u/Flimsy-Philosophy-42 — reddlx

So I decided to randomly start watching Evangelion on Friday and got through to episode 14 in one day, didn't intend to binge that much but it genuinely piqued my interest and felt perfect for me. I loved the aesthetic and the relationships between Shinji, his Father, and Misato and the other pilots too.

The next day I thought I was going to reach episode 20 and call it a day but I ended up finishing the entire anime AND also watching End of Evangelion, and I was left speechless for a while so thats why it took me a whole day to formulate my thoughts and put them into words today. First of all I want to say it has the best intro and outro of any anime ive watched so far, and fits perfectly (or juxtaposes perfectly) with the atmosphere of the anime.

Throughout instagram and tiktok and reddit and other forums I keep seeing people say how sad and depressing the anime is etc, but I don't really agree with that entirely, sure it has some low points and tragic characters but it does end on a really hopeful note. I feel it expresses its points in a way where it has to show the pain and suffering of people, their loneliness, their imperfections, their need for intimacy (hedgehogs dilemma), in order to justify the Third Impact in a sort of twisted way for SEELE. But then subverts that in EoE as Shinji realises through a sort of catharsis that there is no joy without pain, and even though drifting in a giant pool of LCL without any worries sounds like freedom, it really isn't.

Now onto the depressing parts. Yes all of the eva pilots have depressing back stories, Gendo's neglect of Shinji, Rei being a clone existing just to fulfil Gendo's selfish desire, and Asuka's mothers suicide and neglect by her Father. There's also Misato's complex relationship with her father which she numbs through alcohol and sexual relationships. I know the scene when Misato kisses Shinji is seen to be weird, but for me its the most emotional, and depicts the ultimate inevitable conclusion for the broken relationship between Misato and Shinji, how she failed to be a mother, and resorts to the only thing she knows that can convince him to go pilot 01, and that was the only time I cried.

The show, through these depressing tropes, delivers a message of hope and resilience, and for the love of life itself through its imperfections, and for that I believe EoE is essential. I believe the final scene on the beach in the movie really emphasises the indomitable human spirit, Shinji knows the betrayal, the hate, the flawed nature of everyone around him, including himself, yet he must continue to live on as life does have beauty. I don't really understand why he choked Asuka though.

Really I felt as if the entire anime was setting up for the movie, and they are incomplete without each other.

Thoughts? Felt kind of empty but also weirdly very hopeful