User reviews

Now I understand why people say this is the anime of animes. First don't watch this anime if you're not mature or 18+. There's also some epileptic and tripping parts that should be warned before watching. This is one of the darkest, most depressing and disturbing anime I've seen. After half episodes it becomes the real thing (hate,nudity,tools,betrayals for each character). The characters are likeable, the drawings are good and music is amazing, you can really see it's a 90's anime. But holy the Story is fkd up and disturbing. The last 2 episodes can be skipped if you don't want to see the perspective of Shinji. I agree that this is overrated but it's a great anime, that I don't recommend to children but adults.

The last two original episodes are art, perfectly Could be museum pieces.

This anime series is set fifteen years after a global disaster known as the Second Impact. It is centred on fourteen year old Shinji Ikari; he is summoned to the city of Tokyo-3 where he learns he has been chosen to pilot 'Evangelion Unit One'; to all intents and purposes a giant robot with biological components which can only be synchronised with pilots of a certain age. In Unit One Shinji will have to battle strange beings that have been dubbed 'Angels' whose arrival was foretold in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Shinji's job isn't helped by the fact that the Eva Project is run by his estranged father who seems more interested in Rei Ayanami, the slightly mysterious pilot of Eva Unit Zero. As the attacks continue a third pilot, Asuka Langley Soryu. Shinji always had issues but this work takes an emotional and psychological toll on him.

One might expect this to be an exciting 'fighting robot' series but it quickly descends into existential angst and depression... a very interesting twist that I'm sure viewers who watched this series when it was new would have been shocked by. The central story is full of religious symbolism but it isn't overtly religious in a way that might offend or irritate viewers. The characters aren't that likeable; many, especially Shinji, come across as whiny and others, notably his father, as unpleasant and bullying. Things gets distinctly strange towards the end with two final episodes that are likely to leave some viewers exasperated; others will find this only adds to the sense that this series is something different. Normally I watch anime in Japanese with subtitles but as the dub was available on Netflix I watched that and thought the English voice cast did a solid job. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anime fans; it may show its age at times but it is still solid and had effects on many later series.

Low budget with a lot of static scenes, jumped straight to the ending because of lack of money and time, and never explained an important part of the plot like why do the angels attack. But there it goes, the best anime ever created.

Absolute masterpiece (in my opinion). Shinji as a character is a fantastic portrayal of depression, isolation, escapism etc. And shows his struggles in a way where you can still relate to him. The final two episodes were absolutely incredible and even made me question myself as a person. Overall, it is not for everyone. Many people found this anime quite boring (and I can agree, it was slow at some parts, not to mention the unnecessary fanservice lol) but I really recommend it if you are looking for an interesting, thought-provoking anime.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the best work of fiction I have had the good fortune to encounter in my life, and it is no exaggeration for me to claim that it has changed it for me irrevocably. This review is therefore just a small way of sending my thanks to the beautiful mind that created it, Hideaki Anno.

The analyses, forums, chats, and discussions related to this anime are not wasted, and the number of lessons and interpretations that can be drawn from it is endless.

The only thing I can remark again, is how incredible it is that such a work, especially the final episodes of this wonderful series (arising moreover from production difficulties, and because of that structured in such an unconventional way), are able to speak to the inner depths of thousands of people, and, in so many cases, making us feel understood, worthy, accepted, and so full of hope.

I still have mixed feelings about last 2 episodes but overall I think it is awesome anime with mature philosophical questions. Animation looks so good and colors are perfectly used. I still need to watch the End of Evangelion and I can't wait to see it.

This artistic masterpiece is far superior to any anime or any animation that was made in the 1990s. It can easily hold up today.

This anime is about a boy who is 'forced' to pilot a mecha after an Angel attack. With Nerv's mecha or as they are called Evangelion, they fight these strange monsters.

This series is more than just your typical mecha anime. It is about loneliness and the meaning of life and lies. The animation is visually appealing. This is a must watch for anyone, anime fan or not,.

"Neon Genesis Evangelion", Hideaki Anno's magnum opus and a reflection of his depression at the time. Long have I heard of this legendary anime, but never felt the drive in giving it a try until recently. Is it worth it? Well, yes but in some ways no.

