#critique paper

[petri808]

I wonder what the teacher will say about this 🤔 but too bad idc at this point lol

[han-soios-blog]

rage of angels (sidney sheldon) review

Rage of Angels is a thriller novel written by Sidney Sheldon published in 1980. The novel revolves around a woman attorney named Jennifer Parker who becomes one of America’s most successful defense attorney. It is also the story of two men who lived in different worlds, whom Jennifer both loved and valued. The story gives insight into the legal profession and the operations of the Mafia. Upon reading this book, you will be put inside the different characters’ shoes, the storytelling lets you be a part or live their lives, and it makes you feel what they feel. The twist and turns will make you love this book and put you in an air of suspense that will leave you craving more and sitting on the edge of your seat.

The story begins with Jennifer, being a small-town lawyer’s daughter, spending her days in her father’s workplace and soon entering law school to be just like him. But before she could finish, her mother left them and not long after that her father passed away. Unexperienced and fresh from law school, Jennifer becomes an assistant district attorney under Robert Di Silva, who had been working on a case against the mafia prince Michael Moretti. His plans are foiled as Jennifer was deceived by one of Moretti’s men, handing her an envelope in Di Silva’s name to be given to the witness. She is framed for threatening a chief witness, fired, threatened with disbarment and is the reason why Michael Moretti walked free out of court that day.

After those humiliating events, she continued to strive to be a successful lawyer. She fell in love with Adam Warner, a young lawyer Di Silva arranged to investigate on her to persuade him that she is responsible for the mess that happened with Moretti’s case. Adam realized that she wasn’t guilty, and fell for her too, despite being a married man. With his help, Jennifer began to rise once again; meanwhile, this piqued Moretti’s interest and soon decided that he would like to make her the mafia’s lawyer.

Adam’s wife, asked for a divorce, but since Adam was running for the United States Senate, they decided it would be best if they waited after the election to avoid bad publicity. He realizes that his wife is pregnant and shortly after that he wins the election. Jennifer decided to end their affair, and soon discovers that she too is pregnant with his child. She gives birth and named him Joshua Adam Parker after his father. She hides the child and doesn’t tell anyone of his existence except for her assistant, Ken Bailey. Moretti constantly tries to start a friendship with Jennifer, but she denies every attempt. Until one night, when her son was kidnapped by a psychopathic criminal she was defending. In desperation to get him back, she phones Michael Moretti for help, and he did.

Moretti seduces her, and since she is greatly in his debt, Jennifer decides to sleep with him. Soon enough, she falls for him and gets sucked into the inner workings of the mafia, she had become their lawyer. Her son dies in a skiing accident, she was depressed and started to fully depend on Michael and the mafia. Not long after, they are being hunted down by Adam Warner, her ex-lover, and the government. Moretti lulls her into a trap, thinking she betrayed him and shoots her then dying in the hands of the FBI.

Adam, being incredibly charismatic and powerful, uses his position to save Jennifer Parker. She was alone now. She watches the television where Adam is with his family, as he is sworn in as President of the United States.

The first few chapters of the book are uninteresting and dull. They are lengthy and some readers might lose interest and stop reading the book. The story only becomes interesting after the twentieth chapter or so, it starts building up suspense and excitement. The rest of the story is wonderfully written, it’s thrilling and nail-biting, and will keep you guessing until the very end. Regardless of these things, some parts or chapters of the book were empty or lacking, descriptions are vague and character introductions were unexciting

The author’s representation of the world in the 1970’s was accurate. How he depicted the struggle of being a female lawyer in a time where men looked down on women, and just assumed all the positions. On how a woman has to do twice the work to get half the recognition a man receives.

Sheldon’s heroine is awfully inconsistent throughout the story, she goes from naïve to brave and courageous and fearless to a hopeless romantic, which makes her a weak main character, and makes you feel little to no sympathy on her behalf. But on the other hand, the rest of the characters are lovable and unforgettable, with strong personalities that separate them from one another, you can’t help but feel attached to them, despite them being the antagonist of the story. Though some lacked exposure and was forgotten about, I feel like that was for the better.

