First Evangelion Experience

Notable old Evangelion threads from the AnimeNation Forums are preserved here.

Moderators: Monk Ed, Ornette

Someone [ANF]
Embryo
User avatar
Posts: 12
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Someone [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:54 am

When was your first time watching Evangelion? How did you feel after watching the first few episode?

Mine a bit silly... Image

The first time I saw Evangelion was a commercial on TV. At first it had no effect on me but all change when my big brother borrow it from a friend and I started watching it. I was actually about 12 yrs old about that time and know nothing about anime. So I started watching the first two episode and again and again and again and until my brother return it. Come to think of it, I regret not watching the entire series the first time but i was 12 when that happen so I will never understand it. It was then two years after that, the interest in Evangelion rekindle and I was spoiling myself silly with internet information. After that, I finally got the VCD and start to watch ever since...Image

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 12:47 GMT

Ark [ANF]
Lilith
User avatar
Posts: 102
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Ark [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:54 am

I first saw it on the sci-fi channel in April.

I thought the first few episodes were pretty wack but it eventually got better.

I didn't really appreciate it fully until I saw E of E.

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 13:05 GMT

Keisuke-kun [ANF]
Sachiel
Sachiel
User avatar
Posts: 248
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Keisuke-kun [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:54 am

I can't remember when the first time I saw Eva was but I always loved it.

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 14:58 GMT

NakedEYE666 [ANF]
Sachiel
Sachiel
User avatar
Posts: 216
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby NakedEYE666 [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:54 am

Ahh this is one of the best memories I have of anime (right up there with.... everything else)

Yeah so, my brother had had Evangelion for a while now (my older but not oldest brother) and he had already watched it marathon style. So one day he comes up to me and says "I think it's time you watch Evangelion" so he showed us his collection of uber-VHS tapes, and me and my best friend watched the series over a span of like 3 days (it was Easter break, if I remember correctly). Of course, it blew me away. I remember all those moments that are particularly mind-bursting the first time, like EVA 01 vs the round shadow angel, and EVA 01 vs Touji, I think I often fell on the floor after those episodes.

I'm pretty sure I had seen the first 2 episodes before... but I can't remember for the life of me why. Oh well...

Oh, and the first time I saw EoE... heh heh heh. Well it was a while after I had seen Evangelion, the good old Pittsburgh Comicon came around so me and my brother went. We happened to come across 2 VHS tapes of Death, Rebirth & The End of Evangelion, so of course we both bought them. I don't remember when it was that my brother ever watched it first. I do remember when I did though. I came home and it was pretty late (like 1:30 or something like that) but I had a craving to watch it, I had seen some of Death at the convention and I just planned to watch Death and then stop. But when Death ended I wanted to watch the rest. So I did. Heh heh heh.... yeah. So anyway I was totally depressed when I went to bed, and was still depressed when I woke up.

Oh, by the way, I think I was 12 (close to 13) when I first saw Evangelion.

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 15:03 GMT

Ark [ANF]
Lilith
User avatar
Posts: 102
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Ark [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:54 am

I don't think I would have understood it at 12.

I can barely understand it now.

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 16:09 GMT

Succubus_Manx [ANF]
Embryo
Posts: 1
Joined: Feb 04, 2008

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Succubus_Manx [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:56 am

I saw the funny edited version on Cartoon network.

Yes, Misato so loves her soda pops.

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 16:14 GMT

Ark [ANF]
Lilith
User avatar
Posts: 102
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Ark [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:56 am

I saw the funny edited version on Cartoon network.


You've got to be kidding.

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 16:57 GMT

Reichu [ANF]
Angel
Angel
User avatar
Posts: 3651
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Reichu [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:56 am

Well, here's the tale for anyone who actually reads this stuff. :puts on Stuffman's storyteller beard:

Twas near the end of my last year of high school. (Pre-summer, 2000.) I was being routinely infected with new anime by my siblings. I had heard of this strangely-titled "Neon Genesis Evangelion" before, but I didn't know zilch about it... On their recommendation, I finally sat down and started watching our evil VHS bootleg copy -- still with no idea of what to expect, except that people where fighting something called "Angels".

My sister decided to confuse me early on by calling EVA-01 a "she". Of course, not knowing any better at that point, I defiantly asked, "How the heck is that thing a 'she'?" Like she was going to tell me. Image By episode 2, the "giant green eyeball" shot officially had me wondering, "WTF?!?!?" -- if nothing else, I continued watching out of a perverse desire to find out what the hell these Evas were all about.

Of course, I wouldn't get answers any time soon, but other aspects of the show held my attention. For whatever reason, the way that every "Monster of the Week" posed a unique problem to be solved interested me, regardless of how nonsensical many of the solutions were. That dragged me into the second half of the series -- and once I was there, I was officially hooked.

