Lu Perry - Neon Genesis Evangelion - Comments

There are a lot of foolish

Skeith The Terror Of Death — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:39:20 -0500

There are a lot of foolish people in this world who would actually take the time to make such videos. :) like... people with a little too much free time in their hands xD

How did you know?

Scott — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:01:16 -0500

How did you know it was fake at the beginning, when you made this blog? Did you guess?

I just got into movie making, but to take the time to make this video up would be foolish. See my page at Making Videos

It's absolutely fake.

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 13:39:45 -0600

It's absolutely fake. There are scenes from Spiderman, X-Men, and other movies in there. I have to say that the whole thing looks very convincing, but yeah, it's totally not real. It does serve to get your blood boiling for the real deal, which is in the works with Weta doing the special effects as outlined in the trailer.

It fake... Final Fantasy

UMMX — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 17:10:49 -0600

It fake...

Final Fantasy Sprite
Spider Man 3
5 element
Pratied site Evil (PS stuff)

I forget the names of the other 3 movies but it fake....

ohh..

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 02:06:39 -0600

forgot to add... but i don't think lot's people have been in the same situation as shinji. only has one parent and is rejected by him/her and every girl he meets rejects him(even the girl that shinji thinks is like him cause she was rejected by her mother).
i can see everyone being in emotional distress at one time but not as extreme as shinji.

I think i might be the only

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 01:57:11 -0600

I think i might be the only person that don't look at shinji in a negative way... i just see him as a lost kid that cant find what he is looking for.

as for kino i'm not sure if she knew it or not. i remember in a ep she was asked where she is going and she would not be able to awnser it. she would go to places where people think that might make the world a better place but it would turn into a nightmare(ex: the city where no one had to work).

still waiting for the city where no one works for money and only for eachother >.>

I think life is meant to be

Elf — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 22:23:15 -0600

I think life is meant to be enjoyed in the little things (and big) and to help others, rather than to build self-esteem and to leave this physical plane emblazoned and forever remembered. Petty existence is a very subjective term, i.e., as how society might view one's life. But I fail to see why society should be the ultimate judge on how one person's life is or was. Again, this is what I think

Well, by petty I meant selfish and self-absorbed, as many people seem to live nowadays. Living only for their own personal pleasure and wealth. I mispoke when I called family rearing petty, but it is certainly common. By great, I mean being like the greats: Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Louis Pasteur, etc. The great minds who furthered humanity and improved our lives. Raising a family is not as grand as the works these people completed, but it comes close. Furthermore, it's the closest most of us will ever get.

(I'm posting too much. My apologies.)

Life is what you make of it

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 21:40:42 -0600

NGE and RX both are great Animations to watch and enjoy, but truly belittle life in general.

Long story short, those boys remind me of little pussys. They have too much damn time on their hands so have the freedom as well as the luxury of having to decide, as you put it, to decide on how to "pursue happiness." They bitch and moan about things they don't have while they have everything else. If they were thrown into a war-torn country, they'd be crying tears of joy over a piece of moldy bread.

Anyways, its been 2 months since the last Sumomomo episode. Is Lu dead? I don't agree with the above poster, but wow. You should at least let us know what the hell is going on.

Only way to understand

Elf — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 19:16:20 -0600

Only way to understand shinji and the ending is to experienced the same things he has. the only way for his life to have meaning was to be needed by someone and he was desperately trying to find that meaning. in the end he knew that no one needed him and knew that the only way he can live life without pain, without others hurting him and reminding him he is useless was to be the only person.
*sigh* if only someone loved him and needed him. RahXephon is kinda like that "what if" in NGE. rahxephon is where shinji lets others live and becomes a spitiral being him self.

Everyone goes through that in life, it's nothing special. It's merely an obstacle all young people have to overcome before they truly become adults. That is the conundrum of our century. Instead of being given a simple path in life, such as being a farmer or a tradesman, we have to find our way in a free society in the "pursuit of happiness." Most people fall short of anything great, and tend to lead petty existences. And that's fine, really. Few things can be as rewarding as raising and providing for a family (though I can't speak from personal experience). NGE and its clone RahXephon (damn you for reminding me about it) are about two boys who don't have to make this tough decision about life.

