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The movie picks up right after the ending of Episode 24: The Beginning and the End, or 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door, and tells the story of the main characters from Neon Genesis Evangelion, and how they must struggle with the group SEELE as they try to complete the Human Instrumentality Project, all while the Japanese Government has been sent to seize the company of NERV, and to leave no survivors. Shinji Ikari must be pushed to his limit, all while his mental health and will to live are in the zeros. And this is what the movie does so well in the first half. It ... shows the struggles of how the mind works, and how it can be stubborn, hurt, betrayed, and filled with such feelings that you will want to do nothing, and one wrong move will make the mind snap.

Visually, the movie is studding, with popping colors, and stunning and visually smooth animation, from things as small as reloading a handgun to the earth rumbling under the sheer weight of an Evangelion as it movies. Shots are often drawn looking up, reminding us of the robots' extreme height, weight, and the violence that portrays them, with their pilots moving jerkily inside them, and stunning battles. Granted, the second half of the movie, while beautiful, is also very experimental in its visuals, from adding in random children's drawings, random - almost epilepsy-inducing - shots of random frames from the show - inner monologues for how we see the hearts of the pilots and lots more.

If there's one thing that's critical to this movie, it's the soundtrack. As in the TV show, Shiro Sagisu created the masterful score for this film, and, to be honest, it's what makes the film so amazing, and worth watching. You can't have one without the other. Without the music score, The End of Evangelion wouldn't be what it is. And without the film, the score wouldn't mean as much. The music is what sets the tone for the feelings expressed in the movie. From the piece Huan to Mitsugetsu, which displays a huge sense of anxiety, to the emotional Komm Susser Tod, sung by the very talented Arianne, a piece that's played during the entire Third Impact, that's sung about suicide, it's a very emotional ride. And with classic scores played in the background, such as Orchestral Suite No.3 In D-Major BWV 1068 and Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude, both from Bach, the score is nothing short of masterful.

Throughout the rest of the experience, the last twenty minutes are something that one has to experience for themselves. As Third Impact started, and a beautiful contemplation of life, the meaning of existence, and the eventual rejection of the Human Instrumentality Project, the entire last twenty minutes was - at least for me - the reason I went to therapy. And it's an experience that I think anyone who has had any trauma, or any sort of mental health struggle, should experience too.

Hideako Anno was not screwing around when he wrote Neon Genesis Evangelion. Written at a time in his life when mental health was a subject he was exploring, you can see the outreaches he was trying to go for, express, and show. In my largest opinion - and, I'm prepared to get criticized for this sentence here - I think people who have either had, or have mental health problems can honestly understand and appreciate the deeper messages that this show is trying to convey.

The year is 2015, and after a cataclysmic event that nearly wipes out all life on Earth called The Second Impact, ... fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari, a boy who clearly has problems with anxiety, depression, and parental problems, is summoned to the fictional Tokyo-3 to pilot Evangelion Unit 01 - a large, over five-hundred-foot mecha-robot to defeat the oncoming Angels - alien beings coming to Earth to destroy the rest of humanity - against his wishes. The show explores deep, personal topics such as parental abandonment, trauma, anxiety, depression, philosophy, psychology, religion, and government. It also explores topics such as bonding, friendship, romance, and even betrayal. All amid a war between humanity, and the supernatural entities coming from the sky.

Shiro Sagisu is the show's composer, which you can tell from its powerful soundtrack and almost gut-wrenching music scores occasionally. At times, it feels the score is telling the story, expressing the feelings, and leading viewers on more than the actual lines of dialogue, and visuals from the show.

While it is not a traditional mecha anime, the other topics coupled in the show, especially the other characters, such as the queen of tsunderes, Askuka, and the famous Rei Ayanami, and the secrets they hide, make this show an absolute masterpiece to watch. While Shinji, the main character, may get on some people's nerves, he seems more humanly written than your average shonen protagonist, as we all have faults, get scared, are depressed, or have trouble dealing with things - especially in adolescence. Not every fourteen-year-old can be like Naruto or Luffy, and the show explores how humanity can be on a core level very well.

Depending on how viewers like the show, some will either love or hate the original ending and then vice versa, love or hate the ending for the movie, "The End of Evangelion." However, despite the destination the show brings us all to, there's only one thing to say once you've finished this anime. "Congratulations."