Editorials
You Are (Not) Alone: The Horrors of ‘Evangelion’ [Anime Horrors]
Welcome back to Anime Horrors – a column dedicated to exploring new and classic works of anime and manga.
Throughout my life, I have found anime to have an empowering quality. Whether it has been Sailor Moon, Yu Yu Hakusho or My Hero Academia, I have admired the spirit of their protagonists; that whatever life would throw at them, they would face each challenge head on and believe in themselves. As a kid striving to find hope through his own mental health chaos, this drive in anime characters was nothing short of inspirational growing up (and still is to this day).
Then there is Neon Genesis Evangelion – a show that is not really empowering, and yet, has become one of the most important works of anime in my life. The show made its debut in 1995 and was directed by Hideaki Anno. Evangelion follows Shinji, Rei, and Asuka, three children who pilot giant mechs to protect the world from alien beings known as Angels.
Evangelion holds an iconic status in the world of anime, responsible for inspiring numerous works and creators. Weaving together multiple religious ideologies with that of various philosophical concepts, Evangelion offers a plethora of themes. Along with all that, Evangelion has received much praise (and some flack) for its use of psychology. This psychological aspect is what drew me to the show in the first place and captivated me when I first watched it years ago.
In this month’s Anime Horrors, I want to discuss what makes Evangelion such a worthy exploration of the mind – examining two of its main characters and how it uses a typical anime premise to elevate its themes of mental health.
Some notes before diving into things. This article will pertain to character representations as presented in the anime and End of Evangelion (the quasi-movie created to “correct” the final two episodes of the anime). Though I do heavily encourage checking out the Rebuild of Evangelion movies, I will not be covering those here. Secondly, I will be trying to avoid major spoilers in terms of plot, but there will be character spoilers (which inherently will include some level of plot spoilers).
The Appeal of Evangelion
Before we talk about the characters I want to highlight though – what makes Evangelion so special? Why is it such an iconic work of anime? Well, a lot of that has to do with its riveting story, its vast well of drama, philosophy, and psychology. Mostly though, a lot has to do with how it uses all of that to subvert expectations. Specifically, it challenges our acceptance of young people in roles of violence.
When we think of shows like Power Rangers, many of us don’t bat an eye at the scenario. “Oh, these young people are given power suits to fight monsters? Heck yeah, sounds awesome!” Granted, Power Rangers is meant to be lighthearted, but there’s the underlining human factor to such a story. What sort of trauma is taking place in having to fill this role of ranger? What must these young people be working through while juggling the life of a teenager and that of a warrior? Forms of this introspection have made their way into western comics (e.g. Spiderman) as well as some anime like Attack on Titan (where a good deal of the narrative observes the horrors of war and battle on young minds).
Evangelion is a story that cares deeply for this perspective. Through Shinji and Asuka – the protagonists I’ll be examining – the show depicts how battle begins to warp their respective minds. Even with some great action set pieces, there is a greater focus on the mental wellbeing of the protagonists. We get a lot of quiet moments with Shinji and Asuka – some playful and some somber. Both types of scenes allow a deeper look into the character’s respective psyche. For all its explosions, bad ass robots, and creepy existential aliens, one of Evangelion’s core themes is the impact that trauma has on one’s life.
For Shinji and Asuka, piloting their Evangelion (Eva) acts as a means to cope with and avoid the troubles in their respective minds. For each character, I will break them down into separate cases, providing an intimate look at them, examining their struggles, and how the show explores their anguish within the plot.
Case 1: Shinji
When we first meet Shinji, he appears as a friendly enough kid, if not a bit shy. When he is picked up and brought to NERV HQ (the prominent organization facing against the Angels), he ends up meeting his father. His timid personality intensifies as his father pushes him to enter an Eva and battle an Angel rampaging nearby. Shinji initially rejects this, his father coming off disgusted and dismissing him. Though Shinji does eventually enter the robot, this does not immediately change the mood of his father.
