How could you not see the deconstruction? The reason why the characters are the way they are is because, believe it or not, that IS how these various tropes would play out honestly in real life (especially the "boy who pliots Dad's Mecha" idea). Second, a deconstruction by definition is NOT supposed to play the tropes straight to begin with, so your point there is pretty stupid. If you can't find sympathy for any of the characters then you must simply lack empathy. Third, I really don't see why Eva gets heat for is symbolism. It wasn't trying to give an alternative view of religion at all. It was just there to give an exotic vibe. SF and Fantasy writers do this all the time (ex. C.S. Lewis with Greek Myth). Eva is praised for its take on continental philosophy and accurate human psychology (if you think the show exaggerates it, you should that even more extreme examples exist in real life) and its help many people get through depression and other personal issues, nothing "simple" about it. The massive WMG its generated over the years is because its depth and complete reevaluation of the Mecha genre is no fluke (save the christian symbolism of course), going even further than the Dark Knight did for comics. The fact you couldn't see that pretty much shows what kind of tasted you have.
Who cares.
Different people take different messages from all sorts of media. I honestly thought Evangelion was freaking great (especially in the last episodes), but I respect anyone who didn't like it. It isn't for everyone.
Also, while there really isn't always an answer to psychological issues, the answer was clear in Evangelion: If the folks on the show actually had cohesive, loving relationships among them, then things would have undeniably would have worked out for the better, but since they were the shy/stubborn social misfits they were, they all suffered mental breakdowns with zero support from anyone else, leading to the tragedy that was the End.
It is most certainly a deconstruction. Look at all the conventions in older super robot shows. Kid reunites with father and they fight crime together with the giant robot Dad made? Eva shows what a terrible relationship a kid would have with a father who leaves to build robots. Ordinary high-schooler falls in cockpit and kicks ass? Eva shows that a good portion of teenagers would be scared shitless without prior training. Robots are mysterious with apparent wills of their own to protect the pilot? Eva turns that into "mysterious cyborg alien clones trapped in mecha suit and protect pilots because of being fueled by the souls of dead relatives". Romp around fighting wacky aliens who seemingly only want mass destruction? Eva reminds you that "wacky aliens" would really be mind-bending reality rapists. It's not a perfectly straight deconstruction, and the tropes may not be played 100% straight with respect to reality, but it's a deconstruction nonetheless.
I personally enjoyed it because it made me think. It was wierd and confusing at times, yes, but that's what I like. It's not my absolute favorite show ever, but it's among them, and I do look forward to the wierdness Rebuild has yet to bring.
Why do you fight? Why do you exist?
If you have nothing to say, why the hell did you write a review?
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I watched it.
And I got nothing.
I honestly found absolutely nothing to take from the series and I watched it around 1999 I think, when you could only found the series in VHS tapes. I watched it before I knew fandoms existed so I was not poisoned by the Hyper praise or loathe from the world.
I just found it a little boring, confusing, curious series. Hell, I was confused when I found a Fandom page (2003-05??) screaming that it was a forerruner of the Anime world for the first time. Though the guy was taking his liking a little to overboard, to be honest.
I don't like or hate the characters. I don't like or hate the plot (sure, it has massive plot holes but I never asked a masterpiece in the firs place) and the ending was confusing in the "Hmm, how odd" instead of the "WTF Dude, seriously, WTF YASS". After seeing the ending I watched Digimon ending (which was EPIC) in TV and forgot about the Anime for weeks.
Hell, even the Fandom make's me shrug. The part that is not pretentious (why it's like that, baffles me) is just your run of the mill Fandom.
Don't see the Deconstruction, to be honest. They are just flawed people with the disgrace of having a so-so director trying to cram symbology in their lives while having an existential breakdown. It doens't play the tropes straight or give honest, well though answer of the kind of situation would look in real life. Is only a Darker work with a somewhat original premise and one character who managed to create an iconic archetype that other works do it better (It's Rei, by the way).
Even the new Evangelion is nothing to write about it, except it has good soundtrack.
It's not the Dark Knight of the Mecha Genre. More like the Passion of Christ of the Biblical Genre or It the mini-series of, well, the mini-series. A nostalgic work, trying to do better and a little controversial but at the end of the day, just a simple work.
It's an Anime of the Mecha Genre with Depression and little understanding of religions on a confusing plot.
Nothing more, nothing else.
Watch it. Or not. At this point in time, it would really make no difference whatsoever to your life in the Anime/Manga World or enrich your mind in anyway.
7/10