neon genesis evangelion

[arrow]

I just watched the whole 26 episode tv arc. What a sucky ending.

Is it worth getting the 'end of evangelion' movie?

[Radd]

Speaking strictly on Evangelion, my theory on why most people hate the ending is because somewhere along the line they tricked themselves into thinking the series was about the robots and the fighting, when it was about the characters all along. In addition to that, the ending to Evangelion presumes that the audience has been paying attention all this time, and can put a few things together for themselves.

In my experience, most people I've met hate endings where they have to put anything together for themselves.

The Japanese, on the other hand, seem to love endings that require a bit on the part of the viewer. Unfortunately, this also makes room for people who try to make their stories look deeper than they are, and wind up glossing over a simple, poorly executed plot with lots of psychobabble that means nothing. Out of this group, you get endings like those to Metal Gear Solid 2, Gundam Wing, and the recently released Appleseed movie. But for some strange reason, theses shows that just pretend to be deep, spewing lots of contradictory arguments that make little to no sense, and usually seem to end with something blowing up right before or after a long series of monologues, tend to be a lot more popular than those shows who's endings and plots really do make sense when all of the pieces are put together.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of Evangelion, I see many other valid reasons to dislike the show. It's pretentious, the characters are wholly unlikable, and the heaps of character developement are poured over a typical monster of the week super robot show.

However, for what it was, the tv series ending was probably the best possible ending they could make. They finished off the typical super robot cliches a couple episodes before the end, then wrapped up the characters and story quite nicely, without taking the viewer by the hand and walking them through everything.

The movies only vindicated my feelings on this. They offered nothing but action sequences and did nothing to further the story or character developement at all.

So, yeah, you'd probably like the movies.

[Jolly Rogers]

The movies only vindicated my feelings on this. They offered nothing but action sequences and did nothing to further the story or character developement at all.

I thought Shinji's character was further developed in the movie, as his vocabulary became more vulgar right smack in the first scene, showing he was no longer the same kid we saw in the TV series.

[arrow]

but what does the 'end of evangelion' movie have?

is it an alternate ending? supplemental ending?

[wolfx]

but what does the 'end of evangelion' movie have?

is it an alternate ending? supplemental ending?

Basically the same ending but told from the perspective from what actually was HAPPENING ...... during the 3rd impact. The TV series was more like what was happening inside Shinji's head (Anno's head) only.

[eugimon]

yup, the tv series ending is basically what's going on in shinji's head for the first movie, and the second movie actually wraps things up... if you get all the religion/mythology stuff, the ending will make sense and well, it ends the only way it could.

the movies are definitely worth watching, some of the best big robot fight sequences ever.

[Cruel Angel's Thesis]

To sum it up, the End of Evangelion is the originial series ending. Anno tends to wait till the last moment to write the end to the anime series, with Eva he waited a little too long and was only half way thorugh Ep. 25 Air, so he redid 25 from the start, which began the TV series ending. In essance it was a rush job and a mind screw to boot, as many say replace a few words and the last two episodes describe Eva as being a excuse to make Eva. With the green light for a movie(s), Anno pulled out the half completed Air and went back to work finishing it and then working on Ep. 26 Magokoro wo, kimi ni (trans. Sincerely Yours/My Pure Heart for You). The End of Eva can be seen as the originial ending to the series. But with the TV series ending also cannon, its a pick which ending you want thing now. Anno has already payed his pennance for Eva (shaving his head) and avoids talking about it when he can at Conventions, considering the matter closed. Hope this answers your question.

[Keith]

Both are the exact same ending. Consider one a quick & dirty bare bones version, and the other a grand theatrical venture.

[ComicKaze]

It's a mindf*** is what it is. If you didn't like the TV ending, the movie ending will make you feel sick.

[Graham]

The ending of Evangelion raped my childhood.

Sorry, just seems to be a theme on Macrossworld at the moment. Just jumping on the bandwagon (AKA if you can't beat em join em)

Graham

[Jolly Rogers]

The ending of Evangelion raped my childhood.

