Even after 30 years, Neon Genesis Evangelion is still considered one of the most important animes of all time. This is not only due to the action, but also to the complex themes. These occur not only with the characters but also within the world. A major inspiration for this was a real fear of the director.
What kind of anime is Neon Genesis Evangelion? From the outside, the anime appears to be a classic mecha anime, but the battles between giant robots and monsters are only a small part of the series.
It also deals with complex themes such as loneliness, sacrifice, or trauma. The world and the fate of the characters contribute to this as well. But without a significant fear of the director, the anime might never have existed.
I seriously thought the world would end in the 20th century
What was the director afraid of? Neon Genesis Evangelion comes from the pen of Hideaki Anno. The director was also responsible for the film End of Evangelion and the 4 remake films released between 2007 and 2021. He also directed the film Shin Godzilla.
In an interview (via gmanetwork.com) in 2014, he spoke about the inspirations for Neon Genesis Evangelion. One of his greatest was the fear of a nuclear catastrophe in the backdrop of the Cold War. He explained what it was like back then: There was a real sense that the world would be destroyed if a nuclear war broke out. If someone pressed the atomic button, it would lead to the destruction of the world – that was the reality then, this fear of Armageddon.
This also led him to be truly convinced that humanity would not survive the 20th century: I seriously thought the world would end in the 20th century
. With his anime, he wanted to show what happens to the world after such a catastrophe.
Religious symbols and themes were also included, as Japan is a country where many tsunamis and earthquakes occur. It has experience with natural disasters: It is a country where ruthless destruction happens quite naturally. It gives you a strong sense that God exists out there.
Is the inspiration noticeable in the series? The foundation for the world of Evangelion is the Second Impact in the series. In 2000, a meteorite strike at the South Pole caused global changes that wiped out a large portion of humanity.
15 years after this catastrophe, the angels also appeared. These were large beings that threatened the Earth.
As it was later discovered, the Second Impact was not a natural catastrophe. During a human expedition, they found Adam, the first angel. An experiment was initiated that awoke Adam and triggered the Second Impact.
Thus, a human experiment caused not only a tragedy but also the subsequent appearance of the angels. When naming the angels and the EVAs, one can notice the religious influences. You can find more adult anime here: Anime over 16 – These 5 series are adult and nothing for young children
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