Thread: What meaning did you get out of Neon Genesis Evangelion?

"Shinji's a whiner yack yack yack"

Didn't analysed it trough now, But I could say that my oppinion are almost the same as you.
Can't even say where I diverge from your though, but maybe when the story will be fresh in memory, I'll be in mesure to argument about.

Also I want to tell you that this analyse is really great. Least than you, I am the only one in my "gang" to have see the serie. So can't not even discuss about with other people, and My english su*k...

well.. i just finshed the series + end of evangelion right now! ^^
and man, i am depressed... it was good and all but after finishing the series, i feel so sad... at first i was going to stop at the tv series, but the 2 last eps were c*ap. they made no sense wutsoever so i decided to watch end of evangelion.

wut meaning did i get from evangelion... basically the same thing as u dark_glaive. i just dont think the idea of "starting over" was a good idea XP.

Uh... it was a good series, but hell... it doesn't really have any psychological meaning.

From what I got from the Platinum DVD's Extra content (interviews and Commentaries Always including Matt Greenfield ADR Directro with ADV) I guess episodes 25 2nd 26 are acutally happening through out the whole series.
Notice Shinji's DAT Player is always on tracks 25 and 26.....(actually only there is one time I can think of where it doesnt have track 25-26 up Any guesses?)

Any way the content in 25-26 is what Shinji is going over in his head and rationlalising all the changes that are going on.

A good way to look at it is that the series is going over the growth of Shinji rationalizing it through a hero myth. 25-26 are his review of what has happened in this myth, hence the other version shown in 26. the Movie is the closing of the hero story.

Originally Posted by Eriadd

Uh... it was a good series, but hell... it doesn't really have any psychological meaning.

Umm Eriadd I'd hare to say it but there are more mother references to this than I can think of. I hope you are just joking.

Originally Posted by dark_glaive

As a big fan of Evangelion, I've analyzed, pondered, and debated with friends the meaning of it. What I ended up getting from Eva is that everyone is inherently alone, but that "aloneness" is what makes us individuals. Therefore, our fundamental loneliness ultimately makes us what we are. However, Eva TV didn't seem to say that this had to be negative/depressing thing. This is portrayed by how, after Human Instrumentality, everyone is merged and it ultimately makes all the characters feel worse and Shinji ultimately decides that he wants to be an individual instead of being merged in some sort of amorphous soup of consciousness.

****WARNING MY ENTIRE POST IS NOTHING BUT SPOILERS FOR THE TV SERIES AND MOVIE****


Actually there's a tiny flaw in your analysis, but it's good overall. However you may have just forgotten to mention that the Evangelion TV series ending was different from that of the movie End of Evangelion, and I'll sum it up real nice and quick as many details elude me since it's been a while since I last saw Evangelion.

TV Series: Shinji is shown what could be if he accepts this conciousness and becomes apart of the pool, you see him, Asuka, Gendo, his mother, Rei, etc, all of them living happily together in this dream reality. In the TV series, Shinji gives up and accepts this reality thus becoming a part of the living dream. The end! BTW they made a few spin off games and manga about this strange alternate reality called Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel. Check it out if you like quirky comedies with an evangelion twist.

End of Evangelion: Although pretty much everyone is shot to death (nerv personnel), blown up (misato), or shredded to bits (Asuka) they all turn into the orange gel and are given their chance at becoming part of the pool. The fundamental difference between the TV series and the movie is that Shinji rejects this conciousness in the movie, thus you have the Third Impact. Asuka apparently also strongly resisted it as well and was given a second chance at life. If Asuka survived it's possible that everyone else has the chance of living as well, but we don't know.

Take from that as you will but the basic meaning I got from it is to either be strong and face reality, or to cower and live in a dream world.

Originally Posted by Raven Omega

****WARNING MY ENTIRE POST IS NOTHING BUT SPOILERS FOR THE TV SERIES AND MOVIE****
Although pretty much everyone is shot to death (nerv personnel), blown up (misato), or shredded to bits (Asuka) they all turn into the orange gel and are given their chance at becoming part of the pool.

In 25-26 it does go over a few of the characters deaths (Ritsuko face down in the LCL and Misato in a pool of blood) in evangelion style 2second flash of a picture.


Also another thing I forgot to add in my other post. Because of a reduced budget after the carnage of episode 18 the last few episodes were done on a shortened budget( notice the story board previews for episodes23/24) hence the added stuff in the Directors Cut.)

but basically the Movie was just a way to appease the people who wanted to see the end of the hero story.(closure.... interesting) The episodes are the Story Hideaki Anno wanted to tell. The movies are what the fans wanted him to tell. Atleast thats the way I think about it.

My lack of mentioning the movie was on purpose. I tend to follow the school of thought that says Anno made it to screw with people, mad at them for being unable to accept a more psychological ending. I consider it and the TV series having the exact same meaning, except the movie ends with Shinji choking Asuka and seeming screwed up, where in the TV series Shinji is happy and got his stuff together. I have always seen Shinji in both movie and series rejecting the Third Impact where everyone gets merged, but the Shinji in the movie still has a far way to go if he's going to still do childish/crazy things like choke Asuka.

I don't really think that in the TV series, Shinji remade reality into the Girlfriend of Steel world. I've always taken that to be Gainax being funny. But, I haven't seen that interpretation before, so I find your interpretation interesting Raven.

I'm glad I finally got some replies. I was worried no one was thinking about one of the best animes of all time.