By Alison L. Roberts

Not your ordinary mecha story.

An "angel" attacks.

On the surface, it seems like a typical mecha story: "Boy pilots big robot created by his father and saves the world from aliens!" However, Shinji is neither very heroic, or for that matter, very eager to pilot. The Evangelions. . .well, in the first episode they refer to them as "synthetic lifeforms." What does that mean? Why all these mysterious references to "fifteen years ago" from Commander Ikari and his assistant, Fuyutski?

Above, top: Rei Ayanami, the enigmatic pilot of Eva-Unit 00.

Above, bottom: Eva-Unit 01 in action.

Neon Genesis Evangelion has its own, very unique "style" that carries over into just about every aspect of the series. Its distinctive opening, accompanied by the Japanese pop sounds of the song "Cruel Angel's Thesis," is a high-speed barrage of animated clips — interspersed with stills — that manages to introduce all of the major characters and terminology viewers will encounter throughout the 26-episode series. Its closing, featuring a new recording of the classic song "Fly Me to the Moon," has a wistful feel and is accompanied by haunting animation. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's thoughtful character designs reflect and reinforce the personalities that drive the story. Mecha Designer Ikuto Yamashita's concept of "enormous power restrained" results in one of the more memorable and animated fighting weapons found in anime. And finally, the story by Hideaki Anno slips into territory that one does not normally find in a series intended for commercial television.

It isn't giving away too much of the plot to say that Evangelion has two parallel story tracks that effectively intertwine, unentangle and collide as the series reaches its controversial conclusion: 1.) an apocalyptic action-adventure-mystery laden with religious symbolism and 2.) an intense emotional drama based on the characters' perceptions of themselves and their relationships with each other.