Netflix made nerd history last November by licensing the 1995 Psychological Mecha anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion” to appear in their 2019 Spring lineup. This got a lot of attention in the anime community, as the original series was previously only available in America through expensive DVD box sets or illegal streaming sites.

The question remains: why should you, a busy (and most likely broke) college student spend time watching an obscure Japanese television show about an angsty teenager named Shinji, beating the tar out of extraterrestrial monsters (who may or may not be Biblical references) with his giant purple robot?

‘Evangelion’ is one of the most intense and downright nihilistic series. With heavy themes of depression, existentialism and religious allusions leading into a total apocalypse on a massive universal. In a Nutshell, it is lighthearted fun for the whole family.

‘Evangelion’ is wonderfully animated and slickly-directed action series with eye-catching character designs and masterfully written dialogue and characters.

However, as the series ran on, its director, Hideaki Anno, found his depression worsening due to his previous few projects being failures, and his studio, “Gainax” struggling to meet episode deadlines. Several episodes were scrapped and remade late into production and Anno had to rewrite the script and deviate from the story on the fly, all while his stress continued to accumulate.

The final product of “Neon Genesis Evangelion” is a window into the mind of its director and his struggles with depression. It is celebrated as a masterpiece for good reason, as it is themed have been deeply relatable and even eye-opening for people who have suffered from mental illness and depression, same as Anno.

Once you are finished with the main series, you can check out “End of Evangelion” a 1997 85 minute movie that serves as a sort of “True Ending” for the series.

In this version, Anno tells the original ending he had in mind for the story, without the time constraints or limitations of a television release. This film also contains the most graphic and potentially disturbing content that would never be allowed on traditional television.

The complete Evangelion series and film, start to finish, are both brilliant works of art that push the boundaries of film making. Evangelion is a viewing experience nothing can replicate, and if anything written here sounds relatable or even slightly interesting, then check out the series when it releases on Netflix sometime in the next few weeks.

You would be doing yourself a disservice missing out on this show, so grab some snacks, abandon all sense of hope and get in the robot Shinji.