Evangelion isn't on my "must watch" list, but it definitely doesn't belong on a list of mecha anime imho.

If anything is interesting at all, its the difficulties the studio and creator had while making it, and his absolute disdain for his fans. To hear him, eva is a repudiation of bad tropes in anime. The tsundere-type and the silent hero type are taken to their illogical extremes (quaint now) and takes great care to also show the ugly side of what a person like that would be. Knowing Anno hideakis hatred of his fans (and maybe even himself) goes a long way in understanding the anime for what it is and what he was trying to do.