Plot: Years after the apocalyptic event known as the 2nd Impact, the story concerns Shinji Ikari, a lonely boy who is suddenly summoned by his neglectful father Gendo, the head of the group called NERV. The reason: to pilot a mech called an Evangelion (Eva for short) to combat unusual creatures called Angels alongside brash Asuka and stoic Rei. Despite considerable reservations and low self-esteem, he agrees, going on a journey involving giant-sized battles, unnerving revelations, and a dive into others' inner demons.

On the surface, this seems like a standard action series, but it's really a character study filled with religious parallels, psychological analyses, and sexual elements. Most of the major characters suffer from some shortcoming and have different ways of coping. My favorite is Misato, a woman who is both head of operations against Angels and Shinji's caretaker/mother figure; she shares common ground with him, is a risk taker, and has relatable flaws. Shinji, though, is a divisive figure as your enjoyment of the show depends on how much you invest in or even tolerate him. Having "hedgehog's dilemma" among others, he hesitates on things from fighting to getting close to anyone. While at times understandable, it does try one's patience (he's more tolerable after the first few episodes). There are scenes that offer levity with light-hearted moments, which I appreciate. While sometimes short, the battles alone are worth a watch with cool strategies, gruesome bloody violence, and a pantheon of monstrous Angels whose designs are as alien as their origins and motives. Outside the fights, though, the animation tends to be minimalistic. In fact, many scenes involve still shots that go on for too long, which bugged me. There's also no real explanation of why the Evas have to be piloted by 14-year olds and some side characters are written out in a way that doesn't feel conclusive.

"Evangelion" has two endings. First, the show's last 2 episodes are an abstract mind trip where the staff literally ran out of money and scraped together. The second is the movie "End of Evangelion", which is more grand and decisive, but also VERY trippy. Analyses from other people helped me understand the film, but it's not satisfying entertainment-wise. I'm curious about the remake "Rebuild of Evangelion", but that's for another time. While not for everyone, the anime certainly earned its reputation.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is hailed as one of the greatest animes ever. As a mix of monster vs. Mecha action, character-driven psychological drama and conspiracy thriller, there's certainly plenty to delve into. Too bad the different elements never truly match with each other, and the result is possibly the grandmother of all "mixed bags".

There are very many aspects of Evangelion to like, or at least to admire. The ambition of the series is unquestionable, telling a story which starts out as fairly simple mecha action, but then turning into something far more sinister and grand. The designs of the Angels and Evas are still very imaginative and original and each battle provides a different scenario. The Angels are among one of the most genuinely alien-feeling creatures I've seen in fiction overall. The boldness it takes to put the characters into such dark places as they are in the end is very admirable, as the second season provides disturbing imagery all the way through. The characters are fairly deep with complex relationships, and the scenario of humanity trying to survive, but possibly heading double-time towards extinction is interesting. And the effort it must have taken to put together a story with so many different elements deserves a clapping.

But where to begin with the problems, which sadly far outweigh the good elements?

-The tone is very inconsistent, starting out with a mysterious feel with some heavy drama and then settling into a comfortable, fairly light-hearted monster-action period. During the second season the series plunges all the way into thorough unpleasantness before finally crapping out altogether and being left wallowing in psychedelic imagery and dialogue.

-With such a grand story to tell, Evangelion should be a series with absolutely zero filler, yet there are at least three to five episodes out of 26 which have no relevance at all in terms of the main story

-Nearly all the characters are almost completely unlikable. Despite this probably being one of the main points, as the series turns into full- fledged tragedy during the last 10 or so episodes, they seem neither to feel genuine sympathy for each other nor really care much about anything other than themselves. Character traits which are introduced as quirks or comedic elements (like Misato's drinking) later become sources of self-loathing and disgust. One particular central character and their own subplot is squandered so badly in terms of dramatic potential it's almost insulting.

-The animation quality sees a steep drop after episode 19. This was later somewhat redeemed in the director's cut versions, but the lack of budget towards the end is still painfully obvious. Many scenes feature little more than static images with voiceovers, and at times feel more like a power point presentation instead of animation.

