Neon Genesis Evangelion, any good?

Rabies

I have heard many people talking about it. Would you recommend it. I have looked in to it before but never bought any of the episodes because there are so many of them. Would be a case of if I liked one I would want them all.
Play.com have the complete box set available to buy for about €100. Looks like a good price for so many episodes. I would consider getting it if the series was good.

Steven

Go for it. It gets thumbs up from me.

Cloud

I think someone mentioned CD Wow had it for cheaper.

Makaveli

Cdwow were doing the boxset for €89.
I got mine from them for that over a year ago, I dunno if they still have it.

http://www7.cd-wow.com/detail_results_2.php?product_code=4253
That's about €80. Well worth it.

Zakalwe

Ahhhh Eva, the source of many an anime boards more entertaining threads.

Don't try to look too deep into Evangelion, because there's not a great deal there. Anno picked Christian symbology and mythology because he thought it would look cool and mysterious to a Japanese audience. Throw in never-explained techobabble that leaves Star-Trek in the dust, the production team running out of money and thie whingiest anti-hero to grace a cel and you do end up with something at the very least that's unique.

If you're going to buy the boxset then you'll want to pick up End of Evangelion which is half a retelling/rewrite of episode 25/26 and half a "**** you" to the fans. It does however redeem the entire series in one scene involving Asuka while Bach's Air plays.



editted to say: If you're interested in what NGE would have been like in an alternate univerese then check out what some people call "Love Eva". It's "Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel 2/Iron Maiden 2nd" and it's an official part of the fanchise. Get it at http://www.sadtrw.org

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

don't get evangelion, it's pretty dirt really.

check out Rah-Xephon.. it does everything eva tries to do, but actually succeeds in pulling it off. It looks fantastic, excellent soundtrack and the main character isn't as much of whiny depressed pathetic git.

although he still is a bit, it is anime after all, the fans need someone to relate to.

Art_Wolf

I'm a fan of NGE - got the boxset also off cd wow for only 80-90 euro

Join the DCU AMS and we will most likly have a few showings of it!

Rah-Xephon looks good though only seen the first few eps.

John

Rabies

CD-WOW it is then. Cheaper than Play.
Thanks

Asuka

Eva is really good, imo. You really should watch The End of Evangelion instead of eps 25 and 26 though - the original series 25 and 26 were the result of problems involving money, ambition, and network censoring (remember it aired at prime time on Japanese television), and the movie was a much more satisfactory conclusion. Dont bother watching Death and Rebirth though, its basically just a summary.

A lot of people dislike Eva on the basis that its popular (even if they dont admit this to be the reason), and that is their choice. It is over-rated - but then, take any media genre, take the item commonly accepted to be its peak, read all the hype, and try going away not feeling it to be over-rated. The poster-child of any media form will always be over-rated by apologists.

Some more people dislike Eva because they didnt understand it. In fact, probably a majority of people would come away from it without a clear understanding of it, and I would say thats a result of not reading deeply enough, not paying enough attention, and a large degree of natural western perspective. Most Japanese media, including Japanese literature for hundreds of years, has tended towards the abstract notions when reaching towards a conclusion. You'll find that its quite a common theme in anime - a well made story concluded with what appears to be an excessively abstract final act.

Its perfectly understandable how people cant appreciate this to its fullest, but I think that those who claim to not understand it should really not make such a fuss about how rubbish it is Thats simply childish.

For the record, I'm not a fanboy of any description, I just enjoyed the series. My favourite series is probably X TV.

A

Steven

Eva isn't about that bastardised version of christian mythology, it's about the characters. Who cares if you don't like Shinji, you're not supposed to. If he was real, I'd smack him upside the head with a gundam .

It's not the best series in the world (although don't ask me to commit to one), nor is it the steaming pile of tripe that a lot of people make it out to be.

Oh, and be sure to pick up the ova as Asuka suggested.

Retr0gamer

a well made story concluded with what appears to be an excessively abstract final act.

