Neon Genesis Evangelion

This article is about the anime television series. For the media franchise, see Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise).

Neon Genesis Evangelion
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン
(Shin Seiki Evangerion)
Genre
Anime television series
Directed byHideaki Anno
Produced by
Written byHideaki Anno
Music byShirō Sagisu
Studio
Licensed by
Original networkTXN (TV Tokyo)
English network
Original run October 4, 1995 – March 27, 1996
Episodes26 (List of episodes)
Manga
Light novel
Anime films

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Japanese: 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, Hepburn: Shinseiki Evangerion, lit. 'New Century Evangelion' in Japanese and lit. 'New Beginning Gospel' in Greek), also known as Evangelion or Eva, is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax, animated by Tatsunoko, and directed by Hideaki Anno. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. The story is set fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm in the futuristic fortified city of Tokyo-3. The protagonist is Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy recruited by his father Gendo to the mysterious organization Nerv. Shinji must pilot an Evangelion, a giant biomechanical mecha, to fight beings known as Angels.

The series explores the experiences and emotions of the Evangelion pilots and Nerv members as they battle Angels. They are called upon to understand the ultimate cause of events and the motives behind human action. The series has been described as a deconstruction of the mecha genre, and features archetypal imagery derived from Shinto cosmology and mystical Judeo-Christian traditions, including Midrashic tales and Kabbalah.[7] The psychoanalytic accounts of human behavior put forward by Freud and Jung are prominently featured.[8][9]

Neon Genesis Evangelion is widely considered one of the greatest anime series of all time. Its final two episodes drew controversy, as many viewers found the ending confusing and abstract. In 1997, Anno and Gainax released the feature film The End of Evangelion, serving as an alternate ending. A series of four films, Rebuild of Evangelion, retelling the events of the series with different plot elements and a new ending, were released between 2007 and 2021. Film, manga, home video, and other products in the Evangelion franchise have achieved record sales in Japanese markets and strong sales in overseas markets, with related goods selling over ¥150 billion by 2007 and Evangelion pachinko machines generating ¥700 billion by 2015.

  1. ^ Creamer, Nick (July 10, 2019). "Neon Genesis Evangelion – Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  2. ^ "Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum Complete Collection". ADV Films. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  3. ^ Loo, Egan (September 8, 2007). "Human-Sized Eva Spear Auctioned for 13.7 Million Yen". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  4. ^ "Evangelion On PBS". Anime News Network. February 15, 2000. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Mays, Jonathan (January 28, 2013). "Evangelion, Nadesico, Dai-Guard, Robotech to Air on Cartoon Network". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  6. ^ Macdonald, Christopher (January 30, 2005). "Adult Swim Evangelion Date". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  7. ^ Haslem, Ndalianis & Mackie 2007, p. 113.
  8. ^ "Neon Genesis Evangelion: 10 Undeniable Ways That It Changed Mecha Anime Forever". CBR. January 27, 2020. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  9. ^ Fujie & Foster 2004, pp. 147–160.