10 Years of Neon Genesis Evangelion 312
smooth wombat writes "Mainichi Daily News has a lengthy, multi-part article on the history of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The article looks back at the 10 years since Evangelion appeared and how it changed the world of manga." From the article: "In a series of 26 episodes, Evangelion told the story of a 14-year-old boy called Shinji Ikari, who piloted a biomechanical combat robot called an Evangelion, which fought against mysterious extraterrestrial monsters known as Angels. But Shinji was also a regular junior high school pupil, and his school life featured strongly in the anime's plot too. As did psychotherapy and the Old Testament, which director Hideaki Anno attributed as influences while creating the series. Evangelion become a huge hit across Japan, attracting fans across generations, sparking a massive public debate over its controversial final episode -- which many criticized for leaving the work unfinished -- and sparking unprecedented merchandising sales that set the scene for the current manga market."
Congratulations! (Score:4, Informative)
I couldn't believe they had spent the ~$30 per 4 episodes [amazon.com] to collect this set!
If you don't care about spoilers or have seen all the episodes and movies, check out the Wiki page on it [wikipedia.org]. That has the best definitive analysis of this series that I've ever read. I know that since I am not a native Japanese speaker, I probably missed a lot of this implied meaning just by being preoccupied with reading the subbed script. I honestly always predicted something very Freudian about every relationship in the series but I think it was just because of the father figure and strange emotions that were sometimes appearant.
There's not much I can say without ruining any plot so I believe I'll hold my tongue.
Yes the episodes were good but I don't agree with: That's both ridiculous and preposterous! The episode completely wrapped up and
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Congratulations! (Score:2)
Funny, I've always wondered why Star Wars never made it in the US as a mainstrWHAT? New DVD Editions and this time Han shoots first?! Sold!
Wait, where was I?
Re:Congratulations! (Score:4, Interesting)
Kindly name two examples other than Evangelion.
There is almost ALWAYS one, and only one, version of an anime TV series. What might be confusing you is that there are sometimes completely different programs based on the same story.
For example, there is a new TV series right now called "Ah, My Goddess", which is a completely different production from an earlier series (and an earlier OAV) of the same name. Each is a different show, just like how if you go to IMDB.COM, you can find about 200 different movies about the gunfight at the O.K. Corral (the best of which were probably "My Darling Clementine" and "Tombstone.")
Re:Congratulations! (Score:2)
?????
What's up with that?
Of course you're you. You're also annoying.
Re:Congratulations! (Score:2)
a permenant mind f*ck (Score:2)
By the way that's not the end of Evangelion. There were 2 full-length movies. The first (End of Evangelion) was basically a re-hash of the series, very little new content. The second is "Death and Rebirth" which was Hideko Anno's response to people complaints about
Re:a permenant mind f*ck (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:a permenant mind f*ck (Score:2)
But then again, I also actually liked Shinji, so I know I'm in the minority. (Sure, he did complain a lot, but I consider going from lonely schoolboy to robot pilot fighting to save the human race with little say in the matter to
Re:a permenant mind f*ck (Score:4, Insightful)
So I scream at Shinji for his pathetic weakness when he runs away from having to pilot Eva, because I can't scream at his weakness in dealing with Rei, Asuka and Misato...
Re:a permenant mind f*ck (Score:2)
The unifying feature of all the Eva pilots was that they were neglected and/or abandoned children.
The unifying feature of the entire cast was that they were all completely disfunctional.
I mostly didn't care for Death and Rebirth, but the hospital scene when Shinji visits the unconscious Asuka has got to be one of the most creepy and disturbing moments I've ever seen in a motion picture. "Requiem for a Dream" was a light-hearted romp compared to that scene.
Re:a permenant mind f*ck (Score:2)
Spoiler warning, if anyone has managed to not see it yet and yet still wants to...
--
Basically, insert the movies between episodes 24 and 25 and it seems to fit really well. Left by itself, you end up halfway through Ep. 26 before you figure out that everyone is dead and we're just watching a le
Re:a permenant mind f*ck (Score:2)
Er, you guys have both got it backwards, and you specifically have got it backwards in two different ways.
"Death & Rebirth" was a recap of the series; not much more. It had a few minutes of extra footage but it was basically intended as the equivalent of a clip show.
