Neon Genesis Evangelion (anime)

Neon Genesis Evangelion
The Neon Genesis Evangelion logo.
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン (Shin Seiki Evangerion)
Genre	Mecha, Apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic, Drama, Psychological
TV anime
Directed by	Hideaki Anno and various others directors & co-directors
Written by	Hideaki Anno
Studio	Gainax, Tatsunoko
Licensed by	Madman Entertainment AEsir Holdings
Network	TV Tokyo, Animax
English network	Cartoon Network (Giant Robot Week, Adult Swim) Anime Network SBS Sci Fi, Propeller TV
Original run	October 4, 1995 – March 27, 1996
Episodes	26 (List of episodes)
Movies
Death and Rebirth (1997) The End of Evangelion (1997) Revival of Evangelion (1998) Rebuild of Evangelion (2007–TBA)
Anime and Manga Portal

Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, Shin Seiki Evangerion, lit. New Century Evangelion^?), commonly referred to as Evangelion, is a commercially^[1] and critically^[2][3][4] successful and influential Japanese anime that began in October 1995; the series launched the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It won several major animation awards.^[5][6][7] The anime was created by Gainax, written and directed by Hideaki Anno, and co-produced by TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad Systems (NAS).

Evangelion is an apocalyptic mecha action series which revolves around the efforts by the paramilitary organization Nerv to fight monstrous beings called Angels, primarily using giant mecha called Evangelions which are piloted by select teenagers, one of whom is the primary protagonist.

Events in the series refer to Judeo-Christian symbols from the Book of Genesis and Biblical apocrypha among others.^[8] Later episodes shift focus to psychoanalysis of the main characters, who display various emotional problems and mental illnesses;^[9][10] the nature of existence and reality are questioned in a way that lets Evangelion be characterized as "postmodern fantasy".^[11] Hideaki Anno, the director of the anime series, suffered from clinical depression prior to creating the series, and the psychological aspects of the show are based on the director's own experiences with overcoming this illness.^[12] The anime is an early example of the genre/concept "sekai-kei",^[13][14] anime/manga/light novels which mirror their protagonists' lives with the end of the world.

In the original Japanese, the word "Evangelion" is pronounced with a hard g per its Greek roots (see Translation notes on the title below).

Plot

Setting

The story of Evangelion primarily begins in 2000 with the "Second Impact", a global cataclysm which almost completely destroyed Antarctica and led to the deaths of half the human population of Earth. The Impact is believed by the public at large and even most of Nerv to have been the impact of a meteorite landing in Antarctica, causing devastating tsunamis and a change in the Earth's axial tilt (leading to global climate change) and subsequent geopolitical unrest, nuclear war (such as the nuking of Tokyo), and general economic distress. Later, Second Impact is revealed to be the result of contact with and experimentation on the first of what are collectively dubbed the Angels: Adam. The experiments were sponsored by the mysterious organization Seele, and carried out by the research organization Gehirn.

In the year 2010, Gehirn had accomplished a number of its scientific and engineering goals and corporately changed into the paramilitary organization Nerv which is headquartered in Tokyo-3, a militarized civilian city located on one of the last dry sections of Japan; Nerv's central mission is to locate the remaining Angels predicted by Seele, and to destroy them. However, Nerv has its own secret agenda, as directed by its Machiavellian commander Gendo Ikari: the Human Instrumentality Project, which, according to Gendo in episode 25, is the task of uniting all human minds into one global spiritual entity. Associated with Nerv is the Marduk Institute, which has the task of selecting the pilots for the Evas, the most capable being children conceived after the Second Impact (14 year olds). The institute consists of Commander Ikari, and Nerv's chief scientist Ritsuko Akagi; supporting the two are 108 companies which are all revealed to be ghost companies.

Story

As the first episode opens in the year 2015, Tokyo-3 is being attacked by the third Angel. Conventional weapons prove ineffective, largely due to its projected force field called an AT Field. Nerv takes command of the battles, and is able to intercept and defeat the Angels using the Evangelions (Evas), biomechanical mecha previously developed in secret by Gehirn inside the underground Geofront; the Geofront is located underneath Tokyo-3.

Not knowing why his father summoned him, Shinji Ikari, a 14 year old boy arrives to Tokyo-3 just as the Third Angel attacks the city. Shinji reluctantly agrees to join Nerv to pilot Evangelion Unit 01, and begins living with Captain Misato Katsuragi. He and Rei Ayanami battle the successive advances of the Angels together and are later joined by Asuka Langley Soryu, the pilot of Unit 02.

Each Eva has its own designated pilot (Unit 00–Rei, Unit 01–Shinji, Unit 02–Asuka, and subsequently Unit 03–Toji Suzuhara), and operates by synchronizing the pilot's soul and the human soul inside the Eva via the enigmatic liquid substance known as LCL. (In the context of Evangelion, a "soul" refers to an individual's conscious existence, mental structure and identity, rather than a more conventional "supernatural" entity.) Surrounded by LCL, the pilot's nervous system, mind and body join with the Eva's controls, allowing the Eva to be controlled by the pilot's thoughts and actions. The higher a pilot's synchronization ratio, the better the pilot can control the Eva and fight more adeptly.

