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Ova

Plot Synopsis

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: Ayanami Rei, the quiet blue-haired girl who pilots Eva 01; Langly Asuka Shoryu, the fiery red-headed girl who pilots Eva 02; Nagisa Kowaru, 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

Existence itself is something of a mystery, and it is certainly never easy. This is the dilemma that permeates the world of one Shinji Akari, a confused young man who has a power that could save the world from another disaster brought on by the arrival of mysterious creatures known as "Angels". He has the ability to control massive robots known as "EVAS", and with the other two female pilots, Rei and Asuka, it is his duty to protect the rest of humanity with their combined powers and skills. However, it is a power that causes the pilots all their own personal anguishes, and soon they are all questioning not only their reasons for piloting their machines, but perhaps even the reasons for their own lives as a whole. For what truly is more important for survival: the destruction of an attacking enemy, or knowing one's own self completely?....
Evangelion is THE anime, plain and simple. Many people will disagree with me on this, and I'm fine with that. I'm not saying that this is the perfect anime, or that everything about it I love with solid conviction. It is nevertheless the anime that has probably produced the most interest in the entire genre since the unleashing of Akira in 1988. The secret lies in my opinion with the characters involved. I've yet to experience characters quite like them to be honest. Shinji is probably the most frustrating main hero of all time, Rei is the most enchanting female lead of all time (despite being totally devoid for the most part of emotional responses or real personality), Asuka has the intriguing talent of having one of the more tragic pasts yet unable to make us feel bad for her, etc. etc...The story itself too is unlike anything else. Never has there been so many loose ends, unexplained questions, undeveloped conspiracies or confusing outcomes in any show. In fact, it is for these mind-boggling inconsistencies that make Evangelion a truly love-it-or-hate-it situation.
As for me, Evangelion is the single show that converted me from an anime-hater to an otaku fanatic, and that in and of itself is powerful enough for me to recommend that everyone see this phenomenon at least once....

Rating

9 (very good)

Art

This one is a very mixed bag. Evangelion does boast of some of the best character designs in anime history! Rei Ayanami, Asuka, Misato, Ritsuko, Shinji, Kaoru....All of them are probably among the most drawn and collected and beloved character designs, and many of them set the standard of how many animes have been drawn ever since. And they look stunning, with bright colors and clean design throughout, and the "EVAS" and the "Angels" are all very fascinating and sometimes downright creepy to behold.
However, the animation itself is not up to par with the rest of the production. There are several reasons for this lack of quality in my opinion. For one, it was released in 1995 I believe, which was one of the most economically difficult years in Japan for the most part. Also, I'm not certain of the validity of this, but I also heard that this production lost a lot of its advertising revenue due to some controversy over its graphic violence (I think the episode involving the slaughter of EVA Unit 04 was a great example of this), and so the animation team had to cut a few corners in the long run in order to complete the show. Whatever the reasons, be prepared for more than a few scenes of complete stand-still, where the show resembles a painting more than an actual animated program, and many of these pauses last WAY too long for their own good (Unit 01 holding onto Kaoru anyone?).....

Rating

7 (above average)

Sound

Yet another mixed bag. The opening theme, while very catchy, doesn't really fit with the depth and the traedy of the entire show. Many of the accompanying themes are too cartoony or over-dramatic to be enjoyable on any real level (Misato's theme annoyed the crap out of me, and the battle theme that played when the EVAs attack the Angels is so over-the-top I can't help but groan), but I found the inclusion of the song "Fly Me To The Moon" at the end to be haunting and actually quite beautiful.
I also must recommend the original Japanese version over the English dub. The English version of Shinji is basically unbearable to listen to to any length of time, and some of the supporting voices for minor characters are so awful I couldn't help but mute them whenever they spoke. I did like the voice for Asuka though, for my own reasons, but I could see how she would not be for everyone. And Misato's English version was a little more appealing for me to listen to than her Japanese version, but again this is purely a matter of personal preference and it porbably will not be true for everyone....

Rating

7 (above average)

Presentation

Well, Evangelion is definetely unlike anything else that I have ever seen period. It is humorous, but also devastating; enjoyable but also very frustrating at times. The characters don't flesh out exactly as you would expect them to, or even as you would probably like them to, but I don't necessarily consider that to be a bad thing.
This is a show that will have you questioning some of the aspects of your own life that may coincide with the events that take place with the characters. There are some very deep issues that are explored here, but that doesn't mean that they will actually be explained. Evangelion is meant to be a thought-piece, a work of art that is meant to not only entertain you, but also to make you sit bak and contemplate important things. As for me, I came across this gem when I was just graduating high school and unsure of my future and my purpose, so I was able to connect with this anime from the get go, and it instilled in me a love for all things anime, and I have never looked back. Perhaps it will have that power to inspire you, or maybe it will do nothing more than frustrate and annoy you.
Whether this is the ultimate anime experience or a poorly constructed story with too many underdeveloped aspects is a debate that continues to rage between us otakus to this day. But as I firmly believe, any work that can spark such furious arguments and contemplation is always a worthy and important work.

Rating

8 (good)

Final Verdict

8.00 (good)

Reviewed by Murrman84, 2y 42wk ago