Should've NGE been longer?

[Trajan]

Two episodes are all I'd add.

New Episode 01 would go in between the end of the action arc and the everything-goes-to-hell arc and would focus on Kaji and his espionage skills. More of the Seele-Nerv dynamic would be fleshed out and maybe some more background info on the post Second Impact world would be offered.

New Episode 02 would occur just prior to 24 and guess who it focuses on? You know that guy that has only sixteen minutes of screen-time? Yeah, he's about to get more.

[mastervampire]

26 episodes and a movie ending was a good length.

[The Abhorrent]

NGE is a rather dense series, so some extra air-time may have benefitted the series at least in the sense it could've explained some of the more confusing circumstances. Unfortunately, it would almost certainly lose a lot of it's mystique by doing so.... which is the problem.

That being said, NGE accomplishes a lot in it's relatively short run-time when compared to many other series out there (anime or otherwise). The amount of character development (story progression is a bit aguable) the series did during it's run is significantly more than many other series which have well over double the number of episodes NGE had. DBZ may merely be the most egrerious offender, but it certain dragged out some battles. I can't quite recall, but the battle against Freiza may have lasted longer than the whole of NGE.

Evangelion has nothing which could really be called "filler" or "padding", something many of the longer series suffer (though often the result of the anime series overtaking the manga); it's something which should be avoided. Even if lengthening the series created no filler, then we would have missed all those mysteries which permeate the series as it is now.

So yeah, NGE is fine the way it is.

[Eva Yojimbo]

^ I'm with The Abhorrent on this one; NGE is perfectly paced for 26 episodes with a superb balance between character and relationship development, thematic development, action, drama, comedy, etc. Part of what makes it so affective is that the beginning breathes while the end is so insanely dense and compressed. That compression provides much of the drama itself, as events unfold before we have time to catch our breath and process them. I'm also certainly in the camp that says the ambiguity is part of the magic. Without it, we wouldn't all still be here.

As good as NGE was, it really suffered from all that ambiguity IMO. In my eyes, all it did was give way to the dreaded overanalyisis that, while interesting, kinda takes away from the show's message.

I honestly just don't understand this perspective... why do people want everything spelled out for them? You get out what you put in, and the NGE anime requires you to invest yourself--your thought, your emotions--into it before you can really understand it. It forces you to reflect, which actually enforces (rather than takes away from) the series' message. Anno didn't want Otaku to become mindless escapist zombies, and NGE's ambiguities punishes those who try to watch it passively and zombie-like. The manga, from what I've read and heard, seems to enable that.

[rhfxz1s]

I honestly just don't understand this perspective... why do people want everything spelled out for them? You get out what you put in, and the NGE anime requires you to invest yourself--your thought, your emotions--into it before you can really understand it. It forces you to reflect, which actually enforces (rather than takes away from) the series' message. Anno didn't want Otaku to become mindless escapist zombies, and NGE's ambiguities punishes those who try to watch it passively and zombie-like. The manga, from what I've read and heard, seems to enable that.

I think it's just the fact that the mechanics of the Eva universe get very complex by the end but are never entirely explained. Specifically, regarding things like the Angels and the Seeds of Life, whose exact properties are left for the viewer to decide.

This has been kind of frustrating, but I don't think it's a very big deal. Plus, I'm one of those people who generally tries not to take the series too literally, so things like poorly explained mechanics don't bother me too much. For instance, I could certainly complain about how it was never explained how Asuka came back from the dead in One More Final or about all of the other crazy things that happen in that scene, but it's completely irrelevant for me to do so. The scene did it's job because it left a powerful emotional impact on me, which is all that matters in the end anyway.

[gatotsu911]

Short answer: No. I thought it was perfect for its length, and in fact it has been the model for pacing and structure in a 26-episode anime series that I have used as the standard ever since seeing it. If anything, it should've been shorter - some of the content (not much, but some) from the first half of the series could have been cut without great detriment to the final product. Actually, let me rephrase that - it could've been distributed differently. Had they, for example, cut out episode 7 (the one episode of the series that I've always felt to be the least essential) and added another episode later in the series to develop Kaworu and maybe a few other characters, I think it would most likely have been for the better. But there's really no use dwelling on "what ifs", especially when the final product is as sound as it is already.

[Eva Yojimbo]

I think it's just the fact that the mechanics of the Eva universe get very complex by the end but are never entirely explained. Specifically, regarding things like the Angels and the Seeds of Life, whose exact properties are left for the viewer to decide.