While Ritsuko mentions at the series' beginning that the Evas do have some biological components to them, the extent of this is not immediately apparent. Unit 01 is connected to Yui Ikari, Gendo's wife and Shinji's mother, since it absorbed her body and soul in a failed experiment, as shown in episodes 16 and 20. Rei herself is suspected to be a partial clone of Yui, and is known to harbor the soul of Lilith, the second Angel.^[15]

The Eva Unit 02 landing on the missile destroyer USS Ramage

It is finally revealed, towards the end of the series, that the Evas are not really "robots" but are actually cloned Angels (Units 00, 02, 03, and 04 are made from Adam, and 01 is made from Lilith) onto which mechanical components are incorporated as a means of restraint and control. This control is not perfect, as various units are shown over the course of the series driving into "berserker" mode, in which they can act of their own will, independent of any artificial power input.

Along with the battles against the Angels, the central characters struggle to overcome their personal issues and personality conflicts, which factor heavily into the events of the series and its eventual conclusion. Throughout the series, many of the main characters constantly have to cope with several social and emotional problems: characters are unwillingly forced to confront socially complex and challenging situations; unresolved sexual tensions grow between numerous characters; injuries, deaths, and defeats cause blows to their psyches; and previously steady relationships begin to falter.

Over the final months of 2015, the characters begin to learn of the true plan of Nerv and Seele, the Human Instrumentality Project. Its purpose is to force the completion of human evolution, and thereby save it from destroying itself. To do so, they plan to break down the AT fields that separate individual humans, and in doing so, reducing all humans to LCL, which is revealed to be the "primordial soup", the fundamental composite of human beings. All LCL would then be united into a supreme being, the next stage of humanity, ending all conflict, loneliness and pain brought about by individual existence. At the end of the series, Seele and Nerv come into direct conflict over the implementation of Instrumentality.

In the last two episodes (the second set in 2016), Gendo and Rei initiate the Human Instrumentality Project, forcing several characters (especially Shinji^[16]) to face their doubts and fears and examine their self-worth, with sequences that "suggest animated schizophrenia"^[17] This ending was made up of flashbacks, sketchy artwork, and flashing text "over a montage of bleak visuals, that include black and white photos of desolate urban motifs such as a riderless bicycle or vacant park benches interspersed with graphic stills of the devastated Nerv headquarters in which Shinji's colleagues are seen as bloodstained bodies",^[18] and a brief interlude depicting an "alternate" Evangelion universe with the same characters but apparently in the high school comedy genre, eventually seems to depict Shinji concluding that life could be worth living and that he did not need to pilot an Eva to justify his existence; he is then surrounded by most of the cast, clapping and congratulating him. The introduction implies that this same process took place for everyone.

Characters

The cast of Neon Genesis Evangelion as depicted on the Japanese "Genesis" (volume) 14 LD and VHS cover.

The characters of Evangelion are continuously struggling with their interpersonal relationships, their inner demons, and traumatic events in their pasts, creating a complex pattern of relationships.

Anno described the hero, Shinji Ikari, as a boy who "shrinks from human contact", and has "convinced himself that he is a completely unnecessary person, so much so that he cannot even commit suicide." He describes Shinji and Misato Katsuragi as "extremely afraid of being hurt" and "unsuitable — lacking the positive attitude — for what people call heroes of an adventure."^[12] When compared to the stereotypical hero, Shinji is characterized more by lack of energy and emotion than by any sort of heroism or bravery.^[20] Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu, the other major protagonists, have similar flaws and difficulty relating to other people.

According to Anno, Evangelion was an attempt to make all perspectives into one, creating characters that represent different things to different viewers to make it impossible for everyone to arrive at a single theory. To some viewers, the characters are psychological representations, while to others, they are philosophical, religious, historical, and even themselves.^[21] It seems the main goal was to present characters who reflected the deep depression and eventual recovery that Anno experienced before beginning work on Evangelion;^[12][22][23] the characters all reflect at least a little of Anno.^[24]

However the deeply pessimistic nature of the series as well as the rarely seen huge array of problems in all the characters has drawn curiousity on why there is no real happiness in the setting's world. Assistant Director Kazuya Tsurumaki said of the series, "But when all is said and done, Hideaki Anno's comments on 'Evangelion' + 'Evangelion' are that it is a message aimed at anime fans including himself, and of course, me too. If a person who can already live and communicate normally watches it, they won't learn anything."^[25]

The character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto have also contributed to the popularity of Evangelion. Sadamoto's attractive designs of the three main female leads, Asuka, Rei and Misato, led to extremely high sales of merchandise^[26] (especially of Rei, the "Premium Girl"^[27]), and they have been immortalized in the dōjinshi community,^[28] garage kit models, and in subsequent anime (such as Burst Angel).

Origin and production

Honnêamise sequel

In March 1992, Gainax had begun planning and production of an anime movie called Aoki Uru, which was to be a sequel to Oritsu Uchugun set 50 years later (so as to be easier to pitch to investors^[29]) which, like Oritsu, would follow a group of fighter pilots. Production would eventually cease in July 1993: a full-length anime movie was just beyond Gainax's financial ability – many of its core businesses were shutting down or producing minimal amounts of money:

"General Products had closed shop. We'd pulled out of Wonder Festival [a "flea market for garage kits"] and garage kit making altogether. We weren't taking on any subcontracting work for anime production. We did continue to make PC games – Akai had seen to that – but there wasn't a lot of work tossed our way. With mere pennies coming in, we were having a hard enough time just paying everyone's salaries. Finally the order came down for us to halt production on Aoki Uru. We were simply incapable of taking the project any further."^[30]

Evangelion pre-release

With the failure of the project, Anno, who had been slated from the beginning to direct Aoki Uru, was freed up. Legendarily, he would soon agree to a collaboration between King Records and Gainax while drinking with Toshimichi Ōtsuki, a representative at King;^[31] with King Records guaranteeing a time slot, Anno set about actually making the anime. Unsurprisingly, elements of Aoki Uru were incorporated into the nascent Evangelion:

"One of the key themes in Aoki Uru had been "not running away." In the story, the main character is faced with the daunting task of saving the heroine … He ran away from something in the past, so he decides that this time he will stand his ground. The same theme was carried over into Evangelion, but I think it was something more than just transposing one show's theme onto another …"^[32]

The original early plot line for Evangelion remained relatively stable through development, although later episodes appear to have changed dramatically from the fluid and uncertain^[12] early conceptions; for example, originally there were 28 Angels and not 17, and the climax would deal with the defeat of the final 12 Angels and not with the operation of the Human Instrumentality Project. As well, Kaworu Nagisa's initial design was a schoolboy who could switch to an "Angel form", accompanied by a pet cat.^[33]

Production was by no means placid. Sadamoto's authorship of the manga (Neon Genesis Evangelion) caused problems as multiple publishers felt "that he was too passé to be bankable";^[34] the stylized mecha design that Evangelion would later be praised for was initially deprecated by some of the possible sponsors of a mecha anime (toy companies) as being too difficult to manufacture (possibly on purpose),^[35] and that models of the Evangelions "would never sell."^[36] Eventually, Sega agreed to license all toy and video game sales.

Airing

After several episodes were produced, Evangelion began to be shown: the first episode aired 4 October 1995, long after originally planned. Initially ignored (although received positively by those Gainax fans invited to early screenings), viewership grew slowly and largely by word of mouth.

Episode 16 marked a distinct shift that would characterize the second half of Evangelion as being more psychological than action or adventure.^[37] This change in emphasis was partly due to the development of the story, but also partly because by this point, production had begun running out of funding and failing to meet the schedule; this collapse has been identified by at least one Gainax employee as the impetus for Evangelion's turn into metafiction:

I didn't mind it. The schedule was an utter disaster and the number of cels plummeted, so there were some places where unfortunately the quality suffered. However, the tension of the staff as we all became more desperate and frenzied certainly showed up in the film … About the time that the production system was completely falling apart, there were some opinions to the effect that, "If we can't do satisfactory work, then what's the point of continuing?" However, I didn't feel that way. My opinion was, "Why don't we show them the entire process including our breakdown."^[38]

(In general, the animation^[39] and dub,^[40] as well as the character design, have often been praised^{[41][42][43][44]}.)

But nevertheless, by the 18th episode, it had become enough of a sensation that Eva-01's violent rampage "is criticized as being unsuitable on an anime show that is viewed by children", and episode 20 would be similarly criticized for the offscreen depiction of Misato and Ryoji having sex.^[45] With this popularity came the first merchandise, "Genesis 0:1" (containing the first two episodes). Beginning a trend, it sold out. As the series concluded on 27 March 1996 with "Take care of yourself.", the story apparently remained unresolved: Third Impact and the Human Instrumentality Project are implied to have begun or even finished, but the episodes focus largely on the psychology of the characters, leaving deeply unclear what actually happens.

The radically different and experimental style of the final two episodes confused^[46] or alienated many fans^[47] and spawned debate and analysis, both scholarly and informal, and accusations of meaninglessness;^[48] even mainstream publications like the Mainichi Times would remark that "When Episode 25 first aired the following week, nearly all viewers felt betrayed...when commentator Eiji Ōtsuka sent a letter to the Yomiuri Shimbun, complaining about the end of the Evangelion series, the debate went nationwide."^[49] (It is worth noting that the ending received such coverage in part because Evangelion had attracted viewers not typically interested in such fare; the TV series was extremely popular.^[50][51])

The series enjoyed incredible popularity among its fan base. In 1995, the series won first place in the reader-polled "Best Loved Series" category of the Anime Grand Prix, a reader-polled award series published in Animage magazine.^[52] The series was once again awarded this prize in 1996, receiving 2,853 votes, compared to the second place show (which was unmentioned) with only 903 votes.^[53] The End of Evangelion would win first place in 1997, allowing Neon Genesis Evangelion to be the first anime franchise to win three consecutive first place awards. This feat would not be duplicated again for several years, until Code Geass won the 2006, 2007, and 2008 awards. "Zankoku na Tenshi no These" won the Song category in 1995 & 1996; "The Beginning and the End, or "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"" won the 1996 Episode category; and Rei Ayanami won in the Female Character category in 1995 and 1996 (followed by Shinji Ikari winning in the Male Character category in 1996 and 1997), contributing to Megumi Hayashibara's 1995-1997 wins in the Seiyuu category (and until 2001 for other series). In 1998, EX.org's readers voted it the #1 US release^[54] and in 1999, the #2 show of all time.^[55]

In response to the backlash by fans against the nature of the series finale, Anno made several controversial comments in the months following the series conclusion, and preceding the release of The End of Evangelion. Anno commented in various interviews after the conclusion of the series that "anime fans need to have more self-respect" and to "come back to reality"; in a Newtype interview on 10 May, after the announcement on 26 April of a new movie and re-edited versions of the TV series, he also stated that "computer networking is graffiti on toilet walls."^[45] These statements were even more controversial.

