I always wanted to write a review about NGE, yet considering the huge masses of fans out there I don't see what mine could add up
From the start one could tell that this was no ordinary mecha-based sci-fi anime
there was something more deep and ominous than anything i've seen regarding the large animes presenting this genre
Plot is so excellently executed that it sets everything else aside, I only had this much excitement from this and (Death Note),
The mind-games, the severely intricate dialogues woven into each characters' development and scenario
the depth and the shadiness of the evil that encroaches on the subconscious of our young heroes (and the viewer's)
Never have I witnessed such craft in leaving one so breathless and shaking after every scene of brutality or anger or introspective psychological agony down a dark spiral of deliciously generated post-apocalyptic horror
The show in itself is not action-packed so action freaks will not like it, also
the pace is not so fast as to give a newcomer something to look for
BUT, the pace is as it should be, the action is as it should be, what really makes NGE stands out is the fact that you absolutely and utterly NEED to concentrate (and appreciate) while you are watching, otherwise you miss the whole fun of it
I never saw an anime that throws the shadow of suspicion everywhere (so brilliantly) that it becomes hard for the viewer to pin-point the villain, or uncover the whole secrets of the plot, or know the meaning behind the recurrent scenes of self-introspect and existential dilemmas
I understand that thist might turn off many viewers BUT
somethings are just not meant to be all-visible, if you believe that a good anime can also be composed of an ambiguously laid plot, ontop of a post-apocalyptic setting, discusses complex issues and philosophical disputes of existence
then this without a doubt is the one anime for you
Of course there are many elements in addition in this show, like for example the well-presented tragedy, the heart-wrenching scenes, you can almost feel the misery and the anguish the heroes and the protagonists are being put through
I would say again that this show is not for everybody, and I understand that it had its issues in the past (the director being on a tight schedule and the budget problems) yet after all that it managed to appear -albeit in a form that the director didn't wish for as a whole picture- as a marvelous, mind-skewering masterpiece
and as for those who believe that the show did not deliver in terms of satisfaction and the like, I say get your hopes up for (NGE Rebuild), because by the time it is finished, the world of anime is gonna witness who the true boss is :)
