#advs religious lore

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We Will Never Escape Neon Genesis Evangelion

I loved Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance. The bombastic fight scenes. Shiro Sagisu’s epic choirs. The careful game of hot and cold the film plays with viewers, teasing you with happy endings only to spit in your face. Most of all, I was excited to be seeing Neon Genesis Evangelion’s final form. After the compromises of TV Evangelion and its follow-ups, after Anno’s years of depression and anxiety, here at last (I thought) was the beginning of the end of a story that had haunted so many people’s lives.

  Years later, I watched 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo with a friend. I was crushed. This was not the Evangelion I knew. Every character but Shinji had transformed into hateful, incommunicative ciphers — except for Kaworu, whose death at the end of this film is arguably even more shocking and graphic than in the original TV series. The fights had become overblown, weightless parodies of Evangelion’s excess. What struck me most of all, though, was how much of the film’s world contradicted the previous movie’s set-up. I was expecting that Shinji’s actions of at the end of 2.0 would have dire consequences, but not that it would create an entirely new universe of lore, weirdness, and unsolved questions that made Evangelion’s earlier status quo irrelevant.

  “What will become of Evangelion now?” I cried to myself.

  I was a fool.

    In the Summer of 2019, Netflix put Neon Genesis Evangelion up for streaming for the first time. This was a huge deal, as Evangelion up to that point had been one of the most important and influential anime series you could only really watch through piracy or via expensive DVDs. Friends across Twitter celebrated. Online journalists wrote lengthy pieces praising the series and how it changed their lives forever. It didn’t matter if you had never heard of Evangelion, or if you were an Evangelion obsessive (or naysayer), everyone was thrilled to rediscover it together.

  Then the bonhomie disappeared in an instant. There were excellent aspects of the new release — particularly Casey Mingillo’s work as Shinji in the new dub. But other bits seemed off. Why was Shinji referred to as the “Third Children” rather than the more natural “Third Child?” Couldn’t Netflix bothered to have brought back Tiffany Grant to voice Asuka? Most annoyingly of all, an exchange between Shinji and Kaworu was changed in such a way that removed valuable subtext. Rather than say “I love you” to Shinji, Kaworu says “you are worthy of my grace.” For a series known for its complications and thorny character relationships, I found it bizarre that the team handling the series would choose to remove that bit of nuance.

  Anime fans argued back and forth for days over why these decisions were made. In the end, the answer seemed to be: Anno and his friends at Khara believed the earlier subtitles were not faithful enough to the original script, and so they insisted on accuracy at the expense of flow. The original ADV release continues to exist on expensive DVDs. The Netflix version is closer to the true vision of Evangelion, but perhaps farther from ours. Could Anno’s vision of Evangelion be inferior to the one his fans had obsessively crafted over years of urban legends, fan theories, and obsessive study? As people grasped in vain for the promised land of Eva, I couldn’t help but think: once more, we’d fallen into the trap.

    When people talk about Neon Genesis Evangelion, there are certain lines repeated so many times they become clichés. “None of the religious symbolism means anything.” “Why won’t Shinji get in the robot?” “The characters are all so unlikeable and weird.” “The ending is such a disappointment.” “Compared to the TV ending, End of Evangelion is a monstrosity.” “Compared to the TV series and the film, the Rebuild films are pared-down and too market-tested.” There’s one theme that ties these disparate statements together: Evangelion is a mess. And it absolutely is. In fact, there are countless other anime from the '90s you could argue are even better than Evangelion. Cowboy Bebop has great music. Serial Experiments Lain is a weird horror classic. Heck, if you want a series with meaningful symbolism, great visuals, and a rollercoaster of a story, Revolutionary Girl Utena is right there!

  But there’s something about Evangelion that keeps pulling people back. There’s a reason fans were excited when it was announced Evangelion was coming to Netflix. There’s a reason that people continue to debate aspects of the series to this day. There’s a reason Hideaki Anno himself keeps coming back to the well, again and again, grappling with the story that made his name on the world stage and that he still can’t escape from. Everyone who knows and loves Evangelion, from forum lurkers to aspiring animators to the creators of Evangelion themselves, are caught in the show’s gravitational pull as much as they know that pull can be harmful. I’m caught in it too. We go around and around, and ask ourselves, “What is Evangelion about?” Does Anno know the answer?

