I knew right away Neon Genesis Evangelion was gonna be special; it’s unique characters, problems, action scenes, and overall ideas were powerful in meaning. As I watched it, it got better and better and now that I finished it, it is my favorite anime and one of my favorite pieces of media ever.
The highlight of this show is the narrative and philosophical themes, but I will dive into that later. However, another reason why this show is enjoyable is because of the cinematography and art. Being experimental is something that I really value, and this show executes experimentally to a degree I have yet to see elsewhere. The animation, especially in the latter episodes, are chaotic, trippy, and overall beautiful. They really add to strange nature of show. The overall art style, wether it be in the battles or simple tasks, are really special and deliberate which enhances the provoking emotion within the show.
The relatability of the characters and the philosophical inquiring this show produces are amazing. The way it conveys the darkest of human emotions into these teenage characters come of so naturally, it’s unrivaled. It exposes so many layers to the human psyche, but actually pulls it off in a way that I found fascinating and realistic. Shinji is truly one of the best fictional characters ever created. He is relatable, and the way the show explores his deepest problems really moved me. The way it does this is through deep psychology and philosophy themes. From referencing Jung too many other thoughts and questions, it’s truly engrossing. It’s honestly hard to write this review, this show is so multilayered and amazing it’s hard to put in words. Instead, you need to watch it for yourself.
Will Gillettes's Blog 