"Congratulations!"

Sometimes in life I come across things I feel like I was destined to see, hear, feel or be a part of. Neon Genesis Evangelion is no exception. While I was completely blown away by this series I have to say one thing bothered me and it is again my own fault. I had too many expectations of this show to be something it wasn't. Now, let me tell you that the way Evangelion turned out was as close to perfect as one can imagine. Obviously that is just my "perspective" on things, but at the same time I am sad. I am sad that it didn't end even remotely how I imagined. I am sad that it ended in general actually. The pacing, story, characters, visuals and voice work were all fantastic. This show seriously had it all. The way I saw it end was actually really silly compared to what really happened and I am very glad it all played out the way it did. In some ways it was a good thing that I wasn't correct in all my assumptions about Evangelion. It gave me a super fresh show to enjoy with unexpected twist cropping up that made me feel on the edge of my seat. I wanted to watch the next episode. I usually start an anime and then feel obligated to finish it, or try to finish it because I feel bad Anyway, Evangelion turned everything I thought I knew about anime upside down and then threw it out the window like a frisbee made of roaches. I never really adapted the model of "learned helplessness" though. I still tried to predict the next bump in the path and I was rarely correct. It denied me my expectations and instead handed me something I couldn't have begun to fathom



Much like Paranoia Agent, this has earned itself another watch and a whole lot of investigating. There were so many themes, some pronounced and some hidden. All the character interaction seemed to have meaning and I haven't figured it all out yet. So much symbolism I found myself re-watching parts because I needed to know if I could find anything in that particular scene, but it was of no use because you're flooded with more every god damn second! I have a lot of ideas, but I can only speculate really.




Jesus, I could go on and on about how great this show was. It really surprised me time after time and boy that ending was great. It just takes a lot of artistry to weave a story like Evangelion and a lot of trust in its audience to understand a conclusion like that. This show evoked so many emotions and I am still really amped up from concluding the series.



What I found hilarious was the similarities between my own personal emotional battles and those of the characters throughout the show. The final episodes spoke to me, and I think it really speaks to everyone. However, I found a few deeper messages that rang out to me, which I have a feeling some will overlook on their first watch. At least, I hope so. Most of the world shouldn't have hated itself as much as I had at one point in my life.



Anyway, I would love to keep going about this series and rip apart each episode to show you how fucking awesome they all are, and let me tell you for 26 fucking episodes this shit doesn't dry out, but you should see it all for yourself. It is the only way for you to really know.
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