A huge portion of Shinji’s character revolves around his relationship to his father. It is revealed that at a younger age, Shinji’s mother died and his father left him. This abandonment instilled a tremendous lack of self-worth. With his father no longer interested in him, Shinji developed this internal narrative that he was not worth anyone’s time. Through this, Shinji develops what is called The Hedgehog’s Dilemma.
Countless other essays have spoken to this already, so I will speak to it briefly. The idea is that hedgehogs want to be close to one another, but they can’t get too close because their quills will prick each other. This is one of Shinji’s biggest problems – for as much as he wants to be close to people, he is too afraid of being rejected and left.
Shinji’s anxieties give way to depression as well. While his life does include some fun, a darkness constantly lingers. The show has these excellent contrasting moments of action and solemn stillness; we’ll get an epic battle and then a quiet scene of someone laying up at night staring off into space. Shinji will lay awake, listening to a recorder, mulling over how much he wants to be seen by his dad and how he is better off alone. This mental framework is the core reason he decides to pilot an Eva; though, in his case, there is a little more tug-o-war going on.
He displays a hesitation when it comes to being in the Eva; the task is a lot to him, and rightfully so. It isn’t uncommon for a hero to be resistant to a call for action, but Evangelion uses this trope to make a point. Shinji is a young kid fighting in a battle of existential consequence and struggling to keep his mental health together. He has no place on the battlefield. But, when he sees that people congratulate him on his success, when he sees that his father shows a semblance of acknowledgement, all of that creates an urge to return to the Eva. Shinji begins thinking that he must pilot because that’s what others want and what will make others happy. He views this as a drive to exist, rather than to live for his own goals. Of course, this is another layer to his toxic lack of self-worth, anxiety, and depression.
Shinji’s neuroses stretch back to that pinnacle moment where his father left him. When someone so important to you just up and leaves, it can rattle your core. On top of that, Shinji was a young boy whose mother just passed away. It makes sense why he pushes back against others, why he lashes out when people try to get close. He would only think that people will leave him. Much of Shinji’s narrative involves the importance of self-love and opening one’s self to others. Towards the end of the show – avoiding spoilers – he enters a psychological state where he confronts his trauma.
Evangelion technically has two endings, one in the anime and a different one in End of Evangelion. Give or take their respective approaches, Shinji comes to understand the importance of acting for himself, rather than live life as a passive person. He must find and create his own purpose. Through finding his own purpose, he will learn to love himself. He realizes life is also about joy and being with people who make you happy.
Case 2: Asuka
When Asuka first appears several episodes into Evangelion, she comes off like a firecracker. Full of spice and energy, her personality clashes with that of Shinji and Rei. Unlike them, she has no problem arguing with adults, butting into conversations, and asserting herself wherever she pleases. Whereas Shinji is conflicted regarding his role piloting an Eva and Rei just does as she’s told, Asuka lives to pilot her Eva. To her, there is nothing more satisfying than heading into battle and being the star. Although, this drive hides a dark secret.
Unlike Shinji, she does not give the immediate impression of something eating at her, instead, she comes off profoundly confident in herself. With some exceptions throughout its runtime, most of Evangelion’s psychological angle is focused on Shinji; it isn’t until later on in the show that we learn more about why Askuka is the way she is. One key component to Asuka’s struggle is her effort to express how adult she is. Whether it is her acting promiscuous with a much older man than her, or her gung-ho charge into battle, there is always an emphasis to express what she’s capable of and that she can take care of herself. This attitude is a mask to cover up the trauma brought on by her mother’s death.
It is revealed that Asuka’s mother suffered with mental illness, eventually taking her own life. In her mother’s suicide – having lost someone she thought she could count on – Asuka develops her unhealthy sense of self-reliance at a young age.
A major difference between Asuka and Shinji is how much she represses her feelings and these memories. Unlike Shinji who is a little more open, she refuses to acknowledge her pain. She has gone to great lengths to shield herself from the past. This becomes apparent in a pivotal moment in the anime where, when facing off against a powerful Angel, she is not able to help. Before everything is lost though, Shinji steps in and saves the day. This shakes her, for at this point in the show, she has seen him as beneath her. While he may be present to help, she is the lead. Which is why she is shook when she only hinders the situation against the Angel. Having been of little use in the battle, worrying that she may not be needed, brings back to mind the trauma of being left by her mother.
