Although Shinji is traditionally considered the main protagonist of the series, there are actually three characters.
Shinji, Asuka and Rei represent three models of growing up.
The protagonists' complex relationships with their robots metaphorically convey their inability to accept themselves.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (Shinseiki Evangelion) came out almost 30 years ago and is still widely considered to be one of the most significant achievements in the history of anime.
Many viewers rightly find serious philosophical depth in it, others are captivated by fantastic battles in huge robots, and still others are amazed at the truly magnificent director's work. Everything is true, but behind all this talk the main thing is often lost.
Three teenagers
Although Shinji is traditionally considered to be the main protagonist of the series, there are actually three characters at the center of the story. Besides Shinji, these are Asuka and Rei. The show spends roughly the same amount of time on their psychological depths, so all three are portrayed quite emotionally convincingly.
Their importance is emphasized by the fact that only they can be called successful robot pilots, and the EVAs, according to the story, are the salvation of humanity.
Shinji, Asuka and Rei represent three models of growing up. Shinji is an anxious young man with communication problems, insecure and mentally unstable. Asuka, on the contrary, despite unprocessed childhood traumas, is hyperactive. She is overly emotional and pretends that she can handle everything. In fact, this is simply a disguise of internal experiences.
Rei, for her part, seems emotionally unavailable. She is closed and does not let anyone near her, which is why she seems a little strange to the other characters. Essentially, Shinji, Asuka and Rei represent three different ways of coping with trauma.
Children at war
Remember the final episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion. All season we've been slowly leading up to some kind of epic ending between the EVAs and the Angels, but what happened in the end? We are immersed in a certain abstract space of pure psyche, where the characters' traumas reside.
Hideaki Anno (the creator of the show) offers a dizzying journey through their fears and feelings. Just look at the Freudian tension between Shinji and his father. Doesn't look like a mecha ending at all, don't you agree? From this point of view the series is not at all about how the secret organization NERV tried to repel mysterious enemies.
Each of the characters suffers from the inability to find emotional reciprocity in others. The protagonists' complex relationships with their own robots metaphorically convey their inability to accept themselves and heal old traumas. If we were to sum up what Neon Genesis Evangelion is about in one word, it would be loneliness.
You Are (Not) Alone.
Summary:
Although Shinji is traditionally considered the main protagonist of the series, there are actually three characters.
Shinji, Asuka and Rei represent three models of growing up.
The protagonists' complex relationships with their robots metaphorically convey their inability to accept themselves.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (Shinseiki Evangelion) came out almost 30 years ago and is still widely considered to be one of the most significant achievements in the history of anime.
Many viewers rightly find serious philosophical depth in it, others are captivated by fantastic battles in huge robots, and still others are amazed at the truly magnificent director's work. Everything is true, but behind all this talk the main thing is often lost.
Three teenagers
Although Shinji is traditionally considered to be the main protagonist of the series, there are actually three characters at the center of the story. Besides Shinji, these are Asuka and Rei. The show spends roughly the same amount of time on their psychological depths, so all three are portrayed quite emotionally convincingly.
Their importance is emphasized by the fact that only they can be called successful robot pilots, and the EVAs, according to the story, are the salvation of humanity.
Shinji, Asuka and Rei represent three models of growing up. Shinji is an anxious young man with communication problems, insecure and mentally unstable. Asuka, on the contrary, despite unprocessed childhood traumas, is hyperactive. She is overly emotional and pretends that she can handle everything. In fact, this is simply a disguise of internal experiences.
Rei, for her part, seems emotionally unavailable. She is closed and does not let anyone near her, which is why she seems a little strange to the other characters. Essentially, Shinji, Asuka and Rei represent three different ways of coping with trauma.
Children at war
Remember the final episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion. All season we've been slowly leading up to some kind of epic ending between the EVAs and the Angels, but what happened in the end? We are immersed in a certain abstract space of pure psyche, where the characters' traumas reside.
Hideaki Anno (the creator of the show) offers a dizzying journey through their fears and feelings. Just look at the Freudian tension between Shinji and his father. Doesn't look like a mecha ending at all, don't you agree? From this point of view the series is not at all about how the secret organization NERV tried to repel mysterious enemies.
Each of the characters suffers from the inability to find emotional reciprocity in others. The protagonists' complex relationships with their own robots metaphorically convey their inability to accept themselves and heal old traumas. If we were to sum up what Neon Genesis Evangelion is about in one word, it would be loneliness.
