[Categories: OAVs, Movies and Full Series]
End of Evangelion: I swallowed hard, like I understood
As I’m typing this long-overdue (and lengthy) post I’m listening to the debut record from 65 Days of Static, The Fall of Math (hence the above title), which to me is an appropriate accompaniment to this film. I’ve gone over how I first encountered the show already but as with most people who have seen the feature-length alternative ending, it has been a long-standing source of wonder, discussion and head-scratching ever since. My appreciation of both the likes of End of Evangelion and music that’s also thought of as experimental and alternative is fairly similar: they are challenging and take a bit of getting into, are all too able to lose you in the layers of meaning and artistry but you can’t but admit that they’re an impressive piece of work. That and the fact that the song title in question pretty much sums up how I feel that you don’t have to ‘get’ everything about this movie to appreciate it. A seminal film in anime history is of course quite different from an instrumental rock album recorded by four guys from Sheffield…
The token symbolic-looking screenie, complete with a naked Rei/Lilith to placate the fanboys
The first half of EoE is brutal to the point of excess and the second half feels like a storyteller being deliberately obtuse (given the death threats and various other forms of psychological trauma he experienced, I can’t say I blame him either) and yet it’s still something I can re-watch. For one thing it’s head and shoulders above the TV show in terms of art quality - we had to wait for the first Rebuild movie to see what Anno and co would do with a big budget. More interestingly it’s also the first time we see him take on live-action film making and spread his wings in a feature-length presentation.
It’s a brazen and unsubtle attempt at drawing a line under the whole affair but with hindsight we all know how EoE isn’t the end of Evangelion at all; in finishing the original storyline however I don’t think there could have been a more definite (and petulant) way to wrap things up. The first half, consisting of an all-out assault on Nerv HQ, is bloody violent; it really does feel like the studio staff had some sort of temper tantrum, and leads me to make the tentative criticism that the desire to revel in this violence makes it gratuitous. While Air may well have been the original plan for the episode #25 airing, I suspect the bloodletting was upped purely because the cinema would allow more of it than a TV station might have done. Even so, many of these graphic instances didn’t provide much more than shock value.
You have been pwned, etc., etc. Joking aside though, what is the point to this?
The film is basically a physical and mental apocalypse, which means emotion and dramatic effect are upped to the maximum and everything - and everyone - is smashed to smithereens. Nerv is annihilated and almost all human life within is extinguished; Misato, arguably my favourite character of the entire series, dies in a bomb blast while the rest of the cast and Earth’s population dissolve into puddles of LCL. In a remarkable turnaround, my dislike for Asuka’s character disappeared entirely when her final scene sees her fight an impossible battle with heroic abandon and die in the most graphic way imaginable.
At this point, the gallons of blood flowing were totally justified in my eyes; possibly because the deaths of Misato and Asuka are significant, and their ends were so full of pathos. These two events have more of a bearing on the course the rest of the film than some hapless Nerv employee being gunned down because they clearly affect Shinji Ikari’s state of mind, which is what the resolution of the movie hinges on. The genuine character insight and dance of death that makes these scenes so poingnant are painful to watch…but they sure as hell are effective.
My dere-dere breakdown happens around here: Asuka, I’m sorry. I don’t hate you any more
The whole film is about isolation, destruction, devotion and so much else; the reason why I love the medium of film to convey such concepts is that they are so fluid - the creators can be as specific or as vague as they see fit, sometimes in clever instances such as this do both simultaneously. On the downside there have been numerous misinterpretations that have had to be refuted (so much for drawing a line under the story, huh?) but despite these the imagery is enough for me to get a satisfactory interpretation out of it, as vague as it is.
Despite being full of bloodletting, dismemberment and various other forms of carnage I still cite EoE as a gorgeous looking film. My favourite section is that of the live-action footage that mixes with the animation: the piano solo arrangement of Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring has a bittersweet and minimalist feel that fits perfectly with the cuts of cityscapes, swings in parks, cats on roofs and, most intriguing of all, (I think) shots of the cinema theatre the movie was premiered in played back to the very audience.
“Is there anybody out there?” I’ve always wondered if Anno has seen the movie adaptation of The Wall
The problem with being so experimental is of course that the series, at least at first, was geared to one sort of audience - the ordinary otaku demographic who appreciate straightforward mecha and drama sci-fi - while EoE appeals to a slightly different one. It is considerably more demanding of its viewers and expects them to work much harder to glean a meaning from the bizarre imagery; which is all well and good if the fans of the series walked in with that expectation, but in many cases they probably didn’t. Aside from the irritating online know-it-alls who split hairs and flame all those who disagree that THEIR interpretation is the right one, this film suffers from something akin to false advertising, albeit possibly intentionally.
I don’t know exactly what Anno was trying to say with that live-action segment but judging by the point in the film that it appears, the message it gave to me personally was “This is your world. Not the animated fictional world you’ve been witnessing so far. Would you leave this world behind?” It seems to ask, unequivocally and even more directly at the viewer, if the world that these everyday but strangely beautiful images come from deserves to be lost; it’s almost as if the film is trying to bridge the gap between the world of anime and live action cinema.
