While I'm at it...
Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series (1995-1996) [10/10]: Like any masterpiece of its time, this anime changed the genre. Unlike the stiff robots of the 80's, Evas are agile, controlled creatures that truly know how to invoke emotions and mystery. And anyone who watched few episodes of it realize that mech is just a plot device for character study of various people struggling with inner demons. That's what I loved about it the most. It's not about robots and battles.
I love any good movies that know how to establish and paint their world- especially post apocalypse. This is why I love a well-done zombie movie that accurately portray how society reacts, people panic, government tries to contain, etc. Evangelion does a perfect job of this: Second Impact, Neo-Tokyo, research of the Adam, SEELE, politics between Japan and other countries, repairing cities, betrayal, sabotage, and espionage. Evangelion does a perfect job of making us realize that at the end of the day, the biggest enemies of mankind are..... ourselves, not zombies or angels.
And let's not take lose focus on the action here. Because the audience gets very invested in the characters, the battles are more fearsome than ever. Each angels make you grip onto your seats and they continue to murder every bit on their sanity battle after battle. The battle of Asuka at the Geofront is one of the most intense scene in any TV show history. And that singular episode where Shinji & Rei defeat a glass fortress is an amazing feat that showcases project logistics, planning, execution, and heart.
The anime is not without flaws. Some parts are overtly contrived and gets cast as cheesy and superfluous. But what this epic saga accomplishes as a whole is unmatched in any anime or TV show history. The last 2-4 episode became too abstract. It showed the director's struggle with depression at the time and it entirely discarded the whole storyline of Evangelion. That was very unfortunate until....
End of Evangelion (1997) [10/10]: This is the re-done 'movie' that actually brings closure to the storyline. This movie is only made better by the amazing soundtrack of Beethoven & J.S. Bach. Asuka's final battle with the Air on the G string playing is sheer perfection- Se7en got nothing on this.
Here is the epic fighting clip with Bach. Talk about intensity. Show me a show that could make you just as uncomfortable and rooting for the character.
Annnnd this part. Jesus christ. The pilot is synchronized with the creature robot. Therefore she can feel every pain that the creature receives.
The world-eating finale fully satisfied everything that's been building up in the past 25 episodes. It's like reading a good book that talks about an inevitable rapture. And it finally happens. After Evangelion, I really couldn't enjoy other anime. They're either juvenile or trying too hard in the wake of Evangelion that just ends up artificial (garbage like Ergo Proxy). Only Eva & Cowboy Bebop does it for me.
The Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0 (2007) [7.5/10]: So about a decade later, the studio decided to reimagine the entire series into 4 movies. This is a major treat for Eva fans. The movie is a remake of sort- slightly different angle on a same story while adding new elements. It is a gorgeous eye-candy in full HD glory. However the story and the intensity falls flat compared to the TV original. It was enjoyable enough.
The Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0 (2009) [7/10]: Falls flat again.
The Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0 (2012): [FAIL or 3/10]: This Kotaku review sums it up perfectly. What an embarrassment filled with elementary mistakes and plot holes. This is the botched modern Star Wars of the anime world.