Ikari Shinji's father is the head of a company called NERV. This company uses giant Mech's that are called Eva's, to fight against an opposing threat to earth: Angels.
Throughout the 26 episodes and two movies, Shinji teams up with other 14-year-olds his age: Rei Ayanami, the quiet blue-haired girl who pilots Eva 01; Asuka Langley Soryu, the fiery red-headed girl who pilots Eva 02; Nagisa Kaworu, the boy who loves Shinji, but turns evil and pilots Eva 03; Suzuhara Toji, the bully who hits Shinji, but in the end pilots Eva 04.
These young boys and girls all fight to save the world day after day in an epic story with twists and turns throughout the series called: Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Story & Characters

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a hard anime to review. It contains many religious symbolisms and themes, and has a plot that's hard to wrap your head around. However, I think I have found a fair enough way to rate it. So hear is my review on Neon Genesis Evangelion.

In Neon Genesis Evangelion, we follow the path of Ikari Shinji, a weak boy that doesn't really stand out and has a great destiny. Shinji's personality is far from likeable, but you end up feeling for him anyway, despite his numerous weaknesses. That's the great think about NGE. It allows you to care about the characters and want to support them and cry for them. It's one of the nice touches that NGE has.

The three "children" (Shinji, Asuka, and Rei) all have personalities that you wouldn't like normally. Shinji is weak and humble, Asuka is stubborn and snobby, and Rei is quiet and a bit rude in the beginning. However, it's their past experiences that make you want to just help them and be there for them so they don't have to endure their suffering alone. This anime really delivers when it comes to character development.

Neon Genesis Evangelion has tons of religious allegories and themes, making for a very interesting plot. You'll probably find yourself going on Wikipedia to find info about Angels and instrumentality constantly. The plot is very hard to understand. Just because a story is complicated, doesn't make it good. Comprehension is just as important as character and plot development in any kind of storytelling. Comprehension is just what lowers the story rating from a 10 to an 8. Even after all the research I did the whole thing still didn't make complete sense, and I am usually able to understand concepts such as the ones brought forth in this anime. I'm not saying nobody would be able to understand it, I'm just saying that some won't and that the research you did to understand it probably wouldn't really be worth it. The story is good when it all finally "clicks", but it can be a bit of a chore for some.

Rating: 8

Art

This is an older anime, being aired in 1996. It doesn't have all the fluid animation and CGI that we've come to expect in a lot of animes of the same genre today. However, for its time, NGE has very good animation. The fight scenes are animated well enough and are fun to watch. The design of the Angels is amazing ranging from beautiful, to very surreal and eerie. Their appearance leaves an impact on you and it's fun guessing what the next one will look like. I look forward to watching the redone version of this show in "Rebuild of Evangelion" to see what the animation and artwork will be like.

Rating: 8

Sound

The music of Neon Genesis Evangelion is fantastic. The opening theme "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" is absolutely great and extremely catchy. You'll find yourself singing the song all day after watching an episode of this anime. The backround music is exciting and thrilling, really getting you in the mood. I have not watched the Japanese version, so I cannot comment on that. The English dubbing is...alright. The voices fit for most of the characters, but it's really the quality of the audio that bothers me. However, the sound of this anime is very good and is one of the high points of this anime.

Rating: 9

Presentation

Neon Genesis Evangelion isn't for everyone. If you like a good story that is challenging to comprehend, then I recommend you check this one out. But if you like things in black and white, this isn't going to be your cup of tea. It's a good anime, but if it had been a bit easier to understand, it could have been even more succesful than it already is. Thanks for reading and enjoy (or don't) you viewing of Neon Genesis Evangelion!

Rating: 8

Final Verdict

8.17 (good)

Reviewed by yuri1313, 31wk 1d ago

Zerochan | Anime Wallpapers | Anime Galleries | Anime Lyrics | Advanced Anime | Anime Online
DA! | Watch Anime Online | Anime Stocks | DigitalArt | VNDB | Anime Wallpapers

© 2004-2009 Minitokyo - About | FAQ | Policy | Privacy