NGE has endured through the years, retaining its reputation as an anime classic, despite its highly controversial artistic choices. Why? Because it's different. Evangelion took conventional aspects of the mecha genre and tore them to pieces. People didn't know what to make of it in 1996 and now, in 2014, people still don't know what to make of it.
The show begins normally enough, with the now-iconic 14-year-old Shinji Ikari being called on by his estranged father to pilot a giant robot, Evangelion Unit 01, to combat huge beings known as Angels in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo. He meets two more Eva pilots, Asuka Langley Soryu and Rei Ayanami, and for the first half of the show the story is nothing out of the ordinary, featuring battles against Angels in an almost formulaic fashion. As the second half begins, the show slowly begins to take a more abstract approach, featuring complex sequences and psychoanalysis of central characters. Hidden conspiracies somewhat come to light and dark secrets are somewhat revealed.
And that is exactly why many viewers find NGE to be so frustrating. It only SOMEWHAT gives us answers to the million questions we're asking. Just when it seems that it's going to give us answers, it instead introduces more murky plot elements that again, are never made clear. Obviously this is done intentionally but it's beyond my grasp how the audiences of the '90s were supposed to be able to piece together the events of NGE to form some comprehensible explanation. I, for one, have not, and I'm on the verge of resigning to accepting that whatever Evangelion is really trying to say, it is far beyond my understanding.
As far as characters go, NGE just about manages to hit this one on the head. The main characters are not just developed, they are ruthlessly psychoanalyzed and their outer facades are completely torn to shreds. They are much more than just kids. Shinji's anxiety is explored and tested to the limit as he struggles with the burden of piloting an Eva and his almost nonexistent relationship with his father. Rei doesn't reveal much in terms of emotions but by the show's conclusion it's clear that she has zero self-worth and is willing to comply with any orders not because of courage or loyalty, but because she believes herself to be expendable. But the most dynamic character analysis is definitely Asuka's. She's shown to be made of much more than just overblown pride, and insights into her changing mental state paint a portrait of a fragile, scarred girl who is teetering on the verge of collapse. In a way, NGE focuses more on its central characters than it does on its overall plot. Is this a strength or a flaw? That depends on the viewer.
As far as the ending is concerned, I'm not going to claim I understood it or try to explain it. The final two episodes of Evangelion are perhaps the most controversial topic in anime history. Although it provides an ultimate psychoanalysis of the central characters, the ending of NGE blatantly fails to provide any basic level of plot resolution whatsoever. Various questions about events and plot elements that have been hanging over the viewer's head are thrown out the window in favor of experimental, artsy sequences that made me feel like I was watching The Tree of Life. Maybe it had a deep artistic purpose that I completely missed. But to me, the ending of NGE felt like a cop out, as if the plot had become so heavy and overloaded that it was simply too much to provide a coherent conclusion.
So, why did I say that everyone should watch this show? Because it's thought-provoking and everyone will view it differently. To me, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a bold show that resolves its characters brilliantly but gets weighed down by a bloated and overly ambitious plotline, as well as a conclusion that is perhaps too experimental for its own good and, to me, was a misfire. NGE certainly isn't awful, but there are way too many things preventing it from being great.
