Post by Vits on Sept 1, 2019 10:06:41 GMT
A lot of people didn't like the final 2 episodes of SHIN SEIKI EVANGERION (NEON GENESIS EVANGELION) because they were mostly moments of reflection where the plot didn't move forward told through abstract visuals. I didn't mind that aspect that much because there had been a couple of previous episodes had done that too. Also, the series never felt like it had a true ongoing storyline (the episodes usually felt self-contained). My issues were:
-The tone. After 15 to 20 relatively light-hearted episodes, you can't turn things into such a dark territory. It doesn't fit.
-A trope that's common in fiction written by men: The protagonist is a man or boy who feels depressed and his acquaintances tell him what a great person he is.
-The switch between animation styles. Maybe it was done because they had run out of budget. Maybe it was a stylistic choice. Either way, it didn't complement the atmosphere. It was just a distraction.
-The alternative reality where the main characters met one another under different circumstances. There is a thematic purpose, but why did it have to be so long? Why not do it in a previous episode instead of the finale? Or why not do it a lot earlier in the finale?
SHIN SEIKI EVANGERION GEKIJO-BAN: EA/MAGOKORO O KIMI NI (THE END OF EVANGELION) was allegedly made as a response to those who didn't like the finale (it's even presented as a combination of episodes 25 & 26)... even though it also has the abstract reflection moments. Odd. While the dark tone of the final episodes was still somewhat optimistic, this movie makes the mistake of going to nihilistic territory. It also has out-of-character moments:
-SHINJI IKARI (the pilot of a giant robot) had semi-perv moments in the show, but he never crossed a line. He almost did when he tried to kiss ASUKA LANGLEY SORYU (another pilot) while she was asleep, but he restrained himself. Also, one might be able to defend him by saying that when you're lying in bed trying to sleep, you're not able to think as clearly as you could. In the very beginning of the movie, SHINJI jerks off in front of ASUKA while she's passed out in a hospital bed. What's worse is that this is never addressed again.
4/10
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-The tone. After 15 to 20 relatively light-hearted episodes, you can't turn things into such a dark territory. It doesn't fit.
-A trope that's common in fiction written by men: The protagonist is a man or boy who feels depressed and his acquaintances tell him what a great person he is.
-The switch between animation styles. Maybe it was done because they had run out of budget. Maybe it was a stylistic choice. Either way, it didn't complement the atmosphere. It was just a distraction.
-The alternative reality where the main characters met one another under different circumstances. There is a thematic purpose, but why did it have to be so long? Why not do it in a previous episode instead of the finale? Or why not do it a lot earlier in the finale?
SHIN SEIKI EVANGERION GEKIJO-BAN: EA/MAGOKORO O KIMI NI (THE END OF EVANGELION) was allegedly made as a response to those who didn't like the finale (it's even presented as a combination of episodes 25 & 26)... even though it also has the abstract reflection moments. Odd. While the dark tone of the final episodes was still somewhat optimistic, this movie makes the mistake of going to nihilistic territory. It also has out-of-character moments:
-SHINJI IKARI (the pilot of a giant robot) had semi-perv moments in the show, but he never crossed a line. He almost did when he tried to kiss ASUKA LANGLEY SORYU (another pilot) while she was asleep, but he restrained himself. Also, one might be able to defend him by saying that when you're lying in bed trying to sleep, you're not able to think as clearly as you could. In the very beginning of the movie, SHINJI jerks off in front of ASUKA while she's passed out in a hospital bed. What's worse is that this is never addressed again.
-MISATO KATSURAGI (the commander officer) kisses SHINJI, even though the show made a big deal about them having a mother-son relationship when other characters and the audience wondered about it. And don't tell me that she only did it to make him feel better, because it was a very long kiss. Also, this just highlights the trope I mentioned before.
The imagery is more beautiful and creative than before, but the action sequences continue to be unmemorable (by the standards of 90s anime). The amount of plot isn't enough to justify the lenght, even for a narratively untraditional one. Megumi Hayashibara's performance is very good. It's hard to judge Megumi Ogata's when all I can think of is a terrified SHINJI screaming. You know, by doing it so many times, it loses its dramatic impact and instead makes the audience roll their eyes. I've never liked ASUKA. She's supposed to be annoying in a funny way, but I always found her just annoying. I guess it wouldn't have been so bad if the last part of the show and this movie didn't try to make us feel bad for her due to her sad past. Look, it doesn't excuse all of her actions. She never showed remorse for them. Whenever an animated story features a pet, the makers take advantage of the medium to make the animal do things it couldn't do in real life. If it's an animal that no one keeps as a pet in real life, it stands out even more. In this franchise, PEN PEN the penguin never does anything. It's just background dressing.4/10
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You can read comments of other movies in my blog.