A Personal Experience of Neon Genesis Evangelion

Meaning in Nothingness: Neon Genesis Evangelion is a personal analytical window into a beloved anime.
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Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most talked about Anime of all time. A series which spans television, theatrical releases and manga Eva is possibly THE most celebrated story from the east in recent history. But why? What is there within the narrative that speaks so universally to the human condition that it can be loved so strongly by so many, be controversial to so many, and continue to allude analysis. Join Mike as he puts and end to it all.
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Meaning in Nothingness: Neon Genesis Evangelion
• A Personal Experience ...
Bonsai Pop
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#NeonGenesisEvangelion #Evangelion #Anime

[@BonsaiPop]

Hi everyone! so glad to have this finally come out, it's been a serious work in progress. I really put my all into the sound design with this so i hope you enjoyed! I will be at the NJgamercon in Cherry Hill NJ on the 26th through 28th of July 2019 so come say hi! if you're interested i recorded the end track for this episode (fly me to the moon) i have it up here on soundcloud soundcloud.com/mike-pixley/fly-me-mp3 video is on patreon thanks so much for stopping by, it makes all the work worth it, don't forget to follow us on social media for updates and exclusive content @bonsai_pop and leave me your experiences with Eva below! hit the notification bell for next weeks video and have a great week! -Mike

[@yourin8er]

Hi. I was hoping you could do an episode on Blue Gender. No one every gives that show love.

[@thecountofmontecristo2796]

@@yourin8er I have to wonder if the ending was what the writer wanted or if it was rushed?

[@aljenysilven4121]

Bonsai Pop bro I just watched this! I loved it it you just mind fucked the shit out me!! Definitely subscribing

[@samualwilliamson369]

What I took from Evangelion was I wonder what my imagination will look like when I am dead, I think about it daily

[@AlaskaFinal]

@3:23 *"Almost completely useless"* He can cook, and cleans Misato's apartment on a regular basis. He can play the cello like a boss. Most 14 years olds can't do one of these things. To include the two 14-year old girls he keeps company with.

[@DocDoesGamingTV]

Ah yes 5am, time to contemplate our existence

[@R_G_K]

DocDoesGaming I wanna like your comment but it’s on 69 likes and I am not a monster

[@DocDoesGamingTV]

@@R_G_K it's at 96 now, which is somehow hilarious to me

[@PkolDumancas]

Damn dude!!! I also watched this 5am

[@DocDoesGamingTV]

@@jijo2002 No, you're awesome!

[@zachstonhail8908]

Honey it's 4pm time for you're evengilon void

[@Nick-bh5uk]

"To kill a God you must use a god and if there is no God around, simply make one" - Pretty much the shortest and most accurate description of the Evas actually are I've ever seen. Quite Impressive Good Sire!!! Side Note: Canonically Unit-01 is the only one that was born from Lilith's material, hence it's name "Test-Type", all the other Evas are made from Adam.

[@lucasbueno786]

"Do you know yourself well enough to even hate it?" I remember being a confused 17 years old, who did not know what I wanted to do with my life, the prospect of leaving my routine and going to college and so many more doubts. I remember watching Eva for the first time, then entering a depressive haze due to the show's several messages of intimacy, individuality and isolating yourself from your problems. Now as a 23 year old, with still so many things to learn but with a much more clear head in the right place for the moment, I rewatched the series on Netflix. And I literally cried tears of joy while watching episode 26 (Especifically the Congratulations! scene and the thank you message from the show director). The optimist message of embracing suffering to find your joy and learning to love yourself I now found was like a punch to my guts. The fluidity of meaning Evangelion has that you talked about is truly beautiful and so is your video. Thank You!

[@cheekclappa69]

Funny. I saw it when I was 23 still feeling fresh outta high school, really immature and naive AF, in and out of college that I never finished, in financial debt coming back to live at my Mom's, feeling lost, physically broken by both work and hard partying, not really knowing yet what I wanted to do with my life with no real goals or ambitions. It was a total mind fuck of a show and really made me see things in a different way. It was also around the time that the HUGE Indonesian tsunami happened what killed over 100,000 people and boy that really put things into perspective in relation to the series. I couldn't help thinking of all those souls gone in just one day and imagined what it would be like if everyone on the planet died and became one again like in the series. Pretty weird timing for me to finally watch the series as I had known about it for years, but never really had the time or means to watch it until I found the whole series on VHS tapes at a pawn shop when I came back to town to move back my mom's defeated after not finishing college and having no real aspirations. I could also relate to Shinji in many ways. Most notably in his relationship with his father. My father was never there for me, had completely abandoned me since before my first birthday and I had recently gotten in contact with him and had somewhat of a new/actual relationship with. I could relate to Shinji in many wasy, as I was also kind of a whiny pussy when I was a kid lol! Long story short, I'm 39 now and have great memories of the series and how it helped me to understand the real mind fuck that I was going through at the same time that I saw it when my life was in mundane, bleak disarray, chaos, and existential crisis. lol!

[@robbanbobban2]

When I saw Evangelion I must've been 15 or something. Everything about the show hit me so hard I had trouble sleeping after many of the episodes. Not only did I have no idea what I wanted to do with my life, I didn't even have a routine outside of playing videogames, watching anime and going to school. My whole life was a series of avoidance strategies, because for most of my childhood I had felt nothing but insecurity and abandonment anxiety. There was no structure to base my life around, to boost my self esteem, to give me a sense of strength. So my ultimate strategy was avoidance and fantasy. And I didn't even know this was the case. I guess the reason why Evangelion hit me so hard is because it peeled away all the layers of comfort and put me face to face with a lot of the fears I actually had. I wouldn't say it helped me though. In fact it kind of became another layer to my trauma, another existential crisis. And there were more to come... lots of them. And these traumas and crises would give way to new methods of escape, new ways to avoid and fantasize. And then the next crisis would come, and the next. Life is brutal when you're lonely. Now as I'm 30, and finally learning how to connect with people intimately, I'm starting to think that life isn't fucked up. There is just something about our history that is fucked up, something that bleeds into today, that colors our existence grey, even when it's not.

[@tellurian1734]

Also 23.. after finishing university a couple months ago I was plunged into an existential depression spiral fuelled by excessive Lsd usage. I got to a point where I didnt identify with my own personality/motivations/opinions.. and with the looming question of which direction I should be moving in life, without any sort of compass, I was in a very dark place.. Then I watched Evangelion. Towards the end when shinji is asked "why do you pilot the Eva?".. I couldn't help but ask myself the same question (why do you do anything you do?) This seems obvious but it prompted me to completely rethink my entire relationship with existence.. Since then I've been slowly improving, but honestly if not for Evangelion, God knows where I would be rn. This video was the icing on the cake

[@reganbrooks8339]

I essentially felt this exact same way. When I first watched Eva when it was on Toonami, a LOT went over my head. I was expecting a completely different show. THIS show was frustrating to try and understand. Googling explanations never seemed to help and only muddied the waters. All of that said, the memory of the show never left me. There was a sort of reverence in my mind for Eva, a feeling of meaning devoid of the words to describe what that was. I rewatched it last year on Netflix and was blown away by it. The original ending was underwhelming at the time but with two additional decades of life experience, it was profound. The show itself and the concepts therein have burrowed deeper in my mind, leading me to love this series and the End of Eva for completely different reasons than my first time through. Congratulations. That's what I saw in the Rorschach test. As is above, so is below. The hopeful message of embracing your own suffering and learning to love yourself for who you are...not who you want to be or who others expect you to be. This series is a classic, beautiful, and deeper than I ever knew.

