The coloring, fonts, monsters, sets, and UIs of NGE are so pleasing to look at.
I hold NGE in much higher regard than other similar IPs, and would continue to do so even without the excellent art direction. Like many other stories, NGE asks "what would happen if a young boy with an unusual ability was entrusted with the saving of humanity?" However, unlike many other stories, the show answers "he would fail, be driven insane in the process, and humanity would fall."
Yeah, I was part of an anime club in the 90s where the main guy was importing laserdiscs from Japan, downloading fansubs, and generating subtitles with an amiga. So we watched NGE as it came out, and it was such a perfectly executed troll. It starts out as yet another anime mecha fantasy, and by the end of it is showing you what that world would be like if it was actually real in a very adversarial way.
I remember when we watched the finale (the first version) one of the members of the anime club lost his cookies so hard he stood up and screamed a rant and walked out of the house in a state of rage.
Ender's Game, too. [spoilers follow] To ensure that the young boy entrusted with the saving of humanity succeeds before he goes insane, the adults spend years (at least a decade), and incredible amounts of money and political power, to manipulate and deceive him and his cohort so that they don't understand the gravity of what they're doing.
> "You had to be a weapon, Ender. Like a gun, like the Little Doctor, functioning perfectly but not knowing what you were aimed at. We aimed you. We're responsible. If there was something wrong, we did it."
> "Tell me later," Ender said. His eyes closed.
> Mazer Rackham shook him. "Don't go to sleep, Ender," he said. "It's very important."
> "You're finished with me," Ender said. "Now leave me alone."
The most-salient parts are excellently dramatized during tracks 9-12 of Julia Ecklar's "Horsetamer":
It's a shame Ender's Game hasn't received a quality visual adaptation. I think Evangellion being animated helped a lot with it being able to seriously depict children in a dark story.
Finishing 3.0+1.0, I was met with the same realization. The story is a bit Lord of the Flies with giant mecha, and I think it’s unexpected because we’re used to seeing protagonists in media being young people who are far more emotionally and psychologically developed than they have any right being. The trope leads you to believe it’s going to be one kind of show, but it ends up as something very different.
FLCL, which I’m sure most Eva fans have seen, follows a similar conceit about the ineptitude of kids to cope with circumstances beyond their understanding, and is another show that I hold in similarly high regard. Incidentally, it also references Eva a lot.
I highly recommend you watch the End of Evangelion and Rebuild movies if you get a chance. Ultimately, I think Eva is ambivalent about the value of saving the world, far and away from the ability to do so. By the end of 3.0+1.0, Shinji essentially HAS saved the world, except that that's not the important victory. In the end, Eva doesn't care about canonicity, and it barely cares about narrative. It's instead more interested in characters, and their relationships to each other and the world they inhabit. Everything else is malleable to produce interesting dynamics between each actor. It's fascinating in how experimental it is, and not just because it superficially upends assumptions about how stories should play out.
It’s been a while since I watched it but I felt the mechanic deconstruction angle wasn’t the main point. Yeah the kid becomes really depressed and overwhelmed, but the conclusion deals with him understanding a great deal on the nature of humanity and rejecting the cynical desires of the evil cyborg puppeteer people. Seemed rather uplifting to me.
To be fair, he really doesn't have much effect on the outcome at all. He remains effectively ignorant of the multiple concurrent conspiracies for the entire show and nothing he does really determines which one wins.
The coloring, fonts, monsters, sets, and UIs of NGE are so pleasing to look at
Piggybacking on this comment I think it’s a difference between western and eastern media. The western movies often have way less complexity and have less depth and fuck ups, perfect execution is the norm. I remember zombieland as an example of perfect execution, which I rarely see in eastern media it’s a comedy but in serious movies it’s happened too. 3.0+1.0 suffers from this as well, it’s tiring and boring except as a spectacle of effects like the opening and the dive, I did not at all find it entertaining after first watch, whereas EoE features plans constantly going wrong from Shinji, Gendo, Asuka, Misato and Ritsuko keeping the idea of perfect excecution away.
Formulas don’t have to be boring, Chronicle was excellent despite following the classic Greek tragedy.
> "he would fail, be driven insane in the process, and humanity would fall."
