Why I Ran From Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is an anime I've tried to ignore for awhile. It's been on my list to review since before I started this channel and in 2019 I began writing this script only to abandon it shortly after until today.

As I discovered, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a masterpiece. One that forced me to contend with some large demons in my life and I wanted to share that experiece here today. Come join me as I meet the likes of Shinji, Rei, Misato and Asuka in Hideaki Anno's emotionally complicated world, Evangelion.

MUSIC USED

Sources from Shiro Sagisu's music/remixes:

Evangelion N64
Kare Kano
Nadia
The Skullman
Super Robot Wars Franchise

Other music sources:

Beethoven's Symphony No.9
Eureka Seven BGM
Ergo Proxy BGM
Candle Nine
Eva Re-Take doujinshi OST

COVERS USED

Cruel Angel Thesis (V0RA KIM)
The Passage of Emptiness (The Organeers)
Thanatos (Piano Deuss)
Misato (stahrmie)
Rei I (Ranno Tamm)
Hedgehog's Dilemma (KenBan Music)
Asuka Strikes (Guitaru)
Tamashii No Refrain (HeartySmileFactory)
Deutschland (B_67_060520)
Mishima Closing (Multiphonic Orchestra)
Glassworks Opening (GlassMinute Gerard)
Who Will Know (MonstarMashMedia)
Tamashii No Refrain (Animenz Piano)
Adagio - Symphony No.9 (John Ferguson)
Ode to Joy - Symphony No.9 (LUKA SULIC)
Persecution of the Masses (mattRlive)
Sullen (Northern Implosion Mix)
Substitute Invasion (KenBan Music)
Prophecies (Individu Lambda)
Komm süßer Tod (Anti)
Expansion on Blockade (Sefa Emre Illikli)
Thanatos (Cello Geek)
Fly Me To The Moon (Mustache Mark)

Introduction - 0:00
Why I Avoided Evangelion - 1:45
Episode 1 - 4:46
The Hedgehog's Dilemma (Ep 2-11) - 16:00
Misato & Kaji (12-15) - 33:27
Turning Point (Ep 16) - 49:20
Once Upon A Mark (Ep 17-23) - 58:37
Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Ep 24) - 1:41:22
THE END OF EVANGELION (Movie & Ep 25/26) - 1:46:09
Conclusion - 2:21:18

[TotallyNotMark]

We worked tirelessly on this video. Please consider leaving a like, commenting and sharing with your friends. It would mean the world to us!

Concerning the Rebuilds, don't worry we will cover them in due time.

[giantfightingrobots-fightr]

'Hedgehog's Dilemma' is wildly fascinating, but not for the reasons most people notice. It's false, on the surface; in nature hedgehogs will lay down/relax their spines so that they don't injury each other. To me, the reality of it actually makes it true: Hedgehog's don't actually face the dilemma because they relax their defensive mechanisms. For us it means that, in order to grow closer to someone, we have to become more vulnerable to do so. And it's this perspective that makes me love the concept of "Hedgehog's Dilemma".

Thanks for coming to my TedX talk.

[MrTAZ]

If Evangelion is a mecha then Attack on Titan is a mecha, if that's the case Ratatouille is a mecha

[alphamorion]

Dude... Whoever editor chose to put Deutschland by Rammstein as the backdrop song when commenting Asuka's final stand was a GENIOUS

[Quastar]

Dear, Mark

I don't normally like to comment on YouTube videos, mainly because I rarely feel like I could say something in my comment that is as meaningful as a fully scripted, voiced, and edited video that took hours to fully produce. That being said, this video was so emotionally resonant and impactful for me that I feel the need to comment on it just to express my gratitude and thankfulness for this video, despite my apprehension to posting YouTube comments.

There's so much I appreciate and love about this video. The masterful way you merged your personal experiences and anecdotes in with the events of the show, the structure of the video perfectly dedicating the appropriate amount of time to each stage of the story, the amazing little bits of summary you provide to make it clear to the audience what events of the story you're referring to and where in the story your analysis is taking place, the beautiful way you enunciate and exaggerate certain words that makes listening to the video so engaging and immersive, the noticeable bits of background info and production on the show that illustrate the dedication and research that went into this video. And that's not even mentioning the amazing editing that features tons of little details and easter eggs for fans of the show, clips that always line up with your words (even if it comes in indirect ways), and stunning montages that leave me speechless (that edit of Komm Susser Todd had me getting misty-eyed). It all adds together to form one of the most utterly fantastic videos I've ever seen on this platform.

Considering how a few hours before I watched this video I was on a 9-hour-long flight back to my home country, in which I watched several 2-hour-long movies, I say the following sentence with all of those movies very fresh in my mind. This video genuinely outclasses all of those movies made by teams of hundreds with budgets of millions so extremely and severely that I don't think any combination of words I could come up with would describe it accurately. This is easily one of the most incredible YouTube videos, if not works of video in general, that I've ever witnessed.

I'm immensely thankful to everyone involved in the production of this video for having a hand in creating something so spectacular. Truly.

[crystalk]

Those last 10 minutes were EVERYTHING man. As a fellow work-a-holic currently wearing all the hats to get her business off the ground, literally waking up at 2AM thinking about all the shit that I SHOULD'VE done, and never accepting that my WORK does NOT dictate my WORTH...it's a rough ongoing battle, but you sit on that train as long as you need to.

Hey dude; long time watcher, first time commenter. Immense props to you and the team for putting this masterpiece together. Much like the anime itself, it was a massive collaboration of talent, passion, and artistry that brought Evangelion to us in the first place, and this deep analysis makes me want to rewatch it to better understand it's chaotic majesty.

