The End of Evangelion Fixed Everything Wrong With Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Original Ending

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I remember watching the end of Neon Genesis Evangelion back in 1996, and it truly came as a shock. Even though the show seemed pretty standard up to that point, the final episodes were incredibly strange and open-ended. It sparked a lot of discussion – some people loved how thought-provoking it was, while others were frustrated that it didn’t offer a clear resolution.

Fans didn’t have to wait long for another viewing of The End of Evangelion, thanks to a new animated film. Although some weren’t completely satisfied with this version, it was much closer to what viewers had originally anticipated from the series’ ending.

The Original Neon Genesis Evangelion Has Irreplaceable Cultural Impact

Released in 1995 and directed by , Neon Genesis Evangelion quickly became a critical success. The show is set in the year 2015, in a future where humanity is constantly battling giant creatures called Angels.

The Angels possess unusual abilities, making them incredibly difficult to fight. The only things powerful enough to stand against them are Evangelions – giant, living robots controlled by a direct link to the pilot’s nervous system. When a normal teenager named Shinji Ikari is unexpectedly forced to pilot one of these Evangelions, he finds himself at the center of a desperate battle that will determine the fate of the world.

Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Original Ending Was Incredibly Divisive

Throughout Neon Genesis Evangelion, viewers watched Shinji and his friends battle terrifying creatures called Angels, striving to create a safe future. The show also explored unsettling truths about organizations like Nerv, the history of the Evangelions themselves, and the strange Dummy Plug system, all of which changed how we understand humanity’s fight against the Angels.

It was unbelievable after the final battle with the last Angel. Shinji’s father, Gendo, initiated a massive change, forcing humanity to evolve into a single, unified consciousness. Everything really ended when Shinji finally released all the pain and loneliness he’d carried for so long. It allowed him to join everyone else in this new state, and for a moment, I felt like I saw a different life, a different world, flash before my eyes.

The series finale, while stunning and intellectually stimulating, sparked a lot of discussion when it first came out. What many didn’t realize was that the studio, Gainax, was facing serious financial difficulties. This led to a somewhat hurried production process for the final episodes, despite the continued effort to make them meaningful.

The End of Evangelion Fixed The Ending 2 Years Later

Hideaki Anno always intended for more than what viewers saw in the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series, and he greatly valued his fans. That’s why, just a year after the TV show finished, fans were able to experience The End of Evangelion in theaters.

As an alternate conclusion to the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series, The End of Evangelion continues the story immediately after the 24th episode, effectively replacing the original final two episodes. Written by Hideaki Anno and co-directed by him and Kazuya Tsurumaki, the film explores the inner workings of Nerv – the organization responsible for building the Evangelions – in much greater detail than the series did.

As expected, the series continues to explore the idea of uniting all of humanity into a single, shared consciousness. This time, though, Shinji chooses not to participate in this unification. His decision leads to the defeat of the Angel Lilith and allows each person to live their own life and follow their own destiny.

Overall, the ending of The End of Evangelion was much better received and easier to understand for most fans. While it still takes some liberties with the story’s initial setup, the revised finale was definitely less confusing than previous versions.

Despite this, the original Neon Genesis Evangelion series generally receives better reviews than The End of Evangelion. The fact that The End of Evangelion retells the same story suggests that the original series remains a strong and complete work on its own.

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2025-12-15 01:42