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[PK Gaming]

Goddamnit it Gaf this is the most basic of troll threads

Let me introduce you the whiniest of the whiniest the cry baby Shinji Ikari ladies and gentlemen. There is nothing more to be said he is the king of pathetic and cowardly MC from the very first episode to the fucking end he wasted no time being so pathetic i wished he was real so i could punish him in the face non-stop.

There's no nuance here. If he had said something along the lines of "the main character is this insufferable, useless loser who who managed to ruin the entire experience for me" then it might have been more believable, but it's just way, way too hyperbolic . Never mind the shameless thread title, his OP is in point form, and it's pretty hastily written so he clearly didn't feel strongly about his position. The "emo whiny bitch line" just completely gives it away too.

OP i'm giving you an E for effort. Low level trolling at best.

I can tell you really love Eva though, since you posted that amazing "Eva in a nutshell" video

 

[Jazz573]

Yeah, I don't like it either. No story, and I hate all the characters, which doesn't help.

I liked the movies though. I guess something meaningful happened in them, at least.

 

[Daft Punk]

I was expecting a nuanced post about some of the thematic elements and concepts explored in the anime, but instead I got OP whining about Shinji's character and that he didn't understand anything. Not to mention, watched End of Evangelion (which has one of the greatest sequences of all time) and still said it sucked?

NO. YOU SUCK.

 

[mortal]

Yeah, personally never understood the hype either. The majority of characters are terrible, not even in a good way. The story, while seeming lofty or complex isn't written all that well, and is honestly more convulted than it needs to be.

The animation is good (most notably the Re:do films.) In addition, the mechanical and angel designs are cool.

Although that's as far as it goes for me.

 

[Cipher Peon]

It's also one of my most hated animes of all time. Third worst anime I've ever seen.

Hated everything about it until

Spoiler

yum yum time

and then it became whatever. Thought the final two episodes were the only ones that stood out as decent, even though it was so painfully obvious what was going on (just like the rest of the series)

 

[ViewtifulJC]

I was just wanna say this series attention to detail when it comes to composition of shots is virtually unparalleled in anime as far as I'm concerned. Its no secret watching it, especially the later episodes, that there were on a tight budget, and the series directors consistently find the best visual short hand to express its ideas.Its just a skill Anno and co have that I think its even better than Miyazaki, Otomo, Kon, etc. There's a painterly quality to how they can consistently, instantly imbue emotional/intellectual meaning from using of color or staging or lighting.

I think that's really the most overlooked aspect of the show, beyond all its character studies, blatant religious symbolism, mindfuckery, or dope sound/art design.

This article goes into more detail.

 

[Valkerionseven]

Best part of the Evangelion phenom is that it highlights how little Japan cares/understands/gives precedence to the stories, characters, and or actual point/social commentary being delivered in an anime.

Looking at all the horrible shit in Evangelion would make anyone else realize "hmm, maybe this isn't the right franchise to promote a family friendly bus tour, happy themed lunches, and that our city is a great place to visit" ect. And yet you see it everywhere here and its like... hmm Shinji totally masturbated to his comatose friend... and yet you want me to buy this thing or visit this place because hes on it...

nah I'm good.

 

[Subpar Spatula]

NGE has some interesting ideas but it's not put together well. It's a lot like Paranoia Agent.

Protip: A show can't be good if it does a lot of exposition for no reason.

Jus' saiyin.

 

[HStallion]

NGE has some interesting ideas but it's not put together well. It's a lot like Paranoia Agent.

Protip: A show can't be good if it does a lot of exposition for no reason.

Jus' saiyin.

Its actually incredibly well put together in most ways. You can disagree on the story and characters but on most technical levels its unparalled in anime whether its editing, music, direction, art style, design etc.

 

[Lee Chaolan]

Finished Nadesico not too long ago. A great show indeed.

Indeed! So many feels in Nadesico. I still haven't gotten over

Spoiler

Gai

I think I love you. I totally agree with this. Why Evangelion is regarded as a classic, I'll never know. It has some good action sequences but the story, storytelling and characters are all garbage. Nice mech design though.

Aww. <3

Yep, it's baffling. Plus, Evangelion didn't have the wonderful Miss Yurika.

 

[Hindenblewp]

it's the Seinfeld of giant robot animes

This just never gets old.

