Alternative Titles
Synonyms: NGE, Evangelion (1995)
Japanese: ๆฐไธ็ดใจใดใกใณใฒใชใชใณ
English: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Information
Episodes:
26
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Oct 4, 1995 to Mar 27, 1996
Broadcast:
Wednesdays at 18:30 (JST)
Source:
Original
Duration:
24 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Score:
8.371 (scored by 12092681,209,268 users)
Ranked:
#256 2
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#45
Members:
2,019,570
Favorites:
117,315
Available AtResources
Streaming Platforms
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Ranked #256Popularity #45Members 2,019,570 Fifteen years after a cataclysmic event known as the Second Impact, the world faces a new threat: monstrous celestial beings called Angels invade Tokyo-3 one by one. Mankind is unable to defend themselves against the Angels despite utilizing their most advanced munitions and military tactics. The only hope for human salvation rests in the hands of NERV, a mysterious organization led by the cold Gendou Ikari. NERV operates giant humanoid robots dubbed "Evangelions" to combat the Angels with state-of-the-art advanced weaponry and protective barriers known as Absolute Terror Fields.
Years after being abandoned by his father, Shinji Ikari, Gendou's 14-year-old son, returns to Tokyo-3. Shinji undergoes a perpetual internal battle against the deeply buried trauma caused by the loss of his mother and the emotional neglect he suffered at the hands of his father. Terrified to open himself up to another, Shinji's life is forever changed upon meeting 29-year-old Misato Katsuragi, a high-ranking NERV officer who shows him a free-spirited maternal kindness he has never experienced.
A devastating Angel attack forces Shinji into action as Gendou reveals his true motive for inviting his son back to Tokyo-3: Shinji is the only child capable of efficiently piloting Evangelion Unit-01, a new robot that synchronizes with his biometrics. Despite the brutal psychological trauma brought about by piloting an Evangelion, Shinji defends Tokyo-3 against the angelic threat, oblivious to his father's dark machinations.
[Written by MAL Rewrite] Director Hideaki Anno's depression is what led to the dark themes of Shinseiki Evangelion. Budgetary problems and parental complaints about content led to the original ending being scrapped and replaced with an extremely limited-animation ending breaking from the main plot. A movie, Air/Magokoro wo, Kimi ni, was later made based in part on the original planned ending and in part on Anno's increasing frustration with the otaku fanbase. The series' mix of psychoanalysis, religious symbolism, and genre deconstruction proved extremely influential on mature anime in the late '90s onward. The Japan Media Arts Festival in 2006 ranked it as the most popular anime of all time. |
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MALxJapan -More than just anime-
| Characters & Voice Actors
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Anno, Hideaki
Producer, Director, Script, Storyboard, Mechanical Design, Original Creator, Key Animation
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| "Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis (ๆฎ้
ทใชๅคฉไฝฟใฎใใผใผ, A Cruel Angel's Thesis)" by Yoko Takahashi
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| 1: "Fly Me to the Moon" by Claire
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| 2: "Fly Me to the Moon (Rei #5 Version)" by Megumi Hayashibara (eps 5)
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| 3: "Fly Me to the Moon (Rei #6 Version)" by Megumi Hayashibara (eps 6)
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| 4: "Fly Me to the Moon -4 Beat Version-" by Yoko Takahashi (eps 7,12)
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| 5: "Fly Me to the Moon (Aya Bossa Techno Version)" by Aya (eps 8,22)
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| 6: "Fly Me to the Moon (Yoko Takahashi Acid Bossa Version)" by Yoko Takahashi (eps 9,13)
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| 7: "Fly Me to the Moon (Yoko Takahashi Version)" by Yoko Takahashi (eps 10,14,21)
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| 8: "Fly Me to the Moon -4 Beat Version (Off-Vocal)-" by [Instrumental] (eps 15)
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| 9: "Fly Me to the Moon (Off-Vocal Version)" by [Instrumental] (eps 16,24)
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| 10: "Fly Me to the Moon (Aki Jungle Version)" by Aki (eps 17)
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| 11: "Fly Me to the Moon -B22 (A-Type)-" by [Instrumental] (eps 20)
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| 12: "Fly Me to the Moon (Rei #23 Version)" by Megumi Hayashibara (eps 23)
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| 13: "Fly Me to the Moon (Rei #25 Version)" by Megumi Hayashibara (eps 25)
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| 14: "Fly Me to the Moon (Rei #26 Version)" by Megumi Hayashibara (eps 26)
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Reviews
Apr 3, 2026
Okay this anime is not for the weak. I went to this anime with 0 information which is the best tbh so I will not spoil anything here. This anime is weird and sometimes uncomfortable tbh (i like that tho).
This anime answers a lot of questions about life and it shows perfectly what it means to be human. EVERY character is complicated and u need to read in between lines to understand everything that is going on.
This anime is not anime u will watch when u want to chill (go to Darling in the Franxx or something if u want to chill out). Its
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really hard to understand and tbh if u r into psychology u will love this.
