These complex questions that are brought up in the last two episodes, make us wonder who we are. These questions consist of our daily contemplation of our existence, relationships, friendships, and our spirituality. So while "Evangelion" is a very depressing and pessimistic work of art. It's also optimistic in the sense where it asks questions, and gives us hope with it's vague answers.
I also learned that the Second Impact wasn't caused by a meteorite. It was caused during an experiment that was being done on the first Angel: Adam. And that's what cause a cataclysmic explosion that changed the Earth forever. The whole plot in the first half was being torn apart and dissected. And I loved every minute of it.
Apparently, Second Impact was the result of an experiment being sponsored by the mysterious organization known as Seele. And carried out by the research organization Gehirn. This was a shocking revelation, and it made me look at the series from an entirely different point of view.
After I got done with the series, I was ready to watch "End of Evangelion." The series ended in an abstract way, with different visual layers that were suppose to be symbolic and not to really to be taken literally. While "End of Evangelion" ends the narrative.
I got "End of Evangelion" from Netflix, and it was an emotional roller coaster that I might never forget. It was a layered, in depth character study of Shinji Ikari. The last two episodes in the series, took place in Shinji's mind, while "End of Evangelion" took place outside of his mind. Many scenes are very abstract, create different metaphors, and can be interpreted in different ways.
In the series finale, third impact finally happens. But while it's happening, we're only seeing what's happening inside of Shinji's mind. And the ending is both up-lifting and confusing at the same time. "End of Evangelion" shows everything that happens during Third Impact. It shows what happens during Instrumentality and other events that are prophecised in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
In instrumentality, every person's soul becomes one entity. All the people who had suffered in their lives, were being put into a state of bliss for eternity. No more pain, anguish, hurt, anger, or hate. The fate of the world was left in Shinji's hands and he decided to end it, by allowing Third Impact to happen, in order to create instrumentality.
Now this type of plot could of been done in a conventional way. But because Shinji is a teenage boy with psychological and emotional problems, there is an added depth to the out come of instrumentality. Because if I felt depressed, suicidal, and was given the choice to end the world, I would do it. It's the only logical option in my opinion.
But during instrumentality, Shinji realizes that all the pain that he went through was a good thing. That pain and depression he went through, were the very things that made him human. So instead of allowing everybody to be in instrumentality forever, he decided to allow everybody to come back to Earth, whenever they choose to come back.
He realized that pain is a good thing, and something that we all must go through in order to be a stronger person. But Shinji will always wonder where will he find his true happiness. That's something I use to ask myself a lot, until I found God again. Before God, I didn't really have a purpose. But now I do have a purpose in life, which means that I can find my happiness through God.
Like the series, "End of Evangelion" is like a puzzle, within a puzzle, within a puzzle. You can put together one piece, but there are many pieces to the puzzle that can be put together in one way or another. And while "End of Evangelion" ends the narrative and brings everything to a satisfying conclusion, the last scene is still entirely open for interpretations.
It is one of my favorite scenes in cinema. It is called "One more final: I need you." The message at the end of this scene is that life is hard. It can be so hard that I would want to curl up and cry. But even when it's hard, there is that ray of light shining for all of humanity. There is hope for all of us, and hope will last for an eternity.
That's the message behind "Evangelion." After all the philosophy and the spirituality, the message is that there is hope for all of us. But "Evangelion" doesn't try to express that message in way that's easy. It doesn't try to tie everything up in a neat bow. It shows the reality of life, and shows it's true message in the midst of a lot of violence and disturbing scenes.
In the last scene of "End of Evangelion", Shinji and Asuka wake up on a beach. I guess this scene is showing the viewer that Shinji and Asuka will be the new Adam and Eve for Earth. But Shinji starts choking Asuka. But Asuka stops him from killing her, by rubbing his cheek with her hand.
That moment sums up the entire message. That even within the midst of despair and suffering, there is still hope for humanity. This is why I consider Shinji to be one of the greatest and most complex characters in cinematic history. Because after all of his whining and pessimistic attitude towards life, he decides that he would go through that pain all over again. Because those moments were the most important moments in his life.
I came to that realization as well. I had to live through these painful moments in my life, because that is what makes me human. And when I'd persevere, I would become stronger and gain deep knowledge of myself and who I can become. That life isn't a punishment, it's a gift from God. A gift that I must not take for granted, and appreciate every day of my life.
Looking back on my experience with "Evangelion", I think God created "Evangelion." He created it, to help me with my emotional state, my social issues, and how I can over come them. Back then, I didn't believe in God. But there was something powerful happening, that went beyond my understanding. And at that time, I called it "Evangelion."
Now don't get wrong. I still had to deal with my depression, and my life didn't immediately get better after I was done watching "Evangelion." It's a depressing show, and some episodes could ruin your day. In fact, I was watching "Evangelion" and another show called "Twin Peaks." And both of these series are very heavy, emotionally draining, and highly disturbing.
But with "Evangelion", I realized that my life is not worthless, and that I shouldn't run away from my problems. And that knowledge didn't hit me, until over the summer of 2008. When I decided to get off my butt, and socialize with other people who love anime, and "Evangelion."
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