Neon Genesis Evangelion Review

Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion / Shinseiki Evangelion / 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン
Type: TV Series
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Drama
Themes: Mecha, Piloted Robots, Aliens, Post-Apocalyptic, Military
Year: 03.10.1995 – 27.03.1996

Plot: At the age of 14 Shinji Ikari is summoned by his father to the city of Neo Tokyo-3 after several years of separation. There he unwillingly accepts the task of becoming the pilot of a giant robot by the name EVA01 and protect the world from the enigmatic invaders known as “angels.” Even though he repeatedly questions why he has accepted this mission from his estranged and cold father, his doing so helps him to gradually accept himself. However, why exactly are the angels attacking and what are his father’s true intentions are yet to be unraveled.
ANN

Review:
I’ve watched NGE over 10 years ago and I was thinking of re-watching it so much for the last few months, and since I did I thought of posting a review to enrich my reviews category with an anime legend. From the first 2 episodes you’ll get hooked up by witnessing the action of mecha fights and the tense of the young Shinji. The characters of the series come in with all variety of personalities; the shy and lonely Shinji, the emotionless and secretive Ayanami Rei, the daring and loud Asuka Langley, the courageous leading woman Misato Katsuragi, and the ambiguous commander of Nerv Gendo Ikari (father of Shinji). Nerv is a special agency controlled by the United Nations to defend mankind against the Angels, the Angels already striked twice with an enormous impacts which killed a lot of people and destroyed cities around the globe. Thus Nerv recruits youngsters to pilot the Evas, the huge mecha that being used to kill the destructive Angels. The first child that piloted an Eva is Ayanami Rei where she pilotes the prototype Evangelion Unit 00 (Eva-00). Ayanami is such a mysterious girl, she doesn’t talk much and when she does it looks like she has no emotions at all and she’s always ready for a fight and looks eager to pilot an Eva to kill an Angel, her discreet personality is revealed at the end of the serious which makes sense. Shinki Ikari pilots Eva-01 which nobody succeeded piloting it till Shinji comes aboard, like blood bond connects the two of them, despite the fact that Shinji insists on showing incompetency by his fear and acting cowardly through out the whole series. He got the potentials and skills but he’s sort of confused why he’s doing this, and why he has to pilot Eva everytime an Angel appears.

Asuke Langley on the other hand is the brave girl who can’t accept to be defeated either by an Angel nor by her comrades; she’s frank, out loud, and mean most of the time. Asuka is piloting Eva-02 the red unit and most modern one, it supposed to be the toughest Eva ever, but unit 01, the one Shinji pilots is the most powerful and holds the secrets of life and death!
The ending of the series was so lame, that’s why 2 movies were produced a year later to replace the terrible last episodes (Death and Rebirth – The End of Evangelion). I know it’s kind of confusing, but once you start watching it, everything will become clear. Neon Genesis Evangelion was my favorite anime and still my favorite anime ever.

Animation: 10/10
Storyline: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Mecha: 10/10
OST: 8/10 – NGE has one of the most memorable opening theme.