I distinctly remember the end of episode #19 being one of the most viscerally gripping things I had ever seen in film. (Granted, after watching it forty or so times, it's not quite the same...) EVA-01's "awakening" left me agape, riveted. This was the sort of thing I'd been waiting for since seeing that f*cked-up head in episode #02!

...but, of course, episode #20 didn't quite follow up on the, er, energy of #19 as I'd hoped. "WHAAATTTT?!? She's just magically back in her cage and completely inert??? AND covered in bandages?! Even worse, I have to sit through MORE of Shinji's mind trips? I HATE YOU!!!!!" But the next four episodes were pretty cool (even though they frelled with my mind), so I got over my angst fairly quickly.

But, ohhhhhh, EoTV was unforgiveable! After everything I'd sat through, I wanted some kind of closure on the COOL stuff (like Evas, and Angels, and Adam, and the Lance... and "Lilith", whoever THAT was). Two whole episodes of mind trips was NOT what I had in mind. It was torturous viewing, and I'm sure that I would have hated the entire series by the end of #26 if my siblings hadn't said something about a "movie"...

Unfortunately, the crapth-generation VHS bootleg of EoE was being borrowed at the time, and I had to wait... But when the wait was over, I plunged myself into the movie (sorta skipped D&R at the time, since I'd been told it was old material and thus not what I wanted to see) without having ANY idea what was in store. I was completely unprepared for seeing EVA-02 brutally maimed before my eyes -- I think the mental trauma from that lasts to this very day. Image I was in such a state of shock from that, I think, that the rest of the movie just kind of flashed by and didn't make ANY sense whatsoever. Although, I must say, being in a state of total and utter perplexity from EoE felt somewhat more satisfying than EoTV...

Four years later, I think I have at least a decent idea of what the hell is going on the series. And I don't completely hate EoTV anymore (although the near-total absence of the Evas is somewhat unforgiveable Image).

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 17:03 GMT

tv33 [ANF]
Ramiel
Ramiel
User avatar
Posts: 324
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby tv33 [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:56 am

^ What a vivid memory. My memory of watching Eva for the first time is hazier.

It was over two years ago, I had just turned 17, and was somewhat getting into anime at the time, I had only seen one or two things and been consciously aware that they were Japanese animation.

So I somewhat stubble across Neon Genesis Evangelion, and said “What the heck, I’ll give it a try” not knowing anything about the series. So I downloaded some of it (I know, I know) and I remember seeing the first episode and thinking it was in the same vein as Godzilla, monster destroys the city type thing. I was surprised by the cinematography; it wasn’t like most cartoons. But what struck me most was Gendo’s line when Fuyutsuki asked if Rei could pilot it, and he simply responded “She isn’t dead.”

Anyway I just kept watching, until I saw EoTV, then thought “What!?! How can it be over!?!” so I went to Amazon and saw there was a movie. I watched D&R and was angry and confused that it was just scenes from the series, so I went back to Amazon saw EoE, downloaded it and had my mind blown. I saw it at like 1 AM and couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night; I just kept trying to figure out what I just saw.

And in my attempt to figure out what I just saw, I ended up here.

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 17:32 GMT

thx3876 [ANF]
Adam
User avatar
Posts: 97
Joined: Oct 22, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby thx3876 [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:56 am

I was older than most of you the first time I saw it being 25 in the Fall of 2001. Evangelion was the first anime series I watched all the way through. A friend at work had recently gotten me into anime by showing me Princess Mononoke and Ninja Scroll so I was on the lookout for a good anime series when I saw an Evangelion AMV of Europe's The Final Countdown. I loved the look of the EVAs and characters so I quickly snatched up the first two DVD volumes on Ebay. I was a little spoiled the first time I watched it so it didn't go over my head that much. I knew Rei was a clone of Shinji's mother and that there was something else up with her after seeing pictures of her on the internet in all her Lillith glory hovering over the Earth with those giant wings.

And like most other people, I was completely ticked off at the TV ending and was relieved to find out that their was a definitive movie version of the ending.

