Neon Genesis Evangelion, review by artimus

Neon Genesis Evangelion is an anime that feeds all of the hungers of your brain. It is not a snack for your psyche, but a full-course meal!

Neon Genesis Evangelion, or "Eva" as it is known by many fans, is the classic anime for psychology. It has many facets to behold. Mecha, psych, action, some comedy, a little bit of "romance". It has it all, and great music to boot. Eva tells the story of Shinji Ikari. He is called by his father, who abandoned him as a child, to fight in an Evangelion, which is later described as a bio-mechanical lifeform, to destroy the Angels, a series of monsters who threaten to initiate Third Impact, the equivalent of Armageddon. Throughout the show, Shinji meets different characters with their own secrets. Rei Ayanami appears to just be a young apathetic girl, but is revealed to be much more than she appears. Asuka Langley Sohryu, who has a traumatizing past of death and isolation. Misato Katsuragi, the commander of NERV, which is the secret UN sanctioned agency which is the sole defense of mankind against the Angels, who lost her father in Second Impact, the event in which the First Angel, Adam, exploded in Antarctica in an attempt by scientists led by Misato’s father to reduce the Angel into an embryo. When Adam exploded, the entire south polar ice cap melted, causing the ocean to rise 60 meters. As a result, half of the population died, and the world fell into chaos and wars for years to come. Eva has two different endings, with ultimately the same result. End of Evangelion, a theatrical release demanded by fans who were disappointed by the over-contemplative and confusing ending of the TV series, is the story taking place right after the final Angel is killed, however, EOE is a different discussion altogether. Eva has been critically acclaimed as a mecha anime, with qualities of psychological thrillers. It has won awards praising its music, and script. I have my own opinion of this anime, but it is nothing but positive.

The dialogue of Eva is superb and non-linear. Whether the characters are fighting the Angels, or just talking amongst each other, it is difficult not to keep in tuned. In a typical fight with an Angel, the NERV command center staff will narrate the battle with technical jargon instead of simply saying "Unit-01 is winning!" The Evangelions have aspects described in vague detail however. It takes a few times of rewatching to fully understand an Evangelion, and even then most of it seems to be up to the viewer interpretation. While viewer decisions can be good, some things are better to be explained. The characters will also talk about their own problems and offer their perspective on other’s situations.

The characters are not two-dimensional. In some anime, the characters do not grow at all. They come in shallow, and remain that way. This is not a problem in Eva, however. Characters will come in being cocky, Like Asuka, or just depressed like Shinji, but their secrets become revealed, and they either grow, or sink further into despair. Shinji comes in disturbed, but he is hardly broken. However, by the end of the series, he is so emotionally crippled, the viewer can’t help but take pity on him. Even more so is Asuka, who by the end, is completely comatose, and unreactive. Not even able to synchronize with her Eva, Asuka is left broken.

The music is another selling point to Eva. The theme to the show, "A Cruel Angel’s Thesis" has even been proclaimed as a classic anime theme, and is easily recognized among otaku of today. The music in Eva is not much in the realm of J-pop as other anime. It uses mostly classical pieces. In the climax of episode 24, Beethoven’s "Ode To Joy" is used to choreograph the finale. Most of Eva’s music is in the style of an orchestra, rather than a MIDI piece or vaguely exciting music. However, whether it is being performed by Beethoven, or by the original Eva music director, the music is a big point to make in Eva. It is not too hard to find the albums, and they are usually cheap, selling for no more than twelve U.S. dollars.

Not only all of this, but the sheer beauty of the art work is enough to make you want to spend all of your money on art books. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto does a superb job shaping mechs and people. Bringing them from paper into our minds is not a difficult task. The detail is excellent as no expense is spared to make sure the backgrounds, characters, and Evangelions look as good as they possibly can. Yoshiyuki has done work for other anime such as Nadia and the Dot Hack series, however this is his most challenging role yet, and he makes it look easy to do.

In summation, it is easy to see how Eva is so acclaimed by critics and otaku. From music to art to writing, Eva has the ability to captivate the audience, and draw them in easily. Of course, director Hideaki Anno is not through with Eva yet. Not only are more games being released in Japan, but there are two new series coming out. Rebuild of Evangelion, and the long-awaited, much debated over live-action rendition. Rebuild is expected to be released in Japan by the middle of 2007, while fans will have to wait a while longer for the live-action adaptation. However, while we wait, Mr. Sadamoto is still writing the Evangelion manga, and Angelic Days, a manga based on the second Girlfriend of Steel Eva dating game, is coming along smoothly. These new versions, and renditions of the series may never end, but if the series has told us anything, they will not disappoint. So, check out Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is worth every penny you invest into it.

10/10