I just acquired the boxset of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Platinum, not by buying the collection but purchasing each individual DVD from online retailers. I’ve always felt strongly about this show because I identify with the main character: his mother died when he was very young and his father was always distant toward him. His father cares more for a 14-year-old girl than he does his son. The show also fascinates me because of its “self-destruction,” after episode 15 the main characters are put through utter hell until the final conclusion when many of the main characters are killed in the most brutal ways possible. I read somewhere the show went like this because the director had a nervous breakdown before he started making the series, and the script grew out of that.
I don’t particularly enjoy the standard giant robot clichés prevalent in the show, but I feel they are worth putting up with to experience the rest of it: awkward and painful interactions between people and the total mindfuck that is the last half and conclusion. I’m pretty pessimistic in general so the theme of the show resonates with me. Also being raised in an extremely religious family which constantly obsessed over the apocalypse makes a lot of the absurd, over-the-top religious imagery more effective. As for my general attitude toward the show, I consider the closing two minutes — “One more final: I need you” — to be the most shocking ending of any anime. The show wouldn’t have left as much of a mark without it.
I purchased the individual DVD’s so I could get all the special features, but after watching them, I have to say it wasn’t really worth it. Most of the commentaries involve the voice actors reminiscing at length about people they used to work with, not talking about the show. The additional segments about the “Mythology of Evangelion” have a few interesting tidbits but mostly seem to be wildly off base. I should have bought the cheaper $50 package.