Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby Sachi » Sat Jul 22, 2017 10:48 pm

One of the reasons the show has been so successful for so long is because of the largely universal themes it tackles, namely the struggles of being human. Western culture openly embraced the questions of identity, socialization, and existentialism. Concepts such as the hedgehog's dilemma can be translated easily among many cultures. Will these themes become dated?

With the increase in technology and communication, as well as a growing population, it seems the struggle to connect with other people is becoming harder and harder. Recognizing the self among many is daunting. How does one prove their worth when our individual value becomes diluted by the day? I believe the themes presented in the show will reflect more on humanity in the years to come.

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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby Zeruss » Sun Jul 23, 2017 8:00 am

Asked myself that question in 2006... Here we are.
I've experienced just as much interest in NGE in other places around the web as in past years; might dare to say even more so now than before? It even surprises me how many people like or know about it in comparison to earlier years. I expected it to be forgotten or attain the status of other series, like Cowboy Bebop (as in a pretty well regarded classic, but that remains in an "inactive" state), but nope, if anything it seems to have grown; granted, the Remakes helped in keeping it relevant until now, but its themes and characters surely are the main factor so many stick with it. Still had a completely wrong impression of the series' popularity and impact, which was a pleasant surprise; it'll be interesting to see what happens after Final is released and Eva is given a rest for a while.
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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby silvermoonlight » Sun Jul 23, 2017 8:45 am

I think Evangelion manga/anime will still matter in the future due its view of mental health and depression themes and I think its other elements like religion and monsters, aliens will always fascinate people on some level. I can not say the same for rebuild though as rebuild in my view didn't go far enough and didn't update itself enough in places when it could have done. As it could have tapped in to social media, celebrity the internet or up coming technology and social themes which all play a part in the changing world in the happier Nerv universe during the first and second movie but it not doing so meant that it felt no different from the original other than having Evangelion's that can have the piolts switched arround and beast mode and cooler looking animation.
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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby Settie » Mon Jul 24, 2017 7:50 pm

Hopefully this doesn't get too rambly but here goes.

I think over time Eva will become dated to a certain degree, while it'll be seen as being a bold and unapologetic look at depression and mental health issues, it will also look dated in how it deals with those issues. Every noteworthy character is f-ed up to some degree and non f-ed up characters eventually fall to the background or disappear completely, so it spotlights the issues of the f-ed up characters without addressing them. It becomes individual characters seeking help and comfort from others but not receiving it, leaving them to stew in their own misery. With the big catharsis for its main character being that all he needs is to love himself and leaves it at that, when in reality the desire to help oneself is only the beginning.

As human society in general keeps moving forward and technological means allows for more interactivity and awareness, and with the stigma that surrounds mental health issues lessens. Evas exploration of these issues will start to look dated and perhaps a bit myopic, it is after all a product of its time and society. So as society advances and seeking help for mental health issues, whether it be professional or not, becomes normal. Evas message of relying on oneself to fix those issues and leaving it there, with the next step up to the audience will look old. When it could say that it's only the beginning and it's ok to seek professional help for those issues. It is then that it'll start to look dated for not going far enough.

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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby CommanderFish » Mon Jul 24, 2017 8:44 pm

Settie wrote:With the big catharsis for its main character being that all he needs is to love himself and leaves it at that, when in reality the desire to help oneself is only the beginning.

I've always thought that this was pretty well implied -- especially in EoE -- but to each his own.
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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby LeoXiao » Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:54 pm

Honestly I think the themes and story in NGE won't get old--there are more than a few classic works that share similar ideas--but the presentation might become very dated in the eyes of a future audience. Stylistic choices, the art, the setting, the light-hearted bits and fanservice, things that we would brush off as normal or find entertaining might appear totally ridiculous or alienating in 2040, 2050, etc.

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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby Sachi » Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:16 pm

I think the increase of communication technology and further interactivity will create more feelings of loneliness and social disconnect. The lack of interpersonal relationships will create more isolation for those less versed in socializing. Especially for those like Shinji who cannot handle ambiguity, messaging through text is a nightmare. The human element is required, which will be lacking.
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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby Settie » Tue Jul 25, 2017 7:28 pm

^ If the only form of communication with others is through anonymity then yes that would lead to isolation. However, i think balance would be the answer, to have person to person relationships as well as reaping the benefits of the ease of communication that technology allows is the way to go.

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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby Gendo'sPapa » Tue Jul 25, 2017 9:45 pm

Nah, as you stated, the emotional honesty & frank handling of what it means to feel isolated is too pure for the show to ever really feel dated. Works that are emotionally genuine usually tend to stand the test of time. Empathy transcends all lengths of time.
Until all people on Earth learn how to be comfortable in their own skin NGE will be relevant.
Which means it will ALWAYS be relevant.

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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby Joseki » Thu Jul 27, 2017 10:41 am

Personally speaking NGE is more relevant now in my cultural sphere than it was in the '90s in the cultural sphere of the time.

Generally speaking it depends on how the future will be for humanity.

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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby Zoop » Thu Jul 27, 2017 12:36 pm

Its been almost 2 decades ago when i first saw it. That time was full of magical nostalgia, first game consoles i owned and movies/series i saw back then. Because of the nostalgia, ive revisitted a lot of my earlier interests. Most of it was a mistake.

Ive been spoiled by modern media, cgi effects and big budget movies/games. So most of those great memories where better off left as a memory. Maybe its because im older now, but some movies and games that i loved really dont hold up anymore. I become painfully aware about how cheesy the special effects are or how corny the acting.

There are a few exceptions that do hold up really well, like the original starwars trilogy. Story and effects hold up really well especially concidering that the first movie is from 78. Really cant say the same about the newer trilogy.

The other major exception for me is Evangelion. Its something that keeps interesting me. It just manages to stay original and unique. In my opinion theres nothing that compares to it (not saying its the best, just saying its very unique). Its still just as interesting as it was back when i first saw it.

I believe it will remain so for the forseeable future. Its still original and its themes certainly are becoming more relevant. Maybe only the art could feel a bit dated (but i bet most people woul still prefer this over all the fancy cgi work).

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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby The Flying Fortress » Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:29 am

View Original PostSettie wrote:^ If the only form of communication with others is through anonymity then yes that would lead to isolation. However, i think balance would be the answer, to have person to person relationships as well as reaping the benefits of the ease of communication that technology allows is the way to go.

The internet has this great power to make people nicer than they really would be physically, I think humans can seek out other ways of communicating, we can deal with our problems better, think better of each situation, take More rational decisions, we need to evolve into something, that has its negative and positive points as anything.

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Re: Will Eva become dated, or will it become more relevant with time?

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Postby Chuckman » Fri Aug 11, 2017 11:03 pm

In the year 2525 (if man is still alive) people who either choose to live with a sexbot that attends all their needs or have wild orgies because all humans are vat grown and the structure of pair bonding is no longer enforced by social codes will watch Evangelion and wonder why he just won't get in the fucking robot.

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