End of Eva vs Thrice Upon a Time
The End of Evangelion (1997)
56.1%
357
Thrice Upon a Time (2021)
33.8%
215
Episodes 25 + 26 (For the memes)
10.1%
64
636 votes
| Really really loved Thrice Upon a Time, but does it hold up to The End of Evangelion? Personally, I think End of Eva can't be beat, but am very curious if/ why others think differently. Note: yes, I know End of Eva and Thrice Upon a Time aren't supposed to be the same. That's really why I love Thrice Upon a Time... because it isn't the same and essentially responds to End of Eva through direct referential imagery. |
| Both fits with their prequel but The fucking wait for thrice upon a time made it even better, though end of eva has a special in my heart |
| "Fear is necessary for evolution. The fear that one could be destroyed at any moment" -Aizen Sousuke |
__sobann said: Both fits with their prequel but The fucking wait for thrice upon a time made it even better, though end of eva has a special in my heart It definitely was worth the wait |
| End of Eva was weird but Thrice Upon a Time made it a satisfying conclusion. It was worth the wait. The last two eps was really a meme. |
 “Once you've been loved once and have loved once, you cannot forget it.” ― Natsume Takashi |
| Both are good but End of Eva is better |
 _______I like rocks__  |
| End of Evangelion's better and it's not even close. 3.0+1.0 pretty fucking fantastic for the most part, but is really uneven due to the overstuffed mess of a second act whereas End of Eva's easily the single most powerful, emotionally resonant film I've ever seen. The TV ending's a masterpiece too, and one I only appreciate more and more with time. EoE (10/10) > eps 25 and 26 (10/10) > 3.0+10 (8.5/10) |
Take care of yourself |
LoveLikeBlood said: End of Evangelion's better and it's not even close. 3.0+1.0 pretty fucking fantastic for the most part, but is really uneven due to the overstuffed mess of a second act whereas End of Eva's easily the single most powerful, emotionally resonant film I've ever seen. The TV ending's a masterpiece too, and one I only appreciate more and more with time. EoE (10/10) > eps 25 and 26 (10/10) > 3.0+10 (8.5/10) Definitely agree in regards to the TV end. Also, it's funny bc the episodes start out with the anime saying that they can't show all of it so they're showing only specific parts of Instrumentality, and then in End of Eva they literally reference specific scenes in the TV ending so that we know that they're taking place at the same time. Meanwhile, people are still somehow confused on whether the two endings take place at the same time. |
| I haven't heard why people would vote Thrice Upon a Time over End of Eva which is unfortunate. |
| Trice was good, but End of Eva was better. Trice made a lot of choices I don't agree with. |
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| The me of 10 years ago would have said EoE easily. But now, I have to say Thrice. Both are masterpieces in their own right, though. |
| recency bias strikes hard with me and also i like the idea of resetting the world in order to move on or move forward plot |
keanuvan92 said: Agreed on the comment above me. If you liked EOE better you're a certified weirdo and you should probably do something about your life decisions. While I agree with this assessment, I would like to point out the similarity of our tastes in other anime (which shows you that we're both weirdos) and then tell you that End of Eva is still infinitely better. |
| end of eva is definetly more the darkness of human releationships, while trice is a way more healthier , + its eva with less depression, anno isnt as depressed as he was back then. dont think the emptiness i felt after end of eva can be beat though. though gendo fight felt like yeah judgements and differences and wills between people will always exist, but that dosent mean we cant be kind aswell. |
evangelionfanAug 19, 2021 11:53 AM
| EoE is absolutely stunning and people are still talking and discussing up until this day for some reason. Asuka battle is one of the most epic battles in anime history. Art is superb (no CGI garbage shots). Music is excellent (classical music and ofc Komm, süsser Tod). Plus lots of memorable events: The NERV invasion, Misato, Shinji, Asuka, third impact, the ending etc etc. I liked Thrice Upon a Time but for me EoE is on another level. |
MeadosAug 19, 2021 8:27 AM
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| Thrice Upon a Time is better, but just slightly, for me. |
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| i would say EoE idk why but there's something in end of eva which makes it better it might be the crazy ending with komn susser todd song or the dark setting ngl EoE is reallly scary at the end of the day thrice upon a time is more of a happy ending and EoE is i think you know what i mean "𝓭𝓮𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷" |
