NGE was heavily influenced by the creator, Hideaki Anno's depression at the time, which had morphed what was originally intended for young kids into a older teen - adult animation series. NGE is violent, dark, disturbing, confusing, deep and incredibly mature. NGE is a series that every anime fan must see, regardless of your preferred genre. Unless you're some dipwit, the concepts in NGE will influence your life and thoughts about life forever.
In the 21st century, humankind faces a threat from giant space creatures known as "Angels". In search of survival, the humans form an organization known as "Nerv". Nerv builds giant robots called Evangelions to fight off the Angels.
In 2015, fifteen years after a global cataclysm known as Second Impact, fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari (main character) arrives in the futuristic city of Tokyo-3 in response to the summons of his estranged father Gendo Ikari, the director of the special paramilitary force of Nerv. Upon reaching the city, Shinji witnesses the Nerv forces battling an Angel, the large monstrous beings whose awakening was foretold by the Dead Sea Scrolls. Shinji then proceeds to become a pilot of an Evangelion. Along with the battles against the Angels, the main characters struggle to overcome their personal issues and personality conflicts, which factor heavily into the events of the series eventually leading to the ideal conclusion. Throughout the series, many of the main characters constantly have to cope with several social and emotional problems: characters are unwillingly forced to confront socially complex and challenging situations; unresolved sexual tensions grow between numerous characters; injuries, deaths, and defeats cause blows to their psyches; and previously steady relationships begin to falter. Questions begin to arise about what reality is.
Towards the end of the anime, the characters begin to learn of the true plan of NERV and SEELE, the Human Instrumentality Project. Its purpose is to force the completion of human evolution, and thereby save it from destroying itself. But what does that even mean?
Like many works of fiction, NGE is an allegory. Most allegories function on only two levels: the story itself and it's symbolic meaning. One of the remarkable things about NGE is that it functions on no less than four distinct levels. It can be enjoyed at face value as an epic sci-fi action adventure, a gradual coming-of-age parable, ingenious dark conceptual lesson, and a treatise on confronting loneliness, scars and uncertainty in the real world. Early episodes contain the true nature of the series, and indeed after viewing the first few installments one wonders what all the fuss is about, as NGE appears to be nothing more than another ho-hum entry into the already overcrowded Boy-Pilots-Giant-Robot genre. But very quickly it becomes apparent that there is much more here than meets the eye, as a global conspiracy of literally Biblical proportions is slowly revealed in tandem with the degeneration of each character's psyche.
If there is one thing that Evangelion tells us, it's that life sucks as a whole. The show is cruel and unforgiving, not even hesitating for a second to completely shred all your happy hopes while watching the anime. The brightest spots in the show are "minorly" dark and grim. The plot, the characters, the themes, everything is presented in a brutal and sinister light. Evangelion is an anime which defies common stereotypes and conventions to take the viewer on a ride to the depths of the human psyche and the limits of sanity. It is a one way ticket through the psychological disorders and subconscious self loathing deep within the human mind. Confused about what the anime is gonna be like yet? Watch it.
To the uninitiated, Evangelion may look like a simple "We, the Humans Vs Them, the Bad Guys" mecha anime. But that's not even close to the truth. The story is intricately woven into a very detailed and dubious conspiracy. The whole conspiracy theme is played to maximum effect throughout the anime.
I will say that a problem with NGE is that it seemed like they "tried too hard to make the entire anime symbolic and deep". For example, almost every explosion that happens makes some kind of symbolic shape; and characters spew all these "deep" words 24/7 making it seem like they're always talking about deep conceptions when they really aren't. But that's not saying this anime isn't deep, because it really is deep. Also, NGE goes a little bit overboard with the whole "the world is disgusting and screwed up" concept. I do agree that our world is repulsive and corrupt in many ways, but this anime just overdoes it. Nothing can possibly be this screwed up in any reality... I certainly think and hope.
Another problem with NGE is that there's no character that the viewers can truly love. many of the characters were whiny and useless, such as the main character, Shinji. I knock the characters in NGE because I don't personally like any one of them. BUT from a writing standpoint, all the characters were well thought out, and masterfully written. We can relate with what many of them feel/are questioning in reality; Who are my friends and who are my enemies? Why am I in a situation like this, and why am I doing this? Why me? What is my role in life? What is reality? What is the truth? Is what I'm doing right?