[@lesliverspy3095]

So I was 13 years old when I watched this entered that depressive state, for a good day or two, not many anime makes me do that, it never made sense, especially after watching the movie, but the fact it didn't make sense was why Evangelion to me is one of the best anime, I can never explain it only that I experienced it at a young age and for a shorter time, and now im the wiser

[@taunfountainjr7942]

The biggest thing I took away from Eva was the hedgehog dilemma. That dilemma is rooted deep inside everything in Eva. As much as depression, anxiety, and sexuality play a part. The dilemma is always rearing it’s head somehow. End of Eva and episodes 25 & 26 all deal with it in a way. Shinji accepting his individuality and wanting to continue on living even if it means he could hurt others and be hurt by them is beautiful, crushing, and moving.

[@tasogarerubica]

To me Eva... Was an obssesion, like many others who watched as it aired in Japan, or for those who watched through other means, it left an impact. An unforgettable impression upon us. Casting an idea into our mind and molded us into the people we came out to be presently. Eva help facilitate my intreset in theology through judeo christian and kabbalistic imagery and terminology. As the years pasted by, as my knowledge increased, the layers kept unfolding deeper and deeper into this unending rabbit hole. How the first impact of the celestial object colliding with earth could also be reffering to the primordial bodies, Abzu of the fresh water, and Tiamat of the salt water. Or Shinji's obsession with Unit 01 and Rei is just his oedipus complex. But these are merely what I learned from Eva. Personally, Evangelion was a show that passed the torch of geekdom from one generation of geeks to me and my generation of geeks. Gainax being comprised solely from a generation who were permitted to live their lives drowned in their obssesions after the post war miracle. Anno and his crew of western geeks gave me the realization that, one can achieve great things even if you weren't born in the mecca of the anime industry, you can make your own place in life to fulfill what you desire and fall flat on your face and still be alright. Long live geekdom, and rest in peace Gainax... but you'll live as an empty husk of your former self, but your flame lives on with in all of us.

[@speedlgt]

was honestly obsessed with eva than I realized...........this show is full shit.

[@koopatrpa]

Dude this was great. Closest i have ever heard someone explain my own experience watching EVA. The whole 'you within me, and me within you' concept truly changed concept of existence. Each person is more than what then their own concept of themselves. They are mostly the impact they have on others. Their is no existence without your existence inside the minds of the people you interact with. And as a bonus, 'Fly me to the moon' is my favorite song in existence, specifically the bossa nova version by Astrud Gilberto.

[@CosmicNebula444]

Me: Oh cool, another Bonsai Pop video! And it's about Evangelion? Wow, I wonder what they're gonna talk about. Me, 17 minutes later: *What?*

[@astro_karbowski]

"Best girl Misato Katsuragi" Ah, I see you're a man of culture as well

[@Lcirex]

Okay, way to push yourselves on the editing in this episode guys. But really go out and by some comfort food for yourselves and get some hugs. This looks like it took a lot out of you guys. *Patreon*

[@Nerdicaful]

I think I was 16 the first time I watched the inkblot. It changed my life. I self-projected onto Shinji. I watched the Director's Cut of the last episode. So many deep, dark things were said in the episode, but there were also many positive things. I even remember it ending on a positive note. At the time, I was going through a religious-upbringing crisis, cause' I'd made peace with being gay, but that was jiving less and less with my religious beliefs. NGE made me feel less shitty about that; that I could be gay and still religious (if I wanted to be). It made me feel like I could be anything, no matter how frowned upon, and still be okay as a person so long as I had support from loved ones and love in myself. Love in myself...more importantly. I think self-love is the big takeaway message. If you can just enjoy being you, despite all your flaws, you'll be strong and in the long run, happy. By the time the inkblot was finished, Shinji came out victorious in finding his own self worth. And that's saying something, cause' that boy has been through some shit.

[@Crimsonrain13]

I loved your perspective on this. I also loved the Xenogears amd FF7 track in the BG. The mix of them all ws great.

[@reloadreload8723]

There's Chrono Cross OST in it too... 😊

[@cloudstrife5719]

Fuck yeah, love me some Xenogears.

[@Crazael]

I always identified with Shinji. I saw him as a kid who was tragically forced into a struggle he never wanted. Who was forced to do a thing he hated because it seemed to be the only reason anyone cared about him. A kid who had a crippling fear of being rejected by others, and so never reached out to them despite his desperate desire for it. A fear I have felt my entire life. I have always seen Evangelion as an exploration of that fear and it's effects on people more than anything else. As a side note, I never felt that Kawaru had any kind of sexual, or even romantic, interest in Shinji. To him, Shinji was a perfect example of what made the Lilim so fascinating to him, and he loved him for that. But 'love' isn't quite the right word. And while even the original Japanese is intentionally ambiguous, I never felt there was an intent to make it a sexual or romantic interest. Like many things about Evangelion, it is something that was meant to be open to a degree of interpretation. Also, Kaworu was not trying to 'touch' Lillith. He was attempting to reunite with Adam. He even says so when he encounters Lilith. He expresses surprise when he realizes that the Seed in front of him isn't Adam, but Lilith. And, additionally, only Unit-01 is made from Lillith. That's part of what makes it special. It was intended to be a backup for initiating Third Impact if Lillith was destroyed or otherwise inaccessible (which is what happens in EoE). The rest of the Evas are made from Adam.

