Ask John: Will the Popularity of Evangelion Ever Fade?

Question:
In ten, twenty, thirty years will anime fans finally think to themselves, “Do I really need another figure of Rei and Asuka with different detachable clothes?” or “You know, Misato bondage doujinshi just doesn’t do it for me anymore,” or “I’m not interested in discussing the meaning of the series because it all makes sense”? I know there are two new Eva animation projects out recently, probably causing interest to spike up again, but Evangelion has an astounding amount of merchandise (and new manga and doujin products coming out regularly), and fan interest for a series with no new animation for over a decade. Even if Eva will someday not be popular, why has it demostrated unparralled staying power in the anime community? For example, Revolutionary Girl Utena is considered by many to be equal or better than Evangelion in terms of quality and artistic content, yet Utena only retains a small cult following whereas not a month in the last decade has passed without some kind of new Evangelion product being released. What makes Evangelion enjoy such a successful long term merchandise industry?

Answer:
In my observation there’s equal parts interest and weariness with the Evangelion franchise in America’s fan community. The conventional perspective applied to Evangelion seems to be the same philosophy applied to most typical anime, which may explain the confusion many American fans have. Simply put, Evangelion is not like other, typical anime series. The predictable trends that impact average anime titles do not apply to Evangelion. Eva is a special case, but a majority of American fans don’t consciously realize that fact, for a number of reasons.

Actually, it should come as little surprise that Evangelion is a landmark title – as much a milestone in anime history as it is an individual series. Gainax has always been a studio with a goal of creating exceptional anime. Even before Gainax was formally established, the founding Gainax animators created the Daicon III and Daicon IV convention opening animation sequences, which are still, more than 20 years later, recognized as exceptional works. In 1987 Gainax animated Wings of Honneamise, a film that still stands as a testament to the potential of hand drawn animation. In 1990, Gainax’s Nadia revolutionized expectations about the quality that television anime could attain. 1995’s Evangelion was an instant cult sensation in Japan’s fan community, but at that time America’s anime fan community was still relatively small and largely unaware of trends in Japan. So many American fans never realized Evangelion’s status until years later. In effect, Gainax has a history of creating revolutionary and landmark anime, so it shouldn’t be surprising that Evangelion has such lasting popularity.

Evangelion has two unique characteristics that make it especially suited to attaining posterity. The show was an odd mix of exceptionally fluid animation and very limited animation. In effect, the Evangelion animation is well suited to aging gracefully. Its cinematic style allows the series to remain interesting for progressive generations of viewers instead of becoming tied to a particular time or generation of fans. Furthermore, unlike, for example, the exceptional contemporary series Utena, Evangelion has an exceptional ability to relate to viewers. Utena is engaging film, but Evangelion is personally involving. Viewers watch Utena and sympathize with the characters and conflicts as external observers. Viewers watch Evangelion and personally associate with the characters and their conflicts. Viewers naturally immerse themselves into Evangelion much more intimately than with virtually any other anime.

In fact, Evangelion was for the 1990s what The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi may be for the 2000s. Suzumiya Haruhi has created a cult following unlike any since Evangelion. The Suzumiya Haruhi anime has the unique ability to draw in and personally involve viewers the way Evangelion does. And considering that Japanese model company Max Factory has just scheduled the release of a Suzumiya Haruhi collectable figure depicting Haruhi dressed in a fantasy outfit reminiscent of My Otome’s “Hime” warriors (the figure is based on one of Haruhi’s appearances in the Suzumiya Haruhi Playstation 2 game), we may now be witnessing the very beginning of the Suzumiya Haruhi franchise’s expansion into spin-off and ancillary merchandise, similar to Evangelion figures of Asuka and Rei in ninja, commando, and mermaid versions, and the Puchi Eva spin-off.

Especially with the relaunch of the Evangelion franchise with the new four film project, Evangelion is a series that undoubtedly has multi-generational longevity. New viewers discover Evangelion all the time. The show has a constant ability to attract and enthrall new viewers because of its timeless literary characteristics. The fact that the Evangelion characters are so interesting and complex grants them their limitless flexibility. While no one would accept Gundam characters in ninja costumes, the Eva cast can easily sustain that illusion.

In summation, Evangelion has the potential to remain perpetually popular. No one ponders when Mickey Mouse will lapse into obscurity. Similarly, Evangelion may be an iconic franchise that will always be present and visible within the anime realm. As the years pass, there will always be new Eva fans just discovering the series, finding parallels to their own lives and emotional conflicts within the series, and falling in love with the series.