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Episode 1: Angel Attack
Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most popular and controversial anime series of recent times. It's been hailed as a storytelling masterpiece and as a load of rubbish. So what is it? Read these episode reviews and you will find out. Note: I've actually seen the series about 6 times, but I'll write the reviews as though I haven't seen the next episode. The year is 2015 AD and Tokyo is being guarded by United Nations (UN) from a monster in the sea. As the army moves into place, a young woman named Misato Katsuragi is looking for a 14 year old boy named Shinji Ikari. Meanwhile, Shinji is at a phone booth waiting for Misato when he sees a blue haired girl in a school uniform standing on the road, but when he blinks she had disappeared. We cut to a military base where UN officers are discussing strategy and two enigmatic men discuss the return of the "Angels", an enemy not seen for 15 years. The insect look Angel attacks the UN forces as Misato finds Shinji and the two escape in her car. UN forces note that the Angel is heading towards Tokyo-3 and authorize use of all weapons. The mysterious men, Gendo Ikari and Kouzou Fuyutsuki, state that the Angel cannot be hurt by "conventional weapons" because of it's "AT" field. The UN uses an N2 (non nuclear bomb, but with all the power of a nuke) to try and destroy the Angel. Victory seems apparent as the bomb explodes, but the jubilation of the UN generals soon ends as the harsh reality sets in: the Angel is not defeated and the UN is out of weapons. Grudgingly, the UN hands command over to Gendo and Kouzou, the heads of NERV (a UN controlled group devoted to defeating the Angels). As this transfer of power transpires, Shinji and Misato descend to the NERV base, a underground fortress called the "Geo Front" where Shinji learns his dad Gendo is working to save mankind. Shinji realizes Gendo wouldn't want to meet him unless he had figured out a way to use Shinji to further his own needs. As Shinji arrives at NERV Central, the HQ within the geo front, Gendo realizes he has the pilot he needs to use a mysterious weapon called the "01". While walking around NERV Central, Misato and Shinji find themselves lost and ask for help from Dr. Ritsuko Akagi. She meets them and tells Misato that the "Marduk Report" found Shinji to be the "3rd Child" (which is ironic since the Angel attacking is called the "3rd Angel"). Gendo goes to meet his son and Kouzou remarks that it is their first meeting in three years. As the Misato, Ristuko and Shinji walk together to their destination, the two ladies discuss the fact that the EVA-01 hasn't worked yet. As they enter a dark room, a light comes on and Shinji screams when he sees the big purple robot in front of him which looks a bit like a monster. Ritsuko explains that this robot is the Evangelion Unit 01: the last, best defence mankind has against the Angels. Gendo speaks from a platform above and tells Shinji he must pilot the EVA and Ritsuko objects. She says Shinji has no prior training and it took the last pilot, Rei Ayanami, 7 months to synchronize (be fully able to use) the EVA and that she is too hurt right now to pilot. Shinji demands to know why Gendo called him to NERV and Gendo replies "I have a use for you." Shinji says he can't pilot the EVA to which Gendo tells him to leave. While Misato tries to convince Shinji to pilot EVA, Gendo tells Kouzou to wake Rei and bring her to pilot EVA because "she's not dead yet". Rei, the "1st Child", is brought out on a stretcher, badly injured and Shinji realizes she is the same girl he thought he saw on the street. Suddenly the Angel's attack causes the ceiling to fall down and the EVA 01 raises its hand to protect Shinji! Ristusko is amazed that the EVA moved on its own, without a pilot in the "entry plug" (cockpit). Gendo smiles knowingly, as though he expected the EVA to come alive. Seeing the pain Rei is in, Shinji recites his mantra of "I mustn't run away" and agrees to pilot 01. As he enters the entry plug it is filled with a liquid called LCL to help him pilot EVA. As his EVA prepares to launch, Gendo tells his son that the Angel must be defeated in order to save humanity. Shinji is launched to surface in his EVA and prepares to confront his destiny. This was a superb episode and a great way to start the series. Not only do we get glimpses of the characters personalities, we are thrown a ton of mysteries. Why did Rei appear to Shinji? What does Gendo know? What is NERV? What are the Angels? What happened 15 years ago? The opening song "Cruel Angel's Thesis" is introspective and beautiful, with each word and note creating a musical tour de force. The closing song, "Fly Me To The Moon" (an old Sinatra song), is a nice mellow way to end a really tense show. Background music is done well, and though it isn't a classic score, it's sure one that will be unique in my mind. This episode is overloaded with potential and I can't wait for the next episode.