Neon Genesis Evangelion, Collection 0:8 (Episodes 24-26)
The final episodes ofNeon Genesis Evangelionhave been the subject of widespread and often heated debate since the series debuted in Japan in 1995. Shinji is no surer of himself at the end of the 26th episode than he was at the beginning of the 1st; his victories as an Eva pilot have only intensified his doubts and fears. As he broods on his lonely fate, he meets the mysterious Fifth Child, Kaoru Nagisa, the only character who treats him with genuine kindness. The battle with the 17th and final Angel assures the continued existence of humanity but devastates Shinji. As he attempts to grasp what has occurred, his identity shatters. Everyone he has known appears to question and torment him in long sequences of animated schizophrenia. The collapse of Shinji's ego recalls the chilling conclusion of Yukio Mishima's "Sea of Fertility" tetralogy, when the main character realizes he can no longer be certain of his own existence. Buddhist theology, Western existentialism, and apocalyptic Christianity fuse into a bleak vision of a universe in which there are no answers, in this life or any other. Anno created the series after four years of deep depression, and his logical yet frustrating conclusion to Shinji's odyssey givesEvangeliona fascination that has made it a landmark in the history of Japanese animation. Not rated; suitable for ages 14 and up: brief nudity, violence, sexual humor, and complex adult themes.--Charles Solomon