In other words a giant mass of tentacles that stands in for the ending. The Akira effect I call it.

Back on topic NGE is good but not all its hyped up to. It seems to be getting at something deeper but at the end of it nothing is explained. I was hoping for something really clever and not a mish-mash of symbolism. Still I'd recommend. Just expect that some disappointment.

CuLT

I strongly disagree with you about 25 & 26 Asuka, they need to be watched imo; otherwise there's no closure of Shinji's character.
The movie is a great big expolsion-fest, I really enjoyed it, but the ending of the film held nothing for me (after I skipped 25 & 26) and I left the series feeling somwhat disappointed.
When I rewatched the entire series, this time including 25 & 26,

Shinji's self-realisation is what made the series for me. Although I will admit that without the film it wasa terribly open-ended and lazy way to conclude the film.

I think it would be a good idea to get the recently released "Platinum Edition" of Eva; I hear that 25 & 26 have been heavily remastered and I know that these remakes were, in fact, released before the rest of the boxset (and were available in HMV).

Infini

I have to side with Asuka on this. The last two original episodes were pretty weak. Seriously, there's too much talking and it builds up to a extremely disapointing ending. When you compare that to the remade movie version episodes there is a significant difference and the ending is much better.

What would you prefer, the long talking ending that disappoints at the very end, or the cool ending with Asuka trashing the EVA-series and the Apocalypse.

Zakalwe

Infini: Posting spoilers in a thread where someone is considering buying the boxset is not very cool.



Refer to CuLT's post for how you should deal with such things.

Steven

Retr0gamer wrote:

In other words a giant mass of tentacles that stands in for the ending. The Akira effect I call it.

Lol. I've always called that the Eva effect. Akira is a goddamned nursery rhyme in comparison

CuLT

Zakalwe wrote:

Infini: Posting spoilers in a thread where someone is considering buying the boxset is not very cool.



Refer to CuLT's post for how you should deal with such things.

I've saved him the trouble this time. Open it with [Spoiler], close with [/Spoiler]

Asuka

I suppose you could look at it like that Cult, I guess I just dont

Possibly Id just had enough of Shinji being introverted through the previous 24 episodes I didnt really feel he needed much more in the way of development than the movie gave him. Also, knowing the reasons why they had to do it like that didnt help It just didnt provide any sort of ending to the plot, whatever you want to believe about the movie. All it provided was some more info on Shinji's psyche and a couple of enigmatic visions of scenes that could never be used (such as Ritsuko and Misato lying dead).

A

Infini

Zakalwe wrote:

Infini: Posting spoilers in a thread where someone is considering buying the boxset is not very cool.



Refer to CuLT's post for how you should deal with such things.

Whoops, sorry about that.

Unit00

Get Evangelion its the only manga series I have ever stayed awake through (I fell asleep through NOIR and Cowboy Bebop. Though I intend on watching Cowboy Bebop again sometime)

Makaveli

Were you sitting there watching all 26 episodes back to back or something?

CuLT

I did that during the summer. A good way to spend 13 hours.

For anyone planning it, taking toilet breaks is totally unaceeptable if you're hardcore. Bring a basin.

Infini

CuLT wrote:

I did that during the summer. A good way to spend 13 hours.

For anyone planning it, taking toilet breaks is totally unaceeptable if you're hardcore. Bring a basin.

Or you could always watch it on a laptop in the toilet. No interruptions, no need for a basin.

Unit00

Makaveli wrote:

Were you sitting there watching all 26 episodes back to back or something?

I frequently cram in as many episodes of shows over the weekend. Stops me from drinking except the last two episodes of Evangelion I needed to drink after that

Rabies

Finished watching NGE today.
The first few episodes took a while to get going. Really liked the middle and build up towards the end. The last 2 episodes were not what I expected.

