My Breakup With Evangelion | A Rebuild Review

[@-grey]

I decided to wait back in 9th grade for all the rebuilds to come out before watching them. I waited 14 years, man. I went from Shinji's age to Misato's age.

[@Superphilipp]

Was it worth it?

[@-grey]

@@Superphilipp yeah, i think so. I liked the ending, but hated 3.33. If I had to wait 8 years for a that disappointment to be rectified then it probably would have been worse.

[@littleredruri]

​@@-grey why do people hate 3.0? I'll never understand it.

[@-grey]

@@littleredruri it felt like a complete lack of content. If it was a 30min episode it still would have felt like it was half filler. It seemed like they were dragging to drag. As if they needed a cheap chash injection for the big finale. You could clip the whole movie down to ~15 mins and not miss a thing.

[@VVVU2x]

While Asuka's arc in rebuild felt a little weak and Mari gave off "self insert character " vibes. The one character i thought rebuild handled really well was Rei Ayanami, her learning about family bonds and humanity felt really heartwarming. And her blocking Asuka's slap in the elevator always gets me.

[@karmatical5837]

Ayanami best waifu, change my mind Just kidding, her character development is the best thing of the rebuild

[@itsdantaylor]

Same. Granted my investment in EVA has always been low but even then I felt HEAVY self insert vibes from Mari and that really turned me off to her as a character.

[@PressStartToLaugh]

As someone who has not watched Evangelion... I am SO LOST.

[@chris41952]

If you're lost now, watching it ain't gonna help.

[@jasoman3899]

Evangelion is one of the best anime I will never recommend.

[@yoekt]

Don’t worry, you still won’t understand what happened after watching iy

[@patgray5402]

Wait until you are in a dark place in life to watch it.

[@azaquihelify]

it wil (NOT) get better 1.00.2

[@tenaciousrodent6251]

EVA really has the power to turn anyone into a rambling space case.

[@KhayJayArt]

Every person I have watched try to analyze this series failed to even come close to making sense. I wish weebs would just admit this series makes no sense instead of trying to make it sound deep.

[@krishg602]

i don't even talk that much yet i could ramble about it for hours

[@sprawlz6466]

@@KhayJayArt or you could actually listen to them

[@Jayfive276]

Just wait until they find out about the manga. And Anima. And Shinji Ikari Raising Project. And Angelic Days. And Girlfriend of Steel. And Petit Eva @ School. And Shinji Ikari Detective Diary. And Legend Of The Piko Piko Middle School Students. And Typing Instrumentality Project. And Campus Apocalypse. And I swear these are all real and all official.

[@INFERNO95]

@@Jayfive276 They know those exist. They just ignore them because they are spinoffs.

[@crazziii_]

The entire message of Eva, in any version of the franchise, is to go outside. That's literally it. Go outside, make some friends, live life. It's great.

[@franciscoarzapalozapata4610]

In the original was more about people can hurt you but they can also love you and make you happy

[@catsndogs98]

Literally touch grass

[@MJDahling]

Maybe you should come to a conclusion of what the meaning of media is without reddit.

[@crazziii_]

@@MJDahling bold of you to assume the opinion came from reddit

[@MJDahling]

@@crazziii_ It's such a lazy opinion, it had to have come out to such a place where lazy opinions thrive.

[@warmagic4482]

I agree with the conclusion that Hideaki Anno's own life experience heavily informs 4.0's ending. The entire 4.0 film feels very metatextual in general. The rebuild movies (mainly 3.0 and 4.0) take a narrative produced by a depressed creative in the 90s and transform its themes to create a counter-culture response to the series' own cultural influence. The ending of 4.0 takes this to the next level by having Anno heavy-handedly take control of Shinji's pathos and confront the trauma in both of their younger lives. Anno directly faces his younger views and tells himself and the fandom how to move on in life. Anyways, I appreciate the video. Eva has been a part of our lives for so long, and it was cool seeing your perspective on the rebuild films.

[@franciscoarzapalozapata4610]

Sadly those films are bad

[@Amaling]

Yeah I think big picture it's pretty engaging what Anno does with the last 2 rebuild movies. But as someone else here said, they're just shit movies otherwise. Visuals are good obviously, but I'd probably say the visual direction of End of Eva and the polished parts of original Eva are superior. Soundtrack, really hard to say but I think end of Eva can't be beat. Then in terms of the inferior character and plot writing, I'd say this video already goes into more than enough detail here Other than the "Maturation out of depressed spiral" theme, rebuild 3 and 4 just feel so hollow

[@warmagic4482]

@@Amaling Yep! Original Eva and End of Eva are both superior to the rebuild movies, in my opinion. The fact that we even have to think at a meta level to enjoy 3.0 and 4.0 probably means that the films are not very interesting on their own merit.

[@ldragon2515]

That may be one of the reasons as to why it feels rather underwhelming, because it allows the themes to get in the way of coherence or satisfying payoff. Basically, it becomes less of a tightly written story, and more just an excuse for Anno to spoonfeed us messages. It's why I often compare 3.0 and 3.0+1.0 to the second and third Matrix films, to the point that Thrice Upon A Time is practically a near copy of Matrix Revolutions in terms of setpieces and overall plot structure.

[@brobot550]

He even put Mari which is inspired from his wife.

[@jesusgerardoGM]

Who would’ve known, the real Evangelion was inside us all along.

[@dday1396]

We're the moms they couldn't put in the robots

[@Esandeech2]

@@dday1396 💀💀💀💀

[@BlueGoat3175]

I feel the Evangelion coming inside me

[@ChristieNel]

The nostalgia is killing me. I lived through the AMV Hell era. When anime was good. The "I name my laptops Asuka because they run out of battery" had me rolling on the floor.

[@PuffySmosh]

This video is a perfect showcase of the reason why over the years, I haven't stopped watching GR and what drew me in .. in the first place! Absolutely wonderful, thank you for always sharing your passion. EDIT: After writing this and how much the video made me look back on many things, I am so incredibly grateful I gave a lot of series I never would have otherwise without GR. So with all my heart, thank you also for fueling my passion.

[@laurarogers7560]

Right and I realized that the finger snapping looks like it was in beginning

[@kaltaron1284]

I always felt that Evangelion is for me similar to Johann Wolfgang Goethe's Faust has been for my German literature teacher. Something that you come back to at different stages of your life and find different meaning in it. Enjoyed your take on Rebuild.

[@Ω3103ζ]

now thats oddly specific, i love it

[@kszomek]

Was "End of Evangelion" really that divisive? For me it was a great conclusion, actually even better than the series itself.

[@EstebanVicenzi]

It was mostly the ending of the anime series that was divisive, not the movies.

[@sakawi]

I think watching End of Evangelion before episodes 25 and 26 of the TV series would give it a much better sense of closure. I'll try it out on my next watch.

[@kauswekazilimani3736]

I love that film. I always liked to think of the events as the physical representation of the the end of the TV show, even though I know it was budgetary issues.

[@bretginn1419]

Yeah. I still see fights over it. I'm firmly of the camp that End is the worst part of Eva.

