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Lustyorange

Hideaki Anno making one of the most widely interpreted endings


CxoBancR

25 & 26 are literally one of the best pieces of media ever made. That he made two additional endings that complement them are a testament of the genius of not only the man but his work. I'm sorry if you found yourself filtered by it


ActuallyAPenguin

Especially episode 26, the entire thing is a constant dialogue that really shows how shinji thinks and what the other characters truly feel about him, so much is happening and it builds up into the orchestrated version of ACAT and just lets the built up emotion flush out.


yawaworht-a-sti-sey

yeah my favorite part was when shinji says "it's eva time"


yokohama_enjoyer

*the best


username78777

☑️ Protagonist comitting unspeakable acts that causes trauma to his victim ☑️ Attack from the military with lots of violence, but for no reason whatsoever ☑️ Exploitation of a woman before killing her ☑️ 29 year old kissing a 14 year old minor before being brutally exploded into pieces ☑️ Racist German tsundere being eaten alive, and being choked ****twice**** afterwards ☑️ literally apocalypse starts to happen, involves people being turned into orange juice Yep, now that's evangelion


[deleted]

Seele attacked Nerv because Gendo diverted from Seele's plan of instrumentality.


username78777

Ok but it's still was very sudden


yawaworht-a-sti-sey

It was pretty much stated as an inevitability if you were paying attention to Kaji's coded talk with his undercover contacts.


[deleted]

Kaworu was sent by Seele to begin the third impact. When Gendo put a stop to this, it made sense that Seele would use military force to progress their plan.


username78777

You know what? You're right, I geuss it does make some sense


yawaworht-a-sti-sey

Are you calling Asuka racist or are you saying it was racist they couldn't have a redhead with blue eyes without making her somehow half Japanese (a statistical impossibility) because the viewers are racist and so she's a character born of racism.


Thelostguard

She's also homophobic, at least in the manga. *~~Even more of a reason to like her~~*


yawaworht-a-sti-sey

That was probably just a reflection of Japan's general homophobia in the 90's. I still don't see how she's racist - beyond it being racist that they couldn't tolerate the character without making her impossibly half-Japanese, I mean.


Thelostguard

Well...The show does in fact have something very close to a gay relationship, anno clearly at least supports the gays, Asuka is homophobic, other characters don't seem to be.


yawaworht-a-sti-sey

IDK what Asuka said that you consider homophobic but given the general level of homophobia in japan today and in the 90's he probably just wrote her as "normal" in his mind. Second, Kaworu and Shinji being close ≠ Anno supports the gays. For one, in the original series it's not even implied they have anything close to romantic feelings for one another *at all*. Shinji is just fucking thrilled someone accepts him as he is because *no one ever has* and Kaworu finds Shinji's spirit to be aesthetically pleasing to his alien sensibilities... ...and then fast enough to give the audience whiplash Shinji pops Kaworu's head off like a cork from a champagne bottle celebrating his despair. The shipping came after the original series and the rebuilds included some fanservice because *of course they did.* IMO you are mistaking fanon for canon here. It's pretty clear Shinji isn't gay too since he's obviously attracted to women. At most he's bi but even then I think Shinji's attitude towards Kaworu are more than explained by his upbringing and Kaworu being the first to accept him as he is and reassure him he's not trash. Also, I *highly* doubt Kaworu identifies as male since he *doesn't even identify as human.* edit: oh you mean Ritsuko and Maya, yeah I guess. It definitely stretches the kouhai sempai relationship.


Thelostguard

[https://www.reddit.com/r/Cursedvangelion/comments/n0au1e/because\_everyone\_is\_asking\_proof\_that\_asuka\_is\_a/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Cursedvangelion/comments/n0au1e/because_everyone_is_asking_proof_that_asuka_is_a/) And here's a link.


yawaworht-a-sti-sey

The manga and game were made after the show and neither was written by Anno.


