In a way and ignoring the plot, Saikano can be directly compared to Evangellion. Both are really stories about the characters and not really about the events around them. The events provide a backdrop and situations to place the characters in, but those events are not the sole purpose of the story. I find that Evangellion fails, though, since it attempts to answer the question of "why?" and consequently neglects the characters. Looking to the end of "End of Evangellion" and treating it as the finale to the series, I find characters left behind and even pushed back in their development. The events took precedence and perhaps that was the purpose of that movie. For Evangellion to succeed as a character centric story, one must stop at the end of Episode 26 and go no further. Even then, one is left disappointed since the answer to the question "why?" is only left partially answered. With Saikano, the question is never answered and the focus on the characters constantly maintained. For this reason, as a character centric series, Saikano is wonderful. . .
Now that I'm done watching it, though. . . it's time to watch something lighter and uplifting.
