The first time I watched Eva was a couple of years ago, just as I was beginning to get into anime. Watched the first few episodes over a week, then marathoned the rest + EoE in a single night. For the next several days, I felt not myself. Something spoke to me from the screen, softly but persistently. Before, I was a lazy, nihilistic loner, taking pride in my lack of care for others. I just went along with whatever happened, locked in my shell, with literally no friends or acquaintances beyond my family.
However, Eva just... showed me how wrong I've been, how people are only made real through their connections, how unique and how flawed they are under the identical surfaces. My rational mind was awed at Hideaki Anno's achievement, how he made me see myself in Shinji. And I felt like there was a sacred duty in front of me, one that I must carry now that I see clearly. I'm still a coward, still a loner, still afraid, hurt and disgusted, but now I know why I must help the people around me, refrain from hurting them, maybe do something more. I'm not yet sure what I'll do with my life, but I think I'll manage, as long as it does good.
And I tried to open up a little. I became nicer and more supportive to my family, I found a significant other over the net (by recommending him to watch Eva, no less - we had a good talk after he was through with it and found that we were made for each other). I got into religion (Gnosticism, in case you're curious). Hell, I think I grew up a good five years mentally, as a result of it all.
Well, did anyone else had a similar life-changing experience? I'd just like to know.
Sorry if this is a little unreadable.

I hardly changed like you seem to have, but I certainly changed. I got happier. I wasn't sad or depressed beforehand; I had a fairly average disposition and world view - albeit a cynical one. But that's never really been anything but useful.

I used to be too concerned with what people thought of me and wasn't particularly comfortable in larger groups of people. I was never really myself and felt I should be more like most other people among my peers (Drink, watch football, go to parties, yadda yadda yadda) but after Eva I thought "You know what? No. The world is a million times more complicated than alcohol and football and parties and whatever fleeting fad is currently doing the rounds and I'm not gonna pretend to like them because everyone else does in this fraction of a fraction of the world in a millisecond of time does." which I suppose has made me less social because I don't feel that I ought to meet with people for the sake of meeting with people, and yet it left me much happier to talk with people and now when I see and talk to friends it's because I actually want to, not because I see something wrong in being content with a computer, MSN and a game/ book/ film for company.

I guess I just feel freer and that the world's a little bit nicer than before.

Eva just deepened my spiritual understanding, made me a little more arrogant, but also gave me a person to feel very sorry about. Poor Shinji, I hope you find happiness in Asuka's arms on that beach. Providing she doesn't kick you in the nads. It has also given me something to be obsessed about too. And a whole new hentai fetish. Came with some good and some bad.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that Eva redefined me. It did influence my personal thoughts more than pretty much any TV show or movie has.

The thing about me is that during my worst points, I knew very well that a lot of my depressive, suicidal, and self-hating thoughts were really irrational. I knew they didn't make sense in the grand scheme of things and that I could live happier if I changed my attitude. But I just couldn't, it was too hard. However, Eva seemed to pull the emotional strings that I wasn't able to get to before. Somehow, my understanding of myself was just different, even though, like I said, I already knew the lessons taught prior to watching. I guess it was seeing the tragedies through characters that I had grown to love is what suddenly shifted me.

supershinjiasukashipper wrote:Eva just deepened my spiritual understanding, made me a little more arrogant, but also gave me a person to feel very sorry about. Poor Shinji, I hope you find happiness in Asuka's arms on that beach. Providing she doesn't kick you in the nads. It has also given me something to be obsessed about too. And a whole new hentai fetish. Came with some good and some bad.

Also, this. Damn, man, SxA is the hottest and the most heartwarming thing in the universe. I confess, I'm enormously attracted to both of them.

Not gonna get too intimate here, but yes, in a way it did, and at a time in my life when I needed it most.

Korgan wrote:Also, this. Damn, man, SxA is the hottest and the most heartwarming thing in the universe. I confess, I'm enormously attracted to both of them.

I wouldn't say I am attracted, I think of Shinji like a brother or son almost, and that pretty much kills of attraction to Asuka on a mental level. But it sure is faptastic. I'm gonna get a root beer now.

I was about 30 years too old for that to be a serious possibility. Didn't stop it being an emotional kicking, though.

Mr. Tines wrote:I was about 30 years too old for that to be a serious possibility. Didn't stop it being an emotional kicking, though.

Its good you can never get too old to have something like this move you. Lets face it, eva is universal.

This is a scale showing people's outlooks on life.
“Aw, fiddlesticks! I just lost my arm. Good thing I'm left-handed!” ←→ Idealistic ←→ Optimistic ←→ Realistic ←→ Pessimistic ←→ Cynical ←→ “Oh, God, kill me now!”

Where I was a day before Eva: “Oh God, kill me now!”

Where I was a while watching Eva: Cynical

Where I was after EoTV: Pessimistic

Where I was after EoE: “Oh, God, kill me now!”

Where I was after I rewatched EoE and understood it: Realistic

Eva pretty much saved my life.

supershinjiasukashipper wrote:Lets face it, eva is universal.

I really doubt that it's universal. Crazy trippy intrsopective philosophical mindfucks aren't to everyone's taste. Neither is not having every single answer spelled out in neon letters for them. Heck, the fact that it's an anime means the majority of Westerners wouldn't take it seriously, anyway.

It got me into a very philosophical state. After watching it, all I could do was keep researching to try to understand right after I got home from work for like a week. It has for sure changed the way I think and has consumed my life.

Yes, but not to the point of emotional trauma. When I first was encouraged to watch it, I was so hooked that I watched I think the first 15 episodes in a day, then watched the rest plus EoE the next day.

I remember that for a week, I was pretty disoriented, and couldn't really think about anything other than Evangelion. Once things cleared and I understood the implications of the ending, however, I did feel much better about it. So, in the end, nothing major- I wasn't in a state of emotional distress before, and it helped improve my outlook on life. Slightly.

Although I really can't go more than a day without thinking/subconsciously making a reference to it.

Asuka certainly did the job for me.

Mr. Tines wrote:I was about 30 years too old for that to be a serious possibility. Didn't stop it being an emotional kicking, though.

This (though knock a decade off in my case). Also, shows don't really do much to define me; the compelling ones might get me to think about and redefine myself, but that's about as far as it goes.

Absolutely, like no other work of art ever has

am not sure if it was a good thing :P:P:P

Xard wrote:Absolutely, like no other work of art ever has

am not sure if it was a good thing :P:P:P

This.

Oh, the irony of being obsessed with Eva. I should be going outside and living my life, but ever since I discovered Eva, I've used up more time and money re-watching the series over and over again and buying more merchandise. It did change my worldview, so some good has definitely come out of my fandom.

It was amazing and it touched in a way nothing else has or ever will, but I don't think it really changed me.

Rei Makes You Go Splat wrote:This.

Oh, the irony of being obsessed with Eva. I should be going outside and living my life, but ever since I discovered Eva, I've used up more time and money re-watching the series over and over again and buying more merchandise. It did change my worldview, so some good has definitely come out of my fandom.

That is ironic. Anno would probably have a sad if he read that, considering the show and EoE in particular were saying "Go outside and stop obsessing over anime!".