The Resemblance and Dissimilarities Between Pacific Rim and Neon Genesis Evangelion
With the upcoming anime adaptation Pacific Rim: The Black, the film Pacific Rim is all set to surprise sci-fi fans with an intriguing cult classic adaptation. The movie successfully made its mark and impressed millions of fans worldwide when it was released. The upcoming anime adaptation will be exciting because most sci-fi fans can acknowledge that the movie seemed to pay tribute to the classic mecha anime, which has been incredibly successful in Japan. But, on close inspection, it appears that the movie was, in some aspects, a copy of the mecha genre. The film is quite like Neon Genesis Evangelion and, in a few ways, appears to be its closest live-action adaptation. Today we look at the similarities of the two to understand how surprisingly close both of them genuinely are.
Giant Robots
Neon Genesis Evangelion and Pacific Rim have quite similar premises. In order to fight the extra-planetary and interdimensional threats, the military coalitions from around the world come together to make gigantic robots. However, the one key difference between the two is the composition and nature of robots created by the coalitions. The Jaegers that are used in the Pacific Rim are robotic in nature, but in Neon Genesis Evangelion, the fighting cyborgs that are employed to tackle the invading aliens are created using the biomass of Angels.
However, the nature of Jaegers and Eva is similar since both are controlled by neuro-linking, which means that the pilots integrate their senses into robots. So, if the robots’ arms are broken, the pilots will have to bear the pain. It makes the integration of the robots and humans more realistic and gives the pilots much better control. However, some might argue that the pilots’ compatibility is unique to Pacific Rim, but that is not true. Eva also relies a lot on the compatibility between Eva’s consciousness and the pilot’s consciousness. It implies that if there is an issue with the connection, then the robots might go berserk, which happens a few times. It happened when Rei failed to link up, which also happens in Pacific Rim when Mako struggled with her negative memories, and she ended up losing control of the Jaeger.
Another key difference is that unlike Jaegers, Eva does not need the dual-pilot system. However, in the movie Rebuild, Eva Unit-13 is co-piloted by Kaworu and Shinji, but that is an exception, not the norm. Although, the robots of Pacific Rim do not have the kaiju-Esque qualities like the ones from Evangelion.
Characters
Giant Robots are not the only common thing between Pacific Rim and Evangelion. Fans who have watched both know that there are undeniable resemblances between the two. The audience is introduced to characters Raleigh Becket in Pacific Rim and Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion, who run away from their responsibilities as pilots because of personal trauma. Both of them are recruited by paternal military leaders who are impressed by their ability to pilot. The only difference is the fact that Shinji hates what he does while Raleigh loves to do his job.
Both Evangelion and Pacific Rim have characters that are driven by the desire to prove themselves and become an elite pilot. Chuck and Asuka grow as people with time and ultimately protect humanity in the process. Marshal Pentecost and Gendo Ikari are inspiring leaders who remain distant but are always ready to solve big problems whenever they are needed. However, they have completely different personalities as Gendo is isolated and cold, while Pentecost is a loving figure who likes to spend time with others whenever possible.
The critical difference between the two
Although there are a ton of similarities between Evangelion and Pacific Rim, it would be wrong to presume that they are almost alike. In Pacific Rim, the Kaiju are dispatched in order to invade Earth, while in Evangelion, the extraterrestrial entities are curious and wish to understand humanity. Even if we look at the plots, the apparent differences emerge quickly. Pacific Rim is about humanity’s survival when faced with the grave existential threat while Evangelion finds value in oneself while confronting isolation and oppressive anxiety. The inner conflicts of the characters drive Evangelion, while Pacific Rim is driven by external conflict. So, the central theme of the plot is quite different and hence not comparable. The lowest moment of Evangelion was when there was no hope left for Shinji’s happiness, while in the Pacific Rim, that happens when the characters realize that they don’t have enough fire-power to face a threat. It shows the apparent difference between the two and proves that although they might be aesthetically similar, the thematic elements are quite different.
Ava Williams is a McAfee product expert and has been working in the technology industry since 2002. As a technical expert, Ava has written technical blogs, manuals, white papers, and reviews for many websites such as mcafee.com/activate
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