Reviews Anime / Neon Genesis Evangelion

My Favorite Franchise, But Not My Favorite Anime

I love Eva. I've watched the anime, 3 of the Rebuild films, and the manga. I am what you would call an Eva Geek. I even own a ton of its merchandise. It is easily my favorite franchise of all time. I say "franchise" because in each installment there is some glaring flaw(s) preventing it from becoming my favorite in its respective medium. For time's sake, I'll only focus on the original anime.

Let me start with the good. Shinji is one of the better Classical Anti Heroes. It's not just insecurity with him, and when it is, it's understandable. There are many shows where the insecure hero angsts about his arduous life and he gets over all his issues because a girl said You Are Better Than You Think You Are. I love how the series shows that no matter how hard people try to prop up your ego, you need to get over that insecurity to be successful. Eva shows just how half-baked cheering someone up can sound and it'll at best help out in the short-run. Shinji has always been likable and relatable for me, but he may not be for you. His desire to be close with others but fear of rejection and pain, along with his The So-Called Coward and Determined Defeatist traits, made him my favorite character of all time. His Character Development isn't simply Took a Level in Badass like most other mecha protags. It's compelling, and reflects the status of his bonds with everyone else. The rest of the cast has a level of depth making them memorable.

However, the flaw that trickles down into other areas begins to prop up: the pacing. It's poor after episode 7. Why? Asuka. And it's not because she's a bad character; she's not. But the only meaningful relationship she has is with Shinji, and the only depth she has comes from her backstory. This wouldn't be a problem if she was a supporting character. The series takes too long focusing on the bond between her and Shinji and it doesn't help that she has little to no relevance to the plot compared to other characters. Lastly, her only important bond is with Shinji, restricting the writing direction.

If they had focused on Rei more instead, regardless of shipping, it would've allowed Anno to develop multiple plot threads, characters, and bonds simultaneously. As Rei has connections to Ritsuko, Gendo, Yui, Shinji, and is critical to the plot.

The other notable flaw is its inconsistent animation, so if you're looking for awesome fights, this isn't it. There are some impactful fights, but its inconsistent. The soundtrack is highly memorable; its Soundtrack Dissonance worked for me, though it can come off as trying too hard.

For those who've already seen Eva and hate it, that's totally okay, I get it. The fanbase can get annoying and there are legit flaws. For the fans that love it like myself, tone down the Opinion Myopia, please? I want people to enjoy the series too, but not if it means shoving it down their throats and then blaming them when they regurgitate it.