"The End of Evangelion" is the real ending of the series. Hideaki Anno has sai
Re:a permenant mind f*ck (Score:4, Informative)
Other way round. Death and Rebirth was a clip-show of the series, followed by the first half of End of Evangelion (Air). EoE was the full alternate ending, consisting of some awesome battles followed by a brainfuck.
Re:a permenant mind f*ck (Score:2)
Oh, and pertaining to the GP poster's comment, I've watch both Evangelion and all of Lain in one sitting (not both in the same sitting). Lain is only a mindf--- if you try to make sense of it. When it comes down to it, all Lain seems to be about is your standard teenage la
Re:a permenant mind f*ck (Score:2)
End of Evangelion is rather twisted, which is rather obvious from the very first scene and words. Anyone that has seen it knows specifically what I'm talking about.
oops (Score:2)
Re:a permenant mind f*ck (Score:2)
"Haibane Renmei" is a 13-part series which I feel is the best dramatic animation series ever made.
YMMV, obviously.
Re:Congratulations! (Score:2)
Re:Congratulations! (Score:2)
That's not a reflection of how unpopular it was in Japan.
It's a reflection of how massively popular Nadesico was over there. (As well it deserved to be.)
Nadesico didn't catch on as much in the US for several reasons:
1. It was a HORRIBLE dub.
2. A lot of the funny word-play sim
Huh? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Huh? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Informative)
The Three-Minute Summary of NGE
NGE is the story of a program initiated by a secret council of powerful old men in order to make themselves immortal. The program uses genetic material from "aliens" (who are actually not aliens, but rather the original inhabitants of Earth, related to humans but not the same species) to create living "robots" that can only be operated by children who have been traumatically separated from their mothers - the bodily fluids of the mothers are used to provide an interface to the "robots". The original plan was to have the old men take over an immortal fusion of human and "robot", but this was hijacked by the lead scientist on the project who was aiming to be reunited with his dead wife (the mother of one of the child pilots). This also goes awry, and the result is that all of humanity undergoes an involuntary fusion with everybody else, but this is interrupted by the rejection of this union by the child pilot who acts as the medium for the unification, when he realises it will mean those closest to him being able to know his most secret thoughts. The ending is ambiguous as to how the whole mess works out.
Blasphemy! (Score:3, Funny)
Can't you see how NGE completely changed anime! It brought a new and inspired story line of a teenage kid with social problems battling aliens in a giant robot... innovative ideas that had never been examined before!
Err wait... I guess I'm with you, anime is just like any other genre/media, there are a few great pearls of human insight, b
Re:Blasphemy! (Score:2)
That's the idea you have of the anime when seeing only the 2 first episodes of it
Err wait... I guess I'm with you, anime is just like any other genre/media, there are a few great pearls of human insight, but in general its mass marketed garbage
This view explains why you could never pass the
Re:Huh? (Score:4, Interesting)
I used to watch a lot of it, I still watch a decent amount when taken in a percentage to the amount of TV/movies I watch, but in the end I it's because I end up choosing the Anime, it wasn't forced on me.
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
It is in fact a huge nippon pop culture invasion on the american land. what i mean is, this is to japan as what jerry springer is to america.
Mangas are the pulse of japan, it reflects their values, what they like, dont like...etc.. just like what american shows do here.
I have to agree that it is different, thats what i
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
I'm not saying all animes are in the same basket, I'm saying animes arent largely different from the kind of culture we're being submitted to on this side of the continent. There are plenty of US-made shows I liked too - Carnivale for instance, or Schindler's list in the movie department.
But now you got my interest, I'll
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Informative)
I liked the giant robot teens in Voltron.
It wasn't particularly well-drawn or anything, but it was different. And there were a lot of shows like that.
Now, though, anime kids with giant robots has become a genre. And the differences are smaller even than the differences between sitcoms! Dexter's lab actually spent a whole episode making fun of it. At this point, that's what it's good for.
Right now, I see three genres of anime that are on TV:
1) actual new stories
2) giant robots - same old shows, but now designed to get kids to buy giant robot action figures to play with.
3) cards/animals/toys that help people fight or fight themselves. Designed to get kids to buy cards/animals/toys because those things make the kid better at the things the characters on the show do, and therefore better people.
I can't stomach the last kind at all. The second kind is just annoying. The only ones I even consider are the first kind.
