Podcast: Evagelion 1.11

[Ginrai]

Hey there folks! We have a new podcast up at:

www.destroyallpodcasts.com

It's about Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone. Yes, we finally talked about Evangelion. This is part of our ongoing Gainax series! Give us feedback, yo.

[Duke Togo]

Hey there folks! We have a new podcast up at:

www.destroyallpodcasts.com

It's about Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone. Yes, we finally talked about Evangelion. This is part of our ongoing Gainax series! Give us feedback, yo.

You guys did so well with the Gunbuster podcast, what happened here? It's back to sounding like a couple of 13 year olds reviewing anime.

[Ginrai]

What exactly didn't you like about this podcast?

[Duke Togo]

What exactly didn't you like about this podcast?

The maturity and coherence that the Gunbuster episode had was totally gone from the word go. And it didn't help that you guys didn't actually get around to reviewing 1.11 until the last 1/4 of the show.

I'm not much of an Eva fan, so I don't really care what you guys think of the show, either way. Just talking about presentation and content here.

[eugimon]

The maturity and coherence that the Gunbuster episode had was totally gone from the word go. And it didn't help that you guys didn't actually get around to reviewing 1.11 until the last 1/4 of the show.

I'm not much of an Eva fan, so I don't really care what you guys think of the show, either way. Just talking about presentation and content here.

I gotta agree with the Duke here. I actually agree with a lot of the points you guys were making but it was just done at a level where it felt like you guys were more interested in one upping each other than anything else.

[RDClip]

I agree with Jeremy that people look way too deep into the religious symbols used in Eva.

As for the format of the show, i like how DAPDX is more about goofy fun than serious in depth analysis (though sometime you do go that route, like with the Existenze episode)

P.S. are you guys ever gonna cover RahXephon? Or do more John Woo movies?

[Ginrai]

Well, the show is always a balance of humor and serious criticism and we try to play to the material. More serious material = more serious criticism. I'm of the opinion that Evangelion 1.11 is really not that deep. It's a good monster movie, like Godzilla, done up with some meaningless Christian symbolism and psychological problems, but this film at least is nowhere near as clever as Gunbuster.

So RahXephon, I understand there's a compilation movie, right? I doubt I could get the rest of the crew to sit through an entire series but we could probably do the movie. Is it any good?

And we are definitely going to do some more John Woo stuff, but it had been a while since we did much anime so we're devoting some time to that for now. I do want to do more live action asian movies soon. I've been jonesing to do some yakuza movies (Beat Takeshi stuff, Kinji Fukasaku stuff), and that would be a good place to get our John Woo on. Do you have a particular John Woo movie you'd like to see us cover?

[Gubaba]

Well, the show is always a balance of humor and serious criticism and we try to play to the material. More serious material = more serious criticism. I'm of the opinion that Evangelion 1.11 is really not that deep. It's a good monster movie, like Godzilla, done up with some meaningless Christian symbolism and psychological problems, but this film at least is nowhere near as clever as Gunbuster.

I think you CAN go deeper with Eva, but there's always the danger of going TOO deep. (In other words, I agree that the "symbolism" is just window dressing, and not meant for analysis.)

And, speaking as a die-hard Eva fan, I always appreciate it when people a genuinely funny when talking about it. So yes, "Rubik's Cube of death" had me laughing.

Good job, I thought. I hope you'll do 2.22 when that becomes available.

[RDClip]

So RahXephon, I understand there's a compilation movie, right? I doubt I could get the rest of the crew to sit through an entire series but we could probably do the movie. Is it any good?

And we are definitely going to do some more John Woo stuff, but it had been a while since we did much anime so we're devoting some time to that for now. I do want to do more live action asian movies soon. I've been jonesing to do some yakuza movies (Beat Takeshi stuff, Kinji Fukasaku stuff), and that would be a good place to get our John Woo on. Do you have a particular John Woo movie you'd like to see us cover?

Unfortunately, the RahXephon movie completely changes the plot, but uses the same footage. So the movie feels kinda glued together. TV version is much better.

My favourite Woo movie is the first A Better Tomorrow, it was Chow Yun Fat's break-out role. The 2nd movie is good although the plot is kinda absurd, but it does have several inadvertent moments of funny.

[Ginrai]

I think you CAN go deeper with Eva, but there's always the danger of going TOO deep. (In other words, I agree that the "symbolism" is just window dressing, and not meant for analysis.)

Well, also remember that we were not reviewing Evangelion, we were reviewing Evangelion 1.11, so I don't think there's really much to go into. Things like End of Evangelion have more meat we visually dissect, but that's not really going on in 1.11.

And, speaking as a die-hard Eva fan, I always appreciate it when people a genuinely funny when talking about it. So yes, "Rubik's Cube of death" had me laughing.