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 18:46 GMT

Quiddity [ANF]
Adam
User avatar
Posts: 56
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Quiddity [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:56 am

I first heard of Eva back in the late summer of 1999 when I first got an internet connection at home. At the time I was extremely obsessed with the videogame Xenogears, and I occasionally heard of this 'Project Eva' thing first thinking it was another videogame. Not being an anime fan at the time (I'd seen a few things on Sci-Fi Channel, that was about it) I didn't put much thought into at the time. But over the next year and a half or so as I heard hundreds of tales about how Xenogears was nothing more than a videogame version of Eva I got extremely excited in it. I finally experienced Eva for the first time at the age of 18, when I got the first 2 DVDs for Christmas, 2000. While I really liked the quality of the episodes (outside of the last 2: 7 & 8) I couldn't help but be tremendously dissappointed by the lack of similarity to Xenogears outside of the fact that they both use mechas and have religious symbolism. They shared those 2, but Xenogears' plot was so much more tremendously in depth then Eva's was that I couldn't help but feel tremendously dissappointed from that aspect, in Eva as I watched the entire series as it was released on DVD, finishing up around May or June of 2001 with the final few episodes and a fansub of EOE. And thats why I've always been so hell bent about any notion of Eva spawning ripoffs, since I was duped for so long and led into thinking that it would be as good as Xenogears. But in terms of other anime, well Eva was the best thing I'd ever seen after finishing it for the first time. Upon watching it a few more times its major flaws became apparant, so its fallen, but still remains among my top 10.

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 21:52 GMT

RahOtaku [ANF]
Adam
User avatar
Posts: 78
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby RahOtaku [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:56 am

Evangelion is definitely a Ripoff of XenoGear...

And Evangelion Live Action movie will be a ripoff of XenoSaga.

Yada yada... XenoGear is so much better than Eva. Eva just leaves me feeling empty?

Image


Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 23:15 GMT

musashi1600 [ANF]
Embryo
Posts: 20
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby musashi1600 [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:56 am

I first saw Eva on Toonami's "Giant Robot Week," but I owe it to my good friend for getting me into it. I got the boxset with the movies last Christmas and finished everything in two days. . . Image

Originally posted on: 19-Jun-2004, 23:28 GMT

Keisuke-kun [ANF]
Sachiel
Sachiel
User avatar
Posts: 248
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Keisuke-kun [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:57 am

RahOtaku wrote:Evangelion is definitely a Ripoff of XenoGear...

And Evangelion Live Action movie will be a ripoff of XenoSaga.

Yada yada... XenoGear is so much better than Eva. Eva just leaves me feeling empty?

Image


Jesus christ please don't start this again.

Reichu wrote:Well, here's the tale for anyone who actually reads this stuff. :puts on Stuffman's storyteller beard:

Twas near the end of my last year of high school. (Pre-summer, 2000.) I was being routinely infected with new anime by my siblings. I had heard of this strangely-titled "Neon Genesis Evangelion" before, but I didn't know zilch about it... On their recommendation, I finally sat down and started watching our evil VHS bootleg copy -- still with no idea of what to expect, except that people where fighting something called "Angels".

My sister decided to confuse me early on by calling EVA-01 a "she". Of course, not knowing any better at that point, I defiantly asked, "How the heck is that thing a 'she'?" Like she was going to tell me. By episode 2, the "giant green eyeball" shot officially had me wondering, "WTF?!?!?" -- if nothing else, I continued watching out of a perverse desire to find out what the hell these Evas were all about.

Of course, I wouldn't get answers any time soon, but other aspects of the show held my attention. For whatever reason, the way that every "Monster of the Week" posed a unique problem to be solved interested me, regardless of how nonsensical many of the solutions were. That dragged me into the second half of the series -- and once I was there, I was officially hooked.

I distinctly remember the end of episode #19 being one of the most viscerally gripping things I had ever seen in film. (Granted, after watching it forty or so times, it's not quite the same...) EVA-01's "awakening" left me agape, riveted. This was the sort of thing I'd been waiting for since seeing that f*cked-up head in episode #02!

...but, of course, episode #20 didn't quite follow up on the, er, energy of #19 as I'd hoped. "WHAAATTTT?!? She's just magically back in her cage and completely inert??? AND covered in bandages?! Even worse, I have to sit through MORE of Shinji's mind trips? I HATE YOU!!!!!" But the next four episodes were pretty cool (even though they frelled with my mind), so I got over my angst fairly quickly.

But, ohhhhhh, EoTV was unforgiveable! After everything I'd sat through, I wanted some kind of closure on the COOL stuff (like Evas, and Angels, and Adam, and the Lance... and "Lilith", whoever THAT was). Two whole episodes of mind trips was NOT what I had in mind. It was torturous viewing, and I'm sure that I would have hated the entire series by the end of #26 if my siblings hadn't said something about a "movie"...

Unfortunately, the crapth-generation VHS bootleg of EoE was being borrowed at the time, and I had to wait... But when the wait was over, I plunged myself into the movie (sorta skipped D&R at the time, since I'd been told it was old material and thus not what I wanted to see) without having ANY idea what was in store. I was completely unprepared for seeing EVA-02 brutally maimed before my eyes -- I think the mental trauma from that lasts to this very day. I was in such a state of shock from that, I think, that the rest of the movie just kind of flashed by and didn't make ANY sense whatsoever. Although, I must say, being in a state of total and utter perplexity from EoE felt somewhat more satisfying than EoTV...

