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Neon Genesis Evangelion *spoilers*

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Garcin:
That's a great snippet.  Another (extremely amusing) element of the progression of the show is that both Hideaki and Kazuya have admitted in interview that the show wasn't really plotted much ahead of time -- which is a real poke in the eye to all the folks (myself included) just yearning to analyze the fuck out of it.  It's like spending 15 minutes talking about that fantastic new experimental piece at the museum, and then finding out it's a stepladder that got left behind during renovations.  (But yes I know, authorial intent is not determinative of interpretation, and unconscious/archetypical elements, etc., etc., etc.)

Anywho, I believe that it's generally accepted among Evangelion fans that The End of Evangelion was a bitch slap to the fan base that Hideaki felt had abandoned him by panning (and starting a huge harrassment campaign) over the supposed failure of the eps. 25 & 26.  I've read that actual photographs of letters of complaint to Hideaki were included in montage sequences in the movie.  Which is frickin' hilarious.

JLM:
I do think, though, that Anno may have opted for a more metaphysical approach to the ending due largely in part to the pressures that he was feeling towards the end of the series, as sort of a visual "fuck you," but I don't think that it was motivated purely by some higher artistic vision from the beginning.  Many decisions are made last minute like that.  The final episode of the series "Sliders," for example, was a cliffhanger, due largely to discontent on the part of the writers, who changed the final episode just to make sure that the fans stayed annoyed at the network for pulling the plug.

EDIT: yeah, what you said.

Gryff:
That's very interesting that it wasn't planned ahead. That could be the reason why things are unsatisfactorily explained at the end - maybe even the writers didn't know what was going on!

It's pretty disappointing that such an ambitious project was never fully realised due to budget and time constraints…

LeeZion:

--- Quote ---Actually, i found the strangling ending to be quite fitting. Shinji would rather have the human race die out than go through all the corruption and hurt again. It seemed right for his character.
--- End quote ---


But he doesn't go through with the strangulation, giving up half-way through and allowing Asuka to get in one last dig. Which, in a way, is also right for his character. He can't even do a good job of ending the human race...


--- Quote ---Anywho, I believe that it's generally accepted among Evangelion fans that The End of Evangelion was a bitch slap to the fan base that Hideaki felt had abandoned him by panning (and starting a huge harrassment campaign) over the supposed failure of the eps. 25 & 26.  I've read that actual photographs of letters of complaint to Hideaki were included in montage sequences in the movie.  Which is frickin' hilarious.
--- End quote ---


That's exactly what happened. If you listen to the commentary track on the End of Evangelion DVD, those weren't just letters of complaint. They were death threats. Later on, in that same commentary, one of the speakers comments that the End of the Evangelion movie was the anime equivalent of making a bargain with the Devil. Everyone who wanted to see this big, final battle finally got all their wishes, but they will NEVER be satisfied.

On to other topics, the guy who said anime is for kids only, and he doesn't know of any adults who watch it? Well, I'm 37 and have a real life, including a full-time job writing for a newspaper. (do a Google search for the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, Va. You'll find me.) And yet, I am a die-hard anime fan, and have been ever since Akira blew my mind back in 1988. I am not one of those stereotypical smelly otaku, although I have met a few such people in my life.

The difference is I watch my little cartoons, and then go on to the rest of my life. Writing for a newspaper. Writing for myself — I'm nearing the completion of my fourth novel (nothing published yet). I also design acrostic puzzles — highly complex word puzzles that would take way too long to describe. And yes, being among other human beings.

The other difference is I have a sliding scale of anime. For me, the top tier is stuff that I would not only buy on DVD, but also show to non-anime fans as an example of why I like anime, trying to demonstate that these are not just kiddie cartoons. (Prime examples: Haibane Renmei and much of Miyazaki's work.)

Then comes the stuff that I would buy but not show to the uninitiated, such as Neon Genesis Evangelion. RahXephon, which used to be in the top tier, has now slid to this level.

Below that is the stuff that I would not buy, but enjoy watching. There are several other levels below that, with the absolute bottom being stuff I will actually walk out of the room if it comes on. Only two shows I've seen so far fit in that category: Berserk and Excel Saga.

The point of all this is that I do not blindly worship some show just because it's Japanese animation. I watch it, I watch it critically, and then I get on with my life.

Oh, and I have an Inu Yasha satchel. I wear a jacket and a tie on the job, but whenever I head out to interview someone for the paper, I carry my Inu Yasha bag with me. So what does that make me?

JLM:
lacking in some credibility?  

Kidding, partially.  InuYasha was interesting for a while, but anyone familiar with Rumiko Takahashi's work has seen this story before, and the fact that the Anime has ended but she's more or less painted herself into a corner in the Manga doesn't really attest to her writing skill.

See for me the top tier anime stuff is stuff that I find interesting enough to watch more than once, and doesn't really cross into whether or not I feel that it's something that I would show a friend.  The only three series of the last few years that I felt were strong enough to be used as initiates into the genre would be Peacemaker Kurogane, Samurai Champloo (the sub, not the dub), and FullMetal Alchemist, although the latter gets a bit heavy at times.

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