Reviews

What else can I say? Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most thought provoking, influential, and gripping anime ever created. It is truly a conceptual masterpiece. It's references are endless (from the deep religious concepts such as the book of genesis and the kabbalah to the call to japan's history of giant mecha films) and it manages to weave every one of it's influences together seamlessly. It features one of the most realistic and complex character developments i've seen in any television series by way of its protagonist, Shinji Ikari, and its exploration of human interactions and emotions left me wanting to evaluate the way I treat/think of others. The battles are excellent, not just some silly punch-em-up you would expect from a giant mecha series. Yes, even the Eva units are at the mercy of the realistic nature of machine battle and have limits on their power sources. All of the characters are more or less unique and I was left wondering who was truly the good guy until the final episodes. Which unfortunately brings me to my only problem with this series: the ending. While I do understand the situation Gainax was going through at the time (I would have given this a 10 if End Of Evangelion would count towards it), I still must be unbiased in how I review what is quite possibly one of my favorite anime ever. I was on the edge of my seat through this whole series, often unable to focus at school due to constant contemplation of this series' plot and the agendas of different character and groups. It all felt like it was for nothing once I was hit with a hard to watch, drawn out, low-budget ending. I recommend anyone who watches this series to immediately watch the End Of Evangelion film after this series. Fortunately, despite the ending, this series still sticks out as one of the greatest anime of all-time for me, and is easily a eternally rewatchable classic. Hideaki Anno, you are a creative genius.