I'll be needing an explanation for this.

[Squeek]

I've heard good things about the anime "Evangelion" from several people here in numerous anime threads and decided it was my turn to watch the series for myself. I would like to ask those who saw it...

What did I just see?!

I honestly have no clue. This is the first anime that has confused me. Nothing got resolved at all. It didn't end. Then they made a movie that overwrote the final two episodes. It didn't help either. It was also meaningless and full of the most insane things ever shown. So I'm asking for a simple explanation for either the movie or the TV series that couldn't be gleaned from a first-time viewing of the series.

~Squeek

[FishFishRevolution]

1) It's up to your interpretation.
2) It's supposed to be that confusing.
3) It's an allegory.

I can offer my explanation if you want, but it might not be what the writers intended. PM or IM me, i don't feel like writing all of it here if you don't really want an opinion.

[Squeek]

1) My interpretation is plausible but meaningless.
2) Why couldn't it be simple like all others?
3) I understood that from episode #1.

I don't require other's personal explanations. I got the jist of whatever was happening all the way to 24. I understood that 25-26 of the series was intended to show what could have happened in the human advancement project. The movie was supposed to show what could have happened if the third impact were to occur. But seriously, the ending was like Matrix Revolutions: Overly-showy and generally useless. They could have offered a meaningful ending to the show like EVERY OTHER ANIME and resolved all conflicts. Why didn't they?

~Squeek

[TACODUDE]

Speaking of which, any Big O experts, please tell me what the ending is supposed to mean.

[Moogy]

Watch it again until you figure it out.

[Omeganitros]

Big O was all about sexual innuendos.

I keed, I keed.

Big O's last episode was probably about Memories and how we are like Tomatoes and some shit about Angel having wings. The point is, Big O launches it's final stage and whoops ass.

[jewpinthethird]

SPOILERS...LIKE A LOT OF THEM.

*DEEP BREATH*

In the dead sea scrolls it is foretold that mankind has reached the end the evolution chian, mankind can no longer progress. So, Seele creates Nerv with the soul purpose of artifically evolving mankind into one superbeing (aka "God"). They begin research on it in the Antartic on 2001 when they discover the first angel Adam. They attempt to reduce Adam into an embriotic state, but it created an explosition known as the Second Impact, eliminates 2/3's of the worlds population.

Lilth, (whom came before Eve in Jewish Folklore), is the angel seen in terminal dogma crucified, supposedly Humans were born of Lilth (as explained by Kaoru 17th angel). Lilth, according to Jewish folklore, was made by the same process as Adam, but not from Clay, but Dirt. While during the process of love making, Lilth wants to be on top, Adam does not like this, and she is cast out of Eden, to forever live near the Red sea and give birth to dirty children (ie Humans). On End of Evangelion Seele elaborates on this idea more, calling Humans the scum of the Earth.

TV SERIES: So, blah blah blah, all the Angels are dead. Seele's final plan is now ready, the Human Completion Project. In the TV series, the last two Episodes take place in Shinji's mind. The ending, where everyone is clapping for him, is where he finally Accepts the project, and everyone lives happily ever after as one great being: God.

MOVIES: SEELE sends the miltary to destroy NERV because Gendo Ikari has plans of his own that SEELE does not approve of, to be reunited with his dead wife, Yui. Shinji finds out that Angels are other forms of wouldbe humans, had evolution taken it course differently. Blah Blah Blah, Rei Ayanami, having been a clone from Lilth is able to join with him...blah blah blah, Shinji wishes everyone was dead...blah blah blah. Everyone turns into LCL (the primordial soup of life), all their souls are now inside Rei Ayanami/Lilth/God.

All the "inane" scenes, where scenes in Shinji's mind. He is reminded of what it is like to be human, he does not like not being himself, though he will never be hurt again, he can also never love. He must learn to cope with the real world. He rejects the Project.

CUT SCENE, Eva Unit 01 escapes...blah blah blah...Shinji is on the shore, next to him is Asuka...boom Adam and Eve, humanity starts over.

The end.

I covered most of the major points, if there is anything else, feel free to ask. Of course, this is my own interpretation, which I came to after researching it over a span of 2 years.

Other information, Anno Hideaki wrote Evangelion after being depressed and he will not explain what the really means, but it is speculated that Shinji is based after himself.

[Squeek]

Oh.

Most of the philisophical stuff was lost on me. Like, in the movie, I thought it was just another "possibility" that could have taken place when everybody died. I guess not.

2 years eh? Yea, I guess it would take that long.

Next on the chopping block is going to be Fullmetal Alchemist unless they start explaining a bunch near the end.

~Squeek

[aracelibercelle]

OMG Jewpin, that stuff about Lilth and Adam...I saw that in a documentary about Vampires..because also supposedly after she is cast out of Eden she comes back to plague and uh hurt Adam and Eve's children, or something like that..

But...now I want to watch Evangalion even more..

[jewpinthethird]

Oh.

Most of the philisophical stuff was lost on me. Like, in the movie, I thought it was just another "possibility" that could have taken place when everybody died. I guess not.

2 years eh? Yea, I guess it would take that long.

Next on the chopping block is going to be Fullmetal Alchemist unless they start explaining a bunch near the end.

~Squeek

It also helps that I have seen both movies over 5 times.

[GuidoHunter]

Thanks for the background, Jewpin. I've watched the series twice and Death/Rebirth/Air about four times, and it still confused the hell out of me. I was able to figure out some of the stuff you mentioned, but there's still a lot of stuff in the series and the end that doesn't drive the story to anything you mentioned and leaves me saying "Quoi?"

Eva is one of the best animes ever, but can be confusing almost to the point of not being enjoyable. It's weird.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[jewpinthethird]

I deleted his post.

Well, Evangelion literally changed my life...it transformed me from a hip, skateboarding goon, to a Anime-geek. If it werent for Evangelion, I probably wouldnt have gotten into to DDR, and thus, no FFR. So I owe Evangelion a lot of props.

It remains my favorite anime, and it has inspired me to read the Bible (because of all the biblical referrences), but I still need to do that...which I will, eventually.

[QreepyBORIS]

It's like Xenogears: The show.


But not as good.

[Omeganitros]

Xenogears.

Where have I heard that word before?


....


Ah yes, when I bought that one GameInformer magazine in 1998! They were doing a preview on some Xenogears game!

[GuidoHunter]

It's like Xenogears: The show.

Xenogears: the RPG that should have been an anime.
Escaflowne: the anime that should have been an RPG.

Xenosaga Episode 2: Jenseits von Gut und Bose: going to kick my ass with awesomeness.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com