Today, I want to talk to you about EVA

wrote the pen, I just finished watching the last episode of EVA theatrical version "The End". For this story, the ending is very relieved, and it should be considered very good.

Actually, like many partners, I wanted to write something about EVA for a long time, but I didn't know where to start. Those of you who have watched this film must understand me very well, because the (psychological) shock, aftertaste, and entanglement that EVA gives people are far beyond what a simple animation can define.

Like many people, as a second-bodied science fiction/anime/weapon fan, I became obsessed with EVA because of its exquisite and realistic style, real and gorgeous light and shadow performance, and cool and stylish mecha Design, gorgeous and beautiful character modeling... But as the plot progresses, you will find that Anno Hideaki brings you not a purely human battle against alien enemies, but a grand ultimate narrative. It nuancedly shows the complex and diverse characteristics of human social development and human nature. It can be said that he cleverly borrowed a sci-fi shell and used religious mysticism as the lead to finally express the humanistic core of human growth, change, and development. It not only allows us to see the loneliness, cowardice, escape, entanglement, hesitation, guilt and helplessness in the human heart, but also shows the tolerance, acceptance, fraternity, perseverance, perseverance, and disobedience in the human spirit. Destiny’s throat" courage. It can be said that EVA is a "philosophical chapter" in animation, but I think that only animation is its most appropriate form of expression.

If you want to understand this film, you need some homework.

Since EVA is based on the Jewish/Christian culture as its background and lead, it is necessary to understand several metaphors throughout its entire article:

1. Dead Sea Scrolls , also known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, generally refers to 1947～1956 Ancient documents found in the caves of the Kiberquinlan Wilderness in the northwest of the Dead Sea during the year. The documents are about the 2nd to 1st century BC (from 170 BC to 58 BC,It was written during the Western Han Dynasty in China, and their discoveries are called the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. This ancient scroll is a good material for studying Abrahamic monotheistic religions (, Judaism, , Christianity, etc.) and verifies the authenticity of the contents of the Old Testament. And the animation mainly borrows its "end-time prophecy" part, that is,' Jesus once again comes to judge the living and the dead, "The appearance of the son of God will illuminate every corner of the world until the darkness disappears'. No one knows. This prophetic day includes Jesus." "Son of God" is a relatively vague concept. The more commonly recognized concept is "Messiah", but in the anime it should refer to Adam, the first light giant to come to the earth. , Is also the source of EVA organism genes that later opposed the "Apostle".

2. Adam, Eve, and Lilith

In the Old Testament, Lilith was the first woman and Adam’s first wife. She was later dissatisfied with Adam. Degenerate and become the representative of the "witch". In some legends, she later incarnate as the snake that lured Adam and Eve to eat wisdom fruit , which is part of the Jewish faith, but there is no such record in Christianity.

In EVA, it was Lilith who led the "Thirteen Apostles" to the earth to find Adam. Those dozen monsters, translated as "Apostles" in Chinese, are actually 13 Fallen angel. One of the main lines of the whole story is that mankind created the story of EVA mechas against fallen angels through the reverse research of the "Adam" life form. And the word EVA, don't treat it as a common abbreviation, it is pronounced "yi~wa" which means Eve.

So you see, the "Human Completion Project" of "Adam and Eve" is easier to understand. This is another rebirth.And this rebirth will be an upgrade of the entire human civilization. Of course, in the anime, the executors of the "Human Completion Project" are not simple in purpose.

Why let the child act as the driver of EVA?

Because it is the purest and cleanest soul, with a little training, the "synchronization rate" of them and the mech can reach the highest and exert the strongest combat effectiveness. But it is unavoidable that children are not a blank paper. They are all independent souls with their own personalities, hopes and pursuits. The three children driving EVA mechs: Ingot Shinji , Ling Boli and Asuka can be said to have very big personality defects.

The biggest thing the three people have in common is loneliness. Shinji Ino has lost his mother since childhood, and his father has not seen him for a long time, so he is lonely, quiet, introverted, evasive, cowardly, and afraid of responsibility. But at the same time, he is sensitive, kind, and willing to give to his friends, which also caused him a lot of psychological pressure and easily made him feel guilty.

Asuka is the other extreme. Because she didn't get the love she deserved when she was a child, she was lonely, stubborn, persistent, self-improving, arrogant, aggressive, and reluctant to give up. Deep misunderstanding and disappointment. She is not afraid of the strong pressure that driving EVA will bring to herself and hopes to show her value in this very extreme job.

