ANN Essay

[cyharding]

I don't know if this belongs in this subforum, the Rebuild subforum, or the discussion subforum, so if it needs to be moved, let it be moved.

ANN posted an essay by Gabriella Ekens comparing NGE and Rebuild: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-02-19/the-evolution-of-evangelion-rebuild-vs-tv/.98581

She made some interesting points, but I'm not sure if I agree with everything. Discuss(?)

[GAP]

I personally like both, but for entirely different reasons.
I like the original series because it is my first Deconstruction anime and it has proper character exploration. It might not be as pretty as Rebuild, but it has a bit more thematic weight than what I've gotten with Rebuild so far.
However, that's not to say that I hate Rebuild; in fact, I like Rebuild for actually playing up the Sci-Fi elements and running with it. I really like the world of Rebuild and how alive it feels. Unfortunately, it just so happens to be populated by characters that just simply don't have enough time to be explored.
Though the one glaring flaw I have with EVA as a whole is that it seems to not know when to tell as story as opposed to telling a sermon. I get it! Depression is a horrible thing, Anno! Happiness is attainable if you're willing to take that first step! Just tell a story already! And that is my issue with EVA; I understand the message to the point where I'm just waiting for him to get on with it. Not to mention the message is speaking to a specific person... or rather a specific person with a specific type of depression. To quote someone on Tumblr, okay you know you've irritated me as an audience member if you've got me quoting Tumblr of all places, "His depression isn't MY depression. His self-loathing isn't MY self-loathing."
And that is the crux of EVA's faults: it's not universal. It is speaking to a niche audience and as a result, it comes off as closed off from other perspectives. Maybe Rebuild might change this opinion, but I'm not holding my breath. But hey, at least it will be pretty to look at.

I found an interesting post on this topic.

[BlueBasilisk]

Don't agree with everything she said there, mostly in regards to the original series, but the observations on the Rebuilds really mirror how I feel.

Everything seems bleak, but there's always a glimmer of hope. In the final act of each movie, Shinji finds his resolve, climbs to his feet, and has the opportunity to grasp his happiness. In 1.0, he gets blasted by Ramiel but crawls back to the positron rifle and takes the killing shot. He forces Unit 01 to reactivate and saves Rei from certain death. He scales the mountain that is Lilith's corpse and claims the spears with everyone else trying to hold him back.

The characters get slapped with traumas that would or did break them in NGE, but they don't stay down. They get back up and try again. Shinji found hope after Third Impact, and he's supposed to find hope again if the preview narration is anything to go on. And even at his lowest points, he's never alone. There's always someone there to lend support: Misato, Rei, Asuka, Kaworu, Sakura, Asuka & Rei Q...

I don't think NGE was the bleak pit of despair it's painted as in the article, but I do think that it has a much greater emphasis on the breaking during the last half with the hope coming close to the end. Rebuild seems like it has more ebb and flow balancing out the despair and hope, and that gives me hope for a happier ending than before.

[Bagheera]

I think her assessment of EoTV is way off, particularly wrt the endings. There's a lot of subtlety throughout that seem to be completely lost on her. I agree that her comments about the new movies are on point, though; I think the comparison between eps 1-6 and Jo, noting that the one was cool and claustrophobic at every turn while the other was warmer and more open, was particularly effective. But in general the essay makes an awful lot of assertions without offering much to back them up, which ultimately made for a frustrating read.