I guess that's proof how any kind of story can be interesting if told in a good way. Anyway, what I meant with designs were about how they made the characters, drew the mechs (yeah, they were weird, but I was impressed by it), and most especially, how they drew the island of Nirai Kanai itself.
The scene where Ayato spent his first time walking there was one of the more impressive anime scenes I've watched.
To be honest, I never really did see it's similarity with NGE. We just got ourselves different impressions, I guess.