Evangelion: Classic or Overrated?

dwchang · Post by **dwchang** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 11:06 am

1) (more importantly) if you like the show, you cares. If you don't because it's over-rated...(shrug) you're free to.

Argh! That makes no sense...replace "you cares" with "who cares?" With that grammar, the sentence is actually quite funny in a engrish sort of way.

Declan_Vee · Post by **Declan_Vee** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 11:19 am

Eva is both a classic and overrated.
Classic - It's old. Almost 6 years old, and it's responsible for the majority of the Australian anime fanbase.
Overrated - The fact that after 6 years of Eva 5 of them in English, people still start threads about it, a lot of them.
Really, I couldn't give a damn. Had the whole series been like the first 13 or so episodes the world would be a much better place.

UncleMilo · Post by **UncleMilo** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 2:35 pm

Anyone who is aware of me knows that I am an avid fan of Evangelion.

It is a brilliant piece of writing. It starts off seeming like a slightly interesting giant robot show, but that simplistic facade quickly gives away to a collection of well written and well thought out characters who grab at you and never let you go. I don't know one character I didn't like in that show, including the "extras".

The show is filled with references to the Khaballa and all the designs have reason and purpose. A lot of research went into the making of this show... and all that research was just to make the surface story that much more gratifying... but despite all of it... it still had nothing to do with the true story of Evangelion.

The true story is actually very simple... after you strip away the giant robot facade and shove away the Khaballa referances...

the show is simply about Shinji. It's about a boy who seeks identity as he shifts from being a child to an adult. Along with that, it talks about us as people and asks the oldest of questions... who are we? Why are we here? What purpose do we serve? It leaves an empowering message of optimism that we can all take with us.

My best friend and I watched each of the VHS tapes... and after each tape we would discuss what we saw. We'd try to guess where the story was going and talk about what we thought might be coming. Our conversations were often 2 to 3 hours... just talking about scenes we liked... expectations... trying to connect the dots from older episodes.

Friends of ours saw the end of the series and went on about how the show sucks at the end. We couldn't believe it... not after all we had seen. When we saw the tape with the last two episodes, we were amazed! We were both thrilled with what a powerful and moving and brave message we had just been given. We talked about the show for a solid 6 hours! In fact we didn't know we had been talking that long until one of us saw the clock!

There is so much complexity to the show...

I didn't know even 25% of the Khaballa stuff until later when I befriended this guy who had spent many years of his life studying the Khablla... and unlike me or my other friend, he got hooked on EVA because of all the references to the Khaballa...

Talking with him, I added that much more to my respect and amazement at this brilliant and clever show.

Most people who call eva "stupid" are often people who missed most of what the show was about. Since they didn't get it, they blame the show for their own inability to understand.

When I read a lot of negative posts, the majority of them seem to come from people who wanted a simplistic giant robot show or didn't have the patience to pay attention to any of the plot details. I have read questions that are so easily answered if one just pays attention.

The dub is also a problem... because this show is so about what ISN'T said by characters and HOW they say their lines... and I know the guy who did the voice for Shinji hated Shinji... and how can you play Shinji right if you don't like the character? If you play Shinji wrong, you do a LOT OF DAMAGE to the show! It's nearly impossible to get across the message of Evangelion with a poorly played Shinji - end of story.

Anyway... I have to stop here... and anyone can e-mail me about Evangelion, because I love to talk about the show and I think the show is amazing. I don't like to discuss Evangelion on these forums though, because a lot of jackholes like to come and sabotage any such discussion and I just don't have the patience for that kind of idiocy.

Just adding my thoughts...

-Uncle Milo

dwchang · Post by **dwchang** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 2:45 pm

Preach on brother! I have discussed Eva with you and it was nice to see someone who sees it the same way. Fortunately (this'll sound arrogant), my friends are very intelligent and quite enjoyed the show as well. I love discussing it with them and seeing what related to them, how they saw things, etc.