Well, that's kind of my point. The message of Eva was for Otaku to break away from their obsession, to embrace reality instead of living in fantasy. And the only way I know to do that is to create a fantasy that doesn't provide for easy answers. If you're left thinking "WTF?" then you can't simply appreciate it as escapist entertainment, and it'll likely provoke you to think about it and engaging with what it was all about. I also think it serves a more dramatic purpose, as I wrote about here.

[supershinjiasukashipper]

Should it have been longer? Maybe. Could it still be made longer? Definitely. I have been playing with ways to lengthen the series, cultivate the SxA relationship, rectify the destruction of the human race, answer old questions, and in the spirit of Evangelion ask new ones. So far my ideas are kinda good. I will be glad to share some of what I call my eva theology when I get back and have the time. But I will be kinda busy so that will have to wait.
Carry on!

[Jessemon]

I think EVA could benefit from being longer. More clever enemies, more mechs and pilots, more development, more genre experimentation, higher quality animation, and of course MORE FANSERVICE!

Basically, a 50 episode version of Rebuild of Evangelion.

That sounds amazingly...boring and generic.

[supershinjiasukashipper]

I agree with jessemon. The series was good as it was so far. To extend it though, yes I would add more fanservice. I would however cut the mechs more in favor of phsycological and philosophical battles. Instead of enemies, there would be the challenge of making things right with the world, and Shinji and Asuka would learn more about the FAR and how things got screwy. Along with that we could find benevolent agents of the FAR to help them make things right.
I will probably get into depth later on since I like to brag about my ideas to this respect, especially the one concerning why it could still be called Evangelion.

[BiQ]

Well... I don't think it would really do any good for the series to simply add more episodes and stuff. Maybe the information overload of eps 21-24 could use some decompression to more episodes and maybe something in earlier episodes could be streamlined into tighter packages, but really it's a case of "if it's not broken, don't fix it." I'm not even sure if I'd like to see more A/S or any other pairin stuff there since the whole ambiguity of that hedgehog dilemma stuff is really so central to the appeal of things for me.

In a nutshell, I would be mostly afraid if someone told me it would be remade or continued for more episodes.

[supershinjiasukashipper]

Well my idea would be to do more decompression with Shinji pondering on these events in hindsight. As for A/S, I would use that as a tool [s:2cygp5hq]for my fap drive[/s:2cygp5hq] for character development for both of them; for Shinji it would be overcoming this dilemma and learning to deal with people, for Asuka it would be learning to rely on other people's love instead of just her own and reflecting that love.
Of course I would want to end the series with one more freaky question, and yes i have one in the bag. I am however keeping it in the bag for fun.
But my point is an after impact eva continuance wouldn't be so bad if done right, and might be as enjoyable as the first 26 episodes and two tang filled movies were for us in the first place. (or second place if you couldn't appreciate it the first time around.)

[Stryker]

Loving the responses guys, carry on!

But Jessemon... how could more clever enemies, more mech and pilots, more development, etc. be boring and generic? If it is done correctly (I doubt it wouldn't), it would still be entertaining.. unless your willing to explain.

[rhfxz1s]

Loving the responses guys, carry on!

But Jessemon... how could more clever enemies, more mech and pilots, more development, etc. be boring and generic? If it is done correctly (I doubt it wouldn't), it would still be entertaining.. unless your willing to explain.

More pilots would probably pull away from the development of the main characters. I mean, that's already kind of happening in Rebuild and they only added one pilot.

[Stryker]

More pilots would probably pull away from the development of the main characters. I mean, that's already kind of happening in Rebuild and they only added one pilot.

True.. true (and I don't even like Mari). But what of the other things?

[BiQ]

I honestly don't see much point in that. While yes, the organic, almost "visceral" nature of Evangelions and Angels allows for quite good manly kaiju drama, the bread and butter of evangelion is the people, for me, that is. Idea of adding more giant monster fighting, even as an excuse to do more people drama, feels just ... superfluous to me, honestly.

[Mr. Tines]

Should NGE have had more episodes? Well between the games, the spin-off manga and Rebuild, it's had more than its fair share already.

Seeing some of the other alternate worlds -- the BL versions of episode 24; an alternate EoE with the other live action sequence and either Last A or Last B, for example -- would be nice omake, but the actual series itself flourished on inference and ambiguity, which expansion would not be good for.

[Stryker]

..BL Versions of Episode 24..

What's BL?

