When I first heard of the anime and the title, almost 10 years ago, I didn't really think much of it as I had no interest in it from what little I had seen. It was strange because it oddly seemed to "follow" me everywhere, as I would see it come up in places. Off and on it did that for the longest time and it was from last year to recently that I started to see it more than usual. It came to a head when my boyfriend said he had seen it and strongly recommended it to me, telling me it was a lot deeper than it seemed. Finally, about a month ago, I conceded and sat down to watch it.
Steadily, I became familiar with the characters and their story, their Evas and the psychological issues they were plagued with, their pain and suffering, their views and fears... primarily, Shinji Ikari and his Eva, Unit-01. As I watched this series, I slowly became emotionally drawn in, as if walking down a road that slowly became more jagged and twisted, further into the minds of the characters and the deep secret behind their Eva Units as well as other NERV members, particularly Misato and Gendo.
I was so engrossed in it, I found myself reacting with angry and fearful emotion for some of the situations presented, a few in particular. I had watched anime for a long time now, but very few anime have ever impacted me in this way nor did most never make me feel almost emotionally drained at several points. When I came to the conclusion of this anime, I was riddled with many questions, and yet strangely, at the same time, some answers. I proceeded further to watch End of Evangelion, which brought even more questions, but moreso answers. I came to realize, this anime raises a lot of questions because it is difficult to understand, but simple, once you do.
I thank my boyfriend for finally getting me to watch this anime, because it teaches many things: despair and hope, death and rebirth, failure and succession. Finally having watched this intricate and complex show, it has now become, arguably, my most favorite anime to date and will likely stay that way for a long time to come. :)
