How did you first get into Evangelion?

[Sirona]

I was in my mid-twenties and had been watching anime since I was 12. I was dimly aware of NGE, and wrote it off as a "giant robot" anime (I don't find giant robots inherently fascinating). A good friend (to whom I'd originally introduced anime) lent the boxed set to me just around the time I had my wisdom teeth taken out. I was on drugs. I decided to give it a chance and HOLY S**T WHY IS THE TREE OF LIFE IN THE INTRO WHAT?!!? I had been studying mysticism for almost as long as I had been watching anime, so I was immediately intrigued. By the end of the second episode (upon my realization that the evas had biological components and that the show was clearly examining some angle of meta-consciousness and not just giant robots), I was hooked.

Actually, at the time, I had my mom watch the entire series and all the movies, and now we're watching them again. I think it went over her head the first time, and now she's starting to really get into it. :)

[Reiquarium]

I somehow managed to watch both an abridged series and read a spin-off manga or seven (plus the real manga, the best manga) before even considering the real series. And then, over the course of two years, I watched up to Episode Seven on my Platinum Collection DVD. So, in short, for the three years I've obsessed over Eva, I still haven't seen the full series. However... I've got me'self the obligatory collection of useless Eva-related goods and commissions

Basically, in the true spirit of Evangelion, I discovered fanfiction.net before I had seen any of the original show. *sighs*

[kevinlowl]

Pacific Rim. I finally decided to watch NGE after hearing all the people calling Pacific Rim a ripoff. I don't agree with them, I am sane/logical enough to distinguish between the two, but I can see why though.

I actually knew about Evangelion before this. Seen it around a few times, heard about it before, but never really bothered to pick it up. I was put off by the whole "Gundam super robot capable of illogical space flight armed with ridiculous cannons of universal destruction" genre, and thought Evangelion was just the same.

But then in early July, I marathoned NGE and then EOE during the weekend before going for Pacific Rim.

Then,

I kinda wished I had gotten into it sooner but I don't think I would've been in a better state of mind than right now to understand it all. (Not that I claim to understand Evangelion. I mean, who does?) For the past 2 - 3 years, since my last year of high school, I don't know what the hell happened but I've been slowly delving into insanity. Pretty crazy to be wasting what some would call "the best years of one's life" away, but I got obsessed with the purpose, the meaning, the question of life, etc. Philosophical stuff. And finally now, I'm 20 years old. I think I just gained a better understanding to life.

And BTW, marathoning NGE and EOE in one weekend is highly unrecommended. All I wanted right after was for Instrumentality to be a reality.

[CJD]

And BTW, marathoning NGE and EOE in one weekend is highly unrecommended. All I wanted right after was for Instrumentality to be a reality.

Pfff, it's the best way to do it.

[riffraff11235]

Pfff, it's the best way to do it.

I seriously can't wait until I get around to doing it myself. I bet 4.44 will be out by then so I can do an NGE+EoE+Rebuild marathon!

[kevinlowl]

Pfff, it's the best way to do it.

It was my first time and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Have mercy.

I seriously can't wait until I get around to doing it myself. I bet 4.44 will be out by then so I can do an NGE+EoE+Rebuild marathon!

I'll marathon the Rebuild films once 4.0 is out. I still haven't watched any of them yet. I can't imagine going on with life normally having an eva cliffhanger stuck in my head.

[riffraff11235]

I'll marathon the Rebuild films once 4.0 is out. I still haven't watched any of them yet. I can't imagine going on with life normally having an eva cliffhanger stuck in my head.

You'll see spoiler's pretty quick if you stay around here without having seen them. I suggest you watch them ASAP.

[CJD]

It was my first time and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Have mercy.

Heh, that's the only way I've ever watched them, including my first time. I can't imagine doing it any other way now. it's like escalating on drugs, man.

And aye, Rebuild spoilers will abound on this forum, even outside the Rebuild section. 'Best account for that.

[kevinlowl]

You'll see spoiler's pretty quick if you stay around here without having seen them. I suggest you watch them ASAP.

Heh, that's the only way I've ever watched them, including my first time. I can't imagine doing it any other way now. it's like escalating on drugs, man.

And aye, Rebuild spoilers will abound on this forum, even outside the Rebuild section. 'Best account for that.

Yeah, been noticing spoiler-ish stuff for a while now. Something you just can't ignore after being aware of Evangelion but I've been avoiding them the best I can.

I can wait for 4.0, it's not like Eva is the most pleasant experience that one would look forward to anyway, right? haha

I don't think I'll be hanging around the discussion threads much either. Maybe pop by once in a while. The act of thinking about Evangelion for me is like something addictive that's removing me from my 'not too great' real life. I swear, the first week to month after watching Eva, it was insane. I'm the kind of person who thinks a lot and thinking about Eva is not much of a productive activity because there is no definitive answer. Much like life. I really must stop/reduce my philosophical thoughts.

I also must post in the Gainax Cash Cow thread before I leave. I spent well over 1000 bucks this past month or so. I now understand the massive merchandising of Evangelion.

[CJD]

I don't think I'll be hanging around the discussion threads much either. Maybe pop by once in a while. The act of thinking about Evangelion for me is like something addictive that's removing me from my 'not too great' real life. I swear, the first week to month after watching Eva, it was insane. I'm the kind of person who thinks a lot and thinking about Eva is not much of a productive activity because there is no definitive answer. Much like life. I really must stop/reduce my philosophical thoughts.

