Holidays with Evangelion

God's in his heaven. All's right with the world.

So it's raya season and its a holiday in my country. Since Wednesday it's a college break~ But well, I started my break by singing K with a bunch of secondary school friends (and of course that special someone :P ), and fell sick...

And then somewhere around Thursday or Friday I got my hands on this somehow (pic below)~~~

It reads:
Evangelion Shin Gekijouban: Q
Evangelion: 3.33
You Can (Not) Redo

Its an Evangelion movie DVD!!! I was so happy!!

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Neon Genesis Evangelion is NOT YOUR TYPICAL ANIME, I repeat, NOT.

As the characters and all may seem "oh, Japanese schoolgirl, oh, with a hard past, oh, mechas, meh, normal", but what makes it different is the story plot.

I got to know Eva when the movie Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone came out. So I went to watch the anime series, it was the first anime which involved mechas that I fell so deeply in love with. (And I was quite surprised when my friend told me that AXN used to air the series. Whoa!) The DVD set that I got my hands on is inclusive of the TV series and the first 3 movies Air, Death and Rebirth, and End of Evangelion.

The story is mainly about monster-attack-robots-defend, but I don't like saying it that way. In the story, Angels are the attacking ones (not your typical halo and wings), and biological robot-like-machines (not your typical Gundam or Transformers) called Evangelions are the only ones who can defeat them.

Well, that's the main background, the story involves around the pilots of the Evas, in which are only the chosen children. The main character is Shinji Ikari, the Third Children who pilots Eva Unit 01, which by doing so involves many conflicts between him, his father, connections with his mother (which he doesn't seem to notice). Alongside him is Ayanami Rei, the First Children and Sohryuu Asuka Langley, the Second Children, which have different stories and development. As it is not your typical anime, they really went in deep with the characters.

Plus, the director used many Christianity terms in the story. It wasn't headed towards the direction of religious interpretations though, but it was used beautifully. In fact Hideaki Anno (director) said that had the folks at Gainax (the producing company) known at the time that NGE would gain this kind of popularity outside of Japan, they may have done things differently. 

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I really do like Rei's blue hair, one of the reasons I watch the anime.

But I love Asuka more, I felt very close to her as her personality is unique. She's strong, pretty, confident and full of pride. Yeah, kinda hot head too.

I also love the idea that their surname are derived from warcrafts. Simply beautiful.

I have the model of Asuka in this pose on my desk xD

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The original TV series didn't end as planned because of the lack of funds for production and the anime wasn't as popular as now. So the last two episodes didn't really gave us viewers an answer. So there was the first 3 movies produced, which also didn't gave us an answer.

Only the movie End of Evangelion continued on, with not a pretty build up of plot. By not pretty I don't mean it's not good (it is in fact, spectacular), it just simply meant the story wasn't headed for a nice ending. (Spoilers: It ended like the end of the world, in which yes, whole humanity wiped out, leaving ..... behind.)

Years after, the production team decided to come out with a series of film The Rebuild of Evangelion, which the first movie was Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, and the final one is yet to be released.

So every since I got my hands on the DVD, I went to watch 2.0 as I haven't watch it yet. So it was a movie marathon, watching 2.0 and then 3.0.

movie poster for 2.0

2.0 seemed to changed the original plot, plus they add a new pilot into the story, and new Angels.I also grew in love with Rei, she has more feelings here. At the climax of 2.0, it was a decision for the main character to pilot Eva or not, and the plan went according to the protagonist intentions, which causes the Third Impact to begin. The song "Tsubasa o Kudasai" (Give Me Wings, Susan Boyle sang a cover of it in English too, entitled "Wings To Fly" :D ) played at the right time which fits the main character beautifully, plus, the softness of the singing mixing with the chaotic scene makes all the feelings come out. A big thumbs up and thunderclap goes to Studio Gainax. Going through fan views on the net, it seems that I wasn't the only one who cried there. :')

3.0 movie poster

3.0 wasn't what I expected. Anno changed the setting. Asuka was as stunning and hot head as ever, Rei was totally emotionless. But I enjoyed every moment with Kaworu (the Fifth Children in the original TV series), especially when he played the piano so gracefully. According to his explanation, I somehow got the interpretation that it is similar to the end of the world or judgement day. Sources describe it as it was initiated when the angels got in contact with Adam, and which humans loose their barrier in which is named as AT field and reverting all Lilith based life forms (humans). Mainly life forms fusing with Adam or Lilith, annihilating life forms on earth, and to create something new. But Kaworu stopped the happening of this at 2.0. And in 3.0, the Fourth Impact happened, with a even tragic ending where Asuka leads Shinji and Rei to safety in a midst of destructed red earth.

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I love the OST of both the movies, there's intensity and tranquility.

There was this BGM called God's Message and the lyrics are as followed:

From the black of space I will create
earth and in my image incarnate
heaven is to be a place of rest
earth is where the people I will test

Six days have passed
on the seventh I will render myself to a day of rest and to contemplate what is to be
Mankind begins its fateful journey faced by trials and tribulations, war and peace
Of my presence to this end my work is done

this world I give, for you to live
blessed are the ones that can live in peace

Forever

And there is this piano piece played in the movie: Quatre Mains

And of course, my favourite singer Utada Hikaru once again sings the ending theme entitled Sakura Nagashi. (literally meaning Cherry Blossoms flowing away) It's a sad song and my favourite verse is

"However great the fear, I will not look away

If at the end of everything, there is love"

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Almost everything of Evangelion is beautiful. :)