...and since that is the obvious conclusion, it makes for a truly awful ending. The last 3 or 4 episodes of NGE are interminable. There are some truly exceptional things in NGE, but it's flawed.
The Typeface work in NGE it's amazing. Despite using the most common typefaces, you can recognize the card titles as the "Evangelion Art Style" despite only using fonts, copywriting and layout as design elements.
Plus I love how Evangelion falls into a middle of exaggerated UIs to have the "hacker look" of /r/itsaunixsystem/, and at the same an amazing level of detail that make sense in their own world.
Like when MAGI it's being hacked by the Computer Angel or SEELE, you can see they use a form of assembly and a Unix System to fight it.
And then, the MAGI system by itself it's an amazing use of redundant architecture with 3 computers that should have the same output. That a system that it's resistant to data corruption, but at the same time working as an GAN AI.
Amazing to think this it's from the 90s, and the most amazing part that those details are just 1% of what makes evangelion interesting.
I wonder if the mechanical compression is an artifict of the times, and if it wasn’t stylistic as much as for other reasons. The cards are obviously “Evangelion” but stylized fonts are really memorable, such as the 2 color gradient images, and text of final fantasy titles with white stroke.
NGE has always been a favorite of me because of the UIs that are represented throughout the series. The new(ish?) movies are just gorgeous, I highly suggest you give them a try if you haven't already.
Evangelion uses graphical interfaces very effectively in its story telling. My favorite example is in episode 8: there are two pilots inside EVA-02, leading to problems. We know they've won when we see the synchronization gauge maxing out.
I’d say this for most digital interfaces in anime. They really hit the “thud effect” perfectly (blame a PM for that absolutely astonishing phraseology), where a UI manages to actually become part of the timing and beat of an audio-visual narrative.
Ex: there are few things in life as utterly satisfying as watching gigantic mechanicals lock firmly into place and a big screen filling digital display say something of the effect of “ENGAGEMENT OK”. I don’t know what it is, but it _works_.
I think so many people focus on the personal emotional journey of Shinji and the horror of the Evas, it's so easy to miss how good NGE is at things like this.
Personally what surprised me on re-watch and through the rebuild-series is how much emphasis there is on the beauty of industry itself - so many scenes of machinery on landscapes. This is particularly notable with Ramiel, the beam-weapon octohedron - in the original series they explain that the weapon to defeat it will require all of the electrical power in Japan. In the rebuild, they make the effort of "we have to build electrical equipment to get all the power in Japan into one spot for a few seconds, and we have to do this in like a day or two" feel real and amazing.
As much as Evangelion is a story about isolation and loneliness, visually there's a sort of celebration of industrial civilization - especially the rebuild. Not just individuals, but kind of a "together look what we can achieve" thing. In most other series, the images of machinery and industrial equipment weaponry splayed out over beautiful mountain landscapes and put to task would be dystopian... but in Evangelion, the artists instead make it heroic.
The original series has this too - everybody loves the machinery of Tokyo 3, even poor Shinji, it's just amped up in the rebuild.
Indeed. Admiration of human industrial progress is the foundation for every mecha show, but Evangelion really makes it visual and in-your-face, down to the most unheroic pieces of machinery. Power lines, payphones, escalators, elevators, funiculars, cables, gantries, hatches, and long shafts with quick-closing blast doors work almost like everpresent background characters, reminding viewers time and again about the little-noticed, mundane strength that resides in machinery all around us. Typography is merely another piece of tech in this context, and it gets displayed like the rest, in honest, spare, brutalist form.
Some viewers might see this industrial aesthetic as just eye candy (and in the Rebuilds, it mostly is), but I actually think it's at the core of what makes the original series great. The most memorable part of the series, the fragility, anxiety, and despair of its characters, doesn't land nearly as hard without a foil to contrast against. This is provided by the aforementioned machines-as-characters, not just because they reliably perform their basic duties, but also because they're physical evidence of what other humans could accomplish, people who weren't consumed by doubt, fear, and mistrust. We're constantly seeing juxtapositions between frail man and stable machine, whether it's the elevator patiently clicking through floors while someone inside seethes, the telephoned voice that falls upon would-be-closed ears, or the commuter train being used not to go places, but rather to avoid all places entirely. (And that's just at the surface level --- the broader plot, of course, goes much further and deeper into these themes.) It's only because the industrial aesthetic is so heightened in Eva that the opposing human-fragility aesthetic can reach as low as it does.