| Extremely tough to choose between the two. I think in isolation that EoE is a better singular piece as a legitimate work of art both artistically and in terms of its literature. Thrice is in a similar ballpark/not miles off but imo was the superior franchise/story-ender. It was the best final note the characters could have been given and tbh it was the most satisfying thing to me. I really hate to pit the two against each other because in all honesty they're two halves of the same coin. Now that the Rebuilds have come out as a SEQUEL as opposed to a true reboot it further emphasizes the dichotomy and rhyming of EoE and Thrice. They're the same yet inverses of each other. The same environment with different events playing out and decisions being made (further compounded when you think about it in the way that in Thrice Shinji has technically lived this before and EoE and is getting a second chance to make a decision). Both are great for similar but also vastly opposite reasons. |
| Thrice Upon a Time was a very good film in my book and surprised me how much I enjoyed it, but The End of Evangelion is just a mammoth of a cinematic experience. I even consider it on par with the works of Kubrick, Lynch and Tarkovsky. It's that brilliant from my perspective. |
Draconix814 said: I haven't heard why people would vote Thrice Upon a Time over End of Eva which is unfortunate. Shin does a lot stuff better, like character development and closure, end of eva barely develops kowaru and rei, leaves asuka in the open, doesn't finish misato's conflicts, nor kaji's nor no one's , but it's a far better cinematic experience than shin/3.0+1.0 . But shin was just special, it was incredibly powerful to everyone as you can see in the forums and 4chan, many fans are getting borderline mindbroken just by the concept of their fav work telling them to get a life in a bold way |
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| 3.0+1.0 > 25-26(no joke) > EOE It's pretty close between Thrice and the anime ending and I've watched all of it recently so no recency bias, I just liked the happy ending more and it's kinda unfair to compare the two episodes with the hole movie imo. Also the way I see the only real ending is Thrice so it makes sense in a closure point of view for it to be the best over the others "endings". |
PEUEUREFF said: Draconix814 said: I haven't heard why people would vote Thrice Upon a Time over End of Eva which is unfortunate. Shin does a lot stuff better, like character development and closure, end of eva barely develops kowaru and rei, leaves asuka in the open, doesn't finish misato's conflicts, nor kaji's nor no one's , but it's a far better cinematic experience than shin/3.0+1.0 . But shin was just special, it was incredibly powerful to everyone as you can see in the forums and 4chan, many fans are getting borderline mindbroken just by the concept of their fav work telling them to get a life in a bold way I mostly agree with this. I personally think it's really pale but understandable that people pit the Rebuilds and the original run against each other when they're two halves of the same whole. The Rebuild being a sequel depends on building off of the original so much the two are inextricably woven together imo. Thrice was MADE with a message to some of the elitist fans. Idk if that message was get a life but I think along that same vein Anno was trying to tell all the people who overglorified the message of NGE+EoE or rather put the wrong part of the message on the pedestal in his mind perhaps. Thrice is Anno's years later and years wiser telling fans that as wonderful of a piece that EoE is that it's not cool to be depressed. Many of us have to deal with it but as you must realize that pondering the semantics is at times necessary but none of it supercedes the pursuit of happiness. Imo Shinji's not "escaping" his troubles in Thrice by choosing what he chooses. The personal issues he has that we see come out during the story of Evangelion is literal but also just another symbol for the overarching flaws of Shinji's psyche. The way he's dealt with things in NGE, EoE, and Rebuilds is the way he deals with any problem he faces in life. It's who he is and who he is as a person in the most literal and figurative ways is the crux of his story in Eva. Anno has painted the picture that finally Shinji has arrived at peace and arrived at love for himself, that he's gone through the woes of End of Evangelion and NGE and has realized that he understands and is okay with everything that's happened so far. He's developed a sense of self-security and at this point he just wants to be able to have happiness and share it with the ones he's grown to love along the way. There's a reason that in the latter parts of the film that Shinji's demeanor as that of a person that is calm and at peace. Because he is. The turmoil that was so quintessential to Shinji's character prior has gone. He's let go of the version of himself that has microscoped every fiber of his being and existence. He's taken every road to arrive at this one. In that, I think Anno is