Yeah, the ending of the series is much more uplifting than the movie. They had run out of budget by then, so chose to show only the aspect of Shinji's inner conflict, whereas the movie gives us more explanation and kind of makes us all sick. @_@
Hideki Anno actually got death threats for the way he ended the series, and there was such a public uproar that he decided to give everyone what they "wanted" in the movie. Unfortunately, it ended up as one of those "be careful what you wish for" scenarios, where he took what he thought the fans most wanted to see and twisted it, turning it into something apalling.
I'd say "unholy" is a *very* good word for EoE... that feel is probably what made it one of the most controversial anime series of the 20th century! The movie pushed the envelope even further, with more gore, more nudity, more sex, more blasphemy... It's as if Anno said "Oh, you didn't like how the characters ended up in the series? Fine! This time I'll have them all tortured and killed!"
29-Jan-2005