In comparison, I continually found myself wondering how the heck Gendo kept building so much crazy stuff when it seemed like his entire staff consisted of him and Kozo (especially in the rebuild movies.)
If you like this, you might also appreciate Typeset In The Future (https://typesetinthefuture.com). The article on the typography of Wall-E is especially fascinating.
Is NGE worth watching for someone who never was really into anime? The only animated thing I've watched in ages was Arcane, but that's completly different style that NGE.
Enjoyment of it does rely a tiny bit on knowing the general tropes of "giant robot" anime as it does deconstruct a lot of those.
If you have seen even a few episodes of Robotech/Macross/Gundam that's plenty. Even a bit of Voltron or having seen the movie "Iron Giant" may do.
That being said, if you are familiar with the general idea of "Only this one average/milquetoast/nerdy teenager can save the world for contrived plot reasons" it should still be enjoyable as that's where it dials the deconstruction knob up to 11 the most.
Nice name! I recommend Gurren Lagann, it’s got more memorable characters, it has a lot of the same elements and it’s also a lot of fun, Simon is like if Shinji grew up. Mild spoilers (without context it doesn’t matter much) but this 1min clip captures the mood, it’s organized much better and doesn’t feel esoteric 2deep4u (it’s popular because it’s not wrapped up neatly and less from quality, it’s more of a dive into the mental state of Anno’s depression). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUzzAlorT7Q
It's got a fair bit of the classic "teens in mechs" tropes to it, but there's definitely more to it under the hood, and it's universe is rather well put together in my opinion.
I'd try to walk into it without focusing on it being animated though. It's cinematography like anything else, it's just a different medium and a different style that makes use of the flexibility it's medium provides.
If you were ever a depressed and lonely 14 year old kid, then yes. Watch the original TV series. It perfectly captures the isolation of being a young outcast full of hormones and mental health problems, mixed with a twisted cross-pollination of Japanese "monster of the week" giant robot Sentai framing and a biblical apocalyptic subtext. Watch the first 24 22-minute episodes, then skip the last 2 and watch the film versions of those "End of Evangelion".
A more recent version is the Rebuild movies (unrelated to the old finale movie EoE). The rebuild movies are beautiful and modern and tell a new story (after the first one which is almost a straight reshoot) but they just not as visceral as the original. They're called 1.11, 2.22, 3.33, and 3.0+1.0. Watch those after the original show if you're craving more.
I'd recommend watching it with subtitles. If you don't like subs after the first episode or two then go for dub. Once you get to episode 25 & 26, you could choose to watch the End of Evangelion movie instead.
Episodes 25 and 26 are very abstract and rushed due to initial production budget. EoE is a more watchable ending to the series.
If you're craving more after that! The plot continues with the four Rebuild of Evangelion movies on Amazon prime video.
> Is NGE worth watching for someone who never was really into anime?
Maybe? NGE is not very representative of anime in general. Its definitely its own creature.
These days, "anime" lovers like "That Time I was Reincarnated as a Slime", "Naruto", "My Hero Academia", or "Demon Slayer". And back then, this "style" was carried by Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball Z.
You know: powerful hero collects a bunch of things and saves the world kind of plot. None of these shows are anything like NGE. I'd say people who like NGE will probably not like Demon Slayer, and vice versa.
---------
NGE is an existential mecha-pilot anime about depression, being forced into a losing battle with powers you don't understand. If you feel like dragging yourself through 26 episodes of that, yeah, go ahead.
But this ain't the happy-go-lucky overpowered main character always wins kinda show that's popular by 2020 standards. That's for sure.
Don't get me wrong, I like both style of shows (!!!), and both have their place. But "anime" is so diverse that you really can't compare this story with other great anime stories.
----------
That being said, I'd say the perfect "starter anime" is "Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood". This show has a lot of the crazy fights you'd see in some of the more battle-oriented anime, but also has some deeper self-introspection that was more common to 90s era anime.
