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Evangelion, Neon Genesis Perfect DVD Collection (1-8) (Hyb)
Zac W. Graffius - Feb 27 2002 Rating: Wonderful! "SUPERB, REDEFINES ANIMA" Gainax (Planing & Original Story) has made something that puts the invention of sliced bread to shame. This series is a combination of action, comedy, evil, science fiction, cool animation, great characters, biblical, psychology, war and one of the best plots I have ever known all jammed into six disk which last around 11 hours 30 minutes. This is a must have collection for any anima fan. From disc one to disc eight it had me thinking and left me breathless. SCORE: (1-10 SCALE. Scoring is only based on what was given on DVD.) DVD FEATURES: 8 out of 10. The character bios were ok but there were glitches in the language sittings. Sound: 9 out of 10 Series it self: 10 out of 10 Final thoughts: “Great show one of the best animas ever.” Aaron A. Becker - Apr 9 2002 secondchild@thesecondchild.net Rating: Wonderful! Simply the greatest... Obviously, the series itself needs no introduction. Neon Genesis Evangelion is a true work of art, and it's literally the most beautiful work of animation I have ever seen - truly emotional, with a deep and complex plot full of psychology and philosophy. Truly deserving of the title "the greatest anime series ever". The set itself is wonderful and simply having the series on DVD is worth paying almost any amount of money for. I have never made a more worthwhile purchase. Kenshin Himura - Jul 13 2002 wingzero1234@hotmail.com Rating: Pretty good! Pretty cool evangelion is a little over rated, ive seen alot of better animes, but this one is original, its worth geting, its a great anime and i recomend it. say soun - Aug 27 2002 Rating: Wonderful! simply awesome if... this is a must buy for anyone even remotely interested in animes. the story behind eva isn't all that great unless you, the viewers, can figure out what is happening behind it. this is what makes eva what it is today. it doesn't take a genius to figure it out, just a little bit of common sense. it took me only three viewings to figure it all out. most of it was figured out by the second viewing. this is now my favorite anime series of all time but it wasn't when i first watched it. however, after the second viewing, half a year later, (this is how much i hated it but i had to get my money's worth). i figured out the storyline behind the storyline and that is when it hits me as to how great this series really is. now, lets hope adv can bring out noir, at least i think adv has the rights to this awesome series about two lovely assasins, by the end of next year. Jon F. Turner - Sep 26 2002 JonT1982@AOL.com Rating: Pretty good! Powerful and thought-provoking, although not for everyone. While I was viewing NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER, I learned that the show's director, Hideaki Anno, was also responsible for a TV-series he considers a personal project. That series is NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, a 26-part action/sci-fi drama that has become one of the most highly acclaimed and financially successful Anime series to land on our shores. Upon learning that it shares some thematic similarities to NADIA, I was interested in giving the show a try, and, now that I've finished the show once, and am currently going through it a second time, I can see why it has won over a huge fan base. What surprised me about NEON GENESIS EVANGELION was its deep layer of characterization. Unlike NADIA, which featured a traumatized, mixed-up heroine saved from her inner demons by the love of a pure, innocent boy, everybody -- and I mean EVERYBODY -- in this show is a mixed bag. Each of the characters in this tale are like real people dealing with tangible emotions and life-threatening situations. Various reviews have stated that Anno worked out his emotional problems through the characters in this story, and, from watching them and looking back at Nadia, I almost wonder if Anno is a troubled artist himself. The main protagonist, 14-year old Shinji Ikari, is gentle but shy and fearful of getting close to anyone, yet has a frosty relationship with his father and has an extremely low level of self-esteem. Rei Ayanami, on the other hand, is initially aloof and anti-social, yet she somehow communicates with Shinji's father, and, later on, develops paternal feelings for the young lad. And then there's Asuka Langley Sohryu, an egocentric, impulsive, argumentative, arrogant brat who makes Nadia look like a nice person -- she's angry ALL the time, and continually takes her problems out on poor Shinji. What these three share in common, however, is that they all are dealing with feeling LONELY, and they have different ways of handling it. Shinji is quiet and passive, Rei is withdrawn, and Asuka covers up her inner feelings of self-doubt with her bad attitude. Even Misato Katsuragi, one of the few characters I found myself liking along with Shinji, has her own way of dealing with feeling lonely -- she seeks people out for attention and adopts a carefree, party-girl style while being rather unkempt and sometimes alcoholic. The interactions between these characters are intriguing to watch and sometimes funny, although just about each of their stories eventually lead to tragedy. All of this is set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo 3, in 2015, where the future of mankind is at serious stake. Monstrous, alien-like creatures called "Angels" continually threaten this metropolis, and only the three children can put a stop to them. This is accomplished by way of piloting the Evangelions, giant super-charged mechanical robots, which look impressive enough to be identified as a TRANSFORMERS-style toy. Such a story involving battling robots, futuristic cities, reluctant heroes, and explosions has been used numerous times in a lot of Anime titles (from what I've heard), but NEON GENESIS EVANGELION somehow manages to avoid