Neon Genesis Evangelion

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mecha-gino
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Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by mecha-gino »

.... Why the hell was this not made into a topic earlier!? Unless the search I made somehow missed it, umm... WTF!? O_o

Right, well seeing how summer is here and I got a lot of free time and seeing how people both here and in real life mention this show I decided to check it out. Now I'm here only to talk about the original series, not this rebuild or whatever the hell it is(want to tell me, go right ahead) but like I said this is just for the original show and the movies. Now I've only watched the first 7 episodes and this seems like an interesting show and I can't wait for my cranium to get violated with the later episodes. D: The fights are cool, the angels seem interesting(good to see the A.T. Fields aren't as God modded as I thought), and the characters seem interesting as well. Senji(Don't know how to spell it) is an emo but not spider-man level emo but his character kind of interests me and I'm quite curious about this rei character as well. Uhh... That's about it now, I guess so will you try to disprove the cruel angel's thesis?
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shinmattiathekaiju
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by shinmattiathekaiju »

Most....overrated....mecha anime.....EVER!!!
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Hotrod93
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Hotrod93 »

shinmattiathekaiju wrote:Most....overrated....mecha anime.....EVER!!!
Thanks for you opinion


The series has a love/hate relationship with me, Im a die hard fan of the series but at the same time I hate alot of what happend and what didnt make since.
I love the Rebuild films, they cut the filler out, fixed alot of the problems the series had, and changed some of the characters for the better(You know who).
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Arrow
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Arrow »

I'm not sure why people say Rebuild's characters are better. They're not as messed up, maybe not as grating, but they became a lot more boring in the process. As much as I hated series-Auska as a character, at least she could inspire actual emotion from me (even if that emotion was frustration at her actions). Rebuild-Auska is your average tsundere character. Same with most of the others. Except for Rei, who was always pretty one-dimensional.

I really do like the NGE series, it's one of my favorite anime series, but I think I can understand where people are coming from when they have their complaints about it.

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TokyoVigilante
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by TokyoVigilante »

As a general rule, I can't stand Anime because of the tropes and some of the style of it I find to be more -------- looking then cool. But I really like Evangelion; I've never been able to find a place that sold the entire series at a reasonable price, but I did enjoy the 12 or so episodes that I did manage to catch of it.

I love the Rebuild films and I love all the characters; (particularly Misato). I think the new character Mari (as far as we've seen of her) was poorly utilized in You Can (Not) Advance. She seemed to exist entirely because they needed a crazy chick to pilot Unit 02 for the final battle, but Asuka was busy being mind-raped. Hopefully Mari gets a more elaborate and better treatement for the third film.
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The Dark Uniter
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by The Dark Uniter »

I haven't seen any of Evangelion. I do however plan on seeing the movies someday.

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o.supreme
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by o.supreme »

mecha-gino wrote:.... Why the hell was this not made into a topic earlier!? Unless the search I made somehow missed it, umm... WTF!? O_o
There have been multimple threads on the series, maybe the search isn't working, or because its been discussed at length in the Anime/Manga thread?

Anyway, as many have stated, I believe its overrated. I own the original series on DVD, but not the newer movies. I may have watched it though in its entirety 2 times at the most. The Mecha for me are the only redeeming aspect of this series, however in truth its NOT truly a Mecha Anime despite what many people think. I realized peoples ignorance many years ago when in Wizard Magazine NGE was ranked as #1 Mecha Anime series.... Things like this just make me shake my head, faceplam, whatever...
To all you dub preservationists, my friends, you have my eternal thanks 8-) . Never stop what you do, you are amazing!

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Biollante
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Biollante »

Inferno Rodan wrote:When a character is so annoying that you just want to repeatedly slap them, they are NOT a good character.
Not necessarily.

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Arrow
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Arrow »

Inferno Rodan wrote:When a character is so annoying that you just want to repeatedly slap them, they are NOT a good character.
I'd rather watch a character that can inspire actual emotion from me rather than a character so generic that I couldn't care less what happened to them or not.

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Arrow
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Arrow »

Inferno Rodan wrote:Like I said, YOU find them more boring. I (and everyone else that says the characters are better in Rebuild) find them more tolerable. I was just responding to your statement about not knowing why people say the Rebuild characters are better, not trying to change your opinion on said characters.
I get that, and I wasn't trying to change anyone's opinion either. If you guys find the Rebuild characters more tolerable then that's fine.

That's why I cut that portion out of my response and simply quoted and responded to this:
Inferno Rodan wrote:When a character is so annoying that you just want to repeatedly slap them, they are NOT a good character.

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mecha-gino
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by mecha-gino »

Okay, I've got a question.

I'm thinking about buying the series, THE ORIGINAL none of the 2.0 or whatever stuff on DVD. Now is there a specific set I should that is "THE BEST SET EVAHS!!!" that isn't out of print? I say out of print because I'm unsure if the BEST SET EVAHS whoever suggests it is out of print or not.
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Rody
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Rody »

BUMP.

