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Parents' Guide to

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion

By Tom Cassidy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Masterpiece but meaningless without series; violence, sex.

Movie NR 2002 87 minutes
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion movie poster

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion: Huge Eva units battle
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion: Shinji at an emotional moment
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion: Katsuragi makes a depressed Shinji carry on

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Marci88
Marci88 Parent of 12 and 16-year-old
September 10, 2022
age 14+

Amazing film, good for 14 and up or mature 13 yr old.

A masterpiece of a movie and a work of art comparable to 2001; A Space Odyssey. Teaches teens about loneliness and being open about their feelings with others. Mild sexual content at the beginning of the movie but nothing is shown (the camera focuses on the wall/ceiling) and it's very quick. If you're still worried about it, it's easily skippable and you won't miss anything important to the film other than emphasizing the main character's self-loathing. Other than that, it's relatively tame except for animated violence. There are a few scenes where a giant, pure white angel is shown (seen on the movie poster) and is nude from the waist up, but this isn't sexualized at all and is most comparable to the ancient Greek paintings depicting nude women that are shown in your average middle school's history class. I wouldn't worry about this unless you're one of those parents who is signing petitions to censor the Statue of David. If you think your child is mature enough to understand complex themes such as depression and loneliness, I'd say you can let them go right ahead, just make sure you've watched the original series first as this is a sequel to that and you won't understand anything by watching the movie by itself.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
2 people found this helpful.
Robert214
Robert214 Parent of 10 and 16-year-old
August 20, 2022
age 13+

Incredible Movie

This movie is the pinnacle of fiction. I once had stage 3 lung cancer and bad grades, but once I saw the End of Evangelion and the Neon Genesis Evangelion tv series, the cancer went away and I achieved a 3.9 GPA right then and there. While the EOE movie possesses many positive themes and topics, I believe it isn’t for those that are easily upset around some graphic things. Some things that parents or guardians should consider before showing this masterpiece to their children are as follows: Big “robots” fighting other robots and tearing a few organs out of each other, a scene where the main protagonist Shinji ejaculates after seeing a comatose red head in a hospital bed, and many religious allegories. But overall this movie changed my life for the better and I highly recommend this movie along with the Evangelion franchise for everyone.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
2 people found this helpful.
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: THE END OF EVANGELION, the desperate last stand of a select group of mecha pilots is the only hope to keep the end of humanity at bay.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (14 ):

Profound, disturbing and beautiful, this is an anime masterpiece, albeit with one big caveat. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion relies on you having seen the original TV series. There are no concessions to casual viewers, and no recap of the 24-episodes-worth of frantic drama that led to the harrowing events of this movie. The incredible Japanese voice cast make the characters entirely crushing, heartbreaking, and desperate. Creator and director Hideaki Anno is relentless in his vision that lays bare the destructive nature of humans. His portrayal of armed conflict is a vision of hell. Even the mecha fights, which in other movies are fist-pumping thrill rides, here are melancholic and desperate. We know the pilots and the hideous time they're having. Everyone in the movie is a fully developed character. Their internal life is just as important as their external, which lets the confident direction shine.

While it's decidedly bleak, it's not entirely one note and takes surprising turns. One section is an assault of images, with an existential conversation between two characters over the top of it. They, like the movie, are questioning life and emotions. It's an unforgettable section, equal to the spectacle of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey but with more to say. Japan is the only country to have been attacked by nuclear bombs and the blast shadow looms large over its art. Here, the prospect of total destruction is faced head-on, unblinking. This movie is art that helps make sense of it and dreams of a way forward.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the animated violence in Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion. How did it compare to what you might see in a live-action film? Which has more impact? Why?

  • How did the movie portray sex? Was it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

  • Did you find the movie entirely bleak or were there any messages of hope? If so, what were they? Did any of the characters show courage and perseverance, for example?

  • Have you seen the original TV series? How did this movie compare? Did it tie-up the story in a satisfying way?

  • Discuss the idea of real-life events influencing fictional media. How might the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in World War II have had an influence on this movie?

Movie Details

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