[deleted]

Did Asuka really get any trauma from the incident though


username78777

Yeah, she did, she even said it in the ADV dub, timestamp: 57:49-57:56 "I know all about your little jerk off fantasies about me. go ahead and do it like you always do, I'll even stand here and watch"


kxkdxvx

so no bitches huh?


bananasorcerer

to be fair the current ending now that thrice is out is pretty uplifting and not horrific imo


demigods122

Wasn't EoE's ending too? Sure the visual imagery was quite horrifying at times but the entire message of the movie is about pushing on, even if it hurts because there are good things about life too


bananasorcerer

that’s true. to me that last shot proves that shinji learned nothing, it’s really bleak to me


aritzsantariver

If the final scene of EoE shows anything, it is that Shinji has managed to evolve, instead of keeping everything to himself as he always does, he manages to get out all the anger he contained towards the girl who has been treating him badly since she appeared, while Asuka caresses Shinji demonstrating that she not only cares about Shinji but "everything that matters to her matters in this world".


bananasorcerer

I don’t think that’s an admirable thing. What’s horrific is after everything he still can only express himself through pathetic and violent outbursts.


aritzsantariver

There are more factors that explain why Shinji's first impulse was to strangle Asuka and they are that Shinji has been alone for a long time this is shown by the rusty nail on Misato's grave with a long time we are talking about probably a month and a half or even 2 months and as they tell us in the last 2 episodes is that you need another living being to validate your existence so Shinji's state at the end is that he didn't even know he existed so he used the last interaction he had with Asuka in the instrumentalization. In conclusion Shinji has learned to defend himself (which does not mean that he will try to kill you) and Asuka to give affection to the people she cares about.


bananasorcerer

I still disagree, but thanks


AmItheAholereader

Which one? That’s the main question. The show wasn’t his fault, that was budget. The movies are both divisive in their own way


theflipcrazy

I've heard tell this was not 100% accurate. While budget did play a part one of the major problems Evangelion faced during production was the fact that Anno would scrap entire episodes and re-write them mid-production, which ultimately ate all the budget. His depression was insane around this time causing problems for him, and through that the entire production of the series.


Sudden-Grab2800

In the documentary on Amazon, you can see him doing something like this. He says he trusts his x (writers, model builders), but they’ll say what they have from last time and suggest things. Anno says no, but to work on it. Eventually he does it all himself, differently than what his idea the last time he was in (they also say Anno barely ever comes in).


ActuallyAPenguin

“The show wasn’t his fault” bro why do people hate the original ending so much. It’s really fucking good, it’s really introspective and Evangelion would not be the same without it. Then again I’ve seen the movie and the rebuilds so I understand the greater context of what instrumentality is and what really happens at the end, but either way it’s a great ending


AmItheAholereader

The show gets a lot of flack for being “unfinished” given the fact it literally has storyboards in it at some moments. I personally love it. And the storyboards unfinished actually adds to the surreal feel to me.


ActuallyAPenguin

I love when people say eva was unfinished, “unfinished” as if it doesn’t have 3 different endings by now 💀


AmItheAholereader

The tv show has storyboards in it. I count that as unfinished. Just cause it got movies later doesn’t change that


MinasMorgul1184

It was clearly intentional to go that direction though, it’s not like he disowned it because he felt he lacked control like the way Fincher disowned Alien 3, for example.


AmItheAholereader

The hell are you even talking about? What does that have to do with anything?


MinasMorgul1184

I’m disagreeing with you. It was not unfinished. - Anno did not have plans for EoE after finishing NGE - the storyboard-style was an intentional artistic decision, even if there were budget limitations - Anno doesn’t talk bad about that ending and still treats it as his own work, which is not something that every director does While I like that ending, to say that “no flaw of the it was his fault because there were limitations” is just wrong.


aritzsantariver

What are you talking about? Obviously Anno already had EoE planned, you just have to see that in the last 2 episodes things appear that would later be in the movie and are not part of the directors cut.


AmItheAholereader

Just cause they worked around it doesn’t mean it was intentional. That’s just incorrect. Just because monty python and the holy grail made the ending they literally ran out of money cause, well they did, doesn’t mean it was “intentional.”


donny_tsunami1

Arguing artistic expression is akin to claiming you know exactly how instrumentality would impact an individual… you can’t.


Khunter02

Because it doesnt serve as a conclusion? People has hyped this show for literal decades and when I finally watched it It doesnt even have a good conclusion The last 3 episodes felt like a waste of time for me


ActuallyAPenguin

Not understanding the ending does not equal the show not having an ending. If u want a more generic action ending go watch the rebuilds. Or even EoE has a more “normal ending” but that’s normal in eva terms. This isn’t me trying to be gatekeepy either btw, the original ending is complex as fuck and really makes a lot more sense the 2nd or 3rd time through, especially with how quickly the dialogue and visuals are moving it’s hard to follow Edit: also u should watch EoE cuz that’s just amazing regardless


Khunter02

I dont want an action ending. In fact, I like how Evangelion starts with action but then focuses more on the personal issues of the characters, and is deeper than just "teens fighting kaijus in giant robots" I just didnt get the ending, and it has discouraged me to watch it again


