Neon Genesis Evangelion.
What is there to say about this title that hasn’t been said multiple
times or more in the last 25 years?
It’s
one of the greatest Anime ever made.
It
changed the Giant Robot genre forever.
It can still be enjoyed after 10 watches or more and still remains one
of the most talked about Anime titles of all time, even in the new age of
Boruto, Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan.
This masterpiece from legend Hideaki Anno revolutionized both Anime and
Giant Robots in a way that shows have been trying to mimic and recreate for
decades, some doing admirably in its footsteps like Rahxephon and others
falling flat on their faces with their very first step like Darling in the
Franxx.
The truth is, Evangelion is
eternal and untouchable.
No amount of
time will change its legacy or its impact on Anime.
Today, to celebrate the just past 25
th
Anniversary of the franchise, I’m counting down my Top 5 Neon Genesis
Evangelion Franchise Moments.
This
includes moments from any part of the Anime, be it the TV Series, Movies or
Rebuild films
#5-Mari’s Introduction (Evangelion 2.22-You Can (Not)
Advance)
The Rebuild of Evangelion series garnered a lot of pre
release hype…cause you know it was Anno returning to Evangelion after
effectively ending it and doing it all over again with a few changes.
One of those changes was the introduction of
a brand new character, Mari Illustrious Makinami, a bespecled, busty and
hyperactive Eva pilot.
After being
completely absent from the first Rebuild film, Evangelion 2.22 opened with Mari
roaring into action in a new Evangelion, singing songs and loving the heck out
of getting to kick some ass.
Mari was a
brand new force of excitement for Evangelion and while her character hasn’t
gotten the backstory or exploration she sorely needs, just her being around has
made Mari just as synonymous a poster girl for the Evangelion franchise as
mainstays Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu.
#4-Unit 01 Unleashed (Episode 19-Introjection)
In what seems to be NERV’s darkest hour, the Angel Zeruel
comes close to ending the Angel preventing fighting force until Shinji arrives
to hold it back.
But when Unit 01 runs
out of power and looks to be next on the chopping block, something inside it
snaps and suddenly, the Evangelion goes beyond berserk and what follows is
something incredibly horrifying.
Zeruel
is crushed by Unit 01’s partially released full abilities and eventually is
eaten by the Eva.
This is only a glimpse
of the possible true nature of the Evangelions themselves.
We’d seen instances of Evas not being what
they seemed to be in the past.
But here,
we saw they were more than Giant Robots…they were likely no different from the
monsters theyd been created to fight against.
The image of Unit 01 howling with bared, bloody fangs, is still haunting
even to this day.
#3-Eva Unit 01 First Deployment (Episode 1-Angel
Attack & Episode 2-The Beast)
On the flipside of the last entry, we have the two part
first deployment of Evangelion Unit 01.
The beginning of Evangelion seems so innocent compared to what comes
towards the end.
The entire launch
sequence is classic Giant Robot fare, with epic music and sharp attention to
detail.
The actual fight between Unit 01
and Sachiel is one of the most legendary in all of Anime.
Exciting, brutal, intense and showing plenty
of signs that this series isn’t just gonna be your run of the mill Giant Robot
fare, the first showdown between NERV and the Angels remains the iconic first
step in Evangelion’s march to being legendary.
#2-Asuka’s Last Stand (The End of Evangelion)
Many complaints were lobbed at the Series Finale of
Evangelion.
Chief among those was taking
Asuka out of the picture and not having any real role at the end.
Well, Evangelion’s chief ass kicker was given
her time to shine in The End of Evangelion.
Not only does Asuka lay waste to the JSDF invasion force slaughtering
NERV, but she also has to take on a slew of Mass Produced Evangelion Units, all
looking like the stuff of nightmares.
Asuka puts Eva Unit 02 through its pace and delivers some of the most
gory mecha action in Anime.
Its an
amazing action sequence made only more prominent by it’s chilling outcome.
Just remember, we asked to see Asuka fight
one more time…and Anno did that…he just did it his way and we should’ve known
that would mean Asuka suffering one of the worst fates of any character in this
amazing and nightmare inducing finale.
#1-Shinji kills Kwaoru (Episode 24-Knockin on Heaven’s
Door)
By the time the Evangelion TV Series reached the halfway
mark, the budgetary constraints were starting to show as long segments of
episodes were made up of continuous stills with accompanying monologues.
Anno made due with what he had and he put
that hinderance to its best use in what I feel is one of Animes most amazing
scenes.
Faced with knowing Kwaoru is an
Angel, Shinji must make the ultimate choice: let Kwarou start Third Impact or
honor his friends request and end his existence to give Mankind a chance at a
future.
With a beautiful choir set piece
from Beethoven’s Ode to Joy playing in the background, we stare at Eva Unit 01
holding Kwaoru in his hands for about 60-90 seconds uninterrupted, wondering if
Shinji will really go through with it.
This scene never stops being tear jerking, awe inspiring and just plain
incredible…just like the whole of Evangelion itself.
BTW to honor the franchise’s 25th Anniversary,
I’ll be doing an Evangelion Retrospective special sometime before the end of
2020. It’ll be a three part project
exploring each of the three main Anime presentations: The TV Show, the Movies
and the Rebuild Films. It’s all been
written, I just need to slot it in somewhere and I didn’t realize this year was
Eva’s 25th birthday. Probably
gonna aim for November but don’t be surprised if I save it for the end of 2020
as one last little gift for the year.
Til then, see ya next week for an all new Top 5 Wednesday right here at
the Gundam Anime Corner.
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