Forum - View topicWhat is your opinion of Evangelion?
|
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Next |
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
anime racket
Posts: 314 |
|
||
|
What do you think of Evangelion? Is it the best anime series in the
world or the worst? Are the characters poorly designed, but the story good? Vice versa? I would like to know what you think of this series. |
|||
|
|||
|
ThePoliced
Posts: 130 |
|
||
|
yawn.
It's really a stepping stone in anime history. But we need to let go. |
|||
|
|||
notrogersmith
 Posts: 193 |
|
||
|
Short version: My opinion is mixed.
Long version: I may be in the minority here, but I like that Shinji is an antihero, as in the classical "loser" type of antihero, not the morally gray tough guy. Why should an average boy not quake in his boots and desperately want to run away from life-and-death situations? Why should we expect bravery to come readily to him? The problems of using kids to save the world are even lampshaded at one point. Often, the action is exciting and scary, and there are even some intentionally humorous moments as well. In general, the story is very imaginative, a very different take on the whole super robot genre. spoiler[(And yes, I know that the Evas aren't really robots.)] On the other hand, just about everyone in the series is dysfunctional to the point that it strains suspension of disbelief. Sometimes the angst gets overwrought and has insufficient motivation. The faux symbolism, such as the cross-shaped explosions, comes off as silly. The psychology and philosophy are dodgy in places. Also, corners get cut in animation in some places. One infamous scene has a still shot of the Unit 01 Eva holding someone, namely spoiler[Kaworu], for about two minutes. The budget was spread thin, especially in some of the later episodes, and it shows. (BTW, several of these problems look like they're being addressed in the Rebuild of Evangelion movies.) In short, the series is good in a lot of ways but also very flawed. I like how our own Hope Chapman, a.k.a. JesuOtaku, described it in one of her video reviews as a "must see" but not a "must love." |
|||
|
|||
SecretAgent94
 Posts: 204 |
|
||
|
Still haven't seen any of it yet. I have decided to wait until the "Rebuild of Evangelion" movies are all released and in one complete box-set.
|
|||
|
|||
swienke
 Posts: 245 |
|
||
|
Oh no, you're playing with fire with this thread. Eva has a tendency to ignite some of the most spectacular anime related flame wars I've ever seen. I think I'll grab some popcorn and watch for the almost inevitable fireworks.
Personally, I don't like the series very much. I don't quite hate it, but I can't understand the adoration that it receives in some circles. I think Notrogersmith did a good job of pointing out the aspects of the show that I dislike as well, especially the problems with the characters. It's one thing to have a couple of characters that are deeply screwed up, but when the entire cast acts as though they just walked out of a textbook on Freudian psychology it gets a little ridiculous. I also found just about every character to be deeply unlikeable in the long run, with the exceptions of Misato, Kaji, and maybe Rei, which kind of killed the series for me. It made it impossible for me to emotionally connect with the show, and by the time the last two episodes rolled around I just didn't care anymore. I still haven't even finished the last two episodes because I just didn't give a s*&^ about what happened to anyone anymore. Fortunately, the Rebuild movies have kind of rehabilitated the series in my eyes, so I look forward to seeing where they go from here. |
|||
|
|||
ailblentyn
 Posts: 1688 Location: body in Ohio, heart in Sydney |
|
||
|
I don't care who doesn't like Evangelion. It's one of the classics, and we're never going to "get over" it or leave it behind completely.
I don't understand at all how anyone could lack respect for the beautiful character designs. The character design for Rei (while she's not my favourite character in the story) is one of the most stunningly iconic I know. There's a reason she is so often chosen for as a poster image and for book covers. (I'm thinking off the top of my head of the cover of the "Rough Guide to Anime" and a poster for a dance party I saw in Amsterdam two years ago.) |
|||
|
|||
Anymouse
 Posts: 685 |
|
||
|
Got to episode 10. Slut fondles German Bitch. Finally decided I couldn't stand anymore. The best parts of the show were the opening and ending, and the scenes where Shinji stands around and contemplates life. Maybe I'll finish it someday, but I was clearly not in the intended audience. Code Geass managed to suck me in but Evangelion couldn't. It lacked heroism, lacked good humor except what Pen-Pen could provide, and was not particularly meaningful or Aesthetically pleasing. Too much of the humor was oversexed crap, and it can make me uncomfortable, and the rest was quite frankly boring. I think it may have been over-hyped, leading to my reaction, but on the whole it just isn't what it is cracked up to be.
|
|||
|
|||
One-Eye
 Posts: 2265 |
|
||
|
Yea, Hope pretty much nailed it in that review and I totally agree with "must see" but "not a must love".