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood hits a lot of themes and concepts that seem universal, that many people both anime-fans and non-anime fans can enjoy.
EDIT: In particular, the main character: Edward Elric, may be a kid but he grows up through the show and becomes a hero. Not your typical "anime superpower" growth (Naruto/Demon Slayer / Dragonball Z)... but instead actual outlook on life and maturity kind of growth. Yes, its a hero's journey but there's a reason this story is told over and over again, its a classic epic tale setup with widespread appeal.
What's exceptional is that Edward Elric is a mostly mature character even from episode 1. So starting from a largely mature character and seeing him grow even more is quite spectacular honestly. FMA just does the hero's tale extremely well, far better than most typical anime... with a few deconstructive bits thrown in here and there.
NGE is almost a self-loathing kind of story that makes you feel pitiful. Its good at it too, but I don't think it'd be popular or mainstream. NGE is really out there and goes 100% for whatever depressing feeling its trying to drag you into. I really don't think its something I'd typically share (despite its widespread acclaim, it really is a niche-storyline IMO that few people would enjoy).
EDIT: In contrast: FMA does have a couple of self-loathing parts (The early "Tucker" arc is especially a horrific ordeal), but never quite to the degree that NGE ever gets to. Its still horrific what happens in FMA: Brotherhood, but you never really lose hope in Edward Elric. You can root for the hero from the beginning and never lose faith.
In contrast, NGE absolutely expects you to lose faith in Shinji Ikari, his father, and the entire set of humans involved in the plot. These are not good people. You're watching a train-wreck in slow motion. This is very unusual, even by anime standards.
----------
Lets put this in terms of WW2 movies. There's lots of WW2 movies: like "Downfall / Der Untergang" and "Midway". Both have their benefits, both are WW2 movies.
But "Downfall / Der Untergang" is simply going to be more niche because the depressing stories are just less popular than the mainstream happy / boom boom fighting movies (like Midway).
If you were trying to get people into WW2 movies, would you start them on "Downfall / Der Untergang" ?? Probably not. Similarly, I wouldn't recommend NGE to a beginner anime watcher... I'd start you on something happier and more mainstream.
The typography in Evangelion's titlecards is a tribute to Japanese film pioneer Kon Ichikawa. For instance, Ichikawa lets diagonal and horizontal layouts coexist in the titlecard to bring more dimension into typography (as opposed to being just linear). In his masterpiece "The Inugami Family"[1], the opening title is just 90 seconds of white Gothic typeface on a black background, but the layout is playful, letting the font speak more than just the text themselves.[2] In fact, director Anno Hideaki drew inspiration from this in Evangelion.
Ichikawa was very keen on layout. While Ichikawa mainly focused on live action features, he began his career as an animator, where he honed his craft of laying out "deliberate" camera shots. Later in "Brother",[3] he was even criticized for a jarring camera layout, where characters sometimes bifurcate the shot composition by standing in the middle. [4]
Ichikawa continued with his "jarring"
style; he would insert sudden bursts of opposite shots in the middle of characters speaking. The influence of Ichikawa's cutting style is evident in Anno's works too. For example, in the expository scene in the "End of Evangelion", he would also insert brief shots of the subjects the characters are talking about. (e.g. "Second Impact", "Adam", and such jargon)
Anno is like a Japanese Tarantino; he absorbed much influence from his predecessors, and refines their qualities in his own works. Right now in Tokyo, the Anno Hideaki exhibit is gathering much fanfare. A good portion of the exhibit is devoted not to his works, but the prior art he was heavily influenced by. Clearly, he wants to give more credit to his predecessors by giving them the spotlight they deserve.
[4] Ichikawa also innovated in film color processing, where he and cinematographer Kazuo Miyakawa left the silver while processing film, giving an eerie lush glow to the colors.
Thank you for this! I know NGE parodies/tributes a lot of other media. Do you know if the computer interfaces were also influenced by other similar media?
I've recently been way into this show. I highly recommend it as well as the "rebuild" movie series. You may have to grit your teeth and bear some scenes, but I recommend it without reservations.