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
As opposed to the three major types of American TV:
1) "Reality" based shows
2) Imported and dubbed anime or worse, 'original' series in 'anime style' (Ironic?)
3) Rehashes of older shows with the same jokes updated with current cultural/political references.
Of course, a good portion of anime is exactly as you describe. Also, there are occasionally good non-anime TV shows that may not break any new ground but just do a really good job of it. "House" comes t
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
Desperate Housewives? Or pretty much anything on Cinemax...
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
Like "Field of Dreams" Evangelion gets worse every time I see it. The stupid religous references, the gaping plot holes, the third grade technobabble, the expostiton by blunt trauma, and the absolutely inexplicable ending all add up to something I'm ashamed I sat through.
Anyone can flame me all they want, but this is only my opinion.
That series embodies everything that is bad about anime. Give me a Cowboy Bebop over an Evangelion anyday.
If you care: Eva is criticical of anime fandom (Score:5, Interesting)
I also thought the original ending was pretty lame... but if you add to it the re-done, arguably "real" ending seen in End of Evangelion, [imdb.com] it's great! Really harrowing, and leaves you scratching your head with that "what the fuck?" feeling you get after seeing "2001: A Space Odyssey" for the first time. (Interestingly enough, that article includes at least one screen cap from End of Evangelion, without ever mentioning that exists and wasn't part of the original 26 episodes.)
Yeah, a lot of the religious stuff in Evangelion seems tacked-on. It's more accurately described as "pseudo-religious" anyway, because aside from stealing a bunch of names from old Christian mythology it doesn't really have much of anything to do with Christianity. That's OK, though -- it makes it interesting. I'll take a show that even pretends to make you think, as some people are accusing Evangelion of, than one that doesn't even try at all. Patrick McGoohan's "The Prisoner" is another show that comes to mind that's vulnerable to a lot of criticism, but if you watch it with an open mind it can be very rewarding.
The psychoanalytical stuff in Evangelion is more interesting than the religious stuff. A lot of people here describe it as "Freudian," but while I don't know a whole lot about the various schools of psychoanalysis, I don't know if that's strictly accurate. What it does do is try to get inside the heads of these characters in a way that is, at times, profoundly disturbing (if you've managed to pay attention through the whole show).
One thing that's probably lost on a lot of American, non-otaku audiences, though, is that much of what was going on in Evangelion was meant to be sort of a criticism of otaku culture. Early episodes of Evangelion regularly feature teasers of the next episode that promise lots of "fan service" [wikipedia.org] and seem to make it clear that it's meant to be the ultimate show for fans. But the later, more psychological episodes try to delve in to the characters' minds, many of whom have personality traits that the producers of the show thought were common in anime fandom in Japan.
The long and the short of it: That joke about Slashdot people living in their parents' basements, watching anime? That's how the creator of Evangelion saw anime fandom, basically.
The main character of Evangelion, Shinji, is extremely introverted in a way that a lot of Japanese anime fans are. He can't connect with girls, or with anyone really. He feels his parents can't understand him, and has a bad relationship with him. Then he discovers that he can pilot this giant robot and it makes him feel worthwhile. His fellow pilots have this same feeling too; they begin to feel worthless if they are no longer able to fly the giant robots. In that sense, you could say the purpose of the larger pseudo-religious conspiracy storyline going on in the background is really just to point out, Meanwhile there's a whole big world going on out there. All the characters are just too wrapped up in themselves and their angst to see it at first. Shinji's main character arc is his discovery of himself as an individual and coming to terms with what it means to be an adult living in the world.
This subject matter isn't going to appeal to everyone. If you aren't interested in fun stories about cool-looking giant robots battling alien monsters, then the first few episodes aren't going to appeal to you at all. But if you can't get that far, then the later episodes are going to seem hollow, silly, and contrived. Basically, though Evangelion has a broad audience, if there's no part of y
religion in Evangelion (Score:2)
So
Re:Huh? (Score:2)
I just don't any of the Dragonball shows. I love Kenshin and Full Metal Alchemist. Everybody is different. I don't get the love that some people have for Firefly. To me it is just "The Outlaw Josie Wales" in space. I like it but It isn't the end all and be all. On the other hand I really liked DS-9 and Babylon 5.