Tokyo-1, pre-Second Impact, presumably
Is this postmodern film making? Breaking down the fourth wall? Neither? Both? Quite frankly I don’t care because, while I’ll never claim to ‘get it’, the visual and musical onslaught and visceral beauty still leaves me speechless and every time I rewatch it, whether alone or with friends, my impression shifts a little. Part of this is noticing new things, while part is an effect that I only experience every so often: my impression of the film changes as my own perceptions change. I think the messages of a truly memorable film grow and change with you, as this one does with me, and manages to be universal in its themes while at the same time giving very different and personal impressions that stay with you.
One last Anno-ism for your delectation: for those of you who scrolled all the way through the wall of text in search of more naked Rei/Lilith pictures, hang your heads in shame
Posted on September 24th, 2008 @ 11:02 pm
I just watched Evangelion recently, after forgetting if I’d seen it all already. After wading through the last say 7 or 8 episodes of the series, I find that I really liked the TV ending. It didn’t make much sense, but there was closure and the light-hearted alternate world thing just sat really nicely after so much anguish and torment.
And then I watched EoE, and it seems to me that all of that tying up is replaced with even higher levels of mental anguish, backed up with gratuitous blood. I suppose it made more sense than the TV ending but the film was just draining to watch, from start to end. It really did feel like the studio were just having a tantrum, and those live action scenes are something of an apology for making you sit through it.
Posted on September 25th, 2008 @ 3:19 am
With the exception of a few stranger scenes, both endings made pretty good sense to me. Perhaps it’s my own personal interpretation, but by the conclusion I didn’t feel too confused.
The one scene I really don’t get is the sandcastle one about halfway through - it’s clearly intended to be heavily symbolic but it still goes over my head.
Posted on September 25th, 2008 @ 5:04 am
I don’t care to try to analyze some shows because there are so many questions and too many answers, i.e. I’m lazy and like to let the weirdness flow sometimes.
I haven’t watched EoE except for that one time. I’m not sure I agree that the studio was “throwing a tantrum,” because I thought the deaths of Asuka and Misato both especially moving. Misato even gives our whiny hero Shinji a pep talk before she dies! She was probably my favorite character in the show, so I was glad to see her die well. As for Asuka, the joy on her face when she started fighting is an image I still remember.
As for Rei? … Heh heh. I use the moment when her giant form rises up through the atmosphere as an example to friends who don’t watch anime of how wonderfully weird the format can be (that and scenes from Utena, twin columns of glorious anime strangeness). No converts so far. I wonder why not …
Posted on September 25th, 2008 @ 7:14 pm
When I saw Evangelion I had no idea about all the fan-crap and controversy, so I didn’t really think of those opening sequences as an act of aggression (even if they were). Mostly I thought that the whole horrific business fitted well with Anno’s pessimism and his world’s political immorality. That shock value worked for me.
Mainly I just love this film. I think it offers a far more natural transition from action into straight talking existential guff than was possible on TV. The film is probably more elegant in making the perspective shift and thus forcing the viewers to look at themselves.
coburns last blog post..Watching Geass R2 in 9 days: medieval politics in fictional futures
Posted on September 25th, 2008 @ 8:22 pm
It’s no secret that I’m a massive Evangelion fanboy (I have the Japanese DVD release of 1.01: You Are Not Alone, it’s that bad!), so it’s probably not surprising that I think that End of Evangelion is quite possibly the best work of anime ever.
I never really felt that the first half of the movie was too bloody - This is a fight to bring about the total, unequivocal end (and remoulding) of the world as we know it, affecting every single living thing, and the use of extreme violence to ensure that was brought about on SEELE’s part made perfect sense. War is bad, and this was war, so I’ve always been glad to see it covered in such a no holds barred fashion.
Conversely, I was never too sure about the live action portion towards the end - I don’t dislike it, and musically it fits in wonderfully with Shiro Sagisu’s masterful soundtrack (again, a best ever?) but it felt a bit arbitrarily bolted on to me. I can imagine the theatre scene must have been quite something at the premiere though.
Really, End of Evangelion does it all for me - It’s thought-provoking, it’s occasionally majestically action-packed (Asuka versus the mass production Evas is absolutely breath-taking), it’s poignant (with Misato’s final scene especially)… I could go on, but let’s just say I’ve watched this movie half a dozen times and I fully intend to watch it many, many more before I get bored of it.
I’d be interested to hear your take on the end though, it’s always intriguing to hear from people what they think it all means.
Posted on September 26th, 2008 @ 12:05 am
@jason: I don’t mind the TV ending either actually. The movie explains more of course, but the general message and resolution is pretty similar. It’s just explaining the same ideas, but with prettier animation and more ’stuff’ happening.
@Wildcard: I didn’t get the sandcastle either. The idea of the stage gives a sense of artificial-ness but kicking down a sandcastle? The two dolls represent loneliness and perhaps creating something then kicking it down represents Shinji’s childish desire to destroy everything. Just my guessing really!
