Apparently, Anno's changes were hated by the author of the original manga, so... ehh, I dunno.
I guess this could be seen as "Anno's work", seeing as the manga author has more than likely completely disowned the adaptation. All things considered, I don't know how I'd feel comfortable watching the series knowing exactly what went on behind the scenes.
The original author was an idiot for not seeing the brilliance of Anno’s work. If she was so displeased and felt that They Changed It, Now It Sucks, she could have simply let another studio adapt it instead of bringing what she already had to a state of ruin. It’s not unheard of for a manga series to be adapted more than once, Astro Boy being the most obvious example.
It is Anno’s work as he directed and wrote most of the series, and it certainly shows. Not just in the references to NGE, but in the general style and tone that are quintessentially his work at its finest. I suggest you enjoy the beauty of the gem and overlook the parts that got chipped off.
Surely You Jest. I mean, it could very well be a decent show which can be enjoyed alongside the manga if you don't worry too much, but at the same time you can't exactly excuse an animation studio making edits to the series which polarize the creator to such an extent. It's a matter of taste in the end, I guess, but I'm really not sold on how the show came into being, nor am I sold on it due to this review.
Like okay, you like the show and all and that's alright in my book, but you just called the author of the manga an idiot because she didn't like what her property was turned into. I sense some serious Creator Worship going on, and that in itself is off-putting. And your argument of anime series getting reboots is a bit skewed - Astro Boy has had 3 adaptations, yes, but that's a gigantic franchise from the earliest days of anime and manga. It could be argued Astro Boy created or at least codified Shounen. Sailor Moon has only just got around to getting a second adaptation - an online animation with a budget as thin as a shoelace. Evangelion - super-popular, crap-ton of merchandise, tons of money. This is a much smaller thing than any anime series which has received a second adaptation - I doubt the mangaka can buy back the rights to the animated adaptation of Kare Kano and give it to another studio. Once the deal was made with Gainax, it was final.
The question should be raised - was this something which should have become Anno's work in the first place? It's not really his intellectual property like Evangelion was, it's an adaptation of an existing IP. Was Gainax's decision to lighten up the plot the right thing to do, given that it deviated from the mangaka's creative view? Really, any way you look at it is fine, whether you enjoy the animated series for its approach and/or talent or not.
OK, yeah, I was venting a bit. But the thing is, once the show started, she would have been way wiser to just let it run its course instead of forcing a change of pace.
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And that, kids, is why you do not mess with Anno’s work.
The beginning of the series was sheer brilliance. The introspection of the characters that come with a much lesser degree of NGE’s Dysfunction Junction, with a brilliant application of all of Anno’s trademark techniques for throwing off the viewer’s focus on the environment to focus on the characters’ mental state, along with some light self-parody—all of these made me believe that this could be my next favourite series, replacing NGE (and I sing NGE’s praises passionately when I talk about it
).
After a while, especially after the episode exploring Yukino’s father’s Backstory, the series began to deteriorate, especially after Anno left the series. Later episodes were a decent watch, but not much more than that. Arima’s plotline felt like it was repeating itself and regurgitating his backstory. Bullying characters showed no remorse for their actions and got way too much screentime with little repercussion. The last episode, featuring a victim of bullying falling for his abuser, with absolutely no resolution of anything, all while using a very obnoxious narrative style, was a massive letdown.
The way I see it, Anno is a genius. His works are not for everyone, but he’s a brilliant director and he’s proven it not only in NGE, but also in his artsy feature films, Love & Pop and Shiki-jitsu, and in the beginning of this series. The problem arises when people restrict his creative liberties or try to be him, especially Kazuya Tsurumaki, but they’re not. It’s evident in the first half of EoE, and it’s painfully evident here.
Just watch up to ep. 18, and skip ep. 14 and the first half of 15, otherwise you’ll just feel really bad about all that missed potential. (OK, maybe continue up to ep. 24 or even 25, but don’t keep your hopes too high.)