[@franciscoarzapalozapata4610]

@@bretginn1419 only if you don't understand it

[@AurickLeru]

As soon as the movies started streaming on Amazon, I watched them all over a couple days and thoroughly enjoyed the story. While watching the final confrontation between Shinji and Gendo, however, I started to feel like it was more present-day Anno arguing with past Anno. then finally ending with a sincere goodbye to the series. Now having watched this video, I'm starting to think it goes deeper than just what I felt with the finale. The Rebuild movies seem (to me) to be a loose allegory to Anno's thoughts and emotions and how he has grown since the original series until now. Rebuild 1.0 takes us back to the original series, hence being a shot-for-shot remake. Rebuild 2.0's small changes start cluing us in that not only is this not the same story as the series, but might also hint at Anno being forced to change the original NGE in order to meet time and budget constraints until ultimately being forced to scrap his original planned ending for the series. In Rebuild 3.0, everyone hating and blaming a confused Shinji might mirror the criticism, hate, and death threats Anno received after "The End of Evangelion" from a rabid fandom that acted as if NGE belonged to them and not Anno. And the Gendo in Rebuild 3.0 and 3.0+1.0 can be seen as the original series itself still looming over Anno, still possessing the pain and anguish Anno poured into it during its production, still echoing the demands of fans for Anno to get back in the robot and do more NGE. And finally Rebuild 3.0+1.0, where Anno finally decides to get back in the robot, but this time on his terms, determined to end it his way. And the final showdown between Gendo and Shinji really is like Anno talking to the series, his past self, and the fandom all at once. Now Anno has grown enough he can move beyond the original series. Anno may return to the world of Evangelion some day, but the original story has now been completed.

[@nabieladrian]

After watching NHK documentary, I'm sure Anno was really done. That was the goodbye everyone could've asked for.

[@MrFairbanksak1]

How DARE you ser! Utada Hikaru is an angel, and I feel a pang in my heart anytime I hear her song in the end credits of the first rebuild film.

[@alopradocai]

Great video, I resonate with a lot of points you showed. Thanks for this awesome giant video! Eva ending the way it did left some bitter taste in my mouth too.

[@Jayfive276]

I like to think at some point in the production of 3.0+1.0 Anno calls a script meeting and in front of the entire Khara writing team yells “We’re going to do the instrumentality scene from End of Eva again…but this time we go FUKKEN BACKWARDS!”

[@ygsr]

There is a making of documentary for 3.0 + 1.0. Worth watching for sure.

[@mb-qi1qq]

as someone who was once a 14 year old girl, seeing asuka be gutted and turned into a clone and fan serviced to all hell hurt so much.

[@swedhgemoni8092]

What they did with her in the movies makes it all the more despicable, though a thousand more faults come to light if you scrutinize them more carefully. 12 years to deliver this train wreck 🤮

[@ИванСнежков-з9й]

21:41 The theory that "these are sequels hundreds of years later forcing events into a constant loops of death and rebirth" is not just confirmed in 4.0, it is literally straight out told to us.

[@velorexvelorex4605]

Cope takes many forms my dude...

[@frankjaeger2565]

It's not. Kaworu only talks about himself going through a cycle of death and rebirth, he never says that the whole world and characters of Evangelion are in a loop

[@velorexvelorex4605]

​@@frankjaeger2565 Nope... All while we see NGE imagery/scenery. and Shinji literally said """I remember now. Again and again, I've come here to meet you.""" Then Kaworu said """Your name is listed in "The Book of Life", so we'll continue to meet, many more times. I am you. We're no different.""" The two characters are looping. I never understand why viewers just ignore this scene.

[@Sanpaku-san]

@@velorexvelorex4605 I mean that could be interpreted in multiple ways

[@Jayfive276]

@@velorexvelorex4605 yes, two characters are looping. Not everyone. Look up “confirmation bias”

[@zabihio]

I actually thought 3.0 + 1.0 was pretty good, and I still kinda feel that I like it. But you've given me quite a lot to think about that never crossed my mind. Super insightful video. Thanks for posting.

[@nice-guyhunter4013]

The rebuilds are messy for me. But one of my least favorite things they did was reduce Ritsuko’s character to basically nothing. She was a major character in the original series. And every time I watch the series her arc gets more depressing but moving. I loved her character so the fact that she is basically nothing in the Rebuilds is an awful choice.

[@loophole3526]

Meh she was mostly insufferable to me.

[@bens5093]

I see the rebuilds as a way to provide something new to the story of evangelion. Maybe you can look at it as, because Ritsuko had a complete arc in the original, she didn't need another one in the movies. Her story's been fully told

[@Horrormaster13]

@Nice-Guy Hunter I feel the same way about Asuka in the Rebuilds.

[@franciscoarzapalozapata4610]

That happen to all the characters that are not Shinji

[@franciscoarzapalozapata4610]

@@bens5093 I would agree with you but they did nothing whit the character of Mary nor Kaworu either

[@BranFlaixx]

"You are (Not) Alone" was my introduction to EVA as a whole, and I'd say it's a wonderful starting point for newcomers. Honestly, I think the Rebuild project stands as a fascinating companion and supplement to the original series. Every film is enjoyable and profound in its own singular way, even if the narrative through-line is less than coherent. Also, with such high production quality and technical proficiency, these films have elevated Studio Khara into a force to be reckoned with, in the animation industry. Rebuild will never quite feel like a complete story, but I see it as a worthwhile effort that personally inspires me just as much as the original Neon Genesis Evangelion.

[@christ.4658]

The Rebuilds are more than coherent if one wants to put the effort into understanding them. With that being said, I agree with everything you said, including, ironically, your last point. The Rebuilds will never be a complete story until the 14 year gap is finally properly explored.

[@luckyowl10]

@@christ.4658 Exactly, when I watched 3.0+1.0 I felt like it tried to fill a bit the massive gaps of 3.0 so much that it barely had time to progress to the final arc and still, they is at least enough plot to cover in an 3.0+0.5 or even an extra 3.0+0.75.

[@AstroAnalysis]

If anyone here wasn't quite pleased with the way the Rebuilds did Evangelion and miss what originally drew you into the 90s show, I urge you to check out Revolutionary Girl Utena as a show that arguably deserves to be recommended as much if not more than the original Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's a beautiful heartfelt and occasionally surreal symbolism-heavy 90s anime with compelling complex characters and a lot to say about how systems shape people and our world, all tied up in the various events experienced by its teenage cast. It nails the balance between personal story and narrative message. The type of show that makes you want to read analyses, basically!

[@Wurzelknecht]

The symbolism is that basically everything is penises 🤣 But jokes aside, Utena is amazing and the more you think about it (and try to NOT think about the surfing elephants) the more depressing and dark it becomes. Goes for the movie as well.

[@AstroAnalysis]

@@Wurzelknecht Oh yes, the ever-present phallic imagery. Yet another thing to unite both NGE and Utena! Freud surely would have had a field day :)

[@Wurzelknecht]

@@AstroAnalysis Yeah especially with all the incest going on. Choo Choo Onii-san indeed.

[@sprawlz6466]

Utena is one of those series that I respect and would recommend to people, but couldn't quite get into myself. Odd considering how much I love Eva

[@AstroAnalysis]

@@sprawlz6466 Oh, but I totally get that. I feel the same way about Violet Evergarden (though it's a very different show). I suppose it's being able to acknowledge something as probably being of high quality yet not necessarily connecting with it personally. Evangelion might of course be more popular for a reason. It could very well be that the sort of messaging and the characters in NGE simply speak more to people. While they're both symbolism-heavy coming-of-age stories, the themes and messages are quite different at times. Utena is a tad more surreal, too, which could always be a little immersion-breaking.

