Shinji Ikari's father is the head of a company called NERV. This company uses giant mecha (called EVAs) 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 00; Asuka Langley Soryu, the fiery red-headed girl who pilots Eva 02; Kaworu Nagisa, the boy who pilots Eva 03; and Toji Suzuhara, who pilots Eva 04. They all fight to save the world day after day in an epic story with twists and turns throughout the series.
Story & Characters
END OF EVANGELION MOVIE REVIEW, NOT THE SERIES.
The conclusion to Neon Genesis Evangelion, replacing the final two episodes of the series and giving a more in depth
explanation than the obscure philosophical rants which were episode 25 and 26. The Third Impact is set into motion and
Seele move to control the fate of humanity, Gendo positions his final moves for his instigation of the Third Impact, in
a desperate attempt to control the events that follow, every group and individual vie desperately for their hand in the
last great evolution.
This is I believe the highest masterpiece of 'art-house/sci-fi' theatre, and what some people misunderstand is
it was not intended to be understood in the first viewing. Unfortunately this causes a large deal of concern for viewers
and puts them off it. Based closely in Esoteric Jewish religious concepts and Jungian Psychology, it portrays the
evolution of man through the Third Impact, and the individual's role in it, not simply a physical evolution but the
synthesis of every 'soul' and 'mind' into the one form.
Essentially ‘End of Evangelion’ is a beautiful rendition of the destruction and preservation of mankind, it
feels nihilistic, but it offers something far beyond the norm, a definition of what it is to exist and to want to exist,
Shinji shows the greatest understanding of the self, of what it is to be, of the inherent pain and loneliness that comes
with existing and of his general nature as a human, it's all quite brilliant, I'd go further into it but I
wouldn't want to spoil anything.
Rating: 10
Art
Comparatively to the series the animation quality is massively better, but only slightly above the average anime film of
its time. Character designs are left intact, no creative interpretations, backgrounds benefit greatly from the higher
budget, as do action sequences and general character movement and interaction, CG is particularly noticeable for the
first time in any Evangelion production.
However the movie isn't done entirely in animation and a 'live-action' sequence is an integral part of
the film, more meaningful than just a distraction but interestingly largely responsible (from my experience) for the
frustration viewers had with the movie.
Rating: 7
Sound
Character voicing is as to be expected, unless you are watching the English Dub in which case you’ll find a
number of discrepancies between the series and the movie which can be bothersome.
This is one time when the budget finally set Evangelion free from heavily laden speeches and interactions, characterized
by Shinji’s conscious and subconscious discussing things on the train, and Rei’s charming prose about the
souls sense identity, which are found during the series. These things are conspicuously lacking in the movie, being
replaced by a greater sense of focus regarding the supposition of emotion, the mind and the soul, we are still exposed
to what is a film reliant on speech and so the quality of voice acting is important. And, it doesn’t let us down,
thankfully.
Music is an integral part of the final, surreal, even dissonant in places, and totally unnecessary of any further
review.
Rating: 7
Presentation
There are countless reasons to dislike Evangelion, the simplest and best reason I heard was that they watch anime and
television shows in general to be entertained, and this didn’t entertain them, it required far too much thought
and consideration, concentration and research. And this is true, to fully understand the series and the movie you either
need to have an already existent interest in Psychology and Theology, or you have to research them.
There is nothing wrong or self-damaging about this point of view, there are none of us who don’t lend to less
intense entertainment, and this particular genre may not be to a person’s liking. There are numerous other
reasons’ people dislike Evangelion which are valid and appropriate as well. But the unfortunate thing which
occasionally occurs is the person who is decidedly against Evangelion because it is popular, and, this is very common.
Please don’t let this deter your friends or whoever from watching, recommend it to them even if they are put off
by its reputation. The series and consequently the movie were the most important bits of media many people have ever
seen, and I would hate for its public presentation to be responsible for any distaste people may harbor for it.
Rating: 6
Final Verdict
7.6667 (good)
Reviewed by elm, Jul 24, 2005
