Neon Genesis Evangelion
"Neon Genesis Evangelion" is another anime series that has been produced and distributed by A.D.Vision (the people that brought us my personal favorite, "Blue Seed"). Evangelion, or Eva for short at first appears to be a mecha/fighting anime about man's last battle - a battle against the thirteen angels of the dead sea scrolls. The story focuses on the young Shinji Ikari, a 14 year old boy who is chosen to pilot the Eva Unit one, a massive robot built specifically for destroying the angels. There are also other pilots such as Rei Ayanami, a mysterious, quiet and strangely familiar blue haired girl, and Asuka Sorhyu Langsley, a Japanese born, German raised girl with a self confident fighting spirit.
On the surface Evangelion appears to be a typical mecha anime. Many other robot shows came and passed on Japanese screens, several- like Rei Deen went by with almost no recognition and barely any chance of being seen on American screens. However, something about Eva made it different. Anime fans in Japan became engrossed in the show, and a similar pattern came about in America. Otakus raced to see the newest installments of the series, curious to discover the fates of their favorite characters. While many couldn't understand the attraction at first, a few episodes of Eva were enough to draw them in and slowly it became apparent why the show had been so captivating.
Eva is not about robots, God, war, or anything that one might initially see as the focus of the show. The earlier episodes which were often simple fights and battles with occasional lighthearted comedy merely set the scene for the later part of the series, which unveiled the true meaning of the show. While battles were entertaining, they didn't really carry the meaning that Anno (the creator of the show) was trying to get across. Many fans have written essays and commentaries, even devoted webpages to what they believe to be the true meaning of Eva. A common, if not popular opinion is that apart from any hidden religious themes, Evangelion is really about the struggle of identifying oneself, and learning the truth about self-worth. Shinji's battles with the angels become secondary to the battle he faces with himself.
Evangelion's last episodes caused what can only be described as an uproar in Japan. All the fans disliked the ending because all the fighting was gone from the show- and an abstract, philosophical ending replaced the spectacular finish they had all expected. After the end of the series, movies were made to end the series they way the fans had anticipated. The movies were not part of Anno's original vision, and for this reason some people dislike the movies and consider them to be separate from the true story of Eva.
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