Film
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
The second film in the Evangelion rebuild series reimagines the original anime's story with new pilots, refined animation, and an escalating sense of dread. It's visceral, psychologically tense mecha action that treats its teenage heroes with brutal seriousness. For anyone drawn to sci-fi that refuses easy answers and isn't afraid of collateral damage—literal and emotional.
If you liked this
Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann2007
Explosive, joyful mecha anime that channels pure creative energy into action sequences and character arcs. If you love the technical animation and scope of Evangelion but want something more optimistic and fun.
But The tone is deliberately absurd and heightened. If you're seeking psychological depth over spectacle, this pivots hard toward the latter.

Ghost in the Shell1995
Cerebral sci-fi that asks what makes us human in a world of artificial bodies and networked consciousness. Stunning hand-drawn animation and a philosophical core that lingers.
But Deliberately paced and meditative. If you need constant plot momentum rather than idea-driven contemplation, it will feel slow.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion1997
A visceral, unflinching alternative ending to the original series that pushes the psychological horror into territory most anime won't touch. Technically masterful and thematically devastating.
But Extremely graphic and disturbing in ways that go beyond typical anime violence. Not hyperbole: this film contains moments of genuine sexual assault and body horror.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Perfect Blue1998
Both feature teenage girls fighting for agency and bodily autonomy in systems designed to use them. Evangelion uses the language of mecha sci-fi; Perfect Blue uses psychological thriller mechanics. Same horror, different costume.
A psychological horror-thriller about identity and the male gaze, animated with stunning fluidity and a narrative that fractures like a breaking mind. Satoshi Kon's debut is merciless and hypnotic.
But It contains sexual violence and is deliberately unsettling in ways designed to disturb rather than entertain. The ambiguity about what's real will frustrate anyone seeking clear answers.

More like this (6)
Akira1988
A kinetic, sprawling cyberpunk epic with animation that still astounds. Influential enough that you can trace its DNA through every anime action film since, including Evangelion itself.
But The plot becomes deliberately obtuse in the final act. Many viewers find the ending confusing rather than profound.

Kill la Kill2013
Visually anarchic, emotionally intense, and thematically about reclaiming your body from systems designed to control it. Genre-bending action that never loses sight of character.
But The fanservice is intentional and provocative. If that element bothers you, the show won't convince you it's ironic enough to justify it.

Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story2020
A deceptively cute magical girl series that pivots into existential horror and explores the cost of heroism. Episode three is a masterclass in subverting expectation.
But Starts slow and cute. Impatient viewers may bounce off before the tonal shift arrives.

Paprika2006
Satoshi Kon's surreal, dreamlike thriller about technology bleeding into reality. Visually inventive and wildly entertaining, with ideas underneath every frame.
But The narrative is intentionally fragmented and dream-logic. If you need straightforward plotting, you'll find it frustrating.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners2022
A short, gorgeously animated series about outcasts in a dystopian megacity. High-stakes action, genuine character depth, and an ending that actually lands emotionally.
But Only ten episodes. If you want to settle into a long narrative, you'll finish before you're ready to leave.

Devilman Crybaby2018
Both treat their teenage protagonists as expendable and their suffering as inevitable. Evangelion wraps this in existential dread; Devilman wraps it in body horror and damnation. Same thesis about adolescence: it destroys you, and no one cares.
A grotesque, violent reinterpretation of a 1970s manga about a boy fused with a demon. Visceral animation, genuine emotional devastation, and a willingness to break every taboo anime usually respects.
But Extremely graphic sex and violence, often simultaneously. The tone is relentlessly bleak and frequently nasty. This is nihilism as a viewing experience, not philosophy.

People
Cast
Megumi OgataShinji Ikari (voice)
Megumi HayashibaraRei Ayanami / Yui Ikari (voice)
Yuko MiyamuraAsuka Shikinami Langley (voice)
Maaya SakamotoMari Makinami Illustrious (voice)
Kotono MitsuishiMisato Katsuragi (voice)
Yuriko YamaguchiRitsuko Akagi (voice)
Koichi YamaderaRyoji Kaji (voice)
Fumihiko TachikiGendo Ikari (voice)
Motomu KiyokawaKozo Fuyutsuki (voice)
Miki NagasawaMaya Ibuki (voice)
Takehito KoyasuShigeru Aoba (voice)
Hiro YuukiMakoto Hyuuga (voice)
Directing
- Daizen KomatsudaAssistant Director
- Ikki TodorokiAssistant Director
- Katsuichi NakayamaAssistant Director
- Hideaki AnnoDirector
- Kazuya TsurumakiDirector
- MasayukiDirector
Writing
- Hideaki AnnoOriginal Story
- Hideaki AnnoScreenplay
Production
- Toshimichi OtsukiExecutive Producer