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Goodestguykeem t1_jb1qv0q wrote

Reply to comment by brokenmessiah in Philosophy is everywhere in Neon Genesis Evangelion by linosan

Fair enough but tbf I think the show doesn't hesitate to hide that it's a character study and clearly focused on the examination of their mental health rather than the greater world and it's events.

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brokenmessiah t1_jb1r5wu wrote

I read somewhere the writer literally only did the bible stuff because it would sound cool lol IDK if misread that but that was essentially all it amounted to, a cool backdrop where we say cool things and reference stuff out of thin air

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Death_Walker85 t1_jb1ufv2 wrote

You're not mistaken. I read that he referenced the bible because he thought it would be mostly unfamiliar with the Japanese audience.

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JCPRuckus t1_jb2dyh0 wrote

Think about how we wouldn't hesitate to put a Ying-Yang on screen in a movie... Most East Asians treat Biblical/Christian iconography exactly the same.

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[deleted] t1_jb24am2 wrote

not necessarily saying it’s the case here but i think many good stories stumble into their meaning without great intentionality

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skilledroy2016 t1_jb3zyep wrote

Yeah, but there is meaning in stylization. Anno picked the religious iconography because it matched the vibe he was trying to create. He understood how including that imagery would affect the audience emotionally. Religion is the tool that some people use to answer the philosophical questions posed by the show, so including that imagery puts the audience in the right mindset.

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timothymtorres t1_jb1xwgk wrote

The descriptions of the angels in the Bible probably looks similar to the creatures In the show.

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Fred_Foreskin t1_jb3fr90 wrote

Exactly. The real plot is the characters' journeys towards self-actualization, and the rest of the story (the Evas and angels, the end of the world, etc.) is just a way of pushing the real plot forward in an entertaining way. And I think the last two episodes of the show display that perfectly. Literally none of the action matters; what matters is that the characters come to terms with who they are.

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C2H4Doublebond t1_jb3uec4 wrote

I think this is such a good point: re character's journey vs actual plot.

How often would you find the 'bad guy' 's motivation is alllow human unified so there will be no more loneliness?

Some comments here dismiss the complex desires and human conditions the characters portrait, because the use of mecha and christian symbols. Anno already made it clear those are just smokes and mirrors to get the story flowing.

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