[@cale0176]

What I took from Eva was a strange kind of anger, not just at myself but as a response to the world. Not in an angsty sort of a way, but like an... indignation. I was, and sort of still am, furious that I couldn't find a way to claw out of my depression. Like Shinji, it's all too easy for me to blame my issues on the situations that have shaped my life and as my own responsibility for my mistakes set in that same anger started to turn inwards. How could I claim to be a moral person with stains on my past? Was I just a hypocrite? Could I really fault the person caught for stealing when I myself had done so? Was it a sign of my own moral failings, did it mean having to give up on old beliefs and admit I'd been living my life wrong? How much of this could I put on something, anything else? My internal monologue is a constant stream of self lashings even now, but the "me that exists in you" struck two chords with me. The surface text of how we only exist as what we think we are in others' minds, but at the same time the allegory of the egg. That all of life is the same life going over and over through cycles, learning and growing with each iteration to become more complete and whole. That carries some heavy reincarnation stuff but is besides the point, moreso that I had to remember that any person I came across could have just as easily been me. If I had been born in a different place, read different books growing up, not had access to books at all, which of the two people crossing paths on a random sidewalk could I expect to be? More than the golden rule, this struck me as trying to see myself in others because I needed to. I was insular, and selfish, and couldn't and still struggle to really form connections with people. Concepts like AT fields, and pretty much the entire struggle of Neku in TWEWY, have always hit me the hardest as themes. Maybe this still makes me sound selfish, but I needed to see myself in other people to care. And then all of that anger shifted somehow, but I don't think it ever lessened. Instead it became anger at a world I didn't despise, but that I myself couldn't fight hard enough against alone. I hate that no matter how much I scream and rage, I'm a speck on a planet in a cosmos. And in and amongst how completely and utterly alone we are in the universe, somehow people could still find the time to be horrible to each other. To post videos of doing things to animals that I don't know how any living human could listen to the sound of without their blood chilling. I realized how blocked off I was becoming, and I saw in the news and in my past what happens to those who block themselves off from humanity, and I became angry that I was allowing myself down that path. I wondered how many of these people could have had their lives fundamentally altered if they had found a way to have a true human connection, and became angry that I had wasted I don't know how many of them. And this is gonna sound crazy, but it was the first time that anger had ever pushed me forwards instead of making me spin in place. I couldn't solve these problems. Not in myself, not in others, not in the world. I wasn't strong or smart or fast enough, and I'm still not. But ever since then, I've used that anger at myself to remind me why I'm trying so hard to fix my life. I've used my anger at the things others do to try and work on a way of helping the next generation avoid those disconnected feelings growing up, even if I'm still a long ways away from that. I'm angry that I wasted so much time when I could have been so, so much closer to that goal, but that anger reminds me that I'm still not complacent. I'm not just OK with my surroundings or my life. I haven't settled, because I wouldn't still be so angry if I had. I thought I was giving up until Eva made me angry at myself for how much of myself I saw in so many of those characters,. The drive to fix myself was still there and I had just been wasting it aimlessly on self flagellation the way nearly every character manages to self destruct by the end of the show in one way or another. So lost in compensating for their own suffering that they fail to see the solutions right in front of them. It was the first time I'd ever felt such powerful anger towards myself be so constructive, like a new inner monologue taking over. One that didn't want to be angry at me, but had been angry for me for a long time and been waiting to shout as loud as it could to help me leave as much impact as possible for a tiny speck.

[@clivehandforth3531]

"God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?"

[@SerifSansSerif]

Nice quote. Glad to see I wasn't the only one pulling that vibe from the video...

[@thezerowulf507]

Words of a man who killed himself.

[@clivehandforth3531]

Oh god i can't beleive i wrote this unironically, I'm so embarrassed..

[@23Fists]

@@thezerowulf507 to be fair, Hegel is the one who really discussed thoroughly the implications of that statement, and what circulated most out of that was specific to atonement. Go figure, Judeo-damage-control at its' finest. The purest form of that statement, with context, is that the more knowledge we gain, the less room for God there is in our knowledge; that is to say that the common God-of-the-gaps argument is quickly shown to be an unusable model for our understanding of God in a Judaistic culture, and leads to holes in the foundations of those religions, which can lead to a cataclysmic fallout of nihilism if we are not prepared as a species. At least, that's my take-away from Nietzsche's statement.

[@halfabrain6491]

You Mike are a philosophical genius. Your way of thinking makes it obvious of how much experience you have in life and how you think. Ever since i saw your video on promised neverland i understood the depth and brilliance of you analysis. This is your best video yet and it just reminded me of the thaughts i had after waching eva. The whole irrelevance of your own existence just showed in your face and the terribleness of human nature. You brought it to light perfectly. The end of eva had me thinking the most just because of its bombastic portrayal of the inner depths of the human mind. I usually dont think to much about existentialism but this highlights a side of my mind that leves me sleepless. Anyway i really adore the way you think and i hope you make an analysis on the monogatari series since it has so much incripted meaning.

[@BonsaiPop]

thank you for the very very kind words! i'm really happy that you're enjoying the content and getting something good out of it =) really made my day -Mike

[@halfabrain6491]

@@BonsaiPop the pleasure is all mine

[@veganjotaro]

@@halfabrain6491 look it up, is a song by bj-

[@blahdelablah]

I would suggest the nothingness you speak of is a rejection of choice, which paradoxically is a choice. If we have free will then who we become is a choice that we make. If we already have a predefined self (i.e. if that void is already filled), then our only choice is whether to ignore or embrace the self we discover. To put it another way, if you think of the act of living as though we are painters, the painter with the most freedom is the one that starts with a blank canvas. What I think people really dislike about nothingness is the lack of connection. We can create intricate inner worlds, but what good is it if we can't share it with anyone. It's interesting to note that the increased prominence of nihilism has come at the same time that people feel isolated. Modern technology is an easy scapegoat, but I would say it's more accurate to blame our own fears and insecurities. It takes embracing vulnerability to feel connected, and there's nothing that really stops us from avoiding that other than our desire for connection, but if we reject that desire through nihilism we both free ourselves and kill ourselves. That's a valid choice, but I would suggest it takes more courage to embrace uncertainty.

[@scottdodge6979]

Modern technology isn't to blame per say but it has facilitated the spread of nihilistic ideas. I'm not going dive too deep but I suspect it has to do with a lack of purpose. The whole question of are we an accident? Or did some divine presence put us here and is the purpose to simply be "good" person and get to whatever afterlife? Nietzsche sums it up the best, if we killed gods are mustn't we become gods ourselves to be worthy of such an achievement? I'm not a super religious guy but I do believe that in general we have developed an aversion to religon and in lots of people I feel this causes an existential crisis. If there is nothing after and if all you are exist in the minds of other who will eventually die as well then well does it all just boil down to nothing? There's a quote from a book by Thomas Ligotti which sums it up nicely "the logic of supernatural horror [is] a logic founded on fear, a logic whose sole principle states: "Existence equals nightmare." Unless life is a dream, nothing makes sense. For as a reality, it is a rank failure.."

[@b1opfish]

I literally have no words:0 This really made me think, the writing was intricate, even poetic haha Good job, I mean it.

[@higheredjohn8316]

I hated the ending when I saw it years ago because of the animation style. When I watched it again after a few months though, it grew on me. The ending, to me, was all about Shinji finally accepting himself confidently and trying to move forward instead of doubting himself all the time. This was way before they made end of Evangelion (still haven't watched any of that).

