Well this is the end of my journey with Eva. A very engaging show that always left food for thought and made for a fulfilling experience on every watch. An ambitious tale that left me wondering many things and made me feel conflicted in ways no other media has managed to do so.

Whether Eva has won me over or not, you shall soon see . Find out for yourself by reading this lengthy and comprehensive review that I felt was needed to reflect my entire experience and express general thoughts and bemusements I’ve had.

My biggest praise for Eva would be its cast structure. How it handles character dynamics and fleshes out each character in compelling ways while connecting the cast together through their shared history, amplified by the mystery of the story, and the similar themes they undergo;

Existential crisis, self-hatred, neglect, loneliness, escapism, happiness and love itself. It teaches us that the only step forward is to come to an understanding with each other.
Don’t reject other people’s thoughts & feelings and don’t dwell on your own self-hatred at the cost

of hurting others, life is about experiencing joy as well as pain, running away from reality is not an effective solution as the place you escape to isn’t good either. Coming to accept reality, opening up your heart to others & continuing on in life is the ideal way of living

And you won’t feel as alone as you may seem to think. Even just one connection can go a long way and that in particular is an extremely beautiful message, somewhat bittersweet to digest due to all the tragedy we see but also very earned and a realistic conclusion to come to.

I do however, have my fair share of problems that somewhat hindered my experience, be it the show itself or external reasons outside my control. Firstly, one thing I want to address, something I’ve learned since I joined this platform,

is that It doesn’t help that a good amount of visuals were spoiled all over anitwitter so certain moments didn’t hit as hard as it could have due to pre-existing knowledge. Ppl underestimate the importance of going in blind to a story and it really does make a difference.

Some aspects of my experience were hindered by a smidge and this has been recurring with every story I’ve experienced this year. Honestly hate it. No fault against Eva but It’s something I think more ppl should take seriously. These can rlly shape a person’s outlook & experience.

Now let’s get onto the actual complaints I do have with the show. Bear in mind this is my own experience and only my personal opinion. Don’t assume I treat this as a fact that you should accept. Feel free to disagree.

Firstly, sometimes I felt like the management of colour was far too extreme and can lead to some immersion breaking moments. I think around the 20s kinda suffered from this and it can make certain dialogue be easily missed and hard to take in due to feeling blind-sighted at times

Though, generally, the color grading itself is superb and every shot is beautiful and unique, fits the show perfectly and has a strong sense of identity behind it. A vibrant watch for sure. You won’t run of these ehe candy shots.

Secondly, the OST usage occasionally did get very repetitive, mainly the fights & tension. It kinda lost its charm at a point which can make the action aspect feel hit or miss. Thankfully the actual conflict and resolutions usually delivered so I got a good amount out of it.

And there are still a lot tracks I really loved that accentuated the feel of the scene or overall message. This is a gripe I have but I feel good about in hindsight due to benefit of the doubt and pleasure overweighing annoyances so it’s a net positive experience.

Character themes are filled with flavour and joy, and are consistent with each characters’s personality, especially Misato and Asuka. They’re all distinct from each other too so makes them feel individualistic and have their own identity. I appreciate that detail and care.

The melodrama were all executed beautifully with passionate and evocative tracks that can make any viewer emotional and even blown away by such natural conflict having such a cathartic resolution. The remarkable voice acting performances and ED inserts elevated that even further.

Thankfully, the “godlike” sequences also have some of the most powerful and majestic scores ever (fitting tbf) and left me in complete awe. Not only was it a sight to behold but also an audio treat. Gorgeous cinema and unforgettable too.

Now for the story itself, I think it was kind of a double edged sword. Felt like the hints and plotting at times was far too ambiguous and left too much to interpretation, especially Gendo’s goal which was far too mysterious for longer than I would have liked.

I got the impression that I wasn’t fed enough information as I rlly wanted so occasionally felt dissatisfied with the mystery aspect. Just wasn’t thorough enough. Also felt that certain built up mysteries lingered on for too long that certain reveals like

Rei’s clone stuff and Eva being originally humans or whatever didn’t completely hit as much as I would have liked. That being said, I do adore how the story gradually got intenser through natural means and went from a seemingly simple monster of the week showdown

to an otherworldly phenomenon exploring humanistic complexes, sociopolitical problems, scientific endeavours and side effects of humanity playing God, with climax after climax, be it action or character conflict.

So to sum it up, the plotting is indeed very good and does give you a lot of things to experience and think about simultaneously, but the occasional bumps or meanders in execution stopped it from being complete masterclass for me.

If I’m honest, it did feel like a lot of these aspects took a backseat for the themes, philosophy & moral concepts showcased in the endings of both the tv series & movie. Now that’s not inherently bad but it did leave me a tinge unsatisfied as a viewer from a story perspective.

As for the world building, it is probably the weakest aspect in the entire show. The scale & spectacle is impressive but I don’t think the world is fleshed out enough which is ironic since the story builds to a global climax, only to feel insufficient from that perspective.

I know it’s a fairly short show but would have been nice if it was more realised. Exploring the cultural aspect and day to day lives of randoms would have sufficed.