sending the message of "Hey. We've done our pondering for long enough. We've learned a lot. Life is too short to not see the good in it, the good in you. The real childish thing is to spend your whole life mired in fog debating yourself. There's a time and place for such things but at some point you've gotta start living your life." Or something like that. It's the hill I'll die on but imo EoE and Thrice are the same movie/story told differently. And I think the hardest hitting thing for my own personal interpretation as an Eva fan is that I always felt as if between the original end of NGE and EoE we saw Shinji sort of become or at least become more like his father Gendo. He endlessly constructs and reconstructs himself and what it means to be human, he gets lost in the endless bucket of semantics of it all, arrives at some conclusions clinging onto everything and by the end of EoE his choices land him as the last man on earth, borderline insane, and forcing himself into a position where he and Asuka are the new Adam and Eve. Very biblical stuff. Very Gendo. Would like to emphasize Gendo has a prominent trait of not being able to let go, to cling and grip to what he feels is important with disregard for everyone else. By the latter parts of the Rebuild we see Shinji exhibit traits that are more like his mother Yui (or at least what we are shown or told about her). The woman that was able to let go for the sake of her son's future (according to the Rebuilds at least). Kinder, more compassionate, more at tranquil/at peace, more cognizant of those around her/her fellow man, *happier*. I think that's some kind of beatifully written dichotomy that (if you want to see it this way) that Shinji has had two chances living this life: the first one sees him become his father, the second one sees him become his mother. Artsy fartsy contrived stuff I know but I liked it a lot. |
Champloo_Remix said: i agree, comparing the movies with the original is just stupid, the movies just continue and expand they aren't remakes, just sequels thematically and in structurePEUEUREFF said: Shin does a lot stuff better, like character development and closure, end of eva barely develops kowaru and rei, leaves asuka in the open, doesn't finish misato's conflicts, nor kaji's nor no one's , but it's a far better cinematic experience than shin/3.0+1.0 . But shin was just special, it was incredibly powerful to everyone as you can see in the forums and 4chan, many fans are getting borderline mindbroken just by the concept of their fav work telling them to get a life in a bold way I mostly agree with this. I personally think it's really pale but understandable that people pit the Rebuilds and the original run against each other when they're two halves of the same whole. The Rebuild being a sequel depends on building off of the original so much the two are inextricably woven together imo. Thrice was MADE with a message to some of the elitist fans. Idk if that message was get a life but I think along that same vein Anno was trying to tell all the people who overglorified the message of NGE+EoE or rather put the wrong part of the message on the pedestal in his mind perhaps. Thrice is Anno's years later and years wiser telling fans that as wonderful of a piece that EoE is that it's not cool to be depressed. Many of us have to deal with it but as you must realize that pondering the semantics is at times necessary but none of it supercedes the pursuit of happiness. Imo Shinji's not "escaping" his troubles in Thrice by choosing what he chooses. The personal issues he has that we see come out during the story of Evangelion is literal but also just another symbol for the overarching flaws of Shinji's psyche. The way he's dealt with things in NGE, EoE, and Rebuilds is the way he deals with any problem he faces in life. It's who he is and who he is as a person in the most literal and figurative ways is the crux of his story in Eva. Anno has painted the picture that finally Shinji has arrived at peace and arrived at love for himself, that he's gone through the woes of End of Evangelion and NGE and has realized that he understands and is okay with everything that's happened so far. He's developed a sense of self-security and at this point he just wants to be able to have happiness and share it with the ones he's grown to love along the way. There's a reason that in the latter parts of the film that Shinji's demeanor as that of a person that is calm and at peace. Because he is. The turmoil that was so quintessential to Shinji's character prior has gone. He's let go of the version of himself that has microscoped every fiber of his being and existence. He's taken every road to arrive at this one. In that, I think Anno is sending the message of "Hey. We've done our pondering for long enough. We've learned a lot. Life is too short to not see the good in it, the good in you. The real childish thing is to spend your whole life mired in fog debating yourself. There's a time and place for such