Rating: 
Summary: A league of it's own.
Review: Wow, ok let's analyze this series. Let us ignore the fact that it is an Anime for the start of it. It keeps it simple that way. Ok, it's about a boy, he has problems like many kids in the U.S. today, seriously, Mother's dead, Father's [mean]. He's completely self-sufficient and therefore has trouble coping with reality. It's a kid that you would see a lot of in the world today. That eliminates all the people complaining in reviews that Shinji (main charecter) is some kind of mindless "weirdo" and that everyone in this series is insane. Sorry to disappoint you but the world is not puppies and butterflies. Next, onto the Anime part of this. It's plot is beautifully woven and there were parts where I had goosebumps man. It seems wierd "Yeh he got goosebumps from a cartoon what a loser" But, its just that touching, the problems are very real despite the mechanical and alienated creatures that this story spits out at you. The people have real lives, real problems, realy accomplishments. Also, if you aren't a big fan of plots. That means you absolutely love stories like DragonBall Z and the like. Where someone repeatedly saves the world from countless alien creatures without much of real people problems. Then no don't bother watching this series. Don't get me wrong I love DragonBall Z but, as far as plots and stories go. Neon Genesis is the best. The last two episodes, before End of Evangelion that is. Confused me, and just extremely bothered me. I watched End of Evangelion, lol well let's just say I think the creator had some problems putting this story to rest because it still bothered me but, I'm happy now. It did explain all of the problems with the humans instead of the Angels (alien creatures). Which was a lot better than expected, but ... the last scene, I just don't get it. But, that ok the story is stunning, graphics and fight sequences are the best. Don't listen to anyone until you've watched the first few episodes and really picked up on the story. Then you can tell me I'm wrong. I have edited in this part. I have a 12-year-old brother, who believes DragonBall Z is the best Anime and they only one worth watching. I forced him through the process of beating him senselessly and throwing him on the couch, to watch the first episode. I was bewildered when we both spent the rest of our Winter Break watching the series and movies and talking about the series and getting all of our friends hooked on it. So I say... IT IS FUN FOR ALL AGES!!! Just watch the first two epsiodes and do yourself a favor.
Rating:
Summary: This is NOT overrated!!! it deserves its praise.
Review: This is, by far and away the BEST anime series EVER!! I got into watching anime about 4 years ago, and when I saw this series, it blew me away. Ignore those who put it down because this is a work of geneius and they are just too stupid to see it. Although from the outside it looks like a typical giant-robo anime, after watching the first episode anyone in thier right mind should be able to see that it is not. Evangelion gives an original view of the future, with great city and mecha designs and the even more original forms of the angels. However, the best thing about Evangelion is the characters. They are far more complex and realistic then any other characters I've seen in anything before, with even minor characters being interesting and different. Evangelion is a work of directorial geneius if you buy ANYTHING, buy this!!
Rating:
Summary: Gainax changing the way we see the world
Review: This is the first anime i Ever saw not counting Sailor Moon, dragon ball or Robotech. Back durring my 9th grade winter break a frined broguht over this dub tape of an anime called Eva, together we watched the whole thing over the week. All i can say for a long time fan to see it is one minor thing, but when one is jousted into one of the best most mind warping animes in history they either run or embrace it. Now 4 years late almost to the day i'm a huge anime fan and i have to say that this anime changed the way i think about enterainment. I also recomend looking for another Gainax anime like FLCL, Royal Space Force, Nadia, Mahromatic, His and Her Circumstances, and many others not relased here yet. -Firemage
Rating:
Summary: All's right with the world.
Review: I have reviewed all the individual DVD's in this series, so this won't be a review that focuses on plot details. Whether you like it or hate it, there is no denying that Evangelion looms large in any investigation of anime as an art form. In truth, there is very little to dislike, but director Hideaki Anno has put so much into it that the story is prone to take sudden changes in direction. Usually right after the viewers think that they have everything figured out. This is intentional, but sometimes it is a source of temporary discontent. Put simply this is the story of three fourteen year old children - Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, and Asuka Langley - who have been bred to be able to merge with giant bioengineered creatures called Evangelions, EVA's for short. Their task is to protect a post apocalypse world from the invasions of giant angels. These are creatures much like the EVA's, whose agenda is not completely clear. Of course, the truth is that this is perhaps 30% of the story, which is a combination of psychodrama, metaphysical mystery play, and an investigation into the potential of the human race. In fact, nothing is ever exactly what it seems. As an example of the many layers to the story, there is a tremendous amount of Judeo-Christian symbolism worked into the story. The Sephiroth, the Kabalah's tree of life, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Lance of Longinus, and cruciform images abound. All of this adds up to an impending sense of apocalypse, but the truth us far stranger. Hideaki Anno has intentionally used this symbolism to create an atmosphere that is 'mysterious' to his Japanese audiences. Yet there is a whole other spiritual layer that is uniquely Japanese, drawing deeply from the Kojiki, an ancient creation legend. This is something many non-Japanese viewers will miss. This is one of many cases of the subtle undercurrents that make this series far more than an action oriented mecha story. Characters are complex, and develop rather than stay single sided. Anno's artistic control creates a visual layering that is just as right as the ploy. Careful attention to details will reward the viewer with all manner of hints and indicators of what is to come and what is happening. All production values are excellent and Anno shows he is willing to take real creative risks in his efforts to communicate. Of course, if you are considering buying the series, this collection really is the only sensible way to buy it. Despite the alarming price ticket, it is still much better priced than the one at a time charge. Whether you buy, rent, or borrow, this is one of the anime series that must be seen. You will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A Story I'll Never Forget
Review: I've seen such a story like this one, "Neon Genesis Evangelion". This is the best animated series I have ever seen. I just bought the Perfect Collection Set last week. It is worth to buy! I also recommand Vision of Escaflowne, it's also a good series.
