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[DY_nasty]

If you haven't watched EoE, you haven't watched all of Eva.

It does not.

How do you just ignore someone's post this way? lol

The mechanical animation was good, yes, but that didn't occupy anything close to the majority of screen time. There were times when the animation bordered epic knife fight kinds of fugly. Keep fighting the good fight though.

Also, Rahxephon (outside of that one special episode) was fucking terrible. If you enjoyed, you're probably a bad person.

 

[Dresden]

It won this prestigious award of prestige, no better proof of its brilliance imo.

 

[donkey show]

Manga's better. Come at me bro.

 

[Risette]

How do you just ignore someone's post this way? lol

Because it's wrong?

A terrible character, yes.

Eva is a show filled with the worst most unlikable characters imaginable. How these shitty characters (ALL of them) have fans is really beyond me.

I also find it impossible to say that a show that has scenes consisting of static images that stay on screen for a minute or more is "very well animated." It has moments of great animation, yes, but as a whole it's terribly put together and incompetently produced. The last two episodes were the result of running out of budget because GAINAX doesn't have any producers who are actually good at their job, not because of any brilliant storytelling master plan.

I do appreciate that they went about things differently, and the show is really unique, especially for 1995, but at the same time they abandoned so many critical fundamentals that it's hard to call the series anything but a mess.

lol.

 

[Soma]

I remember at least like 2 or 3 episodes where the animation just took a turn for the ugly. Aside from those episodes the animation was generally pretty good but overall it was definitely a bit inconsistant.

Manga's better. Come at me bro.

Have they finished it yet?

 

[staticneuron]

The animation in EVA is too inconsistent for it to be considered top notch.

Anno found ways to work around that, but there are times when the thing looks ugly as fuck.

In comparison to what show that came out in that same time period?

 

[DY_nasty]

Because it's wrong?

no u

Wow, that is fun!

Its okay to like flawed things.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

I simply can't identify with Shinji. The manga does a better job of giving him something of a spine, so that he more resembles the kind of character he represents, but Anno's interpretation is just depressing, especially because Shinji doesn't develop very well. A relative few characters have some interesting characterization, but there's just a lack of great writing and progression through the main anime production, and that's not cool.

EOE was interesting, though, and ending redeems the series' plot, but not by much.

 

[Risette]

no u

Wow, that is fun!

Its okay to like flawed things.

I never said Eva wasn't flawed. The writing isn't very good, the show's strengths lie in its characters and the direction.

But laughing at the part where the OP said the show had top notch animation is wrong. It has inconsistencies, yes, but it does indeed contain (a large amount of) top notch animation.

 

[Orayn]

A terrible character, yes.

Eva is a show filled with the worst most unlikable characters imaginable. How these shitty characters (ALL of them) have fans is really beyond me.

I also find it impossible to say that a show that has scenes consisting of static images that stay on screen for a minute or more is "very well animated." It has moments of great animation, yes, but as a whole it's terribly put together and incompetently produced. The last two episodes were the result of running out of budget because GAINAX doesn't have any producers who are actually good at their job, not because of any brilliant storytelling master plan.

I do appreciate that they went about things differently, and the show is really unique, especially for 1995, but at the same time they abandoned so many critical fundamentals that it's hard to call the series anything but a mess.

I both agree and disagree. The cast could be really unpleasant characters, but I don't think that necessarily means they're poorly written. Given the context of the show and its themes of isolation and loneliness, it only makes sense the characters aren't inviting.

 

[tuffy]

Although Evangelion has great character and mechanical designs, a very cinematic presentation and lots of Deep Mysteries, neither the TV series nor movie culminate in any sort of satisfactory conclusion.

RahXephon shares a lot of the same features. But because it ends so much better, it's a whole lot easier to enjoy.

 

[Krev]

The only thing RahXephon does better than Eva is suck and be crappy!

I simply can't identify with Shinji. The manga does a better job of giving him something of a spine, so that he more resembles the kind of character he represents.

Isn't the type of character he represents...spineless?
I found aspects of Shinji's characterisation uncomfortably relatable.

It won this prestigious award of prestige, no better proof of its brilliance imo.

Oshii was on the board this year.
I cannot believe that the man loves Madoka. Hearing him talk about Ponyo being utter shit and praising Madoka as some kind of revolutionary work, it's clear he has no taste these days.

I guess that explains Ghost in the Shell 2.0.

 

[Risette]

Oshii was on the board this year.
I cannot believe that the man loves Madoka. Hearing him talk about Ponyo being utter shit and praising Madoka as some kind of revolutionary work, it's clear he has no taste these days.

I guess that explains Ghost in the Shell 2.0.

Uh, he didn't call Ponyo utter shit. And maybe he was one of those people who voted no on Meduca.

 

[Jex]

Uh, he didn't call Ponyo utter shit. And maybe he was one of those people who voted no on Meduca.

