Evangelion uses graphical interfaces very effectively in its story telling. My favorite example is in episode 8: there are two pilots inside EVA-02, leading to problems. We know they've won when we see the synchronization gauge maxing out.
I always liked the pseudo-realistic stack traces in Evangelion. Like, when an error happens a literal stack trace runs through their digital screens. It's realistic enough to be immersive and nostalgic, but sci-fi enough to not warrant deep examination or to poke holes through.
The NERV facilities capture the "rushed research facility" vibe quite well. Not only the UIs are spartan but they have a team of scientists running even the most basic systems and still looking at every issue, and you can also see cables laid out on the floor and everything. It's more realistic than the usual "pristine facility that deploys giant robots" on other shows.
I always liked how they portrayed the EVAs, too. Unit 0 was a prototype, which in most shows would mean that it has some awesome special capabilities. But no, in Evangelion, unit 0 is a flaky but very expensive piece of equipment that's dangerous to operate, doesn't even work half the time, and no one really trusts for anything important. Unit 1 is more reliable but the pilot isn't, so it kind of evens out.
It's also a nice touch how, as the series goes on, the EVAs end up with different colored parts because they just use whatever replacement was on hand at the time. The city, too, goes from being a semi-normal modern city to barren, dystopian landscape. Not all at once, but in stages.
Yep. It reminds me of the striking difference between most space travel sci-fi (in which the pilot of a spacecraft is the captain of their vessel and can go wherever they please) and, say, the Space Shuttle (which required meticulous planning and a large ground support staff for every single mission). Evangelion does a great job of visually conveying how the pilot in the robot's cockpit is, in part, just a focal point for the efforts of thousands of other people.
And then, of course, it subverts that portrayal by revealing that (ROT13) gur Rinf jrer npghnyyl perngrq ol na bpphyg frperg fbpvrgl hfvat napvrag nyvraf, naq abar bs gur grpuavpvnaf be bcrengbef unir n pyhr jung gurl'er ERNYYL pncnoyr bs.
That was an era thing wasn’t it? Serial Experiments Lain has that same feeling. The best modern example was probably the opening in 2.22, which felt very rushed.
Yeah Lain and also Ghost in the Shell have similar portrayal of research facilities, they still look more surreal than Eva on those animes though. But I wouldn't say they are giant robots animes. Bubblegum Crisis and of course Gundam are and there the facilities are more pristine and everything is more like military run.
I feel like it is also due to the relentless decrease available slack[0] in growing industries and how artsy styles have higher logistic and managerial costs.
Sometimes close examination pays off though. Jet Alone boots up version 2.2.1c, nearly melts down and then reboots back to 2.1.1c seconds before it explodes, confirming that it was sabotaged.
Tangent, but the first episode of Golden Boy has a number of almost-but-not-quite realistic contemporary 1995 computer details, including this weirdly garbled rc script:
(i should note that while this is a terrible but entertaining lightweight comedy anime, as wikipedia puts it, "while the OVA is not strictly a hentai animation", it might not be something to watch in the office)
I'm just surprised to see that someone else knows about ‘Golden Boy’. It rides such a wacky edge between the mainstream and the weird that it's difficult to imagine an audience for it. Probably the only reason I've seen it is because in the early 2000s I and some people here watched just everything anime, whole hdds of the stuff. Now I just vaguely remember a couple of popular series, plus ‘Golden Boy’ and ‘Lunatic Night’.
Need to rewatch it one of these days, it's already on the watch-list.
https://wiki.evageeks.org/images/e/e1/Nigoki_synch_graph_low...
https://wiki.evageeks.org/images/2/2c/Nigoki_synch_graph_hig...
Episode 13 also has programmers saving everyone against an enemy hacking attempt:
https://wiki.evageeks.org/images/1/18/Ireul_Hacking_Magi.jpg