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Oct 27, 2015
Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy, abandoned at a young age, struggles against his depression and nihilism to pilot the mechanical-biological hybrid being known as Evangelion Unit-01 in order to save the world at the behest of his father, Gendo. His fellow pilot, Asuka Langley Soryu is in a comatose state after her last encounter with the ANGELS, beings made by the great entity ADAM who seeks to destroy the human progeny of other great entity known as LILITH. Shinji's father seeks to bring about the third impact, an apocalyptic, angelic event, in order to meet his deceased wife/Shinji's mother again. All the while, Shinji's
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mentor Misato Katsuragi and her co-workers, try to fend off the invasion of NERV, the organization that Shinji's father is in charge of.
"End of Evangelion" is the continuation of Hideaki Anno's "Neon Genesis Evangelion" series. It serves as an alternate ending, where, as opposed to Shinji being faced with the instrumentality project (a project based on the directive to create a collective, singular consciousness among the human species) his father tries to bring about the third impact.
The whole Evangelion series and storyline is full of symbolism and surrealism, and as a result, it can be reviewed and interpreted on many different levels. I have heard it interpreted from a Freudian stance, where Shinji is your typical oedipus complex case. I have heard it interpreted from a Schopenhauerean stance, where Shinji's depression is a depiction of the pessimistic futility of conscious life, where the human instrumentality program touches upon Schopenhauer's idea of "the World as Will and Representation".
"The Hedgehogs Dilemma", the idea that humans are like hedgehogs within social interactions and need to find a way to balance more introverted tendencies with extroverted tendencies, is a recurring notion in the series, which has its roots in both Freud and Schopenhauer.
Nietzsche's idea of the "Will to Power" is strong with Gendo's character, as he takes over an organization for his own purposes, but also, Nietzsce's idea of the Apollonian/Dionysian dichotomy is quite prevalent in "End of Evangelion" especially, as the plot deteriorates from structure to chaos, and eventually, Anno even breaks the fourth wall.
As you can tell, there is a lot going on in this series and film. And a lot of what goes on doesn't just occur on a cerebral level. It is very visceral and literal. The characters are concrete, emotive, and all have a certain degree of sincerity that makes them seem human. The artwork is fairly realistic and not too exaggerated, quite trippy during more-surreal scenes, and there are some beautiful frames like something out of a classical painting. The music is synchronized with the footage well, and both the English and Japanese voice acting casts were well suited to their characters.
At the end of the day, the blend of the literal and the abstract, the visceral and the cerebral, the exoteric and the esoteric make this anime series a work of art and a work of poetry. By the time you're done with it, you can just feel it. "End of Evangelion" is especially rewarding, because not only are there moments of vague epiphany, not only is the totality of it a well composed and substantial piece of art, but the tragic nature of it can induce some major catharsis.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Oct 27, 2015
Behind the big-bosomed girls on the front pages of each volume and certain chapters of Hiroya Oku's "Gantz", the story itself packs a strong punch. Three to four years after having begun it, I still find myself tearing up and wincing upon recalling how beautifully well-done certain aspects of this series were. On the most general note, it was a brilliant attempt at making a science fiction premise relatable through a certain degree of realism. What I mean by this is that, despite the sci-fi plot, the story itself depicts, transcends, and synthesizes many dichotomies that apply to human nature on a fundamental level. Egotism
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vs. sentimentalism, immoralism vs. moralism, the individual vs. the pack, self-preservation vs. self-sacrifice–-all of these are thematically portrayed and unified by the plot and characters.
I have a very strong reluctance to even begin to provide any description of the plot, for I feel as though NONE OF IT deserves to be spoiled on account of its surreal nature. To give a very general summary, the premise is centered around the immigration patrol of Earth, its unlikely conscripts, and the literal aliens (as in "extraterrestrials") they have to face.
Now, some of you "tolerant" leftists might be whining to yourselves already about how awful and xenophobic or "racist" that sounds (just as you did with "Shingeki no Kyojin"), however, putting the fact that LITERAL ALIENS are being dealt with aside, the odds are often stacked in these extraterrestrial beings favor. The people of earth are highly unprepared and the aliens are often highly powerful. All the major events within the story-line are incorporated into it at a gradual, subtle, yet not-too-slow pace, which is always nice in a more action-packed story so as to prevent it from becoming too flashy or excessive.
I recall having come across a quote from a review of Gantz awhile ago calling it, and I'm paraphrasing here, "one of the greatest depictions of humanism". I feel quite compelled to disagree. Gantz transcends petty humanism and humanitarianism. There is certainly a degree of acknowledgement, among some of the characters in the story, that humanity and humanitarianism have their place, however, there is also the growing realization that there is more than just humanity out there, and if we want to overcome it (or even face it for that matter), we also have to be prepared to rise above our humanitarianism.
