For those of you who have never heard of it, NGE is an anime (a psychological mecha*, to be specific) series that first premiered in the mid-90's. Considered highly controversial and extremely popular in both Japan and America, it is a series that consists of complex (and often slightly disturbed) characters, graphic violence and tongue-in-cheek sexual themes, an intriguing yet somewhat confusing storyline, and profound psychological undertones. The series is set in the year 2015 A.D. in the city of Tokyo-3, 15 years after a massive worldwide shockwave known as Second Impact tipped the world off its axis, caused sea levels to rise, and killed billions of people. The story itself revolves around three 14-year-olds who work for a secret organization known as NERV, and who pilot massive humanoid fighting machines known as Evangelions to defend the earth against enormous creatures known only as Angels, who are set on causing Third Impact and wiping out the rest of humanity.

So, any opinions to offer?

*Mecha is the term used to classify a Japanese anime that involves giant robots or mobile suits engaging in combat, often against other gigantic machines or monstrous lifeforms

I never finished the series, but it's one that I keep my eye out for bargain sales so I can invest in the DVDs and get rid of my tapes, since they're not good enough quality ([email protected] fansubs) to burn.

I personally really liked it. I found it really thought provoking and interesting.

Edit: This is a really slow forum. ^^; You need to wait a while for responses.

I noticed. *Sweatdrop* But anyway, which part of the series have you seen that stands out most in your mind?

Either them going to... was it Antartica?... and finding what looked like a graveyard. I found that scene chilling.

And the thing with Asuka. I don't want to be too spoiler-ish.

I have to admit I saw some of the series out of order so I'm a bit confuzzled.

It's also been a while. Uh, close to six years? xD

Uh, wow, that's a long time. o.O But as for the Asuka thing, do you mean the Angel hovering in orbit doing . . . . . errrr . . . . . you know? :ninja:

LOL! Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.

I was like " :shock: Did what I think happened... happened!? OMG!"

Yeah. XD To tell the truth, NGE holds a lot of 'WTF?!' moments for me. The part in the series that stands out most for me, though, is in the End Of Evangelion movie, when Asuka fights the . . . . you know, and then . . . . THAT happens at the end of the fight. :ninja:

Edit: Also, if you wanna watch the series in order, then just go watch it on YouTube. :3nod:

I have tried... over and over and over again to watch and read this series but it confuses me endlessly so I keep giving it up.

I know a little about it. Whether it makes any sense to me... a different story. @[email protected] I've an article on this series about all the symbols in it that it was trying to explain to me ( the whole, how does the bible fit into this series) it was a two page article, not really long cause it had pictures it stuff, even so left my brain a little out of whack.

My conclusion, is that if I want to continue reading, I can't stop to think of the bigger picture too often, it leaves me confused. Yes... awesome series, just really really confusing. @[email protected]

Yeah, I have like half of the series and then EoE. @[email protected]; I'm not a fan of YouTubeing things. I'd rather buy it. It's something I'd like to own.

@Seito: It is a SUPER confusing series, I have to admit. It's extremely psychological and symbolic and a little bit gratuitous at times.

Originally Posted by stilettolover

Yeah, I have like half of the series and then EoE. @[email protected]; I'm not a fan of YouTubeing things. I'd rather buy it. It's something I'd like to own.

@Seito: It is a SUPER confusing series, I have to admit. It's extremely psychological and symbolic and a little bit gratuitous at times.

It is. My teenage brain cannot handle the huge masses of psychological symbols that hide every bit of the show such as what the NERV symbol means the gah. @[email protected] Too much for my brain to handle.

Other people though, handle it really nicely. My cousins and about three of my classmates like completely understand the whole series.

I didn't quite get it myself the first time I started watching it, then the guy I was dating at the time explained it, and I started rewatching. X__x; Then he told me everything that happens in the series and... I sort of never finished it.

Don't you envy those people who understand them? .... wait then again maybe I'm better off never knowing. >>

But yeah. I've had those guys try and explain to me once Ari, it didn't make any sense to me and I walked alway with the feeling that my brain just exploded.

It makes a lot of sense to me now. xD Haha, but then again... I have a degree in psychology. I would HOPE something that is psychological would make sense to me.

the only problem for me is.....
I've only seen the very first and very last episodes... just to know I really love it, but not quite enough to know exactly what it's about or anything about the characters.

