The End of Evangelion

I watched all 26 episodes of season 1 in the span of a couple weeks.

My friend recommended this show and I take his opinion seriously.

When I started the show I had no idea what it was I was watching. I was just getting a feel for the information I was being presented and the things I was seeing.

As I went on through the episodes, it became more and more clear to me that the show gave so much symbolism and analogies related to humans, AI, and creation.

When I watched the last episode and additional movie to cap off the Evangelion, it became so clear to me what I was watching. I had major self realizations too.

This show was one for the books. And I got to learn some Japanese along the way.

Despite being criticized a lot because of the ending and the 'deep' plot, I found both the movie and the original series simply amazing. I've watch anime for almost my entire life and this was one of the few I can empathize with.

I thought it was just some generic mecha anime that got praise a lot in the first place, and I was totally wrong.

I have no words to describe how jarring this outstanding film was. Ignore the critics, give this series a shot!

This film is effectively an alternative to the final two episodes of the TV series 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'; as such if you haven't watched the series it isn't likely to make much sense as no time is wasted in explaining what went before.

As the film opens Asuka is in a coma and Shinji is wracked with more self-loathing than ever. SEELE launches an attack on NERV headquarters and the unconscious Asuka is moved to Eva Unit Two while Misoto searches for Shinji. Shinji's father plans to use Rei Ayanami to initiate the 'Third Impact'.

Having watched the series I thought I knew what to expect but this film takes things to another level. It provides lots of impressive action but this is tempered by the feeling that ultimately our protagonists might not prevail or even survive. The film is made up of two episodes, with the 'end' credits positioned between them. The two halves are quite different; the first is where most of the action takes place. Here things are relatively conventional. In the second things are far more existential, not to mention a little confusing at times. Shinji is more irritating than ever but the other characters are great; Asuka was particularly pleasing as she battled nine other EVAs in Unit Two; Rei is as mysterious as ever and other main characters were well used. The animation is impressive, clearly there was more time and money spent on this than the series. Overall I'd say that this is a must see for all Evangelion fans.

These comments are based on watching the English dub of the film on Netflix.

A precaution one might want to take before viewing this is: if one HASN'T seen the series they are NOT going to get this. And even if one has seen the series they still might not get all of this, but that's the beauty of Anno's masterpiece Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion. This alternate ending to the series was released after fans complained about the series original ending. If you've seen the original ending you already know that the actual "ending" analyzes the characters Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and Misato. While episode 26 of the original series is a complete fixation on Shinji, everything that happens in that episode still happens to him in the last part of this. Only his decision reverses. This shows a much more dramatic and extended version of Episodes 25 and 26 however, and answers a lot of the questions that were left at the end of the series and does a great job generating new ones. If you're a fan of the original series then this is a must see because it's way better than the original ending.

" How Disgusting" the last line of the movie may be in the minds of must viewers who see this film. This being an alternate ending to the post modern epic TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion. But although many viewers will probably leave either the theaters or their living room confused and dumbfounded this film is a great alternate conclusion to the TV series. The thing that makes this movie perfect is the fact that although one may not understand the details and significant plot points in the movie one can just marvel at the art direction and stunningly beautiful backgrounds present throughout the film. I myself am confused on some points of the film and the series but that does not harden my outlook on this film. Many hardcore fans have the luxury of understanding the plot and connecting the significance of each character to one another. I am glad that Anno gave us an ending that most fans agree is better than the TV ending. I think this film is a treat for all viewers and is one of the best anime movies i have ever seen. Even if one has not seen the anime TV series before, one can just marvel at the spectacular visuals displayed throughout the film and more importantly knowing the plot of the film is just a treat that adds to the films perfection. Overall even though this film leaves us a lot of questions the opportunity to find those answers makes this film and this film experience a reward for film watchers everywhere.

Direction: 10/10 Art: 10/10 Acting: 10/10 Plot: 10/10 Sound: 10/10 Writing: 10/10 Overall: 10/10