After this incident, Asuka’s ability to pilot her Eva weakens. She is not able to get it functioning, finding herself in a state of disbelief, self-doubt, and spiraling depression. As those memories pop up, she makes efforts to shut them down. At one point, she even says how the pain is too much and she doesn’t want to think about those things. During the time of her breakdown, she begins to feel as if she isn’t needed – her ultimate fear.
The anime’s original take on Asuka’s internal revelation is a tad abstract; when it comes to End of Evangelion, her revelation is handled slightly better. Speaking to specifics would ruin some major story moments, but while in a comatose state, she takes on an introspective journey and realizes she is not alone in the world. Much like Shinji, Asuka struggles with self-worth. Whereas he makes for an intriguing case of how trauma and mental illness can cause one to drift away from others, Asuka shows the harm that repression can bring upon a person. However, both characters represent a major need within human beings – that of being close with others.
A Post-Apocalyptic Backdrop to Mental Illness
Evangelion uses all its moments of violence to emphasize and allude to these critical elements within Shinji and Asuka. The show is using a typical component of anime, being the action, to tell a much deeper story than just showing some fists clash. Trauma and mental illness are the most significant themes to Evangelion. From depression to anxiety, self-hatred to loneliness, many of the characters in Evangelion suffer from some sort of hell. Which is why I have also found the show’s post-apocalyptic setting to be so fitting.
Throughout so much media, audiences have been given various looks at what a post-apocalyptic world may entail; scarcity of resources, people pushed to the brink of desperation, grand cities now in ruin. Evangelion’s world isn’t so abrasive like this in its presentation; there are the ruined cities, but life isn’t so over-the-top dreadful (kids are still going to school as the Angels make their efforts against humanity). The intriguing take to this world is how desolate and somber it is. Besides scenes where the protagonists are in school and those of the adults working at NERV, one will notice that life outside all of that is quiet. Having been devastated by the Angels, life is dreary. I can’t think of a better metaphor for the silent horror that is mental illness and personal despair.
Everyone’s journey is different, but when someone is in the throes of spiraling depression or crippling agony, they may find themselves in the quietest of moments. Perhaps watching a sunset, maybe while laying up at night looking out into a city. In such scenes, Evangelion uses its world to elevate the emotional turmoil of the characters – to illuminate their heartache and worries. It uses something as simple as a city – meant to be full of life – and shows it is devoid of presence. That life only returning through combat and violence.
Shinji and Asuka find themselves in a constant state of awareness, knowing a major conflict is somewhere on the horizons. Neither has the time nor the means to live life like a regular kid. Each of them carries demons – expressing or hiding them in their respective ways. Their existence in this world is to defeat the Angels, to be a part of secret agendas, and to endure. This is a post-apocalyptic world that isn’t trying to sell its audience on how cruel or horrifying existence is, but rather, how lonely and sad life can be when we feel so alone.
“Sometimes you need a little wishful thinking just to keep on living.”
I appreciate the effort Evangelion makes in exploring mental health. Is it perfect? No. At times it leans in way too heavily into Freudian psychology, dabbling in some problematic areas. Outside those moments however, I do feel the show offers some thoughtful contemplation to muse over.
For all its over-the-top science-fiction plot points, this is a very human story. It reveals the horror of untreated trauma and the havoc it can unleash on one’s life. It ruminates on the pain of loneliness and what it means to struggle with depression and anxiety. Evangelion is a story about children who carry tremendous hurt in their hearts and are desperate to feel some semblance of warmth.
But for two endings that are pretty bleak in their own right, Evangelion does end with one particular message – You are not alone.
At the time of this writing, Evangelion and End of Evangelion are streaming on Netflix. The Rebuild of Evangelion movies can be obtained through various methods of purchasing them. The fourth and final installment in the movie series – Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time – was just released this month in Japan.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Evil Dead Burn.
