I haven’t been watching much in terms of actual shows for a good while, then while listening to a podcast a host casually mentioned they had rewatched Chernobyl, how it still holds up, that there’s a reason it got as much acclaim as it did, etc. So I thought I’d give it a go and wow, loved it (still one episode left to watch).
Had me thinking, what else have I missed out on? What are some “absolute cinema” TV shows that still hold up and and are considered must watch?
Neon Genesis Evangelion
A Japanese Anime from 1995 or so. One of the most influential “huge humanoid mecha suit” animes. There’s a mystery / story that’s very slowly and carefully revealed over the course of the series. The art and sound is just superb. The pacing is incredible. There are scenes where it’s just the hot summer outside and you can almost feel the heat. The characters have some of the annoying Japanese anime quirks, but in this case the story actually explains why the characters behave they way they do.
If you’re like me and found the premise of the show interesting but found the characterization absolutely insufferable, try the Rebuild movie series instead. There are differences in story, and technically it’s a soft reboot AND sequel series? But if the show isn’t doing it for you, these movies I think are paced much better, have much more human characterization and can easily stand alone.
they did try to tie in neon geneisis with the rebuilds by saying its a cycle, of different timelines. hes very obscure about it though.