It is okay not to like anime. Heck I love old Hepburn and Tracy movies. I thought part of being a geek was not feeling like you
Re:Huh? (Score:3, Funny)
You've got me... I was just looking for some solidarity ;)
Summarized Plot (Score:5, Funny)
Shinji: My life sucks, I want to die!
Rei:
Asuka: Stupid Shinji.
THE END.
Re:Summarized Plot (Score:2)
His Dad: You suck.
Re:Summarized Plot (Score:5, Funny)
First couple of episode: OMFG THIS IS AN AWESOME GIANT ROBOT ANIME!!11oneone
Next dozen or so episode: actually, we can stretch this out a lot farther if we make it an underage sex comedy, because there aren't nearly enough of those.
Last few episode: ok ok sorry, we'll get serious. there, look, we killed someone. isn't that cool?
Final episode: whatever. it was all a dream. we don't even care anymore.
Fans: w-t-f ??? we are going murder you!
Movie: fine, he's a movie. Just pretend that the last episode never happened and watch this movie.
a biomechanical combat robot... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:a biomechanical combat robot... (Score:2)
Only for about 60 seconds.
Re:a biomechanical combat robot... (Score:2)
Later in the series, five minutes. Which started out as what it could do in emergency power-save mode, but ended up what it could do while smashing the crap out of Mass Production Evangelions.
Still not long. I wonder if I could get an S2 unit for my Prius, though?
Thank you Evangelion (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Thank you Evangelion (Score:4, Insightful)
- Thank you, Star Wars, for inspiring a generation of crappy Sci-Fi space operas
- Thank you, Seinfeld, for causing another cycle of lousy sitcoms, just when the idea seemed to have run it's course
- Thank you, Doom, for all the dozens of shitty FPS that flooded the game industry in the mid-90's
All dated examples, but they've already run their course, so they're good examples. LotR will be responsible for lousy new fantasy, you can be sure; and Spiderman is to blame for all the lousy new superhero movies in theatres these days. Any classic will be imitated, badly; that doesn't mean you should stop making classics. IMHO, Neon Genesis is a really, really weird sorta classic. It's weirdness is classic, and oh-so-refreshing. I agree with theJML here; Anime is Japanese TV, nothing more or less; but when you're sick as hell of sitcoms, reality TV, home renovation shows, and music videos, discovering Anime is like reaching the New World and discovering chocolate and potatoes. It's still just food, but it's a welcome change from old salt pork and pickled cabbage.
Asuka was ten times as "manly" (Score:2)
Er, so I've heard.
Moderations to Show: -1 (Overrated) (Score:5, Insightful)
Wrong. The quality of a piece of literature isn't in its complexity, it's actually in the simple, easily apparent parts. The complexity adds dimensions to the simple story, but it does not add meaning itself, and often *confuses* meaning by adding extraneous material in the attempt to make "a really cool story."
So that leaves us with Evangelion, admired by hordes and spurned by people who are described by said hordes as "not getting it." Perhaps there's just not that much to get? Perhaps you're adding too much into a reading, because they left so much hanging you constructed around the work? That's not literature. Literature guides your faculties, it doesn't fool them and then expect them to expand things past the breaking point.
To wit, look at shakespeare. Generally, a couple rich people who get in trouble with someone else, and either laugh it off or die. The end. The complexity is internalized in the characters; the plot itself is simple. That is why Shakespeare is Shakespeare, and Evangelion is just another mecha anime.
Re:Moderations to Show: -1 (Overrated) (Score:2)
Followed up by Butthead saying "It's hard, but it's not hard" while looking a copy of the statue of David.
Re:Moderations to Show: -1 (Overrated) (Score:5, Insightful)
Frankly, I think you've hit the nail on the head - and I think you'll probably be crucified on
I've got to admit I wasted a few hours of my life watching Evangelion recently, after hearing so much about it from a couple friends. Here's my impressions of the series:
Start of series
Producer: "Hey, let's make an anime about mecha! That always sells!
Writer: "Great idea!"
Roughly halfway through the series
Producer: "This really isn't very good - let's turn it into a mystical/psychological story!"
Writer: "Great idea!"
Three episodes before the end
Producer: "I have no idea how to wrap this up - let's get totally hammered for the next few weeks!"
Writer: "GREAT IDEA!!"
