Evangelion is a show which takes mecha, philosophy and religious symbolism and mushes it all together! NGE is a series which had done which other shows had not at the time; a mecha show going beyond the awkward, bulkiness that plagues other mecha shows, beyond the pew pew of lasers and mecha superiority over humans. Supported by a cast of 3 main characters, one of which has been known to turn off would-be fans with their whining (though I was hardly phased). It is both cursed and gifted for being from Anno; the story starts of strong, injecting intrigue and curiosity at all the correct parts. But as the story unfolds, so does Anno's mind; he falls into depression and it takes its toll upon the show.
As the show nears its climax, it suffers both from Anno's depression and funding issues from Gainax; the last 6 or so episodes are fraught with cuts to video sequences of cinemas, hate mail, and the hustle n' bustle of Japan. The last two episodes go as far to shatter and deny all lore and build up to that point, considered by many a fan to be a cop-out to end a show upon. So much so that quite a number of fans would say to skip the last two episodes and go straight to the End of Evangelion film. These last 6 episodes were a big issue for me; they tarnished the otherwise high quality show that is NGE; so much so I purposefully skipped such video sequences in annoyance.
Now ultimately; would I recommend NGE to a friend? No... I would recommend Rebuild instead! This original TV series is plagued with a few too many flaws in the latter half which leaves the series feeling subpar.
