Neon Genesis Evangelion
Hideaki Anno · 1995 · TV Series
It deconstructed the mecha genre, profoundly influencing anime and beyond with its deep psychological exploration of trauma, human instrumentality, and collective consciousness.
What it is
This influential anime deconstructed the mecha genre, delving into psychological trauma, human instrumentality, and the merging of all consciousness. It had an enormous impact on anime and beyond, reshaping narratives about giant robots and human psyche.
↑Inherited from(7)
Influenced the giant robot genre and the exploration of artificial beings with human-like emotions in anime.
The Human Instrumentality Project in 'Neon Genesis Evangelion,' aiming for a collective consciousness and transcendence of physical form, is a direct, darker echo of the benevolent alien-guided transcendence in Clarke's 'Childhood's End'.
The concept of a forced 'group mind' or collective consciousness as humanity's ultimate destiny in 'Evangelion' directly builds upon the exploration of gestalt consciousness in Sturgeon's 'More Than Human'.
While a mecha anime, Evangelion delves into the psychological trauma and blurred lines between human and artificial consciousness, resonating with the deep questions of identity raised by Dick's work.
The idea of a biological, forced transformation into a collective consciousness, dissolving individual forms, strongly parallels the terrifying biological transcendence depicted in Bear's 'Blood Music'.
Influenced its exploration of consciousness, human-machine interfaces, and existential themes.
Influenced its body horror elements and the organic-mechanical fusion of its mechs.