Neon Genesis Evangelion Review

1995-96 | 26 Episodes | Gainax | 14+

 

It is never an easy task to review a popular anime. It is particularly difficult when such anime is the cause of much controversy and division. Such is the case of Evangelion. One of the most loved and equally hated anime series of all time. The following review is not an attempt to explain everything about the series in detail, but it's a view taking a more objective stance at what makes the series work and elaborate on some of its faults and triumphs. But like I said before, there will indeed be people that will disagree with my analysis and will surely come up with ways to disintegrate my words. In either case, I'll be bold enough to objectively express my views on one of the most popular anime series of this day.

NGE is perhaps the only series I've ever seen that you could say it's both a brilliant piece of work and a tragic failure and still be considered right on both accounts. Evangelion's brilliance, perhaps even genius, is that it offers an incredibly complex and intricate character study of some very dysfunctional people. The director certainly spent a lot of time molding and crafting these characters in such a way that makes them seem and feel very human. Indeed, these characters are not perfect, far from it. They have their flaws and because of those flaws is that the series turns out intriguing. What essentially stands out about these characters is that they commit errors and react to their own actions in very real ways. In essence, Evangelion is a superb character study. It is not wrong to say that Evangelion is first and foremost a character centered story. The story behind these characters is only a backdrop, an excuse to bring them together and study their behaviors. It is perhaps even a transport for what was going through the director's mind: a medium in which the director can express his feelings to the world. Filled with apocalyptic riddles and a Freudian and Oedipus complex, Evangelion is one anime series that is most certainly open for interpretation.

And here it lays its biggest fault. Because it is so centered in its characters, Evangelion loses its focus on what essentially binds them. Too much attention is given to just the characters and the intricate story that evolves and grows in the background is left too ambiguously and cryptic -as though the director forgot about it and suddenly threw it all together to finish it. You could say Evangelion is kind of a Rorschach test; because it's so open for interpretation, any fan can essentially just come to any conclusion they deem best of prefer. Such is the case with the way the anime ends, where the series has seemingly lost its direction. It struck me as though the director started to build this enormous and epic story of growing-up, and it ended in a preachy and puzzling enigma that is far too subjective for its own good. The story that develops behind the characters is so lost and unfinished that it even required two movies to finish it! Some say the anime series is just Shinji's story, not humanity's; and I'd have to say, that that still doesn't excuse it from even starting humanity's story. In short, Evangelion's story simply lost its way towards the end.

In conclusion, Evangelion is one series where I'd say it's both brilliant and flawed. While it offers a rich and complex set of characters, what essentially ties them together (the story) feels unfinished and unpolished. However, while the story may be flawed, I'll have to admit that it will forever be remember and cherished as one of anime's gems because it offers such a good depth of character study. In either case, Evangelion is most definitely required viewing since it's such a staple of anime.

Pros:
+Rich character study

Cons:
-Unpolished story

Rating: C