There’s definitely into there given, but a lot of it was too implicit for me to really value.

I also take slight issue with Rei’s character in general. I felt that she was slightly lacking in the characterisation department and the show kinda relied excessively on her being somewhat of a plot instrument and a thematic extension.

Tbf she’s still good cos she was utilised very well thematically, especially in EoE but I felt like it would have been far more emotionally rewarding if her character arc in terms of actual character work and day to day struggles were explored more extensively.

Felt like she was shafted for the themes & plot (harsh so take it with a grain of salt) which I guess works for Shinji and Eva as a series but for her? Idk. I get that she’s not expressive, I’ve seen this style of writing many times and I absolutely love it if anything,

but it kinda fell short for me in this case, which is unfortunate considering she was the one I was most interested in before I started this show.

She’s still very good and has substance no doubt but I wanted more. And dw, I’m not gonna dismiss her by looking from a narrow perspective because Rei does have a good amount of subtlety to her; smiling early on when Shinji rescues her as it reminds her of her distant memories,

crying up as she finally understands her emotions and she does have decent introspection regarding her own soul feeling lonely and being filled with sorrow.

There’s defly hints to her character work but I guess I wanted the delivery to be more explicit to feel more satisfied.

Usually characters like these tend to have arcs that are more “out there” and noticeable as they reach their character climax and peak moments, but Rei didn’t really go through that route.

It’s fine if ppl didn’t mind that at all and loved it but I would have preferred a slightly more on the nose approach this time. Nonetheless, a great character but like the plot, coulda been less ambiguous and give me more as a viewer to be completely happy with the execution.

Well...this aged well. A rewatch of EoE earlier today improved my opinion on Rei. Despite my issues with her character arc if you wanna call it that,
I found myself appreciating her dialogue a lot more this time and her contribution to Shinji’s overall development was compelling

Rei acting as a sort of antithesis to Shinji and her back and forth with Gendo at his end rlly satisfied me this time. Also, her role in the visual spectacle was absolutely stunning, so yh...Rei’s awesome haha...

Enough about criticisms. Here’s some genuine praise I’ll shed light on. What I did love was how the show combined its filmography with its narrative to create a multilayered story. What stood out in particular regarding this would be episode 21

when they explored Fuyutsuki’s past involving Gendo, Yui and Akagi while simultaneously developing the present storyline through Misato and Kaji.
That was a fantastic piece of writing and I was genuinely impressed by this whole story section.

It was an incredibly complex puzzle of timeline writing that really fleshed out the story in an intriguing way while also adding to the mystery (I rlly liked the mystery this time) and how the past ties to the present’s questions. It was an interesting puzzle to say the least.

The story gradually deepened and the peaks generally did hit hard, be it thematically, emotionally or story wise.

Anno’s visual strengths also really stood out. He’s exceptional at framing shots, and using the attendant color, to create visual compositions that stand out not only as beautiful in the story's context, but also as individual images, a painterly quality

that he then applies back to the work.

When Anno frames an image, the power of that specific image becomes a tool that he can later refer back to for an instantaneous emotional and intellectual response.

This really helps when looking back at Eva since every scene just from the shot alone can evoke some kind of emotion or thought process out of me.

Eva plays with the idea of memory and feels through its iconic imagery and it’s honestly a unique strength a series can have to be able to invoke such emotions on the reader, regardless if it’s positive or negative.

I loved the female cast and found them to be intriguing and enjoyable, easy to invest in and somewhat sympathise to each of their individual struggles. Most of them were meticulously handled and as someone who really values compelling and endearing female characters in stories.

I’m glad Eva provided me with some of my favourite girls. Misato and Asuka in particular were outstanding. Ritsuko’s heavily underrated too and I’m surprised people barely mention her considering how integral she is to the story while also having a meaningful dynamic with Misato.

Not to mention her incredibly crafted complex between her mother, Gendo and herself, regarding logic and how it doesn’t exactly apply to understanding human relationships.

Besides the girls, Shinji is a very good protagonist that explores powerful themes that can be relatable and develops a great deal. He fits the story to a tee and I’m satisfied with him overall as a character. The VA’ing was also exceptional for the most part.

Sometimes a bit too much for me but it’s understandable why she portrayed Shinji like that since he is a very expressive character that is pretty fucked up mentally to say the least. However, I sadly don’t find him THAT appealing.

He’s just not to my tastes & I tend to find myself more interested in others like Misato and Asuka. A very well written character that I can appreciate for sure but couldn’t really contend my absolute favourites, probably a light one. Understandable if you love him though.

One thing I really enjoyed was how the AT field was used as a way to portray an emotional and psychological barrier a person has to hold them together. Without it, an individual’s form is lost Something about that concept and how it ties into Shinji and Asuka’s character journeys

is something I find very rich and worthwhile to explore.

It encapsulates the moral dilemma of the whole series. Especially for characters like Shinji and Gendo. Shinji is terrified of keeping his down and every time he’s hurt he doubles down and risks either completely shutting down and becoming a lifeless husk or becoming his father.

