Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby Mankar » Wed Aug 08, 2018 11:55 pm

So, I just finished watching Evangelion and EoE in 2 days and I absolutely loved it, its amazing. However, for the next few days till now, I'm feeling very I want to say anxious or just over bad or pensive from watching the show. I still love it but it just makes me feel bad or anxious, I don't know what it is and I'm starting to get obsessed with the show because I'm telling everyone about it hoping it'll fix me. Does anyone else have any similar experience? I feel as if it's only because I'm young that this show has effected me this much.

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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby pwhodges » Thu Aug 09, 2018 12:28 am

You are not alone, though the strength of people's reactions depends a lot on their life circumstances. The important thing is to realise that the endings (both the series and the End of Evangelion film) are , even if it's not fully spelt out, optimistic. Shinji has discovered in the end that he can make a move forward by his own efforts. We aren't shown where this will take him, or how hard it might still be for him, because we are each intended to find out ourselves what the future holds.
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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby Mankar » Thu Aug 09, 2018 12:43 am

View Original Postpwhodges wrote:You are not alone, though the strength of people's reactions depends a lot on their life circumstances. The important thing is to realise that the endings (both the series and the End of Evangelion film) are , even if it's not fully spelt out, optimistic. Shinji has discovered in the end that he can make a move forward by his own efforts. We aren't shown where this will take him, or how hard it might still be for him, because we are each intended to find out ourselves what the future holds.
I realize this and I love the ending how it basically shows us how there's always hope but there's something about it that feels off I guess and that might be why I feel this way, but I have no idea :um:

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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby pwhodges » Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:13 am

Anno is very clear that it is not for him to give you an answer, though. In the end, the best lessons are those you are able to learn for yourself; Evengelion may offer a pointer and a hint as to a direction you might benefit from looking in.
"Being human, having your health; that's what's important." (from: Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi )
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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby Mankar » Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:23 am

View Original Postpwhodges wrote:Anno is very clear that it is not for him to give you an answer, though. In the end, the best lessons are those you are able to learn for yourself; Evengelion may offer a pointer and a hint as to a direction you might benefit from looking in.
true, I feel like it tells me more about who I am with the interpretations I'm able to come up with and that jut subconsciously scares me but I'm still unsure. Right now, I probably won't notice it until I'm a bit older when I can actually reflect on my younger self and see what certain pieces of art have done for/to me. but until then lets hope I'm not traumatized for life :tongue:

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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby Blockio » Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:23 pm

I myself have experienced it as pretty much the opposite, however I know for a fact that I somewhat traumatised a friend I watched it with. Granted, as a first ever anime in one sitting overnight may not have been the smartest idea in hindsight, but eh.
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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby Mankar » Thu Aug 09, 2018 1:26 pm

View Original PostBlockio wrote:I myself have experienced it as pretty much the opposite, however I know for a fact that I somewhat traumatized a friend I watched it with. Granted, as a first ever anime in one sitting overnight may not have been the smartest idea in hindsight, but eh.
haha, honestly I don't know what it is but I'm guessing its traumatization cause i literally cant stop thinking about it and feeling weird/bad about it.

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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby ShonHam » Sun Oct 07, 2018 1:48 am

The show does have a lasting effect on your psyche afterwards, although that's partly due to the lack of closure I imagine. More open-ended series finales always leave marks in your mind and irk you, some moreso than others.
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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby The Cruel » Fri Nov 02, 2018 7:16 pm

Congrats Mankar for getting into the journey through the dark side of anime and human nature that is Eva, especially for you being such a young soul the same as Shinji and the others.

For preserving individual ideals while it endangers others, humans 'll always be reminded about being in the center of the universe and are responsible for disturbing the balance.

The last thing you don't want while facing "THE END" is to regret for not caring enough about yourself and those close to you.

Even now, we have uneasy times in which the order of things could fade in a blink of an eye.

Me, for 5 years, Eva reminds me of what should be importaint the most, to move on in life no matter how little I could do to endure hardships or whether I doubt my worth for who and what I care for.

And in the next few years when the 4th and last film of Rebuild is finally here, humans 'll be reminded with hard truths once more.

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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby SpaceCowboy35 » Mon Nov 05, 2018 10:10 am

I feel it is normal for someone to feel that way about Eva as I did, to a lesser extent, myself. I found myself connecting to Shinji on a deep level and many times felt his emotional pain right beside him. Either way, I think it is fine and normal and you will soon get over it. On the plus side, it inspired a lot of introspection that helped me grow as a person.

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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby Mankar » Sun Nov 11, 2018 12:52 am

View Original PostThe Cruel wrote:Congrats Mankar for getting into the journey through the dark side of anime and human nature that is Eva, especially for you being such a young soul the same as Shinji and the others.

For preserving individual ideals while it endangers others, humans 'll always be reminded about being in the center of the universe and are responsible for disturbing the balance.

The last thing you don't want while facing "THE END" is to regret for not caring enough about yourself and those close to you.

Even now, we have uneasy times in which the order of things could fade in a blink of an eye.

Me, for 5 years, Eva reminds me of what should be importaint the most, to move on in life no matter how little I could do to endure hardships or whether I doubt my worth for who and what I care for.

And in the next few years when the 4th and last film of Rebuild is finally here, humans 'll be reminded with hard truths once more.