[+] [-] quacked|4 years ago|reply
I hold NGE in much higher regard than other similar IPs, and would continue to do so even without the excellent art direction. Like many other stories, NGE asks "what would happen if a young boy with an unusual ability was entrusted with the saving of humanity?" However, unlike many other stories, the show answers "he would fail, be driven insane in the process, and humanity would fall."
[+] [-] jasonwatkinspdx|4 years ago|reply
I remember when we watched the finale (the first version) one of the members of the anime club lost his cookies so hard he stood up and screamed a rant and walked out of the house in a state of rage.
[+] [-] avhon1|4 years ago|reply
> "You had to be a weapon, Ender. Like a gun, like the Little Doctor, functioning perfectly but not knowing what you were aimed at. We aimed you. We're responsible. If there was something wrong, we did it."
> "Tell me later," Ender said. His eyes closed.
> Mazer Rackham shook him. "Don't go to sleep, Ender," he said. "It's very important."
> "You're finished with me," Ender said. "Now leave me alone."
The most-salient parts are excellently dramatized during tracks 9-12 of Julia Ecklar's "Horsetamer":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD6Lj0OPZAc&list=OLAK5uy_kBD...
It's a shame Ender's Game hasn't received a quality visual adaptation. I think Evangellion being animated helped a lot with it being able to seriously depict children in a dark story.
[+] [-] dclowd9901|4 years ago|reply
FLCL, which I’m sure most Eva fans have seen, follows a similar conceit about the ineptitude of kids to cope with circumstances beyond their understanding, and is another show that I hold in similarly high regard. Incidentally, it also references Eva a lot.
[+] [-] bsanr2|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] oneoff786|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] herodoturtle|4 years ago|reply
Too late to edit it now I guess.
[+] [-] causality0|4 years ago|reply
The coloring, fonts, monsters, sets, and UIs of NGE are so pleasing to look at
Couldn't agree more. The music is also brilliant and endlessly mixable. https://youtu.be/26P1s88rDCc
[+] [-] GhettoComputers|4 years ago|reply
Formulas don’t have to be boring, Chronicle was excellent despite following the classic Greek tragedy.
[+] [-] mftb|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] baby|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lostgame|4 years ago|reply
Honestly - super lame that there was no warning on that. Top comment, too. :( A downvote for you.
[+] [-] javchz|4 years ago|reply
Plus I love how Evangelion falls into a middle of exaggerated UIs to have the "hacker look" of /r/itsaunixsystem/, and at the same an amazing level of detail that make sense in their own world.
Like when MAGI it's being hacked by the Computer Angel or SEELE, you can see they use a form of assembly and a Unix System to fight it.
And then, the MAGI system by itself it's an amazing use of redundant architecture with 3 computers that should have the same output. That a system that it's resistant to data corruption, but at the same time working as an GAN AI.
Amazing to think this it's from the 90s, and the most amazing part that those details are just 1% of what makes evangelion interesting.
[+] [-] downrightmike|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] GhettoComputers|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] moralestapia|4 years ago|reply
If you like this, you may as well enjoy: https://scifiinterfaces.com/
[+] [-] matheusmoreira|4 years ago|reply
https://wiki.evageeks.org/images/e/e1/Nigoki_synch_graph_low...
https://wiki.evageeks.org/images/2/2c/Nigoki_synch_graph_hig...
Episode 13 also has programmers saving everyone against an enemy hacking attempt:
https://wiki.evageeks.org/images/1/18/Ireul_Hacking_Magi.jpg
[+] [-] flobosg|4 years ago|reply
https://imgur.com/a/PF3oA
https://imgur.com/a/uDeBs
[+] [-] ErikVandeWater|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dclowd9901|4 years ago|reply
Ex: there are few things in life as utterly satisfying as watching gigantic mechanicals lock firmly into place and a big screen filling digital display say something of the effect of “ENGAGEMENT OK”. I don’t know what it is, but it _works_.
[+] [-] Pxtl|4 years ago|reply
Personally what surprised me on re-watch and through the rebuild-series is how much emphasis there is on the beauty of industry itself - so many scenes of machinery on landscapes. This is particularly notable with Ramiel, the beam-weapon octohedron - in the original series they explain that the weapon to defeat it will require all of the electrical power in Japan. In the rebuild, they make the effort of "we have to build electrical equipment to get all the power in Japan into one spot for a few seconds, and we have to do this in like a day or two" feel real and amazing.
