--Warning: May contain Spoilers. --

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Also Known As: Shin Seiki Evangelion) is an Anime about an organization known as NERV. The entire story, and plot, is extremely twisted and hard to untangle, but it's well worth the effort.

Shinji Ikari is a young Fourteen year old boy who never, in his short life, has known the true meaning of love, or known how to deal with people. He's thrust into the middle of a war when his father, Gendo Ikari, summons him to Tokyo 3 to pilot a giant biomech called 'Evangelion'. Little does Shinji know what's ahead of him...

All in all, Neon Genesis Evangelion is the appex of Anime for some of the hardcore fanatics. There is the Romance portion, the extremely deep plot, religious undertones, and of course the Mechanoid Warfare.

Although it's hard to understand at first, and may even be confusing the whole entire series, it takes a deep understanding of the human mind to understand how the characters feel. Speaking of which, The characters are brillant.

Shinji Ikari is the self-depreciative anti-hero whom actually is afraid of being hurt. As quoted in the Anime "The Hedgehog's Dillema."

Asuka Langely Sohryu, A later occurance in the Anime (Ep. 8, I believe.), is at first. Ego-centric, self-serviant, and demeaning. Along the plot, you'll discover many a thing about our 'Miss Sohryu'.

Rei Ayanami, the standard case of the 'Ice Queen Syndrome' (*Snicker.*), is another confused young youth. Raised all her life for one single purpose, which I will let you find out for yourself, she generally only responds to anything if ordered.

Deep down, the entire cast of NGE(SSE) all have amazingly horrid pasts, or secrets that make them each unique. The cast is amazing together, and their pasts just converge. It makes you wish you could read further into it.

I've heard from some people that the movie (End Of Evangelion) was disapointing, but you have to think to yourself... When does NGE (SSE) EVER come along in a typical way? There is always a twist, or deceit, raining down upon the show. It's what makes it the most interesting.

If I were to rate Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shin Seiki Evangelion, I'd probably give it a...

Romance: 3/5. Not entirely clear, but it's really heavy.

Action: 5/5. Brillant animation, and action sequences. For budget cuts, they reused certain scenes, though. It doesn't really dampen anything.

Plot: 4/5. Definetely not for someone who gets headache from really deep thoughts. You have to think on the things very deeply before you truely understand some of the plot. Although the rest of it is simplistic.. That is, until the twists begin to rain in.

Cast: 5/5. Brillant cast. They work well together, and cause the same level of mayhem you'd expect from grand anime. It brings tears to your eyes to hear about the things some of the characters have/had to go through.

Overall Effect: 5/5. Beautiful animation sequences, the music fits the 'attire', Neon Genesis Evangelion just works.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (or Shin Seiki Evangelion in Japanese...) is probably one of the most compelling animes you'll ever watch. I love Noir, but NGE really does take the cake.

The main character, Ikari Shinji is a fourteen year old boy with a tragic past. No mother, no father, nothing and no-one there for him to care. In a nutshell, Shinji is a paradox. He's an antihero. He doesn't have any heroic qualities, but when the word "hero" is used in this anime, you can't think of anyone else BUT Shinji.

Sohryu Asuka Langley is the complete opposite to Shinji. But only in outward appearances. Inside, she's just like him. To the world, she's brash, arrogant and egocentric, but she is like this to prove to everyone else that nothing can beat her. In a way, she's a very tragic character that doesn't deserve what was given to her in life.

And finally...Ayanami Rei. The quiet enigma that is deeply immersed in the plans orchestrated by the Commander. She's apathetic, unflappable and infintely calm. But she is very naive. She knows barely anything about human interactions and becomes fascinated by Shinji, who is nothing like his father, the Commander of NERV.

The fights within the series are well animated and very exiciting to watch. But some of the fight scenes are disturbing too. This anime really does a number on your mind.

Anime doesn't get better than Noir, but it REALLY doesn't get better than Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Do what you have to do, but WATCH THIS ANIME! And "End of Evangelion" too. EOE will probably be the most crazy OAV you'll ever see. A complete mind trip. I love it. I recommend this to everyone. Go buy it. Now.

well this has to to be the best series I have, Yes I have all but the last part of the movie.

but the will changed it's out and I am going to buy it.

I love sitting down at home and watching this time and time again, well, if you through that you could have do it I have, or I will, I am a Sonic the Hedgehog fan right, well Yes been one since it first came into being, have you all ever through of doing a Sonic story in the style of Evangelion, will I must be the first.

2015 AD... 15 years has passed since Second Impact, a devestating accident in Antarctica, in which a meteor crashed into the ice cap and automatically melted it as well as knocked the earth of it's axis, obliterating the seasons, wiping out half of the human population as well as several species of animals. Now the creatures that caused the horror, the Angels, are back. The only difference is, this time we can fight back.

