Neon Genesis Evangelion was one of those anime as a kid I was always intrigued with as I saw ads and screenshots about it in magazines. It always had this legendary status and I always wanted to check it out, this is my third time watching it and my opinions have definitely changed. I don’t think it’s overrated, despite how big it is and here we take a look as to why as I go over the anime and the two movies that came out with it. For the Rebuild of Evangelion movies that would be here. Fly me to the moon as I check out the Netflix version.
As a kid Evangelion was one of those things I was dying to see, but I had no means of doing it. When I was in my early teens I wanted the DVDs but it was too big of an investment to make, that is until the platinum release came out and I checked it out. I was confused, I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t love it, I just wasn’t sure what I had watched.
Eventually Adult Swim aired the series and I was excited to re-watch it there, I knew what to expect this time but I was still left with plenty of questions but at least it didn’t surprise me. It was at this point that I was also able to watch End of Evangelion and didn’t necessarily liked it as a better ending.
Neon Genesis Evangelion Anime
It’s been over a decade and watching the Netflix dub it seems alright, I honestly can’t remember anything too memorable from the original voice cast and these ones sound close enough that I can’t tell. Fly me to the Moon is definitely missed and is an essential part of the show, I would actually play the song after each episode since it does help you digest everything you just saw.
The designs of the angels is always so out there that I give them props, it’s creepy and it makes you ask questions. I’ve never been a big fan of Shinji but he isn’t as bad as I remembered. Asuka has grown on me from someone I disliked to someone I understand. Rei has always been a character I’m not sure what to think of, is she cool or boring? The supporting cast from Misato to Kaji or Commander Ikari are all great characters that you enjoy watching.
There’s also much information that is never really told unless you read extra material about it and is never on the show. But even without it this third time I was able to piece everything together much better. The show does excel with great music and atmosphere, those grasshoppers? I feel like it’s summertime.
The last few episodes give way too much information and it’s difficult to keep up with, especially if it’s your first time. But it does make more sense the more times you watch it since you get more context. I love the final episodes, they leave so much to interpret and are better than just any regular Kaiju fight.
I also don’t think’ it’s a super deep show that some people make out to be but because it’s such a complex story and they don’t give much information out that you do have to piece it all together and that’s what makes it such a great show. I’m not saying the final puzzle with all the pieces is the best story ever but it’s definitely original.
Revival of Evangelion: Death & Rebirth (True)2
This re-cap clip show movie has gone by many names, I had never checked it out since I was told it was redundant and well I can agree it’s not necessary to check out. It is weird, for a bit it almost feels like a continuation of the last two episodes with it just being weird recycled footage but then it just seems like random clips. It overstays its welcome since it doesn’t have a structure that makes sense or actually summarizes the show at all. You’d be lost if you hadn’t already watched it before It should’ve been done like an interrogation of someone telling the events.
The End of Evangelion
The ending movie feels a bit too unrealistic with so much action, also many characters don’t seem to be out of character or not exactly as they would in the tv show. Not a lot of explanations of what’s happening either. It does feel a bit more Eva like in the second half and it does provide a good ending that feels cinematic. I still prefer the TV show ending better and I do think they work well together.
While watching Ive realized many things I didn’t remember at all, its as if they were new scenes that I hadn’t watched since I didn’t recall them. It’s been so long that I just forgot, in fact many episodes feel outright new to me. I can understand why some people don’t like it and give up. Evangelion is one of those shows that are just difficult to understand the first time you watch since you can be expecting something entirely different. Evangelion deserves to be the legendary classic that it is considered.