I know my feelings have always been mixed about the show and runs the gamut from admiration to anger. The designs, the damaged characters I liked most of that stuff and we are teased with a hint of character growth as the series progresses before getting kicked back down into the pit of Shinji's whiny self-loathing. I think it was almost great, but instead becomes just slightly better than average. I own it and I've got the 2 rebuild movies on my shelf. What can I say I both love it and hate it. |
|||
|
|||
|
Anymouse
Posts: 685 |
|
||
I don't get that. I was going to watch because I had heard about the amazing ending. I couldn't get there. I guess I am just not a Gainax fan. |
|||
|
|||
|
SgtMustang
Posts: 158 |
|
||
|
Story is ok, theres alot better in anime, theres also much, much ,much worse. Infact I'd say the story is better then the majority(51%) of anime. Altho not the first one of the most memorable of the giant robots that are alive series.
The directing, music and art in it are what make this series the 600lb gorilla of anime.The way all the scenes are framed, the intro and end songs, the orchestra score, the fanservice always came off as humorous not pervy, the look and atmosphere of tokyo 3, the tall lanky look of the evas, the look of the angels. The designs for the angels are some of the most creative, interesting and diverse creature designs ever in anime. |
|||
|
|||
Veers
 Posts: 1197 Location: Texas |
|
||
|
Didn't like the series but I've enjoyed the two rebuild movies.
|
|||
|
|||
quikbeam1
 Posts: 150 Location: Behind you |
|
||
|
I would have to say Evangelion is alright. I originally watched the show in the late 90's when I didn't have much anime under my belt. If I had never heard of the show and started watching it today, i would most likely struggle to get all the way through the series. While it had quite a few good episodes and an overall solid unique storyline, the characters never felt likable to me and i could not really relate to their motives for making the decisions they did on the show.
It is an interesting show to watch as a part of anime history, many shows make subtle references to the show, so it would be beneficial to watch. But I would say its not a show for everyone, and quite a few people will not enjoy it, or might be disappointed due to having too high of expectations due to the popularity of the show. |
|||
|
|||
naninanino
 Posts: 680 |
|
||
|
I think it was great, 8/10 material. What I liked about it the most were the detail and effort put into the designs and mechanics of that show. It still beats most new and old anime in that field. Truly shows what an anime series can be like if the right people are handling it. The major thing that dragged it down were the two last episodes of laziness. Sure the movie is there, but I was left feeling that it was dysfunctional as a whole.
|
|||
|
|||
Animerican14
 Posts: 963 Location: Saint Louis, MO |
|
||
|
This is one of the two anime that I put in the "seemingly-every-anime-fan-but-me-in-my-age-demographic-and-older-has-seen" category. I might've caught an episode of it on [as], when Cartoon Network had the rights to it (boy, they seemed to drop that show quickly). The other... well, maybe the other anime of that category is Cowboy Bebop. Not I've actually seen several episodes of it, for sure... the first 5 chronological ones on a library dvd, the episodic one here and there on adultswim, and the awesome film for it... but somehow still haven't gone all the way through it.
If I really want to get into Evangelion now, are there any good suggestions on where it is "best" to begin? (man that's a subjective term.) Would it be a better "experience" to see the original series first (platinum edition, I guess? Try to find a copy of it online to buy?), or simply start with the Rebuild movies? I'd imagine if I watched them in the order they were originally made, I'd appreciate it more... but I dunno; I'm pretty picky about time investment in watching many anime these days. Plus, I kinda have a feeling how it all ends... or at least, I'm now aware of the general gist of the ending of End of Evangelion 
|
|||
|
|||
|
notrogersmith
Posts: 193 |
|
||
If you really want to see a storyline of Evangelion from beginning to end, then you don't have much of a choice besides watching the original show because only half of the Rebuild movies are released. However, if you are just trying to get a sense of what Evangelion is like, then the two Rebuild movies are a pretty good way to go, especially if you don't want to spend large amounts of time. Mind you, the plot of the movies is different from that the series in several ways, but those differences tend to be improvements over the original material. |
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group