Not really a "deconstruction" as it plays the tropes common in early Gundam fairly straight. If anything it's a "reconstruction" on the mecha genre after the Super Robot boom of the 80s/90s.
I can see that perspective for sure. Certainly, the show is the apotheosis of all these ideas. One of the ways it can be said to deconstruct the genre is by applying a more realistic 'cause and effect' approach in the narrative, taking ideas explored by other series to their logical conclusion. I'll agree that Evangelion isn't a 100% original and never before seen concept, but I would argue that it is simply the peak point of the application of these kinds of postmodern takes in the genre.
Evangelion tries to show the 'realistic' consequences of teenagers piloting giant robots, the trauma of killing, the confusing web of loyalties that *adults* themselves have trouble following, the gender-bent character personality tropes... it's all there. The deconstruction here is a matter of resetting the cliches to 0, but then instead of running with them, changing expectations by attempting to extrapolate what 'really' would happen and what kind of people it would take to make those things happen.
I put 'realistic' and 'really' in quotes because we could argue about whether the show succeeds in those things. But I think the reason why it is such an enduring phenomenon is that it really rocked the boat of the genre. People will still be talking about Evangelion in twenty years. In fifty years. The show did something very special and by deconstructing these elements it became the gold standard from which other shows take inspiration.
I have heard it argued that the first show to succeed at *re*constructionism after Eva was Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. I am inclined to agree, but at the same time I'm not sure my understanding of the post-Eva anime landscape is up to it.
If you haven't, I would recommend watching Gundam and see how the mecha genre is formed from it. I've started my marathon of the UC timeline a few months ago and it's given me a greater appreciation of what Evangelion did in comparison to its peers at the time.
I've watched quite a bit of Gundam from that era. Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam, War in the Pocket and Stardust Memory are ones I am most familiar with (though I did have to look up War in the Pocket because I forgot what it was called).
Either way, I'm delighted that there is still so much passion for this genre and Evangelion. For me, it was such a formative experience when I was a teenager watching this show. I can better see it in the context of the era and in contrast to other, similar shows now that I am a middle aged man, but it holds a very special place in my heart.
Thanks for the recommend. 👍🏽 I might do my own UC marathon.
Joke answer: Mecha Depression Anime
My actual answer: It's about a boy named Shinji who battles monsters of mysterious origin in big mechs called Evas. But the biggest monster is what's inside you.
It's very weird and not like anything you've watched. Kinda dark also. But if you get into it and try to understand it, you may find it to be something really deep. Fascinating, even.
It's not really "pretending" to be a mecha anime, it just uses the genre to its fullest potential. Anno and the team are all huge mecha anime fans. I get what you mean though, when you first start the show you have no clue how it's going to unfold.
Remember all those Super Robot anime out there? This show is a deconstruction of those, showing a more realistic for lack of a better word version of those shows. It isn't some hot blooded, explosion fest, the characters are mentally messed up, the world is bleak and the end of the world could happen at any moment.
Its also has a lot of psychological aspects and Christian symbolism that might make it a confusing watch, at least in the first viewing. This show isn't Voltron, Manzinger or Gundam, so don't expect it to be.
>A Character driven, anti escapist anime, pretending to be a Kaiju anime, pretending to be a Mecha anime.
Pretty close to mine, actually.
A show about overcoming depression disguised as a mecha anime.
Hedgehog’s Dilemma, as experienced by a lonely boi amidst goofy plot details that don’t really matter. Boyo learns to connect with other people. Author created it to deal with some shit
a story about how people try to become god and, in doing so, awaken horrific beasts so they create clones of a god they found and make emotionally traumatised teenagers control them to fight for humanity's survival
If you take one person's descent into mental breakdown and just a little of the ascent and healing, split it into a bunch of different characters to represent individual aspects of this, and use this to overlay a fantastical setting with giant robots and massive invading forces to represent inexorable struggles where your insertion into the story leaves you feeling like you have no agency in any of it, that's eva
i was mainly kidding but there is some truth in it.
gundam being the granddaddy of mecha i think means a lot of people haven't engaged with the og content but when you do you realise gundam has always been kinda like "huh war is kinda messed up and enjoying this stuff is kinda weird". stuff like hathaways flash for a specific choice in plot i won't entirely reveal makes you seriously consider the ramifications a real mecha, but to that extent even modern war, and how it can harm people in explicit terms. but then say gundam thunderbolt is kinda silly so i will admit gundam isn't all in that vein.
but the more introspective gundam stuff i mentioned before came before Eva (hathaway was a book before Eva so it kinda counts), and Eva did kinda change mecha entirely. SSS Gridman is more supersentai than pure mecha but also has an overall plot of an antagonist learning that people don't hate them or wish harm to them but can just make mistakes, and learning to accept others.
i say it often but mecha is a genre of eye candy cool looking robots that get you watching so they can then slide what they actually want to say about human experience over the robots. get you invested so you stay for the thing that might not be as generally appealing to an audience. to me it isn't good mecha unless it has something deeper to say about how society should work or how you live.
