Story:
Evangelion is a mecha anime on the surface, but early on we get the feeling, that there is more to this than just robot action. After the first half, which is still within the boundaries of the genre, the show starts morphing more and more into a psychological drama. In the last two episodes (and I don’t think I’m spoilering much here) NGE throws all conventions out the window and becomes a piece of art. This doesn’t sound so bad, but that means that the viewer gets no conclusion whatsoever. If you stopped watching after 24 episodes, you would know just as much about Evangelion as if you’d watched its final. I appreciate the artistic approach, but seriously, you have to give us SOMETHING.
8/10
Art:
As far as I know, the production struggled financially, so some parts of the animation are…let’s say lackluster. The scenes featuring the Eva units as well as the final episodes look really, really good, but the character design and the use of freeze images don’t look too good to me. This has been interpreted as some kind of artistic technique, but we all know that’s not true.
6/10
Sound:
The opening is a classic, but this is more due to being the opening of Evangelion than being incredible on its own. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad at all, but it also isn’t a masterpiece. The ending however is interesting. Fly Me To The Moon is played in multiple different versions, which gives off a weird vibe (besides the fact that I like the Sinatra version a lot). The music used in the anime itself is what’s really great. There is few of it, but when It is used, it takes the scenes to a whole new level. The voice acting is okay, nothing spectacular but satisfying. Asukas voice gets annoying after a while, but that may just be me.
9/10
Characters:
This is the strongest point of Evangelion by far. Today, characters with a dark and troubled past are a dead horse, but back in the 90s they weren’t everywhere. NGE has a cast filled with nothing but these kind of characters, which steer the whole thing from beginning to finish. We get to see everybody’s inner abyss and their mental problems makes them do what they do, be it right or wrong. As a psychoanalysis, Evangelion is simply fantastic. There are no true good or bad characters, be it the chosen children, the NERV personnel or the angels. I just would’ve liked to see what happened to them (yes, I know it is shown in other Evangelion animations, but I am purely talking about the series here).
10/10
Enjoyment:
If you know what you’re getting yourself into (and it is pretty much impossible nowadays to not), you will get exactly what you anticipated. This is a psychotic mess in the best way possible, so if you’re into that kind of stuff, this is your anime. The one major downside the series has is the missing ending. If you’re looking for conclusion, you’re better off not watching the final 2 episodes but End of Evangelion instead (for example). Besides that disappointment I felt very entertained and I at least enjoyed the art of the ending if nothing else.
9/10
Overall:
8.4/10