Rating: 
Summary: Gripping and thought-provoking if somewhat confusing series.
Review: I first learned about NEON GENESIS EVANGELION while I was watching NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER. It was, after all, done by the same team (animation studio GAINAX, director Hideaki Anno, and character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto), and it shares similar elements and themes to be found in the former show - the most striking is learning how to deal with one's inner demons of angst, rage, and pain. But unlike NADIA, EVANGELION is a much darker (and essentially sadder) story, and is decidedly Hideaki Anno's personal work, as he claims to have made the TV series after four years of depression. The characters that populate this show are neither perfect heroes or despicable villains, but real people dealing with tangible emotions and (admittingly fantastical) life-threatening situations. They are also sides of Hideaki Anno's personality just in the same way that Nadia was autobiographical. Fourteen year-old Shinji Ikari is at the core of the tale, a shy, introverted young boy who has a hate relationship with his unsympathetic, cold, calculating father. Rei Ayanami, another 14-year old, is an unusual girl who constantly questions her purpose in life and appears to have no understanding of human emotions. And then, there's Asuka Langley Sohryu, a bad-tempered, argumentative, arrogant brat who makes the worst sides of Nadia look pleasant in comparison - she is constantly bitchy and appears to take pleasure in taking her problems out on poor Shinji (and anyone else, in general). All three children are dealing with their own struggles in various ways - Shinji is passive, Rei is aloof, while Asuka is really mean. Even Misato Katsuragi, one of the other characters I found myself liking along with Shinji, deals with loneliness by seeking others out. The interactions between the characters is not always pleasant, but its intriguing to watch (and sometimes funny), yet each of their stories eventually lead to tragedy. All this is set against post-apocalyptic Tokyo-3, where alien-like monsters called "Angels" continually threaten the metropolis. Only the three children can stand up to them, by way of piloting their Evangelions - giant, supercharged robots that look impressive enough to be mistaken for a child's toy. But who is the cause for the troubles at Tokyo 3? Are the angels really evil? Or is there a far worse plot going on? Questions like this are asked throughout the show, yet it will take a lot of mind-bending to answer some of them. This is one of the show's weaknesses. While the storyline is tighter constructed than NADIA (with no extraneous, stupid, out-of-character sequences), it does seem confusing to follow at times and difficult to interpret. The last two episodes are interesting therapy-like episodes about Shinji learning to get rid of his inner demons, but they do little to tie up the loose ends of this convoluted tale. (Hideaki Anno was reported to have had a major breakdown during production, which is probably why the show doesn't end as strongly as it starts.) Despite its flaws, EVANGELION is a gripping TV-series that is worth checking out. Just be warned that there are a lot of puzzling scenarios one will have to deal with. The 8-DVD box set is passable, at best. The video quality is acceptable, and the audio quality, menus, and box designs are decently done. For a bonus, there are FOUR language tracks: English, Japanese, Spanish, and French. I listened to the dub for my primary listening session, and, it's a good but not great dub featuring some early line readings that come off as annoying but strong vocal performances that sink deeper into character as the story moves on. The only thing the DVD set lacks is extras. All it has are character bios, which are very helpful but hardly enough to pass. Some behind-the-scenes featurettes would have been nice. Otherwise, this set is a solid purchase.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing, amazing work of fiction.
