Rating: older teen (extreme violence and blood in parts)
Genre: Drama, Mecha, apocalyptic and post apocalyptic, science fiction, psychological
# of episodes: 26
2 movies
Plot: (plot spoilers) Although it is not revealed until late in the series' run, Evangelion's story began in 2000, when an expedition of scientists in Antarctica discovered a large being of light, which they called Adam, or the first "Angel". On September 13, they experimented on the Angel; however, this caused Adam to go haywire and self-destruct (but in the process, it was also reduced to an embryonic form), resulting in a cataclysm that would later be called the "Second Impact". Antarctica was almost completely destroyed, and Earth's axis was shifted by the force of the event, altering the climate. The destruction resulting from the Second Impact killed billions, and global warfare over the next year claimed even more lives; by the time peace was established, more than half the earth's population had been killed. The truths behind the Second Impact are kept clandestine from the public in the form of a cover story in which a meteorite traveling at nearly the speed of light impacted in Antarctica and caused the disaster.
The series begins in 2015, 15 years after the Second Impact. During that time, humanity has recovered from the disaster. As the series opens, Tokyo-3, a militarized civilian city located on one of the last dry sections of Japan, is attacked by the first of a series of strange organisms referred to as Angels. Conventional weapons are found to be ineffective, but the paramilitary organization NERV succeeds in developing bio mechanical mecha, the Evangelions (Evas), which are capable of intercepting and defeating the Angels.
As the story progress, it is revealed that NERV is connected to three other mysterious organizations: GEHIRN, SEELE, and the Marduk Institute. Formerly known as GEHIRN, NERV's primary task is to defend the Earth from the Angels, while under the control of SEELE. However, NERV has its own secret agenda, driven by its Machiavellian commander Gendo Ikari: the Human Instrumentality Project, which, according to Gendo in episode 25, is the path to unite all human minds into one global spiritual entity. The Marduk Institute has the task of selecting the pilots for the Evas, the most capable being children conceived after the Second Impact (14 year olds). The institute consists of Commander Ikari, and NERV's chief scientist Ritsuko Akagi, with the public appearance of 108 companies revealed to be ghost companies.
Each Eva has its own designated pilot, and operates by synchronizing the pilot's soul and the human soul inside the Eva via the enigmatic, liquid-like substance known only as LCL. (In the context of Evangelion, a "soul" refers to an individuals conscious existence, mental structure and identity, rather than a more conventional "supernatural" entity.) Surrounded by LCL, the pilot's nervous system, mind and body are transferred into the Eva's controls, allowing the Eva to be controlled by the pilot's thoughts and actions. The higher a pilot's synchronization ratio, the better the pilot can control the Eva and fight more adeptly. For example, Shinji had a hard time making his Eva walk with 41.83% synchronization, but with higher synchronization he could perform acrobatic feats of hand-to-hand combat. 100% sync ratio brings tremendous amount of capability for the Eva, and higher ratios over 400%, thought as impossible, can be achieved by the pilots. Unfortunately when Shinji accomplishes such a ratio he spends the next month "dissolved" in LCL. The drawback of LCL control is that the pilot experiences physical and mental pain proportionate to that experienced by the Eva; at a high enough sync ratio, injuries to the Eva may even be mimicked within the body of the pilot, potentially leading to severe injury and/or death. Almost all of the known pilots are hospitalized multiple times throughout the series as a result of injuries suffered through synchronization with an Eva.
The main character, Shinji Ikari, is Gendo Ikari's estranged son. Prior to the beginning of the series Gendo summons Shinji to become a pilot when the pilot of Unit 00, Rei Ayanami, is injured. Not knowing why his father summoned him, Shinji arrives to Tokyo-3 just as the Third Angel attacks the city. Shinji reluctantly agrees and begins piloting Unit 01, and living with Captain (later Major) Misato Katsuragi. He and Rei battle the successive advances of the Angels together and are later joined by Asuka Langley Soryu, the pilot of Unit 02.
While Ritsuko mentions at the series' beginning that the Evas do have some biological components to them, the extent to which the Evas are biological is not immediately apparent. Unit 01 is connected to Yui Ikari, Gendo's wife and Shinji's mother, since it absorbed her body and soul in a failed experiment, as shown in episodes 16 and 20. Rei herself is suspected to be a partial clone of Yui, and is known to harbor the soul of Lilith, the second Angel.[1]
It is finally revealed, towards the end of the series, that the Evas are not really "robots" but rather living, man-made bio-mechanical organisms - more specifically, they are cloned Angels (Units 00, 02, 03, and 04 are made from Adam, the first Angel, and 01 is made from Lilith) onto which mechanical components are incorporated as a means of restraint and control. This control is not perfect, as various units are shown over the course of the series driving into "berserker" mode, in which they can act of their own will, independent of any artificial power output.
Over time, the characters begin to learn of the second goal of NERV and SEELE, the Human Instrumentality Project. Its purpose is to force the completion of human evolution, and thereby save it from destroying itself. To do so, they plan to break down the AT-Fields that separate individual humans, and in doing so, reducing all humans to LCL, which is revealed to be the "primordial soup", the fundamental composite of human beings, and the fluid of the womb. All LCL would then be united into a supreme being, the next stage of humanity, ending all conflict, loneliness and pain brought about by individual existence. At the end of the series, SEELE and NERV come into direct conflict over the implementation of Instrumentality.
In the last two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gendo and Rei initiate the Human Instrumentality Project, forcing several characters to face their doubts and fears, and how the characters feel about their self-worth. The series focuses primarily on Shinji, particularly in episode 26. Initially, Shinji attempts to run away from this internal confrontation, but eventually accepts himself for who he is. This ending could also stand for Hideki Anno's rejection of the otaku subculture, since Shinji rejects a rudimentary, empty and painless world for the real world.[citation needed] This ending, made up of flashbacks, strange, sketchy artwork, and flashing text, left many fans confused and unsatisfied. A year later, a second ending was released theatrically.
Personal review: i honestly thing its a great anime. the plot is superb and i like how they examine the human pycology
Neon Genesis Evangelion
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