Anyways, I didn't hate the characters as much as other people did (although characters definitely isn't NGE's strong point). Anno created characters for the Neon Genesis Evangelion series that reflected different parts of his own personality. The characters of Evangelion struggle with their interpersonal relationships, their personal problems, and traumatic events in their past. The deeply human qualities of the characters have enabled some viewers of the show to identify with the characters on a personal level, while others interpret them as historical, religious, or philosophical symbols. The relationships, deceptions that roam all the characters was intriguing to say the least. Just like the plot, the characters also have a fair amount of depth to them. The coming of age, as they were experiencing traumatizing things; all the characters change from the beginning of the anime, to the very end. Something to watch out for indeed. Unfortunately for everyone, Shinji, the main character was way too whiny and pathetic for my liking (but that doesn't mean he's a badly created character). While watching NGE, I had really wanted to bitch-slap Shinji. The other characters were all "meh", as well...
Now, allow me to talk about Shinji a little bit. At the heart of this maelstrom in this deep story (allegory) is Shinji Ikari, the classic Tragic Hero. Imbued with character flaws that ultimately prove his undoing as he spirals into depression and insanity by the series' end, Shinji is a departure from the more idealistic heroes commonplace in mecha anime (or adventure fiction in general, for that matter). Adventure heroes customarily represent the audiences' aspirations: they are people we'd like to be. Shinji, conversely, is representative of the audiences' realizations: his flaws we recognize in ourselves. While he certainly qualifies as an "adventure hero" (he single-handedly saves the world no less than 10 times in Evangelion), he has much more in common with the doomed protagonists of Greek Tragedy and Shakespeare than Indiana Jones or Amuro Ray. Abandoned as a young child by his seemingly uncaring father, Shinji believes himself unworthy of love and acceptance, which gives rise to a total lack of trust in himself and in others. The first half of Evangelion sees him build confidence in his own abilities (through piloting the Eva) and develop friendships for the first time with his classmates and coworkers. This is all destroyed in Evangelion's second and third acts, when through an unfortunate series of events Shinji plunges into an even more despondent state than which he began. Ultimately, Shinji is left utterly alone to question the meaning of his existence. It is during Evangelion's final soul-searching episodes that Shinji becomes a mirror on our own selves, and his fear, doubt and loneliness is the fear, doubt and loneliness that exist in us all.
Another character that's interesting is the hot-tempered pilot of Eva Unit-02, Asuka Langley Sohryu. At first glance Asuka and Shinji are complete opposites (pure foils): Shinji is passive, quiet, and unassuming, while Asuka is aggressive, outgoing, and seemingly full of confidence. But through the lens of Evangelion's extraordinary character development we learn that deep down Asuka is exactly like Shinji. Fundamental feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness drive Asuka to proclaim herself "the best" at whatever she sets out to do, and her fear of abandonment is allayed by convincing herself that "she doesn't need anybody". When it becomes apparent that she is in fact not "the best" Eva pilot, she begins a mental collapse that parallels Shinji's. Their mental breakdown, and that of the similarly troubled Rei and Misato, is illustrated onscreen in a spectacular manner that redefines the boundaries of animation, taking the medium's potential to portray anything the mind can conceive to a new extreme. An interesting side character to look out for.
Keep in mind that NGE was made in 1995, therefore the art is obviously not of great quality. Nonetheless, NGE uses their "old" art style in perfect use. Although the art isn't beautiful to always stare at, the minor details that went into the backgrounds was nothing short of spectacular. The way each character is portrayed, the detailed mechas (The Angels were quite striking), the dim sinister mood/color surrounding the setting at all times, and most importantly the color symbolism used in the anime. Truly amazing.
As for the sound in the anime, the opening was in my opinion rather pretty good, although it may not be of many people's liking. The overall soundtracks were kind of old styled, so it may not be to many people's liking, but it isn't bad at all. Not often do I get to say this but, the dubbing job was very well done. The character's voices all fit their personalities quite well. I've seen both the sub and dub of NGE, and will say that they are both good. The voice actors truly brought out the soul of the characters.