• There are dozens of oddities and illogicalities that constantly have the viewer thinking "How did they do that?". For example, we never see how the various parts of NERV HQ are placed in relation to each other. For all we know, all the various rooms and halls could exist entirely in small pocket dimensions of their own.

-Despite their heavy presence, the biblical imagery and names are pure surface, and nowadays feel pretentious rather than original. You could replace all the names with Godzilla, Mothra, King Kong and such and it'd still be the same story.

-A large amount of screen time is taken up by meaningless techno-babble, which serves next to no purpose. There are also some weird dialogues and monologues that pop out of nowhere and seem to have been written by someone tripping on acid. The infamous last 2 episodes are so full of esoteric philosophical mush that it feels like a completely different series. Whether this was the creator's intention or not I won't theorize on, it simply doesn't work.

-The very heavy presence of angst both teen and mature can be quite grating, even for a series about psychological problems and mental breakdown. Even the adult characters fall into the pit of constant self-loathing towards the end.

-Despite it being constantly referred to and being one of the central plot elements of the entire series, the Human Instrumentality Project never seems to be what's driving the story. Also the vast amount of lore involving the Second Impact, SEELE and NERV is almost all dumped into a single episode, instead of being slowly unearthed. It could have been used to create mystery, but as it stands it creates merely confusion and dissatisfaction.

To list more would be just nit-picking, but there are plenty more. The end result is a series that is at times excellent, but most of the time just irritating or dull to watch.

Recommendation: Evangelion is possibly one of the most divisive works of fiction ever created. Anyone who hasn't seen this series but has an interest in it should watch it just to form an opinion of their own.

Well, what can I say about a series that's as absolutely mind-blowing as the 26 episodes and two movies that make up Neon Genesis Evangelion? This is, quite simply, a masterpiece. What starts out as a simple "save the world" mecha story evolves into a shocking and powerful psychological drama full of conspiracy, dysfunctional characters, and some of the most harrowingly emotional and painful fight scenes ever. Don't let the first several episodes fool you- they're entertaining enough, but the power of the series remains hidden.

When I popped in the first video, I was excited to see a new anime, but otherwise pretty relaxed. By the end of episode 18 or so, my heart was racing, and I was nearly in tears. It never let up after that. This is not just an anime. This is an experience.

Neon Genesis Evangelion has been mentioned in the same sentence as 2001: A Space Odyssey many times, which is my favorite film of all time. So as soon as it was on Netflix I put it on and binged the entire series and I have no words. It morphs from a mecha anime to a psychological horror to downright euphoria. The final two episodes are polarizing for viewers, and I'm on the positive side. What was initially just a quick ending to the series because of financial issues is now the most mind-boggling, psychologically damaging conclusion to any show I've ever seen. A masterpiece of a show, for sure.

Made me genuinely cry, evangelion gathers the deepest horrors of the human mind and trowns them to the air

When I was a teen, I was only a 6th grader and was new to school. I made many great friends that I'm still close friends with them today. I thought my life was wonderful as a 6th grader and in peace. Until I met my first crush, an 8th grader who's a few years older than me. I start to panic in fear of losing her and never seeing her again. Of course I told my friends about my secret crush and they did the try-not-to-laugh-out-loud grin onto me and I handled that easily. I decided that on Valentine's Day, I would confess to her about my love. Everyday, when I leave school, I would always look back in case if she ever looks back at me. Luckily, we both loved anime and we weren't complete strangers to each other although we didn't talk that much. On Valentine's Day, I gather up my strength and decided to wait for her and give her my valentine's lollipop I found on the floor and I told her about it. She at first didn't know how to tackle it, she then said sorry and said that I was handsome and we never said a word to each other again. We were quite embarrassed and I didn't want to cause her any more trouble. I never cried in my life but I started to have these strange thoughts in my mind. I would often think what she said on that day and I often felt that the nice compliment she told me about being handsome was just to cheer me up. I also wasn't much of a talker and my older sister would often get mad at me for saying nothing and looking so bored or depressed look all the time even though I wasn't. I also thought that I helped her or at least do more for her and I often try to forget her. That day has pushed me and I don't want any insults or any bad ideas when I'm talking about this because I learned to love life as it is. The strange feeling that I had for the rest of 6th grade was depression. A feeling so strong it would make you feel like trash from the bottom core of the Earth, a useless creature born to work until you die. "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is a deep analysis on depression and it's more haunting and powerful than any other tv show or movie in years.

