Neon
Genesis Evangelion is often considered one of the most influential anime
because of its interesting premise and its release date (1995), which coincides with a time when anime was quickly exploding onto the global scene. Of course, neither of those factors lead to
intense popularity without quality writing.
Overall, Evangelion, was a satisfying show that really could have
been so much more.
The world
is slowly regaining its footing after the disaster known as the “Second Impact”
obliterated the Antarctic polar ice cap.
The masses were taught that a meteor was responsible for this disaster,
but those who work at NERV, a highly classified UN division, know the truth: it
was the result of an experiment gone wrong.
The first
episode begins with Tokyo-3 under attack by a mysterious robotic/alien known
only as an “Angel.” As can be expected,
tanks, air ships, and all other types of weaponry are
shrugged off by the gigantic aggressor.
We soon meet the protagonist, a child named Shinji Ikari whose father
works as director for NERV. Shinji
is brought to NERV headquarters by the young and somewhat eccentric Commander Misato Katsuragi in the hopes that he will pilot what is known as
Eva-001. After an argument with his
father (saying that they don't get along is a severe understatement) and coupled
with the continued destruction of Tokyo-3, Shinji finally decides to try and
pilot the Eva (Evangelion). The episode ends with
Shinji reaching the surface (NERV's headquarters is underground) where he
comes face-to-face with the enemy Angel.
Air ships attempting to halt the first Angel.
Most, if
not all, of the show revolves around NERV's struggle to combat the increasingly
powerful Angels with the help of Shinji, and two other Eva pilots named Rei
Ayanami and the German pilot Asuka Langely Soryu. Obviously this is a gross simplification of
the show, but I don't want to ruin any of the Angel fights; most of them are
really cool sequences.
While
piloting giant robots against other giant robots seems like an overdone concept
in anime (see Gundam Wing, G Gundam, Gurren Lagann Tengen Toppa, and
others) Neon Genesis Evangelion manages to break away from the
conventional problems that plague these shows.
One thing I found really unique is that the Evas have to stay connected
to power chords. This may sound silly,
but I really appreciated this because it offers a bit of realism to the giant
robot that you don't often see from other shows. On top of this, if you are unplugged from the
power source, the Eva has a very limited amount of time before it runs out of
power. This really adds a level of
complexity to some of the Angel fights as Shinji seemed to enjoy getting
unplugged from his power source.
The three Evangelion of NERV
The Evangelion
themselves were really the coolest part of the show because they were shrouded
in mystery for most of the show. You got
glimpses of their origins in the first half of the series but don't get a full
explanation until the last few episodes.
Their origin story is a really strange and intuitive idea that made them
much more than just giant robots used to fight as it is in other shows.
The major
characters fill their roles fairly well but do not offer much extra to separate
themselves from others in the genre. For
example, Shinji reminds me a lot of Simon from Gurren Lagann not only
because of his age but because of his mannerisms. In the middle of Gurren Lagann, Simon
is incredibly moody and hostile towards those around him (there's a reason for
this, but I don't want to spoil that for those who haven't watched that
show). Shinji presents himself in a very
similar manner at certain points throughout the series.
Major characters (from left to right: Misato, Asuka, Shinji, Rei, Shinji's father Gendo, and Ritsuko.
Similarly,
Asuka fills the stereotypical role of the overconfident sidekick who believes
that they should be in charge. This
character archetype is incredibly common in action shows, to the point where it
can get pretty boring. The personality
of Asuka can be attributed to a myriad of other characters from other shows, with Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z is probably the best example. If watched in tandem viewers would probably see very little difference between the characters.
Without groundbreaking personalities the show should have been a lot worse than it
actually was. What saved Evangelion
were the origin stories for the characters. Almost
every major character in the show gets at least part of an episode to develop
their past, and most of the time they're incredibly intriguing. The NERV agents especially have background
stories that made them more interesting than the pilots in my opinion. That may not be fair because the pilots were
children, but it was an unusual way of creating meaningful secondary
characters.
Another
aspect of the show that I enjoyed was the animation for the combat
sequences. The fighting was
fluid and pleasurable to watch. The
Eva's and Angels did not attack at blinding speeds as seen in a lot of action
anime, but fought at a plausable pace and movements and attacks seemed natural enough, which
made fights enjoyable. For a
show that revolves around combat, this is one of the most important aspects of
the animation and they nailed it.
One of my favorite Angel fights.
Finally, I
can't say enough about the atmosphere of the show. The problems in the show were problems that
mattered to the entire world. Characters
would mention things that happened in America for example, that weren't
necessarily relevant to the plot, but helped you as the viewer the
post-apocalyptic world that NERV was trying to save. Things were very depressing, but not
unnecessarily.
One of the final Angels that NERV must destroy.
Unfortunately,
the show was not perfect. The biggest
problem for me was the ending, more specifically the last two episodes. The show transformed from a fairly straightforward
action show with a philosophical undercurrent to being completely strange in the
last two episodes. The final two
episodes were really hard to watch and left me incredibly disappointed. The most I can say is that it
felt like one long acid trip, but that's about it. I really wish the show did not end the way it did;
it would have been sufficient to see the Angels win, or perhaps the show could have ended with a simple "boy saves the world" ending.
At the end
of the day, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a good show. It has its bright spots as I've mentioned,
but it also has its flaws (some much greater than others). I enjoyed most of the show and would
recommend it if only for the interesting spin on an old premise. Who knows, maybe you will enjoy the ending
more than I did.
* Neon Genesis Evangelion was produced by Gainax.
-ABC
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