[@wingbutler]

Thanks for this Video, man. It gave me the courage to watch 3.0+1.0 finally. But just like any fandom, the source material might end, but fandom will live on!

[@BlackfangDragon]

Mari also has many elements of Kaworu thrown in as well. The cat-like smile, the symbolism of grabbing Shinji’s collar, even back for 2.0 we’ve had a Japanese only interview where she was described as being like Kaworu. The similarities are there enough when the movie first came out I saw some on /a/ even wonder if she was the donor for Kaworu due to it. Like they did a lot of visual callbacks to Kaworu in 3.0 with Mari in .3.0+1.0. So she has that added to everything else Mari takes from the girls.

[@BlackfangDragon]

Also since Kaworu/Shinji’s subtext is made note of, I want to add Moyocco even drew fanart of it.

[@twostroke12v71]

I have been coming back to this in little doses for a few days now. Does wonder for my serotonin levels.

[@Starlesslight]

I started watching anime in the late 70's as a little kid with Battle of the Planets. I would catch other anime series here and there over the years on TV as I grew up. I remember the 90's fondly as anime slowly started to gain traction in the states, and part of that was because of Evangelion, and many other classic anime of that time. I was stationed in Japan from 95-97, and I remember how big it was at the time over there. Heck, I still have the Rei shirt I bought from back then, and an EVA mousepad as well.

[@kutkuknight]

It is SO fitting that this shall be the first GR video I watch in years heh

[@connorgray8285]

While i dont necessarily agree with all your takes, i respect the hell out of this video. Very well put together with succinct thoughts and opinions. I immagine this was very cathartic process for you and it felt very heartfelt, especially towards the end.

[@NezumiVA]

I have a lot of thoughts I'm still processing about Rebuild, and there are quite a many things in this video that I disagree with? But it's still clear how much love you have for the series, and as always, it's been nice listening to you talk about it.

[@GabrielRodriguez-zn3jt]

ENDING, development, story, and message (basically everything) of EOE, Manga, Serie, Genocide, Retake>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Gekijouban (the movies are not even captioned as rebuilds in japanese, so those titles in each movie are nonsense at the end of the day )

[@watchforever1724]

I actually never watched the movies after the original series just that one film .Back in 2016 I was surprised how much evangelion they were making especially over the years

[@jebes909090]

1.0 and 2.0 are great, then after that they turn to hot garbage. 2.0(2.22) is actually REALLY good i thought. 1.11 is basically just a straight retelling of the first 8 or so episodes of the series with a more fancy fight with the diamond thing.

[@Emerardo]

3 movies in 15 years isnt really a lot. Unless of course you include the light novels, vns, manga series, artbooks, etc.

[@kauswekazilimani3736]

End of Evangelion was like the physical representation of the TV shows last episodes. I know budgetary issues caused them, but thats always how mind chose to view them.

[@tomemeornottomeme1864]

I mean, I feel that's been more or less confirmed.

[@armi999]

the whole Amazon thing means I've not seen 4.0 yet, but I do feel rather disappointed with the first 3 films. 1.0 was a nice high quality re-do of the first 6 episodes, nothing much new but still nice. 2.0 was a bit of a mish mash and ultimately left me asking what exactly happened here, it deviated but nothing felt substantial. 3.0 was frustrating as it pretty much involved everyone deliberately not telling Shinji important things and while stuff happened, I didn't really feel like I cared or that much had really happened at all. I'm pretty soured on the rebuild series, it didn't need to end happy, it just needed to end well and it's clear that opportunity was squandered.

[@christ.4658]

Nah, the opportunity wasn't squandered. Not at all, actually. I don't know why you say that 2.0 was a "mis mash", regarding 3.0 however, Misato told Shinji everything he had to know when they recovered him. That he let his feelings take over him while piloting, which inadvertedly caused N3I (they even showed him a live video feed from the event). That only he and his SDAT were found, and that Rei II was dead. And that we would be prohibited from piloting and fitted with a DSS choker so that this never happens again. And who knows what else she would had told him, if Rei Q didn't suddenly crash the party. As for Kaworu and Gendo, the entire point is for them to retain information. Both of them are manipulating him after all, for their own personal goals.

[@Matthy63]

Without spoiling anything that isn't already in the video, 3.0+1.0 was probably my favorite watch of the Rebuilds (up there with 2.0). Sure the thing with Mari is silly but it kind of doesn't matter. Like seriously, Anno isn't as big of a troll as the fandom likes to think but I can see him doing that as a giant FU to the grown men who have spent *25 years* arguing over which teenage girl was the superior waifu when the entire show is Anno *begging* the audience to PLEASE touch some grass. I love EoE and enjoy it a lot more *as a movie*, but as an ending to 25+ years of this franchise, 3.0+1.0 is more emotionally rewarding when it comes to Shinji's character arc. It's as happy of an ending as this show was ever going to get, not least because it's an actual ending.

[@4stringjoe2]

The amount of time and forethought in this video is incredible! Really appreciate the time it took to (apparently finally) get this out there. Keep doing your thing Ark, keep jamming!

[@gesundheitspakxt6641]

I really love that you have the footage from 10 years ago

[@Jayfive276]

Like it or hate it, nothing motivates KZbinrs to make content like Eva.

[@2dbeats3d]

I think that feeling of having to move on from something that you once hold near and dear, is super relatable and can be applied to other things in life. Which yeah, I co-sign. Love the vid, awesome work!

[@HalgoniaKen]

16:50 To summarize what came from the actors about 4.0: alongside the figurative red tape over its release, there was a ton of literal red tape covering all the visuals during the dubbing process that made it borderline impossible to do which is also why a lot of lines have mistimed deliveries, or like this where the wrong character is speaking. There's even a scene in the finale where Asuka is supposed to be screaming but there's no dub audio because it wasn't specified in the script and nobody could tell her mouth was open.

[@falloutthreeboy99]

Off topic but.. thank you ark without you there are many series I never would have seen. You were one of my guides for series when I first started anime, thank you and stay frosty:)

[@joro8693]

I mean if demo isn’t gonna do it this is a good replacement. Been waiting for someone to talk about this.

[@FlutterSwag]

Did demo get eaten by his iguana or something?

[@Ω3103ζ]

Demo will wait 8 years to make something evangelion again out of spite.

[@pattongilbert]

I have always wanted a big long anime review like this from you. And about Evangelion? I couldn’t be happier. This video is a treasure.😊

[@DragonBall-Manga-1984]

"End of Evangelion" For me was a great conclusion,

[@MrEmperorApples]

I love Eva, but i wish 1997 Berserk would've gotten even a tenth the love Eva has gotten. Still the greatest of all time, especially if you start on Episode 2 and watch 1 as the finale.

[@mak_707]

I feel the same way. I totally relate to the "I don't want it to end" mentality for the exact same reasons. Even though I love it, I still haven't finished Super Mario RPG and I first played when I was 9 years old back in 2005.

[@faleagum3322]

Evangelion will have a special place in my heart. It wiill be always be my favorite anime and it mostly stems due to the fact the Hideaki was able to potray a lot of mental health issues I have been through as well. Ironically I remember subscribing to Glass when I watched his Evangelion and Death and Rebirth reviews. Its such a special feeling knowing how an anime impacted someone else in their life and means a lot. Just like Arkada it just felt so surreal when 4.0 was finally released and the show came to a close. Great review!

