![]() ![]() Cosmo Yuki, the afro-wearing protagonist of the series, climbs aboard one of the three tanks and, when it initially forms the Ideon, fends off the first assault, repelling Gije's men. Assuming the "aliens" (Earthling colonists) have attacked Karala, the Buff Clan begins to attack. She is pursued closely by comrades sent by Gije, but they lose sight of her. Karala, the daughter of the Buff Clan's military commander flies down to the planet against orders to investigate (her commanding officer, Gije, is reluctant with her, due to her standing and the fact that he once was a soldier under her father). Suddenly, a humanoid alien civilization known as the Buff Clan comes across Solo. For six months they had diligently restored the machines but failed to get the giant tanks to move. On the planet Solo in the Andromeda Galaxy, a group of archaeologists had come across the mysterious remains of the Ideon-three large armored trucks with the ability to transform into a godlike mecha. Space Runaway Ideon begins in 2300, far enough in the future that mankind has begun colonizing other planets. Super Robot Wars Alpha 3: To the End of the GalaxyĪnime Detail Network: Tokyo 12 Channel (modern-day TV Tokyo), Animax.What makes Neon Genesis Evangelion important? I asked myself this as I researched for this article. The fact the series and movies are still some of the most discussed stories suggests just how much of an impact the anime made in 1995. The anime is 20 years old and still being talked about. Okay, I will admit that I don’t like Shinji in the series. He is a little wrist cutter that often made me want him to go up the street and be done with it. It is rare for me to have such a reaction to a character. That alone told me that Evangelion has something that resonates with people. I won’t be picking apart the endless layers this anime has. Whether you think Evangelion is an overrated mess or a masterpiece, the anime was a seismic shift in storytelling. Otherwise, we still wouldn’t be talking about it.Įvangelion is difficult, to put it mildly. ![]() It has layers of symbolism and philosophy. These layers are what make Evangelion the touchstone for any new anime that tries to be densely psychological (Ballus & Torrents, 2014). There are many other articles floating around about Evangelion’s philosophy. I am concerned about why the series is important. There are four major reasons behind the series importance. Subversive Mecha Storytelling.Īnno Hideaki is a mecha fan (Plata, 2014). His interest in the genre allowed him to turn its tropes inside out. Anno and two of his friends founded Gainax Studios in 1981 and worked on several intellectual films (Redmond, 2007). The experiences led the small studio to create a subversive storyline that changed how we consider mecha and anime in general. Many consider Evangelion’s story to be one of the most subversive in film. Evangelion is also thought to revive interest in both anime and mecha during the 1990s. (Napier, 2002 ’ Redmond, 2007).Įvangelion begins by playing on what people think of as mecha. Big robots, teen heroes, fan service, and similar conventions and references to mecha shows before (Ballus and Torrents, 2014). Typically, mecha refight some type of World War II scenario where Japan gets to win. There are tyrants and evil aliens to shoot with giant robots! And of course these tyrants and aliens often represent ideas like consumerism, neonationalism. and other -isms that came out of World War II. ![]() Anno plays this up by naming characters after warships from World War II – Langley, Akagi, Ayanami and Katsuragi (Redmond, 2007 Plata, 2014).Įven the bikini clad fan service shots of mecha women reference World War II’s influence. The bikini was designed in honor of Bikini Atoll – the third atomic attack on Japan. In 1954, the US tested a hydrogen bomb on the atoll. The bomb blew up, and the fallout landed on the Japanese fishing ship called The Lucky Dragon. The incident inspired the famous monster movie Godzilla and become a stable in skimpy female fanservice ever since (Redmond, 2007). those of use who watched Gundam and other mecha know the male hero is an idealistic go-getter. Sometimes a little reluctant, but he steps up in the end of his own accord. The characters in Evangelion are messed up. Sure, many other mecha characters were too, but not on the same level as these children. The hero, Shinji, is a hikikomori that with obsessive compulsive disorder. He plays tracks 25 and 26 endlessly to shut out the world (Plata, 2014). Asuka Langley is just as messed up as Shinji (perhaps more so) but shows it differently. She places her entire sense of self on her abilities to pilot an EVA to be useful for adults. Shinji is depressed, naive, and shut off. I expect a hero to grow into adulthood and his role. That is a twist on storytelling that shatters typical idea of how a hero should be. ![]()
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