"Neon Genesis Evangelion", first released as a tv show in 1995, would be later create an entire franchise of this with 6 movies, (one currently in development) several spinoffs that is only to please those who are addicted into the girl characters which I admit they weren't that good, and a few games included. The franchise also included a big collaboration with "Godzilla" as Hideaki Anno, the creator of the series, also created "Shin Godzilla" or "Godzilla Resurgence". This franchise is one of the biggest influences on Japanese pop culture alongside "One Piece", "Godzilla", and other popular icons like Hatsune Miku and "Doraemon". "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is a 26 episode show of a young 14 year old kid forced to fight against monsters alongside his students like Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu. A story that sounds like a normal mecha anime but when viewed closely and paying attention to the details you can see that it's more than just a robot kills the Decepticons for the 100th time. Evangelion's entire storyline uses emotions as the base for keeping the storyline stable. If you known people who watched Evangelion and if they say that it's depressing, you should be trust them on that. Story is something a Game of Thrones fan would have, a complex and completely confusing timeline of events that would often make you rewatching this show on and on until you'll be screaming on the floor. Is it worth it? Definitely. Something way more interesting than your usual Naruto storyline. A story filled with humor and mental breakdowns. A story that still scares the viewers and wanting the viewers to watch more of it. Eventually, you'll learn a lot about life than just watching anime from this show. A show that can be a little comedic and a little hard to handle with the fan service but aside little pebbles of fan service, Hideaki Anno still delivers his message with unspeakable precision, breaking the barriers of happiness.

The show isn't just powerful for the stories and messages but also with several clever directing tricks that'll amaze you when you first watch it. An interesting thing about anime is that anime often has the background moving and the action while the camera stays in motion. Anno finds a brilliant solution to move the camera without moving the background or doing the action. Instead, he gets his animators to draw out the entire background so the only things that move are the characters and the camera can move on it's own without having a black and unexpected border of nothing. The use of eyes in the show also can develop more shock to the audiences when it comes to surprise reactions. "Neon Genesis Evangelion" also manages to capture the feeling of loneliness or depression with a surreal and unexpected visuals. Keep in mind that Hideaki Anno himself also has experienced depression a lot when it came to keeping his original artistic vision. (This also happened to Miyazaki often) Making a powerful piece of work is certainly not easy to construct as it often pushes your limits and what you know. It is a dangerous thing to do and sometimes it will require sacrifice of time for your friends or family. Hideaki Anno often puts thought-provoking questions and a few seconds of random frames from a few episodes and often put a lot of scribbles to describe the mental breakdown of a character. Often putting the color red in the mental breakdown's to make it a lot more violent and unnerving to handle. He also does put a few parts where a character is often talking to themselves or someone talking in their minds, asking them questions on their reality and the will to live longer in that reality.

As haunting as it was 24 years ago, "Neon Genesis Evangelion" finally gotten it's first debut onto digital and many fans are disappointed with a few changes that Netflix made, mostly the subtitle corrections and the change of outro. I'm not too big on subtitles and even if they sound ridiculously stupid at times, I can tackle it. However, the change of outro music is something that I think is a major problem with not just Netflix but with the overall show. The original version was a cover on "Fly Me to the Moon" by Bart Howards and not Frank Sinatra. The new ending plays "Rei I", a song from the original soundtrack for the show and can often be heard at times, most famously on the episode, "Rei I" (Episode 5). The sudden change in atmosphere from calm and relaxing for viewers to inhale as they go on to the next episode, to the uncomfortable and creepy music that give the newcomers little to no space to breathe between episodes. This big change is a major problem because of not because everyone loves "Fly Me to the Moon" better than "Rei I" but that it also changes the atmosphere entirely to the polar opposite of what Anno intended to make. Now this problem can be solved by watching Netflix Japan which I'm sure you guys know how to do or you can go buy bootlegs or buy the entire series for $400 on Amazon just for a used one. Why did Netflix do this? Evangelion is not a big franchise to them, only a quick buck for them to make and the special covers for "Fly Me to the Moon" (Each episode had a different cover for this song, with/without strings, sung by the voice actress of Rei/Asuka, etc. There were also a few changes on the DVD too for these covers) are owned by a separate company. If you haven't known, licensing is a pure nightmare fuel when it comes to getting what you want. Netflix had to deal with this for years as I'm sure and they do not want to spend another million dollars on a few covers for a song that's used for a show that they're not even sure if the show is going to be a big hit instead of a bad miss. I could understand that but it's a pure shame that this had to happen.

