What are everyone's thoughts, feelings, opinions about both the old and new Evangelion series?

4.0 SPOILERS

I thought the rebuild ending was more depressing than EoE, partly because when given the power to create LITERALLY ANYTHING, Shinji goes ahead and creates a copy of THIS WORLD (evidenced by the use of a live action shot in the end), where he will live as a capitalist salaryman with his literal waifu.

At least in EoE everyone could choose to come out of instrumentality by themselves to create a new world, thus leaving everything ambiguous.

Pure ideology, Mark Fisher is vindicated yet again.

They also couldn't go 5 MINUTES without showing some 14 year old girl ass....

  • SuperNovaCouchGuy [any]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Fundamentally, Rei is the critique of the docile obedient waifu.

    Not really because I don't see how anyone in their right minds (even fucking weebs) would want to have some unemotional clone as their waifu. Even back in secondary education my friends and I all liked either Misato or Asuka.

    The culmination of each character’s story in 3.0+1.0 directly addressed their core conflict.

    Not at all. Asuka is literally just shown realizing self-compassion in this bullshit montage, the "original" Rei just up and leaves with barely any explanation or time devoted to why and the Rei clone which got fanta'ed early learned humanity from the ricefields without any substantive continuity. Shinji's core conflict at the end of the day was the same as Asuka's. Each of them hated themselves, and could not connect due to the "ugly" reflection they saw within each other. Shinji runs away because who the fuck wouldn't run away if they had a psycho-ass dad who sends you out to fight monsters that have more firepower than a nuclear bomb? In the originals, Shinji connects with each human on a fundamental level due to instrumentality, and thus is able to connect his own struggles with those of everyone elses. As a result, he gains self-compassion and ends instrumentality, having each person decide for themselves if they want to come back or not. Yet he is still fucked up due to all the horrifying shit he want through, which is why he strangles Asuka on the beach when he realizes she knows everything about him due to instrumentality. This makes much more sense than whatever didactic asspull ending rebuild 4.0 tried.

    • wantonviolins [they/them]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Not really because I don’t see how anyone in their right minds would want to have some unemotional clone as their waifu

      just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's not shockingly prevalent, particularly among anime fans, both in Japan and in the west. people who are afraid to talk to girls and fantasize about meek (or young) women who are pathologically nonthreatening empty vessels are widespread and have been for a long time. you're approaching the text with your own biases instead of attempting to understand the biases and motives of the creators, whose statements refute your points, and whose cultural contexts differ from your own

      • SuperNovaCouchGuy [any]
        ·
        3 years ago

        people who are afraid to talk to girls and fantasize about meek (or young) women who are pathologically nonthreatening empty vessels are widespread and have been for a long time.

        If this is actually true to the point of it inspiring a character in one of the most popular anime franchises ever, this is fucked. Holy shit I thought incels were only a recent phenomenon.

        you’re approaching the text with your own biases instead of attempting to understand the biases and motives of the creators,

        The fact that I was unaware of Rei's symbolism is not enough evidence to make this sweeping claim unfortunately.

        whose statements refute your points, and whose cultural contexts differ from your own

        Interesting, which statements refute which of my points so thoroughly? Its also very hilarious to assume I do not share cultural context with the creators of Evangelion.

        • wantonviolins [they/them]
          ·
          3 years ago

          you missed an entire, massive, deeply unsubtle pillar of the show's social commentary that has dominated online discussion (in both Japanese and English) about the franchise and anime industry as a whole for the past 25 years, I think there are plenty of sweeping claims about your biases and shared cultural contexts or lack thereof to be made here

          • SuperNovaCouchGuy [any]
            ·
            3 years ago

            you missed an entire, massive, deeply unsubtle pillar of the show’s social commentary that has dominated online discussion

            Again, which one? Just because I have a different opinion doesn't mean its automatically wrong lmao

            I think there are plenty of sweeping claims about your biases and shared cultural contexts or lack thereof to be made here

            Such as?

    • barrbaric [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      To your first point, Rei is/was HUGE in Japan, less so outside of it.