On a serious note though...the level of profound vulnerability you expressed did NOT go unprecedented and was much appreciated. Returning said flowers, I wish you and your wife the best in life, as well as anyone here reading this. Life's ugly, and raw, and downright bizarre at times...but making those hard decisions is what gets us through it.

"Get in the robot Shinji."
...Thx for reading? Cheers mates~

[jirayasama]

I'm sorry for your loss man. We lost a baby Christmas of 2022, and now as we pass 21 weeks on our second attempt we find a few new complications. I feel that numbness and listening to you talk about your pain is helping me with my current one.

[rvfharrier]

2:22:26 I vote for those hour-long character studies, especially for Asuka! She really is a character that you can only truly appreciate on a rewatch. The "I didn't like Asuka at first but she was my favourite by the end" is not an uncommon journey, and with the context you have from finishing the series a lot of her earlier scenes take on a completely different light. Best example I can think of is the scene where Asuka and Shinji are shown to have compatibility issues in the DDR in ep 9. Misato suggests replacing Asuka with Rei and Asuka has a tantrum and storms out as a result. The first time we see that we think "spoilt diva overreacts to her being shown up, what karma!" As rewatchers, however, we know that Asuka has a tragic, traumatic fear of being replaced, her own mother literally replacing her with a doll. In this scene we see Asuka's current mother-figure (Misato) effectively replace her with someone whom Asuka sees as a doll (Rei), literally a direct parallel of the very worst of her childhood traumas, the sum of all her fears and everything she'd worked so hard to avoid in her life. Now instead of simply storming out in a tantrum, we see her flee crushed by an affirmation of, and her failure to overcome, her traumas despite trying so hard. Our perception of her reaction shifts massively in terms of sympathy between first time watchers and rewatchers, and that pretty much entirely sums up her entire character.

[CecilyJisi]

"as a father myself"

WHAT?! WHEN DID I MISS THIS?! THE FUCK?!

[comfycat]

This is one of my favorite Eva videos on this platform, and I’ve been watching Eva videos since 2011. The analysis of Misato’s last moments is phenomenal. I’ve rewatched that section a dozen times. Great work.

[whiffunderscore]

That 1:30:00 ish section hit me hard man. I can’t say that I’ve gone through the experiences you have but the ones I have experienced have had similar effects on me. Eva really did open my eyes to the way I saw myself without ever realising it. And it’s comforting to know out there through Eva and through your video here that… I’m not truly alone. People are dealing with this stuff too and if they can find solace in acceptance then so can I. Thank you.

[multiverseguy]

The closest I can describe Depression is the feeling that all of your best days are behind you and that you are going further and further away from them.

[questionablesalad]

The fact that you went into Evangelion in hopes that it would help you understand others, but found that it pushed you to look inward and consider the very nature of your connection to those people and your ability to understand them, is so incredibly fitting I couldn’t possibly think of a more perfect way to experience this series. It speaks to just how brilliant this story is and how effectively it managed to convey its message, and to how good of a writer and analyst you are. I already loved Eva going in and have thoroughly analyzed it for myself, yet I got so much out of this video and feel like I’ve gained an even fuller appreciation of it and of your own work. Bravo, amazing video as always.

[ayearoldonyoutubeluigi]

So glad I got into Eva when I did, late 2021, a few months after the franchises final film has released, starting 10th grade, nerves were high and I felt a bit lost in life. Then Eva came like a guardian angel to save me, End of Evangelion is my favourite work of art ever made for how it tells one of the most heart wrenching and horrific endings ever, with the most flawless presentation I’ve ever seen. Thank you Anno for touching the lives of so many people, you’ve earned the right to be free from the burden of this franchise.

[Fugist]

Mark,
As someone currently going through a break up with my first real love, I stumbled upon this video again and somehow found myself rewatching it. I am in a dark place right now, nearly closed myself off completely, and watching this video really shed light on how I’m feeling and gave me hope on how to deal with those feelings and hope to be vulnerable and find love again. I will deal with this darkness and open myself up again with time.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤

[Kaijutopia]

Mark, thank you so much for sharing your personal story. It is not easy to share your traumatic experiences with a single person, let alone a vast internet audience. It was brave and inspiring!

[RhysClark]

Evangelion is geniunely life changing, peach saliva once described the show as like "a mirror holding up a knife" it will show you the absolute worse parts of yourself and make you realise flaws you have that you never acknowledge, it will make you relate to some toxic human beings but then take the time to show you that you are a person that can make decisions and always change for the better, i remember breaking down crying at the 4th rebuild movie, like geniunely so filled with happiness at how optimistic it was after everything that came before it.

[robertminnie]

Mark, this is genuinely one of the best reviews of Eva I've ever seen, and you've demonstrated such a keen understanding and appreciation for its characters and themes that you've helped me appreciate this series a lot more (I remember enjoying the first half, then being very confused and not understanding what was really going on, but getting the sneaking suspicion that things were falling apart during production.)

You've made an excellent video, clarified a lot about one of the most murky and obscure stories in anime AND come a ways in understanding yourself in the process.
And all that is to say...

*"Congratulations!"* 🗣️👏👏👏👏👏

[larrybones]

In my 20's I had a roommate that owned an anime rental store, and he recommended this highly. We set aside an entire weekend to break it down. So I grabbed my bong, and settled in. We watched the subtitled version, then the dubbed version. Discussed the pros and cons. Ultimately, this series holds a special place in my heart. ✌️😅

[bluesirius]

Thank you @TotallyNotMark, you nailed the level of analysis, Neon Genesis Evangelion is such a beautiful anime with an interesting world and lore but the real gem it's the psychological exploration, i first watched it back on 1999 on VHS and many times since, one of the things i love about it is that at the end Shinji/Hideaki Anno manages to resolve his depression and world view and comes back from nihilism. We even got a version where Shinji actually lives a connected life.