Even through these several problems/controversies, "Neon Genesis Evangelion" still manages to outshine several other animes and series in Japanese pop culture. Bringing this underrated gem back for viewing for everyone has it's pros/cons. Luckily, it's more on the pro side in my opinion but for real die-hard-fans-who-would-die-for-their-waifus will definitely have millions of problems with the new Netflix edit of this show. (No cuts were made, just a few adjustments with outro and subtitling. Also English Dub has also been criticized too but I didn't hear it. Sorry for those who were curious about that.) In the end, I don't care about whatever Netflix did to butcher this as people would say, I only care about the fact that the message is still strong and clear to me and audiences today. A must-watch for any anime fans. People who aren't fans of anime, beware, you may have to take inhale a few awkward moments here and there but it's still worth watching. This show is definitely for everyone and is highly recommended to watch it slowly and not all in one day. The ending for this show can feel a little raw and uncooked for a good ending but look no further than "End of Evangelion", Anno's true ending to his visually expressive masterpiece. "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is what created modern anime today and dare I say, one of the best TV Shows I've seen. 10/10

This anime is the second best anime I have watched, yes it gets very complex towards the end and personally I don't think the ending is amazing (unlike End of Evangelion).

The 26 episodes are great although at the start the show just seems like a standard mech vs creature show it gradually becomes a complex and much more interesting show. Episode 25 and 26 aren't necessarily bad I just don't find them as interesting as the other episodes, it is very vague, yes it works better after you watch End of Evangelion but you shouldn't have to rely on a movie which was released later to like the final episodes of a show.

The characters are where this show is at it's best. All complex and sympathetic apart from a few which you will hate in a good way. Asuka is my favorite character in the show. After watching Asuka's episode of her backstory I couldn't help but love this character, once again her character arc ends abruptly but with End of Evangelion it fixes that. Shinji is also an amazing and deeply flawed protagonist, he is very passive and never finds out massive plot points like some other protagonist might. It is very interesting and something we have rarely seen since. Rei is great as well but she needed more time with Shinji to make her arc more satisfying because she does disappear into the background for a few episodes.

The Soundtrack is amazing, it has classics and my favorite opening theme with Cruel Angels Thesis, almost every anime fan will have either heard or seen the opening.

This anime definitely won't appeal to everyone and can be hard to recommend in my opinion but definitely give it a try, who knows maybe you will get glued to the screen and binge it like I did.

This is the best and most devastating anime of all time

Neon Genesis Evangelion is, without a doubt, the most popular anime of all time. People can't go two sentences without praising how profound and impacting it is, how deep and well thought out it is, how painfully realistic the characters are and what a religious experience it was for them... ... ... Shut up! Please! I can clearly see why this anime is popular, but that doesn't make the reason any less stupid. Now don't get me wrong, I like this anime. Really, I do. But it's so overrated the ''Matrix''-trilogy fails in comparison. And that says a lot.

This anime is not ''profound'', ''intelligent'', ''deep'' or any other word of praise ever given to it. Nor is it realistic. The characters were all two-dimensional and oftentimes annoying, not to mention boring. The plot is supposed to be intelligent, but is nothing more than a bunch of incomprehensible blabber. The animation is nothing special, the music is mediocre and the ending is simply not fulfilling.