Shinji Ikari is what is known as the Third Child, a 14 year old chosen to pilot an Eva, man's weapon against the Angels. Plus, he has the highest synch ratio for a first time pilot. Along with the silent, slightly disturbing Rei Ayanami and the witchy, foreign redhead Asuka, they pilot the Evas against the onslaught of the Angels under the command of the demonic Gendo Ikari (Shinji's dad, who he hates with a vengence), Captain Misato Katsuragi, an alcoholic burnout with a lust for revenge on the Angels, and she's Shinji and Asuka's guardian. To top it off, there's Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, also Misato's best friend and acquaintance. These three and multiple others form the secret government facility, NERV, who use the Evas to destroy the Angels. But that's just scratching the surface. There's many more characters to go, and this is only the beginning. We have barely scratched the surface!

*SPOILERS AHEAD*







Every character from Shinji to Ritsuko, Misato to Rei, everyone has a dark past. VERY dark past. There's Shinji and his constant wish to be free and to be praised by others, especially his father. Asuka and her suicidal mother. Misato and her mistakes like her doomed relationship with suave double-agent Kaji. Ritsuko and her mother inside the MAGI (the three super-computers that control NERV). Everyone.

The series starts like a regular mecha series. Enemy comes, big battle, enemy loses. With bits and pieces of the truth coming out, but not clearly at all. But around the 12th episode, it becomes much more than that. The characters and their pasts come to light. Their relationships became dark and depressing. You don't care for the battles anymore. You start to see the story. The lies, deceit, murder, betrayal, passion. It gets deeper and deeper and deeper. Shinji gets really really depressed after his father betrays him. Asuka gets really really depressed when her pride is broken. Then you hit Episode 25 and it's all downhill from there. Thank God for End of Evangelion.

End of Eva is the most disturbing thing you will ever see. There is no happy ending. It is the true apocalypse. It's your nightmare. But you have to see it if you want to finish Evangelion. It's insane.

In conclusion, Evangelion truely is one of the defining animes. It is a show that will rattle your body, mind, and soul to the core of all three. Controversial, disturbing, and thought-provoking. It's the show I recommend above all others. Evangelion is all you need.

2015 AD... 15 years has passed since Second Impact, a devestating accident in Antarctica, in which a meteor crashed into the ice cap and automatically melted it as well as knocked the earth of it's axis, obliterating the seasons, wiping out half of the human population as well as several species of animals. Now the creatures that caused the horror, the Angels, are back. The only difference is, this time we can fight back.

Shinji Ikari is what is known as the Third Child, a 14 year old chosen to pilot an Eva, man's weapon against the Angels. Plus, he has the highest synch ratio for a first time pilot. Along with the silent, slightly disturbing Rei Ayanami and the witchy, foreign redhead Asuka, they pilot the Evas against the onslaught of the Angels under the command of the demonic Gendo Ikari (Shinji's dad, who he hates with a vengence), Captain Misato Katsuragi, an alcoholic burnout with a lust for revenge on the Angels, and she's Shinji and Asuka's guardian. To top it off, there's Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, also Misato's best friend and acquaintance. These three and multiple others form the secret government facility, NERV, who use the Evas to destroy the Angels. But that's just scratching the surface. There's many more characters to go, and this is only the beginning. We have barely scratched the surface!

*SPOILERS AHEAD*





Every character from Shinji to Ritsuko, Misato to Rei, everyone has a dark past. VERY dark past. There's Shinji and his constant wish to be free and to be praised by others, especially his father. Asuka and her suicidal mother. Misato and her mistakes like her doomed relationship with suave double-agent Kaji. Ritsuko and her mother inside the MAGI (the three super-computers that control NERV). Everyone.
The series starts like a regular mecha series. Enemy comes, big battle, enemy loses. With bits and pieces of the truth coming out, but not clearly at all. But around the 12th episode, it becomes much more than that. The characters and their pasts come to light. Their relationships became dark and depressing. You don't care for the battles anymore. You start to see the story. The lies, deceit, murder, betrayal, passion. It gets deeper and deeper and deeper. Shinji gets really really depressed after his father betrays him. Asuka gets really really depressed when her pride is broken. Then you hit Episode 25 and it's all downhill from there. Thank God for End of Evangelion.
End of Eva is the most disturbing thing you will ever see. There is no happy ending. It is the true apocalypse. It's your nightmare. But you have to see it if you want to finish Evangelion. It's insane.

In conclusion, Evangelion truely is one of the defining animes. It is a show that will rattle your body, mind, and soul to the core of all three. Controversial, disturbing, and thought-provoking. It's the show I recommend above all others. Evangelion is all you need.

