Why is Neon Genesis Evangelion so Popular?

Short Answer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is a popular anime, not only in eastern side but also the
western side of the world because of its heavy psychological fiction plot as well as its artistic accomplishment. At the time when it was still on-going, it was a groundbreaking show as it has a different theme and content. It has great actions, complex characters, and dark setting where it also tackles deep issues like depression and self-worth of which most people can relate to even to this day.

What’s the plot behind the Neon Genesis Evangelion?

Neon Genesis Evangelion revolves around Shinji Ikari, a 14-year-old student who’s been
recruited by his estranged dad, Gendo Ikari, who runs a secret intergovernmental association
NERV, to pilot one of the biomechanical giant robot called Evangelion. The association’s motive
is to defeat the Angels, an enormous monstrous alien that are hell-bent on obliterating
humankind in the face of the earth and the Evangelions are the mankind’s last weapon that is
able to annihilate them. Shinji would rather not pilot the Eva but then he needs to, or people
are ill-fated to desolation.

Rei (Eva Unit-00), Shinji (Eva Unit-01), and Asuka (Eva Unit-02) fought strong Angels with separate Eva units until Asuka slips into a mental depression after facing defeat. Shinji, whose Eva had recently gone wild, is gradually uncovering the truth with regards to his partner Rei. It would seem that Rei is a clone made by Gendo and his association, to be repeatedly sacrificed in the war against the Angels. It is also revealed that Rei was made from the DNA of Shinji’s mom. Shinji’s mom is uncovered to have been a researcher who helped at making the Eva units she was consumed by the Eva that Shinji himself presently piloted.

Kaworu Nagisa, one of the Eva pilots, battles closely with Shinji and becomes a very close ally. Their friendship was cut-off when it was later uncovered that Kaworu is really an Angel in mask. Kaworu then breaks into a crypto-governmental base with expectations of connecting with Lilith, a primordial Angel that Gendo’s association had kept secret underground. Kaworu contacting Lilith can possibly annihilate all life on Earth which led to Shinji on hesitantly killing Kaworu to save humanity from total annihilation.

Things get truly baffling when it was exposed that NERV was working as a cover for a secret association known as Seele. Seele had been exploring the Angel occurrence for quite a while and, had organized an “end times” plan that would transform all life on Earth into a monster soup of semi-aware slime. Now Shinji is left alone with a decision if he should save humankind or to allow all human existence to break down into a formless shared mindset.

Who are the main characters involved?

Shinji Ikari

“I still don’t know where to find happiness. But I’ll continue to think about whether it’s good to be here…whether it was good to have been born. But in the end, it’s just realizing the obvious over and over again. Because I am myself.”
Shinji Ikari

He is the Third Child, the main hero of the series and the assigned pilot of Evangelion Unit-01. He is the child of Gehirn’s bioengineer Yui Ikari and NERV Commander Gendo Ikari. After his mom’s passing, he was deserted by his dad and lived for quite some time with his master, until he was gathered to Tokyo-3 to pilot Unit-01 against the Angels.

He lives at first with Misato Katsuragi which then later joined by Asuka Langley Soryu. The allure of this person’s struggles with depression, and feebleness lives on today. Love him or disdain him, Shinji just can’t quit twisting the world. There are times when the viewer pities Shinji because of his constant self-loathing which continues to sink deeper throughout the show. However, there’s a breaking point to how much individuals can feel frustrated about themselves, and Shinji continues to cross these limits time and time again.

Rei Ayanami

“One who truly hates himself cannot love; he cannot place his trust in another.”
Rei Ayanami

Rei is the First Child, the pilot of Evangelion Unit-00, and one of the main characters of the series. With her unforgettable blue hair, Rei is maybe the most noticeable person from NGE. Toward the start of the series, Rei’s apathetic character perplexes her companions. As the series advances, her character develops and she turns out to be more engaging with the people around her, especially her schoolmate and Eva pilot Shinji Ikari. Rei is by far the best character on the show as she was able to enchant the viewers with her mysterious character, to her importance to Shinji and the general plot of the story.

Asuka Langley Sohryu

“It is simply the duty of the elite to protect the ignorant masses.”
Asuka Langley Sohryu

Asuka is one of the main female characters in the show. She is the designated Second Child and the pilot of Evangelion-02. She is a proud individual, especially if it’s about her piloting the Evas and always comes across as proud and highly opinionated. She is obstinate, forceful and finds it hard to communicate her actual sentiments to other people. Nonetheless, this character is a truly defenseless and insecure young lady.

She is frequently rough and keeps meddling of others’ space, particularly Shinji’s. Her insubordination and egotistical character make you turn away instantly, but yet she was able to gradually shed her external shell to uncover her actual self which is downright astounding and simply demonstrates exactly how likable she truly is as a person. That is why Asuka is considered the most relatable individual in the show.

What’s behind the controversial ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion?

To comprehend what’s happening, it’s critical to know what Human Instrumentality really is. SEELE, which comes from the German word “soul”, has a huge secret plan to achieve Human Instrumentality, or the converging of all human spirits into one substance, through making the Third Impact. The First Impact that happened 4 billion years ago was the initial time the two Seeds of Life, Adam and Lilith, impacted; the Second Impact in 2000 in the South Pole was the consequence of the “Contact Experiment” that killed Shinji’s mom, Yui, and Misato’s dad.

Human Instrumentality is a misleadingly forced development of humankind, which would obliterate the boundaries between everybody’s spirits and meld them to one; actually means finishing the world as far as people might be concerned. Gendo worked with SEELE to achieve Instrumentality, simply because he needed to bring back his lover, Yui. Human Instrumentality is happening during Episodes 25 and 26; in any case, since it’s according to the characters’ viewpoints, you can’t really appreciate the big picture.

In Episode 25, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei are altogether fiercely psychoanalyzed. Shinji is interrogated about his explanations behind his piloting of Unit-01. He answers that it is what everybody has told him to do; it gives him worth. Asuka is informed that the EVA she has considered useless is only just pointless due to her own disappointment, and that she just pilots Unit-02 only for herself. Rei, who is a clone with a part of Yui’s spirit and remains, is apparently had a portion of Lilith’s DNA, which she was not able to comprehend a healthy identity separate from what her other clone or to everyone around her.

In Episode 26, Instrumentality rockets toward its conclusion. Misato, as a projection of Shinji’s impression of Misato, lets Shinji know that it’s not being unwanted that he fears, however it is the disappointment, similar to all people. We actually need friendship and validation from others to get by. Now, Instrumentality sounds pretty pleasant, particularly given how hopeless everybody is.

Evangelion is a startling, violent, and ruthlessly miserable series, whose end, while madly
unexpected, is very elevating. It shows us that self- love and love from others is attainable even
in the darkest moments. Shinji, who is disabled with uncertainty and dread and self-loathing,
picks life as a person among the remainder of humankind, choosing the chance of happiness as
opposed to abandoning himself.

Interesting Fact: Is Neon Genesis Evangelion depressing?

Neon Genesis Evangelion has for some time been taken as a profoundly personal expression of Hideaki Anno’s own battles and his long fight with depression. From the beginning, Evangelion touch numerous mental themes. A significant number of the characters have deep mental injuries in relation to their parents. However, this also helps a lot of viewers to open their eyes on depression and how they will be able to breakthrough from it.