Fans of The Evil Dead franchise have become accustomed to an excess of gore. From the low-fi horror of Sam Raimi’s 1981 original and the slapstick comedy of Army of Darkness to Fede Álvarez’s 2013 remake, which literally ends in a rain of blood, grotesque dismemberment and comedic violence are as important to an Evil Dead film as the outline of Bruce Campbell’s iconic jaw.
Sébastien Vaniček‘s franchise installment, Evil Dead Burn, follows suit with wall-to-wall violence and set pieces built around extreme carnage. As the Deadites rise once again, Alice (Souheila Yacoub) must fight to the death against her possessed in-laws hell-bent on punishing her for their family’s sins.
Co-written by Vaniček and Florent Bernard, Evil Dead Burn follows the ill-fated Price family, descendants of Dr. Benjamin Price who discovered an ancient dagger capable of sending Kandarian demons back to hell. Newly uncovered from its protective spell, this dagger has called to the evil dead and led them to the family’s ramshackle home. Keeping plot to a bare minimum, Vaniček fills nearly every scene with powerful Deadites and their dastardly acts as they torture the Prices to find the weapon. Horrific moments like a woman drinking hot wax from a lit candle and a shocking post-credits child murder don’t even crack the top ten of disgusting, painful, and disturbing carnage that floods the film.
In any other franchise, we would be listing the film’s most gruesome kills. But fans of Evil Dead know that when we’re talking about the Necronomicon, mere death is only the beginning.
10 ) Deadites Burn
Though Burn checks off all the Evil Dead boxes, its story is a franchise anomaly. Rather than possessing anyone who crosses their path, Vaniček’s Deadites have set their sights specifically on an unwitting clan, intent on recovering the powerful dagger. Resurrected from a nearby lake, Deadite Jessica (Greta van den Brink) informs us of this plan while murdering the eldest Price son. Will (George Pullar) is speeding down a deserted road when he slams into the malevolent demon standing in the middle of the road. After his car rolls off the deserted road, he awakens to find himself upside down, a strange woman lodged in his cracked windshield.
As he desperately tries to reach his phone, Jessica slowly twists her head, tearing the skin of her distended neck. Completely detached from her shattered body, the demon’s head rolls out the window and begins chanting a Kandarian curse. Will’s car bursts into flames as Jessica vows to seek out the rest of his family. While burning alive, Will learns that he is merely the first on a deadly hitlist filled with the people he loves most.
9) Dinner from Hell
Despite a remarkably streamlined plot, Vaniček hints at the Price family’s extensive dysfunction. An uncomfortable dinner erupts in aggression as they gather for lunch after Will’s funeral. Mother Susan (Tandi Wright) berates her recently widowed daughter-in-law while father Edgar (Erroll Shand) — already under Kandarian influence — blames younger son Joseph (Hunter Doohan) for his eldest son’s death. No one is safe as long-held tensions break through to the surface and family secrets ricochet through the air.
With Edgar behaving erratically, Alice and Thya (Luciane Buchanan), Joseph’s girlfriend, try to move sharp objects out of his reach. But Edgar manages to get a hold of a fork and turns his rage on the family dog. As he stabs Max repeatedly in the face, Joseph tries to pull his father away. Both are injured in the struggle and rush to the hospital, leaving Susan and Alice to deal with the corpse. A horrific moment of animal cruelty, this scene sets up a no-holds-barred film in which anyone can be brutalized. But perhaps most disturbing is the viciousness already lurking in this troubled family, barely concealed resentments that existed long before the Kandarian threat.
8 ) Bathroom Brawl
As Deadites possess the Price family, Alice barricades herself in an upstairs bathroom. She reluctantly shields her mother-in-law, despite Susan’s atrocious behavior. Almost immediately, Alice regrets this decision when the woman reveals the depths of her hatred. She rejects clear evidence of Will’s domestic abuse, continuing to blame Alice for their troubled marriage. Leaning her cheek against a scalding hot radiator, Susan submits to Kandarian possession and becomes a Deadite before our eyes. Though disturbing on its face, she seems to choose possession over an honest reckoning of her family’s dark secrets.