Four years later, I think I have at least a decent idea of what the hell is going on the series. And I don't completely hate EoTV anymore (although the near-total absence of the Evas is somewhat unforgiveable ).


Good story. Actually I was quite satisfied by the TV ending. Well I did have the "Thats it?" thought but I wasn't that angry. I think I first saw Eva when I was like 14 when I rented the first 2 eps from Hollywood Video. After that I got the whole series for christmas (A DVD bundle from AN like a month before the box set came out. That pissed me off). The only vivid anime experience I have is what got me into anime. Gundam Wing. I saw that on Toonami and was hooked. I finally got the G-wing box set. Strange thing is I can't remember who from or when I got it. All I know is that it was in the last 2 years or so.

I am Currently collecting the Japanese renewal. I already have the first 2 DVD. Bu the Japanese renewal is 8 DVD long. Pluss Revival. I have to have that.

Originally posted on: 20-Jun-2004, 02:17 GMT

Tenna [ANF]
Embryo
Posts: 1
Joined: Feb 04, 2008

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Tenna [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:58 am

RahOtaku wrote:Evangelion is definitely a Ripoff of XenoGear...

And Evangelion Live Action movie will be a ripoff of XenoSaga.

Yada yada... XenoGear is so much better than Eva. Eva just leaves me feeling empty?

Image



I've played Xenosaga, but haven't seen XenoGear. Can you explain to me how it's ripping it off..?

Originally posted on: 20-Jun-2004, 03:34 GMT

RahOtaku [ANF]
Adam
User avatar
Posts: 78
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby RahOtaku [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:58 am

I'm poking fun at Quiddity's obsession that Evangelion is unoriginal and that Gundam, XenoGear, etc are all more original. He's written essays on how unoriginal Eva is.

yada, yada...

In no way do I think any anime is a rip off of another. They maybe similar but never a ripoff.
Image

Originally posted on: 20-Jun-2004, 04:11 GMT

tbozfan [ANF]
Embryo
User avatar
Posts: 32
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby tbozfan [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:58 am

Incest is great.

Never let anyone tell you differently.

Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another.

Originally posted on: 20-Jun-2004, 06:02 GMT

Springymajig [ANF]
Embryo
Posts: 5
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Springymajig [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:58 am

When I was about 12 I discovered Gundam model kits. Next to the Gundam model kits were the amazingly curious looking Evangelion models. Being a stupid purist with stupid silly rules I never bought an Evangelion model kit (oh how I regret that today) but I looked up the series and decided I wanted to see it.

Fast forward 6 years, after moving to the city, I finally had a chance to rent out Evangelion. Managed to see the first 6 eps before the friggin video machine broke (and we still don't have a new one), but I decided to buy the DVD boxset anyway, the first 6 was enough to convince me.

The end.

Originally posted on: 20-Jun-2004, 06:09 GMT

Keisuke-kun [ANF]
Sachiel
Sachiel
User avatar
Posts: 248
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Keisuke-kun [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:59 am

Yeh strangley IU have never built an Eva model Either (Besides the foot tall Eva-01). I know that they will have balance problems, bad weapon selection, unposable, ect. I know this cause a $150 model has these problems so a cheaper one of the same thing will have more problems.

I like the Eva figures though. Those are so cool and well detailed. Plus if you get them all you basically have all the Eva weapons and they are posed easily

Gundam models even have balance problems sometimes and their feet are huge. Imagine an Eva with those little hooves.

Originally posted on: 20-Jun-2004, 07:51 GMT

Quiddity [ANF]
Adam
User avatar
Posts: 56
Joined: Oct 19, 2007

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Quiddity [ANF] » Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:59 am

I'm poking fun at Quiddity's obsession that Evangelion is unoriginal and that Gundam, XenoGear, etc are all more original. He's written essays on how unoriginal Eva is.


While Gundam is, I've never claimed that Xenogears is more original than Eva, only better written than Eva. Xenogears is blatantly unoriginal, containing things like Carbon Freezing(Star Wars) and the Soylent System(Soylent Green). But like I've said many times, being unoriginal doesn't make something bad.

And I should append to my original post, since I forgot to mention my feelings about Eva's TV ending. Unlike many, I had been hearing about the controversy of Eva's ending for a long time, after all it had been nearly 2 years after I heard of Eva for the first time that I first saw the ending. So I already knew before stepping in that it would fail to resolve anything, and hence obviously couldn't have been as shocked or dissappointed in it as those that went in unspoiled.

Originally posted on: 20-Jun-2004, 13:49 GMT


Return to “AnimeNation Archive”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests