Does Evangelion ever make you depressed?

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Does Evangelion ever make you depressed?

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Postby Venez » Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:12 pm

Does Evangelion ever make you sad when you really dwell on pieces of it? I tend to get some rather rough thoughts when I think about some of the themes of the show. It may sound ridiculous, that's why I'm just wondering if anyone else seemed to be a wreck during or after the show. Hopefully we can discuss further.

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Postby Brainman » Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:18 pm

I used to get affected by it. Mostly when I had first watched it. EoE was kind of rough. I think the weekend after first watching EoE (at a friend's house during a friday) was the worst. I just had a general ill feeling about it, mostly from a headache.

But I'm over that now a days.
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Postby Venez » Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:25 pm

View Original PostBrainman wrote:I used to get affected by it. Mostly when I had first watched it. EoE was kind of rough. I think the weekend after first watching EoE (at a friend's house during a friday) was the worst. I just had a general ill feeling about it, mostly from a headache.

But I'm over that now a days.


I agree that it passes with time, it doesn't help that I just re-watched it as well. I still get fairly somber thoughts when I see clips, or even doujin that's supposed to be erotic... It just feels fucked up. (Probably sounds over the top...)
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Postby CJD » Sat Aug 11, 2012 12:19 am

So first, let me preface this by saying I have 3 experiences watching Eva. The first was two years ago and while I did feel these things it was to a lesser extent. The second was last year and was the most severe and consequently what I'll describe. The third was just last month when I watched the latter half of Eva (and the Rebuild movies) in a community stream hosted by some random /a/non, and while I did feel lethargic and down towards the end of the main series and EoE, the combination of a "community" and the Rebuild movies immediately after, I believe, prevented me from feeling anywhere near the levels I felt after the second. Also, all three were marathons, which is likely related.

I've talked about it before but when I finish Eva I get really... drained I guess. (Depression might be an accurate word for it but I don't like throwing "Depression" around lightly.) I just want to go lay down and sleep, to not think about it. After watching Eva nothing else seems important or enjoyable, and I end up feeling like trying to enjoy something, like playing video games for example, is a betrayal (Either to myself or to Eva, I'm not exactly sure, I just feel bad about it.)

This extreme lethargy persisted for a day or two where I spent the large majority of my time laying in bed. After that a sense of depression persisted for a few weeks to a month, I don't recall exactly how much time just that it was a major down period for me. Eva also managed to instill in me, for some reason, a dislike of television and movies. Before this Eva watching session I almost always had the television on when I was at my computer. Even if I wasn't watching it or had it muted I enjoyed very much the presence of it. I also had shows that I watched when they aired. After watching Eva this time it changed. I watched it late May/early June (it's what prompted me to join Evageeks), and I don't think I actually turned my television on till last fall, and it wasn't until this spring that I actually started watching shows again (besides Anime, that persisted throughout). I still don't turn my TV on unless I'm looking for something, or really, really bored, and I still haven't resumed watching most of the shows I used to watch.

Part of what got me out of my slump, my depression, was joining Evageeks. I've half joked about it but the ability to discuss Eva, something I couldn't do with anyone I knew, helped me dispense a lot of inner questions and turmoil. It also allows me to keep Eva present in my life, which is the reason I tend to be on here every day (even if I don't post), it lets me feel like Eva isn't actually over. The ability to keep Eva around, but not dominating my thoughts or making me sad, helps me a lot.

End Disclaimer: Now, I mentioned the fact that I marathoned it, which could be related. (Memories foggy so if someone knows who I'm talking about and I get something wrong feel free to correct me. Sorry!) There was a thread a while back where someone mentioned that they recently marathoned Eva for the first time, they had previously watched it in pieces, and they too felt drained. If I recall correctly it seemed the general consensus was most people hadn't marathoned it before, and while they did have similar problems after watching it normally, it wasn't anywhere near the levels that the person in question or myself had felt. Based on that I'd say it's a safe assumption marathoning Eva directly correlates to much stronger negative feelings after finishing it, and could very well be the reason my experience might differ from so many others.

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Postby Venez » Sat Aug 11, 2012 12:34 am

View Original PostCJD wrote:So first, let me preface this by saying I have 3 experiences watching Eva. The first was two years ago and while I did feel these things it was to a lesser extent. The second was last year and was the most severe and consequently what I'll describe. The third was just last month when I watched the latter half of Eva (and the Rebuild movies) in a community stream hosted by some random /a/non, and while I did feel lethargic and down towards the end of the main series and EoE, the combination of a "community" and the Rebuild movies immediately after, I believe, prevented me from feeling anywhere near the levels I felt after the second. Also, all three were marathons, which is likely related.

