Traumatised after being forced to kill a friend, Shinji is despondent. The show itself centres around Shinji Ikari, a teenager recruited by his absentee father Gendo in order to pilot a skyscraper-sized mech called an Evangelion (colloquially called an ‘Eva’) and fight the Angels, Eldtrich alien monsters that are attacking the city of Tokyo-3. While its production context is too complicated to summarise in brief here, the feature film The End of Evangelion was later made as a new ending for the show. It was bizarre and abstract – almost photo-collage – and drew a lot of ire for that strangeness. Designed to replace the controversial final two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion, The End of Evangelion expands the series finale’s contemplation of emotional crutches and human connection to an apocalyptic scale.Ī combination of scheduling and budget issues as well as Anno’s indecision around the ending lead to the show’s infamous finale, a pair of episodes that threw out the central conflict, instead opting for a metaphysical group therapy session taking place within its character’s minds, made with simplified drawings and various other rough materials. Though the finality of its title would eventually become a misnomer, due to the new trilogy of ‘Rebuild of Evangelion’ films, The End of Evangelion is a mighty conclusion. Back in cinemas this week, Hideaki Anno’s feature-length finale breaks hearts, bodies, and the fourth wall.

End of evangelion