Re:Moderations to Show: -1 (Overrated) (Score:5, Funny)
Start of series
Producer: "Hey, let's make an anime about mecha! That always sells!
Writer: "Great idea!"
No, more like:
Producer: Anno-san! We really like your mecha! Could you do a series with lots of mecha?
Anno Hideaki: Hai hai...if it's mecha you want, mecha you get...
Roughly halfway through the series
Producer: "This really isn't very good - let's turn it into a mystical/psychological story!"
Writer: "Great idea!"
Producer: Anno-san, WTF is all this mystical/psychological/Qabalistic crap you're throwing into the series?
Anno Hideaki: Trust me.
Three episodes before the end
Producer: "I have no idea how to wrap this up - let's get totally hammered for the next few weeks!"
Writer: "GREAT IDEA!!"
Producer: Anno! We aren't happy with the most recent shows, ratings are diving, we're cutting your funding...now finish it!
Anno Hideaki: (has nervous breakdown)
Re:Moderations to Show: -1 (Overrated) (Score:2)
Except that
Though I'm not really a fan of Eva, it's not just another mecha anime. The mecha part is just a decoy and you fe
Evangelion Otaku (Score:3, Interesting)
An interesting thought. I've mentioned already [slashdot.org] that I think of Shinji as an archetype of what geeks hate in themselves. But that's my own impression of Shinji, as a foreign geek watching Evangelion in isolation.
Looking at him in the Japanese cultural context from which he came, might Shinji be on the borderline of becoming a hikikomori [wikipedia.org]? Look at his position: his father is distant and entirely consumed with his work, he himself has great difficu
Re:Moderations to Show: -1 (Overrated) (Score:2)
I'd bet you say the same thing about Dada art [wikipedia.org].
Sometimes the point of art is to "not
Parent == Overrated; Parent != Insightfull; (Score:2)
1- You are trolling: Going in a thread about a show and saying "this show sucks and people who like it are dumb", even if obfuscated in a lot of big words, is trolling.
2- Literature is for books [m-w.com]. This is a television show. You just wrote 4 paragraphs about how you don't think a televesion show is litterature. Four paragraphs based on an obvious fallacy!
The complexity is internalized in the charact
Re:Moderations -- It's X-files syndrome (Score:2)
I agree completely with your post. Very well said.
(except the "zero appeal"... I think it's still got some appeal, even if only for the angel battles)
It seems to me that NGE fell prey to "X-files syndrome":
Just keep hinting at something.
You have no idea what this something is, per se, but *wink**wink* *nudge**nudge* it's a HUGE secret. Big hints, little hints, obscure hints...all sorts of hints; but, and this is the important part, the writers have no big picture in mind.
Final Episode (Score:2)
Re:Final Episode (Score:2)
Ahahahaahahahahahahahahaha hah hahahaha!
No.
But go ahead. Pick up The End of Evangelion and watch it if you like. Feel free, go right ahead. It makes even less sense than the original ending, but before it goes entirely bananas there are some supremely cool mecha battles.
Re:Final Episode (Score:4, Insightful)
Spoiler warning, although this is strictly my personal interpretation of the story.
--
The underlying premise is an attempt to describe the nature of the human soul.
When you are first conceived, you have no soul. (Rei is the key to this interpretation, as this is pretty much the reason she exists IMHO)
As you grow, your soul is constructed by copying parts of the souls belonging to the people you interact with (including pre-birth interactions though the womb). Individuality and personality arises from the unique mixture of these copied portions and personal experiences. This is important to understand the ending.
The concept of the "Absolute Terror Field" is introduces as a barrier that keeps each soul separate. (Although throughout the series it is also manifested as a physical barrier). This is also important to understand the ending, as well as a few things throughout the story.
Because of the above, no single soul can ever be "complete", with the exception of the "First" - Adam and Eve (From the Genesis account of the creation of life) and, from a particular interpretation/version, Adam's first wife Lilith - Eve being the third with an unnamed second wife - who is actually the one who mankind is descended from). The creation of man caused the separation of these "perfect" souls.
Man discovers the "First Angel" - which they name Adam - In Antarctica. While trying to capture him/it, it self destructs and causes what is refereed to as "Second Impact". However, man was able to recover a portion of Adam. (And, apparently, most of Lilith)
The "Human Instrumentality Project" mentioned in the series intended to 'fix' this problem and get all of the imperfect, partial souls to recombine into a new perfect soul - and supposedly usher in the next major step in man's evolution, and becoming closer to God.