Indeed, he critiqued Ponyo for not being a 'proper' film e.g. having a logical and consistent narrative, he didn't think it was a well constructed story.

 

["God's Beard!"]

I feel like the characters are also underdeveloped. I don’t feel attached to any of them. The characters are all damaged or sick in some way, which is maybe why this is the case, but probably not.

Actually, this is literally the point. Shinji, Rei and Asuka are the super ego, ego and id. The other characters represent other contributing aspects to a personality. They're not supposed to be sympathetic characters. If you think the show is shallow, it's because the gross religious overtones are mostly irrelevant.

The series was short because Gainax was and is a low-budget company that had to take a lot of shortcuts to complete the show. It was also made by a somewhat unstable person, and isn't sure whether it's existentialist commentary on the human condition or a robot cartoon about blowing up aliens. It winds up being somewhere in the middle, which is why it was so popular for people just getting ready to move on from Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z, but didn't have the experience to understand Ghost in the Shell. I don't know if it's the sort of show that needs revisiting.

 

[Krev]

Uh, he didn't call Ponyo utter shit. And maybe he was one of those people who voted no on Meduca.

Indeed, he critiqued Ponyo for not being a 'proper' film e.g. having a logical and consistent narrative, he didn't think it was a well constructed story.

Yep.
I wish I could find Oshii's comments on Madoka (made before the Media Arts prize was awarded), but basically he flipped out for it.

 

[Risette]

Indeed, he critiqued Ponyo for not being a 'proper' film e.g. having a logical and consistent narrative, he didn't think it was a well constructed story.

He's right in that though, it's more like a feature length short. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[makingmusic476]

I watched it for the first time several months back. I couldn't wrap my head around some of the decisions Shinji would make. It wasn't just him being a dumb kid. The stuff he did when tasked with

Spoiler

killing the fifth child

had me scratching my head.

The action, cast, and setting were all pretty great, but the actions of certain characters and all the pseudo-philosophical psychobabble at the end weakened the overall package considerably.

I still need to watch End of Evangelion.

 

[qcf x2]

I'm just watching the remake blurays as they come out. I've seen 1.11 and 2.22. I think they're okay. I probably would really like them if I were much younger.

But you've seen the series, right? You're not going to be able to appreciate the remakes without seeing the original (suffering through it, in some respects). The remakes don't really establish the plot and they avoid the character development, which was far and away the best quality of Evangelion. I watched it 2 yrs ago; hated the ending, felt like it was a 5-ish or 6-ish series, but certainly can see why it was so groundbreaking. RahXephon was such an obnoxious ripoff that I stopped about 15 episodes in. Eww.

 

[Parallax]

Also, Rahxephon (outside of that one special episode) was fucking terrible. If you enjoyed, you're probably a bad person.

sorry man, but this is flat out wrong. i enjoyed rah far more than eva.

 

[donkey show]

Have they finished it yet?

Heh, I don't think so.

 

[Noshino]

If you haven't watched EoE, you haven't watched all of Eva.

How do you just ignore someone's post this way? lol

The mechanical animation was good, yes, but that didn't occupy anything close to the majority of screen time. There were times when the animation bordered epic knife fight kinds of fugly. Keep fighting the good fight though.

Also, Rahxephon (outside of that one special episode) was fucking terrible. If you enjoyed, you're probably a bad person.

the non-mecha animations weren't consistently crappy though. That's why he dismissed his post right away.

Manga's better. Come at me bro.

the opening alone puts the anime ahead of the manga

 

[B.K.]

Heh, I don't think so.

It's ALMOST finished. It's up to

Spoiler

the second half of End of Evangelion.

Maybe Sadamoto will finally finish it this year.

 

[spidye]

I HATED it. especially little kid with father issues. I may missed the point but I just couldn't enjoy it. I really tried, though

 

[Replicant]

RahXephon did it better.

Fuck no.

I guessed the plot the minute that older woman came out.

 

[Krev]

He's right in that though, it's more like a feature length short. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

He also said that it's only because of the expressiveness of the animation that the audience is somehow able to make it through the film.

URUSAI URUSAI URUSAI

THIS DOES NOT EXIST

There there, perhaps you can make the pain go away by watching Assault Girls.

 

[RotBot]

NGE was the first anime I ever watched. My expectations were too high for everything else afterwards.

 

[Liquidsnake]

3 was awesome.

 

[Fox318]

Manga's better. Come at me bro.

It would be if Sadamoto actually would finish it.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

I agree that Eva is overrated but from what I understand it's hyped because of how new and fresh it was at the time it was released. At the time, giant mecha anime leaned more towards the goofy spectrum like Giant Robo, Gaogaiger, or G Gundam. Eva played in the genre cliches (kid gets giant robot, learns to use it, fucks shit up) but did it from a more mature, dramatic perspective. It pretty much single handedly ushered in a new generation of mature giant robot anime. That's from what I understand at least.

 

[Krev]

3 was awesome.

3?

