Neon Genesis Evangelion
 

"The greatest anime of all time"? I guess I'm about to find out, but so far I'm a little unsure. I heard great things about this series and am now through the first 9 episodes. Someone please tell me that I should be pretty confused at this point. I dont even know what I'm confused about, but I feel like i was just thrown into the series from episode 1, with not a whole lot of info on what exactly is going on in this world of theirs. Also, I kind of think the first 9 episodes have been pretty dull. Does the series pick up steam as it gets going? What are everyone else's thoughts on it?

When has good anime ever been simple?

(Oh yeah, that "Naruto/Bleach" crap that substitutes for "anime" these days:lol:)

If you're not into heavy philosophy, characters that dont change and go insane when they try, irredeemable characters, and the same tone repeated in almost every episode to the point it forces you to enjoy it as it is and eventually appreciate it, you're not going to be anything but confused

In my opinion (I had to bold and underline that for clarification), it is the greatest anime of all time. I'm sure it won't be for a lot of people. I just felt it had a nice balance of character development, action, and twists to keep me interested the whole way through. The good thing about 26 episode animes is they tend to not have much filler within the episodes. Something new happens each time, and progresses the story further. The heavy religion within the show was something I haven't seen before, and it was an interesting weave into the story.

....anyway, that's my opinion. Good luck with the rest of the show. You'll probably be confused. And watch the End of Evangelion. Great "f*ck you" to all the fans who sent the creator death threats for making a cliffhanger ending. :)

The series becomes more psychological and dramatic as it goes. I love it and it's my favourite anime series, but I really had no idea what was going on. It's important to keep track of everything you don't understand -- every clue helps. I'd almost suggest writing things down!

I would put money on you being disappointed with the final couple episodes, but that's what the movie "End of Evangelion" is for. ;)

Which was such a better finale and made more sense than they think. There's a difference between "cliffhanger" and paying attention to the series. They didnt :)

Actually, I'm very interested in things such as that, but so far I really have'nt seen a lot of it. Maybe it just starts out a little slow? I dont know. I'm somewhat enjoying it so far, so I'll keep watching.

I happen to think that it is one of the most over-rated animes of all time. I saw it years before all the hype, and thought it was okay. Not bad, but okay. A lot of the times I've noticed people that call it the "Greatest of all time" haven't even seen it, and just say that because you're supposed to. Especially at Anime cons.

Ai excluded.

It's nowhere near the greatest anime of all time, but it's still worth watching. I've noticed that Gainax likes to kill off alot of characters in their super robot animes, especially the ones that have any likeable qualities. (This and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann are prime examples of this.)

Evangelion is one of my favorite animes, while I enjoy Bleach and other ones that dont take much though this is the kind of anime that makes you think. Not just whats going on but on a philosophical leval and emotional. If you cant handle people complaining then dont bother with the rest, they pack it on heavy in the later episodes.

What the characters experience are harsh and rough and maybe not for optimisic people, I loved the religious tie ins and mans want and need to create a god of sorts.

Each character basically falls apart, your not watching a heros rise to fame your watching already unstable people shatter even more to the point where they cant even operate any more. Some episodes even go deeper into there physche to find out what is causing this, in some causes being a flash back or actually diving into there being such as one instence with Shinja.

Im not sure what most peoples opinions are about the last two episodes of this series are but I loved it, while it leaves you with a feeling of uncertainy I think it captured what each character was feeling very well. The whole series had us watch the characters fall apart and close themselves off from society from something that had caused them to break down but these last two showed us that there is a chance for things to get better.

The creator made this after ending a clinical depression and wanted to base his experience off of it. So what each character goes through could be tied to that, and when he came out of it is suppose to be those last two episodes.

But if your for more traditional endings where they actually tell you where they end up then Evangelion Death and Rebirth is something you'll want to check out.

But overall I wouldnt call it the greatest of all anime but it is in the top.

That pretty much sums up my opinion about Evangelion as well. In my case, I saw it after it had already gained its reputation, and while I agree that it wasn't bad, it just didn't live up to the hype for me.

Very true. I've also been noticing the same thing with Cowboy Bebop.

Overrated. But its an okay anime.

What would be the best way to pick this collection up? Do they have a boxset?

They do have numerous boxsets. Now the show is in widescreen format with 7.1 surround sound. It also has recut episodes, and bonus features and blah blah blah. All for like, $50. I bought the original boxset back when it was $130. :cry:

K, so I've heard the platinum edition is the best way to go, but some member on the SHH boards claims that there is no way at all to get an english version uncut( I want the english sub-titles and I'm assuming that counts as an english version) He went on to say that there is a part where one character gets "bit" in the american versions and gets completely eaten alive in the Japanese ones. Is it true that even the Platinum edition isn't completely uncut?:-?

I've seen this anime, and thought it was pretty cool (sometimes confusing) and really enjoyed it...

But, it's not the greatest anime to me. I certainly wouldn't spend money on it.

There is no such thing as a definitive greatest anime. It's all one individuals opinion versus another's. While it's not my favourite, if I were to make a "must see" list, it would be somewhere on said list.

Basically, the show is science fiction with gratuitous religious discussion, references, and theories. Or, as a friend once proclaimed, "A mecha anime with a brain". It's also a true mindf*** that requires you to think while watching - something I enjoy in a series.