Hmmm it?s been a long time since I watched a really good series. Newly created mangas just can?t compare with the one I read 6, 7 years ago. Therefore, I came up with this idea to talk about legendary animes and reminisce old times 
.
Neon Genesis Evangelion.
I was a huge part of the series. It is said to be most influential anime of all times. I can clearly see where?s the hype coming from.
The very title of the series makes my shiver. Easy to remember and eye-catching, the phrase was chosen because it ?sounds complicated?. Biblical references in mecha world may sound absurd and corny at first, but after a while I came to realize it was a wonderful idea. Same goes for other references to culture : art, literature, music, philosophies.. They made the manga more believable and interesting to the mature reader.
The characters of NGE seem unique and extremely interesting even after all those years. Shinji?s definitely not your typical hero: he?s neither blond nor red, he?s not an extrovert and doesn?t show any bit of fighting spirit/will of fire. Misato was to me one of the best anime characters ever. Always smiling, but hiding sad secrets, benevolent and strong, yet delicate, she acted both extremely childlishly and like the most mature adult. Her relationship with Shinji was described by one of the episode titles as ?hedgehog?s dilemma? ? the notion refers to a situation when the closer two beings come to each other, the more likely they are to hurt one another; however if they remain apart, they will each feel the pain. Brilliant!
The opponents were very unique. They weren?t your usual bunch of villains, but angels; yet: what they really were? Mechas, monsters, viruses or humans? Each carried a different lesson to the protagonists. I found the meaning behind their names particularly interesting: for example, Tabris (Kaworu) means God of Free Will.
I said before that I liked the fact NGE used many cultural references. The anime is notorious for using music from Baroque era (particularly Bach and Albinoni). Many characters share their names with Japanese warships from WWII (a trend NGE started). The largest part of symbolism takes inspiration from Christianity. The cross is omnipresent. We have angels (apostles), the three of Sephiroth, gospels. We have the Magi computer and the Marduk Institute. Creepy, but insanely interesting!
I could go on like this forever, but that?s not the point. The magic of Evangelion is strong even after all those years. In my opinion nobody can describe himself as a manga fan if he hadn?t seen NGE. I strongly recommend it to anyone that craves for some intellectual challenge for a change.
Next time: Slayers >
. Neon Genesis Evangelion.
I was a huge part of the series. It is said to be most influential anime of all times. I can clearly see where?s the hype coming from.
The very title of the series makes my shiver. Easy to remember and eye-catching, the phrase was chosen because it ?sounds complicated?. Biblical references in mecha world may sound absurd and corny at first, but after a while I came to realize it was a wonderful idea. Same goes for other references to culture : art, literature, music, philosophies.. They made the manga more believable and interesting to the mature reader.
The characters of NGE seem unique and extremely interesting even after all those years. Shinji?s definitely not your typical hero: he?s neither blond nor red, he?s not an extrovert and doesn?t show any bit of fighting spirit/will of fire. Misato was to me one of the best anime characters ever. Always smiling, but hiding sad secrets, benevolent and strong, yet delicate, she acted both extremely childlishly and like the most mature adult. Her relationship with Shinji was described by one of the episode titles as ?hedgehog?s dilemma? ? the notion refers to a situation when the closer two beings come to each other, the more likely they are to hurt one another; however if they remain apart, they will each feel the pain. Brilliant!
The opponents were very unique. They weren?t your usual bunch of villains, but angels; yet: what they really were? Mechas, monsters, viruses or humans? Each carried a different lesson to the protagonists. I found the meaning behind their names particularly interesting: for example, Tabris (Kaworu) means God of Free Will.
I said before that I liked the fact NGE used many cultural references. The anime is notorious for using music from Baroque era (particularly Bach and Albinoni). Many characters share their names with Japanese warships from WWII (a trend NGE started). The largest part of symbolism takes inspiration from Christianity. The cross is omnipresent. We have angels (apostles), the three of Sephiroth, gospels. We have the Magi computer and the Marduk Institute. Creepy, but insanely interesting!
I could go on like this forever, but that?s not the point. The magic of Evangelion is strong even after all those years. In my opinion nobody can describe himself as a manga fan if he hadn?t seen NGE. I strongly recommend it to anyone that craves for some intellectual challenge for a change.
Next time: Slayers >
