This is the story of the struggle that men and women face on a daily basis but are unaware of it.  The premise of the story is that in the future, a group of robot like creatures suddenly appear after 15 years and no conventional weapon works against it.

Before I continue, I need to provide you with some background story.  15 Years ago, man went to the north pole where they found some creature and in the process of trying to capture it, they destroyed the surrounding land.  We all know that the north poles is nothing but ice, so this must be some alternate reality to the one that we live in today.

Back to the present day:  These creatures that they later found out were in fact flesh and blood, can not be stopped by any man made weapon and so the EVA project ways started many years ago, just in case the scenario ever occurred.  The creatures that they created were to fight things called Angles and they could only be controlled by a handful of people around the world; children to be precise.  These children were all the same age for some reason; maybe they were part of an experiment that isn't mentioned in either the TV series, Death or Rebirth the Movie, or End of Evangelion the movie. 

These creatures appear quite regularly and force the EVA pilot to face up to some past event that they tried to hide from, force deep in their sub-conscious and try to overcome them.  The first pilot of an EVA is called Rei and she seems to have no emotions what so ever.   She seems to be similar to a puppet; something that was designed and not created. 

The next Person that sticks in my mind is that Commander bird and Shinji (or something like that ), who is called to the base to meet his father after so many years.  His father works for a group called NERVE and they are funded by the United Nations for the sol purpose of destroying the angles.  In the latter episodes we learn of another group called SELLES.  When Shinji meets his father, he comes across as someone who manipulates everyone around him to further his own goal.  His son seems to have some serious issues that really needs some attention to but as his father is a low life scum bag, chooses not to deal with them and to treat his only begotten son like some project that he's working on.  His son who is already emotionally unstable reacts in a way that I would call being human.  Put your self in the shoes of someone who has seen almost nothing of your father or mother, the principle is the same and all of a sudden you are called up at his / her request to do something for them.  Wouldn't you feel resentment as well?  Wouldn't you also feel worthless and unloved?   I know that I would for one.  The only difference between myself and Shinji is that I would not allow my emotions to be seen in public and I would probably show them when I thought that no one around could see them.  I would take up some kind of physical sport to release that anger that I harboured towards my father or mother.

As soon as Shinji arrives he is told that he has to pilot an EVA and he needs to do it now.  He is sent up to fight an Angle straight away and gets his arse handed to him.  This would be normal except that Shinji has an extraordinary level of will that he never becomes aware of.  He thinks that he is useless, worthless, a coward and never understands his true worth until the end and then it's to late.

In the series their are some strong females characters that initially come across as either emotionally stunted, emotionally unstable and just insane. The girl with the blue hair is called Rei and she is the emotionally stunted one.  She seems to have never experienced any kind of emotions and the only thing that seems to keep her alive is following orders.  She is the only one out of the female party that hasn't experienced heart ache and loss.  She is lucky in one respect and at the same time unlucky.  It is our experience in life that make us who we are and without them we are nothing. The second girl at the front with the hair band things is called either Oscar or Asuka, depending which version you watch and she come across as arrogant, selfish and in need of attention all the time.  She never admits that sometimes she too needs help as well.  Her mother died when she was young and decided to never ever cry again, which would be noble if it wasn't for the fact that sometimes we do need to cry.  Sometimes it acts as a cleansing of the body and soul.  Sometimes a good cry can remove or at least reduce that

burden that we have to bare and Their is a phrase that goes, "A problem aired is a problem shared" and I think that if she was able to speak how she felt, might be able to get over it; but this is a Japanese series and that would be too sensible to do. 

The third major Female character is that Commander bird and she too has experienced heart ache.  When the second impact occurred 15 years ago she was save by her dieing father and never forgave him for always putting his work first.  I kept getting a deja vu feeling of seeing this in Akira.  We learn through the series that she too can't allow herself to experience closeness and never allows herself to get too close to anyone.  She had a boyfriend in the past and he reminded her too much of her father, so she dumped him and ever since doing so, was blaming him for her actions.  She didn't seemed to realise that she was the coward and that all the hatred she had for him was in fact self loathing. 

As I said earlier; the EVAs were created to fight the Angles and nothing more or so we think.  I won't tell you anymore than that, otherwise there wouldn't be any point you watching the TV series for yourself.  I worked out the connection by episode 16 or 26.  It is obvious and at the same time rather abstract.  Just when you think you have an understanding of the situation, the director throws a curve ball into the script and everything makes little sense again.    It reminds me of Ghost in the Shell.  The main synopsis is about a software program that is self aware and they have to stop it but, I got the feeling that the main subject that really was being discussed, was the meaning of

being human and that everything else was nothing more than a MacGuffin.  A MacGuffin is a prop or situation that allows the movie or series to continue and doesn't really have anything to do with the plot other than that.  The same can be said for the EVAs Vs the Angles.  The main plot had little or nothing to do with them.  It seemed to be a question of being human.  Each person had their own problems that they chose not to face and because of that, they each expressed different extreme emotions. 

I found it difficult to watch some of it, as I too have done the same thing myself.  It is hard admit that you considered yourself a failure and that nothing anyone could say or do, would lift you out of that emotional hole that you now found yourself.  It seemed   to me that all I wanted to hear from anyone was a confirmation of how I felt about myself and even though the characters all express their pent up anger in their own ways; I felt that I could relate to them.  The thing is, that we are never always truthful to ourselves, let alone others.  How do you tell someone what the problem is if you are not prepared to face them yourself?

I started to see or maybe what I thought I saw, was that these type of programs are nothing more than the script writer baring their soul for everyone to see and maybe to make everyone aware that the script writer knows what heart ache feels like.  Maybe these vehicles enable them to get over their own problems and to tell us that the only way to emotionally move on is to face the past, deal with it, accept it and then if you can't rectify it, just move on knowing that nothing is ever all your own fault.

By the end of the TV series and the two movies, I just wanted to give everyone a hug, especially Shinji.  I wanted to tell them that how they felt was normal and it was a part of growing up, and that at 14, they were experiencing growing pains as well as the heart ache of the past.  I wanted to make them realise that there was nothing wrong with how they felt, but not to allow it to consume their entire life.  If you allow a problem to consume your every waking hour, it could kill you and that could occur on any level you choose to think about.

The ending was strange to say the least and the two movies didn't really make much of a difference.  What I will tell you about the two movies which I think is rather strange.  The first movie Death and Rebirth replace the last two episodes of the TV series and tries to give a better ending.  The trouble with that is it just makes it even more confusing.

So the director tried again and the movie called End of Evangelion.  It incorporates the last movie Rebirth as the first part of it and then creates a third ending to the series and that is just as strange as the first two.  You don't really learn anything new.  It does seem to be a journey in the human psyche and nothing more.  It seems to me that perhaps these anime series writers should go and see a psychiatrist rather than trying to explain the view of the human mind.  Each character looked like a separate part of the mind itself and in a way, maybe was trying to explain why we all have mental and emotional conflicts in our own heads.  Of course, I could probably be talking out of my arse as well and might be just talking about myself again.

As a series, I would have to say that it is very good.  Anything that can make me cry has emotional depth and forces me to face my own demons, has to be a good thing.  The trouble with watching this kind of anime is that it is difficult to tell what is the real point to it and what is just there to entertain.  I think we all have skeletons in our closet that we don't want anyone to see.  I think we put on a front of strength to ward of any questions that may make us appear weak.  To this, this series will force you to face yours and you will be a better person for it.

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