 

[Seductivpancakes]

How does anyone have waifus with Evangelion. Everyone gets fucked.

 

[Via Purifico]

I'll never get the Shinji complaints cause it's usually not deeper than "lol he's whiney"

His father is a dick, his mother is dead and everyone around him is pretty fucked up. I mean I think he deserves to complain a bit but it is doubled down for sure and I can see how it gets annoying to some.

 

[qcf x2]

I look at Evangelion as art. As a series I rated it a 6/10 when I watched it for the first time a few years back. The imagery, art direction and character development are absolutely top notch. The music is fantastic. The pacing is painful, the ending is awful no matter how many revisions I watch BUT from an artistic perspective there's something kind of beautiful about it all, bizarre ending(s) included. Despite there having been an anime that was just like it (which is significantly worse IMO), there's really never been anything quite like it. It was out of nowhere.

I haven't read through the thread but Shinji is supposed to be annoying. He didn't want to be the hero. He's a confused POS teenager who entirely believes that he's a POS, no matter how much others try to help him. The fact that you feel so strongly about him is proof that the character did its job, that the director/artist did his job. Art doesn't have to make you feel happy, it just has to make you feel.


OP if you want to see a much shorter, much crazier psychodrama check out Aku no Hana / Flowers of Evil. It's amazing.

 

[Seductivpancakes]

I'll never get the Shinji complaints cause it's usually not deeper than "lol he's whiney"

His father is a dick, his mother is dead and everyone around him is pretty fucked up. I mean I think he deserves to complain a bit but it is doubled down for sure and I can see how it gets annoying to some.

yea same with complaints about Amuro Ray.

They're both teens, put under ridiculous situations.

 

[zbarron]

I was just wanna say this series attention to detail when it comes to composition of shots is virtually unparalleled in anime as far as I'm concerned. Its no secret watching it, especially the later episodes, that there were on a tight budget, and the series directors consistently find the best visual short hand to express its ideas.Its just a skill Anno and co have that I think its even better than Miyazaki, Otomo, Kon, etc. There's a painterly quality to how they can consistently, instantly imbue emotional/intellectual meaning from using of color or staging or lighting.

I think that's really the most overlooked aspect of the show, beyond all its character studies, blatant religious symbolism, mindfuckery, or dope sound/art design.

This article goes into more detail.

I enjoyed this YouTube series on the cinematography of the original show.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D6O-id9uLvU

 

[Subpar Spatula]

Its actually incredibly well put together in most ways. You can disagree on the story and characters but on most technical levels its unparalled in anime whether its editing, music, direction, art style, design etc.

How so? Got examples? You can look at the angels themselves and notice a lot don't mean much or don't actually connect well with the current episode of series overall. One of the big moments people seem to love is Karou's death by Shinji's hand but a lot of the pieces don't necessarily fit in that scene from the Ode to Joy(?) to lingering shots. You're supposed to fill in the blanks because Anno literally made things complicated for no actual reason. NGE would have been more manageable if there was no mechs, aliens, and instrumentality.

 

[RoyaleDuke]

Yeah I was waiting for this day.

People have called me crazy for years, and I even lost a friend over it.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the worst fucking anime on the face of the planet.

The worst, right up there with Death Note, and fucking Sword Art Online.

 

[Via Purifico]

Say what you will of the show but it has some of the most wonderful pieces in anime.

My personal faves
When I Find Peace of Mind

Thanatos

EVA 02

 

[Hagi]

Yeah I was waiting for this day.

People have called me crazy for years, and I even lost a friend over it.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the worst fucking anime on the face of the planet.

The worst, right up there with Death Note, and fucking Sword Art Online.

really? plenty of people hate on Eva so it's not like you are alone in that opinion. Shit if you ask me the OP just copied his post wholesale from some shitty early 2000 anime forum.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the worst fucking anime on the face of the planet.

The worst, right up there with Death Note, and fucking Sword Art Online.

Y'all need to see some truly terrible anime. It'd be useful for some perspective.

 

[Via Purifico]

Yeah I was waiting for this day.

People have called me crazy for years, and I even lost a friend over it.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the worst fucking anime on the face of the planet.

The worst, right up there with Death Note, and fucking Sword Art Online.

Are you sure?

