Reviews

Evangelion 1.11 followed the original TV series ep1-6 with hardly any changes, 2.22 roughly follows ep8-19, but there are so many changes that it would be difficult to list them all! Here are just a few of those: Shinji has way less self-hatred, Asuka is more introverted instead of being that loud-mouthed b****(whom I loved...), and Rei actually seems human and is more than able to start a conversation! There's also a new sexy female pilot who at the moment seems to serve no purpose except to increase the sale of Eva merchandise...

That said, the best thing about 2.22 is the awe-inspiring visuals and the incredible new soundtrack by Shiro Sagisu, the combination make up for some of the most incredible battle scenes in any movie ever, you have to see and hear it to believe it.

The film ends in such a way that your guess is as good as mine as to what's going to happen in the next installment, actually there's a teaser trailer showing Asuka in space... Evangelion 3.33 is scheduled for release in Japan this fall, which means it will be a lonnnnnggggg wait before we can purchase the DVD in the states.

Suggested rating: R for intense violence, nudity, and language (dub)

How do I start a review of my favorite anime, nay, favorite show of all time?

Evangelion starts out deceptively simple. Watching it the first time in 2009 I couldn't help but snicker at the goofy designs of some of the enemy monsters (known as "angels"), roll my eyes at some questionable nudity, and thought the plot involving giant robots - Evangelions, Evas for short - and adolescent pilots was kind of childish. What kept me watching the first few episodes was almost exclusively the characters, imperfect characters which were whiny, cowardly, depressed, cold, obnoxious, and above all, real and lovable (okay, sometimes not) despite all their faults. There is so much anime out there with characters who could be described as cool, confident, and faultless, characters which are in my mind, wooden; if you're looking for that, this is not the show for you.

Around the halfway point in the show the main cast finally starts to get their lives and emotions in check, only to fall even deeper into the depths of despair than ever before. We then get a few questions answered, "Why do children have to pilot the Evas?", only to leave tenfold more unanswered. The finale in ep25-26 is truly bizarre, right at its climax the show decides to ditch it's narrative in favor of completing each main character arch in a dialogue and psychology ridden clip-show featuring recycled animation (due to budget, time restraints, and the fact they couldn't show what they wanted to on Television).

This show is overall very difficult to describe, elements of practically every genre abound. There are plenty of moments full of comedy, action, angst, sexual tension, and psychological terror; above all it's probably best described as a story about life and finding a purpose and overcoming depression. It is an immensely personal story because the director himself was clinically depressed prior, and he supposedly added parts of himself into every character in the show. Because of all this many people have labeled the show something along the lines of "pretentious garbage" and you know, I completely understand why, I love it all the same! If you ask me, the dub is actually pretty good for this one (after a rocky start) and is almost as enjoyable as the original Japanese. The show is not for children as it contains intense violence, nudity, sexual situations, and mild language, I'd give it an R-rating.

A more satisfying ending is "The End of Evangelion", a feature film about the events before and after the final two episodes, some would call it an alternate ending I view them as two angles of the same story, both vital. Just one warning though, this is one crazy movie which is a little more explicit and terrifying than anything in the TV series, but it's worth it and you will walk away with an experience you will never forget.

I didn't expect a masterpiece after checking out some of the mixed ratings on a few anime sites, but I loved director Anno's Evangelion and Gunbuster, so I had to check this one out too. I was not disappointed.

As far as the story goes, this series is basically Miyazaki's Laputa (Castle in the Sky) mixed with a bit of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This makes sense because the original script was written by/for Miyazaki in the '70s even before the Laputa film.

The show starts out by introducing a genius 14 year old inventor, Jean, who happens upon a mysterious (and attractive) circus girl, Nadia. She is soon chased after a gang of Jewel thieves - the Grandis Gang: Sanson, Hanson, and The leader Senora Grandis - who are after her "blue water" stone. Eventually the whole gang befriends each other and joins forces with Captain Nemo of the Nautilus submarine and does battle with an absolutely terrifying villain named Gargoyle in order to save the world from destruction and slavery.

The story moves along at a nice brisk pace with lots action and humor. Perhaps the plot is a bit generic, however, Anno more than makes up for that with his signature character development and visual imagery; Shiro Sagisu's musical score works wonders as well, especially in that last episode. Finally, the show does contain some nudity, but it's nothing too objectionable staying in the PG-PG - 13 rating.

The only major problem with the entire series is the batch of episodes near the end, the infamous "Island" and "Africa" arcs consisting of episodes 23-34 which were animated in a different studio and directed by a different guy. I've seen numerous people recommend to just skip them all except 30-31 then just watch from 35, but I just watched them all anyway, just to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Here's my opinion of each of those episodes:

ep23: Skip, unless you absolutely need to know how the gang got to Lincoln Island (Nadia give it that name later, who knows why).

Ep24: This episode will make you Hate Nadia, and she doesn't deserve that; skip by all means.

Ep25: Watchable. There's some decent humor and an off screen kiss scene.

Ep26: There's another kiss which is sorta cute, but that's the only good thing in this episode; Skip.

Ep27-28: Watch if you want to know exactly how the Grandis gang and Ayerton got back into the picture.

Ep29: Hanson and Sanson duel against each other with robotic lions, WTH! There's a touching moment in the middle of the episode which explains why Nadia won't eat meat and can speak to animals though, so the episode isn't a total waste.

Ep30-31: Very good for the most part, don't skip!

Ep32-33: Skip. These are the two worst episodes in the show bar none.

Ep34: An episode where we get to hear the gang sing about their adventures. Nadia has a lovely singing voice in both English and Japanese.

After that it's five glorious episodes to the finale! Final rating 8/10