NERV and the EVAs were essentially a front for the whole operation. (I still haven't been able to pin down exactly how the Angels themselves work into it. Maybe they're pissed that man has stolen Adam and want him back?)
At the end (This is in EoE), Rei rejoins Lilith - from which she was directly created. Lilith's/Rei's soul is thus completed, and begins the "Third Impact" by neutralizing the AT fields of all life on the planet, which removed the barriers keeping the souls apart.
Rei's soul then becomes the nexus of this event, in which all souls are being recombined into a single, "perfect" soul. But Rei was created by Gendo Ikari without a soul of her own. His plan was to impress enough of his soul into Rei so he could be at the center of the event, which is why he was always so protective of and spent so much time with her. Ultimately, it was Shinji's soul who had the most influence, and so he became the center of it all.
In the end, all life on the planet was essentially destroyed and Shinji (with his now perfect, complete soul) effectively becomes God. The last two episodes are basically about him thinking about his life, having dialog with the other character's, reflecting on everything, and eventually deciding he would like to continue existing along with everyone else.
Pretentious? You bet! But the whole giant robot thing was actually very superficial to the actual story. Inserting EoE before the last two episiodes really, really helped put it all together.
=Smidge=
10 years... (Score:5, Funny)
One of the more controversial things about Eva (Score:5, Interesting)
One of the more interesting connections was also with Aum Shinrikyo. Apparently at least one of the assistant directors on Eva was a member of Aum Shinrikyo. Anno himself mentions this, and also mentions that he started writing eva right around when the Aum Shinrikyo attack occured. Aum Shinrikyo apparently also used Eva tapes for recuriting afterwords, but apparently stopped after GAINAX started complaining.
Re:One of the more controversial things about Eva (Score:2)
Re:One of the more controversial things about Eva (Score:2)
Re:One of the more controversial things about Eva (Score:2, Funny)
Re:One of the more controversial things about Eva (Score:2)
I can't think of anything better to use for recruiting people to a cult than an over-analyzed, over-hyped anime with a total mindfuck ending. Scientology is pretty similar here, except they use the writings of a hack SF author.
Overrated (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Overrated (Score:2)
This is perhaps a good thing, though. Mythology is less interesting when everything is understood and concrete.
Switching to a Western example, I remember when I first read Lord of the Rings. The world was huge and deep, with occasional iceber
Wow , American's who can't appreciate non US art ? (Score:2, Funny)
The Evas weren't "just robots". (Score:3, Insightful)
The Evas are very, very important to the plot. They aren't just some mechs that were added in just for the coolness factor (though they certainly do add that). There is a very lengthy background concerning their creation, origin, and ultimate purpose. The fact that most people will watch maybe the first handful of episodes and then dismiss it as nothing more than a "mechs kill shit" series leads to the wrong ideas about what this series actually is. The Evas aren't just used for killing humanity's enemies. They're used in both political and personal agendas, and oddly enough, the Evas, well, damn, almost gave something else away.
I made it a point to watch the entire series several times to try and pick up on things I missed. End of Evangelion pretty much confirmed a lot of my suspicions about the true motivations behind the simultaneous projects going on, almost all of which were connected somehow. Granted, it went almost a bit too far with the "what the hell?" mindfuck aspect near the end of the movie, but it was an interesting picture and merely one person's interpretation of Judeo-Christian themes.
So, to dismiss this series as "just another giant robot anime" is pretty short-sighted, in my humble opinion. I'll admit that it takes a while for it to really get started, but when it does, it runs full-on.
RahXephon (Score:3, Informative)
Negativity misses the point of the article (Score:2)
Re:Seriously... (Score:2)
Re:Seriously... (Score:2)
Re:manga sucks (Score:2)
Re:manga sucks (Score:5, Funny)
Re:GITS (Score:5, Informative)
Just like evangelion just uses the powerful imagery of mecha as a vehicle of introspection into human psychology.
Re:GITS (Score:2)
Re:GITS (Score:2)
I think that was intentionally, especially considering the ending was pretty much a slap in the face.
