Don't do it! It's a trap!

I have the exact same boxed set...
Why? I don't know. I watched maybe 13 episodes. I just can't get into it. On the other hand, I think the movie looks great (at least the animation does) and I'd like to see it. It seems more action-packed. The anime series on the other hand is just really...mundane.

Hmmm, is that a bottle of Jack in the background I see?

You might need it. I don't know about everyone else but to me Evangelion was hard to watch in marathons. And depressing.

I watched all of Evangelion in a marathon... wound of in a bit of a melancholic mood for a while. But Over all it was an enjoyable experience. I've already seen the movie, and it is awsome. A bit rushed in a few parts since they had to fit so much in. But nonetheless awsome.

Hmmm...

I really love this series. So much so; that I tattoed the evangelion logo on my arm. I will post pictures soon.

I also have not seen the show completely. I've seen maybe three episodes.

hooray!

I have to admit, I didn't like Evangelion, without a doubt one of my least favorite anime series I've seen. I had a friend who was wild about it sit me down to watch it and I just didn't care for it.

Perhaps that's heresy, but hey, everyone needs to decide for themselves right?

Good show but I'd have to agree with some of the other posters, it's a bit hard to watch marathon style. Overall though, fantastic show.

I haven't watched it either... guess since I came into anime a different way (magical girls and such). But one of these days I'll get around to it.

Enjoy! I'll be following the tweets.

wait what? Why is everybody else badmouthing Evangelion. It was one of the best animes that I ever watched in my life (death note is no.1 on my list though)

The only problem that I had with it is that whiny bitch Shinji and also the ending was horrible (that's why I think they want to correct that in the movies), but I wont spoil anything for Brad.

If you want to know my taste in Anime then I will give you a list of the current shows I'm currently watching:

(from best to worst)
1- One piece
2- hajimi no ippo new challenger
3- full metal alchemist brotherhood
4- eden of the east
5- bleach
6- naruto shippuden

(If anyone would care to suggest some more shows for me to follow then please be my guest.)

Anyway Brad based on my taste in the above list you would probably know if you would like the anime or not.

First 4 episodes suck, as well as the last 2. Everything else is awesome. I suggest watching The End of Evangelion movie instead of the last 2 episodes.

This post may have spoilers, just to warn you.

The anime is one of my favorites, but as I try to remember my experiences with it, I just don't see much that stands out. Maybe it's because Shinji gets mentally broken in like every other episode, maybe it's because you have to watch it and breakdown what happened in each episode to fully understand it (and you still won't), or maybe it's because both times I watch Death & Rebirth I almost have a mental breakdown, and therefore have locked away my memories in an attempt to NOT have a mental breakdown? I love the movie itself, but it really mind-f*%k's me...possibly even mind-rape.

Please tell me you plan on watching Death & Rebirth (I.E. The ACTUAL ending...although if you watch the TV series ending, that too is a canonical ending seeing as that was just one possibility that could result because of Shinji's actions (in addition to also showing other possibilities), and therefore D&R could be another possibility...or not...NGE is pretty complex... 0.o see what I mean?)

This post may have spoilers, just to warn you.

Doh>< Replace D&R with End of Evangelion in my previous post...my bad...

Never seen Evangelion, only bits and pieces here and there. That's why I'm a bit excited about the new movies.

ahhh Eva.. one of the craziest series I've seen ever. You'll only be going crazy near the end. :3 Enjoy it!

Cool. I love the series, and I think you will like it. Be prepared to have your mind raped, killed, raped again, burnt, drowned, stabbed, shot, beaten, strangled, castrated, thrown into a river, thrown off a building, and land into a big pile of what was once your head. The series is weirder than any of Suda51's games. And that's saying something!

As a connoisseur of shows with background philosophies and deeper than the surface intentions, Evangelion is a muddy puddle.

It looks deep on the outside and may certainly seem it when you stick your toe in, but when you finally really jump into it, you find out it's actually pretty shallow and you just end up with sh*t all over you.

I used to like Evangelion for the longest time, but it wasn't until I sat down with a friend and tried to analyze the themes that I found most of it to be utter BS pulled from wherever Anno felt like and without much consistency or sense.

Basically if you're just watching it for entertainment value, it's great (sans emo scenes of course). But if you're looking for a show that makes you think, ignore the peanut gallery who also believes that Al Gore invented the internet and find something else.

i recomend watching the end of evangelion right after the series. youll get some of the things in the new movie (evangelion 1.0)..

Brad, if you need to see:
1. the original ADV overlay version of DVD#1
2. the original TV ending

you know my number.

Don't die of Alcohol poisoning, that show makes me yawn.

Well, now I know I'm nopt the only one that hasn't seen Evangelion. I have the DVDs, just never watched them. Maybe I should since I have nothing else to do.

Great show, but still overrated.

A lot of the serious stuff is some pretty unique psychological drama, but a lot of it is also meaningless Abrahamic drivel.