The ending was lackluster, it seemed the author was rushing to finish his story, and as a result I didn’t enjoy the ending. Everything was shortened into a few sentences that didn’t leave a huge impression on me. I would’ve preferred if the story ended on chapter 63, as it had a sense of finality to it and would surely make it more memorable, as Jennifer closed her eyes and was finally free of pain from the world.

I would give the book a four and a half out of five for an impressively devised plot with twists that will astonish you. Though not all pages are worth reading, the overall story is beautifully thrilling and will reel you in even more every chapter. Truly one of the best thriller novels out there.

[stressedapple-blog]

Rage of Angels || Critique Paper

[[ I NEED 20 COMMENTS ON THIS PLEASE HELP ;-; ]]

Critique Paper RAGE OF ANGELS by SIDNEY SHELDON

Stressful, meaning stress-inducing. Something that makes you feel worried or anxious. That is how I’d describe this book. Now, you’d probably think that maybe it was too much for me to handle, which, in a sense, is true but no. What I couldn’t handle was Jennifer’s utter stupidity regarding her actions. Here we see a classic innocent heroine who you’d feel sorry for in the beginning because things weren’t going her way, naturally gaining the hearts of the readers with all the unfortunate events to happen to her—much like a stray animal or an amputee—who, through hardships gains the victory she so deserves and that’s where stories usually end, no? Oh but what’s this? Through a series of alarming and nerve-wracking events, she suddenly turns into a woman we could no longer recognize. It was almost as if her innocence became tainted by the circumstance she dived into so foolishly and recklessly. Before I begin stating my opinions on the matter, why don’t I first indulge into a summary of the plot of this book?

Published in 1980, Rage of Angels is one of renowned author Sidney Sheldon’s most intriguing book yet. Many described his protagonist—Jennifer Parker—an extraordinary woman whose only goal was to practice the profession of law much like her deceased father did. Here she was, in New York working for the renowned District Attorney who was a shoe-in for politics if he only put a fearful man behind bars: Michael Moretti. But of course, this man was someone who got what he wanted no matter what the cost, even if that would cost an innocent, inexperienced lawyer career-suicide. And woe to Jennifer, she was simply the victim of his devious plan. Suddenly the whole world turns against her, much like a participant who hasn’t even gone to the starting line but was already disqualified. She faced many problems afterwards, disbarment, living expenses, shame and whatnot. Naturally, our hearts went out to her. What did she ever do wrong? We asked in our minds. What does the author have in store for her next? Will she just live this way?

But of course, in a book, there will be solutions. Much like life. She was still alive so surely there would be a solution to her predicament right? In comes Ken Bailey, practically her saviour when times were rough. But it wasn’t really enough for her. Her true calling was in the courtroom, where she practiced law with all she had. Eventually, through a funny twist of fate, she met Adam Warner, a role model of a lawyer who came to her at the command of Robert Di Silva, the District Attorney who wanted her disbarred.

Life worked in amusing ways, if I do say so myself. Who would’ve thought that Adam and Jennifer would find love between themselves? But we, the readers, knew that it was something alarming. This was when the seedling of nervousness was planted. Adam had a wife and this relationship was nothing short of adultery. But that didn’t matter to them, now did it? As long as they were happy, nothing could go wrong. Amidst this, Jennifer suddenly gained her pride back! Going from the media’s black sheep to the media’s golden child, her life had gained a complete 180 when she successfully gained a not guilty plea from the jury for prisoner Abraham Wilson, one who was accused of murder. We all thought she wouldn’t be able to survive this, even she didn’t think she would be able to survive this. Especially if she was up with Di Silva. It was almost like she was begging to be massacred all over again. But what a change of events. She managed to win and gain her reputation back. And she kept going and going until she reached the big leagues. She was then an asset to the profession and we, the readers, were happy for her, even considering her relationship with Adam as true love. It would be alright, right? They were going to have a divorce anyways! It would be fine.

