Jetty_Jags wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 6:30 pm
Regarding the second bit, I think there are a lot of cases this gets thrown around because there is a collection of common criticisms lobbed against the show that aren't particularly sympathetic to those suffering from mental illness to begin with. To be blunt, I think the "Why doesn't shinji just man up" argument to be pretty insensitive and one might as well ask, "Why doesn't the guy in the wheel chair get up and walk". This is not to say that one cannot have a criticism with how mental illness is portrayed, nor must they enjoy something simply because it focuses on mental illness (I think one unfortunate qualities of the show is the almost "bait and switch" nature which starts off normal enough, but then focuses on very different things than what might initially attract viewers), but simply saying "the show would have been better if shinji wasn't a p*ssy" is not something I'd consider productive or constructive.
I think this this is a good summary of the criticisms I’ve seen of Evangelion that I don’t particularly care for. I also find the reasons why Shinji is weak to be infinitely more interesting than “Get in the Robot Shinji, you’re a weakling”.
It’s important to remember when and where Evangelion exists. It exists in a bubble of power fantasies aimed at teenage boys where the protagonist is typically super strong, goes through tremendous popular growth and has a lot of friends. Examples include Dragonball Z (which I love), Naruto, Bleach and One Piece. All are fine, but Eva delivers something else. Eva is a reaction to that, to a degree and it’s honestly more interesting as a character study.
I’d also like to say, Shinji’s “hedgehog” syndrome makes his brief victories, and moments of high elevated action, infinitely more exciting. Not to spoil anything, but the conclusion of Shin Evangelion (Part 4), really paid everything off imo.
Evangelion is probably my favorite anime series. It’s the only one I’ve spent re-watching repeatedly. It’s also a series that has grown on me the more I watch it. The last time I watched a couple of episodes on Netflix, and I was just taken aback how visually beautiful it is (peak Japanese 90’s anime, other than maybe Dragon Ball Z), and how it consistently nails it’s “soft apocalypse” vibes (the world is gradually ending, and pretty fucked, but people can still go to school and have hope!).
I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here, Jetty, but yeah.