Does watching eva need prep work?

[mythroch]

Agreed eva is complex. but the question is; is it only as complex as the fool who's watching it?
To iriterat. Eva was the the second anima i had ever seen.( First one being Martian sucessor Nadesco) at the end of it my head hurt. not because i didn't understand any of it but i understood it to a fashion that depressed me. a month later i'm talking to someone about eve and they tell me that the show is just an emphyrical representation of Shinji's transistion from boyhood into manhood.......... WTF???? :eek:

Watch it again. this time with the guy i was talking to and another friend who hadn't seen it. as prompted i watched with the focus of the boy-to-man thing and yes i saw what he ment. my other friend however was lost.
totally.
the only comment he made was "gee that Asuka's a *****!"
past that for him it was just another show.

fast forward another couple of months and i'm at an anime club once agian discussing with my limited knowledge Evangelion.
and boy was my knowlege limited. i heard theories that day that overheat my mind just trying to categorise them let alone understand them. one enterprising fellow even went so far as to suggest that PenPen was in fact god, come to earth to watch the downfall of man. Thankfully he was shouted down by everyone else.

unfortuanlty now i go and watch evangelion and i can see all the different angles and theories.(except for the PenPen one... thankfully.:glare:) but if i hadn't had all those views made known to me i would probably still enjoy it as an interesting anime, instead of disecting ever word and pixel for hidden meaning.

so, what it comes down to is not how much do you know about eva, but how much do you want to know?
plus, is it a good idea to explain the show to a new viewer, or more importanly, should it be used to introduce someone to anime?
in light of the fact that if i had told my frind to actally watch the show instead of SMSing his grilfriend every five minutes he might have caught enough to come away with a less glazed expession.

[Luzifer]

On principle i'd say you should explain it. I happened to get it on my first watch through but it is something you have to be thinking on the same level to get. My suggestion is to at least tell them not to expect a mecha anime because- despite where it may be placed on this forum- it is NOT a mecha anime. It has mecha themes but it is overall a psycological story about a boy over coming his depression and finding his own reason to exist. The thing is that the "plot" of the anime is really not the plot, Shinji is the plot and it is him and those he comes in contact with that should be focused on. Every character has emotional problems such as Asuka, who is not a mean she merely is trying to prove that she's not dependent since both her parents committed suicide. Thus she tends to push those she cares about away in order to keep from being hurt and to prove that she doesn't need anyone.

Thats the only advice someone needs, is to approach it as a character analysis anime. Anno, the director of this anime, had been suffering from depression before he started this anime and that should be kept in mind. He even says that people who have normal human relations and aren't suffering won't get much from this anime because this is him talking about some of the symptoms he had during his depression and how they can be overcome.

As far as the "plot" you need only understand the concept they are putting forward is one I call "Anima Departitioning" (based off of Jung's concept of the inner soul, called Anima) which is based on the concept that each human is part of a collective conciousness/force such as the Tao in taoism however we each have a psycological barrier (AT-field) which prevents us from directly feeling the emotions of others. Thus what is happening is that at the end it all comes down to whether we should accept the happiness that would come if we could instantly understand each other or allow ourselves to suffer and be alone. And Shinji, who, mind you, has suffered abandonment, avoidant personaltiy disorder, and other emotional problems that leave him feeling ostracized and alone, the one person in the world who would most want to accept the Departitioning of his soul, refuses it and decides to remain an individual despite the sadness. That is the apex of the story and that is what it is building up towards. Shinji's realization that suffering cannot be avoid and cannot be run away from and that each person must accept their own given form, something that only the Angel's could do because they desired that there form should be accepted over that of humanity which was the chosen form for God's creation.

(whew)

[Evofragment]

Actually, Eva was my VERY FIRST anime I ever saw. Sure, it's very deep and complex, but that's what I love about it. Granted, I haven't seen all of it yet =(, but I haven't had any trouble understanding yet.

Like Luzy said, "I happened to get it on my first watch through but it is something you have to be thinking on the same level to get." Luckily, I was thinking on the same level.

So to answer your question, no, I don't think you need prep-work. I think you just need to be a deep thinker, and have the patience and maturity to actually pay attention to more than the basics.

[MomijiTMO]

Just have some Coke and chocolate and you will have all the energy to decipher the puzzle that is NGE.

[Haine Rammsteiner]

I really had a vauge understanding of this show, as well. But however, as I kept watching it, I soon came to terms as on to why, it happened. Such as Shinji's transition. However, that's what I say. Not what other's say. I never really thought much of this Manga/Anime. But, I still liked it. After watching it a few times, I happened to start understanding it. -Owari

[Antares]

Almost everytime I sit down and watch/read, I end up with a new theory or noticing something that I didn't a few years/month back. That's why I love it <3

The only prep-work that I would give somebody about eva is: keep your eyes and mind open

[Red Phantoms]

I think NO. as the other said even this was my first anime, I still could find some meaning. And im sure it was the reson there are no official clar theory abaut it. maybe they wanted to make us think and become aware of our own existance. well just put your mind into it OK

[Luzifer]

the only preparation you need is that you should know that you should watch several times... it ages like fine wine