Around 98% of the watchers didn't like the series because of Shinji. Well I LOVE the series for that exact reason. Shinji was the embodiment of all the insecurities one has when going through puberty, a doomed world, people who only care about themselves and the desperate need to be loved in a loveless life. Even characters that I hated like Asuka were a twisted version of a person in despair, so I ended up not hating them so much.

You could say Evangelion is like natto. When you try it you either hate it or love it, and the ones who haven't tried it most probably don't care about its existence.

And here I thought I was one of the only people on the planet to have never seen Neon Genesis Evangelion...

Just don't watch the last two eps and you'll be A-OK.

Lies. You've said this for over a year now, you'll get distracted somehow. Also, for the full effect, please make sure to watch the entire thing and not skip the last two episodes like some commenters say. It'll make you think when you watch The End of Evangelion after you're done.

The last two episodes are a MUST! They are incredibly trippy but very relevant to what happens in EoE. Certain scenes pop up in both the TV and Movie endings.

Evangelion was mostly great. It tries to be really deep and in some ways succeeds. I would watch it alone for the awesome mecha action. It goes about it differently than any anime before as far as I know.

My favorite thing about the show is the song "Komm, susser Tod" from End of Evangelion. I don't know that I love a song more than this. Great song if you want to depress yourself, or are in a depressed mood.

I watched all of Evangelion in a single day. It still remains as my favourite.

Superior character drama, with an overly convoluted DERP storyline which gets all the hate from the, well, haters (why hello there Heero Yuy). Just don't listen to 90% of the fans who want to feel cultured and intelligent for appreciating a DERP anime: EVA is not mainly about the DERP. Neither fans nor haters seem to agree with me on this, but it's definitely true to me.

Yaku pretty much nails it. It could be that by now you (Brad) are a little too old to be watching Evangelion for the first time though. Not to say it's childish, but I sure know it strikes you more when you're around Shinji's age. Then again, that could be said for most anime. Enjoy!

Evangelion was a show that meant a lot to me personally, so it was quite easy for me to get into and enjoy.

However, I can also understand why so many people dislike it, but I think that largely because I believe Shinji, taking the End of Evangelion film into account, is a character used as an warning rather than someone who was intended to be likeable.

My suggestion? Watch the whole series and movies, then watch Gurren Lagaan.

@PBz0r: I literally said basically the same thing as you. I am NOT saying Evangelion is bad, I'm saying it isn't philosophically deep. If someone is watching it purely to entertain, it's a great show, but if someone is watching it for inspiring Carl Gustav Jung references and such, there's a lot better stuff out there. The plot is definitely fairly deep, but any of the referential stuff that at least I hear people praising it for, is just bleh.

So yeah, just in case there's still any confusion as to what I've been trying to say here's the tl;dr:

plot = good,
entertainment level = fun and amusing,
philosophical references and contemplatives = garbage.
A solid 4 out of 5 show.

an anime fan who hasn't seen Evangelion is like a film buff who hasn't seen the original Star Wars trilogy! :P

@ Heero
Bear with me as my assumptions have a history. :P

Funny story: the very first time I came to Japanator (I was Googled here around a year ago) the first thing I read was actually a comment of yours... on Evangelion no less. I remember you pulling out the exact same story of you and a friend who spent an entire weekend trying to (and failing to) figure out NGE, after which you decided all NGE-fans were desillusionist bastards and transformed the comment section of that particular blog post in an all-out war. I can't even remember what the blog post was about... :P

So even though it's evident you don't entirely hate the show (pretty hard to do if you're into mecha), you'll always be a hater. :D As if I'd settle for a 4 out of 5! I won't have it!

@The Amazing Shenazin: Well, I might as well watch it then.

@PBz0r: That's an interesting memory from your first time on Jtor. I remember the first thing I read was about Gurren Lagann on Itunes. The comment from it was Kageryu's about Mr.T and WoW.

I haven't seen a single comment on the high quality seiyuu performances, so I'll correct that. They gave the show some serious soul. There are some interesting stories about casting if you look for them.

Also, you really shouldn't miss episodes 25 and 26, if only because thay provide some context for the movie.

In closing, I applaud your decision to tackle a show known for drawing a lot of criticism.

I said that all Eva fans were crazy?... I really doubt I said or implied it that harshly, but I probably did say I think a lot of the diehard eva fans are a bit clouded as to how deep their show is... then again, you could say that about a lot of series.

It does give me a sort of pleasure that one of your first memories of here was one of my rants though. Yet at the same time, I'd like to apologize. *facepalms*

I really need to find that post...I know the one you're talking about though I don't know if it's still there anymore since it was so old...

Although some might consider it blasphemy to watch the dubbed version, I'd suggest at least 1 complete viewing in english followed immediately by this HILARIOUS clip:

(spoilers obviously)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL8pvC3mxGo

@ MexiChrist
Ahaha, oh thanks for that. NGE is one of the few shows I've also seen dubbed. Not that bad actually.

@ Heero
I forgive you! If there's one thing I know it's that you always keep the comment sections on Japanator lively.