[The Abhorrent]

More pilots would probably pull away from the development of the main characters. I mean, that's already kind of happening in Rebuild and they only added one pilot.

Probably not the best reasoning, for a variety of reasons:

• Evangelion, despite it's (relatively) short run, did a good job to develop the side characters in addition to the primary cast (in this context, referring to the pilots). In most other series, Ritsuko would have received minimal characterization by virtue of merely being the head tech. Misato's is effectively a central character herself despite not being one of the pilots. The Bridge Bunnies aren't just generic characters either (if lacking the depth the rest of the cast received). One can argue that the side characters in Evangelion have more depth to them than the main characters of longer series. If it weren't for the clear focus on the pilots & Misato, NGE could be called an ensemble cast. That being said and the series had been extended, it'd be best put to use adding depths to the side characters already present rather than creating new characters.
  
• Mari doesn't really take away from the character development of the rest of the cast in Rebuild, her screentime is too short. At most, pairing Kaji off with her instead of Asuka is the most that happened. What does take away the amount of character development is the lack of run-time for the films (compared to the original series, which would be at least double the length), and even then it's primarily the side characters who got the axe for character development. Ritsuko so far has received next to nothing (relative to the series), and the Bridge Bunnies have it even worse. Asuka is a bit of a special case, as she's been sidelined in favour of developping Rei instead (who received far less screentime in the series). Asuka has definitely lost some depth, but it's not because of a new character (Mari) stealing her screentime; it's because another character from the original series (Rei) is doing so. The Rebuild films at least demonstrates the perils of less runtime for Evangelion.

To address the risk of more length leading to Evangelion becoming more generic, it's (again) because explaining the circumstances would cause the series to lose it's sense of mystery. The Seven Basic Plots sums up the premise, in that every single story can be reduced to one of the seven listed. NGE probably classifies as a "Rebirth".... or maybe a "Tragedy" (the two are closely related). Either way it's under the guise of another basic plot, "Overcoming the Monster". By lengthening the story of NGE, you're getting closer the pre-defined yet inescapable archetypes; it only becomes more obvious as the story goes on. People just eventually run out of ideas to cover up the fact we're always relying on the same basic plots we're dependent on.

Perhaps a better summation is this:
It's easier to come across as unique when the work is shorter rather than longer.

For another example (outside of anime), we have the two Portal games. Very interesting and unique concept, and both games are a bit on the short side compared to those which take several days to complete. On the other end of the spectrum, endless games (pick an MMO, any MMO) are some of the worst offenders for being repetitive. In any event, one can argue that any story should be kept as short as possible (or at least not be dragged out) without sacrificing depth. If you do that, the result is often the much maligned "filler" or "padding" seen in longer works. NGE's density shows that the series' length shouldn't be any shorter, as Rebuild has lost some of the depth the original to do so.

In the case of Evangelion, one of the most appealing (and polarizing) aspects of it is its lack of a resolution. The plot concludes, but is not resolved. What's especially rare (or "unique") is that accomplishes this without being a cliffhanger or leaving a clear path for a sequel. The whole idea of what happens after EoE is a mystery left for the viewer to solve on their own; coupled with the mysteries of what happened before that and the depth of the characters, it's a question for the ages. Lengthening the series would only lead to some of mystery being taken away (causing it lose appeal), and it's too dense to be shortened without losing depth.

.... and I think I lost where I was going with this.

[Jessemon]

Loving the responses guys, carry on!

But Jessemon... how could more clever enemies, more mech and pilots, more development, etc. be boring and generic? If it is done correctly (I doubt it wouldn't), it would still be entertaining.. unless your willing to explain.

Well, essentially we're all assuming that Anno would have more to add to the series. I mean, 26 episodes and a movie is what he gave us (and a few extra scenes in Death later). Having more stuff could definitely make the series better if Anno had a reason to include them. However, we have no reason to believe that he did, based on what he's said about NGE and what he's done in NME (adding Mari but halving the time spent on Asuka, as well as essentially making Toji/Kensuke/Hikari even less meaningful than they were in NGE).

Simply adding more of everything for the sake of having more stuff sounds just like other generic mecha shows (*cough*gundam*cough*). If Anno had hinted that he wanted to do much more, but couldn't, then I'd be more willing to side with you.

That's not to mention that I ALWAYS hate when people mention adding fanservice, but that's just because I detest everything fanservice related (unless the entire point of a show is to be entirely fanservice). Imo it just cheapens the overall work a little bit.