Catching Classics: Evangelion

This last week, I've finally watched Evangelion.

It's good. 

Really Fucking Good. 

I wasn't going in completely blind. 

The mechs are organic. EVA-01 and Rei are Shinji's mom. Shinji's a crybaby bitch.

Well, I'll dispute that last point later.

The amount of surprises the series had in store for me despite having lived during the period after, in the shadow of the internet where nothing is sacred, was delightful. 

Gendo's callous exterior foiling Shinji's. Kaji's secret 2nd job. The inevitable reveals of the EVA's true nature.

Kaworu's introduction and sudden queer tension in the last episodes. 

I don't want to spoil these lovely tidbits for anyone who is reading my log. Please watch the series.

It's more than "Congratulations!"

Though, 25/26 are now a favorite of mine. 

The infamous fan dismissal wasn't warranted. It's obvious, especially with modern sensitivity to mental health, the series follows a kid suffering from severe depression dealing with PTSD after a decade of neglect. Everything that occurs to him would be overwhelming for a 14 year old, justifying his literal escape from hell. To pull the curtain back on the performance and have Shinji deal with it directly while accompanied by beautiful imagery was a perfect compromise for the studio's timetable. 

Yes, it doesn't address the plot. I understand the frustration of waiting for a finale to a mecha anime only for it to leave threads loose, but it isn't hard to piece that Shinji's theater of the mind is due to Gendo initiating his plan for the H.I.P.

Besides, End of Evangelion has since tied it all up in a neat, fucked up bow.

Assassinating Shinji's character along the way. 

How disgusting.