Evangelion takes place in Tokyo somewhere in 2015. During that time in Tokyo, the place is invaded by humongous and potent alien war machines. There’s a super weapon developed by NERV that is capable of destroying those alien machines and that goes by the title of ‘Evangelion’. While that super weapon is really strong, only one person can control it and that belongs to the hands of Shinji Ikari. Despite this decision being made, Shinji could barely control it as it was not only very potent for him to handle but he didn’t really want to jump into situations that would potentially cost him his life. For a mecha anime, Evangelion is actually one of the most unique shows to be ever created. Most, if not, all of the things it has to offer are handled slowly yet impressively.
For starters, there are hints and philosophies that are very deep and told very well. One would say that Evangelion’s philosophies aren’t taken seriously and you know, they aren’t really meant to be. Think about it. The series creates a figure of speech that tells you two things: how things that lower your mood on a depending scale happen every now and again and how you aren’t really fit for a hard task. Evangelion is an escapist story that shows you how at times, certain limits you have tend to hold you back to the point that you just couldn’t really try to work on it. In this respect, it does a fantastic job of tackling those aspects. By writing how chaos is actually implemented, it also writes a lot of moments where characters are either at fault or don’t want to face them ever again, even if they’re forced to. All of this is easily hinted at by the fact that the main mech of the series is both a symbol and a soul.
Evangelion is a stressful series to watch and to me, that is for a valuable reason. Yeah, if you could notice, there are mech fights involved that are absolutely pumped. But outside of those fight scenes, the series doesn’t even need entertainment value to make its storyboarding excellent. It attempts to test your feelings regarding how shit kicks in and the main expressions in the series are depression and anger. Depression here is when you want to escape a situation despite the limits revolting around you and anger here is when you have enough of someone’s BS that you want it to end right now. Even better, the series doesn’t take any of those points seriously. It lets most things slide while still taking good care of direction and the connection between its plot points.
In my opinion, though, Evangelion’s biggest strength is how faulty the characters are as human beings, which finally brings us to the cast. These characters are unlikable depending on your view but they’re very human to themselves. Starting with Shinji, the sad and panicking kid, Misato, the chief officer and (false) guardian of Shinji and Asuka, Rei, the prototype puppet, and Asuka, the vengeful German. Shinji, at first, seems like a generic coward who purposely runs from his problems when something happens and you know what? Those elements are always present in his character so you aren’t wrong. But when you keep watching the show, there’s a reason why he always acts that way that gives him more depth. In fact, Shinji’s lack of bravery and joy create the story for us.
Now, I’m not actually saying that I relate to him, I really don’t, but Shinji arguably has a story for himself regarding his whole characteristics. Remember when I said that Evangelion is the culmination of depression and rage? In this respect, Shinji’s existence is the sole reason why those are focused well. He wants to escape from the problems that occur near him and he wants to fight against his father because of his past. Shinji lived through a horrible life and wanted to escape from it ever since. Shinji is an excellent protagonist because the awful stuff that he experienced is a dark mirror to him and he virtually tries to fight against them, even if he isn’t literally trying.
I don’t want to discredit the other main characters either. Misato isn’t really a guardian to Shinj. In fact, she’s almost an obstacle to him. That really makes her special because she’s been testing Shinji and his connection to humanity for the vast majority of the show whether that’s her intention or not. Rei may be an emotionless doll but she’s a fantastic piece of puzzle to Shinji’s growth as she’s “technically” his mom. As for Asuka… Okay, I must admit that she’s my least favorite of the main cast. Now don’t get me wrong, she’s not only a crucial character to the story but she also has interesting chemistry with any of the cast. It’s just that she isn’t as compelling as the other main characters to me.
The side characters are also good. There's not much to say about any of them honestly, they’re puzzles that question and/or test Shinji in the most human ways possible, although my personal favorite of those characters would be Touji as he has quite a lot of dynamics with Shinji. As for antagonists, Gendo is a fantastic villain and is one of my personal favorites. His desire to question Shinji’s entire life and society has always made him very substantial to me, especially when you consider he’s both at fault and foiled by faultiness very hard due to his backstory. Kaworu is also a great villain. He’s yet another puzzle that questions Shinji very well for the most part of the show and has very nice chemistry.
Now, for stuff that doesn’t really add to the story, unless you’re a complete sheep for Sakuga. The art style is great. Although I prefer the Rebuild’s art a little more (and I stand by that lmao), the original still has a lot of heart and is truly ahead of its time. The same goes for the animation. Movements are human and aren’t overexaggerated most of the time. Character designs are great, especially with how the mechs aren’t your run-of-the-mill block boys for giggles and actually resemble the story well. The soundtrack is good. Not much to say about it but the biggest standout is the opening. Voice acting is great in both Japanese and original English, with my personal favorite being Asuka in both languages as she fully sounds like a bitch fighting for her life. Netflix’s English dub, despite what others would say, isn’t too shabby either.
And yeah, those are my thoughts on Evangelion. Most of the time, a series is excellent not because you have so much fun watching it but rather, because it really tests your feelings whether their positive or not. Evangelion really is one of the best at those occasions. It truly makes its characters unlikable in the best ways possible. Even if it isn’t real in our places, it shows that you are not fit for a bigger test. You just want to live with your life and avoid challenging anything that lowers your mood. It’s smarter than you may think because it’s both serious and not so serious when it provides a figurative message. Evangelion is truly Gainax’s biggest gem of all time barring Gurren Lagann in my books. Thanks for reading.
