The only explanation I can think of for what I just saw watching The End of Evangelion movie is that someone spiked my food halfway through, resulting in me having a weird, hallucinogenic drug trip.
Seriously, this movie seems like normal Neon Genesis Evangelion at the beggining, only for the third act to evolve into one of the craziest endings I have ever seen that needs to be seen to be believed.
Hideaki Anno made this film after many were left unsatisfied with the ending of his anime, to the point that some of them even sent him death threats.
However, rather than The End of Evangelion appeasing many of these cruel people it only made them angrier.
Having watched the film I can see why this would result in such anger, although sending death threats is never acceptable.
And, personally, I actually enjoyed The End of Evangelion, even though it left me thoroughly confused.
It is certainly a better ending that what we got in Neon Genesis Evangelion because it actually has a narrative.
But I do not just enjoy it because it is better than the original anime’s ending.
I also enjoy it because of the obvious thematic weight it has, with a lot of complex and often disturbing symbolism that left me quite creeped out.
Even before the shocking third act, the film had plenty of jaw dropping moments.
One moment came with one of my favourite parts of the movie, which is a brilliantly animated fight sequence involving Asuka (Yuko Miyamura).
This fight was thrilling, horrifying, and brought a conclusion to Asuka’s character arc, which I felt was left unfinished in the original anime.
However, not every character is done well compared to Neon Genesis Evangelion.
A prime example of this is Shinji (Megumi Otaga) who I found to be quite unlikable compared to the original anime’s version of him.
This is because of his refusal to act, despite people dying around him, but also mostly because of something he does at the start of the film involving Asuka.
He is shown to regret his actions later on in the movie but this does not excuse that what he did is pretty deplorable.
Despite Shinji’s unlikability, though, I still found many of the characters to be well done and have fitting conclusions to their arcs this time around.
But the main thing that will come to mind whenever I think of The End of Evangelion will be that absolutely insane third act and ending that left me speechless and unsure of what to think.
It is bold, symbolic, and can only have been thought up by somebody in the middle of a mental breakdown, which I have heard Anno was when writing this.
Whether he was having problems or not, Anno’s The End of Evangelion provides a better ending to the original ending, although not one that is particularly happy.
The insane nature of this third act makes it worth a watch.
The End of Evangelion is a movie that got me thinking, although I am not exactly sure what about.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 