However what I DO know about it makes me love it sooo much.

Especially with the twist ending where.... errr... well, if you haven't seen the last few episodes I won't ruin it for you.

Originally Posted by stilettolover

It makes a lot of sense to me now. xD Haha, but then again... I have a degree in psychology. I would HOPE something that is psychological would make sense to me.

oh goodie. xD Wanna take another shot at it and try and explain it to me?

Or maybe I should save us both the trouble and go back to "Don't think about it" mindset of this anime. xD

I'm more than willing to explain it to you if you like. XD

Originally Posted by Master Nemesis

I'm more than willing to explain it to you if you like. XD

No no that's okay. xD I think I'm better off not knowing/understanding. I didn't even watch/read all of it so I'll be lost anyways. xD

I agree with the confusing storyline point. It started out great, and devolved into...I have no idea what. I'm still not exactly sure what the ending was supposed to mean, if it meant anything.

It's one of the more profoundly confusing animes I have ever seen. Pretty, yes, and thought provoking, yes, but in a confusing way. I didn't come away from it feeling at all satisfied. D:

I used to be the resident expert on the series on another forum that was my online home for about four years, up until it closed last December or so.

Personally, I loved the background characters, but hated the children. Kaji, Misato, and Gendou were all beautifully developed, and made the series worth watching in and of themselves.

On the other hand, Shinji does nothing but whine until coerced into action, Auska is a bitch through and through, and Ayanami is about as interesting as an LCD monitor with nothing but dead pixels.

Regarding the endings, the TV ending started out dull (*question* *scream* *question* *SCREAM* *question* *SCREAM*), then became mildly interesting (when it introduced the alternate universe), then just became downright cheesy with the final scene. It epitomizes the term "anticlimatic", in my mind. The movie at least attempts to tie up the loose ends (which it does rather well, even if it creates some more questions in the end).

Originally Posted by Lachesia

I agree with the confusing storyline point. It started out great, and devolved into...I have no idea what. I'm still not exactly sure what the ending was supposed to mean, if it meant anything.

It's one of the more profoundly confusing animes I have ever seen. Pretty, yes, and thought provoking, yes, but in a confusing way. I didn't come away from it feeling at all satisfied. D:

Well, you kind of have to find your own answers. The ending comes down to the Instrumentality Project. It cruxes itself on Shinji. The Instrumentality Project was what SEELE (the corporate guys that were at odds with Gendo at the end) was working toward. Basically, because man is a being born of sin, they hope to transform all the souls on earth into one being and either a) become one with God/Heaven or b) "reboot" the human race to give them a chance at redemption. Gendo wants to fuse with an angel/EVA and become a higher being, a superevolved human(at least in the movie; in the show, I think its his intent to become one being and ascend to Heaven ... I still have trouble with who has what motivation).

Anyhow. In the show, everyone is dead. Everyone. The flashbacks and self-reflection Shinji experience is his coming to grips with himself and the world. He ends up with the choice to separate himself from the rest of humanity and continue to be the whiny little bitch he is and create his own pipe dream of a universe (hence the part where Asuka is his best friend and Rei's a foreign exchange student). He eventually accepts the project and becomes one with his friends and family.

In the movie, the whole instrumentality process hinges on Shinji's choice. Gendo has been thwarted in his attempt to become one with Yui and Rei and fuse into a superbeing and Shinji aborts the instrumentality. He and Asuka awaken, alone. Now, they either are the new Adam and Eve of the world (lucky Shinji. Asuka = <3) or they are merely the first to reawaken and collected their bodies from the LCL fluid (the LCL is all the chemicals of the human body without a soul to hold it together). Or it could be none of the above.

They're working on four new movies, but the plots of which are tightlipped. It's rumored that the first two or three would retell the anime's story and the fourth would deal with the aftermath. But who knows. Really, if you have trouble understanding it, rewatch it and find an episode synopsis from a crazy fan who details everything they're talking about and follow along.

Originally Posted by Aerysta

I used to be the resident expert on the series on another forum that was my online home for about four years, up until it closed last December or so.

