Neon Genesis Evangelion Blossay

            Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE) is a polarizing anime series (now expanded to manga, films, video games, etc.) that aired from 1995 to 1996.  In a midst of a four-year-long bout with depression, Anno Hideaki made an apocalyptic, religiously-charged deconstruction of the mecha subgenre, alienating audience demographics who anticipated a more archetypical shonen anime.  Anno considers NGE to be very personal and self-reflective.  It was made partially as an attempt to criticize those living an “otaku” lifestyle, while at the same time resonating with many obsessive fans all over the world.  At first glance, the series seems to have overt elements of power-fantasy and fan service, but those tropes become subverted and juxtaposed against a more substantial foundation of psychological character analysis, complex relationship issues, and existentialist quandary.  I believe it would be worthwhile to consider how NGE connects and relates to the state of post-Pacific War Japan and its psychological and sociocultural issues, including that of gender roles, family dynamics, and effects of war.

(Above is an English fan-dub for the NGE music video.  It's comprised of clips that run through most of the series, but it's hard to make sense of everything that's going on.  For something that condenses a 26 episode series into 4 minutes I think it's pretty neat.)

Analysis of Genre and Setting

            With our glimpse into the world of Astro Boy, we saw the foundation of what would be a huge boom in the production of science fiction manga and anime.  With the advent of anime such as Gigantor, Mazinger Z, and Gundam, the mecha genre came into fruition and established itself as one of the most successful subgenres of anime.  It centers on the use of advanced technology to allow humans to pilot weaponized robots.

            Another significant genre (that could be argued to be more of a recurring them) would be that of apocalyptic anime.  Works like Otomo Katsuhiro’s Akira center around dystopian worlds that express what life may be like after a world-changing catastrophic disaster.

            Both of these genres/subgenres come together in NGE, and they are intimately linked as having a strong tie to the lasting effects that the Pacific War had on Japan (and certainly other nations as well).  This is a generalization, but I think it may be fair to consider that the psyche of the average person in most Western nations seems to be somewhat protected from the idea of apocalyptic catastrophe.  Not many of us have experienced first-hand what it is to live in areas that are prone to disaster of enormous magnitude.  Many people of Japan, however, live or have lived with the real psychological threat of calamity, most notably due to the atomic bombings, but also due to a history of natural disasters and hardship.  I’m not able to say what the experience of creating or watching an apocalyptic work is like for individuals who have felt this threat, but it is possible that in the acts of artistic expression and consumption, a level of comfort or catharsis can be found.  A recurring theme in science fiction anime, and particularly mecha anime, is the concerted effort of scientific progress that allows people to have an unrealistic sense of power, control, and security.

            The period in time in which most of  NGE’s story takes place is after an event named “Second Impact,”  a catastrophe that blew up most of Antarctica, made much of the world polluted and uninhabitable, and lead to a dystopian state of nuclear war.  Some of the most powerful organizations in the world (SEELE and NERV) worked together to cover it up under the guise of a meteor impact, when in reality, Second Impact was due to man’s own folly (a small scientific expedition).  Portraying disaster in this way not only recreates the situations seen post bombings, but also the disaster imposed by pollution from the rising economy, such as Chisso’s methyl mercury poisoning.  The portrayal of organizations such as SEELE and NERV reflect Japan’s issues with having government that in some ways still works like that of a feudal era, and huge businesses that compromise the public good and do not hold themselves to ethical standards.

Analysis of Characterization

(Left to Right: Katsuragi Misato, Ikari Shinji, Soryu Asuka, Ayanami Rei, Ikari Gendo, Akagi Ritsuko. Behind: Eva Unit 01.)

            Ikari Shinji is the ordinary-looking, tried-and-true, typical, 14-year-old boy hero, who happens to be special for arbitrary reasons, and provides a vessel to vicariously live out male fantasies, right?  Actually, no, I’m here to convince you otherwise.  Many a viewer or fan of NGE will state their hatred or at least annoyance towards Shinji.  Why?  Well, Shinji gets the near exclusive opportunity to pilot an awesome mech and he receives attention form girls who flaunt their sexuality, yet most of the time he is whiny, avoidant, angsty, and wants nothing to do with the life that’s expected of him.  During my initial viewing of NGE I also grew tired of Shinji’s behavior, but especially after watching the first three Rebuilds (Anno’s four-part movie remake of NGE 2007-current), it really began to click with me how all along Shinji was just being human.  Audiences want to be entertained and to feel gratification, but Anno decided that his protagonist would instead serve as a mirror for some very human flaws, likely shared amongst more people than those who would be willing to admit.

            So how exactly does Shinji tie in with what we’ve been learning in class?  I would argue that his character is analogous to the youth who felt like they had no place in post-war Japan.  The perspective of the audience who can’t stand Shinji has strangely fallen in line with the perspective of the older generation of Japanese citizens, who don’t understand why the younger generation is unhappy with what they are given.  In the 50s and 60s, Japan experienced an economic boom that some have called the “Japanese post-war economic miracle.”  The older generation perceived themselves to be in a very fortuitous situation, and they had trouble empathizing with the younger generation.  The younger generation on the other hand were in an existential vacuum, and just like Shinji, they have a tough time feeling out what is right, who they should be listening to, and what they should be doing with their lives.