As much as Evangelion is a story about isolation and loneliness, visually there's a sort of celebration of industrial civilization - especially the rebuild. Not just individuals, but kind of a "together look what we can achieve" thing. In most other series, the images of machinery and industrial equipment weaponry splayed out over beautiful mountain landscapes and put to task would be dystopian... but in Evangelion, the artists instead make it heroic.
The original series has this too - everybody loves the machinery of Tokyo 3, even poor Shinji, it's just amped up in the rebuild.
[+] [-] caseyross|4 years ago|reply
Some viewers might see this industrial aesthetic as just eye candy (and in the Rebuilds, it mostly is), but I actually think it's at the core of what makes the original series great. The most memorable part of the series, the fragility, anxiety, and despair of its characters, doesn't land nearly as hard without a foil to contrast against. This is provided by the aforementioned machines-as-characters, not just because they reliably perform their basic duties, but also because they're physical evidence of what other humans could accomplish, people who weren't consumed by doubt, fear, and mistrust. We're constantly seeing juxtapositions between frail man and stable machine, whether it's the elevator patiently clicking through floors while someone inside seethes, the telephoned voice that falls upon would-be-closed ears, or the commuter train being used not to go places, but rather to avoid all places entirely. (And that's just at the surface level --- the broader plot, of course, goes much further and deeper into these themes.) It's only because the industrial aesthetic is so heightened in Eva that the opposing human-fragility aesthetic can reach as low as it does.
[+] [-] debo_|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] GhettoComputers|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] superfamicom|4 years ago|reply
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21323736
[+] [-] quirino|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Claude_Shannon|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] aidenn0|4 years ago|reply
If you have seen even a few episodes of Robotech/Macross/Gundam that's plenty. Even a bit of Voltron or having seen the movie "Iron Giant" may do.
That being said, if you are familiar with the general idea of "Only this one average/milquetoast/nerdy teenager can save the world for contrived plot reasons" it should still be enjoyable as that's where it dials the deconstruction knob up to 11 the most.
[+] [-] GhettoComputers|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] latexr|4 years ago|reply
No. I recommend something by Satoshi Kon instead. Not the least because the time commitment is way shorter (movie instead of TV show).
Watch Every Frame a Painting’s video[1] and pick any movie. It’s Christmas season, so maybe go with Tokyo Godfathers[2].
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz49vQwSoTE
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Godfathers
[+] [-] ajford|4 years ago|reply
It's got a fair bit of the classic "teens in mechs" tropes to it, but there's definitely more to it under the hood, and it's universe is rather well put together in my opinion.
I'd try to walk into it without focusing on it being animated though. It's cinematography like anything else, it's just a different medium and a different style that makes use of the flexibility it's medium provides.
[+] [-] Pxtl|4 years ago|reply
A more recent version is the Rebuild movies (unrelated to the old finale movie EoE). The rebuild movies are beautiful and modern and tell a new story (after the first one which is almost a straight reshoot) but they just not as visceral as the original. They're called 1.11, 2.22, 3.33, and 3.0+1.0. Watch those after the original show if you're craving more.
[+] [-] mas-ev|4 years ago|reply
Episodes 25 and 26 are very abstract and rushed due to initial production budget. EoE is a more watchable ending to the series.
If you're craving more after that! The plot continues with the four Rebuild of Evangelion movies on Amazon prime video.
[+] [-] skhr0680|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dragontamer|4 years ago|reply
Maybe? NGE is not very representative of anime in general. Its definitely its own creature.
These days, "anime" lovers like "That Time I was Reincarnated as a Slime", "Naruto", "My Hero Academia", or "Demon Slayer". And back then, this "style" was carried by Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball Z.
You know: powerful hero collects a bunch of things and saves the world kind of plot. None of these shows are anything like NGE. I'd say people who like NGE will probably not like Demon Slayer, and vice versa.
