Is NGE worth watching for someone who never was really into anime? The only animated thing I've watched in ages was Arcane, but that's completly different style that NGE.
If you have seen even a few episodes of Robotech/Macross/Gundam that's plenty. Even a bit of Voltron or having seen the movie "Iron Giant" may do.
That being said, if you are familiar with the general idea of "Only this one average/milquetoast/nerdy teenager can save the world for contrived plot reasons" it should still be enjoyable as that's where it dials the deconstruction knob up to 11 the most.
Power Rangers might be the most mainstream concept for US-audiences. (It helps of course that Power Rangers is somewhat loosely based on Sentai Zyuranger, but a large chunk of the scenes were replaced with American actors)
Power Rangers is a really good example of the mainstream trope that NGE is deconstructing.
A team of "teenagers" are given all-powerful giant robots to kick the ass of the bad guy. And... you just trust Zordon, right? Zordon doesn't have like, nefarious purposes or anything. And these "teenagers" have the right psyche for the job right? We won't need like, a sad commander constantly barking orders at these teenagers to get in the freaking robot to save the world.
And these teenagers won't get hurt right, in these fights? Like, if a heat-ray hits the robot and the internal fluids of the robot begin to boil, the pilots won't get severe burns or mental scars from these traumas? Oh... right.
Why 13-year-olds? I mean, there's an in-universe reason that I don't want to spoil. But its really because its a deconstruction of "teenagers in giant robots" trope that was all the rage in the 90s (like Power Rangers).
And thanks for recommendation :)
I know, I know, misconceptions, but it's hard to break habits. Either way, thank you, I saved your answers, I will get back to them one day, I promise.
Though, I remember I wanted to watch Ghost in the Shell one day. Do you recommend it? And where to start - I saw there were many spinoffs, movies, and so on
Techy anime you might like Ergo Proxy, its more philosophical, and Serial Experiments Lain is very popular as your internet self becomes more real than you. I found gurren lagann the most enduring, animatrix is a bunch of short animated features of the matrix universe, I don't care if the boondocks isn't "anime", its drawn by the same animators animes use and it gets the most rewatches.
What shows or TV do you like? Yu gi oh abridged series is just goofy fun,
If I don't reply, feel free to message me on another thread, too bad I can't see replies!
No. I recommend something by Satoshi Kon instead. Not the least because the time commitment is way shorter (movie instead of TV show).
Watch Every Frame a Painting’s video[1] and pick any movie. It’s Christmas season, so maybe go with Tokyo Godfathers[2].
It's got a fair bit of the classic "teens in mechs" tropes to it, but there's definitely more to it under the hood, and it's universe is rather well put together in my opinion.
I'd try to walk into it without focusing on it being animated though. It's cinematography like anything else, it's just a different medium and a different style that makes use of the flexibility it's medium provides.
Thank you, I will. The only thing I know about NGE is that ending(?) song, Komm Susser Tod.
NGE is quite Freudian and psycho-sexual. If you're worried about fan service moments, I'd say stay away. NGE isn't quite the worst when it comes to fan service, but its pretty up there IMO. This ain't a "waifu-simulator" or a harem but... its like 80% of the way there.
I mean, full on themes of Oedipus complex, teenagers discovering their sexuality, and other such sexual issues. Its certainly a mature theme and if you're worried about it... maybe its a better idea if you do stay away.
-------
There's a reason why I push "Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood" in my other post. There's almost no fan-service in that show. (Like, "Lust", the character representing the deadly sin has a low-cut dress but that's about it in Full Metal Alchemist, and its kind of acceptable for her character to do that cause she's Lust after all. Despite the name, she has almost no themes of sexuality and mostly serves as an incredibly powerful villain for the heroes to take down).
In contrast, NGE takes sexuality front and center in many episodes. In most cases, I think it does advance the story and is therefore acceptable, but plenty of blush-worthy scenes that are largely explained by "fanservice".
Blast from the past: anyone remember the pink hair girl with green bouncing her anime titties? https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/fairy-bounce
* The Promised Neverland (Thriller / Shonen)
* Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle (Comedy)
* Spirited Away (And really, virtually everything by Miyazaki has no fanservice)
* Oddtaxi (Film Noir / Zootopia world)
* Little Witch Academia (Iyashikei / Healing genre / School)
* Full Metal Alchemist (Battle / Epic Journey anime)
* Fate / Zero (while the Fate/series in general has fanservice and/or harem tropes, Fate/Zero has none)
* Your Lie in April (Romance / Drama)
I know some people just find the fanservice scenes icky, so I try to keep an eye out for the fanservice-free shows for them.