I've talked about it before but when I finish Eva I get really... drained I guess. (Depression might be an accurate word for it but I don't like throwing "Depression" around lightly.) I just want to go lay down and sleep, to not think about it. After watching Eva nothing else seems important or enjoyable, and I end up feeling like trying to enjoy something, like playing video games for example, is a betrayal (Either to myself or to Eva, I'm not exactly sure, I just feel bad about it.)

This extreme lethargy persisted for a day or two where I spent the large majority of my time laying in bed. After that a sense of depression persisted for a few weeks to a month, I don't recall exactly how much time just that it was a major down period for me. Eva also managed to instill in me, for some reason, a dislike of television and movies. Before this Eva watching session I almost always had the television on when I was at my computer. Even if I wasn't watching it or had it muted I enjoyed very much the presence of it. I also had shows that I watched when they aired. After watching Eva this time it changed. I watched it late May/early June (it's what prompted me to join Evageeks), and I don't think I actually turned my television on till last fall, and it wasn't until this spring that I actually started watching shows again (besides Anime, that persisted throughout). I still don't turn my TV on unless I'm looking for something, or really, really bored, and I still haven't resumed watching most of the shows I used to watch.

Part of what got me out of my slump, my depression, was joining Evageeks. I've half joked about it but the ability to discuss Eva, something I couldn't do with anyone I knew, helped me dispense a lot of inner questions and turmoil. It also allows me to keep Eva present in my life, which is the reason I tend to be on here every day (even if I don't post), it lets me feel like Eva isn't actually over. The ability to keep Eva around, but not dominating my thoughts or making me sad, helps me a lot.

End Disclaimer: Now, I mentioned the fact that I marathoned it, which could be related. (Memories foggy so if someone knows who I'm talking about and I get something wrong feel free to correct me. Sorry!) There was a thread a while back where someone mentioned that they recently marathoned Eva for the first time, they had previously watched it in pieces, and they too felt drained. If I recall correctly it seemed the general consensus was most people hadn't marathoned it before, and while they did have similar problems after watching it normally, it wasn't anywhere near the levels that the person in question or myself had felt. Based on that I'd say it's a safe assumption marathoning Eva directly correlates to much stronger negative feelings after finishing it, and could very well be the reason my experience might differ from so many others.


This past time, I marathoned it as well. It is much worse watching it all at once. I series of traumatic events almost. At first I almost didn't want to talk about how that made me feel. A community aspect really helped. Not only did the show make me sad because of the relationships developed between you and the characters, but because of how it made me look at life. (I feel ridiculous again, but here I go). For some reason, it made a feeling of insignificance resurface, a long with a way of perceiving reality that made me no longer enjoy certain things. For a few days, the food tasted bad, my bed felt uncomfortable, and I just ached. (Sorry if I am giving wall-of-text syndrome). I really wanted to discuss what was going on, but I just felt plain dumb, almost in a "why am I so stuck on this" sort of way. "It's just a show/It's just entertainment" didn't help, what people fail to realize is that it's what you don't see that you can't get over. Meaning is subjective, and what I took away from that experience would really stick with me for a while it seems. I guess I'm "glad" someone had a similar experience at least.
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Postby Darknessincumbent » Sat Aug 11, 2012 6:23 am

I am so glad that I am not the only one who feels that way. I know I should stop watching it, it can't be good for my mental health (depression after watching it that lingers for days), but sadly, it actually helps me deal with some pretty fucked up shit that went on in my past.

I was like a combination of Shinji/Asuka. Depressed, with a massive superiority complex, and tons of self loathing. It wasn't pretty.
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Postby Jayfive » Sat Aug 11, 2012 7:15 am

Makes me depressed? Quite the opposite in fact.

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Postby Joe » Sat Aug 11, 2012 7:33 am

After seeing EoE... During two days I was wondering why I love this anime which has a so sad conclusion...

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Postby Blue Monday » Sat Aug 11, 2012 8:38 am

Whilst EOE has its sad moments, 'bittersweet' and 'quietly optimistic' are words I'd use to describe the conclusion itself. I mean, Instrumentality is averted and Asuka IS ALIVE. I pull a sense of hope from it all.

