[EVA] The Greater Meaning

[RJN]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Svensson" <sun1jack at hotmail.com>
To: "The english-language evangelion mailing list." 
<evangelion at yuki.onegeek.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 9:30 PM
Subject: [EVA] The Greater Meaning



 What is Evangelion about? I have my answer, but I'd like to hear everyone 
else's before I give it, so as not to stifle creativity. There must be 
something to the series that keeps us talking about it, so what is it? At 
the core, why is Evangelion important?

Peter Svensson

@To me Evangelion was my gateway & eye-opener to what makes anime unique to 
all other animation.  Its only a cartoon through its media & look. 
Everything else is much more.  "Lost" has the same fascination for me 
nowadays.

But what makes Eva extra special still among anime is the atmosphere, the 
details, the "moments", and Shinji + Misato. Its what I feel Rebuild has 
lost most.

Eva TV has periods/episodes of quiet "normalcy". Shinji's meditations, the 
radio & TV background chatter, Misato just taking him & Rei round with her, 
& chatting to Ritsuko. Then periods of intense action & danger, followed by 
quiet again, even with Asuka.  Rebuild has some, credit to Anno, but by 
neccessity its faster paced & the "everyday" moments lose out.

Why Eva is important is because Shinji is an average boy, not a hero, a 
scrapper, not highly intelligent geek, a jock or magical.  Yet he's expected 
to be that by NERV - albeit through desperate hope. And by misunderstanding 
anime audiences. Shinji was not born brave, or from special parents.  But 
because he's the son of NERV's CiC he's expected to be a "NERV brat".
EoE is more fitting to Anno's anti-heroic/unconvinced-conscript theme, right 
to the end, but denies any positive character development to Shinji at all, 
in fact makes him worse than in episode 1.

Eva's victory over me, is that I grew to like Shinji - understand his 
feelings some, identify with him some & cry for him some.  Ep.26 is an 
upper. 26' is a downer.

Was Evangelion influenced by Wagner's "Gotterdammerung" (Twilight of the 
Gods).  Are Shinji & Asuka the new man & woman in a "new" world, & was 3rd 
Impact "Ragnorak"?
RJN



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