“Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” definitely went above my (low) expectations, but still left a bitter taste in my mouth. Overall, the film is extremely cinematic, well-balanced, full of thoughtful, little details, self-referential notes as well as tons of fan service. Each character gets their own spotlight, and for once, they even attempted at closing all story arcs on a positive note. If Hideaki Anno was still fighting his way out of depression when working on the original series, he is now a happier man who found healing through the love of his wife (referenced multiple times in the film). Honestly, I still prefer the pessimism of the original, but it would make no sense to have history repeat itself again. After all, the film itself acknowledges that it’s not the same characters, not the same director, not the same audience anymore, and that it’s now time to go back to reality.

The ending felt satisfying indeed, but looking back, I can’t help noticing how needlessly and helplessly convoluted the story to that point was. Robots kick each other asses, catastrophes continue one after another, untold background stories of certain characters suddenly arise, but the mechanisms behind are poorly explained, to the point that the original felt straightforward and crystal-clear in comparison. I like hermetic storytelling and elaborated plots, but the answers are supposed to be in the film instead of being supposedly omitted for the sake of fan theories and speculations.