[@hughfj08]

Honestly I am moving forward as though 2.22 before the end credit scene is the end of the rebuilds. 3.33 and 3+1 are so narraritively broken that I can't stand to include them as part of the series. I honestly don't care if a creator wants to provide a message in their films/shows. But if you are, at least make it make narrative sense. There were so many asspulls in the final film that have no basis at all in the lore baffles me. Visually it was probably the ugliest we've had from Eva, even when compared to when the show ran out of money. 3.33 wasn't bad, even with the slight downgrade in animation, as it hinted at a further expansion of the series and lore but because it leads into 3+1 it has to be ignored because it was entirely a lead up for the next film which was so bad it ruined the rebuilds for me. I hated waiting for the final movie. But after what we got I would have preferred waiting forever

[@ab-hx2ii]

Based take but unfortunately we are probably in the minority as 3.0+1.0 seems to be either the most or the 2nd most (after 2.0) liked rebuild film. 3.0 had lots of problems and it was basically a franchise suicide so that one is at fault too but despite that i still think the last one is the worst. It is such a poorly written and constructed movie. The only reason people like it is that it gave them a "happy" ending, that's it. Oh there are also the other eva "fans" who completely miss what eva was about and celebrate this ending that completely contradicts and goes against EoE's message. They just seem to be happy shinji got rewarded by a big t*tty mommy gf who literally fell from the sky and they are even saying this is a "healthy" relationship. Grooming is healthy, yeah ok guys. Wouldn't expect anything less from weebs though so doesn't surprise me.

[@christ.4658]

Why do you say that 3.0 and 3.0+1.0 are "narratively, broken"? What asspulls are you referring to? Care to elaborate?

[@christ.4658]

@@ab-hx2ii people believe that the Rebuilds are great for tons of reasons. It isn't just because they have a more explicitly happy ending. Not even close actually, and either way this can go both ways, as I've seen people criticize the Rebuilds just because they have an explicitly happy ending. As for celebrating them because Shinji became a couple with Mari in the end, it's been confirmed by staff bembers that isn't actually the case, so dunno what to say to these people... (Not even gonna comment on the "grooming" part, which literally is not the case here at all) As for the rest of your reply, why do you say that 3.0 is a "franchise suicide"? How are the last two movies "poorly written and constructed"? And how does 3.0+1.0 "contradict" EoE's themes, when it repeats a lot of them? Care to elaborate?

[@hughfj08]

@@christ.4658 a couple things that were pulled out of nowhere and given 0 explanation. What did Kaji do that stopped 3rd impact. That's not explained. What the shit is minus space. That came from nowhere. The golgotha object The sudden plethora of Adams and true spears not just replicas. From needing international funding to build even a single Eva, suddenly they seem to be mass producing them out of a half destroyed base. Mari in general has pretty much 0 reason to be there at all. Not to mention random ass pull about her being there since the beginning for some reason. What happened with Eva Mark 6, lilith and the 12th angel. Special mention of all that ugly as fuck cgi stuff. Especially with the imaginary Eva, which also was kinda brushed past. There was a lot of stuff said and shown in the climax of that movie that was introduced like everyone should know what it was. If some had at least been teased in the earlier films as a concept that actually existed, then fine. But seriously an entire space supposedly being the realm of God's and it's first mention is in that climax by Gendo.

[@christ.4658]

@@hughfj08 Okay so some of your points have to do with what happened during the 14 year gap. I actually agree with you on that, as the fact that we still know so little about this time period has handicapped the entire tetralogy to an extent. Most of your points though have been brought up / explained to an extent in the previous movies. For example, the Minus Space was explained, as the universe that has always existed beyond the Doors of Guf, which connects fiction with reality. A Universe that humans can enter only with the help of an Eva and where the Golgotha Object s located. By the way, this isn't the first time we see the Golgotha Object. If you look closely at the sky during the 4th Impact in 3.0, it's right there. And in Thrice its properties are explained. It's quite literally a metaphor for the production studio itself, where "fate" (the script) can be "bended" (rewritten) to one's will. Hence the 4th wall - breaking, mind - bending battle between Gendo and Shinji that takes place inside the Golgotha Object. Also, the fact that there exist multiple Adams in the Rebuilds was shown in Misato's flashbacks of 2nd Impact (in 3.0 they also talk about Unit 13 being "one of the surviving Adams", etc.) back in 2.0, as well as the fact that there exist multiple Spears. The Spear of Cassius by the way isn't a replica. The Spears are shown as being able to morph into a spear of Cassius, Longinus, etc. depending on their wielder's mental state and intentions. In EoE we were also shown the ability of the Spears to morph into different shapes. Finally, most of Neo NERV's equipment (the Warships, the Mark Units, etc.) were manufactured before Near Third Impact / Third Impact (hence why WILLE was able to steal the Wunder "as it was being built"). And in 3.0 we're shown of the massive - scale automated manufacturing taking place inside NERV HQ. With SELEE's massive budget backing them up, this whole gist seems plausible (by the way, the dialogue about NERV going over - budget has seemingly been cut from the Rebuilds). Regarding Mari, I agree she's badly - written as a traditional character, but that's really not the main point of her existence. I have included an analysis of her character that I wrote some time ago. If you're interested, you're free to read it. Specifically, Mari is a static character (like Kaji in the original), with a mainly symbolic role. This last part has even been confirmed by Director Tsurumaki himself, who wrote her. Mari successfully parodies anime tropes via her on - the - nose sexualized behavior, which also has the double role of rendering her as both weird and overall an outsider agent in the world of Eva, which in turn serve her symbolic role. Regarding what she actually symbolizes, there are multiple interpretations, some of which dating back to the release of 2.0. When 3.0 came out, people realized that 2 movies had already gone by, yet Anno & Co. had so far REFUSED to explore Mari's past and develop her, beyond providing one or two small clues. What they decided to do though, was have her introduction mark the divergence from the original plot (hell, even Shinji's SDAT proceeded to track 27 for the first time ever after she handed it over to him), write her as an individual shrouded in mystery, who in no way belongs to this world, who likes piloting, who has fun when the world is about to end, who acts weirdly, speaks like a member of the audience, drinks soda and sings in Chinese while Asuka fights for her life. She literally refers to what's happening as a "drama" and the only thing she does plot - wise is give some small, but much - needed pushes to Shinji mainly, which result in even larger divergences from the original plot and, ultimately, to the ending we got, where Shinji destroys all Evangelions and Eva itself is finally over or as Anno would probably like to put it, "destroyed") I think that's the crux of Mari's role, which is perfectly encapsulated in the beach scene in the end of Thrice, where she exits Unit 08, falls on the water and the wave the impact creates becomes bigger and bigger, until it engulfs Shinji. When he reappears again, he's an adult, as the Curse of Eva has been broken. In general, Thrice showcases her symbolic role the most out of all the Rebuilds. As for Mari representing Anno’s wife, it’s been very adamantly denied by the creators. Personally, I think she's at best inspired by her, however this shouldn't become grounds to reduce Mari to just a "Moyocco Anno stand - in"... Also, regarding Mari's narrative role, most of the time, she is just there in the sidelines, and only takes up screen time from the others during her 2 or 3 fights in the Rebuilds. And, if think about it, Mari has had 3 decisive interactions with Shinji in the entirely of the Rebuilds and they all took place in the end of 2.0, 3.0, and 3.0+1.0 respectively. In 2.0, she showed Shinji the destruction by Zeruel so he could regain the will to fight, in 3.0, she ejected him from Unit 13 and told him to stop crying and explore the world while he's at it and in 3.0+1.0, she is the one who, depending on your interpretation of the ending, either fulfills the promise she made to Misato and brights Shinji out of the Anti - Universe, or dishonours in and actually strands both Shinji and herself inside the Anti - Universe by intentionally exiting Unit 08 at that point in time. Now, the first interaction can be explained via Mari's most straightforward motive. She is a living, breathing being, most probably with the instinct of survival. Shinji was their only hope at that point, so it was in her obvious interests to get him fighting again asap. As for the second interaction, Mari has had this role of the "matchmaker" between Shinji and Asuka in the last two movies. That could be because Asuka becomes a proper friend of Mari during these 14 years, as they both look out for one another and it makes sense, as they probably spent most of the 14 year gap being the only two female Pilots of around the same age. Anyways though, what that means is that Asuka's happiness would also be in Mari's best interests. Asuka has an ongoing crush on Shinji, despite her denying it for all this time, so it becomes Mari's objective to get these two together - and of course, they can't be together if one of the two dies. Finally, something that must be noted is that Mari was a student of Fuyutsuki, so just like Yui she should be aware of tons of info regarding the Evas, their origins and the Human Instrumentality project. We know how much Yui was also able to plan ahead how she wanted to bring about her ultimate goal, so could the same thing be true for Mari as well? What is her ultimate goal? Personally, I believe her main motive has to do with her monologue in Thrice, where she passionately talks about humanity surviving and progressing without the help of the divine and references Yui in a way that implies that she shares these ideas as well. The Evas, SELEE's plans, Human Instrumentality are all contained in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are nothing more than a "divine plan", so Mari probably has a personal vendetta against all of that and wants to directly put an end to this madness. That's probably the main narrative purpose of Mari. She basically takes up Yui's role as the grand planner who ultimately antagonizes both Gendo and SELEE. Finally, we know that Mari has connections with Kaji (which is quite suspicious), that she was the one who actually introduced Gendo to Yui in the first place and that the Mari we see in the Rebuilds is most probably a clone of the original Mari from Gendo's flashbacks (as she doesn't seem to have aged correctly after the Curse of Eva is broken in Thrice) . We can't be sure however, as Mari in the films sometimes seperates herself from the adults (she even says that she doesn't like involving adults in her plans in 2.0), while in Thrice for example she acts exactly like old Mari, exhibiting great familiarity with Fuyutsuki, who doesn't question her appearance at all. More can be said regarding this, but ultimately this is the biggest mystery regarding Mari's existence.

