4/5 Fantastic series that isn't for the simple minded.
  by Grumpy MF'er (Non o yo business!)
Finally a series that I actually think lives up to some if it's hype. I will admit on my first time it came off as mere techno bubble. But there actually is more to it and the characters have a great amount of depth. I laugh hysterically when I hear the characters in Elfen Lied and Hell Girl have depth. The people who love those series have to be on drugs.

The action is pretty good, but it's the realistic characters with genuine feelings that stand out. Don't come into this looking for simple characters or storytelling. NGE will disappoint you if that's what you want.

1/5 The worst anime series I've seen.
  by J. McGinn (Portland, OR)
This review is for both the series and two movies.

This overall is the worst anime series I've seen, and I've seen a lot of them. There are many things wrong with the series and movies.

First is the story. It begins in the year 2000 when a disaster nearly destroys Antarctica and kills billions of people. It's first thought to be a natural disaster, but was actually a experiment sponsored by a organization called SEELE and carried out by GEHIRN. Fast forward to the year 2010 GEHIRN has changed into NERV a military organization. NERV's primary mission is to locate creatures called Angles and destroy them. The primary story follows Shinji Ikari who decides to join NERV and his father is the head of NERV.

Now onto all the problems with this show.

First is the story: I'm not sure what the creators of this series/movies were trying to do, but they failed miserably. The story as it went on from episode to episode and movie to movie just got worse and worse as it went a long. The story was incoherent and didn't make any sense. I don't mind series that try to have a hight meaning, but at least make some kind of sense at the end, express something even if it's that everyone dies.

Second the characters: I think this might have been my biggest problem with the series. The characters brought nothing to the series. The main character Shinji has to be one of the worst if not the worst anime character ever. He had no depth, emotion, and didn't try me in. He was just annyoing, and I wanted him to die almost from the beginning, the same with most of the other ones. I can't think of on character I actually liked.

Third the animation: The animation done by GAINAX is terrible it looks like something done by in the 60s or 70s. Hell I think Speed Racer looks better than this series.

Overall this is the worst anime series ever and most overrated series I've seen. I really don't understand why people like it. If they want to see a great anime series with meaning then you should check out series like Saikano, RahXephon, and Now and Then, Here and There just for example. Just skip this series and movie, you'll life will be much better off.

2/5 Hate saying this but...
  by Sadee Whip (seattle, WA United States)
I found the story line repetetive, boring, and predictable. I hate not liking anime but this wasn't very good. The ending sucked. I know it was redone but geese. The sound track was irritating, the graphics could have been better and the characters were on the "un" side of interesting.

4/5 Not bad, but not perfect.
  by DynomiteWins (Costa Mesa)
This series started off really slow for me. I only got really interested in the last few discs when the story gets really complex and disturbing. If the entire series had worked this way, it would be a 5 star series, but it starts off slow and takes a while to get where it's going.

The final two episodes are fine - weird, but nothing incomprehensible - but I felt I would have gotten the point anyway if it was all condensed into one episode. The ending was a let down, and I understand that the movies complete it, but the movies were not included with this set, so as a series it is incomplete.

Because NGE was a catalyst for the emergence of anime out of pop fun and into visual art, it is an important set for anime buffs to watch. Much like Citizen Cane may not be the most exciting film for film buffs to watch, it is significant because of what it contributed to the film industry and film as art. NGE could be considered the Citizen Cane of Japanese Animation.

5/5 GOD OF ANIME
  by B. P. Stearns (dead leaves, the moon)
I'm going to get right to the point. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ANIME EVER MADE. anybody who knows anything about anime understands how ground-breaking NGE was, is, and always will be.