 

[Anth0ny]

Congratulations!

I thought it was pretty good. Not this amazing masterpiece, but real good. The OP is god tier, though.

 

[JadedWriter]

Yeah I was waiting for this day.

People have called me crazy for years, and I even lost a friend over it.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is the worst fucking anime on the face of the planet.

The worst, right up there with Death Note, and fucking Sword Art Online.

I don't know bruv. Have you seen Cross Ange? That's way worse than Eva.

 

[HStallion]

How so? Got examples? You can look at the angels themselves and notice a lot don't mean much or don't actually connect well with the current episode of series overall. One of the big moments people seem to love is Karou's death by Shinji's hand but a lot of the pieces don't necessarily fit in that scene from the Ode to Joy(?) to lingering shots. You're supposed to fill in the blanks because Anno literally made things complicated for no actual reason. NGE would have been more manageable if there was no mechs, aliens, and instrumentality.

http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/article/the-economy-of-visual-language-neon-genesis-evangelion

This article has been posted and does a much better and more in depth job of describing a lot of things that the show does really well and how they worked around budget constraints by using the visual mediums strengths to aid them.

 

[munchie64]

Yeah, I don't like it either. No story, and I hate all the characters, which doesn't help.

I liked the movies though. I guess something meaningful happened in them, at least.

What the flying fuck does no story mean in this context? Didn't make much sense when people started saying it about Fury Road, but really confuses me here.

 

[mantidor]

lol I love this thread.

IF OP is really serious... you haven't watched enough anime.

 

[JadedWriter]

lol I love this thread.

IF OP is really serious... you haven't watched enough anime.

OP should watch Bible Black.

 

[HStallion]

OP should watch Bible Black.

Or Legend of the Overfiend. Well he might like that...

 

[SenorArdilla]

OP should watch Bible Black.

La Blue Girl is a childhood classic.

 

[JadedWriter]

Or Legend of the Overfiend. Well he might like that...

Better yet he should watch Angel Cop.

 

[DVCY201]

Everyone go watch Mars of Destruction. Evangelion can't compare to the GOAT, the magnum opus of Japanese animation. Even though it's from 2005, I'm pretty sure Evangelion took cues from it, but couldn't come close to delivering the same impactful philosophical messages. Like seriously, "Humanity finds hope in the form of the MARS suit&#8212;a new weapon developed to take down these enemies. The suit, however, can only be worn by those with specific DNA."

Hideaki Anno ripped the entire premise off of this, who cares about the Children?

"the young man battles against demons both personal and global whilst trying to discover the true nature of Earth's new aggressors."

2deep4me

http://myanimelist.net/anime/413/Mars_of_Destruction

Spoiler

/s

 

[RangerBAD]

really? plenty of people hate on Eva so it's not like you are alone in that opinion. Shit if you ask me the OP just copied his post wholesale from some shitty early 2000 anime forum.

It says he took the synopsis from myanimelist forum post. So, not a fountain of articulation.

 

[knkng]

I haven't read through the thread but Shinji is supposed to be annoying. He didn't want to be the hero. He's a confused POS teenager who entirely believes that he's a POS, no matter how much others try to help him. The fact that you feel so strongly about him is proof that the character did its job, that the director/artist did his job. Art doesn't have to make you feel happy, it just has to make you feel.

It's one of my favorite shows, and the bolded line above really hits the nail on the head. The show accomplishes what it set out to accomplish. Whether or not someone can appreciate that does not determine the quality of the characters/writing.

 

[phoenix296]

Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito is the worst anime ever.

9/10 AnimeGAF posters who experienced the ceaseless hell that was YamiHat agree.

Can attest to this. You should check it out OP.

 

[JadedWriter]

Can attest to this. You should check it out OP.

Is it worse than Freezing?

 

[deadscreensky]

So it's more akin to the Utena movie where not. A. Single. Goddamn. Thing. Made. Sense.

I laughed, but I don't think that's entirely fair to either work. Large stretches of Adolescence of Utena are pretty easy to follow, I think what trips people up is the just the increasing rate of 'new' characters and relationships getting introduced. It's really aimed at series veterans (much like End of Eva) but I don't know if it was sold that way, especially in America.