things but at some point you've gotta start living your life." Or something like that. It's the hill I'll die on but imo EoE and Thrice are the same movie/story told differently. And I think the hardest hitting thing for my own personal interpretation as an Eva fan is that I always felt as if between the original end of NGE and EoE we saw Shinji sort of become or at least become more like his father Gendo. He endlessly constructs and reconstructs himself and what it means to be human, he gets lost in the endless bucket of semantics of it all, arrives at some conclusions clinging onto everything and by the end of EoE his choices land him as the last man on earth, borderline insane, and forcing himself into a position where he and Asuka are the new Adam and Eve. Very biblical stuff. Very Gendo. Would like to emphasize Gendo has a prominent trait of not being able to let go, to cling and grip to what he feels is important with disregard for everyone else. By the latter parts of the Rebuild we see Shinji exhibit traits that are more like his mother Yui (or at least what we are shown or told about her). The woman that was able to let go for the sake of her son's future (according to the Rebuilds at least). Kinder, more compassionate, more at tranquil/at peace, more cognizant of those around her/her fellow man, *happier*. I think that's some kind of beatifully written dichotomy that (if you want to see it this way) that Shinji has had two chances living this life: the first one sees him become his father, the second one sees him become his mother. Artsy fartsy contrived stuff I know but I liked it a lot. |
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PEUEUREFF said: Draconix814 said: I haven't heard why people would vote Thrice Upon a Time over End of Eva which is unfortunate. Shin does a lot stuff better, like character development and closure, end of eva barely develops kowaru and rei, leaves asuka in the open, doesn't finish misato's conflicts, nor kaji's nor no one's , but it's a far better cinematic experience than shin/3.0+1.0 . But shin was just special, it was incredibly powerful to everyone as you can see in the forums and 4chan, many fans are getting borderline mindbroken just by the concept of their fav work telling them to get a life in a bold way End of Eva does develop Rei by having her pick Shinji as the one she trusts to decide the fate of Instrumentality. It develops Asuka via her realization of what an "AT field" is, and giving her one of the best send-offs in Anime history (before she pops out of the Orange Tang with Shinji at the end, Adam and Eve style). I don't know why "finishing conflicts" is a good standard to have regarding character development. Kaji died long before the End of Eva so I don't know why this is a criticism, and Misato sacrifices herself for Shinji, which is closure for her character, directly mirroring the beginning and is directly the result of her relationship with Kaji, as she is now privy to knowledge that makes her realize the truth of the situation that needed to be passed on. Kaworu was a one-episode character that died right beforehand, so again, I don't understand why he needed development beyond what he got in his episode. And while Thrice Upon a Time is incredibly powerful, EoE is still as controversial and powerful as it was just over two decades ago. Thrice did a lot of things well, but I just don't believe that the Rebuild movies, in general, are as profound as their original counterpart. And remember, while Thrice's ending message can be boiled down to "go outside", "have sex" or "get a life", EoE's ending message was "be yourself", "no matter how painful life is, keep moving forward", and "form connections". It ends off with Shinji and Asuka becoming Adam and Eve. Even after they both show their most disgusting side to each other, they were still able to form a connection. Shinji choking her showed how much he cared for her, Asuka berating him also. PEUEUREFF said: i agree, comparing the movies with the original is just stupid, the movies just continue and expand they aren't remakes, just sequels thematically and in structure I don't think comparing them is stupid, but I do agree that they should be viewed as sequels instead of remakes. My comparison boils down to them both intending to be the end of the franchise and it is hard not to make comparisons between the two when Thrice has many bold references to EoE. Perhaps "Thrice Upon a Time" is not a reference to some time travel book, but instead a reference to Hideaki Anno trying to end Eva for the third time. We compare 25 + 26 to End of Eva all of the time and that was the way Hideaki Anno wanted the series to end before fans got mad. So I don't see anything wrong here. |