There's not alot I can say about Evangelion without rehashing the same things you've heard from all your friends, review magazines, and right here in these fan-written reviews. The characters here are extremely well-developed. Not only do you learn about their motivations, but you also learn their deepest fears and desires, and when you turn off your TV you'll feel like you're really saying goodbye to a friend rather than stopping a movie. Visually the show takes any preconceptions you've had of mecha and turns it upside-down. These are by far some of the best designs I've yet to see in anime! Plot-wise it can be hard to follow a few times during the first viewing, but it's well worth putting in a few extra viewings to completely absorb the series. All in all this is by far THE best anime series I have yet to watch, and with the Perfect Collection out on DVD for only $150.00 (includes 8 DVDs with plenty of features) you can't afford NOT to watch this! I eagerly await the arrival of the 2 movies in the states so I can conclude this awesome series!

Far beyond being not just an excellent anime with a concrete narration, very solid complex characters and a very entertaining rhythm, Neon Genesis Evangelion questions the default human attitude doubts on it all and travels to the root of religion itself. It puts the myths of creation and destruction in relation with the existentialist philosophy to generate a never seen before, highly elaborated cosmovision.
In the formal aspects NGE does also conquer new terrains, rather unexplored for the seventh art in general. The entire plot exposes a dark past shown partially and by small pieces, inviting the spectator to play along and build it up himself. The intensive onniric sequences allow us to travel deep into the core of the characters and expose complex philosophical theories at the same time.
Still being such a complex work, Evangelion remains an interesting story for anybody, since it is built at several levels that allow each person to enjoy this work superficially or profoundly alike. The highly suggestive scenes, specially near the end, allow each individual to draw his very own conclusion about the exposed topics.

----------SPOILERS------------------------------------------



Eva rocks! This is my all time fav anime. It has not a trace of minime, and is THE all-round anime. It has spectacular animation and sound, perfect characters and plot, and an awsome timeline; everything happens when it should, maximizing your ability to understand what's going on, a problem Akira Toriyama had when writing DBZ.
Eva is about a boy in 2015, named Shinji. He lives in a future Tokyo. His generation has been through a lot, including one of the most important happnings in the plot, the 2nd Impact. It melted the 2 polar ice caps, and the people had thought that it had been some sign from god, which it had. But then, the people of the earth where put at risk of the 3rd! God created a being called Adam, and others called angels. When these 2 beings merged, the 3rd Impact, or Armogeddon would occur. The 3rd Impact was supposed to undo the evolutionary deadlock mankind had been in, and to recreate humans. So when the humans learned this, they created Evangelions to protect Adam from merging. Shinji was one of the 4 children chosen to pilot them. Shinji has to fight battles, learn, and conquer the angels to save earth... Watch to find out what happened!

It is the year 2015 and Shinji Ikari is thrust right into the middle of a battle that could determine the fate of all humanity! Chosen, by the father he hardly knows, to become the pilot of Eva unit 01, Shinji must fight against the mysterious Angles that seem bent on destroying Tokyo3. Shinji courage and very soul will be put to ultimate test. But Shinji is not alone as thinks in this epic struggle, the reclusive Rei Ayanami and the vibrant Asuka Langley are also pilots of Evangelion, and supporting them is his father's organization Nerv.

Story: If anyone was to say that giant robots shows have no story or interesting characters, they haven't seen Evangelion. With action, suspense, and drama, Eva story is so deep that it leave you questioning and debating it for long after. Always focus on the ordeals and struggles of it's characters, it makes the show about the characters, a lot more than a story of giant robots. If there was anything wrong, it would have to be that leaves you with too much unanswered questions and a lot of story if left open for personal interpretation.

Character: All Characters in Evangelion are just great, including the side cast. All most all have a dark past or secret that haunts, and each character deals with it, in there own way. Rei herself has inspired countless clones (pun intended) in other anime. Asuka acts the perfect catalyst keep the other characters interesting. Misato must try to be both Shinji's caretaker and commander. Shinji is the first true reluctant hero, his struggle over acceptance and his self-worth, makes him a strange, but interesting choice than most lead characters.


Favorite Character: It was Shinji until I saw the movie, now it's Asuka.

Quality: Eva uses every trick in the book, to stretch their TV budget. There are several still shots and lot repeated shots that would of ruined the show it wasn't the fact that everything else was done exceptionally. The music is grand, the battle sequences are breathtaking, and characters outstanding. ADV's dub is very good with Rei's voice just perfect, and I also preferred, Shinji's American voice, to the female sounding version of the Japanese (consider Shinji is played by woman in Japan).
Preferred Format: Dubbed

Overall: One of few series that I didn't even bother renting before buying, now only if ADV could of somehow added the OVA footage when they did the DVD release.