It (EOE) is a very emotionally draining experience though and I love it for that.
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Postby riffraff11235 » Sat Aug 11, 2012 9:16 am

Rather than making me depressed, watching Evangelion for an extended period just puts me in a pensive mood for a while. The topics that the show touches upon - self worth, personal relations, the meaning of life, and the search for love, among many others - are things that I've thought about a lot over the past few years. Seeing each character's take on each of them has given me lots of food for thought, so when I finish watching I can't help but feel grateful for the exceptionally "human" anime that Anno has created for us.
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Postby Justacrazyguy » Sat Aug 11, 2012 9:18 am

View Original PostJayfive wrote:Makes me depressed? Quite the opposite in fact.


Same thing. I thought Evangelion was supposed to give you hope, not make you feel depressed. Even EoE had a message of hope at the end.

But I guess that is one of the great things about Evangelion, it makes you feel something, be it good or bad.
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Postby Fireball » Sat Aug 11, 2012 1:03 pm

I mentioned this before but my first few just left me confused and angered. I was a teen and expected something different. Years later a bit more mature and self-conscious the connection was much more personal. EoE destroyed me and it took quite a while to recover. It was a strange feeling of depression and melancholy, however the longer I thought about it the more positive my outlook became.

Like, CJD, I saw the DEEP/a/thon a while ago and I can't say it left me unfazed, but watching it with others and cracking jokes all the time was probably the most lighthearted watch I had so far.
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Postby SaVaGe » Sat Aug 11, 2012 1:40 pm

End of Evangelion helped me cope with depression.

That's why I don't understand when people claim that it wasn't a happy ending. It was ambiguous, but it was happy in the broad scope of things.
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Postby Eliaskar » Sat Aug 11, 2012 2:37 pm

I think at first I was more confused rather than depressed. As I understood it more further on, it became a positive message to me in the end.

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Postby EvaBrothers » Sat Aug 11, 2012 2:59 pm

When I watched NGE the first time, I had to take it slow: one episode every two days at most. I used to suffer from depression every 2-3 months at that age (18-19), so I had to be careful (depressing scenes and atmospheres used to strengthen my issues), but that didn't stop me from watching anyway. :)

Now that I'm free of the many psychological issues from my teenage life, I can enjoy NGE as much as I can! :D No more depression!
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Postby backseatjesus » Sat Aug 11, 2012 5:47 pm

When I watch it, it's usually because I am depressed, and by the end of it, I feel reborn.

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Postby classified-zerogoki » Sun Aug 12, 2012 12:45 am

Eva makes people more hopeful. Like posters in this thread, I am not an exception.
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Postby CJD » Sun Aug 12, 2012 1:20 am

View Original Postclassified-zerogoki wrote:Eva makes people more hopeful. Like posters in this thread, I am not an exception.
Over broad statements aside, I must be the exception.

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Postby Brainman » Sun Aug 12, 2012 1:30 am

One thing I've had trouble with watching Eva (especially EoE) lately is that my mind is always running internal commentary while it's on. Like, I have a hard time turning that analysis and day dreaming off, and I can't just absorb the experience like I used to. It's hard to describe, but for an example, I'd be watching the part where Nerv is invaded by Seele and I'm thinking things like, "Hey, this reminds me of how in the novel Dune
SPOILER: Show
there's about 200 pages of build up to the Harkonnen invasion and in two fuckin' pages they just get fucked. Those Special Forces guys have a real Sardaukar vibe to them come to think of it."
Or I'd be thinking how Seele and Nerv remind me of the Weyland-Yutani company in the Alien franchise and start thinking about Alien in regards to Evangelion etc etc. They just want that alien so they can do whatever, and they don't care who gets in the way. Would the human Lance Henriksen show up in the last few minutes and offer Shinji a false ultimatum while Shinji decides to forgo instrumentality in the live action Eva (and then he falls in the molten lead)? Or the part where Asuka is throwing boats at tanks and I'm thinking, "I'd watch a whole show of that. Make that a spin-off. Asuka smashes stuff up in the Eva, but it's like she's got a secret identity and she has to fight cheesy sci-fi villains like in Ultraman. I'd watch that and then buy the boxset." Or I'd be thinking about the two soldiers on top of the hill and think of how funny it is juxtaposed with the violence and how dispassionate they are about it all. Like, people are getting slaughtered but they're acting like it's just a tough day at the office. Or worst yet, I'll be watching Asuka vs the Eva Series and a shot reminds me of Mari in 2.0 and I think "Ah god, I gotta throw up now, fuck this."

I don't know, I guess I've watched it so many times that it's easy to glaze over and start drifting out, which is not the optimum way to see the film. I guess I have to give it a rest long enough that it becomes fresh again. But I'd have to stop thinking about it too....
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Postby Venez » Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:28 am

View Original PostCJD wrote:Over broad statements aside, I must be the exception.


I believe there is another exception present.
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