Most people who call eva "stupid" are often people who missed most of what the show was about. Since they didn't get it, they blame the show for their own inability to understand.

When I read a lot of negative posts, the majority of them seem to come from people who wanted a simplistic giant robot show or didn't have the patience to pay attention to any of the plot details. I have read questions that are so easily answered if one just pays attention.

(nod nod) However by the same token, they are entitled to feel that way and we should let them be. Don't get me wrong it upsets me too, well like they say, ignorance is bliss.

The dub is also a problem... because this show is so about what ISN'T said by characters and HOW they say their lines... and I know the guy who did the voice for Shinji hated Shinji... and how can you play Shinji right if you don't like the character? If you play Shinji wrong, you do a LOT OF DAMAGE to the show! It's nearly impossible to get across the message of Evangelion with a poorly played Shinji - end of story.

Oh thank you! I've been trying to say this in other threads.

AtomicWeezleman · Post by **AtomicWeezleman** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 4:48 pm

(nod nod) However by the same token, they are entitled to feel that way and we should let them be. Don't get me wrong it upsets me too, well like they say, ignorance is bliss.

The dub is also a problem... because this show is so about what ISN'T said by characters and HOW they say their lines... and I know the guy who did the voice for Shinji hated Shinji... and how can you play Shinji right if you don't like the character? If you play Shinji wrong, you do a LOT OF DAMAGE to the show! It's nearly impossible to get across the message of Evangelion with a poorly played Shinji - end of story.

opinions are a wonderful thing, you can have one and no one can take it away from you because you are entitled to such, so heres mine. I thought that Spike Spencer played Shinji really well, he made the character really come to life for me, and a deep hate for the character was necessary as towards the end of the sereis and films, Shinji's main mood is self hate, well theres my bit for now, agree/disagree with me, it really doesnt matter as i enjoy viewing the opinions of others

dwchang · Post by **dwchang** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:18 pm

AtomicWeezleman wrote:opinions are a wonderful thing, you can have one and no one can take it away from you because you are entitled to such, so heres mine. I thought that Spike Spencer played Shinji really well, he made the character really come to life for me, and a deep hate for the character was necessary as towards the end of the sereis and films, Shinji's main mood is self hate, well theres my bit for now, agree/disagree with me, it really doesnt matter as i enjoy viewing the opinions of others

Have you watched it subtitled/raw yet? Perhaps you'll see things differently. Keyword is perhaps. I by no means endorse that this is the ONLY way to watch it...alright maybe I am

.

AtomicWeezleman · Post by **AtomicWeezleman** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:21 pm

originaly, i saw episodes 3 4 5 and 6, on the Sci-fi channel in english, then a freind lent me the whole sereis in dub, it was brilliant, i also saw eoe in dub first, there are some small differences in the dialogue, but for me that adds to it, as you have two options as to what the characters say

Beefmaster10000 · Post by **Beefmaster10000** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:32 pm

dwchang wrote:
Beefmaster10000 wrote:I have seen Death and Rebirth, as well as End of Evangelion, and just from those I actually quite enjoy the series. Those two DVDs alone make me want to see the series even more.
What?!?! You saw those and not the show?! Holy CRAP! That's like the end of the show. Damn you must've been confused.

No, not at all. Why would you think that? I watched those two, and I could understand it. It never confused me.

AtomicWeezleman · Post by **AtomicWeezleman** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:38 pm

surely, you couldn't get it all in one viewing, understand the chronology of the entire series, well maybe you could but since i saw the series first, i cant really hold an opinion on whether you would be confused or not, i know one of my freinds was, but hey, hes easily confused (anything deeper than a fight confuses him)if you understood it and like it.
Then that good for you

CaTaClYsM · Post by **CaTaClYsM** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:48 pm

In response to everything uncle Milo said. Alegory does NOT make anything good, it is simply a cheap way to hold a persons interest longer.