Nothing sparks controversy quite like anime. Whether it's because of the popularity of the show (Sword Art Online, Steins;Gate, Attack on Titan) or some themes/images/symbols contained in the show (Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne, Deadman Wonderland, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni+Umineko no Naku Koro ni) or some questionable design choices (Kill la Kill, Aku no Hana, Panty + Stocking, Elfen Lied) anime is one of the most controversial topics to discuss with anybody, but ladies and gentlemen, nothing comes as quite as controversial as today's anime, one often considered as a classic of the medium, and often considered a mess.
Studio GAINAX's Neon Genesis Evangelion
Evangelion takes place in the year 2015 A.D in a world almost completely destroyed by something called the Second Impact. 15 years prior to the events of the main plot, a meteor struck Earth and destroyed Antarctica, causing the Ice Caps to melt and flood half of the planet. Due to the violent nature of the weather at the time, Cities such as Tokyo were destroyed along with half of the human race. Fast forward to 2015 and we are introduced to Shinji Ikari, a young boy with a troubled past and some daddy issues which really need some sorting out. Shinji has been summoned by his father for the first time in three years to work at the organization his father commands known as NERV, a UN dummy corporations whose purpose isn't fully clear at the start of the plot. Suddenly out of nowhere, a giant Alien like being appear out of nowhere and starts destroying the city around Shinji, who luckily escapes with his NERV escort, Captain Misato Katsuragi. Misato brings Shinji to NERV headquarters where he is introduced to Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, a genius with computers and human engineering who is also in charge of mankind's ultimate weapon, which just so happens to be why Shinji was summoned by his father. The only thing that can destroy the alien creature, which is called an "Angel", is mankind's answer: The Evangelion Series - Giant Mech Robots capable of destroying the Angels once and for all. Against his will, Shinji is thrown into a battle he (or his comrades) doesn't fully understand, and the fate of Mankind lies in his - and the other Evangelion Pilots' - hands. While at the start, Evangelion does seem like a typical Mech anime with aliens destroying buildings and Robots fighting etc, but it is so much more than that. Evangelion is more about the characters trying to come to terms with themselves and the world around them rather than just 'Robot Smash Alien BOOM EXPLOSION'. It actually tries to be deep and symbolic, with a bunch of religious symbols and references thrown in. On the subject though, the ending has gotten a lot of hate because of it being too confusing for some people, which I can totally see, but here's how I see it: Hideaki Anno wanted every person to interpret the ending in their own way. Does Shinji accept himself? Does Gendo appreciate Shinji? This is ALL upto interpretation, which is why the ending of this series is still being discussed to this day, and that's the power this story has and that's why I love it so much.
The other big talking point when it comes to Neon Genesis Evangelion is the characters, specifically one Shinji Ikari, the lead protagonist. I'll talk more about him in a moment, however I want to briefly mention my personal favourite for a moment, Misato Katsuragi. Misato is the Director of Operations at NERV. What I love the most about Misato, in regard to at least the original series, is the fact that she's so good at showing her emotions. She's mostly a happy-go-lucky caretaker of both Shinji and Asuka Langley Soryuu for the majority of the series, but when shit hits the fan Misato often feels it the most. Whenever Shinji's in trouble, Misato does her best to save him, same with the other Eva pilots. She's a caring, loving character with a ice comedic side to balance out all the emotional baggage she has. However, the main talking point in regards to the characters in Evangelion comes in our main protagonist, Shinji. For many people, they see Shinji as nothing but a whiny bitch who always runs away from his problems because every situation he's in that ends badly, regardless of his input, is somehow all his fault, at least in his eyes. Personally, I do see the flaws in Shinji's character, and in fact the cast as a whole isn't really that great. Yeah, I like Misato, Shinji and Kensuke but minus those three the rest of the cast just don't really interest me that much. I Know I'll probably get a lot of hate for saying that (because EVERYBODY fucking loves Asuka) but that's my opinions. I like three characters and that's about it when it comes to the cast in this show.
Right, time to talk about another controversial aspect of this show: the animation. Studio GAINAX had a limited budget to produce this show on, and as such the animation isn't what I would call perfect but still very good, especially for something that's 19 years old. Backgrounds are nicely done, the animation is fluid for the most part (a feat for a hand-drawn anime) and the battle scenes between the Evangelions and the Angels are quite frankly brilliant to look at. In the final two episodes things start to go zany and the animation follows suit, so I guess the animation follows the mood of the show quite well when it needs to.
Soundtrack wise, Evangelion certainly surpasses Cowboy Bebop when it comes to 'favourite Anime OST from the 1990's'. From the immensely powerful battle themes and the liveliness of the track known only as 'Misato' to the catchy as hell and downright amazing opening, Zankouku na Tenshi no Teeze (A Cruel Angel's Thesis), Neon Genesis Evangelion has one of the best soundtracks to any anime ever made, and that's saying something.
Overall, I do think that at the very least, you should watch Neon Genesis Evangelion to see what the hype is surrounding this series. It's regarded as a classic anime and one of the greatest of all time because of how well it deconstructs the Mecha Genre and flips it on it's head. While I enjoy the story and soundtrack and the animation (somewhat), the weak cast bring this show down only slightly. I enjoyed Evangelion a lot but I can easily understand why some people (cough JAKE MOORE cough KIERAN JONES cough) don't.
Story: 10
Characters: 7.5
Animation: 9.5
Sound: 10
Personal Enjoyment: 10
FINAL SCORE FOR NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: 9.4/10
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