Anime

Why some EVA fans still refuse to call Evangelion Mecha anime?

NurAhmad · 4y

1380

Like the title said. Plus the author (Mr. Hideaki Anno) even admitted Evangelion is Mecha/robot anime

Also Evangelion appeared in Super Robot Wars game many time before.

NurAhmad 4y
I'm actually still curious why they still saying "Evangelion isn't Mecha/robot" Anime
- 666Lynx 4y
  Eva is technically a mecha anime but the anime focuses more on other stuffs like angels and also evangelion is actually a living thing with a robotic armour but in the end its still mecha if you ask me
  OznerolOtet 3y
  "but the anime focuses more on other stuffs"
  as most mecha newer ad older than Eva did
BlindTheFirst 4y
Eva uses mecha aesthetics, but it isn't about the mechas or the robot action, so it kinda isn't mecha. On the other hand, in technical terms it kinda is mecha, since it features giant humanoid robots.
Now, this comes to a question of how to define genre and what purpose does it serve. If genre is just a checklist of features that a work needs to fulfil, then Eva is mecha. However, if you use genres to group together works that will likely appeal to similar people, Eva isn't mecha. It doesn't share the focus on mecha action that may appeal to Gundam fans, or the usage of battle tactics that may appeal to people who loved Code Geass.
In the end, the reason I'd say Eva isn't mecha is to differentiate it from stuff like Gundam, especially since even people who don't like mecha can like Eva.

Plus the author (Mr. Hideaki Anno) even admitted Evangelion is Mecha/robot anime

The author need not have the final word when it comes to their work.
It can be debated how much authorial intent even matters, but regardless, Anno saying that Eva is mecha doesn't change which elements the series has, and which ones it focuses on.
- AtelierWeiss 4y
  Eva isn't the only philosophical or thought provoking mecha anime, nor is it one that involves a younger cast while still having those ideas. Patlabor is thought provoking, so is Ideon. Hell, Gundam is. And while we're at it Eva's action ratio compared to the original Gundam isn't even that diffferent. I don't commit it all to memory but a good half or more of Eva's episodes have mecha battles. Less than Gundam on average but not substantially so. Turn A Gundam would also come close to that number which is literally a Gundam series that epitomises mecha anime.
  
  Patlabor also has little emphasis on mecha action compared to usual, it doesn't mean it isn't mecha. Macross is one of the biggest mecha franchises and yet the action in the original series is almost secondary to the romance plot. Mecha is a term you use to describe a show that involves giant mostly pilotable robots that are usually but not always humanoid, it doesn't matter what the topic is or how often they're utilised. A mecha anime can be anything it just happens to usually have narratives that can crossover with other mecha shows very often. The mecha "genre" is a massive misinterpretation, it's a category that can have many different genres accompanying it like a shounen can be slice of life or action oriented. 86 is also a show that people would say isn't mecha, but it is. The main method of battles involves the use of giant pilotable robots with the only differentiation being that they aren't humanoid. It's strange that people can not see this when there's such a discernable difference between a show that uses robots in battles and a show that doesn't even when the battling isn't the main part of the show.
  
  Not every show has to have a unique blanket phrase to appease a fraction of people that don't want to believe what is true. Eva and 86 are mecha just as Gundam and Gurren Lagann are, it's just a term. Yes some people only like Eva and no other mecha shows, that's just down to personal preference. You could easily find someone that hates sport manga/anime but gives Slam Dunk or Haikyuu a pass, because they're good ass stories. That's how some people perceive Eva.
  BlindTheFirst 4y
  
  The mecha "genre" is a massive misinterpretation, it's a category that can have many different genres accompanying it
  
  Completely agree. Mecha is more of an aesthetic than a genre. A genre should reveal core elements of the narrative like action, romance, or mystery, and mecha only means that the show has giant robots.
  If we consider mecha as a set of aesthetic elements (same as fantasy or sci-fi), Eva is definitely mecha.
  The main reason I usually don't call it mecha is for clarity, since most people have a defined view of what mecha is, and Eva mostly doesn't fit that.
  
  86 is also a show that people would say isn't mecha
  
  Really? Tbh I've never seen anyone saying it's not mecha. But I haven't been paying attention to most of the discussion surrounding it.
  NurAhmad 4y
  Wait, People actually think 86 isn't Mecha?
  AtelierWeiss 4y
  Yes I've seen it before but regardless I was just using it as an example for a mecha show that isn't clearly defined as one as others tend to be for various reasons to reaffirm that it doesn't make a difference
- NurAhmad 4y
  Thanks for the answer.
GalacticaIRL 4y
It depends on how you percieve it, would you call a medieval knight a roboter if nobody tells you that the armour around knights contains living being inside?

Eva Units are syntheticly created creatures with battle armour which lack a soul.
Inferno0052 4y
i think the 2 main reasons why are:
1. there is ever only one mecha in the entirety of eva, which is jet alone, one mecha in one episode, never seen or mentioned again. all the evas are Angels/humans/gods/creatures/what ever it wants to be. so it kinda makes sense why they say it itsnt, although i disagree
2. the mechas are secondary to eva, it was never about the fights, or the robots themselves, so it isnt fair to say its a mecha focused anime if they aren't central the the story.
Removed 4y
they aren't mechas... gg i win the argument.
- NurAhmad 4y
  Nah they are Mecha indeed
GrandPanacea 4y
I mean, by all technicalities
they're technically kaiju with armor

Technicalities aside, anime fans can be ridiculously pedantic, especially, in my experience, the ones that tend to be the die-hard Eva fans.

I think it does belong in the genre, mainly because the specific subgenre it technically should fall under... doesn't really exist outside of Eva.
turtlemaster852 4y
Because calling it a "mecha" anime sounds very misleading
mohave 4y
its always these types of people:

has only seen eva or eva and gurren lagann
Mugetsu237 3y
Who on god's green earth doesn't believe Evangelion is in the mecha genre?! 0_0

Must be the same folks who think HxH isn't a shounen.
Edsknife 3y
You could argue it's Biopunk, but there's really not much different. My problem with calling it "mecha" is that there's so much more to it than giant robots. I'd rather say Evangelion's genre is "suicide" or "drama".
SEENABEAN 3y
Eva is definitely a mech show but it's a deconstruction of one so I still recommend it to people who don't love mecha as a genre
ImoutoHeadpat 3y
Next you'll tell me SnK fans still refuse to accept that Titans are mechs.
portage 3y
because they arent really mechs the armor plating is restraints to hold back the eva's true form they are living beings
TheStupidWolf 3y
Because the Eva aren't robots
Churd 3y
Eva fans like to argue it's the only mecha series that's about things other than robots fighting.

It's very silly.
hentaimomoko 3y
because EVA fans are the most obnoxious and pretentious anime "fans" out there, clearly
- ImoutoHeadpat 3y
  I see you've never spoken to an Serial Experiments Lain fan
  WeatherReport 3y
  SEL fans have been pretty chill in my experience
  hentaimomoko 3y
  I've never had a bad experience with a Lain fan wut