Draconix814 said: PEUEUREFF said: Shin does a lot stuff better, like character development and closure, end of eva barely develops kowaru and rei, leaves asuka in the open, doesn't finish misato's conflicts, nor kaji's nor no one's , but it's a far better cinematic experience than shin/3.0+1.0 . But shin was just special, it was incredibly powerful to everyone as you can see in the forums and 4chan, many fans are getting borderline mindbroken just by the concept of their fav work telling them to get a life in a bold way End of Eva does develop Rei by having her pick Shinji as the one she trusts to decide the fate of Instrumentality. It develops Asuka via her realization of what an "AT field" is, and giving her one of the best send-offs in Anime history (before she pops out of the Orange Tang with Shinji at the end, Adam and Eve style). I don't know why "finishing conflicts" is a good standard to have regarding character development. Kaji died long before the End of Eva so I don't know why this is a criticism, and Misato sacrifices herself for Shinji, which is closure for her character, directly mirroring the beginning and is directly the result of her relationship with Kaji, as she is now privy to knowledge that makes her realize the truth of the situation that needed to be passed on. Kaworu was a one-episode character that died right beforehand, so again, I don't understand why he needed development beyond what he got in his episode. And while Thrice Upon a Time is incredibly powerful, EoE is still as controversial and powerful as it was just over two decades ago. Thrice did a lot of things well, but I just don't believe that the Rebuild movies, in general, are as profound as their original counterpart. And remember, while Thrice's ending message can be boiled down to "go outside", "have sex" or "get a life", EoE's ending message was "be yourself", "no matter how painful life is, keep moving forward", and "form connections". It ends off with Shinji and Asuka becoming Adam and Eve. Even after they both show their most disgusting side to each other, they were still able to form a connection. Shinji choking her showed how much he cared for her, Asuka berating him also. PEUEUREFF said: i agree, comparing the movies with the original is just stupid, the movies just continue and expand they aren't remakes, just sequels thematically and in structure I don't think comparing them is stupid, but I do agree that they should be viewed as sequels instead of remakes. My comparison boils down to them both intending to be the end of the franchise and it is hard not to make comparisons between the two when Thrice has many bold references to EoE. Perhaps "Thrice Upon a Time" is not a reference to some time travel book, but instead a reference to Hideaki Anno trying to end Eva for the third time. We compare 25 + 26 to End of Eva all of the time and that was the way Hideaki Anno wanted the series to end before fans got mad. So I don't see anything wrong here. >have sex >go outside cringe Shin is a message of "move on" "stop obcessing" "live life at the fullest" "grow up", not just some stupid r9k delusional shit you are posting, it's making the fanbase butthurt because they are subconsciously realizing they have been wasting time and braincells on fictional relationships instead of building their own. It's also a love letter to the ones who got the message from NGE and EoE and live life experiencing it fully, It's the same message through a different presentation. |
PEUEUREFFAug 22, 2021 1:14 PM
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PEUEUREFF said: Draconix814 said: End of Eva does develop Rei by having her pick Shinji as the one she trusts to decide the fate of Instrumentality. It develops Asuka via her realization of what an "AT field" is, and giving her one of the best send-offs in Anime history (before she pops out of the Orange Tang with Shinji at the end, Adam and Eve style). I don't know why "finishing conflicts" is a good standard to have regarding character development. Kaji died long before the End of Eva so I don't know why this is a criticism, and Misato sacrifices herself for Shinji, which is closure for her character, directly mirroring the beginning and is directly the result of her relationship with Kaji, as she is now privy to knowledge that makes her realize the truth of the situation that needed to be passed on. Kaworu was a one-episode character that died right beforehand, so again, I don't understand why he needed development beyond what he got in his episode. And while Thrice Upon a Time is incredibly powerful, EoE is still as controversial and powerful as it was just over two decades ago. Thrice did a lot of things well, but I just don't believe that the Rebuild movies, in general, are as profound as their original counterpart. And remember, while Thrice's ending message can be boiled down to "go outside", "have sex" or "get a life", EoE's ending message was "be yourself", "no matter how painful life is, keep moving forward", and "form connections". It ends off with Shinji and Asuka becoming Adam and Eve. Even after they both show their most disgusting side to each other, they were still able to form a connection. Shinji choking her showed how much he cared for her, Asuka