We didn’t even mind the threat of Michael Moretti lurking around the corner. To us, he was probably just some annoyance to Jennifer. No significant value whatsoever. We were proven wrong. Oh, so wrong. Everything came tumbling down. Her pregnancy, Mary Beth’s pregnancy, Adam’s candidacy. Everything was suddenly twisting and turning. Slowly it was tainting Jennifer. She decided to take on the task of raising her child alone. The resemblance of the child to his father was uncanny, as what she obviously pointed out. It must’ve been hard for her to endure that. And we never could’ve guessed what happened next. Much like a Joker card, a trump, Jack Scanlon entered the scene and was the catalyst, the trigger for Jennifer’s worst decision yet. Asking Michael Moretti’s help. Suddenly, we readers were helpless as we read how she slowly destroyed her life, her pride just for a single man who would bring her no good. Right from the start we knew he wouldn’t be a good influence. Maybe we were swayed a bit when he did all of that for Jennifer, but in the end, all he really was, was scum. Jennifer knew that but she couldn’t do anything about it. He had targeted her most vulnerable point and slowly, she was consumed. We could only read on sadly, as more events happened, as Jennifer passed the point of no return. Even Ken Bailey bailed out on her. She wasn’t the same Jennifer we met.

And all this for just a couple of men! Perhaps it was her own fate that she ended up so unlucky. Perhaps she didn’t think of it as so. In all honesty, I can’t really judge her. She simply behaved in a way a human would. We hold not the reins to our destiny, no. Destiny is represented by strings that move us the way it wants us to. Sadly, this was hers.

How should I describe the ending? Sad? Unfair? Just? Lacking? I don’t really know. But it was definitely not what I was expecting. After that rollercoaster of emotions and reactions the ending just gave me a bittersweet feeling of emptiness. Much like the simple phrase of ‘Oh.’, I mean, how should I react? If the ending was different would I have reacted differently? Everything she entered when it came to love and men were obviously short-lived. Nothing would’ve turned out her way. We all knew that! It was inevitable! From this world, we kept screaming in our hearts, stop right now! Before you ruin your life! But what’s written in ink is what’s there. We can only accept the truth that the events happened and they are the simple truth.

I really can’t say I was happy with the events leading to the conclusion, but I can confidently say at some point in the beginning, there was that fresh naiveté in me that rooted for this woman to succeed in life.

To manage to ignite these feelings of deep frustration from within me, I have to say, Sheldon’s way of writing was magnificent. The writing style was sophisticated and precise. The portrayal of the characters were spectacular, especially the dialogue, taking into consideration the different contexts of the characters. The emotions were raw and heartfelt, that I can assure you. Many mysteries still haunt me though. As should any book. Like for example, why is it entitled Rage of Angels? What was the “rage” exactly? Jennifer’s rage? Our, the reader’s rage? What, what, what?! Why was the cover designed as such? Maybe I can’t answer this because I’m ignorant to what the story wanted to fully portray, or maybe I didn’t fully understand the story. But nevertheless, I’m going with what I initially thought. This story was very stressful. Ironically, as someone who aspires to become a lawyer, Jennifer, to me, is someone who portrays both the lawyer I would aspire to be and also the lawyer I should never aspire to be. Her innocence from the start was aspiring, her drive just to practice the profession was nothing short of incredible. It was only when she decided to get involved in the affairs of the mafia that I began to frown upon her actions.

She was seen as intelligent, witty and frankly, amazing. And she really was. All the negative aspects aside, she was an amazing lawyer indeed. Her personality was also an asset. So what exactly went wrong? I really can’t speak for the author or the character but I think that what happened was realistic, in the setting Sheldon painted. In the end, I don’t think that the end conclusion was to let Jennifer have a happy life. But she probably would have. If only she wasn’t entangled in Michael’s web. I think that all along, it was really The State VS Organized Crime. Jennifer was just an unfortunate soul who got caught up in everything.

If I were to critique the book, I’d probably say, it was heavily emotion-driven, a rollercoaster of true humanity. A bittersweet masterpiece. And I’ll probably give it 3.8 out of 5.