Glad you liked it! We always try to avoid being dull and clinical.

Good job, I thought. I hope you'll do 2.22 when that becomes available.

I'm sure we will! Maybe we'll even review 2.02 or whatever it's called if that comes out here first.

[Ginrai]

Unfortunately, the RahXephon movie completely changes the plot, but uses the same footage. So the movie feels kinda glued together. TV version is much better.

Sometimes that can work, though. I think both Gundam and Baldios work great as films even though you can sometimes tell where stuff was cut out.

My favourite Woo movie is the first A Better Tomorrow, it was Chow Yun Fat's break-out role. The 2nd movie is good although the plot is kinda absurd, but it does have several inadvertent moments of funny.

I'm pretty sure Mike has a copy of that. I will bug him about it. Thanks for the suggestion!

[wolfx]

Well, the show is always a balance of humor and serious criticism and we try to play to the material. More serious material = more serious criticism. I'm of the opinion that Evangelion 1.11 is really not that deep. It's a good monster movie, like Godzilla, done up with some meaningless Christian symbolism and psychological problems, but this film at least is nowhere near as clever as Gunbuster.

I don't know why people try to find a DEEP meaning in Evangelion. Though Eva speaks to everyone differently, the basic fundamentals of the show isn't that far from Gunbuster. Its a "coming of age" story about our protagonists facing problems that people like us go through everyday. Peer pressure, envy, jealousy, wanting to be loved and accepted (big theme here what with A.T fields and whatnot) and etc. Eva injects more angst and speaks to alot of us who have problems relating with our parents, the expectations placed on us since we were kids, and the pressure to live up to them.

Reading the introduction of Eva 1.11 included with the Blu Ray, i was more or less convinced that Anno intends to make Eva more accesible at face value so just watch it like you would any other anime and take it at face value. The characters are well thought out, their motivations very clear and their insecurities laid out to bare. Eva is just that. Don't bother about mumbo jumbo non-symbols. If anything , the Eva movies is going at new direction and I really feel that Shinji is growing as a character (unlike the TV series).

[RD Blade]

I do want to do more live action asian movies soon. I've been jonesing to do some yakuza movies (Beat Takeshi stuff, Kinji Fukasaku stuff),

Do Brother, brother!

[Ginrai]

I don't know why people try to find a DEEP meaning in Evangelion. Though Eva speaks to everyone differently, the basic fundamentals of the show isn't that far from Gunbuster. Its a "coming of age" story about our protagonists facing problems that people like us go through everyday. Peer pressure, envy, jealousy, wanting to be loved and accepted (big theme here what with A.T fields and whatnot) and etc. Eva injects more angst and speaks to alot of us who have problems relating with our parents, the expectations placed on us since we were kids, and the pressure to live up to them.

Well there's that, but I think the character drama is very different. Gunbuster is a story about losing touch with friends and loved ones and friends and loved ones dying. Evangelion is a story about very damaged people who can't relate to others in a normal manner. Gendo is controlling and afraid of human contact, Shinji is a crazy suicidal shut in with no self esteem, Rei is basically autistic, Asuka has serious self esteem issues and overcompensates with aggression, Misato's daddy left her when she was really little too, but instead of being a shut in like Shinji she tries to sleep with men or at least flirt with/tease them to get them to like her... it's just a parade of mental conditions like a Psychology 101 text book. Yes, Noriko has daddy issues but everyone in Evangelion needs some serious therapy.

Reading the introduction of Eva 1.11 included with the Blu Ray, i was more or less convinced that Anno intends to make Eva more accesible at face value so just watch it like you would any other anime and take it at face value. The characters are well thought out, their motivations very clear and their insecurities laid out to bare. Eva is just that. Don't bother about mumbo jumbo non-symbols. If anything , the Eva movies is going at new direction and I really feel that Shinji is growing as a character (unlike the TV series).

Well, Funimation only sent us the DVD and there wasn't anything like that there so I can't comment, but the I do hope that Shinji has more of a character arc this time instead of starting the series as a whiney crybaby and still being a whiney crybaby at the end like in End of Evangelion.

Edited April 1, 2010 by Ginrai

[Ginrai]

Do Brother, brother!

Hahaha. Okay! We can do that. I have Brother. I do want to do some of the older stuff like Sonatine first, though.

[Gubaba]

Well, Funimation only sent us the DVD and there wasn't anything like that there so I can't comment, but the I do hope that Shinji has more of a character arc this time instead of starting the series as a whiney crybaby and still being a whiney crybaby at the end like in End of Evangelion.

He gets pretty manly in 2.0. Of course

he almost destroys the world in the process.