This anime has been out for longer than many HN readers have been alive and it's extremely well known.
I think the calendar on spoiler tags being necessary for NGE has long, long since expired.
I think the calendar on spoiler tags being necessary for NGE has long, long since expired.
TL;DR: agreed on no need to be afraid to spoil NGE, but we gotta be explicit that it applies only to NGE (+the end of evangelion movie, which is the true ending to the show that is absolutely a must-watch; also imo past the expiration date on spoilers), and not to Evangelion as a whole (which would include recent Rebuild movies). But there is no harm in putting a spoiler warning at the beginning, and that’s a nice gesture towards those who might want to watch it for the first time without the storyline being spoiled.
I wouldn't be surprised if millions of people first experienced the plot of Dune this year, even though the book is over 50 years old. When I talk with friends who are still reading the books (or waiting for part 2 of the movie) I try to avoid spoiling things as a courtesy.
At this point some endings like Citizen Kane have become so memetic that it's impossible to avoid spoilers, but some people still prefer to go in as blind as possible.