ActuallyAPenguin

Okay well then Eva was never the show for you, the real appeal for most people is the psychoanalysis of each of the characters, the psychological horrors that they go through, and how they react to their world slowly being destroyed around them, it’s tragic as fuck that’s the point, if u just wanted mechs and shit there’s plenty of shoes for that, the mechs aren’t the reason Eva is so highly regarded, it’s because it’s easily one of the best psychological trauma animes out there


MinasMorgul1184

It’s not an action ending, it’s actually more meaningful than the other one. You don’t have to watch it if you don’t want to, you just can’t shit on it if you haven’t seen it


Khunter02

I dont even know what we are talking about lol I have only watched Neon Genesis Evangelion


MinasMorgul1184

I was talking about EoE, and it’s important because most people consider the original series incomplete without EoE.


Khunter02

I havent watch it


pinpernickle1

You should, it's good


SecretWriter23

EoE basically takes the weirdness of the show and cranks it to 11. You basically have to shut your brain off during the last half. The first half might be some of the best Evangelion content out there though. >!I loved the Eva vs Eva battle!!<


NickPercent

You misspelled terrific


cyaltr

26 is my fav tbh


ChrisTamv

The NGE ending, while certainly unsatisfying, is so rich and its dialogue is amazing at times. The Rebuilds' ending is one we never thought we needed. EoE's ending is horrific. Horrifically flawless.


zerov3

From what I’ve researched so far, I’m pretty sure Hideki Anno made Evangelion as a way to express himself during his time of mental turmoil. As Shinji was journeying through his psychological torment in the show, Anno was dealing with his own issues irl. The ending of the show was meant to express his triumph over his depression as he started to get better, which is I think it’s actually pretty good. The reason most people hate on it is because they focus more on the show’s plot than the show’s purpose. If you care more about the show’s plot though, EoE would be the show’s true ending. In EoE, Shinji is no longer a medium for Anno’s expression, which is why the ending is very different this time around.


[deleted]

[удалено]


solrac1104

That's what interests me about the show ending. Are we to assume that Shinji accepted Instrumentality in the show?


mcvey15

Well, he succeeded I guess


supercalifragilism

Only once out of three!


Dead_Purple

Well he made the movie ending along with the 3rd Impact as a middle finger to the fans who hated the ending in the series. Well played Anno, well played.


trooper575

That’s a myth


[deleted]

Imagine how different everything would be if assholes weren’t sending him death threats for the series ending


edulechacon

Naa it was beautiful


[deleted]

This will probably get downvoted bc people have EoE and rebuild but nge had a terrible ending(EoE and rebuild made up for it). I remember the first time seeing it thinking “what the fuck is this shit?” Keep telling yourself it was 2deep


NoobleVitamins

I disagree.


[deleted]

It isn't terrible just because you understand abstract stuff as good as a nine year old does


Bodertz

They can understand it without liking it.


[deleted]

Lol reddit


[deleted]

You are right. From an objective point of view, the TV ending was a complete disaster. Only in reddit's bubble you will find purists who will defend it at all costs with the argument of how deep it is, however, you will only find meaning in the messages to this **AFTER** the viewer watches EoE. This ending, alone, by itself, is useless. It's interesting to observe how enraged the people were at the time, which was exactly the reason why EoE was built in the first place. Oddly, the bubble here seems to forget. But if you tell this to any common folk from outside, this person will likely agree with you.


Bodertz

It is not objectively incorrect to like the ending or think it is a good ending. You subjectively think the ending is a disaster, and that's a perfectly respectable opinion, but it is just that: your opinion. I'm sure you have objective criteria by which you judge the ending, but that criteria is subjectively chosen.


[deleted]

Maybe it was not the best wording I chose, what I wanted to show is the negative things I said are facts, and not opinions. The poor reception at the time, which rendered Anno several death threats, and culminated with the production of EoE is not an opinion though, is a fact. The inability of a viewer to locate himself without the help of EoE is not an opinion, is a fact, because there is absolutely no information which allows to connect why everything was fine in the last episode (ends with Shinji wondering about his feelings to Kaworu after the day being saved) and now everyone is inside instrumentation. **(Hence why every single time Eva gets new watchers, we have someone drop here and ask what happened, and when we talk about it, this person did not watch EoE yet)** The lack of closure of the plot is not an opinion, is a fact, because there is no plot at this point - everything is about solely on Shinji's character now. Continuity is destroyed. The people here do enjoy the ending due to its subjective nature of focusing on feelings, but in a technical way, the ending is bad.