Re-releases

After the series ended, Anno was not completely satisfied due to issues of time, financial troubles, and network censorship. Thus, when the series was released on VHS and Laserdisc, each episode was remastered and cuts were reincorporated into episodes 21-26, with the first four being drastically enhanced and the final two being completely remade as the double-feature Death and Rebirth. However, again, due to time and budget constraints, the remastering and reanimating of episodes 21-24 was put on hold in favor of the movie. However, the Rebirth animation wasn't finished and it was decided to later release the second half of Death and Rebirth as a stand alone release. Death included some of the scenes that were already completed for the remastered episodes 21-24. It was then decided that Evangelion: Rebirth II should also include the previous animation and was then renamed The End of Evangelion.

After that, the tapes "Genesis 0:11 and 0:12" were released and contained the redone episodes 21-24 and "Genesis 0:13 and 0:14" contained both endings, 0:13 containing both the TV and film versions of episode 25 and 0:14 containing the TV and film versions of episode 26. In 1998, the Evangelion films were released in their original intended form, without the extra scenes in the recap movie (Death(true)²) and with the full new ending.

In 2000, the "Second Impact Box" was released in 3 parts, containing the 26 uncut, remastered episodes and the 2 movies (also including Rebirth).

In 2003, the nine-volume "Renewal of Evangelion" DVDs were released, with the series' sound and picture remastered for HD and 5.1 technology (for example, new background sounds were recorded). The first eight volumes covered the original 26 episodes (with two versions of episodes 21-24: the uncut version and a reconstruction of the edited version). The ninth volume, containing two discs, named Evangelion: The Movie, contained Death(true)² and End of Evangelion.The Renewal release formed the basis for the western "Platinum Edition" (which didn't include the movies, as the movies were licensed by Manga Entertainment, while the series was licensed by A.D. Vision).The "Platinum Edition" features slightly different English subtitles than the original VHS and DVD releases. The original dub of episodes 25 and 26 were replaced with only the 'Director's Cut' dubs of these episodes.

Inspiration

Evangelion is filled with allusions to biological, military, religious, and psychological concepts, as well as numerous references or homages to older anime series (for example, the basic plot is seen in earlier anime like Space Battleship Yamato^[56]) – a tendency which inspired the nickname for the series, the "remixed anime".^[57] Anno's use of Freudian jargon and psychoanalytical theory as well as his allusions to religion and biology are often idiosyncratically used and redefined to carry his message. This tendency of Anno's has been criticized as "Total plagiarism!" and "just more mindgames from the animation crew".^[58] However, Anno has defended himself by denying the possibility of really original work without borrowing in anime:

"There is no longer room for absolute originality in the field of anime, especially given that our generation was brought up on mass-produced anime. All stories and techniques inevitably bring with them a sense of déjà vu. The only avenue of expression left open to us is to produce a collage-like effect based on a sampling of existing works."^[59]

"The people who make anime and the people who watch it always want the same things. The creators have been making the same story for about 10 years; the viewers seem to be satisfied and there's no sense of urgency. There's no future in that."^[60]

Regardless, Anno seems to have hoped to reinvigorate the genre of anime – seen as lifeless and moribund in the early 1990s – and restore originality: to create a new anime. This desire is also the reason Anno cited for creating the Rebuild of Evangelion movies:

"Many different desires are motivating us to create the new "Evangelion" film … The desire to fight the continuing trend of stagnation in anime.
The desire to support the strength of heart that exists in the world…
Many times we wondered, "It's a title that's more than 10 years old. Why now?"
"Eva is too old", we felt.
However, over the past 12 years, there has been no anime newer than Eva.^[61]

The interpretation of the symbols and concepts varies from individual to individual,^[62] and it is not clear how many are intentional or meaningful, nor which were merely design elements or coincidences. Anno himself said, "It might be fun if someone with free time could research them."^[12] A number of these symbols were noted on the English DVD commentary for Death and Rebirth and End of Evangelion.

Many of the characters share their names with Japanese warships from World War II (such as the Sōryū, Akagi, and Katsuragi; though the ship names and character names are written with different kanji, they share the same pronunciations.) Other characters' names refer to other works of fiction, such as the two characters named after the protagonists of Ryu Murakami's Ai to Genso no Fascism ("Fascism in Love and Fantasy"; the two main characters are named Aida Kensuke and Suzuhara Toji; Anno later directed a Murakami adaptation, Love & Pop).

Psychology and psychoanalytic theory

Evangelion has long been taken as a deeply personal expression of Hideaki Anno's personal struggles.^[63] From the start, Evangelion invokes many psychological themes. Phrases used in episodes, their titles, and the names of the background music frequently derive from Sigmund Freud's works,^[64] in addition to perhaps some Lacanian influences in general.^[65] Examples include "Thanatos", "Oral stage", "Separation Anxiety", and "Mother Is the First Other" (the mother as the first object of a child's love is the basis of the Oedipus complex). The scenery and buildings in Tokyo-3 often seem laden with psychological import, even in the first episode.^[66]

The connection between the Evas and their pilots, as well as the ultimate goal of the Human Instrumentality Project, bear a strong resemblance to Freud's theories on internal conflict and interpersonal communication.^[67]

The hedgehog's dilemma is a concept described by philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer and later adopted by Freud. It is the subtitle of episode 4 and is mentioned in that episode by Misato Katsuragi as descriptive of her relationship with Shinji.^[68]