There are also some kinds of nudity which are more artistic in nature rather than fanservice. I think Spice and Wolf handled that sort of thing well for example: Holo's occasional nudity is somewhat representative of her Wolf Goddess form / Pagan diety background, and I don't think it was really used too much for what most would call fanservice (and certainly fit the setting of "Pagan Diety travels across Europe with Merchant").
Now don't get me wrong, I like Konosuba, but if people don't like sexual scenes, I'm going to keep those kinds of shows away from them.
Its mostly a matter of matching tastes with people's expectations. If something thinks that sexy / horny scenes are bad, then its best to find anime that avoid those kinds of "fanservice".
Anime as a whole is pretty bad in quality, so its not surprising that people look down on anime viewers, especially if they are awkward men. There are excellent animes, and there are mature cartoons, but inexperience with the genre and the pareto principal gives it a very realistic assessment, especially since if you liked it in the 90s, all the anime fan sites linked to hentai in a few clicks. Remember this? https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/fairy-bounce
The more off the beaten path animes like NGE, Hellsing, etc. didn't become as popular until a few years later when I hit high-school.
A more recent version is the Rebuild movies (unrelated to the old finale movie EoE). The rebuild movies are beautiful and modern and tell a new story (after the first one which is almost a straight reshoot) but they just not as visceral as the original. They're called 1.11, 2.22, 3.33, and 3.0+1.0. Watch those after the original show if you're craving more.
Episodes 25 and 26 are very abstract and rushed due to initial production budget. EoE is a more watchable ending to the series.
If you're craving more after that! The plot continues with the four Rebuild of Evangelion movies on Amazon prime video.
I'd push things like Spirited Away or Tokyo Godfathers first, as far as anime-movies go actually.
EoE is good for the Evangelion fans. But honestly, Tokyo Godfathers hit me way harder.
EoE probably doesn't even hit my top 5 list of anime movies.
#1: Spirited Away
#2: Tokyo Godfathers
#3: Girl who Leapt through Time
#4: Summer Wars
#5: "Voices of a Distant Star" for #5? Hmm, or maybe "Time of Eve" ?? A lot of things I wanna fit in here but not EoE yet.
Not even getting to the "classics" like Akira, Eden of the East, Ghost in a Shell or whatever. These above movies have some mainstream appeal but still manage to hit that thoughtful analysis and depth. I'd still put something like Ghost in a Shell or "Your Name" above EoE...
There are also 'kid anime movies' like Patema Inverted that really were excellent and deserve recognition.
EoE is niche and fine for Evangelion fans though. Absolutely beautiful, and some of the best fight scenes I've ever seen. But you gotta see some of the __good anime movies__ out there. They all stand above EoE IMO.
I mean, the scribbles are pretty out there, but the core concept written is about Shinji coming out of his depression thanks to human instrumentality project. Its a bit magical and I don't think depression works like that... but the optimism that you can talk through your problems with your peers is a good message.
It was a muddled ending with a weird storytelling style with a studio that obviously was running out of money. But it got the point across, to me anyway.
More so than the alternative ending, which I do realize more fans seem to enjoy because its got a really good fight scene in it. But the message of EoE is even more muddled and seems to just becomes an extreme parody of itself.
Evangelion always was very much introspective, but EoE crosses the line into navel-gazing. ROT13: V zrna, Fuvawv vf na nffubyr 13 lrne byq. Ohg... znfgheongvat va sebag bs na hapbafpvbhf Nfhxn? Zvfngb naq Xnwv'f frk fprar jvgu Fuvawv jngpuvat bire vg, qrpvqvat jurgure be abg gb xvyy rirelbar?
Like, there's a limit to what I can believe, and I do think that EoE crosses a line. I'm sure a young boy like Shinji can feel bad about his awakened sexual desires but... whooo boy. That's pretty out there.
Maybe? NGE is not very representative of anime in general. Its definitely its own creature.
These days, "anime" lovers like "That Time I was Reincarnated as a Slime", "Naruto", "My Hero Academia", or "Demon Slayer". And back then, this "style" was carried by Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball Z.
You know: powerful hero collects a bunch of things and saves the world kind of plot. None of these shows are anything like NGE. I'd say people who like NGE will probably not like Demon Slayer, and vice versa.
---------
NGE is an existential mecha-pilot anime about depression, being forced into a losing battle with powers you don't understand. If you feel like dragging yourself through 26 episodes of that, yeah, go ahead.