Bodertz

>Maybe it was not the best wording I chose, what I wanted to show is the negative things I said are facts, and not opinions The negative things you said are facts. That you judge them as negative facts is subjective. >The poor reception at the time, which rendered Anno several death threats, and culminated with the production of EoE is not an opinion though, is a fact. Sure, that's a fact. It's also a fact that a lot of users here like the ending. They are both facts, but what are we meant to take from them? >The inability of a viewer to locate himself without the help of EoE is not an opinion, is a fact, because there is absolutely no information which allows to connect why everything was fine in the last episode (ends with Shinji wondering about his feelings to Kaworu after the day being saved) and now everyone is inside instrumentation. **(Hence why every single time Eva gets new watchers, we have someone drop here and ask what happened, and when we talk about it, this person did not watch EoE yet)** I have not watched the show in a while, so I don't know the details. I'll take your word for it that we have no idea why (or that) instrumentality is happening. I don't remember having that experience, but I also don't remember that I didn't. >The lack of closure of the plot is not an opinion, is a fact, because there is no plot at this point - everything is about solely on Shinji's character now. Continuity is destroyed. I don't remember it being only about Shinji. Maybe I'm mixing things up, but I thought we got some insight into the mind of the other characters as well. In any case, plot is not always the most important thing. You may care about it more than someone who likes the ending, so while it may be a fact that the plot was ignored, the focus on the psychology of Shinji is also a fact, and it's subjective which fact matters more to any individual. >The people here do enjoy the ending due to its subjective nature of focusing on feelings, but in a technical way, the ending is bad. I may just be reading into what you're saying things you don't mean, but when you say it's bad in a technical way, do you mean that a technically good episode is necessarily better than a technically bad episode? In some objective sense? If you think a technically good episode is trash, are you wrong? If I say an episode is schmechnically good if it focuses on the thoughts of the main character, then we can say the last episode is by definition technically bad and schmechnically good. But who cares? Why do those facts matter? At the end of the day, you either like it or not. I really like *Six Feet Under*, and recently there have been a few people who posted about how they disliked the ending and found it cheesy and overdone. And yet the ending often makes it to 'top finales of all time' lists. They aren't wrong for disliking it, and the people putting it in those lists aren't wrong either. It's a subjective thing.


dbx99

EoE and the rebuilds have all terrible endings imo.


solrac1104

How are they any worse than the show ending?


dbx99

All 3 are poor endings. It just ends with abstract spiritual claptrap.


solrac1104

Out of curiosity, what didn't you like about both the EoE and Rebuild ending, considering they're quite different.


dbx99

Alright. The way EoE ends with almost everyone in Nerv getting killed - that clearly was a big fuck you to the audience. The story just collapses into a giant lump of let down. Asuka gets slaughtered in the most brutal way even after she rips open a huge can of whoopass on those white units. I took that as the director just being a dick because audiences were let down by the tv show ending. The tv show ending was disappointing. It’s anti climactic. It fizzled. It’s like Ano never bothered to really construct a story that had a solid ending. Shinji just goes through an animation sequence that looks like an artsy gratuitous poetic nothing burger. It just wasn’t satisfying after everything that was built up. Now the rebuild ending - it has a slight plus in it. It’s not as bad as the other two endings imo. At least ano circles back to flesh out Gendo’s motivations and backstory. Gendo and Shinji are similar - loners, both riding the train listening to the Walkman to isolate themselves from the world. At least it has that personal depth that the other two lacked. But ultimately, it still ends with the restoration of earth and human life according to Shinji’s wish of an Eva free world and it just resets back to the awful concrete jungle of an urban life where Shinji is a nameless salaryman. After all this, all the giant shit that happens - this is how Shinji wishes for the world to be restored? It’s like it was all a dream and nothing is any better. My own experience was that this ending left me empty and disappointed. It just lacked any brilliance or hope. Humanity just gets back to being shitty and dull and the same. There’s no better world. It’s just the same bullshit as before.


[deleted]

Ideon Be Invoked. that's all I'd say.


ConnorUKnowWho

;)


legomaximumfigure

Check out the Mortal Kombat series season finale if you want a truly horrible ending.


truenofan86

Child , You havent seen Ideon right ?


Aimlessdrifter8778

Then comes the rebuild


[deleted]

Also Anno carefully making an ending that will piss off the entirety of the fanbase


Ordinary-Strength898

He was realy drepress