Many of the characters have deep psychological traumas in relation to their parents. Shinji's introversion and social anxiety stem from the death of his mother at an early age and his abandonment by his father. Asuka was the target of her mother's insanity, and discovered her mother's body after she hanged herself; her tough, bullying personality is a means of distracting herself from her pain, and she has made piloting Unit 02 her only source of pride and satisfaction. Misato's father neglected her when she was a child; after he was killed in the Second Impact, she stopped talking for a couple of years. In episode 25, Misato states that she was both attracted to and afraid of Ryoji Kaji because he reminded her of her father. Ritsuko saw her mother having an affair with Gendo Ikari; after her mother's suicide she felt both attraction and hate towards Gendo. Indeed, the last two episodes are "stripped of the high-tech gadgetry and the colorful visuals that characterize the earlier episodes in the series, these last two episodes take place largely in muted tones… a form of interrogation proceeds to be carried out as he [Shinji] asks himself – or is asked by an unseen voice – probing psychological questions."^[69] The questions elicit unexpected answers, particularly the ones dealing with Shinji's motivation for piloting the Eva – he feels worthless and afraid of others (especially his father) if he is not piloting the Eva.^[70] Asuka and Rei are also depicted in deep introspection and consideration of their psyches. Asuka comes to the realization that her entire being is caught up in being a competent Eva pilot and that without it, she has no personal identity: "I'm the junk… I'm worthless. Nobody needs a pilot who can't control her own Eva."^[71] Rei, who throughout the series has displayed minimal emotion, reveals that she does have one impulse; it is Thanatos, an inclination to death: "I am Happy. Because I want to die, I want to despair, I want to return to nothing."^[71] In episode 25 Shinji and Asuka both show that they in fact suffered similar pasts and found different ways of dealing with it. This is further established in Shinji when he claims he has no life without Eva and this is disproven by the world shown in episode 26 followed by the famous "Congratulations" scene.^[72]

Besides the references to Freudian Psychoanalysis there are also some minor references to the theories behind Gestalt Therapy, a form of psychotherapy influenced by both psychoanalytic ideas as well as philosophical notions of a holistic self, personal responsibilities and the consciousness. In episode 15 there is a reference to Gestalt's theory of change, the constant shifting between 'homeostasis' and 'transistasis' on which Fritz Perls wrote in his work 'The Gestalt Approach'. Furthermore episode 19 is entitled 'Introjection', a psychoanalytical term used by many Gestalt Therapists to indicate a neurotic mechanism used for the mental processing of the things humans experience. Introjection is closely related to three other neurotic forms of mental processing; namely projection, confluention and retroflection.

Religion

Nerv's logo featuring half a fig leaf; "God's in his Heaven, all's right with the world" is a quote from a song from Robert Browning's Pippa Passes.

The destruction of an Angel causes an explosion which is cross-shaped: one example of Christian icons being used in Evangelion.

The most prominent symbolism takes its inspiration from Judeo-Christian sources and frequently uses iconography and themes from Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism,^[73] and Kabbalism, in the series's examination of religious ideas and themes.^[74]

Assistant director Kazuya Tsurumaki said that they originally used Christian symbolism only to give the project a unique edge against other giant robot shows, and that it had no particular meaning,^[75] and that it was meant to be susceptible to multiple interpretations.^[76] Hiroki Sato, head of Gainax's PR department, has made similar statements,^[77] as has Toshio Okada.^[78]

References, with multiple equally plausible interpretations which exist, include:

• The Christian cross is often shown, frequently represented by energy beams shooting up skyward.^[79]
• The Angels are a reference to the angels of God from the Old Testament (in Japanese, the word used is the same one used for apostle (or messenger), as in the New Testament). They are named after angels from Biblical angelology, including Sachiel, Shamshel, and Arael.^[79] The first Angel is named Adam, just as the biblical Adam is the first man created by God.^[80] The second Angel is named Lilith, a reference to the Jewish folklore in which Lilith is the first wife of Adam.^[80] Lilith is shown crucified and impaled with a spear named the "Lance of Longinus", the same lance used to pierce the side of Jesus during his crucifixion,^[80] according to the Gospel of Nicodemus. Eve or Eva comes from Adam's rib; similarly, most of the Evas come from the Angel first identified as Adam.^[81]
• The Magi supercomputers are named Melchior, Balthasar and Caspar after the names traditionally given for the Magi who were mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew as having visited Jesus in Bethlehem.^[82] (often called "the three wise men", though the number of visitors is not recorded in the Gospel)
• The Tree of Sephiroth (Tree of Life) is mentioned, as well as shown in the opening title sequence and on the ceiling of Gendo's office,^[83] with Hebrew inscriptions on it (the terms written there are mostly Kabbalic). It also appears in The End of Evangelion during Seele's version of Instrumentality.
• The Marduk Institute is a front organization for Nerv, tasked with finding the teenagers suitable for piloting Evangelion units. Marduk was the name of the chief Babylonian deity and patron god of the city of Babylon.^[79]

Literature and philosophy

Neon Genesis Evangelion and particularly the Human Instrumentality Project show a strong influence from Arthur C. Clarke's novel Childhood's End, an influence Anno acknowledged.^[84] Similarities between the works, such as the larger theme of humanity's evolution to a higher plane of existence, or lesser details such as the declining birth rate after the Second Impact, were gleaned from this work.

