Story Review

Alt. Title: Shin Seiki Evangelion Production studios: GAiNAX, NAS Year of Production: 1995 US Distribution rights: ADV Films   Seiyuu: Ogata Megumi, Mitsuishi Kotono, Hayashibara Megumi, Miyamura Yuko, Seki Tomokazu, Ishida Akira   Highs: Heavily symbolic, excellent character and mecha designs, changes the way you think about world, powerful acting from both the Japanese and US cast   Lows:  Suffers the "GAiNAX curse" (reused animation cells, cheap backgrounds, inconclusive ending)

Premise: In a nutshell, NGE is set in the future (2015 AD) and is about humanity's war against the Angels -- strange monstrous creatures whose origins are unknown. It circles around the three children: Rei, Asuka and Shinji and the Evangelions they pilot. These three children are humanity's last hope for the destruction of all Angels. Under the wing of NERV and its operations director, Major (originally Captain) Misato Katsuragi, Rei, Asuka and Shinji continually place their lives at risk in order to save the world and prevent another Second Impact. Each of these young children were born fourteen years ago and they are the only ones capable of piloting the Evas. Each of these pilots deal with the immense pressure they are put under in a different way and thus begins the search into what and who humans, Angels and Evangelions really are.

My thoughts: Neon Genesis Evangelion is the most brilliant, mind-blowing anime I have ever seen in my entire life. This anime is a level above all the rest, in contains storylines so deep you have to watch the entire series at least four times in order to fully grasp the concepts. Neon Genesis Evangelion starts off with the first 14 or so episodes being relatively light (or as light as Eva can be!) and humorous, but then it develops to become a completely sense-shattering series. Although Eva may just seem like another futuristic anime with robots, it is actually much more than that. There are many symbolic, complex issues dealt with here than firsts meets the eye. Watch it again and again carefully and you'll see what I mean. Because of Eva, anime is not just animation for me anymore, it means so much more to be now. Evangelion has impacted me in ways I never thought possible. I honestly cannot describe Eva any further than this, it is beyond words, you have to see it yourself to understand what I'm talking about. All I can say now is that if there's one anime you watch in your life, make it this one. The experience is incredible and you'll never feel the same way about certain things after you've seen Eva.

Visual: Eva is as much a spellbinding visual experience, if not more, as any other anime. The colors simply bring each character to life, from the children's seemingly plaid uniforms, to Misato's attractive outfits, to Gendou Ikari's dangerously dark suit, each character is given their own light and darkness. The expressions on each character's face as they respond to different situations truthfully reflects the personality within them, and reveals in each of them the yearning for someone to accept them for who they are. The Evangelions themselves are also a wonder to behold, their movements are smooth yet swift, and they truly are a tribute to the mecha genre.

Audio: One of the most enjoyable qualities of Eva are the seiyuus, or voice actors, if you're that way inclined. The Japanese cast is unbeatable, if features some of the now most popular seiyuus in Japan. Hayashibara Megumi (Rei), Mitsuishi Kotono (Misato), Ogata Megumi (Shinji) and the rest of the superb Eva cast play each of their respective roles to perfection, reflecting the raw emotion and pain felt by each of the character at sometime or another. However, Eva also features one of the best dubs in anime history, and has probably become ADV Films most treasured and respected piece of work.

Going on with the audio side of things is the music. A unique blend of piano, strings and classical tunes erupt onto the screen in each episode, some tunes so unbearably sad and painful you can't help but feel it too. The music is usually not upbeat and cheerful, but rather depressing and moody, and is perfect for the concepts and feelings dealt with in a psychologically traumatic anime like Eva.

Number of episodes: 26 episodes (1 season) + 2 movies "Death & Rebirth" and " End of Evangelion" (1997)
My rating: 9 out of 10