One of them is Ikari Shinji, the main character of Neon Genesis Evangelion. He is the son of Ikari Gendo, commander in chief of NERV's operation.
It soon becomes apparent, that the lifes of many people depend on this introverted and lonely boy.
Neon Genesis Evangelion was one of the most hyped Anime-series of all time. It's tremendous success all over the world results from it's intriguing and dark storyline, the "real life" characters with their fears and faults, and the overwhelmig mass of details that went into the production of this anime.
Although the graphical level is not overall comparable to such high-class productions like Mononoke Hime, the love for small details (like the different closing-credit music in each episode) and the story makes up for that.