Evangelion shows influences from the science fiction author Dr. Paul Linebarger,^[84] better known by his pseudonym, Cordwainer Smith. Linebarger was raised in China, became the god-son of the nationalistic leader Sun Yat-sen, and during World War II, worked in psychological warfare on behalf of the U.S. Army, including propaganda efforts by the U.S. against the Japanese. Linebarger's work included strong influences from both East Asian culture and Christianity. His science fiction novels revolve around his own concept of the Instrumentality of Mankind, an all-powerful central government of humanity.^[85] Like Seele, the Instrumentality of Mankind see themselves "to be shapers of the true destiny of mankind."^[86] Although Anno insisted that Hokan (補完^?, complementation, completion) be translated as "Instrumentality" in English, perhaps as a way to pay homage to Linebarger, the two authors' conceptions of "instrumentality" are extremely different.^[84]

Other fiction allusions Philip K. Dick's The Divine Invasion, and "The Prisoner, Thunderbirds, Ultra Seven, UFO, The Andromeda Strain, even The Hitcher."^[87]

Existential themes of individuality, consciousness, freedom, choice, and responsibility are heavily relied upon throughout the entire series, particularly through the philosophies of Jean-Paul Sartre and Søren Kierkegaard. Episode 16's title, "The Sickness Unto Death, And…" (死に至る病、そして, Shi ni itaru yamai, soshite^?) is a reference to Kierkegaard's book, The Sickness Unto Death. The Human Instrumentality Project may be inspired by the philosophy developed by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.^[88] The title of Episode 4, "The Hedgehog's Dilemma", is a reference to the Hedgehog's dilemma, Arthur Schopenhauer's analogy about the challenges of human intimacy.

Legacy

Anime

From the period from 1984 to the release of Evangelion, most highly acclaimed anime had a style somehow distanced from the usual styles of anime. For example, Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro (1988), and Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) were both low-key works, while Akira (1988) was influenced by American comic books.^[9] Acclaimed director Mamoru Oshii had said that, in the words of Hiroki Azuma, nobody wanted to watch "simple anime-like works" anymore.^[9] Evangelion, however, shows the reversal of this trend. It fully embraced the style of mecha anime, and in particular shows a large influence from Yoshiyuki Tomino's Space Runaway Ideon,^[89] which Anno recommends;^[90] particularly, there are scenes in The End of Evangelion which are clear homages to the last movie for the Ideon series.^[9]

As much as Evangelion has been impacted by other works like Devilman,^[59] the series itself has become a staple in Japanese fiction. The nature of the show made it a landmark work in the more psychological and sophisticated vein of anime that would be picked up by later works such as Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997) that, like Evangelion, center on an ambiguous world-changing event to come. Serial Experiments Lain is a later anime which dealt with many of the same themes as Evangelion,^[91] and so is often thought to be influenced by Neon Genesis Evangelion, although the writer did not see any of Evangelion until he had finished the fourth episode of Lain^[92], and attributes the utility pole visual motif to independent invention and the screen captions to his borrowing from Jean-Luc Godard and Anno from Kon Ichikawa. The show His and Her Circumstances (1999), which was also directed by Hideaki Anno, shares techniques (the experimental 'ripping-apart' of the animation and use of real photographs) and portrayed psychological conflicts in much the same way (although the various cinematic devices can be traced back to works other than Eva, for instance the works of Osamu Tezuka.^[93]).

Evangelion dramatically changed the design of giant robots in animated works. Previously, mecha or giant robot shows took their "mechanical suit" designs from Mobile Suit Gundam, Mazinger, and other similar shows from the 70s and 80s. Evangelion changed this with its fast and sleek Evas, making a noticeable contrast to the comparatively bulky and cumbersome looking Patlabors and Mobile Suits of the past. Indeed, the style set and created by Evangelion has become more common since its release, yet series like The King of Braves GaoGaiGar have continued to use the classic "mecha" style. RahXephon, a show with designs inspired by 1970s mecha shows,^[94] was compared to Evangelion by many English language reviewers.^[95][96][97] Evangelion is generally viewed to be a part of the soft science fiction genre, by avoiding the technical hard S.F. approach of Gundam and other popular mecha anime in favor of psychological struggle^[73] and metaphysical symbolism.^[98] Some anime have been made in direct opposition to NGE; Tomino Yoshiyuki publicly stated that with Brain Powerd he intended to "outdo Evangelion".^{[99][100][101]} Shows or works involving similar mixtures of religion and mecha are often compared to NGE, such as Xenogears^[102] or Gasaraki.^[103][104]

References in popular media

Neon Genesis Evangelion has been frequently parodied and explicitly referenced in popular media. In the Digimon Tamers series, many Evangelion elements were used in the back stories for the three main children, their friends, and the D-Reaper. Gainax's own His and Her Circumstances and FLCL had Evangelion parodies, as did Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. In Episode 5 of Hanamaru Kindergarten, Tsuchida is seen with Evangelion Gashapon, featuring some of the characters, along with a reference to the Second Impact^[105][106].

Invader Zim's Christmas episode, "The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever", had a cameo parody of Evangelion (a reference to when Shinji was assimilated inside Unit 01.) In the episode "Hamstergeddon", Ultra-Pipi (the class hamster that Zim accidentally mutates into a giant monster) rushes at Zim's War Cruiser in a manner that is a rip from the blitz that Unit 01 makes at the Third Angel, Sachiel (as admitted by the episode's director in the commentaries.) In the online community, Evangelion is a common source of parody. Numerous webcomics, such as Tsunami Channel, have featured Evangelion tributes. Some 'creatures' also appear in other works such as the manga Berserk where a transformed demon soldier, in chapter 233, shares an uncanny resemblance with the unleashed Eva-01.

Anno himself has also poked fun at his work. In the soundtrack Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition, a twenty minute audio drama (directed and written by Anno) was included that reunited the entire voice acting cast, titled "After the End". The drama is set after episode 26 and has the characters breaking the fourth wall and discussing a sequel. Anno is believed to be featured as a guest voice in the piece, taking on the role of the "Black Space God"^[107] . On a similar note, Spike Spencer made fun of the series' rather ambiguous ending by acting as Shinji throughout the ending credits in a hidden track in the Platinum re-release of the series, highlights of which include him deducting that previous advice given to him towards him not running away doesn't apply to his current predicament on the account that he's on "a big blue ball" and complaining that the animators "ran out of ink", a reference to the lowered budget to the second half of the series.