            Shinji’s familial situation and the consequences thereof can be seen as a commentary on how some of the expected roles of post-war Japanese families may have caused substantial issues.  From Gendo’s first appearances in the series, both through the filmic techniques of how he is framed and presented, and the diegesis of the show, we are made to see Gendo as not only an incredibly distant and strict father, but also a symbol of patriarchal control and influence.  Shinji may have grown up somewhat autonomous and able to take care of himself, but he carries with him an immense amount psychological baggage.  He is always trying to validate his worth as a human being through the judgment of his father.  At times he mentions that the only time he feels okay is when he’s synchronized with Eva Unit 01, and we later find out that Unit 01 houses the soul of Shinji’s mother.  With the Eva pilot’s cockpit being filled with LCL, the oxygen-rich fluid that smells of blood, it is likely meant to evoke a child in its mother’s womb.

            Ayanami Rei fulfills the sad gender role of the disposable, subservient female.  With the way Rei acts, I can imagine her having a copy of “Onna daigaku” that she treats as her own bible.  She is mostly emotionless, but through Shinji’s sensitivity and persistence, has shown the capacity to portray some semblance of human emotion.  She obediently awaits and follows all of Gendo’s orders, which comes as no surprise once you learn that Rei is essentially one of many clones Gendo created of his wife (Shinji’s mother) Yui.  Gendo’s ability to simply mass produce Rei clones and do whatever he wants with them, while in return they treat him as a God, can unfortunately be seen as an extreme analogy of the relationship between Japanese patriarchal society and what it does to its women.  It was kind of disconcerting to learn that Rei ended up being the most popular character from NGE, and in fact became an archetypical basis of female characters in many future anime.

            Anno provides stark contrasts to Rei’s negative female gender portrayal with Katsuragi Misato, Akagi Ritsuko, and Soryu Asuka.  Misato holds the position of being the field commander for the Eva pilots, Ritsuko is NERV’s workaholic head scientist, and Asuka is a brash and egotistical Eva pilot.  All of them are very independent, confident, and capable.  They serve as a reminder that much of the limitations based on sex are sociocultural suppositions, rather than being based on physical reality.  As strong as they are, they are still complex, each with their hang-ups and weaknesses.  While some anime before NGE had well-written, capable, and non-gender-role conforming female characters (such as those of Takahashi Rumiko), it is significant that it still stands out as something out of the ordinary.  It shows that it took some time for women to be portrayed with as much range and diversity as men, likely due to the adherence of misogynist tradition, but also due to pandering to male-dominated demographics.

Psychology of War

            The assault by the angels and the resistance by NERV and the Eva units can be understood as a condemning allegory for war (I wouldn’t go as far to say it was meant to explicitly refer to the Pacific War).  Scenes provide imagery that is sometimes strongly reminiscent of what we had seen in footage and photography of the atomic bombings.  The entire nation militarizes itself in defense of a misunderstood force; using weapons most do not fully understand either.  Who is forced to pilot these weapons that have a nefarious secret nature?  The youth.  They are being praised while at same time being taken advantage of as a resource for war.

            One of the many things that will haunt me through my reading of Barefoot Gen is the depictions of mothers who committed suicide “for the glory of their nation,” especially when they decided to take their children with them.  I couldn’t help but see a twisted version of this idea of self-sacrifice in NGE.  Shinji’s mother sacrificed herself to become what amounts to the control system for Unit 01, becoming the link that allowed Shinji to fully control it.  While she may have had the best intention, providing a sacrifice in an attempt to help humanity in the long run, she ultimately lures her child into war.

            While Anno wrote the Eva pilots each with their inherent weaknesses and character flaws, a lot of their experience within the Evas themselves brings about immense psychological distress.  We see Shinji hallucinate and question his sanity after piloting Unit 01.  Asuka essentially loses her mind after one of her battles with an angel.  There is a point where Shinji is forced to fight a renegade Eva with an innocent child pilot inside (his classmate Toji).  While he attempts to refuse, Gendo removes Shinj’s control and Unit 01 viciously eviscerates the other Eva.  All of this ties in with the nature of war’s damaging psychological effects.

      

Wrap Up

            I’ve decided to forgo extensive analysis of the use of religion in NGE, as the creators have stated that its use was a creative choice in the formation of its world and mythos, such as naming things and grounding supernatural elements in a somewhat established lore, rather than being used as an underlying message.  In a Q&A session at Otakon, assistant director Kazuya Tsurumaki stated that:

“There are a lot of giant robot shows in Japan, and we did want our story to have a religious theme to help distinguish us. Because Christianity is an uncommon religion in Japan we thought it would be mysterious. None of the staff who worked on Eva are Christians. There is no actual Christian meaning to the show, we just thought the visual symbols of Christianity look cool. If we had known the show would get distributed in the US and Europe we might have rethought that choice.”

            There were some other interesting aspects that I had considered going in to, such as the sexually charged position of Nagisa Kaworu in his relations with Shinji, having Shinji’s masculinity be threatened and the consequences thereof.  For the sake of brevity and trying to weed out half-baked ideas, I’ve decided to cut it short.

            In conclusion, Neon Genesis Evangelion is a strange beast.  It’s a work of entertainment made as a sort of cautionary tale against those who choose to run away from reality, while at the same time still appealing to the baser consumer desires of escapism, sex, and violence.  It provides what could be considered fan service, yet forces the viewer to acknowledge the emotional and psychological underpinnings of the characters at the same time.  I believe it stands firm as an example of a work inspired by the effects of the Pacific War on Japan.  It acknowledges and chooses to creatively represent a lot of the sociocultural struggles involved in war, the price of progress, gender roles, and family issues.  Love it or hate it, I’ll let you be the judge as to whether it’s a series that deserves some complex analysis and some good-natured poking and prodding.