Personally, I loved the background characters, but hated the children. Kaji, Misato, and Gendou were all beautifully developed, and made the series worth watching in and of themselves.

On the other hand, Shinji does nothing but whine until coerced into action, Auska is a bitch through and through, and Ayanami is about as interesting as an LCD monitor with nothing but dead pixels.

Regarding the endings, the TV ending started out dull (*question* *scream* *question* *SCREAM* *question* *SCREAM*), then became mildly interesting (when it introduced the alternate universe), then just became downright cheesy with the final scene. It epitomizes the term "anticlimatic", in my mind. The movie at least attempts to tie up the loose ends (which it does rather well, even if it creates some more questions in the end).

I have to disagree with your analysis of the three main characters. Though Shinji does, as you said, do pretty much nothing but bitch about his problems the majority of the time, it's still interesting to to look at some of the dilemmas he is presented with throughout the series, and his interactions with some of the other characters. Besides, twice in the series he has almost reached the point where he has begun to mature and start dealing with his problems rather than running away from them, which also makes him a more appealing protagonist, and twice he has regressed to his old behaviors as something catastrophic occurs to him. It's a bit tragic, to say the least. Also, if nothing else, one should at least admire Anno Hideaki (the creator of the series) for having the cojones to create one of history's most disturbed (and yes, whiny) anti-heroes. XP

As for Asuka (who, I might mention, happens to be my favorite character), in my opinion, she's only a bitch because she's trying to hide just how scared, depressed, and pained little girl she really is. I know that's not really much of an excuse for being the way she is, but can you blame her? After all, she did walk into a room to find her (blank) dangling from the ceiling when she was only four. Another thing I find really intriguing about the series is the potential relationship between her and Shinji hinted at several times throughout the series. Though said relationship never really manifests itself during the series because of their inability to work out their own problems, I find it interesting to speculate what such a relationship would be like . . . . after they had quit being so messed-up, that is. It would be kinda of cute, I think. *Happens to be a connoisseur of Shinji/Asuka fanfics* <3

Rei, though I do agree that she needs an emergency operation to have the stick removed from her ass, seems to develop as a character for most of the duration of the series, and actually starts become something resembling a normal person . . . . . up until she (blank)s to destroy the Angel and save Shinji, anyway. After that, she regresses to the robot she once was (though, one must wonder if it can technically be considered a regression since she's technically not the same person anymore). Also a tragedy.

Overall, I would say that to call Shinji whiny, Asuka a bitch, and Rei boring is, while true to a degree, far too simple an analysis. They deserve a bit more credit than that, in my opinion.

Edit: And as for the ending, as Victor said, I think it depends on how you choose to interpret it.

Quick question for everyone: If you could change one event that occurred in the series, what would it be, and how would you change it?

Apart from most of Rei being a haughty bitch and, y'know, everyone dying? I'd say Toji having to pilot EVA-03.

Wow, it's quiet in here . . . . . ECHO . . . ECHO . . . echo . . . echo . . .

Whoo, Eva!
I started reading some of the manga that was in the library and I really liked the art. (btw what's up with the manga? it just... stopped. :( There haven't been any new volumes since forever.)
Sooo I watched it all on youtube. Er. I didn't like the anime so much. But The End of Evangelion? I was amazed by it. It just made me feel a variety of uncomfortable feelings, mostly fear, disgust, anxiety. Very scary stuff. So I went and bought it. XD
It was a really interesting movie and Asuka's fight scene was amazing (*SPOILER* especially with the whole "Momma!' thing-- that just made me hold my breath. I really like the psychological appeal in NGE).

Mm.. I didn't like Asuka very much. I understood her, but I have a thing against aggressive characters who cause more pain towards others than they should. Even if the ones they are hurting forgive them, I personally have a thing against it. I do wish Rei had more personality though, then maybe I'd like her more too. Shinji was interesting... there are so many crazy dimensions to the characters. *SPOILER like how in the movie Shinji tried to strangle Asuka twice.* It really... I dunno. I wish there were more anime that tried to convey a deeper impact and message than the typical fanservice types. I know of other anime that try and take on the NGE genre for psychology-types, but they don't seem to cut it at all because they're relying too heavily and weirding and confusing the viewers.