Neon Genesis Evangelion (Weeks 23-25 2011/12)

[ziza]

So what do people think so far?

I was expecting more angst and less... dodginess.

Anyway, you do get the feeling you are watching something potentially epic. It feels a bit more like a really long film than a series but that's just me.

Why is there a penguin?

[Haruhiist]

I was enjoying it quite a lot in the first few episodes where it introduced us to this world and focused on developing Shinji's character (his having to come to terms with piloting a mech and such). Then it just kind of devolved in to "monster of the week" stuffs and dodgy fanservice.. I'm hoping it gets back on track in the second week because from the first week the first few episodes were quite promising, whilst the last few were a lot less interesting to me..

[Krasinet]

Don't worry, from this week onwards, the angst will go up, the fanservice (what little there is) goes down, and the penguin remains happily unexplained. There's a vaguely possible explanation for why Misato has a penguin, but it has to do with her backstory that hasn't been explained yet, so I'll remain silent for now

[Haruhiist]

the penguin remains happily unexplained.

The rest is good news too

[otherside92]

I couldn't make last Friday and can't make this Friday either...

Is it worth a watch? If so I might try and catch up on that which I have missed...

[ziza]

I couldn't make last Friday and can't make this Friday either...

Is it worth a watch? If so I might try and catch up on that which I have missed...

Yes, its kind of considered a classic. Even if the start has some dodginess.

500th post ^^

[otherside92]

I couldn't make last Friday and can't make this Friday either...

Is it worth a watch? If so I might try and catch up on that which I have missed...

Yes, its kind of considered a classic. Even if the start has some dodginess.

Okies, will try and find it online... I mean /borrow the dvd/. Ah anime isn't proper anime unless it fucks with your mind in someway (in my experience)

[KingJ]

Ah anime isn't proper anime unless it fucks with your mind in someway (in my experience)

You'll be pleased to hear that the amount of mindfuck in Evangelion rises exponentially as the series goes on, i'm really looking forward to the final week!

Edit: Fancy a wooden Evangelion?

[Lisey]

Ahhhh chainsaw carvings pretty cool

I do love the penguin. Usually I get annoyed when the levels of anthropomorphism reach the heights of a creature following a conversation but when it's in a mecha anime like this it all seems justified somehow And Pen is so cuuuuute

Interesting turn now we've found out about the Eva's true nature though O_O

[Krasinet]

Right. Now the series is over, time for obligatory youtube videos and other links! WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN THE SERIES YET (which is your own fault )

Liked the opening song, but want it creepier? How about sung a cappella by a girls' choir? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuwko1ycNEc

Also, if you want to see more awesome versions of canon, here are a couple of fanfiction recommendations:
(I acknowledge that 95% of fanfiction is crap. These two are at the top of the 5%)

Shinji & Warhammer 40K: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/F ... rhammer40K Pretty much what it says on the tin. Shinji finds a set of Warhammer as a child and consequently grows up happy by the start of the series' timeline. Ridiculous amounts of awesome happen. Definitely worth a read for anyone familiar with 40k lore.

Nobody Dies: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/NobodyDies Probably my favourite fanfiction, and possibly my favourite thing on the internet. Essentially, Yui Ikari and Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu (Shinji's and Asuka's mothers) don't die before the series. From this one point, huge swathes of backstory are altered. The story is awesome and hilarious but has its fair share of tear-jerkers, with some of its darker moments rivaling canon (Asuka is possibly WORSE off for her mother's survival). I would definitely recommend this to anyone who's seen the series, or even hasn't (I read this before watching it, and understood the plot perfectly).

Bear in mind both of these are quite long (ND is up to 110 chapters and counting), so don't start reading them right before exams, but they're definitely worth it (Nobody Dies especially).

(I like Nobody Dies. You may have noticed that )

[KingJ]

I'll write up a bit more tomorrow, but as a quick infodump;

I'd highly recommend reading the Wikipedia page to help completely understand what exactly went on. I understood it a lot better on my second watch through, but some bits where still a bit WTF! The TVTropes page also makes for good reading, someone's even diagnosed what personality disorders everyone has by the end! The English voice actor for Shinji did a pretty hilarious rant at the end of the series and as always, there's an appropriate AMV.

If you want more Eva, say possibly a version that was made with actual budget, has less angst and makes more sense, check out the Rebuild of Evangelion movies. They're supposed to be a quadriliogy but only the first two are out so far, with the third out in cinemas later this year. They've been well received by fans and are even available to buy in the UK (shock, horror!). Confusingly they are named Evangelion 1.0, 2.0 etc in the cinema, but Evangelion 1.11 and 2.22 when released on DVD/Bluray.

And finally...

[SittingDuck]

For a dose of fluff and fun, watch the Evangelion@School series! It is kinda cute.

Also, speaking of Nobody Dies, I think that premise is in one of the manga spin offs - The Shinji Ikari Raising Project.

If you liked Kowaru, try the Campus Apocalypse (Gakuen something or other in japanese *shrug*) manga spin off, there are no mecha and if I had to compare it to something, I'd probably go for D. Grayman. Possibly. I dunno. Also, read as Gendou screws over humanity and the multiverse - again.

The other manga spin off , Angelic Days, is basically the rom com/ slice of life segment we saw in the last epsiodes. It's basically Evangelion but happy.

PS, I enjoy posting after Kingsley far too much with this icon. DD