Isn't It Sad How Anime Fans Now Haven't Heard of EVA?

[Taekmkm]

Yeah, I think most people seem to be severely underestimating anything lasting longer than 15+ years and being relevant is a huge accomplishment in itself.

[the_seventh_child]

For the record, I included Monster because I think that show is better than NGE but is severely under the radar, even with the upcoming R1 release.

Monster is probably one of the best-written and most intelligent fiction projects ever. /yeah ok, sorry, OT shoot me. i just had to say it.

[Grimmjow]

For the record, I included Monster because I think that show is better than NGE but is severely under the radar, even with the upcoming R1 release.

I fear there may be a revolt on our hands ladies and gentlemen. O.o

I have heard Monster is quite good though.

[NemZ]

I included Monster because I think that show is better than NGE but is severely under the radar, even with the upcoming R1 release.

I wouldn't agree with BETTER (mostly because the pacing is so tortuously slow), but definately a very high quality show.

[the_seventh_child]

I wouldn't agree with BETTER (mostly because the pacing is so tortuously slow), but definately a very high quality show.

The particular speed -or rather, lack of in a way- of pace is necessary because there are million things to get explained and understood. It is not like, filler-pace and random shit. Yeah, too much stuff, but God, too much epicness.

/oh-shi, another off topic comment, ban me.

[Eva 02]

I have too noticed this (topic) phenomena. A surge of almost anime-obsessed people who have never seen any of the classics. I tend to lean more towards older titles, and I think, in all honesty, that FLCL was the newest anime I've seen! The animation may be better, but I still find myself getting bored if I attempt to get into a newer release. I will have to try out monster, though, cuz I have been outta the loop for a while and don't particularly like being close-minded. But that is something that bothers me: every anime fan I come across is ignorant of the classic animes that INSPIRED the damn animes they do like, also, if they've heard of Eva they don't like it!

[supershinjiasukashipper]

At my high school, there are anime fans (mainly freshman) who haven't even heard of Neon Genesis Evangelion and it's a classic! Is EVA really that old that the newer generation of anime fans don't even know about EVA?

Holy crap, this is unheard of. This is blasphemy, this is madness! (waiting for the completion of this sparta joke with a witty satire.)
Honestly, your not a REAL anime fan if you don't even know about a classic like Evangelion.

[ZapX]

(and my dad stood in line in the freezing cold for five hours to get tickets for us). Simple matter of exposure.

How did this not make anyone else laugh? This shit is gold.

Anyway, some of you guys are really overreacting. Ain't that big a deal.

Honestly, your not a REAL anime fan if you don't even know about a classic like Evangelion.

Also, stuff like this is one of the big reasons people are driven from Eva rather than drawn to it. Ornette and I had a conversation once about his reluctance/refusal to watch the show due to its rabid fan base and their fanatic elitism. That kind of reaction isn't going to make anyone want to do anything.

[Taekmkm]

Fandom in general is the worst way to introduce anything. Quite ironic. The heavy fans that fell in love with whatever, hinder any future fans from enjoying it the same.

[Killer Bee]

K-On

higher philosophical value

I honestly could not tell whether you were trolling or not until I got to that part. Awesome troll is awesome.

Anyway, only one of my friends has seen Eva and he didn't like it. I recommend it to anime fans whenever I can, though, as it's my favorite anime by far.

An anime fan who has never seen Eva is like a literature major who's never read Shakespeare. It's not something that anyone should be forced to watch, of course, but it helped define the medium as it stands today. A classic is a classic. But I think that it seems to be one of those shows that you either love or you hate. I've never spoken to anyone who thought Eva was "just okay." They either think it's great or that it sucks.

[Legendary]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this whole "YOU'RE NO TRUE SCOTSMAN IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN EVA!"

Anime is NOT a genre. It isn't even a MEDIUM. It's a particular nation's output of animation. This alone makes it difficult to say that Eva has affected all of anime, because anime is very broad. There are LOTS of different kinds of anime, which fit into ACTUAL genres of sci fi/comedy/fantasy/horror/psychological/thriller/children, etc.

I would agree that no giant robot fan should go without seeing Evangelion. That's like a fantasy lit fan who hasn't read Tolkein. However, someone who prefers works like magical girl or more straight-up action ala DBZ shouldn't necessarily see NGE, any more than Jane Austin or Ian Fleming fans should read Tolkein (or, for that matter, Shakespeare).

It is bad if they've never heard of it though, but that's easy to fix and if they don't show any interest (or do but discover they don't like it), I can't say I'm crying many tears.

[Killer Bee]

I would agree that no giant robot fan should go without seeing Evangelion. That's like a fantasy lit fan who hasn't read Tolkein. However, someone who prefers works like magical girl or more straight-up action ala DBZ shouldn't necessarily see NGE, any more than Jane Austin or Ian Fleming fans should read Tolkein (or, for that matter, Shakespeare).