[chimscheeks-blog]

Critique Paper: Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon

The book that I’ve read is titled “Rage of Angels”, by the author Sidney Sheldon. Thriller is the genre of the said book, and it was published in 1980. The publisher of the book is William Morrow. The book is divided into two parts, with 64 chapters in total. Sidney Sheldon is one of the bestselling authors in the world with over 300 million copies of his books sold. Even though the book is fictional, the author stated in the author’s note that the background of the story is real. He also said that it took him almost three years to finish writing the book.

​The story is about Jennifer Parker, an inexperienced criminal defense attorney who fell into the plan of Michael Moretti, a member of one of the most powerful organized crime families in America. District Attorney of New York, Robert Di Silva, believes that Jennifer is responsible for the release of Michael Moretti. From there, he arranges Adam Warner to meet Jennifer in order to persuade her that she is guilty for the bribe, and to file disbarment against her. But, Adam realized that Jennifer may not be guilty and he fell in love with her. Adam, who is married, told Jennifer that his wife, Mary Beth, has asked for a divorce. After that, Jennifer meets with her. With Adam running for Senator, Mary Beth tricked him into sleeping with her one last time, and in the process, impregnating her. With Adam learning that his wife is pregnant and Jennifer discovered that it was Mary Beth’s trick all along, and ends her relationship with Adam. He won the Senatorial elections, and Jennifer discovers that she is pregnant, but she did not tell Adam in order to keep his reputation. Jennifer gives birth to her son, which she named Joshua Adam Parker. After giving birth, she returned to her practice. Meanwhile, Michael Moretti tries to be friends with her. Jennifer’s son was kidnapped, and she turned to Michael Moretti for help. After that, she is seduced my Michael and became their consigliere. Joshua died from subdural hematoma that he got from a skiing accident. Jennifer and Michael are hunted down by the government, and he shoots her, and shoots himself right after. The jury acquitted her, and she saw in the television that Adam is sworn as the President of the United States.

​The title itself, Rage of Angels, is actually compelling, it has an interesting title, which made me want to read and discover why it was titled like that. For me, the first few chapters were a little boring; it made me want to skip a few parts in the beginning. It made me lose my interest at first. Some of the chapters in the book are lacking, and some parts are not explained properly, and some of the transitions were confusing. But when you reach the twentieth chapter, it gets intense, which definitely left me wanting to read more. When I reached the climax of the story, with the events more intense, I found myself reading more until I realized that I’ve already finished the story. The ending of the book wasn’t good for me. I felt that it lacked something. I also realized that the events at the end were rushed.

​As for the introduction of characters, it was okay. But for the characters themselves, I think the author portrayed her well in the sense that she is independent and strong, but at the same time, she is unpredictable, which I think makes the story more interesting. His portrayal of a lawyer is great. Some of the characters were annoying and some of them lacked exposure. ​The events that he made in the book are on point to what was happening in 1980s. The crime rate in New York, the main setting of the story, was high. There were murders, drugs, and huge issues that involved money. It was a time where men looked down on women, and the idea of a main character being a lawyer, and a female one, gives the fact that women can be greater than men.

​Some of the words used are deep, and difficult to understand. There are also words that you need to translate in order for you to understand. The audience of this book are adults, since there are mentions of intercourse and impregnation, and there are sensitive topics that are mentioned.

​In conclusion, the book is great, the writing style is good, but for me, I wouldn’t read another book that has a similar plot to this.

[wr1ter]

If someone wants to learn how to write a critique paper, this guide helps in understanding a definition, covering criteria, and using 7 steps for writing,

[basicsupply-blog]

