Evangelion is one of the most influential anime of all time. The anime took inspiration from series like Mobile Suit Gundam and Devilman to make a brutal, character driven show. It dealt with deep questions like running away from reality and responsibility. At the same time, it possessed violent battles where the combatants, the god like Aliens, beat the pilots within an inch of their life and sanity. It changed the anime industry in so many ways, with one of the most important being original anime. I’d like to go over some of these anime and the ways in which Evangelion influenced them through its defining blend of mecha action and philosophical ideas.
Biological Mecha
In mecha anime, humans build and control giant humanoid robots. Mobile Suit Gundam popularized the idea of mechanical robots. Countries and armies used the of war and brutal battles. However, Evangelion differed from these shows by having the “robots” be giant, biological humans, complete with skeleton and nervous systems. When the pilots connected to these creatures, their consciousness’ sync up with each other. Despite not talking, the mechs were as much of a character as the pilots themselves. This concept was rarely explored in previous mecha. It was a never before seen take on mechs, and it directly inspired the mechs in other shows.
For example, Eureka Seven also borrows the concept of organic robots. Armor and control systems are built around organic skeletons that are made of a rock like material called Scub Coral. The mech that the main character Renton pilots, Nirvash type zero, also has a mind of its own. It only accepts pilots that it approves of, which is a very short list. Another biological mech is RahXephon. Singing a prayer connects the consciousness of the main character to the titular RahXephon. It literally breaks out of a giant egg to help him. Just like in Evangelion, RahXephon follows the movements and actions of the main character, rather than having a set of controls. The show is so similar to Evangelion that some people consider it a ripoff, but it does enough to set itself apart, like its more humanoid enemies and focus on the idea of time.
Diving Into Philosophy
The success of Evangelion’s philosophical and character driven elements gave the green light for other directors and script writers to also tackle these kinds of topics. Serial Experiments Lain is one of the best examples of this. Over the course of the show, Lain connects deeper into the internet, known as “The Wired” by the show. And as she does so, Lain’s connection between the real world and the virtual world blurs quite drastically. It doesn’t take long for Lain’s room to turn into a network of cables and screens. Lain came out in 1998, and it explores and predicts the effects that the internet might have on humanity, both positive and negative.
A later example is Ergo Proxy, which takes place in a post apocalyptic world. The main character Re-l, pronounced “real”, investigates the development of self awareness in androids, which caused some to commit murders. She discovers a humanoid species named proxies. She spends the rest of the show finding out about their origins along with an immigrant named Vincent Law. There’s a deep dive into the idea that everyone has two personalities inside of them – an outer personality and an inner one. It explains why some androids committed murders after gaining self-awareness. They’re breaking out of the pleasant, agreeable shell forced onto them by humanity. I haven’t even talked about how Ergo Proxy touches on the concept of Gnosticism and the supreme being, as that delves into spoiler territory. There are so many layers and philosophical ideas in Ergo Proxy that it’s hard to keep track of. It’s something that wouldn’t be possible before Evangelion.
Evangelion’s Legendary Influence
Even thirty years after the original series first started airing, Neon Genesis Evangelion is still influencing and shaping anime. I haven’t even touched on other original anime like Madoka Magica or Revolutionary Girl Utena. Evangelion is a revolutionary anime, and even if you don’t like the franchise, I guarantee it’s shaped something you do. You just haven’t realized it yet.
