Neon Genesis Evangelion is indeed a gem in the world of Japanese anime. There are a lot of morals to be learned from this animated series. The one important lesson is to live with yourself and live for yourself. It plays true with the main character of Neo Genesis Evangelion named Shinji Ikari.
Shinji is the main character that despises himself. He’s a whiny teenager that knows that he’s weak and wants to get stronger. At the same time, he really doesn’t have the will to become stronger. He truly hates himself while others are at various degrees of self-loathing. Shinji grows as a character throughout the Evangelion series. He eventually learns that one valuable lesson of living for himself and living with himself.
The story receives a five out of five. It’s a very original story that’s extremely hard to duplicate it. Neon Genesis Evangelion takes place fifteen years after a meteor crash in Antarctica. It was dubbed as a meteor crash. But in reality, it was the first sighting of an Angel, the main antagonists in Evangelion. As a result of Angel attacks, cities are forced to go underground.
Tokyo-3, the city Shinji moves to is one of those dome cities. Mainly he shows up because his father Gendo Ikari requested his presence. From that point, Shinji is charged with the task of being Eva-1’s pilot to save mankind from those angels who seem to be celestial beings.
Evangelion progresses from that point with subplots, new characters, and heavy battling. Until the very end of the series where the angels destroy most of mankind by interacting with a being known as "Lilith". Overall, it’s a pretty interesting storyline with plenty of intellectual value.
The main character is Shinji who is pretty whiny. He’s your classic depressed teen angry at his father for "abandoning" him in the past. He wants to be loved but is forced into doing things that he doesn’t want to. Thus sending his life spiraling down the drain. He’s your "tragic hero."
Time and again, he defeats angel after angel, because he’s told to. Following orders because it gives him a reason to live, a reason to exist. Without that usefulness, he believes that all would hate and despise him, and that he would cease to exist, which is his ultimate fear. He has trouble relating to the other pilots in the series because with his issues of abandonment and depression. He believes he can be discarded like trash at any given moment.
Rei Ayanami is another important character and pilot of Eva-03. She is known as a "construct" or an artificial human being. She’s basically nothing more than a human husk without a soul. Rei embodies what a human would be like without a soul. Only the primitive emotions are shown within Rei. Surprisingly, Rei shares a physical and habitual resemblence to Shinji’s mother, Yui Ikari.
She follows orders without question to the point where she’d fall on her own sword to carry that order. That trait makes Rei a good soldier. But to others, it makes Rei seem like a doll. To the others, it creates feelings of dislike and awkwardness.
There’s Asuka Langley Sohryu, the pilot of Eva-02. She’s one-quarter German and three-quarters Japanese which is why she looks more Western. She’s very egotistical and hot-headed. In short, it drives Asuka to do some very brash actions on her part. She’s the most human of all of the Eva pilots. Asuka thinks of Shinji as nothing more than dirt and Rei as nothing more than a lifeless doll. Combat wise, she’s overconfident in her piloting skills. Also, she’s one of the more aesthetically pleasing characters.
Asuka was three when her mother went insane and hung herself. As a result, she would be subjected to serious psychological trauma. In turn, it would give Asuka the tough and egotistical attitude. She has the "I’ll think for myself and live for myself" attitude. As Evangelion progresses, her confidence wanes and eventually fails. She nearly dies because of her stubborness.
Misato Kitsuragi is the commanding officer. She’s a very able leader and a very good strategist. Misato is the type of leader to put everything on the line for victory. To her, victory is the survival of the human race. Her father died during the first angel sighting. He did it to protect her. Because of this, Misato fell in love a man just like her father. Ironically, Misato hated her father because he left her and the mother.
She wants stability. Misato loves a life of family and stability. For that reason, she takes in both Shinji and Asuka mainly for selfish reasons. In turn, Misato creates a small family unit where she acts as the mother/sister figure to both Shinji and Asuka.
Dr. Ritsuko Akagi is the head of the Eva project. Unlike Misato, Ritsuko is emotionally detached from the children. She’s tough on the pilots when need be. But she praises the pilots when they do well. Ritsuko’s team of engineers are charged with the task of battlefield control, maintaining the Evas, and monitoring the progress/status of the pilots.
Kaji is your subtle undercover data gatherer. But he’s a very important character that pokes around getting the dirt on the various organizations. Officially, he reports to Shinji’s father. Unoficially, he’s a spy for the Japanese government. The secrets he uncover will shake the core of the pilots. He’s the one that dated Misato. Kaji is the one that buries himself in work just like Misato’s father.
Gendo who is Shinji’s father serves as the chief commander of NERV. He heads the military and research operations of this organization. This person is extremely manipulative for his own self-gain. He even manipulates Ritsuko and her mother for sexual reasons, which shows that he’ll go any ends to get what he wants. The only reason he called for Shinji was that he showed promise as a pilot though he wasn’t needed. The strain on their relationship is present in the entire series. He treats Rei more like his own child than he does with Shinji because of the resemblence.
Overall, Neon Genesis Evangelion has an interesting plotline and a diversity of characters. The personalities of the three Eva pilots are a great balance: Shinji looking for a reason or usefulness, Rei being an emotionless doll, and Asuka being an egotistical brat.
Those watching for fun would see hardcore violence and some serious mindtrips that one would not comprehend if s/he wasn’t paying attention. It’s one of those series that you must pay attention to each detail. There’s teen drama and a healthy dose of comedy present as well. There’s something for everybody in that regard.
Intellectual crowd would walk away satisfied. This anime contends with a serious bit of psychology, theology, and personal philosophies. They’d notice the following: the creator and/or director had mother issues, as all the characters in Evangelion have mother issues. The technical mumbo-jumbo would make the intellectual crowd feel giddy and loved. The mind trips are pleasant puzzles to decipher, and the hardcore violence will suddenly have meaning. There are subtleties that won’t be understood without some research.
The right-winged crowd would find it utterly ridiculous and wouldn’t understand one bit of it. To understand Evangelion, one would need a certain IQ. To them, they’d see it as a series of hardcore violence, drama, and humor. Plus they’d see it as inappropriate for all viewers.
Many people will like Evangelion. But Evangelion isn’t for everybody, especially if they’re NeoCons.
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