A young boy is selected to combat monsters that threaten a worldwide cataclysm. But what will it cost to win?

THE PLOT

Neon Genesis Evangelion begins in a futuristic 2015 Tokyo-3. The city depicted is tattered and half submerged, and giant grotesque monsters are seen swimming and walking above the surface, the Angels. A lone child, Shinji Ikari, a 14-year-old is brought to the city on order from a military defense organization called Nerv, headed by his estranged father. He quickly learns he was selected to pilot a synthetic robot, the Evangelion unit, to defeat the Angel. It’s shown during the initial clips, that no regular means of destruction can defeat the Angels, even showing how a nuclear bomb proved ineffective. Shinji is then forced to pilot the Evangelion unit, with no prior training, and attempts to combat the Angel. Shortly after deploying, the Angel strikes off the Evangelion’s arm and Shinji screams out in pain. The pilot will feel everything that happens to their Evangelion unit. Shortly after, Shinji blacks out and awakes in a hospital bed. Although he wakes up confused, it's assumed that he defeated the Angel. But, can we say that it was really him? It was revealed that after he blacked out, the Evangelion “came to life” and animalistically tore the angel apart itself. This event, combined with the weight of seeing his father again for the first-time forces Shinji to begin asking the question he ponders for the rest of the show: “What is it I want?”

From a plot standpoint, the show has an extremely deep lore, but since it presents itself (for the most-part) as a traditional Gundam anime, the action scenes are more than sufficient to keep any watcher entertained. However, it is worth noting that there are major plot points that are rarely referenced until the ending, and that the plot from the midpoint of the season begins to ramp up psychologically, perhaps to the detriment of the show.

Although the psychological explanations of the different Evangelion pilots and secondary characters are deep and intrinsically interesting, it would be a disservice to not explain that these sequences become extremely mentally harrowing and jarring. References to suicide, parental abandonment, and its impacts on children’s psyche are 100% an aspect of the show, and not one that could go unnoticed. This leads to a “troubled” watching experience, and the latter half of the show pushes the viewer to continue to watch, while forcing the viewer to reflect on the character’s mental states, as well as their own.

THE CHARACTERS

The other Evangelion pilots, Rei Ayanami (Right) and Asuka Langley Sōryu (Left), have similar traumatic experiences but serve different purposes in the pilot’s dynamic trio. If Shinji is overly emotional and untrained, Rei acts as his complete opposite. Rei is emotionless and freakishly talented at piloting Evangelions, while Asuka is overconfident and just as talented as Rei. The three personalities of the Evangelion pilots work well together, and there are redeeming moments, but Asuka is almost more annoying than Shinji’s constant screaming. Asuka is constantly overconfident and religiously talks down to Shinji and Rei, despite being the last member of the Evangelion team selected. However, despite Asuka being annoying, I chalked it up to her being young, and the real benefit to her character is the much needed comedic levity to the overall harrowing story.

While the characters may be annoying at times, they present enough psychological depth and go through significant arcs to keep the viewer interested and hooked throughout the show.

One of the most important features of the show are the themes felt throughout the watching experience. These themes add to the overall depth of the show and force the viewer to interpret their meanings and their potential implications on the show, and even themselves. One of the first themes of note is the religious themes, primarily Christian and Jewish themes. The Angels, as if not being named aptly enough, explode and die in an explosion shaped like a crucifix. Furthermore, without getting into deep spoilers, the climax of the show is inherently the failure of humanity, and they all turn into crucifixes as well. These themes force the viewer to think about the potential references religion plays in this story, and outside of it. Another theme that is incredibly important is the psychological aspect of sanity. Whenever a pilot fails a mission, it’s because they aren’t in sync with their Evangelion unit. Aside from desyncing being deemed a failure in the eyes of the commanding units, they also cause severe emotional damage, as the child piloting the Evangelion feels the damage incurred on the Evangelion, so death is something the pilots experience perhaps too often. Furthermore, the theme of what it means to be “Human” is constantly referenced in the show, and is the focus of the latter half of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Throughout the final scenes, it’s shown that we are less human when separated from each other, and that our bodies make us incapable of being fully open. Without mentioning anything too specific, individualism is directly attacked, and the characters in the show become one consciousness. The line of reasoning the show follows is that: If we are all each other, then it becomes impossible to not fully understand each other's traumas and problems, but is this the right perspective? This ties in artfully with Shinji’s character arc of the question “What do I want?”, because as Shinji learns the value of his own life, he reflects on the negatives of being an individual, and comes to the conclusion that life is worth living. His battle with mental illness is one of my favorite chords of the show, and is the primary function of the latter half of the show; the abstract being a direct interpretation of internal thinking processes.

WATCHABILITY

The most important aspect aside from the plot and the characters, is the watchability of the show. One thing the show does a great job of is that it creates mystery and dread perfectly threaded alongside the impending crisis. The psychological implications of piloting are felt during the entirety of the show, and are furthered through the questions the audience will want answers too. Questions regarding where the plot will go, and how the characters navigate this crisis are answered and continually referenced throughout the show. This aids the watchability of Neon Genesis Evangelion. However, once the mysteries are further explored, new evocative themes present themselves and the show takes an abstract turn with the plot and its psychological analysis of the characters. The divergence from the established plot into realms of the abstract become somewhat disturbing and is perhaps too big of a leap to make from the established story.

The artstyle of the show is dated, yet contains beautiful art and animation that is aesthetically pleasing, and pushes the medium of Anime to its extreme, as Hideaki Anno explores new directing styles, especially during the latter abstract part of the show. Furthermore, the action-packed fight scenes are engaging through it’s animation and and its effects are constantly impacting the show, making the fights important, alongside being entertaining. The show also does a great job of balancing the aspects of fighting and psychological trauma with slice-of-life scenes, such as Shinji’s "home life" at his apartment and his time in school. These much needed breaths in between the heavy handed content of Evangelion is appreciated, and may even further one's liking to certain characters.

THE VERDICT

In summary, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a genre-defining Anime that forces the audience into an uncomfortable position, as the psychological exploration and convoluted ending creates an uneasy watching experience, but perhaps a deeper appreciation for the show. Although the characters may present themselves as annoying, aspects of their personality are explained through the exploration of their trauma and they still serve as generally likable characters. While Neon Genesis Evangelion's abstract ending may be inaccessible to a few viewers because, trust me, it’s that abstract, I believe the show to be one of my personal favorite pieces of anime. The depth of the character’s psyche exploration and the arc that Shinji goes through is well worth your time, and is something that stays with you after finishing the show.