[@SpeedyAlchemist]

I've been watching your videos for about 12 years now with my siblings. Thank you for all the anime recommendations over the years and all the laughs, you're a cool dude.

[@Jayfive276]

Point of order: End of Eva is NOT a retelling of the ending. It is the end they always wanted to do. But they ran out of time. No not money as the myth goes (looking at you 10:35) they ran out of TIME. Eps 25/26 and EoE are different parts of the same ending.

[@Coniptions]

It hurts information even more when some official material says that Eps 25/26 and EoE are completely separate. That combined with the "no money" rumour that spread so much it got taken as fact makes it so the end of NGE always has this weird uncertainty for alot of people.

[@sprawlz6466]

It's insane how many people don't know that

[@Jayfive276]

@@Coniptions indeed - as excellent though his recent Eva video was as a whole even Bennett the Sage repeated this debunked myth.

[@Jayfive276]

Also there's another linked myth to the "ran out of money" thing that Gainax went bankrupt in the years following the release of Eva. At no point in their history did Gainax go bankrupt. There were, however, plenty of financial irregularities.

[@Mouseling216]

Wonderful to see you talk with such passion, I sense years of pent-up review plans being released. Wonderful.

[@makomachine7643]

After the advent of Evangelion. After Ark became a reviewer and built around it. After Eva ended, began again, and ended again. And, after Ark went back and sorted out the series as a whole to him and broke it down for all of us to appreciate... Leave it to KZbin to drop me the thumbnail for Why Can't Anime Cabbages Look Bad to watch again at the end of the video lmao What a good experience. Thanks, Arkada~

[@LightFykki]

I am just amazed the timeline that this series had. For many people that watched and enjoyed the original series, they might never had the chance to see the Rebuilds. Even for myself, I watched and enjoyed the original, but never felt the too strong of a need to see the Rebuilds, since I was content with what I have already seen. I think it is good to look at them as separate products of separate time, and really at the end of the day it is up to individuals to perceive the series in their own way.

[@Voreten]

Just because Eva is done, doesn't mean that new feelings, revelations or discussions can't come from it. It's over, but it's not dead.

[@goldentrout4811]

Great review! You're right, anyone who has watched 3.0+1.0 knows that this is Anno's final send off to Evangelion. I felt that he wanted to convey to his audience that he is fine now and it's time to move on. I'm sure we can learn many lessons from Evangelion at different points in our lives. Despite this, perhaps there will be more Eva in the future? I'm hopeful. I know Anno is done with Eva but it would be heartwarming to see a new chapter in the series. Thank you Arkada. I look forward to your 30th anniversary video of Eva in a few years.

[@moonleafteaofthemonth]

I am equal parts excited and depressed seeing the notification for this.

[@Miragephan]

From someone who has been following you since the D2 Brigade days, this feels like a great walk back through time. Would love to see you do more longer form essay content regarding properties that have impacted you like EVA. (I still miss the lab-coat days uwu take care Arkada!)

[@kblade08]

Ironically, 1.0 is my favorite in the rebuild series. I think that's mostly from the final battle with the angel though. It was my favorite in the original series and the visual upgrade to have the Angel shifting shape as the power scales up is just perfection to me. It's my favorite scene in anime period.

[@JohnnyBurnes]

I finished 3.33 yesterday, and am wearing an End of Eva shirt today, when this video popped up...Perfect. And big thank you for structuring this to where it doesn't spoil anything out of order. :)

[@christ.4658]