[@SapphireLibra3]

............................. Know what? I'm going to leave two comments on this video, this being the first one. The second one will be after I've watched all of Evangelion again, including the End of Evangelion movie, and then I'll come back to this video and watch it again. What I'm going to talk about in this comment however is something kind of terrifying I experienced with this video coming out. See, I've recently decided to try and experience something new every day. Either watch a new youtube video, or watch a new anime, read a new book/fanfiction, etc, etc, etc... For the last few days I've been watching things pertaining to Evangelion, I didn't know why, but I felt like I needed to understand it. At the same time, I found myself today being excited and wondering "what's Bonsai Pop going to post today" because you guys always seem to post something relevant to my situation at the moment. See, I don't watch anime or play video games because I simply enjoy them. I find certain truths about myself in them. It may sound crazy, and pardon me if I sound a bit insane, but I truly believe that in a way, video games and anime are real. Maybe not in the reality that we experience right now, but somewhere out there in the universe, every anime, every video game, every book, every fanfiction, all of it is a world unto itself. It would have to be so, otherwise we wouldn't be able to imagine or experience them. Quantum Physics presents the idea that if we imagine something, then it becomes real. However, the stories that I imagine don't manifest themselves as worlds before my very eyes. That doesn't mean that they don't manifest into worlds though. As such, watching anime, reading a good book, or playing a video game in a way is me experiencing another reality, another world. One that doesn't exist, yet does at the same time. So when I watch your videos on this site, I always walk away with something profound. I see the universe in another light, and come to understand my reality in new ways. As such, I was surprised that you posted something on Evangelion after seeing tons of stuff on Evangelion, but at the same time, I wasn't. Or maybe I'm just now able to see what the universe is telling me right now. *_Watch Evangelion_* So, I'm going to get started with that. I'm going to watch Evangelion, and then come back, watch this video again, and then leave another comment. Let's see what the Universe is trying to tell me this time.

[@raywilliams6717]

Okah well first off: Quantum Mechanics doesn't say we imagine reality. That is something so absurd neither Everett's Many Worlds nor the Copenhagen Interpretations take up. Quantum Mechanics says that possibility squared is probability, and if it Is possible, it exists. Full stop. So actuslly QM is totally orthogonal to our imagination. It can create things in Ultra Deep Time that are inconceivable (for example Boltzmann Brains), but it is in no way constrained or even concerned with what We think of it. Becaue It is not an Entity. Secondly I have the platinum box set, with some Very meticulous and detailed commentary tracks that truly demystified the show for me. I also have End of Evangelion with the ssme feature sooo... Yeah that's gr8. This show is actuslly rather pretentious but that's a saving grace because so much of it hasn't aged particularly well. Regardless, side-stepping the Esoteric and embracing the Technical doesn't mean that we can't find physical or mathematical analogues for "the I that is not Me" and "the Other that is Myself". The concept of an Abstract Machine is what Turing was actually famous for, and allowing for the existence of s symbol that has an indeterminate value in such a machine creates a system wholly capable of simulating the entire universe--i.e. it is Turing Complete. Hofstadter wrote I Am a Strange Loop which is a fantastic introduction to how the "I" came to exist and is much more thoroughly laid out in Gödel, Escher, Bach. Finally: this show wouldn't exist without Devilman Crybaby, which yes is Newer than this show but was Actuslly the 50th anniversary celebration of Demon Lord Dante. So yes by all means, watch the show, watch End of Eva, but don't get sucked into this Cult. It's not so totally groundbreaking. Altered States exists, as does 2001 A Space Odyssey.

[@briangoubeaux5360]

From the way that you presented the video, I'm thinking that this is an anime where the Japanese author does a story based of Western philosophy. The mother is light, love, and life. In the Eastern philosophy, however, it's the complete opposite, philosophy-wise. Life as pregnancy is shown as the spot of life in a gender that has the traits of Night, Cold, and Death. Light, Love, and Life, in Eastern philosophy, is Male, with a spot of darkness in there to remind the Male of it's own mortality.

[@jamesanddanielthiel]

i saw Shinji grow into self actualization. i recall always with the sense that I missed something. even though i did not. truly an amazing experience .

[@mr.9909]

When I watched Neon Genesis Evangelion I thought that Kaworu loved Shinji in a universal selfless kind of way like Jesus rather than ordinary romantic love, because you know, the show uses religious elements. Maybe there is more evidence though that it was romantic love.

[@kyoneko87]

However in the Japanese version he use aishiteru, which means I love you with all the romantic and sexual connotations. So there is certainly subtext. Plus he was one of the more positive people in Shinji's life.

[@ayanoyamada4475]

kyoneko 87 did he say “aishiteru?” I thought he said “Sukidayo” meaning I like you

[@clementinelives]

This is, and forever will be my favorite video by BonsaiPop

[@zackembree7253]

Had a brownie for breakfast, forgot there was a bonsai pop video. Chose the wrong video to get high and watch 😂

[@bladestormviking]

no you didn't.....

[@noahmcgahagin7751]

I really enjoyed this video. Your open ended, philosophical approach was really interesting and I think it really helped me solidify how I feel about the show. I’ve seen it several times from my early teens to early twenties and each time I see something slightly different. In the end I think it’s more important to come to the show as an individual rather than as someone steeped in analysis. I really enjoy your channel!

[@chronoslumber]

What i saw ?? Human's are terrible and there's a bigger picture , I loved your analysis and i can agree with it,And is it just me or is Evangeline similar to Devilman.

[@nathanielduncan4692]

Humans are cancer a species that should be wipe out from this world.

[@linkthepig4219]

@@nathanielduncan4692 Yes

[@TheDonLemonSnickety]

Thank you for making this. I’d love to respond to the question you propose at the end of the video but I’d write about 25 paragraphs min and I need some sleep! But you did an awesome job illustrating exactly how you personally interpreted your experience with Evangelion, something I have struggled to articulate for years! If I ever manage, I’ll try to find this one again and link back 😊

[@罪のアリス]

One thing i see perpetuated is complaining about Shinji being a "crybaby" when he's the spitting image of childhood depression, anxiety and PTSD hitting their teen years. I grew up (and still have) severe anxiety and depression, so while watching this show as a teen, I identified with Shinji and completely understood his actions for the first half of the show. This show is still my favorite anime to date and the platinum edition DVD box set (the ADV dub) is a prized possession.

[@izzyxp6830]

Wow dude! this video is kinda all over the place, it's crazy deep and makes me think about things i don't like to talk about. It's really got me feeling some kinda way... I Loved it!

[@reloadreload8723]

Nice Xenogears, Chrono Cross and FF7 OST. Really blends with Evangelion. And a trivia: Xenogears is considered the Evangelion of JRPGs

[@SOLs2010]

I've seen so many KZbin videos, but this is the one I will never forget. You have a gift I hope I see you all succeed. Very beautiful. I've never seen evangelan but I will now

[@interlude6993]

the editing of this video is so dope. i feel like i understood NGE a lot more now (read the manga when i was 14, around shinji's age). it was so hard to read because as you mentioned the characters were so unlikable! i can't remember if this line is in the manga, but though I've never seen the anime, Kaworu's 'maybe I really was born to meet you' to shinji has a tenderness i can't explain. adam was reborn to meet lilith (in the form of humans?) head big, FULL of thoughts

[@funwithforkz]

Eva always struck me as a story about our need to connect with others, and our inherent inability to do so. The ATF fields prevent us from truly understanding one another, all that exists of one person in the eyes of another is the image they have constructed of that person. Instrumentality is the removal of the ATF field, the union of all, the death of the ego for the sake of the collective. It is unfiltered knowledge of another, every twisted fetish, every shameful act, every intrusive thought. That vulnerability is painful, we risk alienating those we care about. We risk being "disgusting." But that armor ensures we will always be alone.