How I Met Your Mother

Sitcoms have always put a smile on our faces, but seldom do they make us cry as well. How I met your mother, is well loved by comedy enthusiasts because it not only gives them the laughter they need to brighten up their  day but it also advocates amazing life lessons that we can apply ourselves.     How I met your mother's pilot episode was aired in 2005. From there, I loved everything about the show. It wasn't your typical sitcom, romance was also incorporated into the story. Everything started when Ted decided that he needed to take a step further in life. He thought that he immediately needed to find the girl he'd want to spend the rest of his life with. This wasn’t easy for him because he falls in love too quickly, In his perspective every girl he met could be the one, the mother of his children.    The first season would probably be the best one in my opinion. Ted Mosby, the narrator throughout the entire series, first laid eyes on who he thought would be the mother of his children, Robin. Through all eight seasons their relationship would go on and off. They were both convinced that they just weren't meant for each other. During the later seasons we then find out that Robin isn't the mother of his children.     It was exciting and heartbreaking to see all the twists present in this series. One moment you're laughing, the next you're sobbing like a loved one has just passed. These unexpected turn of events are what I loved most about this series. It gave me the idea that anything could happen, and true enough it lived up to my expectations.     There were many things that are now well known since they appeared on the show. The blue French horn Ted stole for Robin during the first season would be one of them. After being used on the show, the idea of giving someone a blue French horn to profess their  love became iconic. Another was Barney’s way of helping Ted meet new girl’s. He’d start off with a line saying “Have you met Ted”, then the rest was history. The most iconic thing they created in the show would probably be the “Bro Code”. This so called Bro Code was like a bible for men. It contained Rules that one must follow to remain “Bro’s”. The Bro Code was later published into a real book and sold multiple copies worldwide These are just a few of the things this series made iconic.      I'd say the downside of this series would be that they used too much profanity and there were also scenes which had too much sexual context. That being said, the show was not suitable for very young viewers. Being young, they shouldn’t get exposed to these things yet. They’re just learning to absorb new things and ideas.    Those that have been in love can relate so much to this series. Yes, it is a sitcom and at first you'll think it'll just be a bunch of cliches, but this show will surpass all your expectations. One minute you’re laughing your problems away, the next you’re filled with tears.      It's amazing to see a well written story. From the start and build up, to the climax, resolution and ending. There was never a dull moment. It took me on a rollercoaster of emotions that fluctuate endlessly.       However, their last episode endured a lot of criticism. After 8 seasons of waiting anxiously, the viewers finally meet the mother or Ted Mosby’s Children. We were all in awe after what had happened, it was something you wouldn’t expect. The woman we waited 8 seasons to meet died just like that. This being said, millions of viewers couldn’t help but get annoyed and some even enraged. After his wife dies, Ted marries Robin. The same Robin he fell in love with on the very first episode. It just shows us that you can never really tell what’s about to happen next.  Now, aside from the content of the film. The actors were amazing too. Barney Stinson never fails to make us laugh. His character as a womanizing, alcoholic playboy will always be “Legend wait for it dary”. This iconic line will be forever remembered by all How I Met Your Mother fans out there. Lily and Marshall will forever be “Relationship Goals”. As for Ted, he’ll be remembered as someone who doesn’t give up on love, someone that believes in a forever worth fighting for. There are no better actors to play their roles but them. You can see that they're comfortable with each other and that they're always having fun. In some interviews, co-stars often say that they don't think of it as work anymore. They just get up on set, act like themselves and have fun. The authenticity of their happiness and love for each other is beyond amazing. Co-workers that turned into friends, and even friends that became family.  

   Overall for me, this is the best sitcom to ever come on television. You never know what to expect. They'll play with your emotions and you'll see how authentic these emotions  are. The story was one that I could never read, I couldn't tell what was next to come. I was always just in awe of what has just happened and excited for what was about to happen. Their last episode aired on March 31, 2014 entitled "The Last Forever". Just hearing the title of the final episode brought me to tears. It was a joy to watch a group of friends spend each day of their lives with each other. After eight long seasons of laughter and tears, the series finally comes to an end. It was sad that they had to end it, but it’s better to end the series at its best than to prolong it and ruin the series. I  may have been four years old when all this series first started, but it's a movie that viewers from generations to come, will love.

[basicsupply-blog]

Apocalypse Now

Action movies have always made an impact on people not just because of the heart racing scenes but also because of the suspense and thrill of what is yet to come. Apocalypse Now, in general, has drawn people in because of not only the enticing trailer, but also because of its' unique summary. In countless summaries all over the internet, it is stated that  "Captain Willard is sent by Colonel Lucas and a General to carry out a mission that, officially, 'does not exist - nor will it ever exist'. " This makes people wonder what it could possibly mean. This is thoroughly explained, however, in the movie which is another key factor on why people are drawn to watch this movie.