Ling Boli is a tool person who can complete tasks perfectly but is very confused about the meaning of her own existence (is it very similar to many people in modern workplaces) so her growth line is relatively clear, just look for "who am I". (In the theatrical version of "The End" we can see that Ling Bo is indeed a "tool" of Shinji's father.) I personally think that these three children embody many "common problems" in modern psychology or personality. Their " "The Journey of Killing God" is a metaphor for the difficulties and unknowns that all of us have to face in the process of confronting fate.

Self-breakthrough, battle and growth:

As the absolute protagonist of this series: Ino Shinji-a quiet, introverted, fragile, indecisive, and evasive little boy, originally from the bottom of my heart He refuses to be an EVA driver, but once he enters the combat position, the other side of his character: kind, strong, tolerant, persevering, and serious and responsible will show up incisively and vividly. He fought bravely with the other two pilots and never flinched, but due to his shortcomings in character, making mistakes and detours are essential. In the fight against the out-of-control 's EVA armor, he was worried about the safety of the pilot Asuka and delayed the fighter, which eventually led to the "third shock" of the demise of most humans. He was very upset about this and fell into deep self-blame. But in the end, with everyone's care and encouragement, he reached a reconciliation with himself and walked out of the past haze; when he and his father met for the second time and understood his father's overall plan, he finally chose to reinvigorate himself and work with his partners to turn the tide. , Save your beloved world... This is the growth from boy to man. EVA's work presents this process intuitively and truthfully, without avoiding its hardships and cruelty. I personally think that this is one of the main factors that make it attractive.

The purpose of the "Human Completion Project":

Literally, this is a plan to leave humans behind in the end times, but it has not been simple since the beginning of the plan , Which is why Major Katsuragi in the film called a group of talents to betray his organization (NERV) after discovering that something was wrong. Seeing the "power of God", the core members of this organization (headed by Commander Inogendō, Ino Shinji's father) hope that by studying the various characteristics of Adam, we will greatly improve human technical capabilities and achieve "Super God and God-killing". The purpose of this is to create a "universal world" that obliterates the body and spirit of individual human beings, and a "perfect" paradise in the concept. Here people can upgrade their senses and communication mode, abandon all the original lifestyles,Achieve a purely energetic/spiritualized state of existence.

The reason for this idea can be learned from the theater version of "The End" that a large part of Ino Shinji's loneliness and extreme is the inheritance of his father Ino Gendo. Dingyuantang's personality is also introverted, lonely and severely social phobia. Unwilling to "talk to people and talk to ghosts", he closed himself to the thirst for knowledge and dedication to work, until he met his beloved wife, a person who could truly understand him and accept him. Give him a short and unforgettable memory. This memory includes the birth of Ino Shinji. As the "first impact" caused the death of his wife, Ding Yuantang was greatly stimulated and full of despair. He chose to leave because of his guilt unable to face his young son, and his absence in the growth of his son was directly caused by him. The psychological trauma that affected Ino Shinji's life.

One of the purposes of Dingyuantang’s initial establishment of the NERV (neuron) organization was to use "God’s technology" to resurrect the deceased wife. However, as the plan progressed and independent thinking deepened, he and The pursuit of this group of high IQ people led by him began to go further, reaching the point where they wanted to "surpass God" and carry out "ultimate evolution". It has to be said that this is a reflection of the endless greed and perpetual nightmare in human desire.

In the end, Ino Shinji and his partners stopped the so-called "Human Completion Project" after paying a great price, and completed their own spiritual growth, preserving human freedom and consciousness. Defective but colorful lifestyle. I think this should be the ending that everyone is happy to see.

In fact, in our Eastern (Chinese) traditional culture, there is an extremely delicate description of the fundamentals of the movement of all things: the so-called "great success is lacking", "there is no gold, no one is perfect", and there are flawed talents. Only by improving and sublimating, and bravely facing the imperfect self and the world can we find a truly effective development path that is conducive to our growth. Perhaps the "beautiful and good" paradise in our hearts will never come, but the progress and growth we have achieved through continuous exploration, pursuit, reflection, and correction are priceless.Precious, no language can describe it...

The above are some of my own insights after watching this divine work. I am happy to recommend such a work that can really be called a "sacred work". I believe it will give everyone who has seen it a different feeling, and will cause different understandings and disputes. This is an excellent work. The ultimate meaning of existence. Everyone who likes EVA is also welcome to discuss and communicate in the message area. Thank you.

(The picture comes from the Internet)