being a predictable, formulaic Anime series with its rich layers of characterization. Unlike NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER, in which the storyline started and ended strongly after an uneven middle-section, the plotline for EVANGELION is carefully constructed, with no stupid, extraneous sequences or out-of-character interactions. But this is not to say that the show is perfect by any means. There are a share of some dead spaces, particularly in Episode 24, where we see some shots with no action occurring for about 15-30 seconds before something happens. The last two episodes have been the subject of debate for many Anime fans. According to reports, Hideaki Anno suffered a major breakdown himself, and didn't end the show as strongly as he had started it. Fans were upset at these last two episodes, which are more like therapic trips into the minds of our characters (particularly Shinji) rather than dealing with the events that occur in the "real" world. I found these last two episodes to be somewhat odd and confusing, yet at the same time, I felt like I was taking a self-journey, too. Watching NADIA had left me with conflicting feelings, and these last two episodes of EVANGELION were more like a method to solve these feelings. But still, there were some parts of the show they could have done much better. The artwork is brilliant, and is especially spectacular during the battle sequences, yet it sometimes suffers a bit when we see the characters interacting with each other. And Shiro Sagisu's music score, although a wonderful accompaniment for the story, sometimes suffers from the same "blandness" that slightly hampered his score for NADIA. Also, as a questionable and unique oddity, some of the climactic sequences in the story, such as Asuka getting her mind "raped" and Shinji's showdown with the final angel -- a seemingly friendly boy named Kaworu -- are set to pieces of classical music, including Handel's MESSIAH and the last movement from Beethoven's CHORAL Symphony. It is an interesting use of art, but sometimes it clashes with the violent nature of the scenes. Also, this isn't the sort of series that may be for everyone's tastes. Some people consider the show a classic, while some others hate it. Yet I enjoyed the show. It was probably because of the strong level of characterization that led me into the story, but I found myself hooked from the first episode to the final ones. The DVD box set contains all 26 episodes, yet it has some minor flaws in the technical departments. The video quality, for one, sometimes suffers from some shakiness, but is otherwise decent. The audio quality is uneven; some of the softer scenes are mixed too soft and the louder scenes mixed too loud - one will have to adjust his or her volume while watching. The menus are simplistic, yet otherwise serviceable. The only real serious flaw is the lack of extras. All it has are ADV trailers and character biographies. Some "behind-the-scenes" featurettes would have been nice. The DVD set has four choices of Audio tracks: Japanese, English, Spanish, and French. For my primary listening session, I heard the English language track (as I often do), and occasionally spot checked the Japanese language track. Like most English dubs, this one has its fans and its haters. While the actors deliver decent performances, mainly Spike Spencer (Shinji), Alison Keith (Misato), Tiffany Grant (Asuka), and Amanda Lee (Rei), some of the early line readings come off as annoying. Also, considering that this is from ADV Films, which made the wonderful dub for NADIA, the casting of actual children for the roles is sorely missed. Otherwise, this is a passable, if not perfect dub. For all its flaws, NEON GENESIS EVANGELION is a gripping Anime series that may not be for everyone's tastes, but I for one enjoyed it and can understand why it has a respective fan base. I rank it along the same level as Gainax's NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER, in that it is a flawed, yet powerful and interesting piece of work worth checking out. Marcio Amarante - Jun 4 2003 marcioamarante@netzero.com Rating: Wonderful! The best series ever. Here is some info on the guy who wrote and directed evangelion well the main character shinji is the directer hideaki anno when he directed evangelion his mother died just like shinji he hated his father just like shinji you get my point. joe h. lament - Jun 25 2003 zach0701@comcast.net Rating: Wonderful! absolutely incredible This is what turned me into a truly obsessive, psychotic, otaku. I have never found a peice of art comparable to this series, not anywhere, I am beginning to doubt if one exists. Now before you blow me off as some raving obsessed lunatic, just hear me out. The beauty of Evangelion is the emotion portrayed, and projected. The characters are deep. the whole series can be seen as just one long trip into the character's personalities (with a huge repitoire of beautiful battle scenes). Shinji, Rei, Misato, Asuka, Ritsuko, Kaji, Gendo, Kaoru... the list goes on. Every character is explored, whether it is directly or indirectly. You will learn something about every single one of them. Every nuance of the animation has been thought about. Nothing is just a coincidence. If Asuka is on the inside of a taped off area not looking at anyone, she is feeling as deserted as she looks. I am not one to be emotional, to say the least, but this series has you feeling everything from elation to anxiety. You just may find yourself screaming at the tv, or smiling right along with Rei. The story is dark in places, you may even find yourself making light of situations that are actually quite disturbing, just to keep yourself from taking it too seriously. If you are weak of stomach you may have trouble digesting it all. Eva is by no means perfect. anyone can look hard enough and find flaws. The soundtrack was repetetive, every battle scene will start with the same drums. there is a lack of extras; if that is