Then why is it so popular? Simple... This anime might not be deep or profound or anything, nor are the characters realistic... But the creators did a damn good job making it SEEM like it is. Simply by creating an anime almost opposite of what you've seen before. You can't deny Evangelion's plot and characters were completely different as anything seen in most anime, at that time. Therefore people immediately embraced it as ''realistic'', because of the simple fact that most of these other anime weren't, and this one had to be. The creators pull it further by throwing in countless of pointless religious references and cliched psycho-babble, and it was immediately dubbed brilliant.

But none of these religious references mean anything, or stand for anything. None of these characters are realistic... Unless you call people suffering in the worst ways imaginable, with the exact same behaviour at all times, without the slightest sign of development nor change in speech or mood, realistic. I know I don't. I admit the characters are original, at least, but realistic or ''deep'', my ass.

What does this psycho-babble mean? Nothing. It all sounds like phrases taken from one of Freud's textbooks and randomly scattered throughout the series, once again seemingly meaning something, while it doesn't even serve a purpose. (Despite reminding us once again how unrealistic these characters are)

Quite frankly, there's nothing deep, profound, intelligent or realistic about Evangelion. When it comes down to it, it's a gigantic show of vagueness. Then why do I like it? I love vague stuff. I really enjoy watching EVA and then trying to fill in the pieces for myself. I like it gives me something to think about.

But it's so horribly overrated it's annoying to hear people praise it again, in the exact same way as everyone else does, with the exact same tone and words. This almost ruins it for me.

Guys... Get a grip, please. It doesn't interest me anymore to hear how ''deep'' you thought this series, because it's quite clear to me now that it isn't. Stop praising this series in the same, bland way, over and over again. We got the picture. You were fooled by the creators to believe something that wasn't there. Along with all the other thousands. It means nothing.

Contrary to most other commentators, I deeply hate this series.

It starts out looking interesting, with mysterious aliens and giant robots, and I kept my hopes up until the very last episode. At the end of it, I still didn't understand what the alien attacks were all about (maybe I missed something, who knows?), and realized that I had sat through 26 episodes consisting mainly of the characters' own self-hating, selfishness and self-pitying. It actually flips between alien/robot fights and these dark, depressing blinking-on-and-off scenes where one or more characters shouts "I hate me/you/it" 10-12 times in a row.

I can't really see either Shinji or Asuka (two of the main characters) showing growth or change. (Nor can I see any of the other characters learning or growing either, for that matter.) I wanted to kick them and tell them to get a bloody life during the first episodes, and the feeling didn't change during the last ones. Shinji truly possesses the kind of helpless hopelessness that makes people angry rather than charitable, and Asuka is such an infuriating know-it-all that I wanted to smash the TV screen every time she came into view. Oh, and more than anyone else, these two hate everything, and say it veeeeeeeery often. Shinji even makes a half-assed attempt at suicide. Please, explain to me why I should give a rat's ass about this animé, when even it's characters are trying to off themselves to get out of it.

I'm otherwise a big fan of animé and manga, and never before have I disliked one so much. I read that the series creator/writer wrote this while suffering from a depression, and I can believe that; it made me depressed to watch it. Is that the aim of this series? I'm honestly asking. Is it designed to make the viewer confused and annoyed? And if suffering from a depression, why just not write a book or biography about it, instead of mixing it up with aliens and mecha's? This alien war plot, as far as I could tell, lead to absolutely nowhere.

Finally, since I'm truly fascinated by how many people claim to love this patchwork of dead-end plots, I can't help but wonder how many of them actually find it good, and how many say they do because they've been told it is.

Whether you enjoy the world of anime or not this is an experience you must have before you die. Nothing else in the world is like it. For the sake of your personal experience I cannot tell you much about it and here's why. The first 20 some episodes you are immersed in the semi-futuristic world of Tokyo 3 and the characters are developed beautifully, some of the best character development I've ever witnessed. You get a very very good feel for the world and the situation they live in, only to have that blown away in the final episodes. Please for the sake of yourself watch this, from the start, you will not regret it.

Hideaki Anno has conceived of a story more important to my life than any other.

Hideaki Anno is pure genius.

The final two episodes left a bigger impact on me any other ending I've ever seen. A spiritual experience.