---------
NGE is an existential mecha-pilot anime about depression, being forced into a losing battle with powers you don't understand. If you feel like dragging yourself through 26 episodes of that, yeah, go ahead.
But this ain't the happy-go-lucky overpowered main character always wins kinda show that's popular by 2020 standards. That's for sure.
Don't get me wrong, I like both style of shows (!!!), and both have their place. But "anime" is so diverse that you really can't compare this story with other great anime stories.
----------
That being said, I'd say the perfect "starter anime" is "Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood". This show has a lot of the crazy fights you'd see in some of the more battle-oriented anime, but also has some deeper self-introspection that was more common to 90s era anime.
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood hits a lot of themes and concepts that seem universal, that many people both anime-fans and non-anime fans can enjoy.
EDIT: In particular, the main character: Edward Elric, may be a kid but he grows up through the show and becomes a hero. Not your typical "anime superpower" growth (Naruto/Demon Slayer / Dragonball Z)... but instead actual outlook on life and maturity kind of growth. Yes, its a hero's journey but there's a reason this story is told over and over again, its a classic epic tale setup with widespread appeal.
What's exceptional is that Edward Elric is a mostly mature character even from episode 1. So starting from a largely mature character and seeing him grow even more is quite spectacular honestly. FMA just does the hero's tale extremely well, far better than most typical anime... with a few deconstructive bits thrown in here and there.
NGE is almost a self-loathing kind of story that makes you feel pitiful. Its good at it too, but I don't think it'd be popular or mainstream. NGE is really out there and goes 100% for whatever depressing feeling its trying to drag you into. I really don't think its something I'd typically share (despite its widespread acclaim, it really is a niche-storyline IMO that few people would enjoy).
EDIT: In contrast: FMA does have a couple of self-loathing parts (The early "Tucker" arc is especially a horrific ordeal), but never quite to the degree that NGE ever gets to. Its still horrific what happens in FMA: Brotherhood, but you never really lose hope in Edward Elric. You can root for the hero from the beginning and never lose faith.
In contrast, NGE absolutely expects you to lose faith in Shinji Ikari, his father, and the entire set of humans involved in the plot. These are not good people. You're watching a train-wreck in slow motion. This is very unusual, even by anime standards.
----------
Lets put this in terms of WW2 movies. There's lots of WW2 movies: like "Downfall / Der Untergang" and "Midway". Both have their benefits, both are WW2 movies.
But "Downfall / Der Untergang" is simply going to be more niche because the depressing stories are just less popular than the mainstream happy / boom boom fighting movies (like Midway).
If you were trying to get people into WW2 movies, would you start them on "Downfall / Der Untergang" ?? Probably not. Similarly, I wouldn't recommend NGE to a beginner anime watcher... I'd start you on something happier and more mainstream.
[+] [-] forgotmyoldname|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] elihu|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] coolandsmartrr|4 years ago|reply
Ichikawa was very keen on layout. While Ichikawa mainly focused on live action features, he began his career as an animator, where he honed his craft of laying out "deliberate" camera shots. Later in "Brother",[3] he was even criticized for a jarring camera layout, where characters sometimes bifurcate the shot composition by standing in the middle. [4]
Ichikawa continued with his "jarring" style; he would insert sudden bursts of opposite shots in the middle of characters speaking. The influence of Ichikawa's cutting style is evident in Anno's works too. For example, in the expository scene in the "End of Evangelion", he would also insert brief shots of the subjects the characters are talking about. (e.g. "Second Impact", "Adam", and such jargon)
Anno is like a Japanese Tarantino; he absorbed much influence from his predecessors, and refines their qualities in his own works. Right now in Tokyo, the Anno Hideaki exhibit is gathering much fanfare. A good portion of the exhibit is devoted not to his works, but the prior art he was heavily influenced by. Clearly, he wants to give more credit to his predecessors by giving them the spotlight they deserve.
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074691/
[2] Opening title: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkAryQPocLA
[3] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054151/
[4] Ichikawa also innovated in film color processing, where he and cinematographer Kazuo Miyakawa left the silver while processing film, giving an eerie lush glow to the colors.
P.S. I've also commented on Evangelion in this thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15906758
[+] [-] GhettoComputers|4 years ago|reply
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