What makes Neon Genesis Evangelion so interesting lies not only in the plot, but in the design and animation as well.  Among all the anime series that we have watched so far, we found that Evangelion's animation is excellent and consistent (that's a tough act to follow, especially in a weekly basis).  This is a prime example on how Japanese animation can combine high-tech settings, physically-impossible hand-to-hand mecha combat with mystery and drama which will keep you hanging to the very end.  

The success of Evangelion was so great that Sega Enterprises released four games concerning the series (three for the Sega Saturn and one for Windows 95 with another one for the Sega Saturn in the works.  Alongside with Sega Enterprises, Banpresto released Super Robot Wars F for the Sega Saturn which features Saturn only Evangelion machines and Angels.  The series also sprouted numerous trading cards, model kits, key chains and the most notable, two full-length animated movies.  Although the whole series ended almost a year ago, we found that the spirit of this emotionally charged anime series to live on…probably until the end of time.  

For more information about Evangelion products, just click here or click on the Fun With EVA on the menu frame.  

This new series incorporates dramatic storytelling and giant mecha anime, in a storyline that is both intriguing and at the same time realistic.  During the course of the series, Gainax hopes to answer the question: "What does it mean to live?"  In relation to this, Gainax will examine such themes as parents, emotional maturity and dream versus reality. Despite its heavy theme, Gainax was able to put effective humor provided by an excellent cast.  

One of the special feature of Neon Genesis Evangelion is its mecha design, done by manga artist Ikuto Yamashita who specializes in weird high-tech gadgetry.  Among Yamashita's earlier works include Dark Whisper (one of the most visually stunning manga of the last decade) and worked on both Gunbuster and Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water.  His designs were truly unique in the world of Japanese animation mecha. The way they are built, the way their cockpit is designed, their very shape, breaks the mold of the giant robots as we know it and even challenges the viewers to re-adjust their way of  thinking about such machines. Their unique color schemes (the EVA-01 is dark purple and neon green!) are the finishing touches to these strange, but wonderfully detailed designs.  

Neon Genesis Evangelion ran as a weekly animated series on TV Tokyo for 24 episodes.  After which, Gainax opted that the next step was to continue the story on the big screen.  Evangelion Death and Re-birth was the first movie, which was followed by Evangelion Pure Heart in You / Air.  Just last March 1998, Gainax released a director's cut of Death and Re-birth entitled Evangelion Death True. 

Entities called Angels suddenly strike Tokyo-3, a specially planned city under construction in the Hakone area.  The Angel's identity and objectives are unknown.  What is known is that they challenge the human race with an array of configurations and unusual powers.  

Mankind's only means of fighting back against these mysterious foes is the Multi-Purpose Humanoid Fighting Machine called Evangelion.  Shinji Ikari, the series' main character, is one of three young people chosen by NERV, a special agency directly attached to the United Nations, to be operators of the Evangelion.  

The battle which will determine mankind's fate has begun. 

"Neon Genesis Evangelion is a worthy successor to Top o Nerae: Gunbuster! and Secret of Blue Water...It will very probably join the likes of Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and Mobile Suit Gundam in the ranks of the groundbreaking mecha series. This only shows that, contrarily to the rumors, Studio Gainax was not dead. It was only taking a breather and preparing its next attack upon the unsuspecting animation world." -Protoculture Addicts 

"Mysterious and ornate as EVA's conspiratorial story of esoteric theology and ultra-tech mecha is, it is Anno's resolute urgency of NOW that burns through, and it was (presumably) this thing that audiences in Japan sensed - that because this anime show had actually MEANT something to the real person who made it, it might mean something real to them as well." -Animerica 

"Neon Genesis Evangelion is simply one of the best anime series out there. If anything should be used to introduce someone to anime this is it." -Henry Lee, Anime Reference Archive