              Apocalypse Now was originally released in 1979. Back in 1979, when Apocalypse Now premiered as a 'work in progress' at the Cannes film festival, Coppola was alternately lambasted and adored for his four-year-long project. With a total budget of $31m - unheard of for movies at the time - and notorious production problems, critics had plenty of reasons to hate it. It was then re-released last 2011 for its' amazing beauty, vision, and scope. The plot took place in a jungle, during the war between Vietnam and the United States. Captain Benjamin Willard was ordered by Colonel Lucas to assassinate Green Beret Colonel, Walter Kurtz. It seemed like a pretty easy task, at first. But after seeing a bunch of Willard's men be killed by Kurtz and his army, it was obviously not going to be an easy task. At one point, Willard and his remaining men were captured by Kurtz. They escaped, of course. But then again, this is a cliche part in action movies. And this tends to dampen the suspense.

              Blood and death are somewhat expected in action movies. However, there are some movies where death is somehow a theme, and the death scenes would become a bit too grotesque. It is fortunate that Apocalypse Now is one of those action movies that need very little censoring, if in case there are children below 8 that are watching. Nudity is a different issue. No matter how much censoring there may be, children will be advised not to watch this. This adds to the R18 rating of the movie. However, it is tolerable and accepted to some extent. The suspense scenes were really good though. It literally had the people sitting on the edge of their seats. Also, as this was all happening in a jungle, there was a chance of Willard himself to go "insane". And this also made people want to continue watching to witness if Willard could overcome the insanity of the jungle, or be consumed by the same horror that had Kurtz become the antagonist. Not to mention story, performance or direction, this movie is already my favorite even when i hadn't seen it because i fancy all war flicks, especially those concerning the haunting epic Vietnam War. This movie delivers a straightforward look at the cause of shameful failure of the US Army in Vietnam so clearly that everyone can understand it. "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning" the surely most memorable quote of all times outstandingly depicts despair as well as ruthlessness of virtually all American soldiers fighting the war.

              It was thrilling to see how the story had unfolded. From the start and build up, to the climax, resolution, and finally the ending, there was not exactly a dull moment. It was also interesting to have known that at the age of 19, he had already been going on various missions. Also, Willard himself was the one who wanted a different kind of mission that would pose as some sort of atonement for his sins. As I had mentioned earlier, the ending was pretty good. It was not exactly unique, but the viewers were quite satisfied with it. The way the film is shot is as searing as the Vietnamese heat; few films can compare to the intensity and quality of picturesque way it is shot accompanied with its great writing, and legendary direction.

               Now, to stray away from the content of the movie, the actors performed amazingly. The stunts were very well thought of, and with very little flaws. It is no wonder that this movie had been deemed a classic favorite, and re-released years after it had first came out. This movie might encourage you to learn the history of the Vietnam war and it would make everything clear because the director made the scenes related to what happened in the Vietnam war. It would be great for the people to watch this movie who do not know what happened in the early times when the Vietnam war came. This movie will be a remembrance for the veterans who faught in the Vietnam war.

                Overall for me, this movie is really great because it's very realistic despite the era of filming. It was not good at that time and there was no cgi so everything was clearly real to make the movie progress smoothly and elegantly for the viewers to watch. Apocalypse Now did help provide me, and many of my generation, with a vision of what film art could achieve. A vision so magnificent it doomed us to spend much of our subsequent movie going lives in a funk. No matter how many times you've seen it, you marvel at how terrifying, gorgeous and surreal the jungle, the yellow napalm and, finally, the disturbed face of Martin Sheen lying under a swirling fan appear on the large screen. This is indeed, a dream. The soundtrack was not exactly modern. But that was to be expected, as this was released in 1979. That was years before the youth of this generation had even been born. Although, I would have to say that whether you are a teen or an adult, this movie is not hard to love.

