Goodbye, All of Evangelion

When I started the first episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion on Netflix in June 2019, I did not expect it to become the journey it became. While I was not all that much into it every single second of the following two years, it nevertheless stayed deep inside me and occasionally rose to the surface whenever I was reminded of its existence. And as the months went by and the long-awaited release of Evangelion 3.0+1.0, the final rebuild film, grew closer, I started getting reminded of it more and more, until 2021 arrived and the film was finally released in Japanese theaters, prompting me to revisit the earlier parts of the franchise as I waited for the international release. 

It's such an interesting franchise, in many ways. There's a lot going on, even when the pacing is at its slowest, not just in the story's world but on a meta level as well. Evangelion has interpreted to be many things, from a normal mecha action series, to pretentious pseudo-philosophical nonsense, to a giant "fuck you" to all the nerds who are watching it. I don't think it's any of those, but you're free to disagree. 

What I think Eva is, is art. Art is incredibly subjective - not everyone finds the same beauty in those strokes of paint on a canvas, those notes echoing throughout a concert hall, those 24 frames of animation per second on a TV screen. Different people in different situations and with different mindsets and personalities feel differently about every work, but when they are moved by something, when it means something to them, that is real and genuine and, in my opinion, valuable. 

What does Evangelion mean? To some people, it means an incredibly interesting and captivating story full of mystery and depth. To some, it means validation - feeling seen by the creator, who once was just like you and is now telling you that there is more, you have a choice to become a different person, a better person. To me? I don't even know, to be honest. But it does mean something to me, and the fact that it's stayed in my heart deeper than any other anime is a proof of that. 

So, 3.0+1.0. The fourth longest animated movie of all time, the highest-grossing film of the franchise, the final Eva movie of Hideaki Anno. It's a... pretty good movie. There's probably things I could criticize about it (so who exactly is Mari? please put some clothes on, Asuka) but I don't feel like that there would be any value in criticizing it. It's flawed, like pretty much everything in this franchise, but I don't think those flaws make it any less impactful. The point of the movie, which is to deliver a definitive and emotionally satisfying ending to Evangelion not only to the audience but to its creators as well, is not tainted by a few shots of wonky CG. (The visuals overall are stunning, by the way.) 

Now that it's all over, a journey that lasted 2 years for me and over 20 for many others, I'm left with a feeling of resolution. It's over. And I'm glad that Anno & co. were able to finish it. They are, like the characters at the end, free from this story of giant robots and suffering. It's a story that will inevitably be revisited in the future, perhaps by a new generation of artists and storytellers who are now building their careers in Khara and other studios, but it'll be a new version of it, one that instead of reopening the door that now has been closed will open a new door in a different place. 

To the staff: thank you. 

To all of Evangelion: goodbye. 

And to all the (former) children: congratulations! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Happy 20th Anniversary to Sound Horizon!

It's Time for Me to Touch Grass

Around 20th Birthday and New Horizons