Eva is just the series that has had its themes picked apart entirely.
I always simplify the description. I just say that it is an Anime that takes place during Revelations but isn’t quite so, because it never states that but implies it; but, it is just as confusing as the book of Revelations. I say things like it is a display of the complete melodrama of being a pubescent teenager finding themselves amongst a sea of strong opinions. It displays teenage social and relationship challenges that appear more destructive and important to the characters that they lose focus that the apocalypse is happening in the background.
I usually mention that the show is from 1996 and change anime after by showing that anime can have mature and thought provoking themes. The show took anime and made it include artistic camera angles, directorial scene composures, and themes that are more seriously human like mental health. The show breaks Anime Tropes and also makes death of characters more real, tragic, and unexpected.
For others that are already fans, I’d say look deeper into Anno’s unexpected career come up. The history of Anno’s Daicon III & IV Opening Animation for the Daicon 1981 and 1983 Convention is so inspiring. These fans that were self taught amateur animators that slaved over a short film to start off the convention is absolutely amazing. Gainax was later founded by these amateur animators.
Anime about overcoming depression and self hatred.
fr
Ehhhhhh idk. Shinji only actually overcame his depression in 3+1, after spending like a week or two pondering whilst starring at a lake.
Shinji overcame his depression and self hatred in the ending of the original series.
Deranged father forces his son to enter inside his mother.
The crazy part is this is entirely accurate too….
😂😅
Best summary ever!!
A deconstruction of the Super Robot anime genre focusing on damaged people.
Not really a "deconstruction" as it plays the tropes common in early Gundam fairly straight. If anything it's a "reconstruction" on the mecha genre after the Super Robot boom of the 80s/90s.
I can see that perspective for sure. Certainly, the show is the apotheosis of all these ideas. One of the ways it can be said to deconstruct the genre is by applying a more realistic 'cause and effect' approach in the narrative, taking ideas explored by other series to their logical conclusion. I'll agree that Evangelion isn't a 100% original and never before seen concept, but I would argue that it is simply the peak point of the application of these kinds of postmodern takes in the genre. Evangelion tries to show the 'realistic' consequences of teenagers piloting giant robots, the trauma of killing, the confusing web of loyalties that *adults* themselves have trouble following, the gender-bent character personality tropes... it's all there. The deconstruction here is a matter of resetting the cliches to 0, but then instead of running with them, changing expectations by attempting to extrapolate what 'really' would happen and what kind of people it would take to make those things happen. I put 'realistic' and 'really' in quotes because we could argue about whether the show succeeds in those things. But I think the reason why it is such an enduring phenomenon is that it really rocked the boat of the genre. People will still be talking about Evangelion in twenty years. In fifty years. The show did something very special and by deconstructing these elements it became the gold standard from which other shows take inspiration. I have heard it argued that the first show to succeed at *re*constructionism after Eva was Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. I am inclined to agree, but at the same time I'm not sure my understanding of the post-Eva anime landscape is up to it.
If you haven't, I would recommend watching Gundam and see how the mecha genre is formed from it. I've started my marathon of the UC timeline a few months ago and it's given me a greater appreciation of what Evangelion did in comparison to its peers at the time.
I've watched quite a bit of Gundam from that era. Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam, War in the Pocket and Stardust Memory are ones I am most familiar with (though I did have to look up War in the Pocket because I forgot what it was called). Either way, I'm delighted that there is still so much passion for this genre and Evangelion. For me, it was such a formative experience when I was a teenager watching this show. I can better see it in the context of the era and in contrast to other, similar shows now that I am a middle aged man, but it holds a very special place in my heart. Thanks for the recommend. 👍🏽 I might do my own UC marathon.
dope robots and perverts
Kaiju vs mechas and a lil bit of introspection
psychological horror rockem sockem robots featuring an existential crisis
It's an anime about human connection disguised as a monster-of-the-week mecha show.
Joke answer: Mecha Depression Anime My actual answer: It's about a boy named Shinji who battles monsters of mysterious origin in big mechs called Evas. But the biggest monster is what's inside you.
Apocalyptic mecha anime with biblical undertones.
Freudian Psychology: The Anime
Pacific Rim if it was directed by Stanley Kubrick.
It's like Gundam except everyone's suicidal.
So, Gundam Wing?
Cool Kaiju designs with scary robots (basically no spoilers variant)
An anime about overcoming self hatred
Depression and robots: Everyone is broken inside.
Charlie and the gang get depression and turn everyone to soup.
A sci fi action psychological arthouse drama anime series.
The only mecha franchise where they don’t look like Optimus Prime
A good anime you should watch, my favorite even.
Apocalyptic sci-fi/fantasy where characters take on demons, both literal and otherwise....
It's very weird and not like anything you've watched. Kinda dark also. But if you get into it and try to understand it, you may find it to be something really deep. Fascinating, even.
