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For me, NGE was both the best and the worst anime had to offer. On one hand, the music, art style and the fights were amazing. On the other hand, I found most c

For me, NGE was both the best and the worst anime had to offer. On one hand, the music, art style and the fights were amazing. On the other hand, I found most characters downright disgusting (mostly Shinji and Asuka).

jandrese 7y ago
Not to mention the pace killing scenes where nothing happens for minutes at a time. They paid for those incredible fight scenes with interminable shots of the interior of elevators or close ups of Shinji's walkman.
- ethbro 7y ago
  I liked the shots of power lines with cicadas chirping. Best part of the series.
  - jandrese 7y ago
    Well, I have some good news for you! You may also be interested in literally every anime that came out after Eva with a city setting. May I recommend Serial Experiments Lain for more power lines and cicadas goodness? As every Anime sound director knows, those obnoxious bugs are the only available auditory shorthand for "it's summer".
    - roddux 7y ago
      I realise you jest slightly, due to the very overdone cicadas... but I had to jump in to add; Serial Experiments Lain is seriously a 10/10 anime. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone.
    - gwern 7y ago
      Excellent recommendation. SEL always tops the lists of cicada connoisseur lists like https://thehardtimes.net/harddrive/we-ranked-animes-top-10-static-shots-of-power-lines-with-cicada-noises/ https://thehardtimes.net/harddrive/we-ranked-animes-top-10-s...
  - bigger_cheese 7y ago
    One scene that sticks out to me after all these years is a brief 2 minute scene from 'End of Evangelion' where Rei is talking to Shinji about the nature of dreams. In the background you can hear Bach's Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring being played on a piano and it transitions from animation to filmed live action footage which I think was shot around Tokyo it shows things like train lines, buildings and an empty swing set in a playground and yes there is a power line shot. Then it cuts to an audience watching a film inside a cinema as handwritten letters flash up on the screen, which were death threats the studio had received from obsessive fans. I was blown away by the aesthetics of this scene watching it as a 15 year old and it's stuck with me.
    - RandomGuyDTB 7y ago
      Just rewatched that scene (happens at around 1:16:00). The first time I watched that scene in particular I had to pause it because I was flabbergasted that they were so clearly breaking the fourth wall. After the... unfortunate opening scene of the movie I hadn't rewatched it but every time I see even a small clip of anything from Eva (the movie or the show) I'm just enamored. Hideaki Anno is one of the greatest artists of our time just from NGE and Shin Godzilla. It felt like every frame of the original anime was perfect.
- emj-io 7y ago
  Different strokes for different folks, but I found their willingness to let a scene breathe (even to the point of absurdity) a wonderful counterpoint to the fight scenes. The show is not about mecha fighting monsters... it's about the spaces in between people, and how we fail and succeed to connect. The elevator scene, Misato and Kaji, Shinji's tape player, Shinji and Kaworu... those are some of my favorite scenes because they show the connection or disconnection between the characters. Yes, it does save them money to not have to animate. Art always has to deal with the limitations of the medium, in this case budget.
- aasasd 7y ago
  > They paid for those incredible fight scenes with interminable shots Almost literally, since the still shots happened after the budget was cut.
kadoban 7y ago
For me, the broken and flawed characters/relationships were what made the show more than just another action anime.
claudeganon 7y ago
I think that’s kind of part of the story? It’s about kids handed a dying world, a world whose death their parents selfishly brought about, and devolving into madness and nihilism as a result. They’re conscripted into work that has no real purpose other than propping up the existing order and justifying its instrumental, destructive logic. I watched it again recently and it struck me as incredibly relevant and a prescient warning about the trajectory of contemporary society, especially in the face of climate change. I mean, the entire setting is nearly flooded following a catastrophic event at one of the poles...
- impalallama 7y ago
  yeah i hear that a lot about Evangelion its like, just watch some Gundam or something dude. The characters being so overwhelmingly flawed is a big part of what makes Evangelion what it is. You might as well say a museum is great except for all the exhibits.
  - sprafa 7y ago
    The whole point of Evangelion is a lot of these people are mentally unwell. Watching Evangelion for the “fights” only works up to the 5th or so episode.. after that most of the violence is psychological (there are a couple of opponents which are ONLY psychological) That’s why it’s considered good by the people who consider it good (I think it’s brilliant and one of the greatest pieces of motion art of the last century) - because although it can be classified as “mecha” anime it’s really about damaged people. There are plenty of great pieces of motion art that are not about damaged people. Evangelion is not one of them.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
swebs 7y ago
>On the other hand, I found most characters downright disgusting (mostly Shinji and Asuka). Good. That was the intent.
matheusmoreira 7y ago
A detail I really like is how they made the user interfaces part of the story telling. The computer screens are displayed clearly and it allows the audience to interpret the information just like the characters. Seeing the mecha switch from external to internal power and start a five minute countdown is pretty chilling. Jet Alone booting up version 2.2.1c and then reverting back to 2.1.1c without Misato's intervention confirms that it was sabotaged. When Shinji and Asuka's combined synchronization rate with EVA-02 peaks, we know they have won. Episode 13 visually depicts the angel taking over NERV's super computers: one triggers the self-destruct, the other two overrule it and the angel starts invading the other computers. End of Evangelion also revisits this: we know Ritsuko's plan has failed because one of the computers refused to comply. 2001: A Space Odyssey is the earliest example I know of this kind of story telling. The space ship's computer kills the sleeping crew: their vital signs slowly flatline one by one and in a specific order. https://youtu.be/Z4n3dbPqk58 https://youtu.be/Z4n3dbPqk58

jandrese 7y ago

Not to mention the pace killing scenes where nothing happens for minutes at a time. They paid for those incredible fight scenes with interminable shots of the interior of elevators or close ups of Shinji's walkman.

