbolism and a stunning setting, but the characters(except Kyouko-no bias here, lol-) are uninspiring, unoriginal, and dull. Ill expand upon this when Madoka comes up for discussion.
amdaryMay 26, 2011 4:40 PM
May 3, 2014 10:52 PM

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Mar 2014
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This is one of those noticeably absent shows on my list.
Well, it's not completely absent, I have seen the first two episodes.

Still, for being such a high-profile series for so many people, it seems like something I should have completed a long time ago. Perhaps now that it's in the spotlight, it's the perfect excuse for me to pick it up again.
::End of Transmission::


May 9, 2014 12:24 PM

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I find this is an anime that really didn't age well. Seeing it when you're like 14 makes it seem real deep and amazing, but when I watched it again it was really average.
For the most part of the series they employ a "monster of the week" strategy which isn't special and even though the plot is actually fairly interesting and intricate when you pull it out of the series and look at it by itself, I find the anime didn't express it super well.

on a more personal note, i think shinji is just the worst. He is so boring and whiny. And the last 2 eps with all the introspective stuff that just taught him that he doesn't have to be a huge puss, and after figuring that out he gets a standing ovation. that was just nonsense imo. That shouldn't have had to be a huge revelation!
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May 17, 2014 3:06 AM

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[this is not a review, get away if you didn’t watch the anime and you don’t like getting spoiled]

Dec 12, 2015 7:18 AM

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Meh, I don't really care about Evangelion.

When I started watching it, I thought it was pretty good, but then in the second half, I thought it got too far up its ass with melodrama and trying to look deep despite it being admitted that the Christian symbolism was just there to look cool and not much else.

Even after the halfway point, I didn't hate it, it still had some cool, memorable moments here and there, but eh.

I have no strong feelings towards this series; I don't dislike it as much as End of Evangelion, and there's worse shows out there, but I don't like it that much either.

I gave it a 4/10. Mediocre.
Dec 5, 2016 12:23 AM

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Jun 2016
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I'm confused, this anime is on the recommended list, but there is no record of its induction.

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