I love NGE. I didn’t think I would (I’m not usually a big mecha fan), but they had all these tapes at the local video store, so we decided to give it a shot. This was a few summers ago. I knew I was hooked when I found myself actually singing the theme song (in, I’m sure, badly mangled Japanese) while riding my bike one day.
This is the anime that changed my relationship to anime. I was introduced to the genre by Ranma 1/2, but NGE was the first series where I was inspired to go out and collect every tape. (I do kind of wish I’d waited for DVD now, though.) I needed to own it.
I love the opening theme. I’d love to sing it “American Idol”-style
I also like the ending theme (“Fly Me to the Moon”). Who knew that song could be so ironic?
This definitely is an anime that you need to give a few episodes to get into. After the first tape, I thought it was OK. I could take it or leave it. By the time I got to the third tape, I was starting to get into it more. Then, there was Asuka Langley Soryu (!) and the series settles into a comfortable theme of kids piloting EVAs and kicking Angel butt for a while. This is like the top of the hill at the roller coaster. Then, you fall–and that’s when it gets really interesting.
It’s strange to see a series where Judeo-Christianity is sprinkled throughout to make it more exotic, isn’t it? We do the same with Asian religions and customs, though.
I didn’t hate the ending, but I was disappointed. There was a lot of setup that seemed unresolved. I am looking forward to seeing the movies. They are actually going to be officially released in the US soon, right?
Who doesn’t? Well, apparently, a lot of people. I have dubbed tapes because they were cheaper–but that’s why I now regret not waiting for the DVD. I don’t mind the Eva dub because I’m used to it, but I’ve found that if I listen to the original first, I’ll hate the dub most of the time. I’ve wondered why Cartoon Network, when showing anime, doesn’t just put the Japanese voice track on the SAP (second audio program–in some markets, “Simpsons” has a Spanish dub there, and on PBS, they have a special track describing the action for the blind. A horribly underused feature, if you ask me) and run subtitles through closed captioning? Perhaps it would just expose how much they edit.
Eva on Cartoon Network, huh? Perhaps I shouldn’t have cancelled cable. Then again, I have all the tapes already.