When I was growing up, I watched Evangelion, and it made an incredible impact on me in so many interesting ways. It exposed me to a broader world of anime, and I discovered some of the mecha that inspired the series. Like many people exposed to anime for the first time, I had a basic understanding of it and the culture it came from. I still do, but I've started to learn more and improve at identifying things, though I know I still have much to learn.

Hideaki Anno himself is the person I misunderstood the most. I thought he was a struggling artist who felt very cynical toward the industry he worked in. I also believed he hated his fellow otaku, despised how popular Evangelion became, and hated himself even more. The truth is actually much more nuanced than I expected. Despite the flak Evangelion received for being as somber as it is, it carries a positive message about growing up, facing your fears, and "touching grass." Anno genuinely liked his fans, supported most of the merchandise it inspired, and was legitimately sympathetic toward his fellow otaku.

Evangelion itself isn’t so much a "deconstruction" as it is a homage to the mecha that inspired it. Maybe I could be wrong about this, and perhaps I’m giving Anno too much credit. What do you think? Given what we know now, do you still consider Evangelion to be a "deconstruction"?

Evangelion itself isn’t so much a "deconstruction" as it is a homage to the mecha that inspired it. Maybe I could be wrong about this, and perhaps I’m giving Anno too much credit.

I think I agree, but I think my opinion is nuanced. The word 'deconstruction' gets thrown around a lot as the default description of Evangelion, but I feel people have lost sight of what it means. I more feel that Eva reaches deconstruction through homage; by honouring the work that came before it, Eva is able to reach greater insight about questions posited by the mech genre than its predecessors.

Take MSG 0079, for instance. 0079 also shares plenty of themes of, say, war being bad, the stress put on child soldiers, maturing and becoming a person. I would go as far as to say Shinji's character shares a lot of similarity with that of Amuro Ray - they're both devoted soldiers with incredible work ethic, but also experience instability in their confidence and relationships, and both of them end up running away to compensate for it. There's definitely an element of homage in this element alone, but by taking it further and exploring Shinji at a slower pace than 0079 can explore Amuro (n.b; I don't have an issue with 0079's pacing, and I love how breakneck it is) then Shinji can be used as a tool to deconstruct the psychology of the character arcs that preceded Evangelion. From a writing perspective, details like this are why NGE is such a modern mainstay when.

Despite the flak Evangelion received for being as somber as it is, it carries a positive message about growing up, facing your fears, and "touching grass.

I feel that the message is a big difference between NGE and NTE. NGE, to me, felt like it was more about growing up and embracing the gaps between people - that we can't see in to each other's heads, but that that shouldn't stop us from having meaningful relationships. NTE is more about the social, external conclusions you can draw from that message - about growing up, going outside, and yes, "touching grass," as you put it. "Separate conclusions on the same posited set of themes" is also a great way to describe the differences between NGE and NTE, now that I think about it!

what do you think? I hope this is an interesting perspective !!

I think that Evangelion offers commentary on it's medium and existentialist concepts in relation to loneliness and the search for purpose in life by using it's science fiction premise to explore the psychology of it's characters. I don't believe that the show was intended as one elaborate middle finger to the otaku community but rather as a study of how social isolation and self hatred can lead to alienation and resentment towards the world. To me it's an exploration of the propensity to reject society and companionship in favor of retreating into a ritualistic cycle of self fulfillment in order to feel wanted by other people, to exist for the approval of other people. In Eva, the most obvious example of this would be Shinji as he repeatedly states he pilots the Eva to be approved and feel wanted by his father, but by doing so he doesn't achieve genuine happiness as he still hates himself and can't form intimate connections with anyone in his life. I think in this regard Evangelion is more of a insight into the effects of depression, nihilism, and isolation and how we cope with it. I don't think that Anno had animosity toward the fans but rather intended his work to viewed as a sincere and sympathetic look at the process in which people become alienated from society in fear of being hurt by others, showing what it inevitability leads to. I could see Evangelion being interpreted as a deconstruction as it does criticize the way people choose to run away from innermost conflicts but I also feel that the show does have a very strong positive message which you summed up very well. That being the importance of learning to truly live life and go out and form bonds and connections with other people. Honestly I think I'm kind of right in the middle as I can see both sides of the argument.

lol no

I can't believe we have an user from 2008 called GAP and an user from 2010 called CAP and they have both just made new posts in 2025.

FelipeFritschF wrote:I can't believe we have an user from 2008 called GAP and an user from 2010 called CAP and they have both just made new posts in 2025.

What's so strange about long time members? Or is it just the similarity in names?

I think a good part of the reason why the deconstruction was so talked about for decades is that the anglo-sphere of the anime fandom somehow felt insecure about liking an anime with big robots.
It's a really well written show that explores a lot of interesting themes, some more in depth than others, but ultimately it's still well planed in the mecha genre and shares many of its cliques and structure.

It might have been seen as a "deconstruction" of the genre when it first came out, but over time Evangelion has become something entirely different. Today, it stands as one of the most recognizable brands in global entertainment (not just anime), influencing countless works that followed. Just look at how many characters were clearly inspired by Rei.
That said, that original idea and that specific moment in history will go away.

@Joseki might be onto something here, though.

I agree with @Joseki in the sense that culturally Evangelion has evolved into something very different from when it came out as the show is in it of itself a massively influential work in the mecha genre and adheres to a lot of similar tropes but uses them to delve into really interesting philosophical concepts and ideas in relation to it's characters.

FelipeFritschF wrote:I can't believe we have an user from 2008 called GAP and an user from 2010 called CAP and they have both just made new posts in 2025.

Don’t mind me, I’m a ghost that refuses to leave his resting ground.

Nono I just found the usernames a funny coincidence. I myself am hardly a new user.

On topic, I never really got the feeling from the interviews that they set out to deconstruct anything really. I know this is a common analysis but it seems to have been something of a happy accident. Eva was hardly the first to do it, after all, part of it reason for existing was to respond to and challenge Gundam and Tomino, Anno's best frenemy.

I had thought that Anno might be Japan’s equivalent to Alan Moore.

•Both of their work is considered a deconstruction to their perspective genre.
•Both are timeless masterpieces to their fans.
•Both are influential to other media that came after them.
•Both are seemingly cynical and misanthropic towards the world.
•Both seem to have some animosity towards their fans.
•Both reject the societal norms.

That’s my take anyway.