The art within this series was very crisp, clear, proportionate, and anatomically correct. The background and certain foreground elements were done on the computer, but the contrast between background and foreground wasn't too stark at all. There was a general aesthetic that was quite consistent between foreground and background: a dark, industrial-techno, mechanistic vibe. This aesthetic is not only evident in some of the intricate technology that is depicted, but it is also evident in the extent to which the more mechanistic side of human nature - our anatomy - is revealed (esp through gore). Materialism was one strong theme that sticks out in the artwork (just as it does in the plot: "humans are nothing but dust and detritus.") , though it is met with a certain degree of emotionalism in the facial expressions and physical dynamics between the bodies of the characters. I suppose one could say the dichotomy between mechanistic Materialism and emotionism is yet another which is reconciled and unified within this tale.
Character-wise, the story has beautifully developed characters and character-dynamics. The pacing of character development is as perfect as the pacing of the plot. While the protagonist is a sincere-enough character, many of the additional characters are also convincingly introduced with their own narratives and backstories. I found myself thoroughly engaged in all the characters that were covered, and even the more shallow ones still felt very real and radiated with the emotional depth of human reality.
You need to read this series. Your friends need to read this series. It should be state policy that this series is read by university students. It transcends so many conceptual boundaries––it's horizons are as wide as it is deep in terms of its development and substance. It is certainly controversial, amoral, and graphic, but it is also realistic, touching, and so beautiful.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 6, 2013
This is my first review, and I figured I'd pick this series because it dealt with Heideggerian existentialism - a topic I'm fairly well-versed and well-read in. This series also has a profound level of depth and character/plot development.
One of the re-occuring quotes by Heidegger in this series was "humans are essentially temporal beings". Contrary to what you might think, this quote was not vaguely incorporated into the plot, rather, it touches upon one of the main elements of this series - time and the inevitability of it. Unlike Jean-Paul Sartre, who thought that human-existence is detached and separate from (and also precedes) essential
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qualities (such as time), Heidegger thought that existence is involved in the world of essence, bound to it, to use Heideggers words from "Being and Time", he thought we are "thrown into the world". For Heidegger, time is merely a product of this, however, that isn't to say we can't alter it. Heidegger thought human-beings, as Dasein (or the ontological phenomenon of "being-there") and as something that exists relationally (or in relation to the world), are capable of utilization and ultimately creativity. He thought this capacity would enable transcendence through technological development - a post-humanist theme thoroughly addressed by this series.
In "Steins;Gate", the story is centred around Rintarou Okabe, a first-year university student/self-proclaimed "mad scientist" who refers to himself by the name of "Hououin Kyouma". Okabe's character was very unique, unlike the usual, mainstream, mindless male protagonist. He was a free-spirit and an explorer of possibilities. He also had a sense of humour, which occasionally provided comic relief after the tragic moments of this series. And yes, there are tragic moments in this show, which, in their level of development and the in rawness of the emotions portrayed, make it all the more worth the watch (if you can handle tragedy that is). I should also mention, Okabe displays a very realistic capacity for emotion, transitioning from content (if not maniacally ecstatic) to upset in a very smooth and relevant manner.
Okabe fights the theoretical battle against time. This goes back to what I said about Heidegger and Okabe's free-thinking tendencies. In his pursuits and endeavours as a "mad scientist", Okabe tries to alter time. Initially he does this out of his bloated ego and the persona he has developed for himself, however, Okabe eventually has to come to terms with the grave, temporal consequences of his actions. Okabe has to struggle against his fate, trying to find his ideal destined outcome. In this struggle, this show presents an interesting depiction of the debate between indeterminists and determinists (mainly, fatalists). It also reaches an interesting Heidegerrian, compatibilist conclusion, which I've already described above.
The secondary characters in this series include the following. There's: Shiina Mayuri, a sweet and innocent girl who has been friends with Okabe since childhood; Kurisu Makise, a brilliant and proud scientific scholar who really just wants someone to care about her; and Itaru Hashida, a fat, "super haxor"/computer-nerd who's perversion also provides occasional comic relief.
All of the characters in this series had their own, realistic personalities, which were developed smoothly. All of these characters (among many more) had revealing and raw emotional moments. And ultimately, the characters in this series are partially what makes it worth the watch. The only problem that I had was that I found Hashida's overtly-sexual humour to be out of place at points and it pandered to degeneracy in its excessiveness.
Another enjoyable aspect of this series was the soundtrack. There were many beautiful, melancholic piano tracks which were deployed appropriately. The music in this series provided a sense of warm nostalgia yet cold melancholy. The music alone gives a good sense of the overall nature of this series and its depth. The music in this series also serves as a good way to get a glimpse into the series if you're contemplating whether or not to watch it. As for the animation, I enjoyed the backgrounds and landscapes, I wasn't too fond of the character design.
Overall, I would be eager to purchase the visual novel for "Steins;Gate" and am eager to watch the film, which I only recently found out about. I thought the OVA provided a solid resolution and I'm curious to see how the storyline continues. I would definitely recommend watching this series as well as "Chaos;Head", which came before it, however, "Steins;Gate" outmatches its prequel by far.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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