For many fans, the ending of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series led to rumors about the studio Gainax running out of budget due to the rough, sketchy, unpolished-looking scenes. Some also pointed fingers towards time constraints for the production, resulting in the confusing subject matter and visuals. But what may look like a haphazard consequence of production constraints is actually a spectacular realization of expression through art and epiphany.
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Spoiler Warning for the Endings in the Neon Genesis Evangelion Franchise!
The term “instrumentality” itself refers to a means to an end or agency; the term in this context cleverly encompasses the agencies/organizations under Seele performing their own means to an end through their own, well, agency/intervention to force the evolution of humanity to transcend their current plane of existence and reality. Gendo states that their project of Human Instrumentality “is not a return to nothingness, it is merely a return to a state of beginning.” The original Evangelion TV series’ take on “human instrumentality” is a more direct, introspective philosophy that’s hopeful in its own right as an ending.
Instrumentality and Ego Death
Neon Genesis Evangelion Episode 25 is where the series takes an abstract turn into the characters, namely Shinij, contemplating through introspection their core purpose or reason for existence. Shinji’s introspection concludes that his only motive in life is to do what others tell him, garnering acknowledgment and praise via martyrdom. But Asuka does the same, seeking her own value in the perception of others while seeing the manifestation of Shinji’s hedgehog dilemma, the metaphor for the paradox of human intimacy. She accuses Shinji of coping by sacrificing himself and waiting for outside intervention to bring him happiness instead of creating his own means of happiness.
Rei questions who she is as her own person, detached from her artificial biological origin and wrestles with a similar conundrum as Shinji and Asuka in the perception of identity through the lens of others. Misato’s introspection represents the part of Shinji that believes oneself unworthy of love, happiness, and praise due to the shame of escapism. It’s explained that, on a subconscious level, man constantly, impulsively, and elusively tries to escape an existence that had been corrupted with metaphysical hunger, anxiety, and fear.
Shinji experiences what is known as ego death in the series, or, “the complete loss of subjective self-identity.” Ego death in Buddhism encourages enlightenment through the ceasing of reflexive, unconscious decisions, in turn gaining a sense of self that feels pure, true, and intentional. In Jungian psychology, the term describes “a process of conscious suffering in which consciousness ‘dies’ and resurrects… leading to a ‘more inclusive and synthetic consciousness.’”
Shinji contemplates what “truth” and “reality” really mean. Claiming that since “truth” comes from within and can be changed, it is contingent on subjectivity and essentially nominalism — the doctrine that abstract ideas and concepts cannot be held by concrete corresponding reality and are “merely features of the way of considering the things that exist”. Shinji is ultimately the driving force of his own destiny. “This is your world unless you decide to change reality.”
A Thorough End to Evangelion That Just Looks Sketchy
Throughout the series, Shinji ultimately perpetuates the view of existence as negative and painful even if it isn’t particularly true. Therefore, what he’d previously deemed to be the “truth”, nominalism, doesn’t necessarily apply should he perpetuate believing that pain is an absolute; the mind separating reality from the truth. Shinji faces the one thing he’s no longer able to run from at this point in Evangelion: himself.
Shinji’s ego death has led to one thing in the Human Instrumentality Project: solipsism. Solipsism is the philosophical view that “the self is all that can be known to exist.” With abstract shapes and notions, Shinji reverts to a state where only he exists and discusses what it means to “be” and how to understand and learn to love oneself through connection.
While it’s a world of endless possibilities, there is nothing so long as he chooses not to act. But decisions come with restrictions, rules, and losing varying degrees of freedom. In turn, these decisions create possibilities, shaping his perception of reality. Shinji comes to the conclusion that with nothing to interact with, one can’t truly recognize a sense of self as an individual, and so there’s little difference between oneself and nothing at all.
Shinji perceives that he’s never learned what it’s like to have positive interactions with others, so he avoids interactions altogether, stunting the positive possibilities, such as the example of an existence without the Eva. He realizes that he must be kinder to himself first and foremost to understand his own wants and enact change in his life. He learns that needs to believe in positive possibilities to make them come true, including learning to accept and love himself.
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Anno’s Magnum Opus
The anime magazine NewType conducted an interview with creator Hideaki Anno in 1996 by Shinichiro Inoue following the release of the controversial last two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Although the last two episodes did have pressures of time constraints, Anno’s decision leading to the final results has its own reasons. He was confident that, though he ended up using sketches as still frames, even just spoken word would’ve sufficed in conveying his message. Even so, the resulting chosen artistic approach still created a beautiful medium more than suitable to impart his core introspective inspiration.
End of Evangelion gives an alternate form of acceptance wherein, instead of accepting and enacting change himself, Shinji embraces the pain of existence in a world with the Eva and the struggle of understanding others. Although EoE passively asserts that “as long as you are alive, you have the chance to be happy”, the end of the original series instead asserts a more active role.
In the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, the new character Mari acts as a conduit to teach Shinji about happiness, ultimately giving in to what Asuka accused him of: waiting for outside intervention to bring him happiness. In the original ending, Shinji learns to find acceptance and happiness within himself, embracing the chance for inward maturation toward a better tomorrow that he himself can create despite his circumstances.
As much as both the industry and fans have given Anno’s work flak simply for surface-level looks and confusing, controversial impressions, even to the point of accusations of budget/time constraints and sending him death threats, this end to Evangelion is truly his magnum opus with deep messages of introspection. “Episodes 25 and 26… accurately reflect my mood at the time. I am very satisfied. I regret nothing.” After all, shouldn’t the creator’s own satisfaction be testament enough to take a deeper look beyond the sketches?
What ending to the Evangelion franchise is your favorite? Let us know in the comments your thoughts on what this beloved series means to you!
