I’ve been listening to the theme for the new Neon Genesis Evangelion movies a lot these past couple of days. I know “Beautiful World” hasn’t been particularly well-received by fans, but I have to admit that I’m kind of fascinated with the song - not only the music, but the lyrics as well. Somehow, it fits my image of Evangelion, and only serves to get me more excited about the movies.
Evangelion was one of the first shows I watched when I first started getting serious about this hobby, and even though my appreciation for the show has mostly been forgotten over the years, I still recognize that it was an eye-opening introduction to the world of modern anime. If it weren’t for Evangelion, I don’t know if I’d even be here right now. For all I know, I might have taken up gardening or something.
Yet, despite the show’s importance to me as an anime fan, it’s been at least five years since I last rewatched it. Typically, when I thumb through my DVD collection, looking for something to watch, there are shows I unconsciously skip over, as if they don’t exist. Mostly, they’re shows I have zero interest in rewatching, either because they’re simply horrible or have no rewatch value whatsoever. For some reason, Evangelion fell in with this crowd. No idea why. I suspect the show is simply too heavy for ingesting on a whim, and that’s why I never give it proper consideration. I can’t quite imagine watching Evangelion without giving it my full attention. Most everything else in my DVD collection, I can watch standing on my head after six drinks.
Still, I love the show… I think. In my opinion, it deserves all the praise it gets. However, I think it deserves much of the criticism it gets as well. Funny how that works. A complex show gives way to complex feelings. I suspect that’s not a bug, but a feature.
I don’t plan to watch it any time soon, though.
That’s pretty much my sentiments on the Evangelion as well. I really need to hear the new theme for Eva.
I share the same opinion about “Beautiful World”, … In first place I like Utada Hikaru and was really excited when I heard she’ll make the RoNGE Themes. Very nice song … (iTunes : repeat one !!)
It’s true there is a lot of things to say about NGE but we can’t be indifferent in front of this incredible show. Many “unique” characters, tortured scenario and main protagonist. Fanservice at the right time, fabulous mecha design, but … some small things and the ambient atmosphere of the show can be … hated. Not by me ^^
(Sorry for my bad english because I’m french =_=)
I know I’m looking forward to the new films, but like everybody else, NGE causes me great pain upon contemplation. On one hand, it’s a grand, ambitious concept and story… and on the other hand, the angst is so deep it’d drown a giraffe.
It’s in my collection, that startlingly silver boxed-set, but, like you, I’ve no particular desire to rewatch it anytime soon.
I’ll watch the new ones, though… eagerly. Almost like one watches a car crash.
I loved this single its been on repeat for god knows how long. Hikki always gets the right beat and tune when it comes to her music. Theres just something so ethereal and dreamy about her music that just grabs the listeners and I think its more than her voice. Oh and I can’t wait to watch the new movie I hear its good.
Im also very excited about it and im expecting a good critic about the movies. Evangelion its one of the best animes in entire history and its was one of the first animes i saw.
i dont think i’ll watch it sooner either…
I did not watch NGE untill half a year ago from now, when I started watching anime about four years ago by now, I was only watching 1 show at a time and not looking up on critcism on certain anime, though in the last year I have watched more anme in a year than I did in those three years before. I never heard of NGE untill about a year ago, and it seemed as a very old like anime so I skipped it. but after reading a few reviews and reading on some community sites I was anxious to watch it and so I did. Despite everyone saying that it’s so good and because of that particulair anime lots of people started watching anime I did not see it as something special and I still don’t understand why people cherish it so much. I was even thinking if I was watching the right anime (I did).
Perhaps I should rewatch it, when I have the time. And the movies, well, can’t judge if you haven’t seen. Same about the song I’ll go dow… get it on CD someday as I like Utada Hikaru.. Brings back memories of Ah! my Goddess, lol.
Life is easy if you fake it. And I just don’t feel right about NGE somewhere deep.
