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The Revered
Evangelion - April 22, 2002
 Neon Genesis
Evangelion is often praised as one of the single most inspiring, original
and enjoyable anime series ever conceived. Supporters of this sing songs of
worship towards Gainax for letting an such an amazing series come to be. Telling
the tale of a young boy named Shinji Ikari, who is humanity's last hope against
God himself. But first, he needs to conquer the demons inside him and the father
that engulfs his past.
Blah blah blah...
I can see where people are coming from. I appreciate the profound angle that Evangelion
ends on, leaving with the obvious question, why am I meant to exist? Various
theories and ideas spring to mind when envisioning Eva 01 bursting forth from
Rei Ayanami's eye. Or the most obvious symbol of the crucifix.
But I didn't enjoy the series all that much. Sure, it had its many moments. But
in my humble, okay...maybe not so humble, opinion, Evangelion was
difficult to watch because of a central problem. I hated Shinji. Sure, I
disliked Rei and Asuka at times, but they had their redeeming qualities.
But Shinji? He had none. Sure, he saves the day. He goes psychopathic and the
Eva unit 01 comes bursting forth with a new level of energy to surprise all and
defeat the Angel. What the Hell did Shinji do? Oh that's right, he sat in a
corner and whined like a little bitch. Never assuming responsibility for
anything.
Even in The End of Evangelion where every single one of his friends are
dying around him, he assumes no responsibility and does nothing to help. Why?
Because he's angry at himself for attacking Asuka. "I'm a bad person."
Well, you're even worse for letting Misato's death go on in vain. Here you are,
surrounded by people just looking to survive, and all you can think about is how
much your life sucks. The fundamental problem is that I can't root for a kid
that I hate so much.
If it weren't for Misato Katsuragi, I don't think I would have enjoyed this
series very much. I absolutely adored her strength and the depth of her
character and the fact that she could overcome her short-comings. Even when
Shinji *finally* comes to terms with his existence in episodes 25 & 26, he
still doesn't quite realize what is going on. He still whines. That...is a
half-ass effort.
So, unlike the rest of the cast. I am not applauding Shinji Ikari. In fact, I'm
doing the furthest thing from it. I hate Shinji and everything he represents.
Humanity could use a new knight next time around, maybe somebody with a little
conviction.
-RyoKazama534
[email protected]
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