Kino no tabi is good but has no real ending but thats what it is about. finding meaning from trying to find your meaning. the journey to find her meaning is her meaning.

Kino's Journey is not really about Kino trying to find her meaning in life. She already found it: that she is a traveler. It is more about observation of the world and its societies.

Dude take a pill and calm down some.

Rules — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 22:57:38 -0600

Lu wouldnt do that to us. It was him that got us stuck on the show to begin with.
Im a huge fan of this show but I will wait for Lu to get the time. Im sure its not as easy as you think to Sub all these shows or you could do it yourself. Besides you have X-Mass and New Years all rolled up in this month.

Also good luck finding another site that has the show subbed....lol

You could always just go download the RAWs and make up your own story lines like I do while I wait. :)

I will just sit back here like I have been with my Anime Injection needle in my hand and wait for Lu.

Enjoy the Holidays Lu .....But then right back to the slave Machine and whip the hell out of it until it gets all caught up on shows. LOL

shinji

Anonymous — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 19:55:03 -0600

Kino no tabi is good but has no real ending but thats what it is about. finding meaning from trying to find your meaning. the journey to find her meaning is her meaning.

tooo...much...reading...brain

Anonymous — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 14:00:50 -0600

tooo...much...reading...brain...exploding...

And I thank you. It was a

Elf — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:09:34 -0600

And I thank you. It was a thoroughly fascinating discussion.

Thank you, Elf!

Coach Ohta — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 06:02:08 -0600

Thank you, Elf! This truly proved to be a fruitful discussion: I finally understand, not just what you and others see in Kino's Journey, but also what I don't. It seems you hit the nail on it's head: "It isn't a psychological variety of deepness, and that may be why you didn't like it."

What I had expected with it was something that spoke to me as a person. The kind of thinking in Kino's Journey, like ascribing intangible concepts as "beauty" to humanity as a whole... Truthfully, it holds no real importance to me. That is not to say I don't understand people who do (and I certainly respect them), but I guess my own viewpoint is too, shall we say, "pragmatic" to really appreciate the story - as opposed to Evangelion, which I found much more relevant to me, in making me think of how I relate to other people, how one can go about to value himself, etc. That is not to say that I think it was a perfect discussion of the topic - it was very flawed. I don't agree with every premise or every conclusion. But to me, that imperfection only added to it's perfection. ;)
I may be way off course on this, but I consider the core of NGE to be director Anno baring himself and his own flawed way of thinking and how he came to terms with himself. And I've always had great respect for how it's like he said "To hell with your expectations, I'm doing this for me" with the ending. It's through observing him, through his characters, as a case study that I think about the ways we humans relate and how we differ.

...Which I guess to me also was a failure of Kino's Journey, seeing how it didn't present enough of a reference point for me to think about. (Note that it doesn't involve casting judgement for me.) It may be that I'm just to inexperienced to put all those ideas in perspective...

It is said that some people learn the most by observing similarities. I guess I'm one of those who learn through differences. As with this discussion. Again, thank you.

Yeah, I should give it

Elf — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 18:23:21 -0600

Yeah, I should give it another try, seeing how my expectations were too high the first time viewing, and perhaps not enabling me to make a fair judgement of the series' own merits. Perhaps you too have a series to give another chance...?

Maybe. I've got too many anime series to watch as it is. I did partly rewatch the english dub (ugh) on Adult Swim, but I wasn't dedicated to it.

Kino effectively does take the role of observer in many of the episodes, but her role is a bit more symbolic. She symbolizes, how would you say...an emotionally void reality. It is hard to describe, but her role in the series is much like how reality would perceive the countries she visits. She does not (usually) get emotionally involved in the countries she visits, nor does she pass judgement on them. Her role is masterfully used to provide interaction in points where it's needed, and observation where it isn't.

The way I saw it, Kino functions as an observer, only to drive the stories forward. She neither emotes nor evokes any feelings as an actor, but is merely an excuse to tell the symbolism of the countries. Not that I'm against using a story like a tool like that, but I never found the symbolism itself deep or well-discussed.
As with the first episode (as far as I can remember; the series didn't make a strong impression. I had to refer to a summary to refreshen my memory), what I wrote before was pretty much all I got out of it. One: Things change. This is shown through the landscape changing. Two: People don't want "too much communication". This is shown through the story the man tells. However, the series never poses a question I haven't pondered before, and neither does it dig into those questions in depth - it only "presents" them.