Hmmmmm

I'm off to think about my life and existence

Kastraelie

Hey all, n00b to these boards, and greetings

I just bought the special edt. boxed set off of ebay for $69.00

You guys say you recommend watching "End of Evangelion" instead of the included last two episodes?

Thanks! (btw, can we not have custom avatars here?)

Anime I own and have seen (for real seen and watched, every minute) (ranked + to -)

Cowboy Bebop
Love Hina
Naruto (1-116)
Excel Saga
Haibane Renmei
Trigun
Elfen Lied
Samurai 7 (1-17)
Chobits
Serial Experiments in Lain
Azu Manga Daioh
Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal
Hellsing
Ghost in the Shell
Akira
Princess Mononoke
Ninja Scroll
Jin-Roh
Samurai X: Reflections
GitS: Stand Alone Complex
Hanaukyo Maid (season 1)
St. Luminous High School
Blue Sub No. 6

Rabies

Kastraelie, custom avatars are for subscribers. Can't remember where the link is. Only €5 a month or €50 a year. Also get journal and photopost thingymajig

Did you watch End of Evangelion? Is it any good?
I see Cowboy Bebop is on the top of your list. Loads of people reccomend that, must look in to it.

Art_Wolf

The End of Evangelion - its all worth it for Asuka's fight

ryuichi

Asuka wrote:

Eva is really good, imo. You really should watch The End of Evangelion instead of eps 25 and 26 though - the original series 25 and 26 were the result of problems involving money, ambition, and network censoring (remember it aired at prime time on Japanese television), and the movie was a much more satisfactory conclusion. Dont bother watching Death and Rebirth though, its basically just a summary.

A lot of people dislike Eva on the basis that its popular (even if they dont admit this to be the reason), and that is their choice. It is over-rated - but then, take any media genre, take the item commonly accepted to be its peak, read all the hype, and try going away not feeling it to be over-rated. The poster-child of any media form will always be over-rated by apologists.

Some more people dislike Eva because they didnt understand it. In fact, probably a majority of people would come away from it without a clear understanding of it, and I would say thats a result of not reading deeply enough, not paying enough attention, and a large degree of natural western perspective. Most Japanese media, including Japanese literature for hundreds of years, has tended towards the abstract notions when reaching towards a conclusion. You'll find that its quite a common theme in anime - a well made story concluded with what appears to be an excessively abstract final act.

Its perfectly understandable how people cant appreciate this to its fullest, but I think that those who claim to not understand it should really not make such a fuss about how rubbish it is Thats simply childish.

For the record, I'm not a fanboy of any description, I just enjoyed the series. My favourite series is probably X TV.

A

not much wrong with what you were saying there in regards to people's reactions to evangelion. if you like abstract, deep meaningful anime, i can stromgly reccomend laine or raine, whichever way you want to pronounce it.
Although you might have to watch it a few times to get everything that's going on.

pingoo

Just received my DVD box from the States but I already watched the serie, only bought it for collection purposes but EVA rocks in my opinion, it has all ingredients for a good show, Mecha, Woman, troubled main characters and a dodgy end ... When you finish the anime you can then watch the The End of Evangelion and Rebirth, some prefers this end, from my side I didn't I thought the original end was good enough, now just because of bunch of crazy Japanese fans took it personally didn't really need to go to such extend to re-write the end.

ryuichi

if you're really interested in deep, abstract anime, you might want to have a look at raine or laine, whichever way you want to pronounce it. It'll take a few times watching it but you'll begin to pick out and notice elements to the story you'd miss watching it the first time round.

bolero

Eva rocks, definitly but it, it strats off cheap and well fairly bad and generic but by about disc three it starts gaining momentum, and end of eva has to be seen, its beautiful at and has a guy getting his hand bitten off by a 14 year old girls crotch.
what more do you need?

Kastraelie

ryuichi wrote:

look at raine or laine, whichever way you want to pronounce it.

Serial Experiments in Lain is very good indeed.

And for the record "L" is pronounced in Japanese sorta like an L D, and R combined in that order = )