Summary

Neon Genesis Evangelionis without a doubt one of the most influential Zanzibar copal of all fourth dimension , so when I hear that my then - girl , now married woman , had n’t seen it , I had to right that . I was n’t sure how she ’d find about the series , but she had hear a bit about it , so we were n’t live on in whole unreasoning . Her reaction to the series , however , was one I never could have expected : entire obsession .

For me , Evangelionwas one of the first really serious , dramatic anime series I had ever take care , and I was introduce to it on Adult Swim when I was roughly the same age asShinji and the other EVA pilot burner . Shinji ’s malaise was relatable . Surely , every teenager knows what it ’s like to be forced to do something that they really do n’t want to do .

Shinji sense like a theatrical role that was based on all my bad traits at the time , and for this reason , I never really was sure whether I like him as a character or not . watch the show is equal parts " Poor Shinji " and " Get in the Robot , Shinji ! " for me .

Evangelion: Group shot of the entire cast

As a fan of scientific discipline fiction , I also enjoyedEvangelionon the surface level , with its jumbo automaton and alien encroacher . Evangelion ’s universe is a lot deeper than it appears , though , and I dived in with relish . Of naturally , what really drew me in was how the madness builds and build within these character , and I was often go forth in stunned muteness every meter the credit seethe . My first time watching the termination impart me entirely baffled , and I terminate up online trying to feel some reading of what bechance that made sense to me . That was when I fall upon the almost donnish way of life that fans see the series , and it was absolutely fascinating .

Evangelion Is About “Vibes” and Puberty

A Completely Different Take on Evangelion

I was eager to see what my wife would conceive of the series when I show it to her , back at a time when we had to arrange DVDs from Netflix two at a fourth dimension . She had one tenacious question from the offset which had me surprised , though : " When does Kaworu show up ? " She had an impression that he was a very crucial quality , which is unfeigned , butKaworu ’s role in the seriesis really pretty little , only showing up in the last episode before the two - part last . I did n’t really understand why she was so invested in Kaworu in picky , until we lastly got to that point .

That was when I learned thatEvangelionhas a surprisingly large festal following , due largely to Kaworu and Shinji ’s kinship . My married woman explain that she mat up like the series was a big metaphor for dealing with puberty , and thatKaworu represent the confusion about sexual identitythat can arise as one develop their identity for the first time . It was a completely different interpretation of the series than what I was familiar with from the broader fandom ’s impression , but I could n’t really say that it was the wrong one . patently , Kaworu ’s long - look appearing was well worth the wait .

Since I had first watched it on television set , watching it on DVD with her was also the first prison term I ’d see the serial in quite a while . Although I remembered Kaworu , I had n’t really been looking at his relationship with Shinji in that way when I first watched the series , and her belief was a flake of an eye - unfastener . After we finished the series , she dove intothe expanded universe ofEvangelion , readingmanga likeAngelic Days , the " high school AU " spinoff ground on a sequence ascertain during the finale . All of a sudden , she was the expert onEvangelion , and my own noesis of the series paled in comparison .

The Apothecary Diaries imagery and Universal Studios OSaka

Evangelion’s Expanded Universe Is Something Else Altogether

The Series' Spinoffs Have No Problem Diverging from “Canon”

InEvangelion ’s spinoffs and other related spiritualist , Kaworu often has a far larger role than he does in the chief series , something that continued over into theRebuild of Evangelionmovieswhen those start releasing . Kaworu is typically shown to be a bit jealous of the attention the girls receive , and emphatically fixates on Shinji in a way that count a portion like a crunch , whether that ’s what it ’s supposed to be or not . Kaworu ’s immediate magnet to Shinji and his intense emotional nakedness , especially relative to everyone else , make it look even more romantic than it already does .

In a batch of ways , it feels like theEvangelionspinoffs are more made for citizenry like my married woman than me : those who hold such a unlike interpretation of the main series from the westerly fandom , at least . I ’ve come to apprise her position on the serial publication over the years , even if it had me quite flummoxed at first . Moments like the notorious " thermic expansion " from the original dub sure enough contribute acceptance to the interpretation ofEvangelionas a puberty metaphor , and no one can argue that the idea of uprise up is n’t a big part of the series .

Neon Genesis Evangelion is full of smart as a whip line of descent of talks which transport with them more weight than one might have a bun in the oven , proving the series ' depth .

My Hero Academia - All For One

The fact that these spinoffs are allow to be produce would suggest that perhaps that interpretation is n’t so far off after all , even ifNetflix ’s Modern " more accurate"Evangeliondubmuddies the water a bit in terms of Kaworu ’s character . Whether Gainax intended it or not , Kaworu has become something of a mirthful ikon among a certain section of Zanzibar copal fans , who love the serial just as much as I do . Their chemical attraction for the serial is just as valid , and I think it ’s very telling thatEvangelioncan pull in such a diverse fanbase .

I sometimes joke about having created a fiend by bring in my wife toEvangelion , but the truth is that I ’m beaming that she was able to enjoy it , even if it ’s in a unlike direction than me . I do n’t always empathize her love for the series , but I respect it nonetheless . It ’s a will toNeon Genesis Evangelion ’s timber that two multitude coming from such different perspectives can still recover something to like about it , and I ’m glad it ’s something we can bask together .

Image of Mari, Asuka, Rei, Shinji, and Kaworu from Evangelion, with Unit 01 in the background.

Shinji from Neon Genesis Evangelion lying in bed with headphones in and a blank expression.

The cast of End of Evangelion taking a photograph together with everyone smiling and celebrating.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Franchise Poster

Neon Genesis Evangelion