In the first episode, the opening and its preceding quote are very much applicable to not only the episode, but to the whole of the series as well. The duality of the meaning is as subtle as it is thought-provoking. "The World is Not Beautiful" stands in stark contrast to the series' byline, "The Beautiful World." It shows the living contradiction that is humanity and the world, how it is both ugly and beautiful at the same time. The story told in the first episode is that of humanity seeking perfection, seeking beauty, and discovering the hideous reality that is hidden behind the notion. The consequences tear the country apart, the rift in society overtly symbolized by the destruction of the land, and Kino's remarks that you really ought to trust people. At the end of the episode, you see that the man still grows roses in his garden like his wife used to, and that his separated wife still listens to his favorite song. The symbology here is hope at the end of a disatrous journey that the society took. Before the credits, an even deeper message is given, complementing the message at the beginning: "The world is not beautiful; and that, in a way, lends it a sort of beauty." A contradiction that is totally and overwhelmingly true in the world in the series and reality. There are so many, many subtle symbols and events that intertwine in this one episode alone that it is astounding. Yet, it does not hold your hand in the interperatation of these ideas and philosophies, nor does it offer interperatations of its own. It is much like Kino herself, providing no opinion on subjects presented, instead making the viewer explore the ideas on their own. Which is also a freedom much like what Kino herself enjoys. I find the whole series fantastic, each episode a world and philosophy unto its own, rife with subtle and thought-provoking ideas. In my opinion, a masterpiece.

With this said, I would like a small discussion of "depth".
Firstly, isn't it true that depth is subjective? (If it wasn't, who or what determines the quality of the depth? What questions are worthy?) I'm sure that with both NGE and Kino's Journey, the creators had reasons for doing things, but if the viewer interpret them correctly but still doesn't percieve them as meaningful, then it's not a very valuable discussion. Therefore, when I say that Kino's Journey had no real depth, it's just in my opinion, and that has no precedence over your opinion (and likewise).

Depth, when related to ideas, is wholly subjective due to the nature of its subject. Ideas are the realm of subjectivity. That is not really in debate. If the creators intended something, and whether the viewer perceives or it not, or interperates them or not, the depth does exist. However, the depth of that depth is gauged differently.

Secondly, what IS depth? It's not just having a hidden complexity in a story. If I were to try to label it, depth to me is exploring (although not necessarily explicitly) the idea of what it means to be a human, in modern society and otherwise and discussing those issues in new or uncommon ways. A work having depth means it creates a sense of there being more to it than the surface. (And to me, that's where Kino's Journey failed and NGE succeded. Of course, the fact that I was 15 when I first saw NGE and 21 when I saw Kino's Journey may have played some role... )

Depth in a thing can be measured in many different ways: dual meanings, hidden complexity, profoundness, etc. It is essentially subjective, and depends on personal preference. That's where NGE failed me. To me, NGE's nearly random ending was filled with psychological theories that are (as far as I'm concerned) at best conceited and arrogant, and at worst totally nonsensical. If you look at humanity from a universal perspective, something like instrumentality is a bad joke from a self-important species that doesn't even have the wherewithal to maintain global peace, let alone something as silly as a global consciousness. Kino's Journey, on the other hand, offers many, many different philosophies on life that I feel are more meaningful, far-reaching, and interesting than the ones offered in NGE.

I respect your opinions, and Japanese twisting other religions is so true. Since I'm from a country that's not particularly religious (I'm not native English speaking. Can you tell? ), I never had a problem with it. Rather, I viewed it as the Japanese did, as an element of exoticism. Also, the one friend I have who has watched NGE and is christian, had no problem with it. We just think it's not disturbing, since there is no ill intent.

You speak, or at least type, far more eloquently than the majority of native speakers.

I didn't mind the religious uses until the end. One of Christianity's main focal points is on the return of Jesus and the creation of a new order for the world. NGE's ending comes blasphemously close. I'm sure it was unintentional, or at least I hope it was. It just goes to show, if you're going to use someone else's religion as your play thing, and don't intend insult, it would be a good idea to learn more about that religion before using its symbols willy-nilly.