Haha, I know how you feel.

[elemileTLDR]

I'm the kind of person who thinks a lot [...] Eva is not much of a productive activity because there is no definitive answer. Much like life. I really must stop/reduce my philosophical thoughts.

SPOILER: Show

But age is sickness
that never receades.
And it's mortal:
all certainty is
thanatological.

Everything that is known
is merely a record:
the dream log of
semiotical record.
Memory is not eidetic.
The registry is not identical.
The mind is not logical:
the sense is
narratological.

Error was not a burden.
For wandering around
it is ground.
Computers cannot create
for want of ground.
Reality is over.
History is over:
we lost the beginning
and the end is over.
Aspect was merely
etymological.
Time is not
teleological.

Truth is a value
and value goes round
trough moratorium:
coincidentia
oppositorum.
When you get here
I'll be not:
agencies will be
needed not.
The end of everything
emotional:
the bitter end of being
philosophical
hogs.
The dilemma was not
ethological
as much as
etiological.

　　　-‐‐- 、
／　　　　　ヽ
!　 !　人|,.iﾉl_ﾉ）
i 　乂-‐　－! i　__A woman who weeps is disgusting.
＼ヽ .ゞ　- ﾉノ 　 A woman who never weeps is a surrogate of the disgusting man.
　　｀｀フ　i´
　 　 / ＼ﾉゝ
　　/ i |丱!|
━━つ━つ━━∞∞∞========
==　　　TEH Rei'S SERIOUS　　　　==

TL;DR You just barely started. Let Eva work more on you.

[EvaKid]

I intended to make my first post on the Welcoming thread. seeing as to my incompetent self being unable to do so, I find this to be the next best place.

Not going to lie: It started with me shifting through err...."mangas" in some shady side (*wink) and I came across this peculiar anime title. The title itself intrigued me, and I was greeted with multiple images of a redhead with what I thought then to possess beauty like no other anime characters before. And so began my research into the anime most of us (if not all) revere. I watched AMVs in YouTube and my curiosity grew even more.

The there was EoE. Ad there was no turning back.

To this day I have comitted the sin of not finishing the anime series, and only accrued a small amount of Evangelion mangas and DVDs (Can't find the series one anymore sadly T.T). And I may have moved on watching other stuff, but to me Evangelion has, and will always be, the best anime I have ever seen.

[LegionWrex]

I saw a review of The End of Evangelion which praised the movie as a modern masterpiece. I wasn't a big anime fan at the time, but I decided to check it out anyways.

What I saw eventually became my all-time favourite anime and helped me get into other anime, like Gurren Lagann, Cowboy Bebop (which became my second favourite) and Fullmetal Alchemist.

[Charogne]

A friend told me about Eva and he lent me his Evangelion 2.22 DVD. So, I didn't understand anything, and I realized it was the second, but even if I didn't know what was an Eva or an Angel, I like it. Then I saw 1.0, then the 2.0 a second time, and then 3.0. I totally loved it and then I saw the show and EoE

[bigtotoro]

About 15 years ago I walked into an anime store and was looking at all the Eva wallscrolls. I asked the clerk "what's 'eeva'?". He said "it's 'ayva'," and then proceeded to tell me how it was the best anime ever. I then rented every VHS (yes... VHS) over the next week or so and was completely sucked in.

[Princess Asuka]

Just this Summer I wanted to try this series after hearing from others that it was good. So, I listened to the opening theme on youtube and I fell in love with Shinji. I watched the sub and the dub online and I thought it was amazing. It's my second favorite anime right after Sailor Moon and I was surprised to discover that my boyfriend is both a Sailor Moon fan and Eva fan. His looks and personality is a mix of Shinji and Mamoru Chiba from Sailor Moon. I'm a mix of Asuka and Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon, so it's a perfect match for me.

[elemileTLDR]

I fell in love with Shinji.

Remarkable.

[Dream]

Remarkable.

I don't know. While it's certainly not the most common reaction, a lot of (female) watchers reported falling in love with Shinji or finding him likable/cute on their first watch. Not sure how the hospital scene affects that.

[mlambeth]

I first discovered Neon Genesis , just as it happened to air for the 1st time on SBS in Australia.

I guess I was first impressed by the depth of the charactors. I can be quite shy sometimes, so I could relate to Shiji.

And I hated Shiji's father 'cause he reminded me of someone I worked with, while I was working in retail! Down to always pushing his glasses back on to his nose with his middle finger!

So I used love seeing Shiji rebel & stick up to his father!

[monitoradiation]

Not sure how the hospital scene affects that.

If they watched until that point, I'm sure many other things have dissuaded them along the way that the hospital scene shouldn't actually sway them one way or the other.

Back to topic: My own introduction to Eva was fairly sparse, actually. I was 14 when I got my first manga at the recommendation of a childhood friend - sounded like a good "big robots fight big monsters" romp. Was hooked by the religious symbolism and the mystery of it but was too poor to buy more chapters after 4. So I had to wait until the advent of the internet to read much of the information online. Didn't even watch the NGE series until early 2000s.

Le sigh!