Jonz

2y

Growth is when you move forward, but Anno himself admitted that many of the ideas he came up with post-Eva kept being recycled versions of the story, which, according to him, already contained everything that interested him. He said this verbatim.

Which is funny because thematically, the OG work did everything the rebuilds do; except better. They're a retread. The rebuilds are great at sacrificing a character-driven narrative in favor of a meta driven one tho.

I won't even mention the disgusting fanservice present in them. Whereas in the OG show, some more revealing scenes happened from Shinji's perspective, thus developing his character, in the rebuilds they solely exist to horn up the audience - and those mfs never got these characters; just look at what they did to Asuka. Simply tragic.

This is just my perspective ofc. You're obviously free to disagree.

Vox

2y

Am I missing something or..

Scatt

2y

got these akira figures at a flea market for $8 today
it was some old man selling it so he had no idea what it even was

shin thread jpeg

2y

FLCL: Grunge 9/9

Jonz

2y

Not a fan of the rebuilds at all.

Phlegm

2y

whats this?

hayabusa

2y

idk how i feel about this but i think its cus trigun stampede kinda spoiled me

Jonz

2y

Not a fan of the rebuilds at all.

Scatt

2y

got these akira figures at a flea market for $8 today
it was some old man selling it so he had no idea what it even was

HaroldsChicken

2y

Yeah I just am not ready for them

Carmen is Composed

2y

the justification for them is stupid

but I enjoyed them

HaroldsChicken

2y

I watched them and the Hikaru Utada song a slapper but it just is different to process. I am due for a rewatch of rebuilds though

lilkuya

2y

Def gotta get back into watching anime

Everything

2y

I completely disagree that they're a retread. The finale has a far more concrete presentation and shows Anno's growth in perspective. 3.0+1.0 is a masterful showing of his own understanding of the themes presented in OG. There's no ambiguity presented in the Rebuild finale. Anno, and by extension the fans, need to move on from Eva. The shadow it cast, the ties people have to it that hold them back, the safety people find in it. That's the entire point of the Rebuilds as a whole -- thematically, anyway. OG series is about "defeating" escapism and coming to terms with one's reality. Rebuilds were an excellent response to the 20+ years of incessant growth of the series and the constant bullshit thr fanbase has peddled. It quite literally tells people to let go of Evangelion. To move on. To grow.

Furthermore, Evangelion was already addressing meta narratives since End of Eva regardless. That's a core part of the series atp. Not sure why we need a character-driven narrative for characters who's arcs were already resolved thematically (save for Gendo, who finally gets his conclusion in 3.0+1.0). It's not the only way to tell a story. Anno wanted to tell the story of "his" growth in the best way he knew how. The only way those movies could exist is in a meta way -- and thank God they do, because clearly Anno had some s*** he needed to get off his chest (and s*** fans needed to hear, even though they continue to deny it). Honestly, you could easily make the argument that the character-driven narratives presented in the OG series were always intended to take a backseat to the more philosophical/personal aspects Anno wanted to address and that the characters exist as a vehicle for them because this is anime and that's just how it is lol. He does this s*** in his other works, too (see: Shin Godzilla, which is just Anno using the whole story to basically s*** on the Japanese government's response to the mid-decade tsunami). As fans, we already know these characters inside and out. We've been discussing them and a***yzing them for decades. Evangelion atp can only ever be used as a way for Anno to talk to his fans. Any other use of the IP is worthless because those characters are done.

I also disagree that the horned up s*** existed for some grander purpose in the OG. Plenty of bullshit that just exists to get mf h**** in the OG series even outside of Shinji's presence.

I'm curious to hear why you think Anno has not moved forward. His perspective in the Rebuilds vs his perspective in EoE are pretty different, with the former being a waaaaaay healthier perspective on how to live imo. Like you said, he himself had acknowledged that he struggled to let go/move beyond Evangelion. What better way to address that than literally doing so in the final piece of the series? Making a concrete statement -- no, reality IS better than escaping into a fantasy. Not leaving behind an ambiguous legacy (and kinda cowardly, though I'll chalk it up to personal confusion) for fans to scream about for 20+ years -- instead telling them EXACTLY what he thinks is right.

Jonz

2y

Read the Evangelion manga. It's beautifully illustrated, as expected, but it was surprising how much it differs from the TV show. It follows a lot of the same beats, but many characters are explored differently and, in some cases, even more profoundly. In fact, in many aspects, it surpasses the original telling of the story. The ending gave me mixed feelings, though. I love the idea of a more explicitly hopeful ending, but some of the choices made in regards to its execution definitely could've been done better. Still, it is very much worth reading.

hayabusa

2y

ghost in the shell (1995)

Jonz

2y

First off, thank you for this reply. You do make some interesting points, and I do appreciate you sharing your perspective. I guess, for me, it simply boils down to this: I was never one of those fans who couldn't let go. The original conclusion thoroughly satisfied me (I always found it hopeful, all things considered). But I do see value in the points you raise about Anno utilizing the project to get closure for himself. Ultimately, it's the beauty of art and its subjectivity—despite how I may feel about them, I can completely understand why so many people connect with those movies on a deeper level.

Jonz

2y

First off, thank you for this reply. You do make some interesting points, and I do appreciate you sharing your perspective. I guess, for me, it simply boils down to this: I was never one of those fans who couldn't let go. The original conclusion thoroughly satisfied me (I always found it hopeful, all things considered). But I do see value in the points you raise about Anno utilizing the project to get closure for himself. Ultimately, it's the beauty of art and its subjectivity—despite how I may feel about them, I can completely understand why so many people connect with those movies on a deeper level.

Everything

2y

I feel you 100%. Rebuilds are super divisive for a reason and I got no problem with people having issues with em at all

I agree that the original ending was satisfying enough (though albeit a little ambiguous). It does have a pang of "anything you decide is cool, but I feel like reality is better than escapism" vs the Rebuilds that are just like "nah, if you're still escaping from reality you need to stop being scared and come join us on this side."

The whole Gendo sequence in 3.0+1.0 was seriously nuts. Like, the guy who kickstarted this whole escapism s*** in-universe was forced to realize that he was running away not out of love for his wife, but out of fear of being alone and fear of hurting other people (namely, his son). He didn't want to process his own pain and shortcomings and just wanted out. Him realizing that felt like the final pillar that needed to fall.

Dope series. Hope we never get any piece of media from it again lol