truly important to you, you will be dissapointed. The ending is thought to be a horrible failure by some (I had no problems with it). And as always, the dubbed and subtitled debate, (wich comes with a whole army of critics avidly bad-mouthing everything), is alive and well. I can assure you that none of these aspects will detract from the story, or the action. But be prepared to watch this at least twice to start to understand it, the ideas and plot are extremely complex. There is a large underlying depth to the story in a biblical aspect. now dont just give up because i said that, I know almost nothing about the bible except that moses parted the sea, Jesus is God's son, and Adam and Eve screwed us all. But even without the necessary knowledge, I was able to pick up on most of the significance. I would also highly suggest buying the two movies along with the series, The movies run over the series in a timely fashion and come with an audio commentary track which will truly open your eyes to the deeper aspect of the story. Plus they're really cool and are a great alternate ending for those of you who were dissapointed with the original one. One of the very few things actually worth the insane amount of money that they charge you for a dvd. If you buy Evangelion, buy both movies also. I assure you that you will not be disappointed. Rodney T. Rafols - Jun 28 2003 pikarod5@i-manila.com.ph Rating: Wonderful! Simply The Best I will have to say this: this is the best anime I have ever seen: thought-provoking, philosophical, maybe even a little bit theological. Certainly it is an allegory of how one's life should be. Rarely has an animated series so provoked you to think, and this is one of those rare ones. And not only rare, but simply unforgettable. Long after you've seen other anime, you will come back again and again to this one. Love it or hate it, as a saying goes, you will not forget it. Chris J. Steadman - Jul 3 2003 Isshin1649@aol.com Rating: Wonderful! Thought provoking, to say the least. Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most original titles I have seen. I'm a huge fan of Mecha anime and this is top notch. I can't help comparing it to Gundam though, since those are basically the two front runners in Mecha action. Even though this anime is about the giant, earth defending robots called Evas (Evangelions),the focus of the series is on the pilots and the people around them, and their inner struggles and conflicts. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of great, at times disturbing action interlaced through the series to keep the action oriented satisfied. Towards the end, the mood of the show takes a darker turn and then the focus is even more heavily drawn to the inner workings of the characters. After watching this anime, you will feel wiser just for seeing a "cartoon". This is a great anime. No matter what genre you're into, pick this one up and see what you're missing. (Also comes with a nice box) Bryant L. Ghee - Oct 5 2003 Rating: Wonderful! Not many can compete with EVANGELION Evangelion's story surpasses anything to date. It dives into the human heart, mind, and soul(literally at times). Deep character stories make almost everyone question themselves at some point. Great story, characters, Mechs, etc. Willl touch you in a very profound way. Jessica N. McEachern - Jan 16 2004 DreamAnimeKitten@aol.com Rating: Wonderful! Excellent! But VERY confusing at the end. I never understood why there was all this hype about Evangelion. And so after watching the entire series.... Now I understand. It's an EXCELLENT series. But the last two episodes will leave you straching your head no matter how many times you watch them. YOU MUST CHECK THIS SERIES OUT!! even if you can buy the Box Set. Get it cause every anime freak needs to check it out even if you just borrow it from your fellow anime freaks. Jonathan Marquez - Oct 19 2004 jmarquez_99@yahoo.com Rating: Pretty good! Can't describe this in on-line OK, this has to be the hardest series I'll ever review. Even now I struggle to put my thoughts down. Characters: B Shinji is a fourteen year old kid, and acts like it. He hasnt come into his own, and it's painfully obvious to me (I'm 28). Same for Rei and Asuka. And the older, adult characters act in a manner that I couldnt even relate to, from bein weak in mind or body, to just plain acting in a manner I'd never do. To be fair, what the adults do COULD be done in real life, and in a worse manner. I just couldnt relate to either group. Graphics: B. Very good, even for a older series like this. Nothing out of place. That said, they did use some scenes which were either flat out recycled (like the same scene 2 episodes later) or the same scene with one character erased and another in the same place the other was in. I wonder why, Ill not even try to judge. Music: A-. Some good stuff but most doesnt stand out. What did stand out was when they inserted classical music, though it was very appropriate when they did, in my opinion. Story: Ok i have to chop this into two parts: Episodes 1-24, and episodes 25&26 Episodes 1-24: A. I'll give a lot of leeway considering the hero is only 14 years old. he makes some bad decisions, and he makes some good decisions, but mostly its about him trying to grow up and define himself. His moments of weakness are confusing to me (as a 28 year old), but there's no way I would even try to say that I could endure the things he did for his age. Episodes 25-26: F. I reject this type examination with my heart. Oh it was an in-depth examination, but I feel that 1. this TOOK FAR TOO LONG (2 episodes, what the hell?!), and 2.... I cant plot spoil this even now. See it for yourself. If you like this ending, go take a day off and do some long overdue self-inflection. You'll either like this ending or scream WTF when it's done. hell ima go watch this last CD now. But either way, you should definately get this series if you can. |
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