An enjoyable video as always. Glad you went through with the project and delivered once again! The throwback to the "Ending is Paramount" quote was pretty special :) With that being said, I mainly disagree with your assessment. The META - commentary is still explored in parallel to the traditional narrative at the end of the day, which absolutely matters. Also, I would like to touch on 3.0 and Mari down below. Needless to say, I will be judging the entirety of the Rebuilds as one solid piece. Specifically, I never really understood many of the criticisms on 3.0 that don't have to do with how inscrutable the 14 year gap still is. Character interactions are generally considered well written not based on whether we agree with them, but based on whether they make sense in the context of the story and the characters. And I'm sorry but the circumstances and the context imo make the characters' actions in 3.0 make quite a bit of sense, even if they're still frustrating because most of us sympathize with Shinji who's getting the short end of the stick here. Like, Misato first of all greatly regrets how she encouraged Shinji's actions at the end of 2.0. Her facial expression says it all when she realized what was actually going on. And let's get into Misato's shoes for a moment during the beginning of 3.0. It's clear that she cares for Shinji; she rescues him, even lets him roam around the Wunder and doesn't activate the DSS choker despite the risk and everyone else telling her to do so. This last bit is very important, because if you read between the lines Misato is plagued by uncertainty. She has, after all, a grave responsibility as a leader of a group of people whose grave losses due to Third Impact, an event that Shinji was a catalyst in causing, were well - established. So, here's her dilemma: Will she be understanding to Shinji and risk disrespecting everyone else who's lost so much due to Third Impact, or blame Shinji for everything, perhaps even punish him, which at the same time equates to damning a child who you consider as a son to you and whose catastrophic actions you regrettably encouraged in the first place? What Misato ended up doing seems completely reasonable, with all that being said. She treated Shinji as a human being, explained the circumstances and retained any extra information, including direct blame for Third Impact. Who knows, if they hadn't been attacked out of nowhere it's likely things could had gone differently with Misato explaining Gendo's plans and how he could be used by him, that is, in case they knew of the details of his plan in the first place. Point being, I think the way the events played out was organic. As for Mari, people have been saying this from the 2.0 days, but she's a symbol. Full stop. Technically not a character, so she doesn't have to be developed as one. And this was made as clear as day at the end of Thrice. Like, as I'll explain later, Mari is supposed to symbolize a "waves of change" kind of concept. And how does Shinji physically grow up in Thrice, you ask? Well, he's hit by a wave, caused by Mari's body (and the Kanji for - Nami in her surname "Makinami" also means "wave", by the way). Most importantly, the reason why Shinji still wears the DSS choker in the final scene, is so that Mari can remove this circular object with negative connotations, which "chokes" its wearer just like the "Loops" have been choking the Eva characters for all this time. Here are some interesting quotes from Tsurumaki and Sadamoto, the first one of which was responsible for Mari's development: Specifically, Tsurumaki outright calls her “a symbol of the changes in the new movie version” in one of his interviews. He also points out that he aimed exactly for her to feel out of place in Eva and was satisfied that the audience felt that was exactly the case. Sadamoto also adds to the above that she marks a “break in the story”, (literally, her introduction marks the moment the Rebuilds start greatly diverging from the original plot, hell, even Shinji's SDAT player moves to track 27 for the first time ever the moment Mari falls on top of him in 2.0) and says that “in the movies there is a great mystery around her presence, which is why you only find her there”. With all that being said, despite the staff vehemently denying this, it's very likely she's based on Anno's wife. That ultimately plays a small role though, as she's been written as a symbol of anything Anti - Eva, as the catalyst that leads to change, towards the "death of Eva" (both the eventual destruction of the Evangelions and the end of the entire series). Anyways... I still don't completely understand her role, hence why I don't like her and believe she's unnecessary, perhaps though I'm wrong, as it wouldn't make sense for them to do something so different like making her a symbol just so they can justify the addition of another female pilot into the cast to commercialize. And, finally, Shinji and Mari's relationship isn't meant to come off as romantic... And thank God for that: "In a recent interview with V-tuber Vivian, the sound director for Evangelion 3.0+1.0 says he did not instruct the seiyuus [VAs] of Shinji and Mari to act as lovers, he interpreted their relationship to be that of friends. It is mentioned that the station scene was not instructed as romantic. Whether they're lovers, friends, or family is left up to the viewer. Even the seiyuu will have different opinions about it. I'm sure this is what Anno is intending, for Eva to be like a "mirror" and give back what the viewer sees in it. That is Eva's appeal."

[@pipsqueak56]

As a long time subscriber seeing a video in which you reflect on your relationship to both the channel and Eva was such a treat. Goodbyes are never easy but I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments on the next big thing. Thank you so much.

[@wrestledeep]

(A round of Applause) to you. I have been waiting for this video for awhile. Great job! It would be nice to have someone review the MEANING of the final film more in-depth though. There is a theory that Anno was heavily influenced by the metatextual plot of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space odyssey. There are alot of visual cues throughout. I just feel like it is wrong to dismiss the plot as "meaningless". There must be more to what Anno was trying to say with this last film.

[@RegginaldRiglet]

Fantastic video mate. As someone who’s never watched the series but has often heard of it. Incredibly well told and edited video essay. Great stuff

[@phlaryx7145]

That thumbnail is a work of art.

[@ديديماكادم]

thank you you said every thing was in my mind about this rebuild series

[@weirdy8]

I feel like if Mari was more of a focus 15 years ago or even this movie, I wouldn’t be opposed to the ending. Honestly the part about it that pissed me off more is him walking away from everyone else as if the answer for Shinji to help those that loved him was to walk away. As is, it felt like the ending to Sonny Boy gave me what I wanted from 4.0. It’s an arguably harsher result, but it felt more honest and satisfying.

[@christ.4658]

I get how you feel. Consider this though: the rest of the film is all about Shinji tackling his problems head on, making amends with the people he cares about and saving them. The plot is already finished by the time the train scene starts. I think people should, above all else, consider this scene metaphorically, as a META ending if you please. All good things have to end and it's finally time to move away from Eva. This is true for both Anno and, hopefully, the viewers. And Mari, well they adamantly refused to develop her because she's written as a symbol, not as a traditional character. It becomes more apparent than even in the finale and we even have Tsurumaki's interviews to confirm this.

[@weirdy8]

@@christ.4658 I feel like there's a case to be made between Nozomi and Mari, but idk if you've seen Sonny Boy so I won't spoil. There's some interesting crossover between the two.

[@christ.4658]

@@weirdy8 I'll be sure to check it out. Thanks.

[@nabieladrian]

I don't think he's walking away, rather he walks through it. He wasn't afraid to confront them anymore, hence he even chose to leave everyone if that's for good. Shinji existed in the show literally because of Evangelion. When he wished to abandon Evangelion, he had no reason to be there anymore.

[@ashebull123]

Nah. They need to separate themselves from Shinji, especially Asuka. Just finished the series and eoe, I don't understand the mental dynamics of the people who try to ship those two. Kaworu and Rei need to discover a purpose in life not related to Shinji and the evas. And Asuka needs to get as far away from him as possible until they've both matured enough to speak to one another without turning to insults and physicality.

[@sprocket0077]

Haven’t watch the video yet but I was excited to see this in my recommendations!! Glass Reflection is a name I haven’t heard in a looooooong time.

[@AkuTenshiiZero]

If I'm not mistaken, these films actually do canonize the "time loop" theory, and confirm that Kaworu is the only person aware of it, as he mentions that he wants Shinji to find happiness "this time." There are several alternate universes at this point, manga and light novels that take place in alternate timelines which have the endorsement of Hideaki Anno. And something I've noticed is that Kaworu always seems to be the only person who knows something is up. Gendo's whole game was to have the world destroyed and remade as he wanted it, the only problem is that it was supposed to be Rei doing it. At the end EoE, Shinji is effectively a god with a blank slate with which to start over. It's just that every time he starts over, he makes a familiar world where everything goes wrong again. But Rebuild did something new: It definitively ends the cycle of the world ending and being remade by Shinji. This time, he made a world with no Evas, it's just a normal world where he can live a normal life. I'm not really sure what to take away from that, that the very thing that defines the franchise is the thing that needed to be removed in order to have a "happy ending." Though I will say one thing: I just do not like Mari. I do not like the very concept of Mari. I do not like that we spend the entirety of 4.0 watching Shinji's relationship with Rei and Asuka only for Mari to come out of nowhere at the last second. These characters have no history, hell she doesn't even have a backstory. I dunno, maybe that really was the point, maybe that's what Anno meant that she was supposed to "destroy Eva." Maybe when Shinji decided the world didn't need Evas anymore, it was because he found someone else to focus on. I don't think it needed to be Mari, but I guess the other two were so intrinsically tied to Evas that they wouldn't work, but I still think that the ending would have been better if it was either one of the other girls. It's a frustrating ending, because it almost works. I guess Eva just can't get an ending that really satisfies. At least that will never change.

