I think on the one hand it is fair to say NGE is one of the greats from its time and arguably one of the most influential anime ever made (to the point where it’s now part of Japan’s cultural identity – you can hear Cruel Angel’s Thesis just causally as waiting room music for instance).
Yeah, I get that. I’m sure it was great, especially if you were young at the time. But watching it as an old fart that is already familiar with a lot of similar shows (a lot of them probably heavily influenced by NGE), it just felt very mid.
Personally, my favorite parts of it have always been the themes of connecting with people and the hedgehog’s dilemma, rather than all the action-y bits or the heavy-handed religious symbolism. Between it, Eureka Seven, and The Big O, and comparing them to the likes of Code Geass and whichever-actual-Gundam-series-I-watched, I learned I don’t really care for mecha being mecha, but I enjoy when mecha are metaphor.
QUICKEDIT: I realize I’m sounding like I’m trying to convince you to like it and it’s not my intention here, more just trying to explain my side and make conversation.
Yeah, I get that. I’m sure it was great, especially if you were young at the time. But watching it as an old fart that is already familiar with a lot of similar shows (a lot of them probably heavily influenced by NGE), it just felt very mid.
Personally, my favorite parts of it have always been the themes of connecting with people and the hedgehog’s dilemma, rather than all the action-y bits or the heavy-handed religious symbolism. Between it, Eureka Seven, and The Big O, and comparing them to the likes of Code Geass and whichever-actual-Gundam-series-I-watched, I learned I don’t really care for mecha being mecha, but I enjoy when mecha are metaphor.
QUICKEDIT: I realize I’m sounding like I’m trying to convince you to like it and it’s not my intention here, more just trying to explain my side and make conversation.