[TV series/movies] Neon Genesis Evangelion

[Manhattan_Project_2000]

Neon Genesis Evangelion [TV series]
Evangelion: Death and Rebirth [First Feature Film]
End of Evangelion [Second Feature Film]
A.K.A: Evangelion


TV: 26 episodes that ran from October 4th 1995 – March 24th 1996
Death & Rebirth: 101 minutes, 1997
End of Evangelion: 87 minutes, July 19th, 1997
Made by: Gainax
Genre: Giant Robots, Sci-Fi.


Plot Synopsis: (Partially Taken from Wikipedia)
Neon Genesis Evangelion takes place in 2015, fifteen years after the catastrophic Second Impact, reportedly caused by a meteor strike, which wiped out half of Earth's population and tilted its axis. Just as humanity is finishing its recovery from this disaster, Tokyo-3 began suffering attacks by strange monsters referred to as Angels. Conventional weapons are useless against the Angels, and the only known defense against them are the biomechanical mechas created by the paramilitary organization NERV, the Evangelions (Eva’s).
Shinji Ikari is brought to Tokyo 3 under orders from his father Gendo Ikari, leader of NERV. Shinji has been estranged from Gendo since he was a toddler, and takes this to mean that his father wants a relationship with him, but upon arrival at NERV it becomes clear that his father summoned him purely due to his high compatibility with the Eva’s. He moves in with Captain Misato, commander of the Eva’s and extroverted alcoholic. Shinji is cowardly and unsure of himself, and intensely dislikes the responsibility of saving the world, but continues (with occasional lapses) to fight the Angels in spite of it. He is later joined by Rei Ayanami, a fragile introvert, and Asaka Langley Soryu, a conceited extrovert.


Story: (10/10)
Evangelion is one of, if not the most complex stories in all anime. Filled with ridiculous amounts of symbolism. I can’t say enough good things about this anime. All of the characters are fully fleshed out, with loads of mental problems that really invoke the pathos. Awesome plot twists. The only problem I have with the series is that Evangelion: Death and Rebirth is essentially useless if you have the director cut of the TV series & End of Evangelion, as it is half a recap of the TV series plus a few new scenes (included in the directors cut), and the other half is the first half of End of Evangelion. It is also worth noting how cool it is to have both The Internal Ending as it is in Shinji’s mind in the TV series, and The External Ending in the real world from End of Evangelion.


Art and Animation: TV/ Death & Rebirth: (7/10), End of Evangelion: (8/10)
While not the best I have ever seen, the animation in both series is very distinctive and clean, and the Eva and Angel designers deserve a medal.


Voice Acting [English]/Music/Sound: (9/10)
Very Good. The acting is very believable, and the music is sort of catchy. I especially like the “Fly Me to the Moon” ending theme in the TV series. The sound is also very commendable.

Overall: (11/10)
I don’t normally break rating systems, but if any series deserves it, it’s Evangelion. This is, hands down, the best Anime in existence. Anyone who says different is a base charlatan, and worthy only on contempt. If you could only watch one Anime, and you watched something else, I’d have to suggest you kill yourself. It’s THAT GOOD.


Neon Genesis Evangelion at AnimeGalleries.