Sorry, just seems to be a theme on Macrossworld at the moment. Just jumping on the bandwagon (AKA if you can't beat em join em)

Graham

[Phyrox]

but what does the 'end of evangelion' movie have?

is it an alternate ending? supplemental ending?

To sum up what others have said,

The movie takes the place of the last 2 episodes, and gives a different way that the series could have ended. The ultimate outcome is similar, but it is reached with more...well, stuff. It seems more climactic at least.

I like the movies...but after having watched the series and movies a few times each, I think I like the series ending best.

[wolfx]

The ending of Evangelion raped my childhood.

Sorry, just seems to be a theme on Macrossworld at the moment. Just jumping on the bandwagon (AKA if you can't beat em join em)

Graham

And incidentally there's an Angel in EVA that psychologically rapes you and your childhood.

[Radd]

To sum it up, the End of Evangelion is the originial series ending. Anno tends to wait till the last moment to write the end to the anime series...

I've heard a dozen contradicting reasons people have come up with as to why the Evangelion tv series ended the way it did and the movies were made. I've never hearda single source for any of these reasons, so I tend to believe they are fan conjecture.

[wolfx]

To sum it up, the End of Evangelion is the originial series ending.  Anno tends to wait till the last moment to write the end to the anime series...

I've heard a dozen contradicting reasons people have come up with as to why the Evangelion tv series ended the way it did and the movies were made. I've never hearda single source for any of these reasons, so I tend to believe they are fan conjecture.

Thought it was accepted that Anno wanted to end it that way in the TV series. Fans weren't happy, pressuring him and Gainax for an alternate ending. Anno did EOE, which was in his own way a subtle "F*** YOU" to the fanboys.

[Final Vegeta]

I think you should read at least this essay:

Prison of self consciousness

FV

[GreatMoose]

A couple of sites with GREAT explanations of the end of eva are as follows:

www.evaotaku.com

www.angelfire.com/anime4/mdwigs/ (my favorite)

faq.pen3.cjb.net

There's one more that i really like, but I can't find it! I'll keep looking...

[Cruel Angel's Thesis]

Actually my info comes from The Red Cross Book which was approved by Gainax staff of Eva that all info in it was accurate and cannon and from a interview with another founding member of Gainax forgot his name, he did do Otaku no Video. EvaOtaku has all this on his website, so its not fan conjecture, but fact.

Cruel Angel's Thesis

[arrow]

Just out of curiousity, what other notable anime did director anno do?

[Memphis Egyptologist]

TV Evangelion is a thought provoking TV Friendly ending, while EOE is your brain on drugs for a week. Very intense. . However, once you see EOE, you'll never look at the TV ending again. Just let out a big scream and relax.

[Memphis Egyptologist]

Just out of curiousity, what other notable anime did director anno do?

His and Her Circumstances (Kare Kano) off the top of my head.

[Radd]

And 'Ebichu the Housecleaning Hamster'.

[Max Jenius]

Both endings were fine. But people were expecting a big Gundamesque finale or something. The final two episodes re-affirm that this show was about Shinji and not the Evangelions. The Evangelions were major players and were cool, but in the end, its about Shinji. Its funny though, when they try to make the characters have problems and make them a little more human people hate them.

Oh, and speaking of which... I do feel the need to point out that I don't buy any of the "Anno was depressed while he made the show but now everything's better." stuff. To me, it seems like hype to get the goth/emo crowd into the show. Do I think Anno is a great director? No. Do I think Evangelion is one of the best anime series' out there (this includes wonderful direction)? Yes.

[ComicKaze]

I generally view Anno's work for Gainax to be among the worst and most disturbing anime I've ever had the misfortune to watch.

He somehow turned the Kare Kano story into another mind**** like Eva, albeit, innovative art direction...Think of it as a romantic comedy but twisted into Shinji's episode 26 dream, alongside with a South-Park style primitive nature animation, coupled with a childhood raping.

And don't get me started on Ebichu - the Housekeeping Hamster - aka the badly drawn Hamster that spies on ugly people doing it. I've seen enough animated leg hairs for 10 lifetimes.