Review: I'm sure I don't need to explain myself because you've already heard how fantastic this series is. My recommendation: don't watch the last two episodes on disk eight just yet. Get End of Evangelion and watch that in its place [and Death and Rebirth if you're really hardcore; it has special features galore, an artsy synopsis of the series (Death), and the first quarter of End of Evangelion (Rebirth)], then if you feel up for a little disappointment watch the completely insane and disturbing original ending. Don't get me wrong, I love this series. Its your call, but you'll thank me if you follow my advice. I almost gouged my eyes out after watching the last two in the series, but End of Evangelion made everything better.... much better... One more thing: I just finished End of Evangelion literally an hour ago and I've realized that Asuka is my favorite character. She's awesome! Is something wrong with me? Wow... what a great series...* :-)
Rating:
Summary: Evangelion - Giant robots to Existentialism
Review: I was not very familiar with NGE when I bought the set on a recomendation of a friend. I had no idea what I was in for. Over the next few days I sat glued to the TV. I was late to work and school a few times because I didn't want to stop watching before the end of an episode. I had just expected a well done mecha based series like Macross, Gundam, or any of a slew of other titles. Don't get me wrong- there's mecha. There's some great battles, but the series is really about the characters that pilot these mecha against the "angels". The series becomes more and more intriguing as it continues. Are they actually piloting mecha... or something else? Who... rather- what is Rei? What's with the Maji? Buy the set and find out. The last few episodes are pretty devoid of any kind of fighting. It becomes more of an exestential journey that ties up some of the ends but will probably leave you with some questions. It kinda looks in at itself as a series (some scenes are set in an auditorium and you'll see stage lights and other things like that). It actually asks "what does it all mean?" And the answer is pretty much - "you watched the series so you ought to know." This might really bug some people but I thought it was great. Of course after watching this I immediately ordered Japaneese copies of the 2 movies (they weren't out here at the time). But those are for a different review.
Rating:
Summary: Some of the greatest Science Fiction ever!
Review: If you want to show friends/family/associates that anime and "cartoons" are worlds apart, this is series to do it with! Character development here is paramount and is done masterfully! This show has some of the most human characters of any series (American, Japanese or otherwise) I've ever encontered. This is the series that got me hooked on anime. It's got it all: Believable characters (with more issues than National Geographic), great action, futuristic technology, religous symbolism out the wazoo, and an ending that will astound/puzzle/provoke you! I also really liked the English Dub. In fact, I slightly prefer it to the Japanese. (I'm no purist!!) As an amature philospher, the existentalism present in the series was intriguing. As a Christian, I would disagree with the warped theology presented, however this does nothing to lessen the profound impact (no pun intended) this series' message will have upon you. As a sci-fi fan, this simply raised my personal bar for eschatological (end-times) fiction.
Get the movie if you want any closure!
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad anime series. Not perfect, either.
Review: I'm a casual anime fan who wishes to expand his Japanese animation video library beyond just a couple of feature movies such as Akira and Princess Mononoke. I made the decision to purchase this pricey DVD set after reading quite a few reviews. They were lavish with praise over Neon Genesis Evangelion. According to most of the reviews everything about this anime is fantastic. Well, after watching every single episode of the show, I was left thinking, 'goodness, it wasn't THAT great!' The story/premise is interesting. It's the year 2015. Half of humanity has been wiped out due to a cataclysm in the Antarctic caused by a being called an "Angel." More Angels appear and begin to threaten the rest of the human race. Man-made giant bio-mechanical creatures called Evangelions (Evas for short) are the only means of fighting the Angels, and only a small handful of teens are capable of driving the Evas. Somehow these events are foretold in the Dead Sea Scrolls and, with a few obscure Biblical/historical references, play out though the series. The story was hard to follow at times but I was able to understand enough of it to get by. I just wished the plot congealed more effectively. By the end I was left hanging. When the credits rolled at the end of the last episode I remember saying out loud, "THAT'S IT?!" There is a true ending to Evangelion that's NOT included in this set. It was released later as a movie, I believe. For full understanding and possible satisfaction, you MUST see that movie after watching this series. It's called, simply, The End of Evangelion. I've seen it and I'll review it later. The designs of the Eva units are original and stylish, as is most of the technology featured in this series. But the greatest thing about Neon Genesis Evangelion is the characters. I didn't expect them to be so realistic, entertaining and varied. It's amusing to see them interact. Most viewers will be able to identify with at least one character during the course of the show. I felt for Shinji. Asuka, the redhead, had me hating her in the beginning but by the end I was actually feeling sorry for her! Bottom line: the characters are DEEP, and that scores high marks for anything animated. The action disappointed me a little. From the reviews I was expecting the battles to be long and frequent. They are neither. Fortunately, when they do occur, the action scenes are intense and keep you quite engaged until it's over. There's a healthy feeling of menace during these moments which I found to be fitting. The animation quality was a bit lower than I expected. But I forgot, this was originally broadcast in Japan on TV, not released as a big-budget saga in U.S. theaters. Once I realized this is a TV show, not a major movie series I appreciated Evangelion more. I'll say this for the show, it keeps you hooked! It was very hard to turn my DVD player and TV off without going to the next disk to see what happens next. I arrived at work drowsy a couple times because of late nights watching this program. Evangelion is addicting! Just be prepared for a radical change in the plot by the last two episodes of the series! It takes a patient, keen mind to understand what's going on at that point. Overall, I'd say Neon Genesis Evangelion is just barely worth the $$$ or so needed to own it. Just barely. When the last episode is done you're left with an urge to go back and watch it all over again to try to understand everything. If you think of it that way you're at least getting you're money's worth. It's entertaining, I'll give it that.
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