[@Knorke1981]

DUDE! my mind is blown... weite a book or a script, this was amazing. Thanks!

[@aaronorenstein5963]

Interesting take on EVA. By the by, I doubt this was intentional, but the whole video made me think of Steven Wright giving a lecture on the series and its various underpinnings. As to what I saw in the proverbial inkblot? My god, do these people need an army of psychiatrists.

[@TheCreepypro]

wow my dude just wow! just when I think you can't impress anymore you drop this video which pretty much encapsulates what the series is in a nutshell which trust me is way harder to do than you would think (I should know I've seen way to many videos on this subject) I could sit here and praise the video for days for the amazing editing style that mirrors episode 25 and 26 or the great musical choices don't think I didn't notice the sprinkling of ff7 music which actually fit the anime quite well or the usage of certain words or themes straight out of the anime but I will stop there cause you asked a good question of me and I would be happy to answer I watched this series when I was pretty much Shinji age in the anime and while I didn't identify most with him I did find that most of the stuff he didn't like about himself were things that I didn't like about myself as well which you kind of need to do when watching cause otherwise you come to despise Shinji instead of rooting for him like your supposed to, some of the things that I had trouble coping with this show kind of helped me come to terms with like what the world expected from me at the age versus what I wanted, as a mecha fan this challenged every conception of what I thought a mecha show could be and while that made me uncomfortable it also dealt with subject matter that I wanted to see discussed that I couldn't find anywhere else (thermal expansion anyone?) and after absorbing everything this show had to offer and then having to move on even though like most anime this brought up more questions than it answered and I didn't really want to move on I watched for at least a decade if not more the impact this show had on anime overall which was huge way more than i would have thought and not just on mecha but in the discourse that most shows had between main characters from then on it was like all of a sudden it was ok to be more psychological in anime shows it was wild what a time it was! but I digress this show means a lot to me and I can tell it means a lot to you as well since you did such a bang up job I would apologize for writing a small book in the comments section but you are partly to blame for making such a good video and getting my writing juices flowing I can't imagine what you guys are going to do next week but I look forward to it a whole bunch!

[@marocat4749]

Honestly its really shining as weird autur piece that is raw an is a trendsetter to have other shows talk about the important psychological stuf and the darker stuff, th good and the bad. Alo its mor a cult serie more than anything. An a brutally honest exploring from a director with weird freudian stuff, but also raw.

[@jebus9001]

"The creators pretentiousness rate just hit 400%" "I-impossible!"

[@danielbloomquist9810]

I enjoyed hearing your take on the Gospel of The New Millenium, Ser. Also, digging the Mr. Tasty in the background, my little viking.

[@nocturnal101ravenous6]

This always was one of those animes that I enjoyed for the heavy Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology. I always took it as an extension of the saying "Reality is but bits and pieces of one's own perceptions" and the thing we call reality is explored in the show with the repeating theme that true reality is a culmination of the perceptions of those around you, that and in and of itself is what we take with us as Society. The show really explores Philosophy of ones own being while also making highlighted notes on Sociology and some other heavy hitting themes like mankind's continual obsession with throwing out morals and ethics if the ends justify the means in this case it was mankind's survival at stake. Back to the Sociology though because that is very important to the show, and how 1 person can relate or coexist within society, whether they are needed, wanted, hated, or loathed. It really explores the meaning of how we relate to society and the need to fit in, or simply become singular nothingness as we mean nothing to no one and once your gone if no one knows you there is no part of you that lives on through memory and image, and that leads to how existence is quantified by the whole rather than measuring one's self worth. Should you care about society, or focus on what's important to you?...and is it selfish to do so? Do you as an individual need a reason to exist or simply do you exist?

[@DarkadeTV]

What I got when I first watched it being 13, and feeling deeply guilty about my own identity was how some people must endure suffering, that's their fate. As I grew up marked by and loving Evangelion I started questioning that, but I saw no way for shinji to be happy, as I saw no way for me either. As I in adulthood had resigned myself to be unhappy in my own body Rebuild was released and here we were fighting again the doubts the unknown, the deep chasm that neither the characters nor myself dare to look into. It took almost ten years for 3+1 to release and the same ten years for me to accept myself. As I watched Evangelion 3.0+1.0 late at night in my living room crying, I realized that no, I'm not tied down to evangelion but depression and acceptance are long arduous processes, specially when "you're supposed to be okey" as I finally allowed myself to be happy in taking responsibility for my emotions, I finally let shinji to be happy as he took responsibility for his own emotions and questioned his inadequacy. And I'm glad for me, for Anno, for Shinji. It took most of my life but we got there

[@jessicajones641]

I wasn’t sure how you were going to approach a Neon Genesis video but this was really well done.

[@BroomPusher2024]

I always thought of Eva as a dark satire of the Giant Robots vs Monsters genre... mainly through its protagonist Shinji. Hes not the chosen one. Hes not a Newtype. Hes not a Saiyan. Hes just a boy. A scared, puberty afflicted, ptsd addled, emotionally numbed teenager with terrible luck, more willing to destroy the world and piece it together as he sees it fit rather than save it. Evangelion thoroughly deconstructs the shonen hero bs prevalent in most anime (even to small extents in Gundam) by mixing real world pessimism and Space Odessy esque Science Fiction Existential Horror into it.

[@ooDriveoo]

Here is the quick summary: It was designed to speak to you at this moment while you watch it. Genius.

[@MarcoStrange]

I say we just do something like a #evachallenge where we do videos. like you did, where we talk about what we saw. There's so much i want to say about this series that i can't fit in a comment. I once told me manga professor in college that it's the only anime that you could dedicate a whole semester to, because there's so much to examine in the series. Either way I loved your video, and you instantly earned a sub after hearing you go into detail.

[@ThePursoodm]

Probably the 3rd or 4th anime i ever finished and I'll never forget just sitting in silence after the series ended trying to wrap my head around what to take away from it and how I actually felt about the show lol. I've rewatched it once a couples years back since then but not recently. I just felt like it was a show where everyone was depressed but handling it in different ways since they had different personalities. Some wear it on their sleeve, some hide it, some bitch about it, some show no emotion. And although they could communicate, the characters could never really relate or understand each other. I was expecting them to all be on the same page at some point and be a well functioning team by the end of the show but things would progress in some ways and just fall apart in others. Don't have an exact takeaway but it was just a show that really made me think about my desires, my character flaws, and how my depression manifests and why.

