Neon Genesis Evangelion
Tied for most recommended of 8 anime series
Recommended for its striking visuals and mecha aesthetic and its place among the best anime; critics call it overrated and its ending botched.
Recommended for its striking visuals and mecha aesthetic and its place among the best anime; critics call it overrated and its ending botched.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 10
- criticize it
- 6
- approval share
- 63%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 10 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Striking visuals and mecha aesthetic
“I feel like there are two sides to it: the mecha/alien/monster sci-fi side which has an amazing aesthetic”
Comment from 2 May 2026 in “This Month in Ladybird - April 2026” “It's visceral in a way I've never seen before or since.”
Comment from 21 Apr 2026 in “M 7.4 earthquake – 100 km ENE of Miyako, Japan” “I don't understand Eva too. Cool visuals though.”
Comment from 13 Dec 2025 in “1300 Still Images from the Animated Films of Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli (2023)” - Comment from 15 Sep 2026 in “Paul A. M. Dirac, Interview by Friedrich Hund (1982) [video]”
Among the best anime ever
“are considered by many critics and fans to sit among the best anime series of all time”
Comment from 19 Nov 2025 in “Blender 5.0” “evangelion beats akira and maybe ghost in the shell”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “M 7.4 earthquake – 100 km ENE of Miyako, Japan” Story clear after End of Evangelion
“Eva is pretty straightforward to understand once you watched End of Evangelion”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “With 86% of the words, you might understand only 38% of an anime's lines” “the show does a good enough job at explaining itself”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “M 7.4 earthquake – 100 km ENE of Miyako, Japan”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Overrated; falls short of potential
“Evangelion had great potential, a mysterious world, but it never reached it.”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “M 7.4 earthquake – 100 km ENE of Miyako, Japan” “Evangelion is a weak 7/10 in comparison to them in every aspect imaginable.”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “M 7.4 earthquake – 100 km ENE of Miyako, Japan” “Evangelion is so mega overrated of an anime”
Comment from 20 Apr 2026 in “M 7.4 earthquake – 100 km ENE of Miyako, Japan” Rushed production and botched ending
“It's all just shallow dopamine-maxxed mecha-tronic fetish paired with brutalist architecture and rushed out barely meeting deadlines.”
Comment from 21 Apr 2026 in “M 7.4 earthquake – 100 km ENE of Miyako, Japan” “the botched ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion”
Comment from 31 Dec 2025 in “The Weeb Economy”
Other anime series people recommend
The four most recommended other anime series, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neon Genesis EvangelionThis page | 10 | 6 | 63% | 6 | — | — |
| Mobile Suit Gundam | 10 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans | 9 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| Steins;Gate anime | 8 | 1 | 89% | 2 | — | — |
| Cyberpunk: Edgerunners | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
17 of the 19 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Eva is pretty straightforward to understand once you watched End of Evangelion”
“Stop redoing the story with minor tweaks every few years.”
“It seemed very magical/trippy/cool.”
“After watching how much the east misunderstands western religion”
“thought-provoking but also not really at the same time”
“I feel like there are two sides to it: the mecha/alien/monster sci-fi side which has an amazing aesthetic”
“It's visceral in a way I've never seen before or since.”
“It's all just shallow dopamine-maxxed mecha-tronic fetish paired with brutalist architecture and rushed out barely meeting deadlines.”
“the show does a good enough job at explaining itself”
“Evangelion had great potential, a mysterious world, but it never reached it.”
“evangelion beats akira and maybe ghost in the shell”
“Evangelion is a weak 7/10 in comparison to them in every aspect imaginable.”
“Evangelion is so mega overrated of an anime”
“the botched ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion”
“was just re-watching Neon Genesis Evangelion and appreciating it more than before”
“I don't understand Eva too. Cool visuals though.”
“are considered by many critics and fans to sit among the best anime series of all time”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.