Okay, so I am now interested in this show - however I'm having a pain of a time trying to watch it. What's a good website for watching the series in Japanese with English subs?
I REFUSE TO WATCH IT DUBBED.

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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Plexton »

I think the dub was well acted; certainly one of the better dubs at a time when literal translation and unenthusiastic voices were the norm.

Anyway, if you can get past everything that has been said about the series over the years, the show is really quite enjoyable as a highly critical quasi-parody/satire of anime and Japanese culture; one of the defining aspects of the series is that it captures the feelings of powerlessness people feel in a world gone mad, both when kaiju-like creatures of increasing strength attack seemingly without rhyme or reason, and when shady government organizations make important and apparently nonsensical decisions which affect your life and that of all your loved ones. I can't help but imagine that much of the imagery and many of the themes in the series were born out of Japan's memories of the second World War.

The characters all reflect this critical eye as well, as stereotypes are extrapolated into individuals with serious emotional and psychological issues; our young pilot hero who is the savour of Japan is an emotionally broken down teen too terrified of screwing up to take any initiative concerning his own life, the energetic competitive girl is psychologically traumatized and needs to excel in order to mask her feelings of self-loathing, and the perfect, quiet girl willing to follow orders is a literal doll who can be replaced at a moment's notice. Hideaki Anno created these characters and then let them loose in a dark and ruined world that wouldn't coddle them; without spoiling too much, the series does not end well for all involved.

There is also a lot of existential philosophy in the series, which goes hand-in-hand with the setting above; Many of the characters retreat further into their own mental constructs to escape from otherwise unavoidable realities, and as a result the main character Shinji's ultimate revelation is as much tragic as it is cathartic.

But I think I've spoiled enough; if you like kaiju films that focus on the human drama, you will probably like Eva just fine. It is often imitated, but never duplicated.

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Rody
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Rody »

I appreciate the input; thanks.

As for the dubbing, while it may be good, I've actually already seen the first two episodes in Japanese, so switching to dubs would be awkward.

My initial question still stands: is there a good website that has the full series in Jap/sub form?

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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by GojiFan »

Plexton pretty much summed up why I love NGE so much. It is one of the few animes I can even begin to think of where "the dark and traumatizing history" of characters is actually traumatizing. The best part of it all is it gets worse as the series progresses (understandably so). You become emotionally invested in the characters regardless if you want them to be saved or die a terrible death.
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Rody
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Rody »

I found a website, so I've begun watching. The show is.... Interesting. It's rather slowly paced, until the angels show up - which get defeated more quickly than I expected. I can certainly empathize with Shinji Ikari, but overall so far, it feels like the show is still trying to find itself.

I'm only five episodes in, though - and I am enjoying it.

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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Terrier »

Rody wrote:I found a website, so I've begun watching. The show is.... Interesting. It's rather slowly paced, until the angels show up - which get defeated more quickly than I expected. I can certainly empathize with Shinji Ikari, but overall so far, it feels like the show is still trying to find itself.

I'm only five episodes in, though - and I am enjoying it.
Take in mind that as the series went on (Especially towards the end) the budget got smaller and smaller, it had to resort to using as less animation as possible, in order to save for the action sequences. The last two episodes were almost improvised, as the planned ending was not possible to make both because of budget and censorship. The movie "The End of Evangelion" serves as an alternative ending to the last two episodes (You can say they are opposite outcomes); while the last two episodes are 25 and 26, the movie is divided in two parts: 25' and 26'; also, there are Director's cuts of several later episodes, with far better animation (And narrative) and a ' after the number, meaning that it was how the story was intended by the creator.

You may need to make research if you want to understand how this universe works to tie things together, unless you really pay atention to every line and every scenne, and there will still be room for your own conjetures. First you should just watch the episodes, though.

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Rody
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Rody »

What's with the song that plays during the credits? It seems to change every time, but rarely seems to fit the show's tone.

Anyway, I just finished episode 9. With Asuka's introduction, the show seems to have taken a turn for the comical. That doesn't last long, does it?

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Terrier
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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Terrier »

Rody wrote:What's with the song that plays during the credits? It seems to change every time, but rarely seems to fit the show's tone.
"Fly Me to the Moon", originally by Frank Sinatra... let's just say that the lyrics may mean something different once you learn more about the mythos of this universe...

Rody wrote:Anyway, I just finished episode 9. With Asuka's introduction, the show seems to have taken a turn for the comical. That doesn't last long, does it?
You just keep watching.

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Re: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Post by Plexton »

The ending of this show is something fans have debated for years. When I first saw the TV ending, I had no idea what to make of it, since it doesn't really end the story (it just gives closure to Shinji). Like many fans I couldn't wait to see the theatrical films...but I ultimately ended up liking the TV ending a lot more.

But every fan can judge which ending is better for themselves.

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