[@Amon26]

Little late to the party, but Evangelion was the anime that broke the spell Anime had on me, as a teenage otaku. It confronted me on the fact that I was obsessing over entertainment, fantasy, and escapism to ignore life that was, especially for my teens, lonely scary sad and imperfect. Because the characters weren't good, and their arcs were neither fulfilled or floated through to the end with a wink and a nod. It was like having your existential getaway driver turn to you and say "maybe we should turn ourselves in." I still like anime, and fiction and entertainment. But I'm happy that my relationship with entertainment has changed. It's not THE thing that makes me happy. People make me happy, even if we're all pretty hard to handle. Even if I'm hard to handle. This show played a big part in causing me to wake up to that.

[@trevorpatten7688]

damn this is a strangely beautiful video. The intro is so nice bro.

[@jaysinalicea96]

To tell u the truth I watched this anime and couldn't stop. It was hard to stomach emotionally because I myself have Mommy and Daddy issues. I have had my bouts with depression and anxiety throughout my entire life.. So this story hits home for real! Its a hard anime to review or analyze but my boy, you do it right. Its not right, nor wrong... it just is. And I think that's what its supposed to be. thanks man your content is Top tier

[@josephkim982]

the greatest "meaning" of EVA is Misato being best girl

[@naheemquattlebaum2267]

Great video to awaken the mind while on my way to work. Great stuff!

[@meghenmatta2080]

What did I see in the inkblot? My biggest take away was opening yourself. So many of these characters, if they had shown their true heart, could have mended together. I think thats what happened in the end, anyway, what needed to happen. At field needed to be lowered to connect. And yet, you can only reach out to connect, to be accepted or rejected if there is an other. The other is needed for connection, you cannot reach or be reached for, embrace or be embraced without the other. Or something like that.

[@adamcurtis8754]

Xenogears music too? Great taste *and* a propos!

[@GhostManCrisis]

Agreed. Took me about thirty seconds. I haven't heard that in such a long time.

[@toastyshakes247]

You can’t control people. You can either respond to that with bitterness and hate or lose yourself to apathy in order to protect your heart, but if you shield yourself from attachment, you’ll feel nothing for anyone at all and lose your soul regardless. It’s come a time now when it’s far too arduous trying to stay clean. Accept it, and lay in the filth.

[@rimjobledouche5201]

It never stops being heartbreaking watching Gendo praise Shinji in ep 15 or so, and then not do more of it. It clearly meant the world to the poor boy.

[@kujiko88]

Listening to this almost brought me to tears. I've never seen the show, and I probably never will but this video, which I had going on autoplay from one of your "story you never knew" videos just... Really messed with me. Now I've got a lot to think about and I'm not sure how to feel about that.

[@tasogarerubica]

Congratulations! おめでとう Congradulation! おめでとう！

[@tasogarerubica]

Pathetic

[@DocDoesGamingTV]

@@tasogarerubica おめでっとう(笑)

[@tasogarerubica]

@@DocDoesGamingTV おめでとさんｗｗｗ

[@marcelomar3143]

Another explicative video of Evangelion! This is a useful effort worthy to watch! 🤙👍

[@derektafoya1152]

These videos rock . Would put down my thoughts on eva but ... there's too much on my soul to even begin

[@ged-4138]

We are not nothing, we are not subjective. Can you deny pain? Suffering? That's what makes us not nothing, self-recognition and the recognition of others. That is quite enough because it lets the individual shine forth and therefore lets you shine forth. I wouldn't listen to you if I believed in nothing.

[@ceeme03]

Shinji's character spoke to me over the years as he reflected me in nearly every way.. even down to the mother's death. My EVA unit 1 was my Car and my fights against the Angel's were my street races. The attention I gained from others was something I sought and desired. Yet I never was able to connect with others as I felt I should, so i continued to do the thing (resentfully) that gave me a fraction of what I desired. In short over the years I broke from the shackles of depression and learned to love myself and others, I learnt the value of being intertwined in the lives of others and how it enriched me. EVA put my messed up life in way I could digest and untangle it.

[@deathrainbows9723]

The purpose of an individual’s existence is to find a purpose and happiness. Happiness is nothing but a temporary feeling, yet it controls our every move. Why do we eat a favorite food? It gives a perceived pleasant taste, and therefore makes us happy. Why do we lust after another? We believe that person can give us happiness. Shinji hating himself for the majority of the show, questioning why nobody likes him, his desire for closeness with people...yet his epiphany, his saving of humanity, comes from learning that the only way for him to form a proper connection and receive happiness through relationships is to learn that in order to receive love you must first love yourself. You can’t find happiness and peace in others if you can’t find it within yourself.

[@nmartell1007]

I got an ad for depression for a show about depression 😭😭😭

[@thanosztitan]

Great video Content! This sounded like ASMR or the Subliminal trance audios! no breaks in between really has a disorienting effect for me when i used headphones. no hidden msg i hope hehe!

[@tylerblevins500]

Get in the robot Shinji ASMR

[@jacobrodriguez6006]

Great job brotha

[@CaraDoughnutLady7]

Not going to lie I think I watched this when I was too young or something because all I really remembered from my time watching this show was that I wasn't very interested in it because I found all the characters boring and annoying and my friends and I would make Ghostbuster memes with Rei, don't ask we were weird, and at the time I didn't like it as much as another show I was watching that I thought was similar but better named Gundam Wing, again don't ask I don't know why I just did. xD Guess I need to take another look at it now that I'm older because this made me interested in watching it again and giving it another try.

[@CocoMura]

Beautiful mushrooms. A candle held to the soul. Elusive.

[@thegentlemensgame]

You're gonna blow up soon

[@JynxBlack13]

This is one of the best essays on Eva I've ever heard! You my friend are awesome! (Sure your not one of those Seele voices??) Jk 😉. This is one of my all time favorites and your take is mine blowing. For me Eva had always been a literal thing, what you see is what you get! Don't dig too much into the images or perceived meaning. However I don't think I have the total mental muscle to interpret the story as you have, but I'm due for a re-watch! Thankyou for all you do!

[@Nyphe]

A small correction - Kaworu didn't give up his plans for Third Impact solely out of love for Shinji. Kaworu was lied to by SEELE and led to believe that he would find Adam under NERV, when in fact it was Lilith there. SEELE just wanted Kaworu to come into contact with Lilith because it would result in Third Impact (Instrumentality). When Kaworu saw Lilith he realised SEELE had been tricking him all along and decided to abandon all his previous intentions. Since he had no more purpose in life and also had taken a liking to Shinji, he decided to do what would benefit humans the most.

[@TAP120]

I heard omen playin in the beginning and I was like OH BABY HERE WE GOOO

[@jake.4975]

I know im late to the party but I'm 20 years old and I watch Eva for the first time this summer on netflix. I watched their dub because I was curious. After watching the entire thing over 3 days I feel completely hopeless and lost

[@anthonyioane4438]

Welk then i am 20 as well but i didn't become more lost or hopeless than i came in but it at least gave me my waifu Asuka =).