Evangelion has been referenced in American media as well. In the 2002 film One Hour Photo starring Robin Williams, Williams' character offers Jake an Eva-05 model. This was by specials request of Williams to include a reference in the film. It is commonplace for movies and shows to rename or repackage existing products with a generic name and graphic logo. In this case however, the toy was from Williams' personal collection (he is a fan of the show, as is director Wes Anderson^[108]),^[109] so the series name Neon Genesis Evangelion and the graphics on the blister card are left untouched, and are clearly visible. An Evangelion Unit 01 model is seen in the 2008 remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still and several Evangelion figures are seen in Michael's house in the 2007 film Michael Clayton starring George Clooney.

Fan interpretations and reworking of Evangelion have ranged from various stories,^[110] fanfictions,^[111] and even screenplays^[112] that expand or reinterpret the ending to comical fan-dubs such as Evangelion: ReDeath and even hoax posters such as that for the fictional sequel Reprise of Evangelion.^[113]

Natsuo Kirino's Real World novel invokes Evangelion as the muse of its murderous protagonist^[114]

Music

The UK band Fightstar's debut album, Grand Unification is purported to have been heavily influenced by Neon Genesis Evangelion.^[115] The track "Lost Like Tears in Rain" even contains the lyric "It's Neon Genesis". The artwork for the record portrays vast ruined cityscapes that are reminiscent of similar scenes in Evangelion. Fightstar's second album features a track called "Unfamiliar Ceilings", a reference to the Evangelion chapter "Unfamiliar Ceiling"; there is also a song named "H.I.P. (Enough)" in which H.I.P. stands for "Human Instrumentality Project". Also the words "Human Instrumentality Project" can be seen in the album insert booklet. Fightstar's EP Deathcar also features two Evangelion-related songs. One is titled "Nerv/Seele" and the other is titled "Shinji Ikari". The back of the EP artwork also shows an image of the Lance of Longinus visibly separating the two songs from the other tracks. Their third album, Be Human, also takes its name from an episode of Evangelion (episode 22).

The Mexican electronica/indie group Childs bears self-admitted Evangelion influences; its sole CD, Yui, contains some subtle Evangelion sound sampling and a track titled "Post: Seele".

The New York noise group In Air sings about Rei II in their album White Lake on the Moon, namely on the song titled "Paper Key Twins".

The anime/video game musician Piano Squall created an extended piano instrumental of "Zankoku na Tenshi no These" for his album Game.

The indie group LeetStreet Boys song "Yuri the Only One", a love song using anime and gaming references, contains the line, "You're my Angel out of Tokyo-3". In the music video, an image of the Third Angel Sachiel appears. They also make a mention of the series in "The Fanboy of The Opera" which contains the line, "angel of music sings I pull the strings like Gendou."

The song "Arue" by Bump of Chicken is dedicated to Rei Ayanami. The title is written as RA, the initials of Rei.

The song "Ice" by Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive consists of Asuka repeating the words 'I don't want to die' when she is stuck in her EVA and breaks down.

The song "Love As Blood (Implant Remix)" by Norwegian band Icon of Coil features an English audio clip of Misato's revelation of the nature of the Angels in The End of Evangelion.^[116]

The album "The Inalienable Dreamless" by American grindcore band Discordance Axis contains several songs inspired by Evangelion, with song titles including "Angel Present" and "The Third Children".

Translation notes on the title

The Japanese title for the series, Shin Seiki Evangelion, is composed of two parts: "Shin Seiki" (新世紀^?, new era/century) from Japanese and "Evangelion" (εὐαγγέλιον, Anglicisation eüangélion, "gospel, good messenger, good news"—etymologically unrelated to the Hebrew word Eva) from Ancient Greek. The decision to call the series Neon Genesis Evangelion in Engrish^[117] was originally made by Gainax, and not by translators; the use of the word "Evangelion" in particular was chosen by Anno "because it sounds complicated".^[118] It appears in the eyecatches of the original, untranslated episodes, and is used by Gainax to market the series worldwide.

All three words of the English title Neon Genesis Evangelion (Νέον Γένεσις Εὐαγγέλιον) are derived from the Greek language. The simplest English interpretation is "New Beginning Gospel," although it can also be interpreted to mean "(the) Good News of a New Beginning," or even "(the) New Gospel of (the) Beginning."

The title appears to be constructed from the three words "neos," "genesis," and "evangelion" as they are listed in a lexicon or dictionary. In respect to the grammar of the Greek language, a literal translation of Νέον Γένεσις Εὐαγγέλιον (Neon Genesis Evangelion) does not make much sense, as it means something like "a young gospel a beginning." Greek grammar uses cases and gender, which have been ignored in the title and a more accurate rendition of the title in the Greek of the New Testament is (τὸ) Καινῆς Γενέσεως Εὐαγγέλιον or "(to) Kainēs Genéseōs Evangélion", meaning "(The) Gospel (or Good News) of a New Beginning."

Νέος "neos" means "new" in the sense of "young, fresh, not having existed previously." Καινός (kainós) from this grammatically accurate title means "new" as in "replacing something old, superseding."^[119] Either "neos" or "kainós" could be used depending on the intended meaning, but καινός is probably more suited to the show's pretext and storyline than νέον "neon."

