The fact that despite all that Eva is so popular and so many people swear by it does perplexes me. I truly puzzles me how could they possibly feel the exact opposite of what I feel. Just like Gregory House MD likes to know things, I too want to know the answer to this puzzle of human psychology.
Here I came up with couple of theories on that matter.
Eva was created by late boomers and somehow represents feelings and psychology of their generations. This is not my generation, so I cannot even fathom what made them feel this way. Thus, I cannot know if Shinji, Asuka and Rei represent their own feelings, or they represent what they wished for their children to become. Are they the generation that somehow suffers from Inferiority Complex or wish their children to suffer from it. However, Eva is possibly the anime that defines their generation. Otherwise, this ugly creation would not be able to stay afloat for as long as it did and people would not be saying things like it is deep and profound as if its somehow gets them.
That made me think what anime could possibly be the anime that defines the generation for our Millennial Generation. I once said it is Code Geass, however Code Geass has many things going for it and despite that attracts hate rather than unreasonable admiration.
To be that the anime has to have obvious flaws and despite all that be massively popular. Such a popularity could only be explained with appeal to some underlying psychological factors. I searched for anime that have obvious objective flaws, yet despite them appeals to me personally and I found it: its the Overlord.
It must be written by a Millennial because only a Millennial would hide his date of birth and his face under a skeleton mask.
Despite obvious plot holes, dubious plots, lack of any intrigue as it is obvious that Ainz will win every battle and rather flawed cast full of stuff I do not like, like crossdressing and rude women, I still like this show.
I like it only for one rather simple reason. I like how they all treat Ainz. They worship him, they obsess about him, and they work tirelessly and will even sacrifice their own lives to please him and conquer the world for him.
I am not sure if that is narcissism or whatever, but I love it.
I want people to worship me, please me and conquer world for me. I do not care if some naysayers will call it narcissism or what not, I want it.
Aniz and Gilgamesh are Anti-Shinji
Further comparing Eva and Overlord I can also say that Ainz is an of Anti-Shinji. Shinji believed he is worthless and deserved to suffer. Ainz fully embraces role of a supreme being. Actually, Ainz occasionally wavers in his determination. So, a true anti-Shinji would be Gilgamesh from Fate/Zero. He surely believes he is supreme being above everyone else.
Thus, both Ainz and Gilgamesh are the role models to whom Millenials like me could relate and whom we would like to emulate.
Generally, I think it is only typical for each new generation to defy everything the previous one was and do things the opposite way just to assert their individuality if for no other reason. Thus, it is only fitting and natural that generations of Shinji-s would be replaced with generation of Ainz-es and Gilgamesh-es.
Both Asuka and Rei are fundamentally tsunderes.
That one idea came to me recently.
Back in the days I too contrasted Rei with Asuka believing them to be very different from one another. That would make a lot of sense to assume considering many other anime cast one girl of each archetype and they wear different cloth and what not.
That happen partly because I watched Eva long ago and remember them poorly.
However after watching some youtube videos of Rei I stared thinkin that she is not that different from Asuka. They both are basically tsunderes. It is just one of them is hot tsundere and the other one is cold tsundere.
Thus Eva gives no waifu option for anyone who does not like tsunderes. Asuka and Rei are just false dichotomy.
Overlord aslo has a false dichtonomy between Albedo and Shalltear who both are equally obsessed with Ainz, despite being rather different from each other otherwise.
By the way what we should call this type of girl: obsess-dere?
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