[@joshuabaker5167]

Kawrou is and Angel but Adams soul is placed into him so he is last and the first angel

[@stephenvalentinemusi]

What I saw in the inkblot was the effects of ignoring the fact that humanity can never truly be closely connected forever; whether it be to mother, to God or to the ones around us. Trying to escape into others perceived versions of ourselves thus becoming closer is only fooling ourselves and invalidating our own perspective, making it and by extension our very sense of self worthless in our eyes.

[@wolfofmibu3074]

My humble opinion still the best anime I've ever watched. Keep in mine, I watched the series as it was being released. Thats means I'm an old fuck, 38 years old. And I was around the age of 14 when first seeing it. Plus my mother and father were divorced with my stepfather adopting me so my real father was no longer in my life. So there was a lot of emotions that attached me to the characters especially yukari. I've seen this show probably four times since. And what I love about it. Is how the story changes with age not just a story but being able to understand certain aspects of it. And also the characters which ones do you gravitate towards most changes during viewings. It changes when you have kids. And my kids are just now at the age where I think they're ready to watch this series 14 and 13. I like how this series can be interpreted in multiple ways and have multiple meanings to different people. I like how regardless of what anybody says religion and science are used in the series. You will never be able to give me to believe that religion was just used because they thought it looked cool... That's 100% bullshit. Sorry if that's the case and that was the greatest mistake ever. But most of all I like how it gets in your head and makes you think. Plus regardless if you like the series or not you cannot argue the fact that it changed the face of anime forever and for the better. The multitude of shows that were allowed to be released because of this one series. Is just mind numbing and fantastic. Watch Digibros video on how Evangelion change the face of anime if you're looking for more information. Again I just like viewing this every five, or six years. Just to see how it changes my perspective on certain things with it and which characters do I gravitate more towards etc. Anyways of course you have to watch The End of Evangelion they kind of go together hand-in-hand. Anyways I really enjoyed the video and I really do enjoy what you've been doing with this channel. Kind of been here since the beginning. And I really like the animes that you're tackling and I enjoy the way you talk about them keep up the good work. And fuck the rebuilds.

[@aligejter]

This video deserves way more views...

[@hannahep5148]

the first time I saw the movie it effected me so strongly my nose bled. It's so many things, real and meta. it was maybe the second anime I ever saw. chasing the dragon ever since.

[@TopsideCrisis346]

The Biblical overtones of NGE might seem like a red herring, but I think they point to a real message beneath the intended ambiguity of the series. Strap in, this could take a minute. Reading Scripture, we are told that God's two greatest imperatives for humankind are as follows: love Him above all else, and love each other as much as we love ourselves. Let's focus on that second part, since that seems to have the greater bearing on NGE's message (don't forget the first part, though - it's still ultimately applicable to the story itself). Applying simple logic, one can reason that, in order to love one's neighbor as oneself, one must first love oneself. This brings us to our characters - people who are simultaneously self-obsessed and self-loathing. On the one hand, they like to think they love themselves - their pride and the indulgences it leads to seem to suggest as much. However, whether pursuing the evolution of humankind or a drunken hook-up, these indulgences leave their pursuers feeling empty, ashamed, and futile. We hate ourselves for these feelings of guilt and regret, even as we indulge time and again in the activities which engender these feelings. Then there is the matter of relating to our fellow man - whom these characters, along with the rest of us, consider wholly unlikable. How do we begin to show love to people who haven't done a thing to earn it, especially when we ultimately recognize that we ourselves are no better, no matter how hard we try to convince ourselves of our own supposedly greater worth? How can we love someone else the way we love ourselves, when we can't even love ourselves? This series becomes not only an exploration of this question, but how people may go about answering it. More to wit, it tackles this question from the direction of the antitheist - the one who not only rejects the idea of God, but ultimately makes God his enemy (remember that first part?). Humankind, having exhausted his ability to use God as a means of controlling his fellow man, now seeks to remove God from the equation, and replace Him with science. Yet spiritual realities remain, despite this rejection - chief among these the soul, and its distinction from the souls of others, souls it simultaneously despises and desires. This is where we really get into the meat and potatoes of the story. The Human Instrumentality Project is essentially the scientific pursuit of hyper-unity, the objective being the dissolution of the Absolute Terror Fields which our souls project, that the distinction between individual souls, and thus individuality itself, ceased to exist. If there is only one consciousness, with no "other," that consciousness need only to love itself - thereby negating the Divine Imperative, even as these would seek to negate the Divine. Needless to say, this is the height of human hubris, and even those pursuing this goal are at least vaguely aware of that fact. Nevertheless, freedom from God has been man's aim since the Garden, and man tends to believe his continued efforts bring him ever closer to this realization. When He would try to maintain His grasp on humanity, humanity bucks back, using the fruits of his efforts against Him. Yet, despite his best efforts, man's self-rule is hollow and unfulfilling at best, and self-destructive at worst. Even so, he yet sees it as preferable to the perceived alternative - servitude to God. Yet, man remains lonely, disillusioned, and consumed with guilt. He seeks validation from anyone else - save God, lest he no longer rule himself. Yet again, the very people he seeks validation from are just as despicable as himself. So he ultimately tries to validate himself in his own eyes, seeking that which he might love about himself. This idea brings us to the final episode, wherein Shinji "achieves" instrumentality by finding thus, and learning to love himself. And so, we have the Gospel of the New Age - Neon Genesis Evangelion - which might be simplified thus: learn to love yourself, so that you may love one another.

[@TheCrimsonCat89]

I was in a relationship with someone who was basically like Asuka. It was abusive, toxic, and left me scarred with trauma and PTSD. It's one thing to be fans of and appreciate characters. It is entirely another different thing when you obsess over a character like her. Therefore, anyone remotely likes anything about Asuka's personality and her as a character is a red fucking flag and you need to fucking rework yourself as a human being.

[@rockystone714]

Firstly, sorry for my broken english. I agree on your interpretation of this show that we are basically what we think we are. Truth is subjective but the real truth is objective. The worst part of this "theory" is that objectively, there's no moral. Moral was created by human consensus (culture) that itself is subjective. This also aplies in human emotions. Culture and ourself decided what's right and what's wrong. Because of that, if we fullfill the requirement of being a good or bad person, we fell satisfied or disatisfied by it. Perspective plays a big role in human emotions. But, in the end, it's still subjective.

[@anthonyschocke7272]

Do I hear snippets of the Xenogears OST? You have excellent taste. Now there's something that owes an enormous thematic debt to Eva. Might be worth a video on it's own.

[@weichiang89]

As I grow older the more I learn towards actually wanting instrumentality to happen.

[@themollymachine]

Y'all talk s*** on shinji but who really would have the guts to pilot a machine the size of a skyscraper against alien forces not knowing whether you're going to survive or die each battle. Like you all look past that fact... Most grown ass men would be pissing their pants if he had to do that

[@thormonk]

This be a good video. Thank you for your work.