Re:GITS (Score:3, Informative)
Well... She can't just pop out of her body like a pilot. If she is a Robo-mecha that pretty much anyone else is.
And gits follows a different plot line. 99.9% she is in her own body unless you count her being in cyberspace not.
In a Giant-robo movie. Most of the time the lead character does his thing outside the robot... The conversation... The drama... And then all of a sudden a big baddy arrives in the city to wreck h
Re:GITS (Score:2)
Kids have no problem picturing themselves in robots, or even transforming, they know they can go back to normal. Most (male) kids just loves this.
Something like what happens in GitS or Casshern would be at the very least disturbing to kids (and adults alike).
Re:GITS (Score:2, Funny)
Yeah, right, troll. Your mum's a giant robot.
Re:GITS (Score:2)
I'm not saying that Evangelion is a timeless classic, but it's no Voltron. If you get nothing more out of it than "person in a giant robot," you should probably stop watching anything more complicated than romantic comedies.
Re:Please no more cartoon news (Score:3, Insightful)
Please no more computer news (Score:3, Funny)
(mod me down if you wish... that doesn't change the truth)
Re:Please no more cartoon news (Score:2)
Its another form of ENTERTAINMENT man ! And quite impressive and sometimes quite hilarious one indeed !
Maybe it is their "Work too much, be in good diciplinline, tradition" heritage, but japanese can really crack themselves and the audience up with what they do as entertainment.
Some of the mind-bending laughter i had over my whole life were from animes.
You would do better to take a more positi
Re:Please no more cartoon news (Score:2)
You've seen Excel Saga.
Re:Please no more cartoon news (Score:2)
Re:Please no more cartoon news (Score:2)
Funny goddamn anime...Nuku Nuku (Score:2)
Re:Please no more cartoon news (Score:4, Interesting)
Actually, Evangelion didn't start to get really popular in Japan until it was shown in a timeslot that was targeted torwards adults.
Eva is a very intricate and complex series that appeals to adults more than children.
Re:Yes, but... (Score:4, Funny)
The only time we saw a recognisable interface, it looked like MS-DOS. And it had a two-letter dictionary password.
and on the other side... (Score:2)
And on the OTHER other side... (Score:2)
It all returns to nothing... (Score:2)
re:AC (Score:2)
The CD's are pretty good.
Re:How did it change the world of Manga? (Score:2)
Re:9 years too many (Score:4, Insightful)
No, it's not. As is repeatedly demonstrated with other genres and other media, just because something is popular doesn't mean that it's not tripe.
and it's not THAT great.
Yes, NGE isn't that great. However, it does have the ability to appeal to a wide range of people. I related to it because I empathize with Shinji; I understand the mindfuck at the end. That doesn't mean that I think it's the best or even really that good.
Re:9 years too many (Score:4, Insightful)
Despite its problems, there are some interesting elements in Eva. It's just unfortunate that the execution of the show leaves...something...to be desired.
The show did run out of time and money - something that happens quite often. After all, Eva was being marketed as a TV series product - not as a piece of art.
Eva wasn't even the first show that the studio had problems with regarding money or time... The story goes, that one of their earlier works was a direct-to-video series called Gunbuster (which STILL hasn't been released on DVD in the US. GRRRR!) ran out of time and money. So, they took a risk and released the final episode in black and white. This time they got lucky. The dark look of the epiosde worked well and helped underscore the desparation the characters faced.
In the case of Eva, they weren't so lucky. The main writer had suffered a nervous breakdown, and the TV stations were demanding that the show be wrapped up on time.
At any rate, you should not - and can not - judge all of anime by just one or two series. You must remember that anime is not a single genre intended for a single audience. Just like with American TV and movies, there are different genres and different audiences.
And despite what you may think, there are plenty of good stories being told via anime. Unfortunatly, there's also a lot of garbage out there. But if you keep an open mind and keep looking, I'm sure you'll find something.
I would put forth Cowboy Bebop as a show you should look into. It's perhaps one of the best titles for introducing the potential that the medium can accomplish. It's not a kid show, but isn't hyper-violent and graphic like Akira. While it does incorporate some sci-fi elements, it's really just a human drama that deals with a wide variety of issues while not being "too Japanese" in its philosophies or actions. And, finally, it has an excellent English voice-over.
Re:9 years too many (Score:2, Funny)