But this ain't the happy-go-lucky overpowered main character always wins kinda show that's popular by 2020 standards. That's for sure.
Don't get me wrong, I like both style of shows (!!!), and both have their place. But "anime" is so diverse that you really can't compare this story with other great anime stories.
----------
That being said, I'd say the perfect "starter anime" is "Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood". This show has a lot of the crazy fights you'd see in some of the more battle-oriented anime, but also has some deeper self-introspection that was more common to 90s era anime.
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood hits a lot of themes and concepts that seem universal, that many people both anime-fans and non-anime fans can enjoy.
EDIT: In particular, the main character: Edward Elric, may be a kid but he grows up through the show and becomes a hero. Not your typical "anime superpower" growth (Naruto/Demon Slayer / Dragonball Z)... but instead actual outlook on life and maturity kind of growth. Yes, its a hero's journey but there's a reason this story is told over and over again, its a classic epic tale setup with widespread appeal.
What's exceptional is that Edward Elric is a mostly mature character even from episode 1. So starting from a largely mature character and seeing him grow even more is quite spectacular honestly. FMA just does the hero's tale extremely well, far better than most typical anime... with a few deconstructive bits thrown in here and there.
NGE is almost a self-loathing kind of story that makes you feel pitiful. Its good at it too, but I don't think it'd be popular or mainstream. NGE is really out there and goes 100% for whatever depressing feeling its trying to drag you into. I really don't think its something I'd typically share (despite its widespread acclaim, it really is a niche-storyline IMO that few people would enjoy).
EDIT: In contrast: FMA does have a couple of self-loathing parts (The early "Tucker" arc is especially a horrific ordeal), but never quite to the degree that NGE ever gets to. Its still horrific what happens in FMA: Brotherhood, but you never really lose hope in Edward Elric. You can root for the hero from the beginning and never lose faith.
In contrast, NGE absolutely expects you to lose faith in Shinji Ikari, his father, and the entire set of humans involved in the plot. These are not good people. You're watching a train-wreck in slow motion. This is very unusual, even by anime standards.
----------
Lets put this in terms of WW2 movies. There's lots of WW2 movies: like "Downfall / Der Untergang" and "Midway". Both have their benefits, both are WW2 movies.
But "Downfall / Der Untergang" is simply going to be more niche because the depressing stories are just less popular than the mainstream happy / boom boom fighting movies (like Midway).
If you were trying to get people into WW2 movies, would you start them on "Downfall / Der Untergang" ?? Probably not. Similarly, I wouldn't recommend NGE to a beginner anime watcher... I'd start you on something happier and more mainstream.
That said it seems to be a bit more grounded unlike the usual starter anime - for example Naruto where a promising story turns into a unstoppable train wreck of terribly written characters and stretched out plots
I don't think its a bad thing. The Hero's Journey / Monomyth (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey) has been told again and again in almost all media across all cultures.
Its just a storytelling style that's somehow got permanent, widespread appeal. Since its a "familiar story", I definitely think it plays to the advantage as a "starter anime". It gives a sense of familiarity to the audience, especially if they aren't used to anime yet.
Since the Hero's Journey / Monomyth is so popular, of course there's tons of animes that follow that style (and most "starter" animes IMO are a large-scale hero's journey).
Given the shear number of choices: Naruto, FMA, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Bleach, Dragonball Z, Soul Eater, Sailor Moon, etc. etc... there's a lot to choose from. FMA: Brotherhood just so happens to be the one I think is best.
--------
I'm mean... we're into what? The 14 year of Marvel movies following the Monomyth formula? This Monomyth / Hero's Journey is hardly unique to anime. The few other mainstream shows that come out with widespread appeal (John Wick, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, etc. etc.) are just more of the Hero's Journey formula.
Its not a bad formula, not by any stretch of the imagination.
They make it the biggest, most absurd, comically over-the-top Hero's Journey ever. (With great references to those who know the Hero's Journey: Viral == "The Rival", anagram. Viral's mech is "Enkidu", who was "The Rival" to Gilgamesh, the original Hero's Journey story).
Gurren Lagaan is quite stupid at face value. But the writers clearly spent a lot of time thinking about the details of the hero's journey and how to make it incredibly over-the-top.
Stupid at face value, but actually well thought out in details / references, so you can just turn off your brain and have fun... or you can turn your brain on and try to see how the show plays with the Hero's Journey plot and take a more serious perspective.