Γένεσις "genesis" should be given in the genitive case as γενέσεως "geneseos" in order to represent the type or genus of gospel that is referred to: the gospel of a new beginning. This is similar to how the letter "s" is placed after an English word to express possession or kind: "a new beginning's gospel." Γένεσις (genesis), like many abstract nouns, is feminine; καινός (kainos) which describes it must also become feminine καινή (kaine). Thus Καινὴ Γένεσις "(a) New Beginning" becomes Καινῆς Γενέσεως in the genitive ("possessive") case: "of a New (fem.) Beginning (fem.)."

Genesis (γένεσις) can also mean "origin, source" or "birth, race" and is the Greek title for the first book of the Hebrew Scriptures, describing the creation of the universe and early Hebrew history. The Japanese term for the first book in the Bible is "Souseiki" "Souseiki" (創世記^?, Account of the beginning of the world), perhaps a wordplay (with two different beginning and ending kanji) with "Shin Seiki" in the Japanese title.

Euangelion (εὐαγγέλιον, Latinized evangelium) originally referred to a reward offered for good news (eu (εὖ) meaning "good" and angelos (ἄγγελος) meaning "messenger", and later "messenger of God; angel"), and later came to mean "good news" itself.^[120] Eventually it became most commonly associated with the Christian gospel (from Old English gōdspell "good story"). It is the source of the English word "evangelist." This dual meaning (message and messenger) may be the reason both the series itself and the "mecha" are called Evangelion.

There has been debate over the correct pronunciation of "Evangelion." In the original Japanese version a hard 'g' (IPA: [ɡ]) pronunciation is used by Japanese characters, and, episode 18 of the series, a native English-speaking announcer. Official secondary dubs, including the English one, use the pronunciation /ˌeɪvæŋˈɡɛliən/ with a hard 'g'. The confusion probably results from that related words in English, such as "evangelist", the 'g' is soft (/dʒ/). The pronunciation /ˌiːvænˈdʒɛliən/ (with the first vowel rhyming with "Eve" instead of /e/) is not uncommon.

The hard 'g' and /e/ is correct because it is accurate in both the original Greek and Japanese, and they are the pronunciations preferred by Gainax since Evangelion is a Greek word.

In the first episode, Ritsuko names the robot with a hard 'g' /ˌeɪvænˈɡɛliən/ when presenting it to Shinji.

The three influential organizations, Gehirn, Nerv and Seele, originate from German cognates. Gehirn is translated literally into the English word brain or mind, referencing it as the brainchild of the EVA Project. Nerv comes from the German Nerv meaning literally nerve, referencing it as the nerves of the EVA Project. Seele, pronounced [ˈzeːlə] in German, means literally soul, referencing it as the soul of the EVA Project.

See also

• List of Neon Genesis Evangelion media
• List of Neon Genesis Evangelion albums

Further reading

• (Japanese) Endo, Toru. "Konna kitanai kirei na hi ni wa" ("On a day so beautiful and so ugly"). Poppu karuchaa kuritiiku (Pop Culture Critique), volume 0. 1997.
• (Japanese) Gainax, NEW-TYPE. E-Mono: Neon Genesis Evangelion: All Goods Catalog. ISBN4-04-852868-8
• (Japanese) Kotani, Mari. Seibo Evangelion (Evangelion as the Immaculate Virgin). Tokyo: Magajin Hausu. 1997.
• (Japanese) Kotani, Mari. A New Millenialist Perspective On The Daughters Of Eve. ISBN4-8387-0917-X.
• June magazine, ed. Neon Genesis Evangelion June Tokuhon: Zankoku-Na Tenshi no These ("The Neon Genesis Evangelion JUNE Reader: Zankoku na Tenshi no These"). ISBN4-906011-25-X.
• Lippit, Seiji M. Topographies of Japanese Modernism. New York: Columbia UP, 2000
• Morikawa, Kaichiro (ed.). The Evangelion Style. ISBN4-8074-9718-9
• Redmond, Dennis. The World is Watching: Video as Multinational Aesthetics 1967–1995, 2001.
• Routt, William. "Stillness and Style in Neon Genesis Evangelion"[9]. Animation Journal 8.2 (Spring 200): 28–43
• Yamashita, Ikuto and Seiji, Kio. Sore Wo Nasumono: Neon Genesis Evangelion Concept Design Works ("That which enables that: Neon Genesis…"). ISBN4-04-852908-0
• "Evangelion Special: From phenomenon to legacy" -(Mainichi Daily News; these three links link to Internet Archive copies)
• "Evangelion Special: Genesis of a major manga"– (Mainichi Daily News)
• "Evangelion Special: For producer Otsuki, success not always a bed of roses" – (Mainichi Daily News)
• (Italian) Neon Genesis Evangelion (Anime Mundi), detailed production information
• 'The Thin Veneer Known as "Evangelion"' -(Anime News Network)
• "Understanding Evangelion" -(Anime News Network)
• "Online Bibliography of Anime and Manga Research" -(collection of Evangelion-related papers, essays, & articles)

References

External links

Official websites

• Madman Entertainment's Evangelion page
• (Japanese) Neon Genesis Evangelion – Gainax's official Evangelion page.
• (Japanese) 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン – Evangelion Website of King Record.

Articles and information

• (German) Evapedia
• Neon Genesis Evangelion at the Internet Movie Database
• Neon Genesis Evangelion (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Neon Genesis Evangelion at the Open Directory Project