  Here’s what I think Evangelion is about: Evangelion is a trap. It’s a loose end. There is no final, comprehensive answer. The story will always be unresolved. I was wrong to think Rebuild would or should give me the answers I wanted. Your favorite Evangelion fanfiction will never be definite. Hideaki Anno and his staff may never be satisfied. The story of Evangelion is the story of Charlie Brown endlessly running at Lucy’s football. It’s both Ultraman and Devilman. And that is why Evangelion is as popular as it is. To engage in some pop psychology, as Evangelion itself loves to do: The world we live in is full of things that seem incomprehensible to us. Whether intended or not, the universe of Evangelion is full of those loose ends. So we worry at them like we’re trying to dislodge a tooth. It’s painful, but something in you wants to get it done. To know the taste of blood.

    Sometime soon, the final Rebuild of Evangelion movie will be released. Perhaps it will give us an ending. More likely, it will raise more questions. Some of my friends will be upset. Right now, though, I’m at peace. Evangelion will never make me happy. But my friends and I will be arguing about the show until we are dead. Maybe that’s enough.

  What do you think of the Rebuild movies? What do you think about Evangelion? Will we ever stop thinking about Evangelion? Let us know in the comments!

  Adam W is a Features Writer at Crunchyroll. When he is not watching this video, he sporadically contributes with a loose coalition of friends to a blog called Isn't it Electrifying? You can follow him on Twitter at: @wendeego

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Characters

rake human lvl 1 monk sage NG 17 15 11 16 12 16 goal: learn all the magic hp 9 ac 16 hd:1d8 str 13 dex 17 con 12 int 18 wis 17 cha 16 backstory: sage. escaped monastery, is currently employed by scriveners', scribes', and clerks' guild lanugages: common, celestial, abyssal, primordial proficiencies: acrobatics, arcana, investigation, stealth, int saves, dex saves,  simple weapons, shortswords, artisan tool? equipment: ink bottle, quill, small knife, letter from dead colleague, 10gp, common clothes, quarterstaff, explorer's pack, 10 darts feature: researcher - when you attempt to recall lore and don't know, you do know where to find it and who to contact, usually a library, scriptorium, university, or other sage. abilities: unarmored defense - no armor, no shield, AC = 10+dex+wis martial arts - dex instead of str for attack and damage, d4 unarmed strike, unarmed strike as bonus action when using attack action

spade halfling lvl 1 fighter guild artisan NG 14 11 14 11 8 16 goal: find, obtain, and reproduce the best armor hp 13 ac 19 hd 1d10 str 14 dex 13 con 17 int 8 wis 11 cha 14 backstory: lifelong member of Most Careful Order of Skilled Smiths and Metalforgers, sick of being made fun of for his height proficiencies: insight, persuasion, athletics, perception smith's tools, all weapons, all shields, all armor, str saves, con saves, abilities: fighting style defense - +1 ac while wearing armor second wind - bonus action 1d10 + fighter level hp, finish short or long rest to use again lucky: can reroll a 1 on attack, ability check, or saving throw and uses new roll advantage on saving throws against being frightened, poisons, have resistance to poison damage can move through other larger ally space languages: common, halfling, dwarvish equipment: smith's tools, letter of introduction from guild, travellers' clothes, belt pouch w/ 15gp, chain mail, hammer and shield, two handaxes, dungeoneer's pack feature: guild membership - guild members provide food and lodging if necessary, guildhall may offer central meeting place to find other metalworkers, potential patrons, allies, or hirelings. Guild supports you if you are accused of a crime. Can meet powerful political figures via the guild. owe 5gp per month to the guild.

aelar high elf lvl 1 wizard acolyte CE 14 18 16 9 13 10 goal: destroy existence using fire hp 9 ac 12 hd 1d6 str 10 dex 15 con 16 int 33 wis 14 cha 9 backstory: raised from birth as receiver of Tome of Clear Thought, and has read it 7 times, once each century of his life. DM-level knowledge has made him nihilistic, seeking to become the (irritatingly absent) elvish god of fire and turn all of existence to flames and ash. background: acolyte. member of Temple of Seldarine darkvision; 60 feet as if dim light in darkness, bright light in dim light proficiencies: perception, insight, religion, arcana, investigation  longsword, shortsword, longbow, shortbow, daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows, int saves, wis saves advantage on saves against charm, can't be magically asleep rest from 4 hours of trance languages: common, elvish, giant, deepspeech, infernal equipment: holy symbol, spellbook, 5 sticks of incense, vestments, common clothes, 15gp, dagger, arcane focus - flame orb, scholar's pack cantrips: firebolt, create bonfire, prestidigitation, mage hand lvl 1(2): burning hands, chromatic orb, magic missile, find familiar, shield, mage armor arcane recovery - recover up to half wizard level rounded up spell slots after short rest feature: shelter of the faithful - command respect of those who share faith, can perform religious ceremonies to seldarine, party can receive free healing and care at temple, residence at temple, can call upon priestly assistance while nearby.

