Introduction

Neon Genesis Evangelion, also referred to as Evangelion or simply EVA, is a Japanese anime that aired from October 4, 1995 to March 27, 1996. Its enormous, and quite unexpected success, has spawned countless derivative works since then and created a multi-billion dollar franchise: from mangas to videogames, from movies to a wide range of merchandising. It was created by Gainax, co-produced by TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad Systems. Hideaki Anno was both director and writer while Yoshiyuki Sadamoto worked as character designer.

At a first glance, Evangelion may seem just another mecha story: invaders from space, state-of-the-art technology, fast-paced battle sequences, humour. However Evangelion doesn’t end here. In fact, the whole Evangelion project deals not only with the characters and their troubled minds, but also with the existence of humanity and its evolution.

The series is usually split into two main parts: from episode 1 to episode 13, and then from episode 14 to episode 26. The first half of the series serves as an introduction to the show and its characters. The main focus is the action, so for the most part it deals with presenting the characters for what they are, without any further analysis, and their struggles for survival. In the second part instead, psychoanalysis prevails. The main focus is to undercover the secrets; on the one hand discover what lies beneath Nerv and, on the other hand, expose in detail each characters’ past tragedies and emotional problems.

Main plot

In the year 2000 a global cataclysm devastated the Earth. As a result of a huge explosion in Antarctica, the Earth’s axial was changed and the level of the seas rapidly raised. Several wars broke out because every country tried to take possession of the few territories left. The combination of these factors (flood, wars, economic distress) led to the deaths of half the human population.

The United Nations affirmed that the explosion was caused by the collision of a huge meteorite, hence the event was dubbed Second Impact. It is later revealed that the catastrophe was actually caused by man’s contact and experimentation with Adam, an "Angel". These experiments were promoted by the Seele organization, which also predicted the arrival of other mysterious entities like Adam.

To save what is left of the world, the UN established a secret agency called Nerv. This organization began to develop bio-mechanical giants called Evangelions in order to deal with any future Angel threat.

The year 2015 marks the Angels’ comeback. Evangelions can only be piloted by a handful of teenagers (generally referred to as "Children") born after the first angel’s attack. One of these chosen pilots is Shinji Ikari, a 14-year-old boy who has been summoned by his estranged father, the director of Nerv, in Neo-Tokyo-3. Once arrived, he discovers the reason behind the unexpected call: he must pilot the unfamiliar Evangelion Unit 01 to fight the Angel who is attacking the city.