Image


haha, finished the rebuild films recently, actually enjoyed them. But i still prefer the original over them. I'm very excited for the new move aswell :)

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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby Mankar » Sun Nov 11, 2018 12:53 am

View Original PostSpaceCowboy35 wrote:I feel it is normal for someone to feel that way about Eva as I did, to a lesser extent, myself. I found myself connecting to Shinji on a deep level and many times felt his emotional pain right beside him. Either way, I think it is fine and normal and you will soon get over it. On the plus side, it inspired a lot of introspection that helped me grow as a person.

Yep! I to this day, still think about life differently every single day but what sparked it was eva. I didn't really care until I saw eva, but it's in a good way.

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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby 天使 | Nyo | 天使 » Fri Nov 01, 2019 1:07 pm

Personally, for me, I think it is. I feel the same way, except for the fact that it's hard now to watch ANY other anime and feel anything fantastic about it, everything afterward feels inferior.

I didn't know what to expect with Eva before I began to watch it...and considering how much I relate to the characters (personally Shinji for me, I might make a post about it or something), the psychological aspects, and EoE, it feels like a lot to think about when all is said and done.

The problem for me is since the show rubbed in such the right way, I've become OBSESSED with it, it's personally unhealthy in my opinion. The ironic part is that Eva is meant to be a piece of anti-escapist material, but I ended up turning it into the very opposite thing.


So yeah, I think it's normal to feel different after watching Eva, it's got a lot to it beyond the mecha scenes most anime websites show. We all react to it differently though, so there are people that aren't as obsessed with the show (or there's just people who know when to move on and just remember the anime without getting too attached.) :facepalm:




I still gotta finish up the rebuild movies though, we'll see how much more obsessed I get after that. :look:
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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby M.Mega » Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:54 am

I felt exactly the same after watching it for the first time. I felt anxious for about two weeks and my mind was full of questions about philosophy and what not. I loved EVA when I watched it, but it was a lot for me to handle. Especially at that time in my life, In short I was super depressed. EVA made it worse, but it was enjoyable lol. :tongue:
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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby FelipeFritschF » Tue Nov 26, 2019 9:30 pm

While I understand what that is like, I do not think we should outright say Evangelion is the definitive anime or anything. Of course it is great, of course it is fantastic and influential, but there are many other great things (not only anime of course) out there. On a purely objective manner (How good is the animation overall, and not just the early eps? The soundtrack? That sort of stuff...) I couldn't even give Eva more than an 8/10, but I do not think art or entertainment needs to be judged that way, I think Eva rises above that because it is greater than the sum of its parts. Interestingly quite a few people feel let down by EoTV and treat it as a weak conclusion overall, and though I do not exactly agree with that I can understand why people would see it that way... in a sense, EoE somewhat elevates the anime, in retrospect - as do the Director's Cuts. Conversely, I have also seen plenty of people expressing opposite opinions based on the manga alone... I think it was Tines who said that, had the manga been his first exposure to Evangelion, he'd probably never have gotten into it.

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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby Reichu » Tue Nov 26, 2019 11:51 pm

"Trauma" has important clinical uses. It feels a wee bit spurious to use that word here (see topic title) in the context of a stimulus shaking you up a little. Eva giving anyone actual trauma entirely on its own merits would not be even a little normal. It'll make you think of bad things, but it is not actually THE bad thing that will damage your psyche for years or a lifetime, in the way abuse, a traumatic loss, or a life-threatening experience could.
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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby Shinichir0 » Sat Nov 30, 2019 4:44 pm

Well, I could say that Eva's long lasting traumatic effect lingered on me for several months. At the time I was pretty much an empty shell of my former self. Then I awoke with a tremendous feeling of harmony and joy. Death and rebirth.

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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby StrokeMeGoat » Mon Dec 02, 2019 11:27 am

Maybe it's because I was already seriously, intensely depressed and suffering from terrible social anxiety, social withdrawal, and was overall in a really bad place whenever I watched NGE+EoE for the first time back when I was 14 (14 years ago now) as a result of suffering a concussion, but if anything NGe had the opposite effect on me. It helped me cope with what I was going through, I really took the show's messages to heart and used that to try and help myself. I found little success in that endeavor (for well over 9-10 years, I'm still dealing with how the concussion has changed me and the permanent cognitive deficits and changes to my personality going through that ~10 year period caused me) though, and really just wound up using the show as a form of escapism or as a crutch or something... frequently rewatching the series and EoE any time I got worse (which was on a regular basis). I was absolutely obsessed with the show.

I guess if anything, the characters were infinitely relatable given I was 14 and just as mentally destroyed as they were. Now I definitely find myself relating to Misato and Kaji the most upon further rewatches, but of course you'd expect that. Sometimes if I'm having a rough go of things I'll watch the series again like I used to as a way to kind of "indulge" in the depression if that make sense, but honestly I'm stable enough now that I don't obsess over it any more and don't find myself even really trying to relate to the characters as much as I did back then, I more or less just watch the show itself and explore the symbolism, especially since I've been extremely interested in Jewish and Christian Gnosticism. the Bible and the Kabbalah, Hermeticism/alchemy and the Kybalion, myths, psychology (specifically Jungian and Lacanian psychoanayltics), religion in general, eastern spiritual belief systems, etc.

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Re: Is it normal to be traumatized by Evangelion?

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Postby Velorex » Sat Dec 07, 2019 2:40 pm

No, its not normal. Evangelion just touches a lot of problems that people can relate to. It touches on many philological and psychological questions that most people are uncomfortable on asking.

To be quite frank; its likely that people who watch Eva are exposed to said questions/themes for the first time in their lives.

The show is fantastic on its portrayal of the character's traumas and ego. A rare gem in storytelling indeed.
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