New Debate Breaks Down How Fans Should Stream Neon Genesis Evangelion

With Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Netflix arrival nigh, fans are debating what the best way to watch the series is. Should it be streamed all in one sitting? Should it be consumed like a fine wine over time for those who have not seen the series before? Regardless of the answer, one fan has decided to make a list of sections documenting the different “arcs” of the series and how these could potentially affect the way that the series should be watched.

Adam Sheehan, the “Director of Events” at Crunchyroll and VRV, broke down the best way to watch the series on his Twitter Account by giving his diagnosis on what blocks of episodes make up the series’ “arcs”:

Adam’s breakdown cuts the series into four episode “blocks”, giving fans both old and new a springboard for watching the series in chunks rather than all in one go. The ending of Evangelion has always been controversial, with the animation studio experiencing behind the scenes troubles that caused for a patchwork, much maligned finale to the series. In 1997, a follow up film titled “The End of Evangelion” retold the finale of the series in a much more dramatic fashion, giving a serious conclusion to all the characters of Nerv, and their world.

What do you think of this breakdown for the upcoming Netflix release of Neon Genesis Evangelion? Will you be following this episode guide or simply binging through the whole series in one go? Let us know in the comments or feel free to hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the Lance of Longinus and how that relates to Shinji Ikari’s thoughts of inadequacy and despair!

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a psychological drama by way of giant monster versus mech anime. The franchise debuted as a television series in 1995-1996 with two films following in 1997. Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth is an one-part drastically abridged retelling of the first 24 episodes of the television series, and one part new animation. The End of Evangelion, the second film, would incorporate some of Death & Rebirth’s original animation and offer an alternate take on the original series’ controversial final two episodes.

The series follows Shinji Ikari, who is recruited by his father to pilot the giant mech Evangelion in the fight against giant monsters known as Angels in the futuristic city of Tokyo-3. But Shinji is unwilling to bear this huge responsibility and is often conflicted about taking part in a war he was dragged into. This conflict of emotions leads to many introspective episodes that cover the range of religious, philosophical, and existential concepts.