As my avatar suggests I'm a big fan of the film. Personally I think it can be enjoyed purely on an aesthetic level, it really is a gorgeous work of art, but it's not that difficult to follow, at least if you know the characters. It's a fairly basic romance with some fun gender roles shenanigans. And while a lot is made of some of the more surreal elements late in the film, there's a current of unreal, almost supernatural weirdness already running throughout it, nearly from the start.


Evangelion is honestly pretty easy to follow. There's a couple of intuitive leaps you need to make as it progresses, but as long as you're not binging through the show while you text on your cellphone it's nothing especially arduous. The trap some viewers fall into is expecting answers for all the various mysteries, but (much like Twin Peaks, which is harder to follow) those were never really the point. You get some answers, but really they're background for the well developed narrative and characters. It's staging, and some critics just get too hung up on it.
EDIT: Just for clarification, I find Eva brilliant. I also found it a struggle to get into, especially at first, so I don't expect everybody to love it, but I do, with all my heart.

I'm the weird one that kind of liked the anime yet hated EoE. It felt like it tried to hard to be impactful and weird IMO.

I am the same way! I love maybe the opening half of the movie, but as soon as it gets into the really surreal mind stuff is where it loses me. And not because I don't get it (there's not much there), I just find it dull. If anything I feel it's a strong argument for why the anime series ended the way it did, as going through the 'real events' is inherently cliché and uninteresting. There's no substantial character development occurring, and the major plot development (Third Impact) is so huge that it can't really be done justice.

The events with Kaworu were the true climax of the story, everything after that is just a long epilogue in comparison. SEELE's machinations are gruesomely entertaining, and I guess Rei gets a bit better of a send-off, but it's mostly fan service. Which is okay, but it's all very unnecessary when it comes to thematic or character development.

 

[RedSwirl]

I don't even think Eva is bad, it's probably great actually, but it is indeed overrated as fuck. It's one of those things that a shitload of teens encountered at just the right time, like Final Fantasy VII. I'll concede though that the art is probably some of the best in a TV anime.

I don't really agree with the complaints over Shinji though. I think a lot of it is a culture clash and he just isn't a very appealing protagonist for western audiences who prefer empowering main characters, or at the very least underdogs who actively struggle against the odds. Shinji is, on one level, probably a more realistic interpretation of what an actual average 14-year-old boy would do in that situation, if only specifically a Japanese 14-year-old boy. The other level is that, as I understand it, Shinji is kind of a "fuck you" to the show's target otaku demographic. He's given the exact situation otakus fantasize about being in and

Spoiler

ultimately never rises to the challenge, partly because the other people in that situation are kind of fucked up.

 

[EGOMON]

Thank you OP for making this thread! I recently rewatched Evangelion with a friend of mine who has never seen it before and it was hilarious. I love to hate-watch bad anime and boy, Neon Genesis Evangelion is the king of shit anime. I like what they were trying to do but it was all executed so poorly. Instead of being deep and serious it felt i'm-twelve-and-this-is-deep.

Things I liked:

- Shinji is such a little bitch throughout the whole show. I love that fact that the main character so flawed and stays flawed till the end. I like how it focused more on the people and their traumas.

Things I didn't like:

- "IT BROKE THROUGH OUR UNILATERAL EGO BARRIER, WE HAVE A .00231% CHANCE OF SUCCESS" Seriously, every episode they were shouting stupid science words and silly percentages.

- All the softcore porn moments/fan service

- "Adam created Eve to become God and Angels are a product of man's desire, sent down from the heaven's to obliterate our egos. We must become one with ourselves blablablabla" It's like a twelve year old got drunk and tried to sound philosophical.

- Shinji is such a bitch I can't stop laughing

And that's just the stuff off the top of my head. Honestly, I think Evangelion is exactly like Catcher in the Rye. If you read it during a certain time in your life it comes across as deep and insightful. If you read it during another point in your life it's just dumb.

You said it much better than i did i only blame my self for ruining this thread
*brofist*

 

[davidwhangchoi]

is this a religious anime? why they have so many bible names. it feels like xenogears.

 

[HotHamBoy]

Please do fuck off with that shit.

---

OP, I get where you are coming from. I've heard these criticisms before. NGE is a character-driven story, everything happening around the characters is mere window dressing. Yes, it was made up as they went along and there is a ton of symbolism for symbolism's sake, but it's actually a very deep exploration of Jungian psychology and Anno's personal psychology.