Oh yeah, and FLCL. Damn FLCL. Seriously, is this guy on drugs or something? Whats up with Gainax? It's the stuff of nightmares on acid. No I don't want to watch some sort of grotesque anthropomorphic alien/human dude get beat up in the head so much that his skull cracks open so wide that giant robot climbs out of the fissure!

Don't get me started on Eva Air and Heart...bloody, I don't want to watch a teenage girl, writing in pain from her cloning being boiling to goo and exploding into bits over and over again, or another teenage girl being impaled by a lance or everybody dying, and blood! blood! blood! LCL! LCL! LCL! Bad writing! Bad plot! Depression! Depression! Masturbation! Oh who cares! In the end everybody will be liquified into LCL anyway and be reborn into the frustrations of a junior high boy with overzealous hormones and his frustration with female rejection! What a bloody depressing hopelessly twisted mess!

Arrrrgh!!! ANNO AND GAINAX MAKE ME WANT TO KILL SELF!!! AND KILL OTHERS!!! AND DRINK MOUTHWASH!!! AND WATCH STAR WARS SO THAT LUCAS CAN RAPE MY CHILDHOOD!!! At least it isn't as bad as anything Gainax made! ...except for Gunbuster!

Oh what promise the young animators and minds of Gainax showed @ Daikon '84! Only to be led into the path of deranged art and sodomy!

Edited December 15, 2004 by ComicKaze

[Mechamaniac]

Personally, I like Evangelion, but IMHO, the last two episodes sucked. Not because they didn't make sense, but because they did not fit with the rest of the series.

I mean, the first 24 episodes were (to me anyway) standard giant robot fare with an interesting back story thrown in.

Then all of the sudden, the last two episodes hit, and I found myself wondering if I was watching the same series.

In all, the ending made sense, but I wish Anno had done it in a different way, or built up to it a little more so we would have seen it coming.

[Memphis Egyptologist]

Oh yeah, and FLCL. Damn FLCL. Seriously, is this guy on drugs or something? Whats up with Gainax? It's the stuff of nightmares on acid. No I don't want to watch some sort of grotesque anthropomorphic alien/human dude get beat up in the head so much that his skull cracks open so wide that giant robot climbs out of the fissure!

Ummm, I don't remember seeing Anno's name associated with FLCL in any capacity before. I thought FLCL was the work of Kazuya Tsurumaki and the staff at Gainax. Maybe the FLCL people used the same stuff Anno used to write EOE?

[MrDisco]

i'm coming up with a blank here but is Anno the original writer/creator of Eva or was it done by a committee at Gainax?

[wolfx]

Just out of curiousity, what other notable anime did director anno do?

Gunbuster

Wings of Honneamise

key frame animator for DYRL

and recently, Re: Cutie Honey

[Memphis Egyptologist]

i'm coming up with a blank here but is Anno the original writer/creator of Eva or was it done by a committee at Gainax?

If anyone was behind creating Evangelion, it would have to be these people

See Evangelion Entry

Director: Hideaki Anno

Script: Akio Satsukawa (ep 3-10, 12-13), Hideaki Anno, Mitsuo Iso (ep 13), Yoji Enokido (ep 11), Yoji Enoto (ep 2)

[Memphis Egyptologist]

Just out of curiousity, what other notable anime did director anno do?

Gunbuster

Wings of Honneamise

key frame animator for DYRL

and recently, Re: Cutie Honey

He directed Nadia too. I forgot about that!

[Smiley424]

sorry to pull up an old thread, but I just finished watching Evangelion for the first time. searched and read over a couple threads I found here at MW and on other sites. I'm still thinking about/contemplating what exactly happenned at the end. Right now I don't hate the show and ending, but I can't say I like it either, because I'm still trying to figure it all out. I'm going to get End of Evangelion soon and see what that does for me. Just wanted to comment on the series w/o creating a whole new thread.

[CoryHolmes]

My problem with the TV ending is that it's wholly anti-climactic and it in no way ties up the loose threads that the series had dangled in front of the viewers the whole time.

