Story Summary
Earth is threatened by aliens called "angels" and its up to a select group of teenagers to pilot giant robots called Evas to fight the angels and protect mankind. This includes the shy and self-hating Shinji, the isolated and mysterious Rei, and the confident and out-spoken Asuka. Together they fight the angels under the command of a secret government group called Nerv, all the while struggling with themselves and coming closer to finding out why they're really fighting these aliens and piloting the Evas.

My Opinion
An intense and fascinating anime. Each character has a deep history and suffers from some sort of tragic past. The series starts off routinely enough, fighting aliens, but it soon gets very dark and serious, dealing with religion and mankind's existence.

General Information
Original Story/Creator: Gainax
Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama
Based on Manga?: no, manga came after anime
Episodes: 26
Japanese Production: Gainax
Japanese Release: 1995
US Distributor: ADV Films
US Release: 2000
Aired in US?: on Cartoon Network (2005)