Main problem:
It attempts to be complex, but ends up being inconsistent, riddled with plot holes, villains with god-like power, absurd characters....
Many people argue that "no bro you just didn't understand the symbology." No. I got it. It's pretty clear if you ever watched the TV series or this movie what the message goal was of spirituality, free will, and confronting reality is. It's so dang simple, I get it. The problem IS that this message gets stretched out harder than a college student racing to finish an essay 15 minutes before its due. The essay becomes one long filler just to explain why water is wet. That's why this movie's plot fails as well. It takes almost 40mins of flashy scenes just to repeat the message of having a choice, i.e. what is Shinji's choice that he makes.
Shinji is a problem in itself as addressed in my Neon TV review, but in terms of what "Shinji resolves" it doesn't matter because Shinji does not undergo any learning curve. What does he learn in the TV show? Nothing. What does he learn in the movie? To accept reality....then choking Asuka because JK Shinji is still the same angry wimp with self issues.
The only ACTUAL learning curve that Shinji ever showcased was in the TV series, and that was just a filler episode that by now doesn't even count in the main plot (the scene when everyone is congratulating Shinji).
No. Because Shinji DOES NOT have any character growth means that the plot for this movie was wasted. All that absurd fiction. All those absurd drawings and animation. All those absurd moments of flashy edgy attempts of attempting to depict a theme or message, were all wasted the moment Shinji chokes Asuka. WHY? Because how does that scene DIFFER from Shinji in Neon episode 1? Answer: it doesn't. That's it. No character growth. Plot wasted. Message wasted. Consistency wasted. ALL IS WASTED. Shinji is meant to be the character that the author chooses to be a figure for its plot, but SHINJI turns out to be the same wimp, the same inconsistent motives of whos side is he on, the same empty pervert, the same bland character. Shinji does not exist. The sooner people can accept that, the easier it would be to watch Neon.
Once you accept that Shinji doesn't matter, you start loving Neon because Neon's "deep plot" doesn't matter. Why? Because Neon's "deep plot" has so many plot holes, fails to be consistent, and fails to be a good story because the main plot just does whatever it wants, no ifs ands or buts. If the world turned yellow. Don't worry guys its "a deep plot." If everyone turned out to live,Don't worry guys its "a deep plot." If a giant monster appeared, and the universe caved around it, Don't worry guys its "a deep plot."
This is why I say that Neon's attempt of having a message becomes TOO edgy, too convoluted, too poison, too absurd, too complex falling into itself, to SIMPLY just gloss over and say "yeah, I liked what Neon's message was." Because there is no 1 message. There are SERIES of messages that all fall into each other. Like slapping a bunch of paint and calling it art. Like pasting a bunch of symbolism and calling it deep. Like drawing a lot of animation and calling the movie good.
I can't rate the manga, but I CAN say that both the anime and the movie were gorgeous to watch, but as a whole completely butchered it's own lore through inconsistencies, shadow secrets people never learn, pacing direction that is just all over the place, bland characters, and a horrible main character.
If you really cared about the Neon series, you would recognize these flaws. In a future recreation you would want the story to be clear, the characters to be alive, and the plot to be decisive. No reason why doing this you can't also be a little artsy. But it seems Neon TV and movie went the other direction with being too artsy first, and everything else second...... 6/10 for pity.