We’re essentially being asked throughout Eva if love and human connection are worth the pain and trauma they can entail. The AT field is a perfect analogy since the pilots at times can’t help from treating their real lives like Eva combat with the angels,

as if their fellow humans are the angels in their lives that threaten to pierce them and take them out of the fight of life if they let their guard down whatsoever.

I find it so tragic how the pilots suffer their most emotional damage or stagnation in the timeline of the series when they take their work home with them and hedgehog it up and they suffer their most avoidable losses or stumbles against the angels when they succumb to their

emotions while piloting. And Shinji’s answer to Kaworu’s question is a major step for him. A groundbreaking leap toward acceptance. Shinji wavers so much throughout the series and wildly fluctuates between both extremes, either being extremely emotional or withdrawing entirely.

Here, we finally sort of see him come to terms with the nature of life and humanity and accept the whole package for all its blemishes. Whatever will be will be and now he realizes he has no control over that, so it’s not worth torturing himself trying to.

Now for the endings. I think EoE is generally much more engaging than the original ending. Helps that the audiovisuals are pretty much masterclass and transcendent in the anime medium with a more updated aspect ratio too which I generally prefer.

Thematically? Not sure, both are great messages that one can take in and apply to life; accepting both joy and pain in life helps you to make one step forward and happiness can be anything rlly. NGE probably handled this a bit better.

Although, EoE themes linger on more due to its multiple interpretations and need to digest it cos it takes a while to process but in the moment, NGE ending thematic execution is arguably more satisfying.

Tough pick really on first watch but a revisit changes and EoE definitely better in this regard. Has much more thought put into it and more impressionable on the viewer. Both are fantastic though and very memorable and unique approaches to a conclusion.

In terms of spectacle & experience, EoE obliterates anything in NGE as it combines Christian symbolism, Jewish mysticism, sexual paranoia, teenage angst and all sorts of societal, psychological, behavioural,emotional messages into a searing apocalyptic soup. It’s a mouthful LMAO

While it was indeed a lot to stomach, I’m definitely impressed by the creative and ambitious artistry behind such profound writing and striking presentation. So take it as a compliment in this case cos this generally wouldn’t work for me

and I would scream pretentiousness from my lungs. EoE doesn’t suffer from this (thank God).

I love these shots my God. Peak cinema

As for the final scene, my interpretation is that Shinji choking Asuka was his way of confirming rejection and denial still exist, and Asuka stroking Shinji means that acceptance also still exists, even when all the hearts are separated.

Shinji refused to get close to anyone because he feared rejection; Asuka constantly rejected everyone. Shinji had to learn to stop fearing rejection, and Asuka had to learn to stop rejecting everyone out of hand.

This scene also echoes an earlier one during Instrumentality when Shinji chokes Asuka while arguing with her about whose fault it is that they were never able to get closer. Asuka caressing Shinji could also be interpreted as her admitting her own fault,

and pledging to try harder to correct her own flaws. A thematically rich and potent ending that concludes both their character arcs perfectly. Upon reflection. It’s a satisfying end and I love it more over time.

Overall what I would say is that Evangelion is a touching and arguably life changing story that clearly has something for everyone. How much you take out of it is completely up to you and I personally took a great deal out of it, be it positive or negative.

It’s definitely one of the most revolutionary and impressively crafted pieces of work in its medium that can really make you reconsider what you value in entertainment, writing and even as far as to how you approach life in general.

In other words, your brain will work real hard to take this all in. Whether you want that mental challenge or not is up to you. I’m open to any type of media and aren’t particularly stubborn with how I approach it so I welcomed this challenge and am all the more thankful for it.

It’s fantastically directed and at its peak has a rich and memorable score, beautiful cinematography and something very important to tell.

Anno clearly wants to have an impact on the audience and when everything clicks, it can be quite the special & thought provoking experience, and no doubt it left a strong and lasting impression on me; teared up, smiled, was uncomfortable, felt frustration, confusion, you name it.

I was conflicted upon initially finishing EoE but after a rewatch, man...guess I lost to Evangelion.

NGE 9/10

EoE 9.5/10

Overall 9.5/10

Overall anime:
1. Haikyu
2. Monster
3. Fullmetal Alchemist (2003+BH)
4. Hunter x Hunter (99+2011)
5. Parasyte
6. Code Geass
7. Inazuma Eleven
8. Neon Genesis Evangelion + EoE
9. Kaguya-Sama: Love is War
10. Fate Zero

Top 10 Eva Characters
1. Misato/Asuka
2. Asuka/Misato
3. Shinji
4. Ritsuko
5. Kaji
6. Rei
7. Gendo
8. Kaworu
9. Fuyutsuki
10.Yui
(3rd-5th are interchangeable tbh but top 2 are pretty clear for me)

This is my first time providing such extensive feedback that gives a good insight to what a show did for me. Guess Eva’s that good if I went to all this effort lmao. Anyways, I would appreciate any meaningful response and opportunity for elaborate discussion.

Feel free to ask any question and I’m more than happy to answer.