We find nothing about Auska, Ritsuko, Mistao, and the rest of the characters. For me, the sign of a bad TV ending is when it takes a totally seperate theatrical release to finish off the story. Bad, bad, bad.

[Warmaker]

I liked NGE all the way up to the TV ending.

IMO, it's bad when at the end of a series, I'm thinking, "WT* mate?"

Then there's the movies.

The 1st one was really one of those dreadful recap TV episodes. Heck, no new animation needed really, just cut & paste the TV episodes.

The 2nd sort of overwhelmed me at first, then after a while, I'm again thinking, "WHAT?!?"

The only part I really cared about was Misato's death and Asuka's last fight against the Mass Prod. Evas. Rei, who I only cared for as the series went on, didn't factor for me, even though she was to play a big role in the end. Then there's Shinji. I understand the kid had some hellacious problems, but in the movies I really wanted to see someone choke him.

[VFTF1]

I am reviving this thread to share with you my thoughts on the ending of the TV series, and specifically, on the Human Instrumentality Project and episode 25. Here they are:

Thoughts on the Human Instrumentality Project

1. Is it necessary?

The necessity of the Human Instrumentality project, as explained in episode 25 of Neon Genesis Evangelion, can be sumarrized thus: Man is alone in the universe, and he is haunted by his loneliness, which motivates him to seek an escape from loneliness. However, each subsequent attempt at escaping loneliness brings him to the Other. However, the Other is also alone in the universe and seeks escape from the loneliness. When these two find one another, they feel that they have escaped the loneliness. Yet, two beings, who at their core are essentially lonely, cannot overcome loneliness by coming together. Two voids do not make for fullness. Therefore, with the passage of time, the Other becomes like all else that surrounds man – a fragment of the surrounding existence which reminds Man how much he is apart from it, and how lonely he is in the universe. In fact, to the extent that the Other is a reflection of Man’s loneliness, we might even posit that when Man and the Other come together, loneliness is compounded. Thus, as is stated in Neon Genesis Evangelion by Dr. Ritsko: „A creature that cannot overcome loneliness cannot be allowed to exist in its' current form” given that the creature is unhappy in its’ current form (the state of being alone) and cannot escape it (even in death). Therefore: since Man is by nature – psychologically and physiologically incapable of overcoming his loneliness, cannot come to terms with it, and sees in it the cause of his suffering and unhappiness – he must necessarily be forcefully evolved, replaced. Man must break out of the cycle of escaping loneliness by seeking out the Other, who in turn is also lonely, and thus incapable of remedying

2. Haven’t we heard this all before?

Yes – but No. Fantasies wherein all of human existence was brought to an end in order to “start fresh” have been around as long as Man has been around. Usually, they called for a return to the beginning; a liquidation and annihilation of all civilization and the preservation of a remnant which would start anew in accordance to an enlightened moral code. The problem with this approach, aside from the moral issue (which Misato also brings up regarding Human Instrumentality) of whether it is right for one group to murder millions in pursuit of an ideal vision of civilization, there is also a practical problem: namely, if the root cause of the corruption of humankind if human nature, then the quantity of human beings annihilated has to be 100% in order to root out the cause of this corruption. However, this would simply mean the eradication of all human life, rather than its’ improvement; and since the goal of nihilist idealism (in the sense of an idealism that is willing to destroy on a mass scale) is to improve human life, then, assuming we are not dealing with idealists whose idol is death itself, then the annihilation of all humanity would be more harmful from the point of view of even radical idealism than the preservation of humanity in its’ corrupt form. This is why all nihilist idealists have fantasized about a remnant of enlightened survivors who will be left to build anew, in accordance with enlightened ideals. Yet if the root of the corruption of humankind is human nature, then the survival of one human being – no matter how “enlightened” he or she may be, means the survival of human nature, and the inevitability of the return of his corruption. Ikari Gendo is truly revolutionary because his project is not predicated on human ideals; and foresees no remnant left after the destruction of everything who will “rebuild” anything. Instead, Ikari Gendo finds the flaw to rest within human nature – which is lonely – and sees the solution as an amalgamation of all human consciousness into one whole (where we will not ever again be alone).

