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Shin seiki Evangelion Gekijô-ban: Air/Magokoro wo, kimi ni (1997)
A Masterpiece.
Hideaki Anno is a directorial genius. If he didn't already prove that in the original show, particularly the later episodes, Anno really went all out on giving Neon Genesis Evangelion a powerful, profound, and emotionally demanding ending. The End of Evangelion is the conclusion to the story, but not completely.
One of the main themes of Neon Genesis Evangelion is that "The fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth", which is definitely explored to the maximum here. As the characters fight to retain themselves as the world they are in is crumbling apart, it all leads to a "rebirth" of sorts. The emotional impact of the "third impact" itself is one of the heaviest elements of this movie. The fate of the world is in the hands of a fourteen year old boy who has gone through mental, physical, and emotional hell. He believes that the world hates him, and therefore he should not love the world. It is a very complex theme, and is wonderfully explored through the things he goes through in this movie, as well as in the show leading up to it.
Furthermore, one of the most interesting things about this movie is the emotional contrast between the people who are enabling the main character, who want the world to come to an "end", and the people who want the world to survive and continue the way it is, and has been. That contrast raises many philosophical questions about the nature of what the third impact is, and what it can do. On one hand, are the group "seele" and the higher ups at "Nerv", who are seemingly heartless monsters, who just seek destruction, but actually seek a new beginning for humanity, allowing the human race to become one by removing "the walls of the heart". At times, as a viewer, it is very conflicting to think about their motives, as it is grows eventually harder and harder to determine if their intentions are truly as evil as they seem at first. On the other hand, there are the characters who do care about humanity in its current form, and want life to continue as it is. This is almost as challenging of a concept as the opposing side. As time goes on, both through the show, and this movie, it is often hard to justify how the human race acts, and treats each other. picking a side to metaphorically root for is pretty tough, which puts even more emotional weight behind the character and their motives.
Besides the emotional aspects that this movie shows amazingly, another excellent part of this movie is the visuals. The End of Evangelion is a visually stunning work of art. Everything from the art style, and aesthetics, to the way the scenes and actions are animated, is simply breathtaking. This movie is a joy to watch, even for the visuals alone. The way that it can so seamlessly switch from reality based scenes to scenes that feel like a mental barrage, and still retain fluidity and carry over all of the weight is incredible.
Overall, Hideaki Anno has displayed an amazing work of art, straight from the heart, and it shows. He is an auteur, no doubts about it. The mastery he shows through his directing, editing, scene composition, etc. solidifies him as an amazing director, and The End of Evangelion was the perfect vessel to show what this man and his team are capable of.
An easy 10/10 from me.