CATDOLL: "EVA" was once in danger of being cut off, and the phenomenal masterpiece also suffered humiliation

Many viewers are familiar with "EVA". This work full of ethics and wisdom has not only triggered a strong social upsurge for decades, but the plot content has also been the focus of discussion and research by many fans. But do you know? When the TV version of "EVA" was first broadcast in 1995, it suffered from extremely low ratings and even faced the fate of being cancelled!

Looking back, the ratings of the TV animation "EVA" were about 6% to 8% when it was first broadcast in 1995, and the 14th episode "SEELE, Seat of the Soul" even dropped to the freezing point, only 0.3%! This is also related to the Miyazaki incident that shocked the world decades ago, and Japanese animation was tragically silent due to this. During the broadcast of "EVA", the original premiere time was in the evening, but it did not attract much attention. Later, thanks to the cross-media development and the replay of late-night videotapes, "EVA" gradually attracted attention and became popular. Many die-hard fans jumped into the pit of "EVA" through late-night videotapes.

In addition, EVA adopted a "production committee" investment method that can share risks, which also affected the future animation industry. The company in charge of leading the project raised funds from multiple other companies, and then distributed the funds according to the investment ratio after the investment was recovered. In this way, one company can invest in several works, and the production side can also more easily adjust the production costs.

In terms of content, EVA describes the inner struggles of the protagonist Shinji and the fate of the world, which is also the opportunity for the birth of the term "world system". The definition of "world system" includes the description of the relationship between the male and female protagonists and the crisis of the world. For example, "Voices of a Distant Star" and "The Last Weapon" are both considered world system works.

The TV version of EVA also has its advantages. In the TV animation, the production team has 26 episodes to carefully describe the daily lives of the characters, so there are also some funny or romantic chapters to make the story more complete. At first glance, some scenes that are not related to the main plot may be more connected to the inner thoughts of the characters, such as the silence of the characters and the freeze-frame performance techniques, which are the essence of this work.

What would EVA look like if it were put in the current industry environment? Given the current trend of "one season animation" in the industry, it would be difficult to create a work like EVA. The second season might have been cut short. No wonder Anno said that "Japanese animation can only survive for another five years."