The Beauty of Neon Genesis Evangelion - What Makes Evangelion One of the Best Classics
Neon Genesis Evangelion is perhaps one of the most controversial yet impactful anime from the late 90s. It is often depicted as this ethereal masterpiece that is integral to anime and anime culture in general. And its impact on the Japanese culture is unlike any other anime out there. The franchise is so revered that, over the course of 2 decades, Evangelion has come out with multiple clothing lines over the top anime merchandise and has even been referenced in movies and TV shows. Heck! There are Life-sized Mechas from Evangelion that have been erected all over Japan and even in China. In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at the beauty of Neon Genesis Evangelion!
To call Evangelion a simple anime franchise is a gross understatement. The series has become a cultural norm in Japan that supports a massive fan base all over the world. But all this glitter and glamour makes you wonder; What Makes Evangelion so special? Isn’t it like any other mecha anime out there? Aren’t there many more complex stories in anime?
Well, to answer all these questions in layman terms, it’s because Evangelion is realistic. Not in the sense of Mechas, over the top fighting, but rather in the emotional sense. It delves into realism and human sentiments. Hideaki Anno, the creator of Evangelion, wanted to create something special, something he poured his heart into. And in doing that, he poured in his own personal struggles with Life and depression into the narrative of Evangelion. Turning the series into one of the deepest and most beloved series of its time.
When Evangelion came out in 1995, it was touted as the most complex works of literature in anime at the time. And even now, there are hardly any anime that even come close to the dense, harrowing narrative of Evangelion. The series is very hard to understand if you don’t pay attention, and the story has many layers of complexities that are very hard to unwrap in just one watch.
It was the first anime of its time that actually had an intellectually challenging narrative. And in a world of clichés where each and every single detail on the screen had to be explained in a long exposition monologue (Dragon Ball and Yuyu Hakusho are guilty of this,) Evangelion was a breath of fresh air for the older, mature anime audience. And to add, Evangelion did not just have a complex narrative, it actually dealt with very real emotions like hopelessness, actual depression, and it delved into many philosophical and social complexities like escapism, religious morality. The show had the type of characters that visually represented these things!
With all these elements, Neon Genesis Evangelion set the stage for intellectually sophisticated anime and, in essence, changed the anime industry. Anime for adults in the 90s was brutal, but the narrative, the story surrounding the shows was quite simple. Mainstream anime delved into simple premises, and the gore just added blood on top of it.
Similar franchises like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind were somewhat philosophical. They dealt with somewhat complex topics, but none ever went all in like Evangelion. Fans even go as far as to divide Evangelion into 2 different anime, where the first 13 episodes are all shonen oriented. And the latter half of the anime dives into the deeper complexities that made the series so popular. All of these things are exactly what describe the beauty of Evangelion! This anime is a timeless classic that is loved by fans even today thanks to the remakes.
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