3. That sounds nice, but what does instrumentality look like?

Presumably, Instrumentality looks like what we see in Episode 25 of Neon Genesiss Evangelon. That is to say, it is manifested on the one hand as the equal death of all physically existing human beings. No one, including the initiators of Instrumentality is left “on Earth.” All human consciousnesses, animating principles, souls (call them what you will) are united – yet since by definition the human soul is always embodied (in an individual body) and is also a composite of “views” that are “mirrored” in other souls (who see through the bodies of Others), then “inside” Instrumentaliy, the “I” takes on the shape of “I as I see myself,” and “I as the Other sees me.” In short: existence in Instrumentality takes on the shape of what appears to be a perpetual dialogue between human beings who are no longer constrained by their lonely human nature which characterized them on Earth. In this sense, Instrumentality is not a finite state – it is not a “nirvana” – it is not like Christian heaven, or any other religion’s Heaven, where we get to “be with” the perfect Being that is God. No. It is quite the opposite – it is a state of being which is Absolute Becoming. Absolute Becoming because it is the fully actualized, conscious state whereby each individual soul seeks out its’ true self in community with Others; through itself and through Others.

4. That sounds nifty, but there’s gotta be some fine print…

Indeed. There is no doubt “fine print” in the sense of pitfalls and imperfections. Off the top of my head, I can think of the following: eventually, “you” will stop looking at “yourself” via the Other who is well known to you (Shinji will stop looking at himself via Misato, Asuka, Rei etc etc) and you will encounter an Other who is utterly unknown to you and begin the process anew. This will be more frightening. To illustrate this with an example: Misato was frightened by how Others (known to her) viewed her real “I” – and shamed by it. Imagine, however, if these were views expressed by complete strangers. Imagine if throngs of Others that you never knew; who were not your close friends, lovers, family etc – suddenly were judging you and you were suddenly expected to judge them. In this sense, the AT field that all life forms have – the psychological and physiological barrier between “I” and “Other” that exists in the World Prior to Instrumentality is actually a blessing: it is a blessing precisely because it allows you to be alone; to be private, to be intimate to be unique, to not share what is precious with anyone and everyone, to always have some part of yourself reserved for yourself. Instrumentality denies this. Instrumentality succeeds in closing Man from his Being as Loneliness and therefore also closes Man from his Being as…a private, unique individual.

5. Dag. That kind of sucks. So Gendo did a bad thing?

Perhaps. It is hard to say. Gendo would likely contend that “bad” is just a notion worthy of beings who cannot go beyond good and evil – beyond themselves – who cannot evolve. But, as Fuyutski said earlier, during a confrontation with the “computer virus” Angel – the natural end of Evolution is…death. Is this the case for all beings – even those who arise from Instrumentality? Or, does the assent to Instrumentality from the physical, Earthly form, demonstrate that Death is not a finite thing, but rather can be overcome – that the End of “being” is merely a moving on to a new type of Being? Does the Soul “in” Instrumentality die eventually? If so – does it die “alone?” This is almost impossible, since there is no more “alone.” Therefore, presumably, Human Instrumentality dies together. What does it die of? Certainly not physical decay. So – spiritual decay? Caused by what? By never finding final happiness? Does it become tired of the perpetual quest? I would guess that it becomes sad – it despairs even – it despairs and finds itself missing the state of being alone. Imagine having to constantly – for your whole life – be “seen” by Others and also at the same time look at Others. In the beginning of Instrumentality – what we were shown in episode 25 – the process actually looks cathartic and good; because everyone is “finally being honest with one another.” However – note please that it is only cathartic and good because there is something that everyone can be honest about: namely – their Earthly existence. Imagine what happens later. Later, there is no existence. There is no “tomorrow.” There is no “human drama” that requires some kind of unraveling, some kind of curing, some kind of analyzing – there is only infinite Instrumentality. People do not love and hate, they do not hope and despair. They do nothing “alone” and nothing together (for what else is there to do). Ergo – all they can “do” is look back upon when life was in motion and uncertain and lonely. And eventually – I contend – they will find themselves actually missing this loneliness and uncertainty. They will want to return to it. Barring this possibility – they will need to evolve even further. Into what? How? Who knows. Perhaps Gendo need not know.