I 100% recomend this to anyone who wants something great that will change their view on life. (after finishing this serie please watch end of evangelion movie it will complete you some information... also check some information about the autor it really puts some puzzles in :3 )
Reviewerโs Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Mar 8, 2026
Evangelion is designed as a life-reaffirming piece of work making you reflect on your connections with others aswell as your actions and behaviour.
As a Mecha anime it's an absolute snoozefest it's just "I don't want to fight in robot" -> "If I have to" -> "I hate my life" rinse and repeat for the next 25 episodes. You may argue I am not understanding the complexities and nuances but simply put if you want to see cool awesome robots fighting this is not the show as the mechas are primarily a vessel for narrative progression and metaphors.
As a sci-fi anime it is generic in it's
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obvious biblical imagery but it's well presented and designed that you can acknowledge it's basic nature but also appreciate how they weave it into the narrative and character dynamics and personality.
Character wise in the TV series (The one I am writing a review for and the one you're reading) the majority of the cast is absolutely insufferable, fortunately they do get some much needed redemption in the films/sequels and whatever else they stick Evangelion on nowadays. Asuka and Shinji were the only two who got proper development I'd say which made them great characters yet everyone else came across one dimensional and that if they did anything else there'd be little difference, which the films do remedy ever so slightly.
The music and animation are on point and are enjoyable but nothing you'd go oh my god this is so good I have to listen to this on my own time kind of deal. There is also a L O T of reused assests and frames which I can't fault for entirely as shoestring budget however it does make parts of it tedious to get through albeit some may argue it's an artistic direction but that's up to personal interpretation. If you do go on to watch the sequels, films etc there is going to be continually reused assests and frames from this anime so if you've seen this I could argue you've basically watched the same films...
Reviewerโs Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Mar 15, 2026
Before watching, please read the background section in the main page of the anime.
Resume: a bunch of emotionally unstable teenagers are forced to use alien-mechas (Evas) to fight aliens (Angels) to death by a bunch of emotionally unstable doomsday-government-cultists and it goes as well as one would expect.
These are my notes from when I watched the first 9 episodes:
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-The MC is portrayed as shy, silent and reclusive due to his father's coldness. His rationalization is a behavior in response to neglect, based on detachment, observation and logic. It is not immediately destructive to the self nor to others, but it gradually erases emotional motivation. However,
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interacting with other people outside the usual environment can make emotions emerge, especially when one is young and rationalization is not fully embedded.
-The relationship between Shinji and his male classmates is realistic: the guys saying sexual and stupid things laughing, while the MC cares more about his observations and emotions. Asuka behaves like the usual arrogant teenager with a crush on someone older. Meanwhile Rei behaves as if she was groomed by Gendo.
-For now, the relationship between Misato and the ex-boyfriend is one of sexual harassment and emotional manipulation, where the guy explicitly says that he doesn't care about what her words.
-One thing that is very annoying is how everyone berates Shinji for being cautious, afraid of danger and pain, and rationalizing everything, when he is forced to fight to death unwillingly, through emotional blackmail, and appealing to his manliness even though he is a 14 yo teenager with emotional problems that everyone dismisses.
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The first impression is that the goal is trying to solve the characters' emotional and moral problems by building comradeship and trust through life or death battles, while the cultist conspirators meddle secretly for their own gain.
However, by the 20th episode, the cycle of - Angel arrives - fighting to death - emotional and physical trauma - coercion to fight again - has been used and reused, while the characters have only been turning for worse.
By the 24th episode the story context has been lost somewhere in the way, either because of lack of time or budget.
The last two episodes are clearly the work of a penniless team and a mentally depressed author. Repeating the same sentences and images over and over to convey insanity or the search of insight has a limit where it turns tedious.
The Freudian inspiration doesn't help convey any meaning, it's an excuse to the seeming necessity of sexual imagery and themes in anime, especially gratuitous nude female teenagers and disgustingly muddling the meaning of motherhood. I don't mind nudity, gore or death of any age, but it has to serve a purpose in the storytelling.
Overall, in comparison to other so called "masterpieces" like FMAB, Code Geass R2, Monster, or whatever, Neon Genesis Evangelion doesn't even pretend to have a fictional story with fictional characters, it screams depression outlet in form of anime.
Edit: after reading other reviews and the BACKGROUND SECTION in the main page, it seems like the author was truly depressed and intended NGE to show how bad it would be to be put in such situation. If that is really so, then it is a skillful work. Even so, because it is downright depressing, I can't recommend watching it, especially if that context is not put at the forefront for new viewers.
Reviewerโs Rating: 2
What did you think of this review?
50 Entries ยท 28 Restacks
50 Entries ยท 1.1K Restacks
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then - Feb 6, 2008 |
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Yesterday, 9:54 PM |
Accidentally watched the movie first,damn it
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13 replies | by Zarutaku ยปยป
Apr 7, 2:38 PM |
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