Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre	Mecha; Psychological Drama
Directed by	Hideaki Anno
Studio	Gainax; Tatsunoko
Original run	October 4, 1995 - March 27, 1996
Wikipedia

Spoiler warning!
This article contains details of the ending and/or a surprise plot element.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a mecha anime created by Hideaki Anno and produced by Studio Gainax and Tatsunoko Production. The show was broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. The cast includes a number of well-known singers and voice actresses including Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara and Yūko Miyamura. The series garnered negative reception for its finale but served as an inspiration for future mecha anime. It spawned an entire franchise including films, games, and a remake of the original series called Rebuild of Evangelion.

The show takes place fifteen years after a cataclysm that occurred in the futuristic fortified city of Tokyo-3. A mysterious organization called NERV recruits a boy named Shinji Ikari to pilot a bio-machine mecha called Evangelion, their goal being to combat eldritch aliens called Angels and prevent another cataclysm from happening. Evangelion has a different focus than older mecha anime, paying closer attention to the thoughts and internal struggles of the characters instead of the action. It draws heavily from imagery found in Kabbalah, Christianity, and Judaism.

Asuka Strikes! / Asuka Arrives in Japan (E08)

Shinji and Asuka fight an aquatic Angel called Gaghiel that attacks the UN Pacific Fleet. After Unit-02 becomes trapped in Gaghiel's mouth, Misato comes up with the plan to destroy Gaghiel by having the last two battleships wedge into its mouth and fire point-blank.