Jasper
I saw Neon Genesis Evangelion about 5 years ago, after hearing a lot of good things about it from fellow anime fans. It wasn’t the first anime that id seen, infact my love of anime spawned from “Kimagure Orange Road” which I saw airing on Italian Terrestrial TV when out there in the summer of 1999, (the show was called “E quasi magia, Johnny” - strangely meaning “It’s almost magic, Johnny” - having seemingly no resemblance to “Kimagure Orange Road”).
I found NGE heavy going. I thought the storyline was magnificent and that the animation was always good, if not exceptional. However the somewhat confusing ending, and my sense of indifference towards the male lead character, resulted in a noticeable lack of emotional attachment. I must admit that I like an anime that makes me laugh unashamedly or makes me cry, and NGE made neither happen for me.
I don’t know about your reasons for not wanting to pick it up again, (perhaps for the fear of discovering flaws in a series that you once deemed good enough to introduce you to the world of anime?) but the reason I will rarely watch NGE again is due to my own personal lack of emotional engagement and satisfaction.
I agree with you completely on the song. I’ve had the single on repeat for awhile now. I dunno, it just has that….Evangelion feel to it? ^. NGE was one of those shows that I put off as another one of those mecha shows, but I fell in love after watching it. I can’t wait till I can finally check out the new movies!
You can watch Evangelion standing on your head after six drinks. In fact, you’ll probably enjoy it more that way.
Touché, Lupus. I’ll have to give that a try.
I love this paragraph:
“Still, I love the show… I think. In my opinion, it deserves all the praise it gets. However, I think it deserves much of the criticism it gets as well. Funny how that works. A complex show gives way to complex feelings. I suspect that’s not a bug, but a feature.”
It’s not often I get the chance to comment on anything here, so well done on hitting the nail on the head there. It sums up my feelings on the show too.
Like you, the series kick-started my anime viewing but the only time I’ve rewatched it in its entirety was when I bought the Platinum edition; it’s actually my least favourite Hideaki Anno anime, which I never thought I’d say when I first watched it. It has so much going for it but has some glaring flaws that most other shows wouldn’t get away with. The new movies should be interesting to watch as well - I’d like to know how the endings will turn out with the time/money/death threat pressures out of the way. In many ways in fact, a lot of the pressure’s really off the production team…it’s alays struck me as a production whose defining features come from extreme duress in the studio.
When I hear the name “The Beautiful World” I think of the lovely song by Ai Maeda used as the ED for Kino’s Journey.
How come there’s still no remake of that serie? I’ve been planning a rewatch of Kanon but it’s the remake that convinced me of doing it.
How about a remake of EVA? Or maybe just some Director’s Cut. Those were so much better…
Oh sorry, daydreaming again…
I’m commenting to this post to introduce myself more than anything else… so forgive me if my own comments come off as immaterial (but hopefully it’s not “nonsensical and off-topic”).
I was introduced to anime “a bit” before EVA and I’ve only managed to glance at a few episodes of Hideaki Anno’s work. Thin-slicing what I saw left me with a lasting impression of psychological drama for it’s own sake. (Perhaps I should say psycho-illogical)? Despite that assessment, I still have had rare occasions where I would begin considering tackling this beast… only to end up reading comments like yours. It seems my avoidance of this particular work will continue…
Formal Introduction (Hajime-mashite… as it were..:-)
I was lucky enough to get introduced to Japanese anime in South Korea (where I was a very young lad) with such works as “Star-Blazers” and “Voltron” and more notably Future Boy Conan and Galaxy Express 999. Since that time, anime has popped into and out of my life until recently when I turned it into my entertainment medium of choice. Now, I read cogent and literary anime blogs such as your own to help pass away some of my time.
Even though it’s been far less tiem for me (a little over a year) i know what you mean in a way. Eva is what helped rekindle my anime passion and I have considered it my favorite anime since, but I have seen a LOT of anime since then and I don’t relate with Shinji like I used to, which was half the reason I loved the show so much in the first place. Now I want to rewatch it to figure out if I still like it the same way, but I can’t really bring myself to. Maybe cuz I’m scared I won’t like it?