Despite coming out over a decade ago, the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion remains a potent cultural force in Japan. In fact, while traveling through Japan a few weeks ago, I was amazed at the number of advertisements for the new Evangelion movie — which comes out June 27, 2009 — as well as the number of toys, themed pachinko parlors, Evangelion-decorated tissue wrappers, and other manifestations of the series that I saw.
In the essay “On Evas and Angels: Postmodern Fantasy Devotion to Neon Genesis Evangelion”, PopMatters’ Cyrus Fard explores some of the religious and sociological factors that may explain Evangelion’s continued impact and popularity.
With a franchise that has spawned movies, CDs, books, manga, merchandise, and other extensions of fandom, Evangelion is a cultural economic force that is unrivaled, considering the controversial content within it. Evangelion is a mecha (giant robots controlled by human pilots) anime that focuses on the characters of Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and a long list of other supporting characters. These characters have become the source of fandom as well, generating heavy interest as cultural icons who have a devoted following. Here we’ll explore how the rise of religion in Japan in parallel with the economic downturn of the 1990s, the increasingly apparent otaku culture, and the imagery and themes of the original source material have turned Neon Genesis Evangelion into a mythological entity that is worshipped by a culture that follows it with religious-like fervor.
While it’s difficult to not think of Evangelion as Gainax’s cash cow, what with their continued milking of the franchise, there’s also no denying that the series still remains a major cultural force in Japan, and not just within otaku circles.