The finale two episodes are perfect IMO, because they are in-line with what the show is actually about: Shinji's absolution.

The movies were pure fan-appeasement. They are fun, but they raise more questions than they answer.

I love the show. I don't care for the ReBirth movies, though, because they seem to be made for people who feel like OP did. Those elements of the show aren't what made Evangelion great. It was the character drama and the examination of how fucked up human relationships are and how hard it is to get close to someone.

Also, they do incredible things with silence and pauses in this show. Very much is said through what is unsaid.

 

[Opto]

Probably my favorite sci-fi show ever

 

[Alucrid]

OP should watch Bible Black.

Or Legend of the Overfiend. Well he might like that...

La Blue Girl is a childhood classic.

Better yet he should watch Angel Cop.

i haven't watched a lot of anime but gaf recommendations haven't let me down. will give these a try this weekend. thanks!

 

[HotHamBoy]

i haven't watched a lot of anime but gaf recommendations haven't let me down. will give these a try this weekend. thanks!

Lol, these are hentai bro

Oh my fucking god. Is Japanese Gendo creepy? I'm only familiar with the dub. Girl Shinji was just never a thing for me.

Oh gross. The dub is fucking awful. I feel sorry for anyone that hasn't seen the Japanese version. Btw, all the kids are voiced by actual 14 year olds in the Japanese version...

Subs over dubs, any day, erryday.

OP has bad taste confirmed

Evangelion isn't about giant robots, evil corporations and crazy monsters and religious symbology. It's about being young and broken, the pitfalls and hazards of growing up and dealing with the world you've been thrown into, learning about yourself and your relations to others, so on and so forth etc and such.

You're not supposed to LIKE Shinji, he's not some wish fulfillment character, he's a shit whinebag that doesn't know how to deal with life and the people around him, just like LOTS of 14 year old kids from broken homes with bad parents and worse life skills. Evangelion is about accepting your flaws and being able to open yourself up to others and show those flaws, whether accepted or not.

At least that's what I tend to get out of it, but like any truly inspiring piece of art is not about what i get out of it but what you personally get out of it. I think the problem is that you wanted a story but what you got is something that needs to be mulled over. The story is pointless, it's why the last 2 episodes of the series leave just about everything open ended.
It's about the journey and the introspection, not the destination.

Or I could just be super wrong...

This guy gets it. But look at what's popular and trending in Anime (and western pop culture) these days. People like wish fulfillment, power fantasies and derivitive, surface-level trash.

 

[munchie64]

Oh gross. The dub is fucking awful. I feel sorry for anyone that hasn't seen the Japanese version. Btw, all the kids are voiced by actual 14 year olds in the Japanese version...

No they're not lol.

Shinji's VA was like a 30 year old woman when the show started.

 

[UltraGunner]

You're the worst anime ever, OP!

 

[hateradio]

No they're not lol.

Shinji's VA was like a 30 year old woman when the show started.

Yup. Shinji's VA is a woman, and they used a woman because she could sound like a young guy.

 

[Darkroronoa]

I am on the side of NGE is a masterpiece.

At first i kinda hated it because of the ending scene in the end of evangelion, like i thought i got trolled or something, but after i while i realised that there is nothing else like it.
I guess people hate it because it feel like its not making sense, but i think that this is its strong point, its like a puzzle that you need to fill the blanks, it just not giving everything to you in a plate. I really like all the symbolisms and such, i like thats its fucked up, i even liked the characters because they are unique.

Yeah shinji is whiny and pathetic, but why shouldn't he? Why the main character should be strong and fearless? I think he is more realistic that way given his situation he is in.

I like the crazy plot, i feel like i get in the mind of the writer, like he opens a door and lets me in, or more like i can see from the keyhole trying to make sense of whats happening inside. Not many shows do that.

People that say its the worst anime ever have never seen truly shit anime.

 

[Ghost is Bad]

op clearly hasnt seen ghost stories

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxJ4VWoeOzs

 

[Ventara]

I'm with you OP. What a garbage anime. I should not have listened to those people telling me to keep watching as it gets better. I do not even consider it a mecha anime. It has mechas in it, sure, but it's mostly about a group of mentally damaged and insecure people.