Name: One of the worst overhyped anime I've seen
Item: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Rating: 35
Author: SusumuTempest

Waifra

One of the worst overhyped anime I've seen · Waifora

Neon Genesis Evangelion is widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best anime of all time, but I beg to differ.

The reason I watched Evangelion in the first place is because of the wide praise it got from YouTubers and fans. I never really liked mecha in the first place, so going in I had a little bias, but people saying it had a dark theme made me decide to watch anyways. Everyone says the beginning is always slow, so I waited, and waited, and waited, but the excitement to watch never came. Watching felt like a chore, it took me a really long time to finish the 26 episodes.

MINOR SPOILERS

The main issue I have is with the characters, especially Shinji. Shinji's whining took a toll on me and eventually made me dislike him. His problem of not being able to connect with anyone, but is afraid to make commitment is frustrating to watch. Its like he does not want to improve his current mental state. As an MC, he should be the one we would cheer on and admire, yet I just ended up pitying him. The two supporting characters Asuka and Rei also gave me some issues. As fan favorites, I was awaiting their debut and character arc, but it never really happened. At the end, Asuka is still a bitch and Rei had some improvements, but are really small. In short Rei > Asuka. Misato and Ritsuko were okay, but failed to make an impact on me. The only character I enjoyed watching and affected me emotionally was Kaji. His mentorship to Shinji made him the father-figure Shinji never had and yet his screen time was sparse.

Spoiler, click to view

The story was confusing. Words being thrown at the beginning of the series that regular viewers would not understand were explained towards the end. I guess the nonsense tech words are a staple of mecha anime, but it just made no sense to me. There were many times I got confused if the scene on screen is a flashback or canon because they were thrown seemingly during every episode, making watching a few days apart a bit confusing. Episodes 1 to 18 felt like filler and felt like nothing was being added to the story. The series then reached its peak and made me want to watch, but it wasn't binge worthy. It soon dropped at Episode 23 and stayed that way until the end. I also have an issue with the end. Shinji's guilt for killing Kaworu is valid, but then his guilt soon transferred to Asuka's guilt, then Misato's then Rei's. It feels like the studio said to themselves "Shinji's backstory was told! Lets put the other supporting cast too!". It should have been Shinji's moment and yet, they still added the supporting "fan favorites" to the mix. My last issue is the ending. The ending didn't feel right. It was like saying "Yay Shinji you belong! Group hug!". It didn't match the whole theme of the series. It was as if the theme of the whole show was thrown out of the window. I can confidently say that this is the worst ending I've seen in an anime.

My praise for this anime is quite small. The soundtrack was amazing and the intro is a bop. The music was the highlight of the series and there were times I felt invested in the battle because of it. The sound effects also felt modern and really felt like a robot was moving right in front of me. Also much praise to the studio for making great action scenes during that time. Its art somewhat pioneered what modern anime looks like and I see close similarities to other modern anime.

A series I compare this to is My Hero Acadamia. Its overhyped and the MC is a pussy. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, unless they are a fan of mecha or have God-level patience. I don't regret watching Evangelion, but I do think it wasted my time.