Reception
In general, the animation and dub, as well as the character design, have often been praised.
The radically different and experimental style of the final two episodes confused or alienated many fans and spawned debate and analysis, both scholarly and informal, and accusations of meaninglessness; even mainstream publications like the Mainichi Times would remark that "When Episode 25 first aired the following week, nearly all viewers felt betrayed… when commentator Eiji Ōtsuka sent a letter to the Yomiuri Shimbun, complaining about the end of the Evangelion series, the debate went nationwide." (It is worth noting that the ending received such coverage in part because Evangelion had attracted viewers not typically interested in such fare; the TV series was extremely popular.) After the end of the series, Anno 'broke down' and delayed the upcoming films.
The series enjoyed immense popularity among its fanbase. In 1995, the series won first place in the reader-polled "Best Loved Series" category of the Anime Grand Prix, a reader-polled award series published in Animage magazine. The series was once again awarded this prize in 1996, receiving 2,853 votes, compared to the second place show (which was unmentioned) with only 903 votes. The End of Evangelion would win first place in 1997, allowing Neon Genesis Evangelion to be the first anime franchise to win three consecutive first place awards. This feat would not be duplicated again for several years, until Code Geass won the 2006, 2007, and 2008 awards. "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" won the Song category in 1995 & 1996; "The Beginning and the End, or "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"" won the 1996 Episode category; and Rei Ayanami won in the Female Character category in 1995 and 1996 (followed by Shinji Ikari winning in the Male Character category in 1996 and 1997), contributing to Megumi Hayashibara's 1995-1997 wins in the voice acting category (and until 2001 for other series). In 1998, EX.org's readers voted it the #1 US release and in 1999, the #2 show of all time.
In response to the backlash by fans against the nature of the series finale, Anno made several controversial comments in the months following the series conclusion, and preceding the release of The End of Evangelion. Anno commented in various interviews after the conclusion of the series that "anime fans need to have more self-respect" and to "come back to reality"; in a Newtype interview on 10 May, after the announcement on 26 April of a new movie and re-edited versions of the TV series, he also stated that "computer networking is graffiti on toilet walls." These statements were even more controversial.
Read more about this topic: Neon Genesis Evangelion (anime)
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