Now a Deadite, Susan attacks Alice with broken shards of the toilet bowl and wraps the shower curtain around her head. Scampering across the ceiling, she hangs her daughter-in-law by the neck with the plastic sheet as Alice desperately gasps for air. With only her hand free, Alice gouges Susan’s face with a safety razor, finally managing to break herself free. As Deadite Susan taunts her from the corner, Alice revs up a brush trimmer and plunges the circular blade into her shoulder and chest. We cheer for Alice as she finally pushes back against Susan’s passive-aggressive disdain.
7) The Pen is Mightier
In a sea of blood-splattered dismemberment, one scene is so tense that it makes us squirm despite its lack of visual gore. With the family’s ailing matriarch possessed, Deadite Polly (Maude Davey) attacks Alice in the upstairs hallway, pressing her face against the bush trimmer’s still blade. Insisting that Alice has caused Will’s death, Polly invites the grieving woman to avenge her child by turning on the power tool. An instant before her mother-in-law can send the blade tearing into her cheek, Alice manages to escape by jamming a shard of glass into Polly’s eye. But not before the elderly demon can deliver a cringe-worthy injury.
Though Alice struggles with all her might, Polly slowly drives a fountain pen into the younger woman’s ear canal. Ringing blots out all other sounds as Alice’s face twists in pain. We imagine a tiny object bursting through our own eardrums, puncturing the soft tissue lying beneath. Though Alice tries to extract the pen, she only succeeds in breaking it off, leaving half of the quill buried in her ear. She will eventually use tweezers to remove the tip, sparking another moment of deafening agony.
6) Chekhov’s Dishwasher
As Susan prepares for the aforementioned family meal, Vaniček drops a delicious bit of foreshadowing. While the grieving mother thaws frozen food, she absently fills an old dishwasher whose door has long since busted its latch. Reminiscent of a scene from Final Destination, the faulty appliance falls open, leaving a shelf full of gleaming forks and knives suspended a foot above the floor, just waiting for their moment to strike. After returning from a fatal incident we’ll discuss in a moment, Deadite Thya returns to the Price home, hell-bent on retrieving the powerful knife.
As she advances on Joseph, the frightened son retreats to the kitchen and brandishes a carving knife, subtly nodding to an ultra-violent kitchen scene in Álvarez’s Evil Dead. But Thya will not be deterred. Advancing on her boyfriend, the Deadite startles him into tripping on the outstretched door and impaling himself on the upturned utensils. She presses Joseph further onto the blades while he plunges a corkscrew into her throat. But even this will not stop the maniacal demon, who rips her throat open with the wine tool, dripping her blood over Joseph’s upturned face. Adding insult to injury, she marvels at his willingness to kill the woman he professed to love, casting a pall over their entire relationship. Not only gruesome and excruciatingly tense, but this moment plays into Joseph’s insecurities as the failed son of this disturbed family.
5 ) On the Lake
Evil Dead Burn begins on a seemingly peaceful lake overrun with lurking Kandarian demons. Jared (Keanu Karim) is trying to enjoy a quiet day of fishing but can’t stop his friend Leo (Victory Ndukwe) from answering the phone. Along the dock, Jared notices a bite on Leo’s reel and eventually pulls up a severed head savvy viewers may recognize from Lee Cronin’s 2023 sequel Evil Dead Rise. Moments later, Jared finds himself ensnared by reels, hooks digging into the corner of his mouth and eyelid. As the fishing line wraps around his neck, he’s dragged, screaming, into the lake.
Leo returns in the pouring rain and sees Jared desperately calling for help. He quickly boats out to save his friend, but a mysterious force pulls him down into the depths. Leo finally drags Jared back into the boat, only to see that his body has been cut in half, intestines spilling out of his bisected waist. As he struggles to make sense of this carnage, Deadite Jessica emerges from the lake and capsizes the boat, her clenched demon hands causing the water to boil. Though Leo manages to swim to shore, his skin is a blistered and bubbly mess. Deadite Jessica absently steps on his hand, easily peeling away flesh like overcooked meat. This jaw-dropping opener not only sets the stage for a brutal film, but situates the story in franchise lore while simply explaining the Deadites’ return.
