Animation-wise it looks very good, the aesthetic is very well built and really all designs seem cohisive inside the universe. Sometimes in a shot every now and then you can really see the low budget, with a few weird angles or reused drawings.
The music works wonders with this, be it intra or extra diegetic every sound effect or song playing in scene contributes in a great way to the staging of the show.
About the characters: this show is not just about parent issues. It may be present in some characters but it is not the only thing defining said characters since very one of them has their own personality and character traits defined by their actions and interactions between them. A lot of mental health issues here, yes, but it is what makes it the most interesting to me. Diving in the psyche of a character I've been getting to know throught the show, unraveling their past and understanding their behaviour and thoughts really helps you to connect with them. Look, you aren't getting characters that grow and learn fast here, people in Evangelion have some behaviours deeply rooted and they are not going to change all that quick, but in spite of that they still go through growth, they analyze their actions and ask themselves questions in regard, then behave accordingly to everything that was presented. Characters resemble real people despite suffering from bad states of mind and I think that makes it very good as well.
Apart from characters, the plot is great also. The succession of events is damn interesting, having a relatively complex plot with lots of lore and small details that really add up to the final script. The show hooked me from episode 1 and I just couldn't stop asking myself questions that made me want to continue watching. And even tho I find it to be very good, plot-wise is where I find some minor issues with the show, mainly about some Eva fights that were just not that good or I didn't find the explanation for an event convicing enough.
I don't think every show should be like this, I mean, you only get so many Evangelions so be happy with the ones what you get. But are shows like this that people use as benchmarks in anime history, and it just happens to be fantastically enjoyable as well. I'm feeling a strong 9 to a 10 on Neon Genesis Evangelion.
NOTE: I watched Sephirotic's NGE release, 26 episodes with director's cut editions of 21 to 24 and full EoE movie.
