Evangelion is an apocalyptic anime in the mecha genre. The series is set in a futuristic Tokyo, fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm. The main story centers around Shinji, a teenage boy who is recruited by the shadowy organization NERV to pilot a giant bio-machine called an Evangelion in combat against monstrous beings known as Angels. The series explores the experiences and emotions of other Evangelion pilots and members of NERV as they attempt to prevent another catastrophe. Evangelion prominently features religious symbolism and themes throughout the series, including Kabbalah,Christianity, Judaism, and Shinto imagery.
Evangelion is one of the most successful and critically acclaimed anime television series of the 1990s. Considered both a critique and deconstruction of the mecha genre, the series has become a cultural icon and has resulted in the artistic and technical revival of the anime industry. The show's characters, music and individual scenes have been recognized by the Japanese public, and homage to its controversial ending resulted in the creation of two movies; each provided an alternate ending for the abstract and psychological analysis of the characters for episodes 25 and 26. The subsequent film, manga, home video and other products in its franchise have achieved record sales in Japan and strong sales in overseas markets, with revenues grossing over 150 billion yen by 2013.
