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STORY:
2015 A.D., the world is recovering from the melting of the Antartic Polar Ice Cap - the "Second Impact". Entities called Angels suddenly strike Tokyo-3, a fortress city under construction in Hakone, their true identities and objectives are unknown. The only fact known about them is that they're challenging mankind to a battle with an array of configurations and unusual powers. Mankind's only means of defense against them is the "Multi-porpuse fighting Machine, Evangelion". Shinji Ikari, the series' protagonist, is one of the three young people selected to be Evangelion operators. The questions start raising in everyone's mind: what are Angels, what fate lies for these young people, or even mankind as a whole? Powerful action scenes, a thrilling story, with lots of mysteries. The troubles, the conflicts, an emotional maturation of young men and women. Welcome to the world of Evangelion!
The second impact...
In 1999, a massive meteorite from outer space fell in the Antartic, this is known as the Second Impact (the First Impact being the one that kill the dinosaurs). As a consequence of this, the polar ice cap melted and the Earth axis changed, causing a rise of the water level which destroyed all the coastal cities. After that, abnormal weather, economic collapse, racial conflicts and a civil war ocurred, killing half of the world's population. At least that what's written in history books...
The second impact... (What really happened)
The Angel
The truth is that, the United Nations Research Team found the first Angel in Antartica. Here begins the struggle between humanity and the race of beings known only as Angels. The Angel found in Antartica declared that if humanity had not repented themselves in 15 years, the Angels would returned to destroy them.
Mankind's enemy: The Angels
The Angels, called "Shito" in Japanese (which is disciple in english), are enemies of mankind which can appeared in several forms. Not much about them is known. No one, except NERV, know the Angels origin. Their arrival was predicted in the Dead Sea Scrolls and plans to stop them have being made. Angels are biological in nature and share 99.89% of their genetic code with humans, even if their contitution is enormously different, it's posible they're the next step in human evolution. An incubating Angel is nearly identical to a human fetus and becomes monstrous only in the last stage of its development. Human's can be considered as the 18th Angel. They can recover from damage. They possesses "Absolute Terror Field" (or AT Field for short) which can neutralize attacks by normal weapons. The only way to destroy them is by neutralizing its AT Field. They appeared for the first time fifteen years ago just before the "Second Impact". After 15 years the third Angel appeared in Tokyo 3 as it was announce by the Angel in Antartica (ADAM). They're given names based on the Angels names found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Their real aim as far as it's known is to prevent mankind from being evolved to a higher state of existence.
But all is not lost for humanity. Being seriously hurt in the second impact humnity startes to recover after the tragedy. In the fifteen year waiting period, NERV was established. NERV is a secret agency set directly under the United Nations designed to combat Angels. Funded by different countries of the world, it's responsible for the study and anhilation of Angels. they built their secret headquarters at a Geofront, which is the underground of the city Tokyo-3. They developed humanity's last hope: Evangelion, a humanoid robot that is a combination of both human and Angel technology. The Evangelions or EVAs for short can only be piloted by 14 years old.
Evangelion or Eva for short are multipurpose humanoid fighting machines which mixed both human and Angel technology designed by NERV to fight against the misterious enemy Angels. This giant robots function through a cerebral-nerve link with their operators. They can generate their own Absolute Terror Field (AT) which can neutralize attacks by normal weapons, just like Angels can. Sometimes they can recover from damage. Therefore they are extremely costly to maintain. They are also very complicated to operate. They need external power units to fight for long periods of time, but when necesary they can run on internal power. Without a external power source, they can only operate for 1 minute without their AT field. The NERV Headquarters have at their service three Eva units, Eva-00, Eva-01 and Eva-02.
CONTROL SYSTEMS: The EVA unit's controls are both manual and mind-linked. The manual controls are similar to fighter plane joysticks and are laden with with triggers and switches (note that fire control is taken care of by the mind-link system and does not require the trigger). There are also foot pedals. Both seat and manual controls are ergonomically adjustable to the pilots needs. The mind-link commands are directed to the EVA's brain via electrodes 9the little objects in the pilots hair) that pick up the brain waves of the pilot(the machine can accomplish simple tasks, such as dodging incoming fire, without pilot input). This system requires a perfect brain wave synchronization between pilot and EVA. For a unknown reason, only 14 year-old kids can synchronize. And even then, it is not guaranteed that the synchronization will be successful.
WEAPON SYSTEMS: The weapons used by EVAs are mostly oversized versions of already existent firearms and hand to hand weapons. The EVAs standard firearm is a "bullpop" configuration (ammo clip behind the trigger) sub-machine-gun, which fires caseless ammunition. other, more rarely used, firearms are a handgun and sniper rifle. The standard EVA hand to hand weapon is the "progressive knife", of which there are two kinds. the first one, the PK-01, is the one used by EVA-01/00 and is similar to a standard combat knife. EVA-02 uses a different version, which looks like a retractable "X-acto" utility knife. EVA-02 also uses a giant lance equipped witha beam blade of some sort. One of the most powerful weapon available to EVA's is the SSDF Positron Cannon prototype seen in episode #6. nearly 100 meters long, it is much more powerful than the standard EVA Positron Cannon (episode #9) and needs the entire electrical energy output of Japan to be fired. In episode #6, we also see EVA-00 with a shield, made from the lower part of the space shuttle. Many weapons are stored in buildings called "Soldier Buildings". These are disseminated all over Tokyo-3 and give the EVA's the possibility to reload their weapon, or select another one, without having to return to base.
THE HUMAN INSTRUMENTALITY PROJECT:
The Human Instrumentality Project, also known as the "Human Completion Project", is the main theme of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Mankind has reached its pinnacle of evolution. To save mankind from complete extinction, a process is initiated to evolve humans to a higher level , one without mortal bodies, being a perfect being. To achieve this, NERV, appointed a company named "Seele" to direct the "Human Instrumentality Project Committee". The committees work is conducted secretly. Gendou's concept of Human Instrumentality differs from what the comittee is thinking of, in a way that can change the world forever. Instrumentality is the process of recovering lost things, thus the Human Instrumentality Project is an attempt to recover what humans have lost and reunite humans' hearts to their original states.
The "Human Instrumentality Project" to achieve their goal, using the "Fruit of Wisdom" possessed by humankind, it is necessary to artificially create the "Fruit of Life" from the "Tree of Life", which is owned by god and forbidden to humankind. Finally to complete the completion the "Third Impact" must be activated to destroy the material world. But in Gendou's mind the project is different.
NERV role in the Human Instrumentality Project
Although NERV's purpose of existence seems to be only to destroy Angels. NERV real aim is the "Human Instrumentality Project". Perhaps Gendou's vision of the "Human Instrumentality Project" was the one accomplished at the end of the series. Basically what humans are missing is the presence of other humans, being this the cause of the gaping void in humans soul which is the source of their frustration, anxiety and loneliness. The only way to fill this void is with the presence of other humans. Humans are incomplete as individuals, othe humans are needed in order to define one's existence; without others, everything loses its definition and becomes formless. The completion is evident within the four main characters, Misato, Asuka, Rei and Shinji, as they exist in each other's mind and memories. Human Completion merged them all into a complete higher being. The series end with the completion of Shinji, who at the end accepts himself and becomes more confident. He's then congratulated by his friends who exist within his mind.