Anyways – there are my random thoughts on this excellent anime. I had the chance to watch it in much higher quality than YouTube, which really helps. This is also why I had more thoughts about it than during my previous, first watching.

Pete

[taksraven]

I am reviving this thread to share with you my thoughts on the ending of the TV series, and specifically, on the Human Instrumentality Project and episode 25. Here they are:

Thoughts on the Human Instrumentality Project

1. Is it necessary?

The necessity of the Human Instrumentality project, as explained in episode 25 of Neon Genesis Evangelion, can be sumarrized thus: Man is alone in the universe, and he is haunted by his loneliness, which motivates him to seek an escape from loneliness. However, each subsequent attempt at escaping loneliness brings him to the Other. However, the Other is also alone in the universe and seeks escape from the loneliness. When these two find one another, they feel that they have escaped the loneliness. Yet, two beings, who at their core are essentially lonely, cannot overcome loneliness by coming together. Two voids do not make for fullness. Therefore, with the passage of time, the Other becomes like all else that surrounds man – a fragment of the surrounding existence which reminds Man how much he is apart from it, and how lonely he is in the universe. In fact, to the extent that the Other is a reflection of Man’s loneliness, we might even posit that when Man and the Other come together, loneliness is compounded. Thus, as is stated in Neon Genesis Evangelion by Dr. Ritsko: „A creature that cannot overcome loneliness cannot be allowed to exist in its' current form” given that the creature is unhappy in its’ current form (the state of being alone) and cannot escape it (even in death). Therefore: since Man is by nature – psychologically and physiologically incapable of overcoming his loneliness, cannot come to terms with it, and sees in it the cause of his suffering and unhappiness – he must necessarily be forcefully evolved, replaced. Man must break out of the cycle of escaping loneliness by seeking out the Other, who in turn is also lonely, and thus incapable of remedying

2. Haven’t we heard this all before?

Yes – but No. Fantasies wherein all of human existence was brought to an end in order to “start fresh” have been around as long as Man has been around. Usually, they called for a return to the beginning; a liquidation and annihilation of all civilization and the preservation of a remnant which would start anew in accordance to an enlightened moral code. The problem with this approach, aside from the moral issue (which Misato also brings up regarding Human Instrumentality) of whether it is right for one group to murder millions in pursuit of an ideal vision of civilization, there is also a practical problem: namely, if the root cause of the corruption of humankind if human nature, then the quantity of human beings annihilated has to be 100% in order to root out the cause of this corruption. However, this would simply mean the eradication of all human life, rather than its’ improvement; and since the goal of nihilist idealism (in the sense of an idealism that is willing to destroy on a mass scale) is to improve human life, then, assuming we are not dealing with idealists whose idol is death itself, then the annihilation of all humanity would be more harmful from the point of view of even radical idealism than the preservation of humanity in its’ corrupt form. This is why all nihilist idealists have fantasized about a remnant of enlightened survivors who will be left to build anew, in accordance with enlightened ideals. Yet if the root of the corruption of humankind is human nature, then the survival of one human being – no matter how “enlightened” he or she may be, means the survival of human nature, and the inevitability of the return of his corruption. Ikari Gendo is truly revolutionary because his project is not predicated on human ideals; and foresees no remnant left after the destruction of everything who will “rebuild” anything. Instead, Ikari Gendo finds the flaw to rest within human nature – which is lonely – and sees the solution as an amalgamation of all human consciousness into one whole (where we will not ever again be alone).