It would be if Sadamoto actually would finish it.

Nah.

 

[Ghost_Protocol]

The best thing about Evangelion is the suspense. I felt like any character could die at any time, during any battle, in every episode. It's the only series I can say that about.

 

[Vox-Pop]

Team Shinji!

 

[Liquidsnake]

"End of Eva"

All that needs to be said.

 

[lunarworks]

Eva is a show filled with the worst most unlikable characters imaginable. How these shitty characters (ALL of them) have fans is really beyond me.

The unlikeable characters are almost the point of the show. When it comes down to it, EVA is a show about character flaws.

A wimpy kid (and not in an endearing way) who runs away from all his problems being goaded into piloting a giant robot by his father who virtually abandoned him and radiates constant disappointment on him. He's taken in by his supervisor, an alcoholic 29 year old woman with issues of her own, and his co-pilots are pretty disturbed, too. One is almost completely emotionless, and the other is completely bi-polar.

But honestly, at the time in anime history, I'd rather watch that than another hyper-genki "LET'S DO IT, EVERYONE! THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!" mecha romp.

 

[DarkKyo]

NGE the series is the starting point. I've always been a really big fan- and I gotta say End of Evangelion is the real shit. That stuff will fuck with you. It's super depressing, super philosophical, and the art and animation far surpass that of the series. And THEN there are the new movies. They re-tell and re-invent the entire story. They are fucking amazing in my honest opinion. I like them more than the original series I think. So, so good. The fight scenes and the lore are re-imagined for the 21st century. Really good stuff. You will probably change your opinion on the original series once you see EoE and the new movies.

Overall it's a great franchise and one of the most nostalgic things from my younger days.

 

[Krev]

The new movies are a big fucking mess. I like them because I'm a sucker for Eva and it's nice to see the characters interacting on screen again with nicer art, but there's so much wrong with the characterisation and pacing that I don't know where to begin.

 

[DarkKyo]

The new movies are a big fucking mess. I like them because I'm a sucker for Eva and it's nice to see the characters interacting on screen again with nicer art, but there's so much wrong with the characterisation and pacing that I don't know where to begin.

I agree somewhat, but it's a lot more entertaining than watching the original series.

 

[RedSwirl]

RahXephon did it better.

Boom.

Though I agree with the OP mostly. Its really good, but not the greatest goddamn thing ever like most people say.

I did watch EoE and that didn't change my opinion. Though, I haven't watched anything that's come out since EoE, none of the remasters or anything, and I can't bring myself to be interested in any of the recent movies. Also, I didn't really mind the original ep 26 ending.

 

[Gospel]

You should watch Madoka Magica next, OP. It's the NGE of magical girl shows.

I just finished the infamous episode 3; does it get better from there because I've kind of taken a break from it.

 

[Krev]

I just finished the infamous episode 3; does it get better from there because I've kind of taken a break from it.

No.

 

[Risette]

Rebuild is terribad in about every way possible. Avoid.

It's ugly, dumb, and boring. A waste of time for everyone involved, although the people working on it clearly didn't put much time into it.

 

[RSLAEV]

You really had to be there. It may not hold up for viewers today but in the late 90's, just as Anime was starting to explode in the US...Eva was *awesome*

And RaXephon was a pale imitation. If someone reccomends that you watch it that person is not your friend.

 

[DarkKyo]

Rebuild is terribad in about every way possible. Avoid.

It's ugly, dumb, and boring. A waste of everyone's time.

I disagree whole-heartedly.

 

[Suairyu]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh wow

Well, for the first six or so episodes before budget concerns kicked in it was pretty damn snazzy.

 

[Gospel]

No.

Haha, anything else you can add?

 

[perfectnight]

Rebuild is terribad in about every way possible. Avoid.

It's ugly, dumb, and boring. A waste of time for everyone involved, although the people working on it clearly didn't put much time into it.

Aye. 2.0 is pretty silly. That new glasses character is 100% otaku bait and utterly useless in the actual story.

The original + EoE was an absolutely mind blowing experience for me. I actually watched EoE first and THEN I watched the series. Yes a lot of the imagery is meaningless and only there for the "cool" effect, but that is also part of the charm. Eva was quite edgy in its time and I certainly hadn't seen ANYTHING like it before.

All the characters are terrible, broken people and that's one of the charms because you rarely see anime portray their characters as anything other than shallow caricatures of certain stereotypes.

Also, Madoka is a terrible show and quite possibly the worst thing to recommend to a casual anime fan. That show is otaku pandering at its finest .

 

[Risette]

I disagree whole-heartedly.

It's true man.

 

[SteveWinwood]

One of the best shows... OF ALL TIME.

There is a special NGE shaped place in my heart that will remain forever.

 

[Trent Strong]

The show could have used a few more episodes or maybe even another season to explain everything. They jam a whole bunch half-assed explainations for a whole bunch of narrative threads into just two episodes near the end.