[basicsupply-blog]

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a celebrated work in the anime industry. It has garnered attention even long after the series ended back in 1996—so well, in fact, that it’s badly budgeted remains was revived in 2007, that time with a well deserved budget for all the effects and quality it called for. Although by this day and age, it may appear as just another mecha anime with its not too uncommon plot of "teenagers pilot giant robots to protect the Earth against monsters," a learned anime viewer can tell from the first episode that they're in for something a little unusual, and most if not all of that is to the credit of the incredible characterization. As in other forms of media, i.e. books, movies, and the like, some personality tropes can be recognized among a mass of animes: there's the temperamental girl who denies her love for a boy, and yet is enraged when he doesn't appear to return her feelings; the cool silent one who knows and withstands much more than their peers; the awfully unlucky character who is remarkably good at saving people—you get the gist. Evangelion at first appears as though it is unsafe from this recurrent theme. In fact, those three examples of personality tropes actually apply to three main characters. However, it’ll soon be revealed that that's only because of the intelligent way the show twists those tropes around as a joke.

Evangelion was designed to be able to be seen in multiple perspectives. As such, there are so many different aspects of it that can be reviewed and scrutinized in different ways. One of the most common analyses you can find on YouTube would be the ones focusing on the characters or just one of them. The characters of Evangelion have been praised for being well thought out, and for good reason. They feel like real people—they can’t be understood right off the bat because we don’t always get a look into their inner monologues, or they don’t just outright state their motives. They have a surface you can contact, and an underlying side that you can only reach by close observation or gaining enough of their trust. Being a non-interactive work of fiction, this means further exposure of the character the more episodes feature them. The dramatic differences of the characters also make their interactions and relationships that much more interesting, and of course, entertaining. The characters themselves cannot understand each other, of course, and have to find ways to go about their lives tolerating each other. They speak ill of each other, bully and threaten, have a piss-off contest with, and manipulate each other. But they also wonder about each other, try to understand, contemplate their gratitude and attraction, their desires to coexist. It reaches nearly the same effect as when watching the real people around us interact, and even more when observing the way we ourselves interact with others, and how others interact with us. While Evangelion has a sci-fi theme, it's also largely psychological, putting stress on the ways the characters express themselves and how their personalities clash with one another.

Another thing that adds up to the realism is their reactions to certain things. Since we’re exposed to so much fictional media portraying wonderful and fantastical worlds and elements, we’ve grown rather accustomed to ideas that are unrealistic or exaggerated, and thus, things like mass death, aliens, fairies and the like have lost their punch, and are always in need of more and more creative ways of being introduced and treated in order to satisfy us. However, in this anime, with its not-too-new plot as mentioned earlier, we’re reminded of how truly terrifying the idea of being derided by massive aliens with unthinkable abilities is, how irritating and hurtful being forced into risking your life by becoming the first line of defense against said aliens is, how empty you feel when you’re trying your best to help everyone and yet your image remains that of a heartless monster. The characters are traumatized, stressed, and hurt, and the way they react are portrayed in such effective ways. The lighting and their body language, facial expressions and dialogue all add up to hint at us how they’re really affected by situations they’re put in. They become depressed over losing each other, practice protocols and yet panic when they have to face the real things, bark bitterness about the way that things are. A good example is how the horror of the main character for these things can really make him that much more heroic, because although he is afraid and doesn’t want to bear the burden, he still manages to save humanity time and time again. Yes, it may not be as grand as making a beautiful speech to encourage his peers about fighting, or raising his weapon and letting out a battle cry, but when you think about it, it’s the more realistic feeling to have between the two. It makes you ask, what would I really do?

Hideaki Anno, the creator, is truly worthy of praise for the creativity in the themes and the direction. I saw once in an interview that he has trouble expressing himself, and so made this anime as a means of trying to let people know his thoughts and understand him. That intention has surely seeped into the characters themselves. They struggled to understand and to be understood, and despite its plot about aliens, that manages to become the bigger picture in the end—coexistence. Long past its last episode, this anime is a considerably refreshing watch. It’s a break from the bright things we love to escape to when it preaches about the bruising truth of being a coward and running from responsibilities, and the troubles that await even when you actually do confront it all. While it may sit on the darker end of the spectrum, Evangelion is truly a master at presenting harsh realities with undertones of hope.