ethbro 7y ago
I liked the shots of power lines with cicadas chirping. Best part of the series.
- jandrese 7y ago
  Well, I have some good news for you! You may also be interested in literally every anime that came out after Eva with a city setting. May I recommend Serial Experiments Lain for more power lines and cicadas goodness? As every Anime sound director knows, those obnoxious bugs are the only available auditory shorthand for "it's summer".
  - roddux 7y ago
    I realise you jest slightly, due to the very overdone cicadas... but I had to jump in to add; Serial Experiments Lain is seriously a 10/10 anime. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone.
  - gwern 7y ago
    Excellent recommendation. SEL always tops the lists of cicada connoisseur lists like https://thehardtimes.net/harddrive/we-ranked-animes-top-10-static-shots-of-power-lines-with-cicada-noises/ https://thehardtimes.net/harddrive/we-ranked-animes-top-10-s...
- bigger_cheese 7y ago
  One scene that sticks out to me after all these years is a brief 2 minute scene from 'End of Evangelion' where Rei is talking to Shinji about the nature of dreams. In the background you can hear Bach's Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring being played on a piano and it transitions from animation to filmed live action footage which I think was shot around Tokyo it shows things like train lines, buildings and an empty swing set in a playground and yes there is a power line shot. Then it cuts to an audience watching a film inside a cinema as handwritten letters flash up on the screen, which were death threats the studio had received from obsessive fans. I was blown away by the aesthetics of this scene watching it as a 15 year old and it's stuck with me.
  - RandomGuyDTB 7y ago
    Just rewatched that scene (happens at around 1:16:00). The first time I watched that scene in particular I had to pause it because I was flabbergasted that they were so clearly breaking the fourth wall. After the... unfortunate opening scene of the movie I hadn't rewatched it but every time I see even a small clip of anything from Eva (the movie or the show) I'm just enamored. Hideaki Anno is one of the greatest artists of our time just from NGE and Shin Godzilla. It felt like every frame of the original anime was perfect.
emj-io 7y ago
Different strokes for different folks, but I found their willingness to let a scene breathe (even to the point of absurdity) a wonderful counterpoint to the fight scenes. The show is not about mecha fighting monsters... it's about the spaces in between people, and how we fail and succeed to connect. The elevator scene, Misato and Kaji, Shinji's tape player, Shinji and Kaworu... those are some of my favorite scenes because they show the connection or disconnection between the characters. Yes, it does save them money to not have to animate. Art always has to deal with the limitations of the medium, in this case budget.
aasasd 7y ago
> They paid for those incredible fight scenes with interminable shots Almost literally, since the still shots happened after the budget was cut.

kadoban 7y ago

For me, the broken and flawed characters/relationships were what made the show more than just another action anime.

claudeganon 7y ago

I think that’s kind of part of the story? It’s about kids handed a dying world, a world whose death their parents selfishly brought about, and devolving into madness and nihilism as a result. They’re conscripted into work that has no real purpose other than propping up the existing order and justifying its instrumental, destructive logic. I watched it again recently and it struck me as incredibly relevant and a prescient warning about the trajectory of contemporary society, especially in the face of climate change. I mean, the entire setting is nearly flooded following a catastrophic event at one of the poles...

impalallama 7y ago
yeah i hear that a lot about Evangelion its like, just watch some Gundam or something dude. The characters being so overwhelmingly flawed is a big part of what makes Evangelion what it is. You might as well say a museum is great except for all the exhibits.
- sprafa 7y ago
  The whole point of Evangelion is a lot of these people are mentally unwell. Watching Evangelion for the “fights” only works up to the 5th or so episode.. after that most of the violence is psychological (there are a couple of opponents which are ONLY psychological) That’s why it’s considered good by the people who consider it good (I think it’s brilliant and one of the greatest pieces of motion art of the last century) - because although it can be classified as “mecha” anime it’s really about damaged people. There are plenty of great pieces of motion art that are not about damaged people. Evangelion is not one of them.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

swebs 7y ago

>On the other hand, I found most characters downright disgusting (mostly Shinji and Asuka). Good. That was the intent.

matheusmoreira 7y ago

A detail I really like is how they made the user interfaces part of the story telling. The computer screens are displayed clearly and it allows the audience to interpret the information just like the characters. Seeing the mecha switch from external to internal power and start a five minute countdown is pretty chilling. Jet Alone booting up version 2.2.1c and then reverting back to 2.1.1c without Misato's intervention confirms that it was sabotaged. When Shinji and Asuka's combined synchronization rate with EVA-02 peaks, we know they have won. Episode 13 visually depicts the angel taking over NERV's super computers: one triggers the self-destruct, the other two overrule it and the angel starts invading the other computers. End of Evangelion also revisits this: we know Ritsuko's plan has failed because one of the computers refused to comply. 2001: A Space Odyssey is the earliest example I know of this kind of story telling. The space ship's computer kills the sleeping crew: their vital signs slowly flatline one by one and in a specific order. https://youtu.be/Z4n3dbPqk58 https://youtu.be/Z4n3dbPqk58