[@cheeseheaddude]

An ending where Shinji “ends up” with either Asuka or Rei sounds… yikes, man.

[@AkuTenshiiZero]

@@cheeseheaddude Why? They spent plenty of time building up relationships between these characters, it makes more sense than the girl whose name he didn't know until the end of the fourth film. Not sure what _you're_ implying.

[@Mcgoolio]

The whole point of Mari was that she was the ONLY healthy relationship with Shinji. Rei is weird because it’s like his mom and she’s emotionally absent. Asuka is emotionally unstable. And Kaworu is using Shinji to make himself happy. Mari is the only who would make for a stable relationship.

[@OwnD1]

Mari also represents new beginning, the optimistic unknown for a burgeoning relationship

[@luckyowl10]

The "time loop" is actually a good way to tie all the Eva storylines together. The biggest problem is that it's more of an afterthought in 3.0+1.0 added close to the end. If they did build it up from a lot before and explained it more, it could have worked. A massive plot point like that needs serious foreshadowing, you can't just tie 2 random dialogue lines from the movies and throw a random idea in the last movie and say live with it, it all ends, Evas are destroyed. And Mari has the same problems, it just lands from nowhere (literally).

[@SuperDerek]

I hope that some day I can talk about an RPG series the way Arkada talked about Evangilion. It's an incredibly daunting task to provide a "complete" review for something so incredibly sprawling and with so much personal investment. And on that note, Arkada, I think you nailed it.

[@Wolff_Muroa]

As someone whose first exposure to Eva in any form was a subtitled camrip of 2.0 (I don't remember why I decided to watch it), I disagree on the potential death of Asuka not having any impact for new fans. As someone who had no knowledge of anything Eva at the time, I remember being shocked at the brutality of the scene. Maybe I just latched onto Asuka as a someone who liked tsunderes at the time, but it still was effective.

[@paaperman]

I massively respect this grand project of a video and retrospective. Your personal self-awareness is refreshing to see.

[@bbd121]

This is the 2nd longest "It's not you, it's me", mixed with "No, it's actually you" explanation I've ever hear; just behind my ex.

[@Cpt_Noobman]

I relate a lot to your feelings about endings. I deliberately will not watch the endings of some shows or finish some games because I don't want them to be over, I always want them to keep going. Finishing one off movies, especially Ghibli movies like Whisper of the Heart or Princess Mononoke really did a number on me because I knew they were done. After finishing the Eva series, it took me weeks to watch End of Evangelion because I knew it was going to be over.

[@Tyraeous]

This is what happens when you suddenly switch from a character driven piece to a narrative driven one. The characters suddenly have to act, well, out of character to drag the plot to the desired narrative.

[@scifiloft503]

I miss the old intro. Yet proud of how far you've come.

[@derekwalter4238]

There was never a love triangle between Asuka, Misato and whatshisname. She was just making moves on him to prove to herself that she's an adult.

[@tyler-xo3rb]

it was a love triangle to asuka, she has a lot of disdain for misato in the original series for her sexuality and relationship with kaji

[@EdMcStinko]

Ive been watching your channel for a while and this is one of my favorites

[@Cruznick06]

Really interesting to realize my exposure to anime was still leagues greater because of cable TV and my parents letting me stay up late on Saturday nights. I was in Nebraska, but I had Cartoon Network with Toonami and Adult Swim. And we had decentish internet in 2006. I remember watching anime episodes in 3 parts on KZbin as a middle schooler. Edit: also you didn't notice Asuka's glaring differences immediately? Her cooking for Shinji, lack of infatuation with Kaiji, and especially LIKING her old doll were red flags for me. Mari's appearance cemented my belief we were in for a very different beast. Edit edit: YES. It wasn't for us. It was for Anno. And I am 100% OK with this.

[@thatguy6229]

i just recently finished Eva, having started the OG series little over a week ago. this video has given me the closure i needed. thank you.

[@sinom]

After Eva 3.0+1.0 he's already written and directed the new Shin Ultraman movie and has another one, Shin Kamen Rider, in the works.

[@RobertBB1989]

I clicked on this video out of curiosity, not having watched many of your videos in some time. When I saw the length I thought I'd probably end up clicking away before it finished. I watched the whole damn thing. Not just because it's interesting to hear what you have to say about the series, but the depth of thought you put into these videos is really something else. I may not consistently view your reviews these days, but I respect the fact that you can talk for an hour and it never felt like you were rambling on. Granted Eva can be a very deep subject and there is a lot to say, but your videos have always been very well thought out. I was fairly disappointed with a lot of the rebuild, for many of the reasons you mentioned, but I do appreciate the different view you've laid out here. Eva is such a nostalgia trip at this point, I think it would be hard to please people even if that had been his goal.

[@animechic420]

I don’t have any real emotional or nostalgic attachment to Eva the way so many have. And I’m okay with that. I didn’t lose my mind trying to understand this franchise.

[@spiderstorm443]

Thank you, this video coming wonderful as someone who has had Evangelion also be a significant part of their life

[@christiangivens8788]

“I don’t want some series to have an ending.” Also Glass Reflection: “The ending is paramount!”

[@jamesvanitas]

Hypocrisy at its finest!

[@MattijnPlayz]

A video 13 years in the making. I am excited!

[@Danielmcguffeyxo]

I've realized Evangelion is a lot like life... I spent countless hours on KZbin looking for somebody to explain it to me and make sense of it all. But ultimately you have to craft your own meaning.

[@MAmalAv-wz9bi]

this.❤

[@MisterDillPickle]

based take

[@mickeymickey9914]

Actually you can wiki the explanation, it was in a bunch of japan only games. Eve and Adam were created by ancient aliens to populate worlds, but they weren't supposed to land on the same planet.

[@shawerful5209]

I think that is what "abstract art" means. Everyone can have a different compreension, thats the beauty of it

[@Joanbueller007]

​@@mickeymickey9914that is not an explanation is just lore

[@OliHarris]

Got a surprising amount out of this, so kudos to you. Can relate really with this idea that it's all over; how to deal with it. I appreciate how choked up and emotional you were getting toward the end too.

[@arashimiyazawa8165]

I am an old, and can remember when the original Evangelion was announced. As a fan of Nadia and Gunbuster I was super-excited that the same company was doing a full giant robot series! Wow did that show screw with my head when the fansubs finally started making their way over XD Oh, all of my computers have a theme naming too, though mine are all named after the flagships from the various Macross series.

[@Sykroid]

It's great to see someone from an older anime generation weighing in. I cant imagine what it would be like to watch NGE and other classics as they came out. Subs and dubs have come a long way since then lmao

[@georgethemonkeydrummer5598]

I can’t believe I didn’t notice you released this video a year ago. Have been wanting to talk about evangelion as a whole with others

[@mikeAustinstonecold]

to me Xenogears is the best EVANGELION EVER MADE

[@ab-hx2ii]

Xenogears is evangelion done right. It's like what would happen if anno didn't put his self indulgent meta bs and instead told a great "conventional" story.

