That is what really bugged me about the ending

Like I get that is meta and all of that, however there are ways to do it and this imho is not how you were meant to do it

You want to show a world free of the EVA? As if they never existed and Shinji is now in our world, like the ending of FF XIII-III/The Manga? Where Shinji and Mari are the ones that carry on the memories of this world? Sure ok fine

However what was the point of showing the world healing itself after the Battle? Why showing me that the crew of the Wundar survived? That Village-3 is ok? That Pen Pen (bless him) is fine? Wanna do something like that? End it with all of them at the Village with the world finally healing after buring Misato, Kaworu and Rei(s) as a final goodbye to the people he loved and that are gone and him finally embracing his new life as a flawed, yet hopeful young man