The Critical Miss Experience

[Sheo_Dagana]

I've enjoyed visual novels that offer up more to think about than Evangelion - and they weren't afraid to show the sex.

The Teenage Me used to love Evangelion - I was a quiet, awkward, socially backwards individual. I think a lot of people relate to Evangelion right around that time in their lives. The Adult Me, however, can't watch Eva or even attempt to take it seriously. I tried to watch it recently when Adult Swim aired 1.0 and felt pretty embarrassed. I hardly think of myself as an adult, but I've definitely escaped that teenager mind-set. Maybe Evangelion is only deep to people that never moved on.

Call it thought provoking if you want - at one time I would have agreed, but now, I just can't pull anything meaningful away from it that some other anime hasn't done better.

 

[Gatx]

Eh, okay, haha, but hopefully this is the last one? I mean after you make a joke about making jokes, it's kind of hard to go back to making the actual jokes again, so where do you go from there?

I approve.

Mostly because I think the series was mediocre at best and gets far accolades than it deserves. Also the fanbase is crazy-go-nuts about defending its flaws (which there are plenty, so I guess that can keep them busy) and shouting down opposing arguments because 'we just don't get it' or something.

Seriously, it's the Twilight of the anime world.

No, Sword Art Online is the Twilight of the anime world. Evangelion is like the Shakespeare at this point - revered by some, called bullshit by others, and filled to the brim with sexual references - innuendo and otherwise.

 

[Nouw]

I think you mean flame-bait ;P.

Oh come on, it's like the 4th Critical Miss on Evangelion don't try to deny it! There are two running gags with these strips, one is Shinji being a pussy and the other is outraged Eva fans.

Totally fucking called it in the last webcomic. Glad to see we're not even trying to hide it anymore although it is a bit disappointing to see that this is all they came up with. I'm waiting for the smack-down on 3.0 damn it x3.

You just don't understand Critical Miss. It's very deep.

Come mate if you're going to take this piss at least try to sound convincing .

EDIT: Unless this is a deconstruction of their arguments, reflecting how lifeless and robotic they are /s.

 

[thebakedpotato]

A rare miss.

 

[NiPah]

A rare miss.

One might say... a critical miss?

 

[w00tage]

I have absolutely no idea what this is about. Shame, I usually like this comic.

I have absolutely no idea what this is about. Shame, I usually like this comic.

Same here.

Whatever this is about, it's gone right over my head...

It's in reference to the fact that Critical Miss has done a few strips satirizing Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE) (one of the most contentiously-debated-about-its-influence anime shows ever)

Fixed for you

 

[WouldYouKindly]

I've enjoyed visual novels that offer up more to think about than Evangelion - and they weren't afraid to show the sex.

The Teenage Me used to love Evangelion - I was a quiet, awkward, socially backwards individual. I think a lot of people relate to Evangelion right around that time in their lives. The Adult Me, however, can't watch Eva or even attempt to take it seriously. I tried to watch it recently when Adult Swim aired 1.0 and felt pretty embarrassed. I hardly think of myself as an adult, but I've definitely escaped that teenager mind-set. Maybe Evangelion is only deep to people that never moved on.

Call it thought provoking if you want - at one time I would have agreed, but now, I just can't pull anything meaningful away from it that some other anime hasn't done better.

I first saw Evangelion when I was young, like 10 or 11. Didn't get a fucking thing, barely remembered it but did have a fond opinion of it for some reason, probably just liked Asuka or something.

I watched it really for the first time a couple months ago. It was alright, certainly interesting enough to hold my attention for the 26 episodes plus EOE and the first two Rebuilds. More important than appreciating it as a story is recognizing the influence it had on Anime as a medium, something plainly visible so many years since it first aired. I can see why it had an influence. It treated the personalities of it's characters like malleable and fragile things, built upon a house of cards to project the image of functionality... not really making my case as not being a fanboy, eh? I swear, I just have an old penchant for verbosity. Well the point is that it influenced shows and continues to influence shows with a darker psychological feel.

It's not that it's perfect, it's that it was something unexpected in it's time and it spawned a whole bunch of different and darker anime stories and, in my opinion, better written characters. I wholly believe without NGE or something like it, you'd never get something like Code Geass.

 

[xplosive59]

Remind me never to read Critical Miss again. This shit is just continuing a joke that was only slightly funny in the first place, now it is just dull.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Remind me never to read Critical Miss again. This shit is just continuing a joke that was only slightly funny in the first place, now it is just dull.

Yeah, it's not nearly as entertaining as watching poster after poster miss the joke entirely

 

[Something Amyss]

Bullies go lengths to spread misery and hurt their victims where it hurts the most. Jocks just poke them with a stick to get a quick reaction. So it seems like jock humor, but you just helped me define it as bullying instead.

Apparently, all it takes to "spread misery" within the NGE fanbase is to mention the show in any negative light whatsoever, so I'm not sure this fits your definition of bullying.

Critical Miss doesn't have to go out of its way to "hurt" the base.

Odd that you can laugh off slights towards your own base but consider this bullying. *shrugs* Whatever floats your boat, I guess. Still seems like a manufactured "problem" to me.

 

[Something Amyss]

Remind me never to read Critical Miss again. This shit is just continuing a joke that was only slightly funny in the first place, now it is just dull.

How frequently would you like the reminders?

Yeah, it's not nearly as entertaining as watching poster after poster miss the joke entirely

It almost makes the comic itself superfluous, doesn't it?

Almost, of course.

 

[Something Amyss]

EDIT: Unless this is a deconstruction of their arguments, reflecting how lifeless and robotic they are /s.

It's a parallel to the arguments made in the strip 'Evangeliowned,' where Corey and Grey first take "not the high road."

At least, given Evangelion fans were arguing the show was deep and meaningful, I would assume it's a deliberate parody. After all, fair's fair.

In any event, something can be a joke and simultaneously rile people up. Actually, it's quite common in general, whether the offense is intended or not.

I mean, in this case, it's almost certainly intended. I'm not going to pretend they didn't know that a panel poking an Evangelion fan would stir the fanbase, but it's still clearly a joke. At least, you know, to us non-special snowflakes.

 

[Coolshark]

WOOT WOOT, All aboard the self-deprication train!

Shinji's the conductor, of course.

 

[Something Amyss]

I don't think this bloke quite realises that they're taking the piss out of themselves more than EVA in this strip.
Then again, it's probably just too deep and meaningful for them to understand.

Maybe if Corey and Grey hated their parents for reasons that could be portrayed as arbitrary and silly in a webcomic....

<..>

Or maybe if Erin Stout was all over bags of Doritos and stuff.

>.>

<.<

Yeah, I don't know. I took this as more self-referential humour than an attack, but I knew before I clicked on the comments section there would be a ton of NGE fans nailing themselves to crosses because....Well, I don't know, that's what they've done so far, but I'm still not sure why. Certain fanbases seem to have big sore spots, and this is, I guess, one of them. I don't get it. And as much as I try and empathise with them, I have trouble understanding why they were so sensitive in the first place. By this point, it's just become absurd.

But apparently, the fanbase is generally like this. I mean, the first comment in the first comic's comment section?

i look forward to evangelion fans meticulously listing every bad thing Gendo's Dad did.

I don't know, I put far more thought into this than I should. It's just weird. NGE was one of the first complete animes I ever owned, so it just amps up my WTF levels to eleven.

 

[themilo504]

Is it really that much of a easy target?

 

[The Wooster]

Remind me never to read Critical Miss again. This shit is just continuing a joke that was only slightly funny in the first place, now it is just dull.

Never read Critical Miss again.