I believe there's another thread going on right now discussing how many Eva fans are actually fans of giant robot anime in general. Looking through the posts, the majority find other giant robot anime uninteresting. At its center, Eva isn't about the giant robots. It's about the human characters. It has far more in common with anime like Serial Experiments Lain or even Ghost in the Shell, rather than other mecha anime like Gundam or Macross. Think about it. When you see a Gundam, you think "Cool! Giant robot!" But when you see Unit-01, you think "Dude, that's like, Shinji's mom."

An Ian Fleming fan might not find Hamlet very entertaining, but he might be able to appreciate the effect it's had on modern literature. Evangelion's influence can be seen far outside the confines of the mecha genre.

[Legendary]

I wasn't saying that all Evangelion fans are giant robot fans. I said all giant robot fans should see Evangelion, because whatever Evangelion has similarities to, it takes on the giant robot story.

Further, just because Hamlet affected literature doesn't mean you should read it or know what it is. There's lots of stories out there, and most of them won't be forgotten.

[Eva Yojimbo]

Fandom in general is the worst way to introduce anything. Quite ironic. The heavy fans that fell in love with whatever, hinder any future fans from enjoying it the same.

Lolwut... no. I always find this attitude hilarious since it essentially means that any art that lasts new people can't enjoy because if something lasts it's always because of its "fans" (in whatever aspects those fans exist in).

Further, just because Hamlet affected literature doesn't mean you should read it or know what it is. There's lots of stories out there, and most of them won't be forgotten.

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here... I think the point Killer Bee was trying to make is that if you become a passionate fan about something in the broad sense (literature, anime, etc.) then it behooves you to understand its history and the most important works and the most important artists. So if you really love anime then it should be enlightening to understand the evolution of the medium. In that respect, NGE was a watershed in the modern era. Perhaps no work in the last 20 years has had a comparable effect. Similarly, if you're interested in great literature then you're never going to understand it unless you understand how the medium was built from the ground up, and Shakespeare would certainly be an essential stop on one's journey. Even your literature example doesn't make much sense since even Austen drew from and frequently referenced Shakespeare.

Now, sure, if all you care about is one specific kind of something then maybe it's not as essential to understand where it came from. If all you care about is mystery novels then reading Homer probably isn't going to enlighten you much. If all you care about is kickass ninja anime then NGE probably won't enlighten you much either. But I still think Killer Bee's point holds that if you're a fan of anime "in general" then NGE should certainly be on the top of the short list of must-see animes from its era.

[Taekmkm]

"art" fandom and "anime" fandom are two totally different beasts.

[Eva Yojimbo]

"art" fandom and "anime" fandom are two totally different beasts.

Meh, not really. It's the same kind of love and passion expressed in different ways is all. And there are definite and frequent crossovers between the two. Much of the minute analysis that's done on EvaGeeks (for example) is little different from much of the minute analysis that goes on with any "major" work or artist.

[Allemann]

"art" fandom and "anime" fandom are two totally different beasts.

The country of origin makes no difference; animation is the subset of the seventh art. The difference is in the intention behind those animation works that are presented on animation festivals, such as the Animafest in my country, and those that are made primarily for entertainment and commercial purpose.

[Grimmjow]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this whole "YOU'RE NO TRUE SCOTSMAN IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN EVA!"

TVtropes FTW

Anime is NOT a genre. It isn't even a MEDIUM. It's a particular nation's output of animation. This alone makes it difficult to say that Eva has affected all of anime, because anime is very broad. There are LOTS of different kinds of anime, which fit into ACTUAL genres of sci fi/comedy/fantasy/horror/psychological/thriller/children, etc.

Very true. One need not watch all the masterpieces of anime to be a fan of the medium. It's like saying if you don't like T.S. Elliot then you can't possible be a fan of British Literature.

I would agree that no giant robot fan should go without seeing Evangelion. That's like a fantasy lit fan who hasn't read Tolkein. However, someone who prefers works like magical girl or more straight-up action ala DBZ shouldn't necessarily see NGE, any more than Jane Austin or Ian Fleming fans should read Tolkein (or, for that matter, Shakespeare).

Not necessarily. I've met people who generally dislike mech who love Evangelion. It's always good to expand your horizons. And for those who liked Revolutionary Girl Utena, they might like NGE as well.

[The Fourth Evangelion]

Here in Holland, not even anyone, besides me watches this show, or so it seems... I even know but one guy who knows it, and he only kows the tune, which I've got on my phone

[ran1]

Huh. That's an odd thing. Family and friends of mine in Belgium and Luxembourg are all familiar with the series... have they released it in Dutch yet? I was under the impression that at least the German language copies of the series were still circulating around the Low Countries.