Now the enjoyable aspect of the anime is tricky. The anime in itself isn't your average action packed enjoyable mecha. It's a psychological deep anime where mechas are just... there. Was it just enjoyable to watch? I guess... But if you want romance and comedy, then this will NOT be the anime for you. But... You should still watch it because this anime is an experience that no one should miss. If you're like me and you like psychological anime that has a deeper concept behind all the action then this is perfect for you. I'd take the word "enjoyable" out and replace it with MIND FUCK, which basically sums up NGE.
I am a psychological, philosophical freak. Therefore, I absolutely loved all the symbolism and themes in the anime. Naming all the symbolism and themes in NGE would result in a 500 page essay, therefore I'll just name a few.
[THIS IS ALL ABOUT SYMBOLISM SO IF YOU DON'T CARE FOR IT, THEN SKIP]
- The Evangelion series is permeated with references to Kabbalah, Christianity, Judaism, Shinto, and Gnosticism, complicating viewers' attempts to form an unambiguous interpretation of the series. Of particular influence are the Midrash, the Zohar and other Kabbalistic texts on the Book of Genesis.
- The connection between the Evas and their pilots, as well as the ultimate goal of the Human Instrumentality Project, bear a strong resemblance to Freud's theories on internal conflict and interpersonal communication.
Character Symbolism:
Rei is a schizophrenic character and she represents the unconscious of Shinji, and Kaworu is Shinji's jungian shadow. Shinji has an Oedipus complex, and is characterized by a libido-destrudo conflict. It has even been suggested that Shinji's entering into Unit-01 is a Freudian "return to the womb", and that his struggle to be free of the Eva is his "rite of passage" into manhood. In the series there are many references to psychoanalytic concepts, such as the oral stage, introjection, oral personality, ambivalence, and the death drive.
Christianity Conceptions:
The "Angels" are a reference to the angels of God from the Old Testament. In 1993, the Evangelion proposal presented the angels, including names and appearances. The most important angels are Adam and Lilith. The first Angel is named Adam, just as the biblical Adam is the first man created by God. The second Angel is named Lilith, a reference to the Jewish folklore in which Lilith is the first wife of Adam. Lilith is shown crucified and impaled with a spear named the "Lance of Longinus", the same lance used to pierce the side of Jesus Christ during his crucifixion, according to the Gospel of Nicodemus. Eve or Eva comes from Adam's rib; similarly, the Evangelions come from the Angel first identified as Adam. The goal of the Angels are to return to Adam and create the Third Impact which would destroy mankind, Kaworu Nagisa recognizes humanity as beings of Lilith and identifies them as Lilum. Several times throughout the series, the defeat of an Angel results in a Christian cross shaped explosion.
Universial Themes:
Themes of individuality, consciousness, freedom, choice, and responsibility are heavily relied upon throughout the entire series. "The sickness unto death" (episode 16) refers to "despair," and in the introduction of this work, Kierkegaard (philosopher) says that for a Christian, "Even death itself is not 'the sickness unto death.' Not to mention any of the suffering on Earth known as destitution, illness, misery, privations, misfortune, pain, anguish, grief, or regret.
[END OF SYMBOLISM]
The entire anime is marked by a pervasive darkness that eclipses the already dark television series. Illustrating the real-world events that occurred during the final introspective TV episodes, the action is as savage and uncompromising as the internal struggles that complement it. While Shinji eventually decides that life is something worth living, his return to a barren and ravaged reality reminds us that merely changing your perspective on life will not immediately alter it. Shinji must continue to strive to attain happiness; in reality, happiness doesn't just come to you.
The worst thing about Neon Genesis Evangelion is honestly the fanboys of it. They always have to bash other animes, and call NGE the greatest thing to ever happen in human history. If you look at it from an unbiased standpoint and actually understand the anime (which is definitely NOT an easy task), the anime is a genius piece of work, of course with it's flaws. People always criticize the ending for being the worst thing ever, but in honestly it's not. It's just a total mindfuck that 99% of people will NOT understand. I certainly did not until I re-watched it multiple times, and read about it online (heh). Whether you understand it or not, every anime fan must watch Evangelion at least once in their life. But.... For children that are still pure, innocent and do NOT know the horrors of reality, DO NOT WATCH IT. Children will seriously be psychologically damaged if they watch it... Anyways! Truly a deep, classic anime. This is an anime for the ages. Everyone else watch it. I'm going to give it a bit of a break because it's such a classical anime; I'll give it a 10 despite it's flaws.
"Mankind's greatest fear is mankind itself."
- Ikari Gendou