[@Esandeech2]

@@ab-hx2ii are you allergic to protagonists that are not overly masculine, but actually realistic people with emotions?

[@ab-hx2ii]

@@Esandeech2 Huh? What does that have anything to do with what i said? I am complaining about the meta commentary anno shoves instead of telling us an honest and straightforward story.

[@juniperlilac4408]

Oh my god you were adorable in 2009!!! Fantastic video though, worth the wait.

[@luckyowl10]

NGE's end was beautiful and the more psychological. EoE's was the ultimate end, that feels like how the show was planned to end. It's the more mindfuck and full of subtext ending. For me, this is how the story ended and with the whole show it's a masterpiece. Rebuild's ending has some of the best mecha action and fights ever in the history of the genre. The animation is a few levels better than 99% of anime in the last 20 years. But I feel like it's hollow. It brings enough weird plots and mindfucks that will keep anime theories for a lot of time, but it lost its way. I think the rebuilds are OK, but I won't rewatch them any time soon. But I can rewatch NGE and EoE and every time I see new details about and enjoy its storytelling.

[@sprawlz6466]

Good eye my friend. EoE was indeed the planned ending to the original series. However, they went with 25 and 26 to act as a sort of supplement to the film because they wanted to avoid trying to squeeze the whole movie into the last two episodes

[@unverifiedbiotic]

We watched the same movie? Mech animation goes to shit after 2.0, the Eva's seem completely weightless compared to EoE and their messy designs are a complete deviation from the elegant, beautiful proportions of the originals. The SEELE weapons they came up with in 4.0 are just laughable in terms of design and CGI quality (yeah, no drawings, just 3d models) and the battles are so chaotic that you barely can make out what's happening. Asuka's last stand in EoE looks better than anything in Rebuild.

[@svenfallen1541]

Estoy completamente de acuerdo.

[@gwithheadphones]

I've never seen your content before, but this video was so enticing and so well-argued that the hour-long runtime FLEW BY. Beautiful video

[@raibyo]

The biggest thing that tells you how long it took the film series to complete is, 1.0 and 4.0, both of which are theatrical releases, have different resolutions, and they both used the resolutions which has long been the standard for theatrical release films at the time. Also, another thing is, a lot of people didn't really like the ending we got. But no one was really complaining. No one was really saying it wasn't worth the wait, which would be a surprise, if I myself didn't feel the same way. Also, now that it finally ended, I feel like having to wait for a decade for the series isn't actually a hassle, but actually part of the experience. People who just started binging all the films at once would get an inferior feeling and experience than those of the people, like me, who watched them as they were released. Because from between the start of the films and the end, our lives had changed a lot, and the films taking that long feels intentional, as it makes us actually understand what Anno was trying to accomplish better than the people who just start binging it. You see, the feeling it get after finishing 4.0 was not "Wow, it's awesome" or "amazing" or "wtf?" or "I hate this!" but rather, "it's over, and I can rest now, or at least a certain part of my mind can". I imagine that's the same feeling Anno might have. Hence why, I will probably never rewatch these films, but I will fondly remember them. Would I recommend them to other people? Probably not because I don't think people who just started binging them can get the same feeling as those people who watched them as they came out.

[@HanakoSeishin]

> Also, another thing is, a lot of people didn't really like the ending we got. But no one was really complaining I personally didn't complain about 4.0 because I stopped caring after 3.0. It was just clear that there could be nothing after 3.0 (or to be precise, after the first minutes of 3.0 where the time skip and the new state of the world was introduced) they could have done that would have made any sense, so there was no reason to care. I have watched 4.0 still just for the sake of completion, but I don't feel like either 3.0 or 4.0 was worth the time I spent watching them. It feels like just a shitty piece of fanfiction along the lines of "Shinji wakes up in the world of Sailor Moon, only it's going through a zombie apocalypse and Batman is also there". Anno must have been having a stroke when he wrote it.

[@Matthy63]

No yeah I actually liked 3.0+1.0 too. I'm not saying it was the most coherent narrative but as a conclusion to the whole franchise it did the job and I don't need (or actually want) more Eva.

[@DragonFae16]

Watching something doesn't make it disappear or become less important. Sure, you no longer have parts of a series or whatever that you haven't watched yet, but what replaces that is the memories you make while experiencing the thing. Each time you watch a movie or a series, you make new memories with that series.

[@evashogoki8703]

Hideaki Anno's Ultraman fanfic truly did something to society.

[@stevengarcia1193]

Really enjoyed this video. And the longer format

[@CC.M]

It's funny that the EOE which is well developed, has a critical, amazing, important message, and exploits the animation to its fullest doesn't have as much praised or awards as it deserves. Whereas the last rebuild movie with all its contradictions to the franchise, changing the philosophy of the EOE's message by saying that is time to go out and live outside while the main character creates an utopian world (lol), nonsensically trying to give a hollow happy ending to the characters without earning it as well as changing their personalities to their worst, nonsensical fanservice, imposing more meta than writing a well concluded story ,a horrendous cgi elements that draw more people to give an explanation on how bad is good than the 2d animation, has an award as the best animated movie of 2021 in japan, plenty of blind praised, and will exquise the franchise more for just money because I am sure there will be other 2 or 5 "end of Evangelion"s in the following years to *"justify"* more and more nonsense. Such a letdown. On the other side of the note, people should stop using the phrase "it's the ending I didn't want, but the one I needed" because what about the characters as whole, they thoroughly were wasted here, and didn't have a neither a resolution nor a good development in the end. Anywho, that's life (Frank Sinatra)

[@dallascoggins1534]

What? 4.0 is literally SHinji going out into the real world "without evangelion." This is the explict text of the film. It's not even subtext. How is that different from EoE's message about escapism?

[@luckyowl10]

I agree, EoE took the undercooked ending of NGE. Made it as dark as it was until the last 2 episodes of the show, gave an end to all the characters and made Shinji did what he never could. He truly had broken the circle of hate and fear of action, he even rebuilt the whole world and gave people a second chance (the ones that wanted one at least). It's still a pretty dark ending, but a hopeful one. The series was never bright and colorful in essence anyway, so EoE blends perfectly with it. Its message is subjecting, but I feel like it's about accepting your past, living with the consequences, but making yourself better, starting from 0. Evangelion 3.0+1.0 has newer animation (I also prefer 2D animation also), but it missed the core of NGE and just wanted to make a bright hollow ending about forgetting that the past even existed and just live the "real" life with 0 consequences. In irony, this feels like the utopian rebuild (from End of Evangelion, I think it's close to the end of the movie) of the real life when they all go to school, everything is cheerful and fun, but Shinji felt something was wrong and remade it again.

[@AndrewRedroad]

Oh my god I haven't thought of AMV Hell in... you just slapped me in the face with the entire nostalgia truck.

[@HaezeusYT]

Oh man the old GRArkada videos really hitting 😭

[@Realgreeceman]

Great video and beautiful ending. Thank you Arkada.

[@slaughtermelon98]

SO excited for this, specially as someone who absolutely adored the Rebuild movies.

[@paaperman]

Your essay's background music is fricken insane though. Good choice.