@Peter S: I thought Misato’s end was brilliant. Heartbreaking, but brilliant. It sums up why I have so much admiration for her character. If you’re trying to weird people out with anime, I recommend anything by Satoshi Kon! They won’t know what hit them…
@coburn: I wasn’t too aware of the impact the show had made when I watched it either, so went in knowing it was apocalyptic and epic, nothing more. I find it a shame that people decide whether it succeeds or fails as a movie based purely on the hype and shitstorms. ‘Forcing the viewers to look at themselves’ is what the film does so well, which I think is why the live-action segment is so brilliant.
@Hanners: I’m no prude in terms of violence but at times it felt a bit unnecessary. Certainly not in the case of Asuka and Misato though - Anno isn’t afraid to inflict suffering on his characters, but their demises were so fitting. When Asuka is facing impossible odds, it’s possibly the only time when she’s seen to be happy and utterly in her element. Even though she’s suffering, she earns a heroic end. Misato’s scene is similarly superb; like you, my respect for the series must surely cloud my judgement on it somewhat.
The end has always left me scratching my head. I tried to look up the interpretations but I honestly don’t know. Sorry if that’s a disappointment to you but I never did come to a satisfactory conclusion. Here goes…
It’s a Shinji/Asuka pairing by the end, in which they are the first humans to return. I guess it’s a relatively happy ending but given the obstacles they’d have to overcome, maybe it’s just as well that we’re not shown the arguments and awkwardness that would come before a happy future together. The last line is I think Asuka remembering what happened in the opening scene…which probably means it’s one last reminder that you have to take responsibility for your actions. He did something that has sickened and upset her, but the caress suggests that she can forgive him. I think that’s as close to a happy ending that we’re ever going to get from Anno!
Posted on September 26th, 2008 @ 10:13 am
I’ve recently watched Evangelion and the two movies. I found that everything makes sense besides the religious symbolism which I can’t seem to make any of it fit perfectly. The gratuitous use of religious symbolism seemed to mean nothing to me.
Anyhow, the movie was a good addition, simply because I felt it was a more suitable ending than that ‘acid trip’ in the TV series. A fantastic way to tie all loose ends and call it a day.
However, if I have one single criticism about the film, it kind of irked me that so much of it was so similar to Ideon: Be Invoked - nor did I feel it did anything better than Ideon: Be Invoked.
Posted on September 26th, 2008 @ 8:29 pm
Martin, that’s the right answer, you win a car!!
Seriously, not being sure about the end is nothing to apologise for, I change my position on it every time I watch it.
Overall I actually like your interpretation, as it’s far more positive than mine. My assumption always ends up at Shinji and Asuka not being the first to return, but the only ones to return… The only pair strong enough to become individuals again, making them the next Adam and Eve so that the whole cycle begins again.
I’m not sure about that last line and closing scene either, but I always felt that it was more a reflection of Shinji and Asuka’s entire relationship in the blink of an eye… Love, hate, disgust, jealousy, the entire gamut of human emotion basically.
Hannerss last blog post..Chocolate Underground - Episode 10
Posted on September 27th, 2008 @ 12:21 am
I have only seen it once, despite owning it (which is not to say I didn’t like it, I love it), and apparently have forgotten almost everything about it.
On the end, I’m somewhat closer to Hanners’s interpretation. But mine was even worse. They were the only people, in their willful stubbornness, to stay behind. Human Instrumentality did its little thing, and they were not part of it. If you take it as a re-telling of the same story as the end of the TV series (which I do, just with a little more information), all that convincing that everyone tried to do to Shinji during the pencil episodes did not work. But maybe it’s time for me to take another look at it, and the more I feel like Anno was a negative bastard, the more I seem to like him. And apparently, there was a lot of controversy over exactly how to translate the last line, but one thing’s for sure, it wasn’t a real positive-sounding one.
I don’t really know the story with that, but I wonder… seems that if you made it through the end of the TV series and wanted to see more, you were probably ready for some crazy stuff. Your interpretation of the live-action sequence is very cool, and sounds plausible enough to me.
otou-sans last blog post..New site announcement
Posted on October 2nd, 2008 @ 4:04 am
The first time I saw EOE was many years ago via a poorly translated fansub, and after watching it my basic opinion was WTF. But after watching the movie several times since then and each time I view it I appreciate it more and more after each viewing.
The each time that I re-watch EOE, I become firmer in my opinion that all the death and destruction in the first half of the movie is really incidental to the truth that Shinji must learn in the second half of the film.
I think that Shinji’s perspective on life and his loneliness represents a rejection of the “bowling alone” syndrome of modern society; nobody understands me so I’ll shut out the world. I also feel when Shinji and Rei are alone in the LCL field and everybody is merged together represents what Shinji thinks his ideal world should be. But he quickly figures out that he may not get hurt there, but it’s a hollow/false existence.
Shinji learns that to truly connect with other people he would have to open himself up to being hurt because at first you can’t truly whats inside another person’s heart. He comes to understand that while he felt that nobody tried to understand his feelings he never put any effort in to listening or trying to understand the other person.
chriss last blog post..October 1st, means dropping temperatures and winter uniforms, sigh!