EVANGELION FRANCHISE DISCUSSION

[kiryugoji04]

So with all the recent chitter-chatter about the Eva franchise that's been going on both here on the forums and amongst my own social circle (all board members here, in this case ) I thought it was high time MZ had a thread devoted to all this stuff!

I've recently (finally) seen the first two of the Rebuild or "New Movie Edition" Eva films and, as someone who felt like the original series left me kind of cold, I'm actually really enjoying them! I've always loved a lot of the elements that make up Eva and, at least for me, Rebuild tightens it up in ways that just feel better. Again, for me, because it definitely gives different people different things but I'll let those others speak for themselves. I was always far more fascinated with the overarching world plot than I was with the psychobabble and the refocusing just works for me. It wouldn't be Eva without said psychobabble, though, and I'm appreciative that it's not gone entirely - I do like it to an extent but amount the series rams it down our throats...

I think there's one thing we all can agree on: One of my favorites, no matter how I feel about the show.

For that matter, I'm going to start working my way through the series once more and I'll post my thoughts here for each episode. LET'S SEE IF I CHANGE MY MIND.

One final note: I'd like Mouthforwar to be able to join in the discussion so for his sake (and others, if they're out there) let's try and keep Rebuild discussion spoilered. Let's definitely discuss it though! >8D

OKAY, SO YEAH. LET'S GO.

[kiryugoji04]

[This post reserved for listing the crazy amount of Ultraman/Tokusatsu references in Eva. Because Jesus Christ.]

[MekaGojira3k]

I have a deep love of Evangelion in almost all forms. I loved the series, and its subsequent films. Thus far, I've been enjoying the Rebuild series.

Right now, as mentioned elsewhere, I'm re-watching the original series trying to take off my fanboy goggles. I'm up to episode 15, and I really only have minor claims.

Yeah, the opening is amazing. Its use as a preview, as well as one set to Ode to Joy on my ADV Gamera: GOTU and Destroy All Monsters VHS tapes are what set me on the path to watching this.

[kiryugoji04]

Minor stuff like what?

[MekaGojira3k]

[planetxleader]

So this thread was pretty much born from last night, when Jared invited me over to watch 2.22. I too was left cold by the show, and our mutual friend (this forum's Inferior Rodan) eagerly wanted us to watch the Rebuild to see how our opinions morphed.

Jared's did. Mine didn't. :\

Alex, Jared said you (and another of our mutual friends) were heartbroken that I didn't like 2.22, and you're puzzled why I didn't like the series. So, without further ado:



Let's see if I can get this off my chest before I finish breakfast.

I was interested in the show long ago, back when I saw the trailer on the ADV DAM VHS (lotta acronyms there). Never got around to seeing it until last year abouts, where a friend of mine lent me the whole series. It was 'aite. As a whole, I will say Evangelion—and this includes the Rebuild—is a collection of good characters, giant battles, and philosophy that could possibly be stitched together in a riveting story. One day. :\

The early part of the show felt like a pretty straightforward sci-fi story and I somewhat enjoyed it. I think my favorite episode was number ten, where Asuka was introduced. It felt free-wheeling and fun, and Unit 02 jumping from freighter to freighter was awesome. I felt truly exhilarated. Most of the other episodes felt "average" and I never felt like I was experiencing a great, exciting tale, merely a serviceable giant robot show.

Then the weird stuff happened, but that's not what bothered me. The final two episodes I actually liked. I never really hated Shinji. I was more fascinated by him. I have a weird curiosity for the socially awkward, and while yes, I think Shinji desperately needed to grow a pair, I was kind of glued to him with a cruel fascination (c'mon you sissy!) and with a desire to see him get off his arse. The last two episodes stripped everything away and addressed the question "Shinji, why are you such a pansy?" and then answered that, and I actually felt kind of fulfilled. Plus, it was artsy and weird, and I liked it.

And I actually liked Shinji's descent, probably because of said fascination. Those long stretches of inner monologue (with really creepy music backing it up) are where I started to snuggle up in my chair and get interested.

The rest of the weirdness... The "psychobabble?" It was just that. Babble. The whole overarching plot, the Angels, the Human Instrumentality project, the Second Impact, yada yada.. was so damn vague and cryptic for so long that it ceased to be interesting. And Jared, last night during a 2 am conversation in the middle of the road in front of his house, discussed with me Eva's backstory and how it plays into the show, which is a slice-of-life, "people going about their lives" kind of story set amidst an Ultraman-esque setting. It made sense, and sounded kinda cool in how it wanted to go about things, but....

....but the concept is so... alien... foreign, and weird... and cryptic, that it doesn't make for an interesting backstory. And that's without being muddled to death like it is in the show. And the whole idea of Human Instrumentality pretty much boils down to the idea of somehow ridding mankind of the unpleasantness of life; jealousy, angst, yada yada, but to me that seems... kind of silly and naive. Negative emotions are part of life and all beings must go through with the bad as well as the good. That's how it is and that can never change. Eureka7, on the other hand, which owes a lot to Evangelion, dealt with a much more concrete and real world problem: why the cultures of the world always want to be at war with each other.

....okay, looks like I can't finish this before I got done eating. I definitely have more to say, but I'll leave this here for now. So pretty much, I was "meh" with the series last year, and as of right now, the Rebuild, for me, has taken the series, snipped it apart, streamlined it, changed direction, and put it all back together with the same results.

More later!

[kiryugoji04]

"Heartbroken" was hyperbole on my part, Josh.

And I feel the need to add a disclaimer: until I rewatch the series, I consider my grasp on some of the series concepts to be a little tenuous at best so don't take everything I say as absolute gospel.

[planetxleader]

[MouthForWar]

[MouthForWar]

Hopefully people actually post in here or else it will disappear in like 10 minutes like all the other anime threads do.

[MekaGojira3k]

[planetxleader]

[planetxleader]

[MouthForWar]

[kiryugoji04]

[planetxleader]

[MekaGojira3k]

[planetxleader]

[kiryugoji04]

[MekaGojira3k]

[MouthForWar]

[planetxleader]

[MouthForWar]

I don't think the show was dependent on religious iconography. So they use words like Angels and Longinus, etc? Ok, yeah its done to sound and look cool (which it DOES, by the way), but the story itself would be exactly the same if those things had non religious names and imagery attached to them. So I just can't agree that the series was dependent on the religious imagery. Its a stylistic thing and without it, the story itself is very much the same, barring the religious ideas that WERE there for purely story reasons (Adam essentially being god and such).

And Eva >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Nexus.

[planetxleader]

Sure, take away all the Biblical names and such, and you're left with an identical story and a lot less of the appeal (though honestly I don't see the appeal of the symbolism).

Perhaps its popularity is dependent on it.

Eva better than Nexus? Grrr.... 'Course, it does have more fans...

[MouthForWar]

Don't get me wrong, I like Nexus for what it is, but I feel it was just a little less consistent as a series. I do feel that its overhyped by a certain portion of Ultra fans (kind of like that series' equivalent of GMK).

It was a good series, but I just prefer my Ultra to be more in line with stuff like the original series or Max. Having a more dramatic, angsty, and "adult serial" type of Ultra series was a cool experiment and it worked (well, not 100% IMO... but most of the time it did).... it was good, but I'm glad its the only series that followed that route.