[@mahoutsukai8956]

Note: the comment is pretty long so if you decide to read the whole thing, I really appreciate it. Thanks, dude. "It was designed to speak to you at this moment, when you watch it." At first, I really liked the main characters in NGE, I loved the dynamic and how, at the end of the day, kids will be kids. For the first 20 episodes I took it at face value: timid boy becomes the chosen one and he, along with his friends and the help of hella science, need to save the world (very Power Rangers-esque if you ask me). The tables flipped drastically in the final 2 episodes. When I finished watching the series, I was getting very interested in Philosophy and the different ways of living the same life. While I was learning about Philosophy, the different values that each way of thinking held taught me a lot about who I was and how the world works (or rather doesn't work). Shinji's interrogation felt like I was watching the past Me challenge each belief that I used to have, asking myself whether I Really knew anything. It's at the end where Shinji's anxiety and desperate need for approval leave him because he realized that his existence is his and his alone. Throughout the show, his life wasn't his and he suffered because of it. Shinji's realization, his "enlightenment" (I guess) was something that I and a lot of people can relate to. The way it was presented was incredible and helped cement NGE as an all time favorite in my eyes.

[@ssbbrandon1654]

I thought that Eva was about learning to love yourself & to become your own person (the opposite of becoming Tang & merging into the collective conscience)

[@lightskinninja9340]

Evangelion is like an emotional amplifier. The emotional state you’re in when you watch it tends to elevate itself I think. For example the first time I watched it I was a very depressed person going through a lot of self esteem issues. I related a lot to shinji. by the end of it I was even more depressed then when I started watching it. The second time I went through the show was a few years later and I was in a better emotional state. This time around, the show almost felt uplifting! I could understand how the characters relate to our reality and how the show captures that reality in a unique way. If I had to guess the point to the show was always to not have a point. It was to make the viewer have that inner dialogue with oneself that we put off and avoid. To make us face the inner demons we are scared of and realize we are those demons we are afraid of. And if you wish to not be afraid then you simply stop being afraid etc. For a show to be able to convey this is no simple task and it’s why I believe Eva in my personal opinion, Is not the best anime to watch but it is definitely the most important one to.

[@albundy1485]

Using Xenogears music to speak about Evangelion. Perfection.

[@SergeiTheAnarch]

Eva encapsulates human existence. When you strip away all the externalities of life, what are you left with? Emptiness. Life is other people, it's painful, confusing, horrifying, embarrassing, and ugly, but in life there are nuggets of love, joy, and ecstasy. Eva doesn't make a judgment call on whether the good outweighs the bad, but I think it does say that all of these things are worth experiencing because they are yours forever, all your pain and joy are yours and you should live life because when death comes, whatever form it takes, it is irreversible, it is inevitable. So indulge a little, don't look at everything so negatively, realize that even at your lowest, you are still here, and that means something.

[@DBI2000]

I should add one point... Kaworu shows surprise upon reaching the black moon that it is not Adam, but Lillith who was kept beneath NERV. This is clear evidence Kaworu did NOT intend to fuse with lillith, but rather Adam (at least initially).

[@DBI2000]

as for the ink blot... I've watched it multiple times... in multiple manners with years apart... first watch had me thinking it was just a commentary on how effed up things could be and loneliness/insecurity. the second time I realized it was written by aman in the midst of depression and felt it was a a way to show depression and all the thoughts that occur during it while also addressing the fact that as depressing as things get... life is important. it is important to keep on living despite the pain it brings.

[@chrisredline1697]

I unfortunately didn't watch through all of Evangelion until maybe 8-10 years ago, due to an anime "dark age" prior. Afterwards, I admit it's helped give me insight into myself, as I discovered I can heavily identify with Shinji... parent issues, self-loathing, selfish, introverted but having "hedgehog's dilemma." Desperately wanting -boobies- contact with someone else yet when they get in too close I have to hold them at arms' length away because I'm afraid of getting hurt. When does it change? Or more importantly, when do **I** change? Are we currently in our "natural state?" Or are we suffering so much because we have drifted away from what is our "natural state?" I think having a "frame of reference" helps this process. You eventually see what you think is yourself in someone much older, you see how their life has gone, you see how they have hurt (and are still hurting) people (including people you care about), and you then find yourself hovering between more self-loathing, wanting to genuinely change (at any cost) and wanting to just feel nothing at all anymore. It breaks you down, you hit rock bottom, it makes you question every belief you have (morals, faith, reality etc). Eventually, through much (continuing) research, I... wouldn't say I've found Buddhism per se, though so far I have found many things I like in it. Back on topic, is there meaning in nothingness? Please define "nothingness" - do you mean meaninglessness, do you mean emptiness or do you mean the actual state of nothingness (which encompasses all these aspects)? Eh, it doesn't matter. Here's what I discovered. "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." First of all, always keep tabs on your depression. Between losing sight of your own purpose and being tired of the endless cycle of every day being exactly the same, it can get pretty grim. Hideaki Anno struggled with depression while he wrote/directed Evangelion, and you can see its influence. Anyway, look up wabi-sabi. If you don't already know what it "means", I'll try to explain because it's interesting. In a way you can say wabi-sabi is the natural state of things in the universe without influence from the outside including "classification..." once you even ascribe meaning or purpose to it then technically it's no longer wabi-sabi. Funny, if you ask the average Japanese to define wabi-sabi, he or she will stumble... not because the meaning is unknown, but because there isn't much of a Western frame of reference to compare it to. Second, think about the plasticity of the brain, and how after we mature our experiences and beliefs mold us into who and what we (think we) are. I think this is why it's almost impossible for us to change (quickly, at least), despite our adult nature causing extreme repeated emotional trauma to ourselves. I think we adults who suffer may be so far from our natural state, and it is imperative we move our frame of reference nearer to it. I am too new at meditation to give advice or tell of my experiences with it, but from what I have found it seems to be the next, most prudent step to go in this journey of mine. I literally started meditating only 11 days ago, I started at 5 minutes a day before bed, adding a minute each day so tonight I'm up to 16 minutes; my goal is 20 minutes a day every day. It's going to be a long journey. So, is there meaning in nothingness?? What do you think?

[@halfabrain6491]

Definitely monogatari video pls

[@Loxly]

Can't wait for the Outlaw Star Episode

[@zachialadams9279]

And yet, I am everything.

[@Danae78]

Eh Nihilism is not my thing. Having purpose is what drives me, on purpose.

[@GNARGNARHEAD]

been a fan for 20 years.. had no idea there was an actual impact x'D

[@BryceMcSherry]

That FFVII Nibleheim music tho

[@seano6859]

DUDE, my man, brosai, - please do serial experiment lain- you guys do the heady analysis videos so well! (Even FlCl maybe?..!)

[@armedwithwings3953]

Bruh the people in these comments be writing hella paragraphs like can one of y’all write my paper for me