Asklemmy

I watched it early on when I got into anime and I missed the point of it because of it as it's kind of playing off anime (especially Gundam) tropes you might want to get more familiar with to get the message.

It's hard to define NGE because it's a one of a kind series that hits everyone differently. You don't often see a series whose director said "if you don't understand it it's your problem". It's chock-full of triple-layered details you will miss on first watch, but at the same time you should definitely watch with zero spoilers the first time, for the experience.

It's very, very well made so I guarantee it will not be a waste of time, and lends itself very well to the occasional rewatch. What you take away each time and your level of enjoyment for each watch will, interestingly, be mostly unrelated to the theatrical value, which tends to remain constant. I would recommend reading up on lore and plot hints for secondary watch-throughs though.

Japan had a tradition of both animated and live-action shows about giant piloted robots called mechas. Neon Genesis Evangelion is considered the peak of this tradition, containing both excellent action scenes and asking the viewer what sort of world would build giant robots and let unstable teens drive them. It is just 26 episodes, each 20 minutes long. I would suggest watching it first and then reading more about it or watching the hundreds of videos trying to explain what it means. Many consider it to be the greatest anime ever made. Be warned that it is sometimes gory and confusing, although much less than people often claim.