3. That sounds nice, but what does instrumentality look like?

Presumably, Instrumentality looks like what we see in Episode 25 of Neon Genesiss Evangelon. That is to say, it is manifested on the one hand as the equal death of all physically existing human beings. No one, including the initiators of Instrumentality is left “on Earth.” All human consciousnesses, animating principles, souls (call them what you will) are united – yet since by definition the human soul is always embodied (in an individual body) and is also a composite of “views” that are “mirrored” in other souls (who see through the bodies of Others), then “inside” Instrumentaliy, the “I” takes on the shape of “I as I see myself,” and “I as the Other sees me.” In short: existence in Instrumentality takes on the shape of what appears to be a perpetual dialogue between human beings who are no longer constrained by their lonely human nature which characterized them on Earth. In this sense, Instrumentality is not a finite state – it is not a “nirvana” – it is not like Christian heaven, or any other religion’s Heaven, where we get to “be with” the perfect Being that is God. No. It is quite the opposite – it is a state of being which is Absolute Becoming. Absolute Becoming because it is the fully actualized, conscious state whereby each individual soul seeks out its’ true self in community with Others; through itself and through Others.

4. That sounds nifty, but there’s gotta be some fine print…

Indeed. There is no doubt “fine print” in the sense of pitfalls and imperfections. Off the top of my head, I can think of the following: eventually, “you” will stop looking at “yourself” via the Other who is well known to you (Shinji will stop looking at himself via Misato, Asuka, Rei etc etc) and you will encounter an Other who is utterly unknown to you and begin the process anew. This will be more frightening. To illustrate this with an example: Misato was frightened by how Others (known to her) viewed her real “I” – and shamed by it. Imagine, however, if these were views expressed by complete strangers. Imagine if throngs of Others that you never knew; who were not your close friends, lovers, family etc – suddenly were judging you and you were suddenly expected to judge them. In this sense, the AT field that all life forms have – the psychological and physiological barrier between “I” and “Other” that exists in the World Prior to Instrumentality is actually a blessing: it is a blessing precisely because it allows you to be alone; to be private, to be intimate to be unique, to not share what is precious with anyone and everyone, to always have some part of yourself reserved for yourself. Instrumentality denies this. Instrumentality succeeds in closing Man from his Being as Loneliness and therefore also closes Man from his Being as…a private, unique individual.

5. Dag. That kind of sucks. So Gendo did a bad thing?

Perhaps. It is hard to say. Gendo would likely contend that “bad” is just a notion worthy of beings who cannot go beyond good and evil – beyond themselves – who cannot evolve. But, as Fuyutski said earlier, during a confrontation with the “computer virus” Angel – the natural end of Evolution is…death. Is this the case for all beings – even those who arise from Instrumentality? Or, does the assent to Instrumentality from the physical, Earthly form, demonstrate that Death is not a finite thing, but rather can be overcome – that the End of “being” is merely a moving on to a new type of Being? Does the Soul “in” Instrumentality die eventually? If so – does it die “alone?” This is almost impossible, since there is no more “alone.” Therefore, presumably, Human Instrumentality dies together. What does it die of? Certainly not physical decay. So – spiritual decay? Caused by what? By never finding final happiness? Does it become tired of the perpetual quest? I would guess that it becomes sad – it despairs even – it despairs and finds itself missing the state of being alone. Imagine having to constantly – for your whole life – be “seen” by Others and also at the same time look at Others. In the beginning of Instrumentality – what we were shown in episode 25 – the process actually looks cathartic and good; because everyone is “finally being honest with one another.” However – note please that it is only cathartic and good because there is something that everyone can be honest about: namely – their Earthly existence. Imagine what happens later. Later, there is no existence. There is no “tomorrow.” There is no “human drama” that requires some kind of unraveling, some kind of curing, some kind of analyzing – there is only infinite Instrumentality. People do not love and hate, they do not hope and despair. They do nothing “alone” and nothing together (for what else is there to do). Ergo – all they can “do” is look back upon when life was in motion and uncertain and lonely. And eventually – I contend – they will find themselves actually missing this loneliness and uncertainty. They will want to return to it. Barring this possibility – they will need to evolve even further. Into what? How? Who knows. Perhaps Gendo need not know.

Anyways – there are my random thoughts on this excellent anime. I had the chance to watch it in much higher quality than YouTube, which really helps. This is also why I had more thoughts about it than during my previous, first watching.

Pete

I think that the original TV ending was just a cheap way to wrap it up since they were CLEARLY out of money. End of Evangelion is the true ending.

Taksraven