roland lvl 1 ranger outlander NG 12 17 19 11 12 14 goal: find and tame a t-rex hp 12 ac 16 hd 1d10 str 13 dex 20 con 15 int 12 wis 18 cha 13 backstory: raised by giant spiders, hunts with a group using his trap while he lies in wait with his longbow. languages: common, elvish, sylvan proficiencies: athletics, survival, animal handling, nature, perception light armor, medium armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons, str saves, dex saves equipment: quarterstaff, hunting trap, griphon foot, travellers clothes, 10gp, leather armor, two quarterstaffs, an explorers' pack, a longbow and 20 arrows abilities: favored enemy beasts - advantage on survival to track and int checks to recall related information natural explorer forest - int or wis checks related to forests, proficiency bonus is doubled if using skill proficient with. also, difficult terrian doesn't slow, group can't become lost, alert to danger while doing travel activity, when travelling solo can move at normal pace while stealthed, twice as much food from foraging, while tracking creatures learn exact number, size, time since last in the area feature: wanderer - excellent memory for maps and geography, can always recall general layout of terrain, settlements, and features around you. Can find food and fresh water for self and up to 5 others each day provided the land offers berries, small game, water, etc.

korthkepesk lvl 1 sorcerer N 12 12 14 13 9 12 OR 15 14 13 12 10 8 goal: survive, reproduce hp 8 ac 12 1d6 str 14 dex 8 con 15 int 12 wis 11 cha 15 backstory: lived in a black lizardfolk-infested swamp until one day he consumed what appeared to be a small creature but was actually a silver dragon observing their culture. Ever since then, he's been turning silver and learning magic spontaneously. He mutually separated from the tribe, no longer a black lizardfolk. Abilities: bite as unarmed strike, 1d6 + str short rest can craft javelin, shield, darts, or club from slain small or larger beast, construct, monstrosity, dragon, or plant. can hold breath for 15 minutes scaly: AC = 13+dex consume flesh: bonus action unarmed strike bite, gain hp equal to con mod languages: common, draconic, gnomish background: fartraveler proficiencies: arcana, insight, perception, persuasion, stealth, survival, daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows, con saves, cha saves, tools: bonecarving tools or bone dice? equipment: travelers' clothes, musical instrument or gaming set of proficiency, poorly wrought maps from homeland that show location in faerun, 10gp jewel from homeland, pouch of 5gp, bone javelin, arcane focus staff, explorer's pack, two daggers cantrips: firebolt, light, mending, prestidigitation 1st level: chaos bolt, witch bolt wild magic surge - after casting a 1st level or higher spell, roll a d20. On a 1, the wild magic surge table creates a random magical effect tides of chaos - May gain advantage on attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. must finish long rest or cast a 1st level or higher spell then roll on the wild magic surge table to regain use of this feature. feature: all eyes on you - noble lords, scholars, merchant princes, other people might be interested in hearing about distant homeland and people

aychem houre lvl 1 rogue criminal enforcer CE 16 17 11 14 20 9 goal: become excessively wealthy hp 12 ac 14 str 21 dex 16 con 18 int 9 wis 11 cha 14 backstory: "the muscle" for a small group of theives whom he turned on when they shorted him his due. None of them survived, and he was arrested afterwards, gaining no coin. abilities: darkvision: 60 feet dim light as if bright light, darkness as if dim light fey ancestry: advantage against charm, can't be put to sleep by magic proficiencies: 2skills(any), athletics, deception, intimidation, medicine, perception, performance, sleight of hand, stealth, gaming set(dice?), thieves' tools, light armor, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords, dex saves, int saves, languages: common, elvish, goblin equipment; a crowbar, hooded dark common clothes, 15gp, 2 shortswords, burglar's pack, leather armor, two daggers, thieves' tools abilities: expertise - intimidation, athletics proficiency bonuses are doubled sneak attack - extra 1d6 per turn to creature hit with adv attack using finesse or ranged weapon. OR no disadv and active ally within 5 feet thieves' cant - can convey secret messages laced with normal speech 4 times longer than the message conveyed. Can understand signs and symbols that convey dangerous area, thieves' guild territory, nearby loot, nearby easy marks, or nearby safe fugitive housing. feature: criminal contact - knows a reliable and trustworthy contact who acts as your liaison to a network of other criminals. You know how to get messages to and from your contact, and you know local messengers, caravan masters, seedy sailors who can deliver messages for you.

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