Quote:
Originally Posted by Tempester
How symbolic you interpret them to be doesn't change the fact that the Evas played an important role in the plot. Their interactions with the human characters through LCL and their humanoid shape are extremely important. Because of this, you can't just replace them with tanks, planes, or swords like you can in many mecha anime.
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You could arguably do this, actually, but it would cease being a mecha anime at that point. It would now become a tank anime, a plane anime, a military technology series or what ever.
And that's the point. Is a series considered a driving anime like
Initial D or (arguably)
You're Under Arrest just because there are cars in the background, or the characters are seen riding in a car or driving at one point? No, of course not! It's all about the series focus, about how central the objects are to the story line. If you take that out and change it into something else then perhaps you could still have a similar story,
but the focus would be different.
You could replace the mecha in
Code Geass with tanks, androids, or fairies, and the series genre would not shift. Replace the Evangelions with cars, replace the LFO's in
Eureka Seven with submarines, and the entire genre changes.
That is how you know what a true mecha series is.