Kazuhisa Fujie - Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide

cocoro books

Published by DH Publishing, Inc.
www.dhp-online.com
cocoro books is an imprint of DH Publishing, Inc.
First published 2004
Text and illustrations 2004 by DH Publishing, Inc.

Compiled by Kazuhisa Fujie and Martin Foster
Publisher: Hiroshi Yokoi
Publications Director: Clive Victor France
Design: Kyoichi Akimoto
Editor: Takako Aoyama
eISBN: 978-0-97459-6-143

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the written consent of the publisher.

THIS BOOK IS NOT AFFILLIATED WITH OR ENDORSED BY GAINAX/ProjectEva. or TV TOKYO

Neon Genesis Evangelion The Unofficial Guide

How to Use

In this book, the third in the popular Mysteries and Secrets Revealed! anime series, you'll find everything you need to know about Neon Genesis Evangelion and much more! And it's so easy to use! Just follow the simple EVA code below and within a few hours you'll be an Evangelion expert.

Questions and Answers

Want to find out why who did what when and where? Then this is the book for you. 45 questions and detailed answers on every Evangelion topic, from characters and relationships to Evangelions and Angels.

Glossary

When you speak the lingo everything is so much easier. At the back of this book you'll find a glossary stuffed full of names, what they mean and which pages to find them on.

EVA Files + Profiles

Scattered throughout the book are 6 EVA Files and 14 EVA Profiles that introduce you to an altogether different side of Evangelion and the characters that have made it so popular. Check out Eva figures and merchandise, Eva cosplay, Eva events, movies, the industry and Eva history. Profiles on all the leading characters, including Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Kaoru, Misato and many more!

The Secret of Evangelion's Success

One of the driving forces behind Evangelion's popularity in Japan is the use of many girl characters that appeal to stay-at-home otaku: girls with minds of their own; ill-fated young women; intellectual types; and dependable big-sister types.

The fact that the supporting female roles diverted popularity away from the lead character Shinji and the featured mechanical innovation-the Evas-is proof that Evangelion is different from other anime series of the period. It is no surprise to learn that figures and other merchandise of the supporting female characters outsold everything else.

Evangelion is perhaps the most extraordinary robot animation series ever made. Apart from having a complicated plot, the creator purposely leaves many mysteries-especially those related to the characters themselves-unexplained until the final episode.

The Three Major Elements of Evangelion's Success

It is said that Gundam changed the basic storyline of robot anime by moving away from simple good and evil, placing the emphasis on the conflicts between human beings.

That clearly differentiates it from other animated robot series, such as Mazinga Z where there was an easy-to-follow storyline involving evil robots and the protectors of justice who fought them. Evangelion manages to focus the viewer's interest on the complicated elements of the story, leaving a plethora of mysteries remaining, such as-Why were the Evas created? Why do the Evas fight? Just who are the Evas' opponents-the Angels? All of these mysteries draw the viewer back to the next episode.

In addition, the underlying theme of Christianity in Evangelion gives it religious, philosophical and psychological overtones that have made it popular with older viewers.

The Appeal of the Characters

The average introspective junior high school kid is able to associate with Evangelion, as it shifts the emphasis of the robot story from brave, shining examples of justice fighting for the rights of the planet to a weak, shy junior high school kid who has no interest in fighting.

The creators surround this lead character with a bunch of girls who would also appeal to less extroverted types.

Furthermore, all the characters have extremely complicated inner-worlds, and the descriptions of what is going on in each character's mind are also elements that set Evangelion apart from other anime series. Having said which, the deliberate omission of explanations is equally important, especially when it relates to the actions of the characters.

In many cases, these go unexplained, leaving the viewer to substitute supposition and analysis for fact, which lends an almost literary element to the story. With Evangelion, fans focus more on the characters than the mechanics.

The Power of Imitation

Evangelion carries a large number of quotes from and references to other anime productions, such as Ultraman, Space Battleship Yamato and Gundam. The works of Go Nagai-such as Mazinga Z-and even the novelist Ryu Murakami are also referred to. This was so apparent that Evangelion became known as the "remixed anime."

For example, the camera angle in one of the Eva fighting scenes is taken directly from Ultraman, while some of the names of the characters are lifted from the Murakami novel Ai to Genso no Fascism (Fascism in Love and Fantasy). This has been a boon to anime die-hards intent on tracking every influence.

Overview

The animated series Neon Genesis Evangelion 2-produced by Gainax, and directed by Hideaki Anno-was broadcast on Japanese TV for approximately six months from October 1995, but the story came to no conclusive end even with the Final Episode. We all had to wait until The End of Evangelion released in the summer of 1997 to see the de facto end to the story.

The End of Evangelion was a remake of the Second Final Episode (Episode 25 and the final episode) made for TV, which came in the wake of the movie Death and Rebirth released in spring 1997, a recollection of the TV series along with previews of a film covering the complete story.

The DVD and video of The End of Evangelion (Air/My Pure Heart for You) in circulation at present-released by Gainax-has been recorded with "slight modifications" following Episode 25th for TV and Final Episode.

The movie Death and Rebirth was released between the end of the TV series and before the release of The End of Evangelion, and in terms of content is positioned as a digest of the TV series-Death-and a preview of the completed work-Rebirth.

Rebirth is the first half of the Air portion of The End of Evangelion. As a result, when we watch The End of Evangelion we can see that it also includes Rebirth. In other words, they overlap. So, Death and Rebirth can be passed over without leaving any loose ends as far as gaining an understanding of the overall story.

Neon Genesis Evangelion 2 for TV: No real end despite having a final episode. The movies Death and Rebirth: Death is a remake of the TV series and Rebirth is a preview of The End of Evangelion. The movie The End of Evangelion: A continuation of Episode 24 shown on TV, with Air as Episode 25 and Magokoro wo Kimi ni as Episode 26.

Chronology

Mar. 30, 1977

Birth of Yui Ikari

1999

Gendo Ikari, Kozo Fuyutsuki and Yui meet up for the first time

Sept. 12, 2000

Gendo returns to Japan from the South Pole

Sept. 13, 2000

The occurrence of the Second Impact at the South Pole. Two billion human lives are lost as a result. (The official explanation is that a meteorite hit the pole. The meteorite is relatively small-not even 10 cm in circumference, but was traveling at 95% the speed of light when it hit the earth. It is also reported that the meteor was spotted 15 minutes before impact by Seymore Nan, an amateur astronomist in Mexico.)