For my first-ever anime series review, I figured I'd start with one of the first series I ever watched. Neon Genesis Evangelion (or Shin Seiki Evangelion, if you want the original name) was created in 1995, making it older than most of the series you occasionally see floating around on TV, like on [adult swim] or IFC. I feel that it is worth noting that this was one of the animation company GAINAX's first major contributions to anime, and was also adapted into a few live-action movies. Additionally, it was given a movie meant to replace the last two episodes, known as The End of Evangelion. It also features a few very well-known voice actors, such as Hayashibara Megumi and Ogata Megumi.
The story takes place in a part of Japan known as Neo Tokyo-3, a futuristic city built to convert into what is effectively a fortress against the alien-like "Angels;" beings whose sole purpose is to end humanity. In charge of defending this city is the mysterious organization known as "NERV," commanded by the amazingly cool and collected Ikari Gendou. Gendou being the guy that he is, his main weapon of choice to combat these Angels are what are known as the Eva Units; bionic mechs with all of the tools necessary for killing Angels. Of course, there's a catch--for some reason never thoroughly explained, Evas only have a high synchronization rate with pilots whose age is only around 14 to 15. This is a kinda big deal, since unless a pilot reaches a certain synchronization threshold with their Eva, it simply will not function. Gendou then decides to rectify this by drafting his own son, Ikari Shinji; who, coincedentally, happens to be 14, in addition to the rather emotionless Ayanami Rei and the fiery Sohryu Asuka, also 14. After a short period of doing nothing but whining, Shinji eventually decides to leave the house he was living in alone up until this point, and becomes roommates with one of the higher-ups in the NERV organization, Katsuragi Misato, so that he can readily pilot the massive Eva Unit-01. With Rei in Unit-00 and Asuka in Unit-02, the trio defend Neo-Tokyo 3 from the onslaught of the Angels, while Gendou starts to converse regularly with another top-secret organization known as SEELE. However, as the fights go on, Shinji starts noticing that not all is what it seems to be.
As I had mentioned earlier, there is a movie whose sole purpose is to override the last two episodes of this series. This was not something that the director, Hideaki Anno, just "felt" like doing. The man actually received death threats after his completion of the series, simply because the fans did not get what they had expected. What the fans expected, or maybe just wanted, was an epic battle of cataclysmic proportions. What they received, which in my opinion was in no way bad, was the "Human Instrumentality Project." Essentially, it consisted of a lot of psychological talk and philosophical banter, examining the minds of the pilots, and what seems to me as a reference to René Descartes, a philosopher who arrived at the ultimate statement, Cogito ergo sum, or "I think, therefore I am." I could give a lecture on Descartes, but the general idea of this statement is that it is inconceivable for the human mind to not exist if it can think, while it is technically possible for the body and everything we see to not exist, since according to Descartes, it could be an illusion. Regardless, the movie was pretty much exactly what the fans were looking for, and it, too, was very well made and just as great an ending, to boot. I must warn, however, that there is a rather graphic scene near the beginning of the movie of Shinji masturbating. If I had to guess, I'd assume it was something Anno put in to turn off a lot of the fans that really liked Asuka, who was actually a likeable character.
My first point I'd like to make is that this series, while old, is still considered to have great animation, even by today's standards. Its opening theme, "Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis", or "Cruel Angel's Thesis" by Takahashi Yoko, is still a song I find myself listening to on a regular basis, so I'd be willing to say that it's a pretty good song to go download. The ending theme is also pretty decent--it's a cover of Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon," which, as far as covers go, could be much worse. Also, a relaxing song like that is often some of the only solace you get when tragedy occurs in the series, which happens every so often. As far as the story itself is concerned, make no mistake. I am NOT doing the series justice by trying to explain it myself. There are many plot twists, semiobscure religious references, and gripping battles; each one more desperate than the last. It could be said that many of the battles won in this series were nothing short of miracles. Also, even Shinji's whining isn't unfounded, and therefore also has its place. While parts like those may have been slow, the end result was what many would consider a benchmark series not only in the mecha genre, but in all of anime. Fans of mecha, philosophical debate, or dark stories in general will most likely greatly enjoy this series. With great designs, characters, music, battles, and mindfucks lead into a series that is nothing short of a masterpiece.
End result: 10/10
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