Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is also known under the titles NGE, Eva, or Evangelion. The anime is produced by Gainax, Tatsunoko Productions, Production I.G., MOVIC, and Star Child. Neon Genesis Evangelion was directed by Hideaki Anno. The anime series consists of twenty-six episodes, and it aired on TV Tokyo from October 4, 1995-March 27, 1996. The Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise also includes several films: Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, The End of Evangelion, Revival of Evangelion, and Rebuild of Evangelion (this is actually a series of films; as of this writing, two films have been released). In the United States, ADV Films holds the U.S. licensing rights for the television anime, while Manga Entertainment holds the licensing rights for the films.

The story of Evangelion goes back to the year 2000, when a global catastrophe known as the “Second Impact” occurred. During this event, Antarctica was destroyed, and half of the human population on Earth was wiped out. At first, most people believe the disaster occurred due to a meteorite landing on Antarctica. It turns out the “Second Impact” was created by contact with and experimentation on what are called Angels: Adam. These experiments were sponsored by an organization calling itself Seele, and the experiments were carried out by a research organization called Gehirn.

Ten years later, Gehrin evolved into a paramilitary organization called Nerv. Nerv has its headquarters in Tokyo-3 (which is a militarized civilian city located in one of the last dry areas of Japan). Nerv’s mission is to locate the remaining Angels and destroy them. However, Nerv has its own secret agenda. This project, known as the Human Instrumentality Project, is headed by Gendo Ikari (the commander of Nerv). Nerv has also been secretly developing Evas (a biomechanical mecha) in Geofront, Gehrin’s base under Tokyo-3. Each Eva has its own designated pilot, and operates by synchronizing the pilot’s soul and the human soul inside the Eva. This is done by using a liquid substance known as LCL. Nerv is also affiliated with the Marduk Institute, which has the task of selecting the pilots for the Evas; the pilots who are most qualified to pilot the Evas are those conceived after the “Second Impact.” The institute consists of Commander Ikari, Ritsuko Akagi (Nerv’s chief scientist), and 108 “ghost companies.”

The anime series actually opens in the year 2015, when Tokyo-3 is under attack by a third Angel. Conventional weapons are useless, so Nerv takes control of the battle. Nerv decides to use the Evas against the Angel. Meanwhile, Commander Ikari’s fourteen-year-old son, Shinji Ikari, arrives in Tokyo-3 right as the Angel starts to attack the area. It turns out Commander Ikari (who hasn’t seen his son in three years), has summoned Shinji to serve as a pilot for one of the Evas. Shinji, however, suffers from anxiety, depression, lack of self esteem, and loneliness. As the Angel starts to attack the area near the Geofront, Shinji ends up reluctantly agreeing to pilot Evangelion Unit 01.

Neon Genesis Evangelion has become a landmark anime, and is especially known for its violence. Personally, I would recommend this anime for viewers fifteen or sixteen years of age and older.