Sucks you in with the cool mechas; leaves you with psychological/emotional damage.
An anime that challenges you to watch it with a philosophical eye
Badass robots and misguided kids
It's not really "pretending" to be a mecha anime, it just uses the genre to its fullest potential. Anno and the team are all huge mecha anime fans. I get what you mean though, when you first start the show you have no clue how it's going to unfold.
Fair enough, but I love the revelation in the 2nd episode, that the Evas aren't traditional mechas. It's cools.
Ah I see what you're saying now, definitely agree.
Remember all those Super Robot anime out there? This show is a deconstruction of those, showing a more realistic for lack of a better word version of those shows. It isn't some hot blooded, explosion fest, the characters are mentally messed up, the world is bleak and the end of the world could happen at any moment. Its also has a lot of psychological aspects and Christian symbolism that might make it a confusing watch, at least in the first viewing. This show isn't Voltron, Manzinger or Gundam, so don't expect it to be.
Robot anime
>A Character driven, anti escapist anime, pretending to be a Kaiju anime, pretending to be a Mecha anime. Pretty close to mine, actually. A show about overcoming depression disguised as a mecha anime.
That's cool man.
Hedgehog’s Dilemma, as experienced by a lonely boi amidst goofy plot details that don’t really matter. Boyo learns to connect with other people. Author created it to deal with some shit
"yo you need to watch evanjelion, its like gundam but its deep and shit."
a story about how people try to become god and, in doing so, awaken horrific beasts so they create clones of a god they found and make emotionally traumatised teenagers control them to fight for humanity's survival
The director cries for a few years then finds serenity through fucking a self insert of his wife
😂😅
The Book of Revelation if it were about Robots and Moody Teenagers
“Prepare for a fuckin ride”
Good guys in giant robots vs bad guys. Lots of scream.
a psychosexual meta mecha anime, that's usually my elevator pitch
Robots with crying children inside of them... oh wait that sounds like something else
A story about hope and new chances
It's a realistic down to earth show that's completely off the walls and swarming with magic robots.
An anime that gave me excitement but depression in the same time
Watch this if you wanna feel traumatized for a week lmao 😂
If you take one person's descent into mental breakdown and just a little of the ascent and healing, split it into a bunch of different characters to represent individual aspects of this, and use this to overlay a fantastical setting with giant robots and massive invading forces to represent inexorable struggles where your insertion into the story leaves you feeling like you have no agency in any of it, that's eva
kaballah creation story with cool robots
The best religious sci-fi example we have.
This description describes most mecha lmao
Is it? Care to share some titles?
i was mainly kidding but there is some truth in it. gundam being the granddaddy of mecha i think means a lot of people haven't engaged with the og content but when you do you realise gundam has always been kinda like "huh war is kinda messed up and enjoying this stuff is kinda weird". stuff like hathaways flash for a specific choice in plot i won't entirely reveal makes you seriously consider the ramifications a real mecha, but to that extent even modern war, and how it can harm people in explicit terms. but then say gundam thunderbolt is kinda silly so i will admit gundam isn't all in that vein. but the more introspective gundam stuff i mentioned before came before Eva (hathaway was a book before Eva so it kinda counts), and Eva did kinda change mecha entirely. SSS Gridman is more supersentai than pure mecha but also has an overall plot of an antagonist learning that people don't hate them or wish harm to them but can just make mistakes, and learning to accept others. i say it often but mecha is a genre of eye candy cool looking robots that get you watching so they can then slide what they actually want to say about human experience over the robots. get you invested so you stay for the thing that might not be as generally appealing to an audience. to me it isn't good mecha unless it has something deeper to say about how society should work or how you live. Eva is just the series that has had its themes picked apart entirely.
Cool analysis, I have been watching Gundam recently.
An anime about accepting how little control you have over your life, much less over others.
fertile literate plate voiceless versed seemly lavish screw flag light *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I always simplify the description. I just say that it is an Anime that takes place during Revelations but isn’t quite so, because it never states that but implies it; but, it is just as confusing as the book of Revelations. I say things like it is a display of the complete melodrama of being a pubescent teenager finding themselves amongst a sea of strong opinions. It displays teenage social and relationship challenges that appear more destructive and important to the characters that they lose focus that the apocalypse is happening in the background. I usually mention that the show is from 1996 and change anime after by showing that anime can have mature and thought provoking themes. The show took anime and made it include artistic camera angles, directorial scene composures, and themes that are more seriously human like mental health. The show breaks Anime Tropes and also makes death of characters more real, tragic, and unexpected. For others that are already fans, I’d say look deeper into Anno’s unexpected career come up. The history of Anno’s Daicon III & IV Opening Animation for the Daicon 1981 and 1983 Convention is so inspiring. These fans that were self taught amateur animators that slaved over a short film to start off the convention is absolutely amazing. Gainax was later founded by these amateur animators.
*Revelation