4) Car Trouble
The shocking trailer to Evil Dead Burns shows the aftermath of a vicious attack. As Deadite Thya crosses the family threshold, the camera reveals a car’s headrest still impaling her face. But this devastating sight merely hints at the cruel circumstances of her actual death. Incapacitated in the disastrous family dinner, Edgar slumps in the backseat while Joseph tends to his wounds. Though seemingly incapacitated, the possessed father snaps to attention and wraps his seatbelt around Thya’s neck, pushing against the back of her seat. Joseph holds a gun to his father’s head, but can’t bring himself to pull the trigger.
As Thya tries to escape the car, Edgar viciously slams the door, severing four of her fingers. She manages to trigger a fire extinguisher, filling the car with cloudy white chemicals and giving Joseph a chance to escape. But Thya is not so lucky. Trapped in the car, she screams as Edgar pummels her with a detached headrest, stabbing the poles through her neck and face. Joseph watches from a safe distance as his father beats his girlfriend to death, knowing he was unable to save her life.
3) Head Shots
When Deadite Thya comes stumbling back home, Joseph believes he’s seen the worst. Unfortunately, his misery is only beginning. After fighting off his newly-sadistic undead girlfriend, he tries to flee with his surviving family, only to find Deadite Edgar blocking his path. Flanked by Deadite Max, Edgar taunts his son by insisting that he should be dead in Will’s place and confirming the young man’s greatest fears. Edgar then does what Joseph could not and shoots himself in the head.
The family screams in horror at this devastating sight, then freezes in stunned silence as Edgar does not fall. Grinning, the maniacal father shoots himself twice more, blowing gaping holes in the sides of his head. For the rest of the film, Deadite Edgar will terrorize his family with these unthinkable wounds, even tempting his wife with a bloody kiss. Vaniček mixes emotional devastation with gore as Joseph must watch his father’s suicide while confronting the truth of his own ineptitude.
2) Down Through the Chimney
Along with references to the beloved Ash (Campbell), it’s become tradition for an Evil Dead film to reference the franchise’s signature weapon. But Vaniček subverts our expectations when Edgar’s chainsaw is out of gas. Instead, Alice employs a rusty bush trimmer to fight off her Deadite mother-in-law. Unfortunately, the extended weapon only shreds her flesh, leaving the monstrous woman still able to fight. Trapped in the attic, Alice must clamber out of an upper window with Deadite Susan hot on her heels.
Having dropped the ceremonial knife off the third-story roof, Alice has no choice but to improvise. Toting the bush trimmer, she inches her way down the chimney, pausing to turn halfway down. As Susan follows her daughter-in-law down the chute, Alice turns on the bush trimmer and waits for impact. Vaniček brings us into the living room as buckets of blood and dismembered body parts begin to rain down over the hearth. It’s the kind of moment Evil Dead fans love, gleefully gory carnage via an unexpected power tool.
1 ) Goodbye Stranger
Despite this plethora of grisly gore, Vaniček’s final act tops the list while delivering a poignant beat of empowerment. With the house on fire and the Deadites subdued, we believe that Alice is finally safe. But as she watches the Price home burn to the ground, the corpse of her husband walks out of the flames. He taunts her memories of their abusive marriage, insisting that she stayed because she likes the pain. Demanding the sacred weapon, Deadite Will chases Alice to a construction site and into an open hydraulic press. In the fall, Alice impales her ankle on a massive spike, leaving her trapped as the pit fills with boiling hot tar.
But Alice finds the strength to save herself and pulls her ankle off the bloody spike. She distracts Will with a decoy knife, then pummels his chest with a jackhammer. Exacerbating her emotional pain, Deadite Will reminds her of his love. But it seems that Alice has had enough. She stabs him with the ceremonial blade, then crushes his head as it turns to ash. It’s a well-earned moment of empowerment as our final girl vanquishes her most powerful demon.
Vaniček’s crowd-pleaser continues the Evil Dead trend of gleefully crude massacres. Two extra scenes hint at a continuation of this gruesome massacre, promising more brutality in films to come.
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