berating him also. I don't think comparing them is stupid, but I do agree that they should be viewed as sequels instead of remakes. My comparison boils down to them both intending to be the end of the franchise and it is hard not to make comparisons between the two when Thrice has many bold references to EoE. Perhaps "Thrice Upon a Time" is not a reference to some time travel book, but instead a reference to Hideaki Anno trying to end Eva for the third time. We compare 25 + 26 to End of Eva all of the time and that was the way Hideaki Anno wanted the series to end before fans got mad. So I don't see anything wrong here. >have sex >go outside cringe Shin is a message of "move on" "stop obcessing" "live life at the fullest" "grow up", not just some stupid r9k delusional shit you are posting, it's making the fanbase butthurt because they are subconsciously realizing they have been wasting time and braincells on fictional relationships instead of building their own. It's also a love letter to the ones who got the message from NGE and EoE and live life experiencing it fully, It's the same message through a different presentation. > Go Outside Ahem, in the end of the movie, Mari tells Shinji (still in the Anti-Universe) to come with her back into the real world, to which we are then treated to a real-world drone cam flying over Tokyo or wherever that was. If that's not Anno telling you to go outside and get a life, idk what is lol > Have sex So this was mostly a joke, but since the series is laden in commentary on Otaku culture and the subtext has always been tied to a young boy's (Shinji's) sexuality - and as Instrumentality is supposed to be a merging of everyone's individual identities into a collective, primordial soup- to bypass the human inability to connect with others and end human suffering... Shinji picking Mari over the other girls, who he has almost an entirely physical relationship with, (in contrast to the squarely emotional relationships he had with Asuka and Rei), is basically like Anno telling us Otaku to get out of our rooms and start flirting with some girls in the real world bc not only will that end your suffering but we're in the middle of a birth crisis rn guys. >It's a love letter to the ones who got the message from NGE and EoE You're absolutely correct. I said that almost immediately. I still love Thrice I'm just defending EoE bc I hold that EoE is superior |
| Having just watched Thrice it's definitely more appealing to me. It's definitely easier to get into than the End of Eva for me. |
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| I think this whole franchise is shit but if gonna give Anno any credibility of his pretty much open theft of the works of Gerry Anderson… Thrice Upon a Time at least signifies the true end. |
I watch everything and anything, 300 days watched and counting. |
| I think EoE is much much better for me personally. I just love how it ended on a sad note that still had optimism and hope for the future as instrumentality was stopped and everyone who would want to live again and whose will is strong enough could emerge from the LCL sea like Shinji did. Aside from that, scenes like Asuka's final stand, the third impact as well as Shinji stopping it are just legendary. 3.0+1.0 barely has any memorable scenes in my opinion and its excessive use of CGI was also pretty bad. Aside from that I also didn't like the entire second half. |
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| So many people are delusionally attached to NGE and EoE. They will never let go of their nostalgia, no matter how good the current and future installments of Evangelion get. It's just pathetic. NGE and EoE aren't THAT good. |
| I mean firstly, they are to some degree the same film but inverted (which is of course done purposefully by Anno as a revisitation of EoE but under new pretenses, Anno and Shinji being at vastly different and more experienced points in their lives since 95-96) so it's sort of an unfair discussion when they're meant to be two opposite sides of the same coin. That being said I do think on their own that End of Evangelion is perhaps a better individual film but I feel like Thrice Upon a Time is by far and large a superior end to the franchise's story. Like Thrice as a franchise ending alone is better if that makes any sense. It's a more beautiful parting shot. |
| 25 and 26 with the happy ending were the best. |
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| End of Evangelion isn't as interesting as Thrice Upon a Time or episode 26. It isn't even as interesting as Be Invoked, the Ideon movie it blatantly ripped off. I don't understand what fans see in it. |
| その目だれの目？ |
| I much prefered Thrice upon a time for showing some side characters future selves. I also loved the cute couple at theend, and how Shinji fully confronts his dad. Beyond that, the animation was stellar. The fanservice was nice too. I prefer positive endings. |
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