Neon Genesis Evangelion: 3-in-1 Edition, Vol. 2

by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto

The manga adaptation of the landmark animated series that changed the mecha genre. Each volume contains three of the original graphic novels and includes pages of stunning, full-color art.

Once Shinji didn’t care about anything; then he found people to fight for—only to learn that he couldn’t protect them, or keep those he let into his heart from going away. As mankind tilts on the brink of the apocalyptic Third Impact, human feelings are fault lines leading to destruction and just maybe, redemption and rebirth.

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for teen plus audiences.

Genres: Manga, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Comics Manga, Fantasy

576 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2013

About the author

Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (貞本義行) is a Japanese character designer, mangaka, and one of the founding members of the Gainax anime studio.

His notable works include Neon Genesis Evangelion character design and manga.
He is also the character designer for the .hack//Games and the Package designer for the .hack//GU games.
Also publishes with the doujinshi pen name 45yen.

Reviews

[Nikki in Niagara]

Vol. 4 - A new member is brought in to pilot Eva 3, Asuka from Germany. And wow, does she ever have a chip on her shoulder! She comes in with major attitude, all bossy and mean. She and Shinji fight an Angel and lose. When it is discovered that the Angel works in harmony with itself when split in two Asuka and Shinji have to live together and learn to work in tandem in five days. Needless to say this causes a lot of tension. Along with Shinji came a man who was a former lover of Misato's and there is some character development there along with some storyline. Great battle scene at the end. Absolutely loving this series!! (5/5)

Vol. 5 - Oh man, this is getting so good! Asuka moves in with Misato and Shinji, lots of fun comic stuff there. More serious stuff in the relationships between Shinji and Ayanami and Shinji and his dad. The plot thickens as we learn there is an enemy within Nerv itself and Mr. Kaji's secret is found out. He then lets Misato and Shinji in on a creepy secret and tells Shinji some secrets about Nerv, his dad and his dead mother. A great battle in the middle as some freaky giant eye thing attacks the city. Story ends with a stunning visual. Loving both the plot and the characters! (5/5)

Vol. 6 - Wow, wow. Totally emotional, intense volume. The intrigue gets deeper with the corporation. At this point it's looking like Shinji's dad is a bad guy. He's appeared that way from the beginning, but he just keeps getting worse and worse! There is something really weird we are going to find out about his mom too, I'm sure as he keeps remembering his past. But wow this volume concentrates on the new 4th pilot and the battle is extremely intense, the whole storyline is unexpected and emotional. I really can't believe this happened! The best volume to date and worthy of a 6. (5/5)

[Chi]

This set of the original volumes 4, 5 and 6 gets dark super quickly.

Spoilers under the cut:
In volume 4, we're given a stronger, and more holistic picture of Asuka Soryu as a person, and we can see that her split personality is her coping mechanism: she aims to please the adults in her life, and covers up her fears and uncertainties through arrogance. And yet, she can act completely her true self only when she's around peers her age, such as Shinji (and mostly Shinji), Kensuke and Toji (Shinji's friends), and Rei and Hikari (the class rep).

This set of 3 volumes is where you get a more thorough view of how Shinji relates to his friends too, and how he is allowing himself to form bonds with them rather than holding them at arm's length. We are also given a window into what happened to his mother, Yui, and shown that Shinji was present at the time of her disappearance. We are shown how in order to protect his mental wellbeing, he has blocked out all memories of this traumatic event, only recalling it at Kaji's behest.

Ah, Kaji himself. We're given glimpses of his double life, and dual purposes. That while working on behalf of NERV, he has also been gathering evidence at another's behest. I don't fully recall who he worked for, but I have my suspicions, given the hints dropped thus far.

What ultimately breaks my heart occurs in volumes 5 and 6, is when Toji is selected to be the fourth child. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto beautifully conveys his fear, his uncertainty, and pretty much his ultimate sacrifice, to become an Eva pilot, all for the sole purpose of providing care for his incapacitated younger sister. We can see how Shinji runs away from the unknown and things that he fear; that Asuka treats others with arrogance and disdain, but that is a front for her fears and uncertainty; and Toji confronts the unknown with eyes open.

Except... that EVA-03 turns into an angel, and rampages towards Tokyo-3, prompting defence from the 3 EVAs. Shinji's wish, to protect Kaji's life at the expense of his own (and potentially Tokyo-3 / NERV's as well), comes with a greater cost still, when Gendo Ikari activates the Dummy System in EVA-01. He is forced to watch as EVA-03 is torn apart. The brutal destruction, bloodshed on the surrounding buildings, and shocked expressions are all lingered upon (in a similar manner as it did in the anime).

And the fate of Toji is now completely unambiguous. From memory, I think there is a faint suggestion that Toji lives, though is now as unresponsive as his younger sister. In the manga, that ambiguity is removed. We are shown his battered body, told about his extensive physical trauma, as well as his shattered and unresponsive expression.

And on that note, onto the next collection of volumes.

[fox]

this literally broke my heart. i was not expecting 90% of what was revealed in this volume oh my god?? this series went from a 4 star to a 5 star series for me REAL fast!! that like actually messed me up a little omg. i obviously know the reputation this series has, but somehow i still wasn’t expecting it to be so immensely depressing. like wow. also the plot reveals????? crazy. also i hope gendo ikari goes to turbo hell <3

[Darcofi]

Casualmente, este tomo vuelve a abarcar la trama de una película de los Rebuilds (la 2, en este caso). Estoy disfrutando de revivir Evangelion y en este volumen casi me emociono un par de veces, pero le falta parte de lo que hace a este anime grande: los tiempos, la música, la trama confusa... Siento que aquí van más al grano y no me gusta del todo. Se entiende mejor, sí. Pero, ¿desde cuándo entender la trama de Evangelion ha sido el principal objetivo?

[Kirsten]

Volumes 4, 5, and 6 are even better than the first three. Big emotional impact and payoffs, deeper backstory... This is good stuff. I'm really enjoying reading the manga because it's letting me ruminate on some of the plot elements that happened very quickly in the anime, or were glossed over. Good stuff.

[Steffany .O (coffee over apples)]

What the actual $@%#!!!????

I was hoping this reboot would answer some questions that the early 90s anime posed. And it sure did! As well as gave 1,000 MORE! SO MANY ASPECTS OF THIS ARE VASTLY DIFFERENT so if you are a fan of the anime I implore you to read the manga. Shinji's character growth is so much more satisfying. Questions about Asuka's paternal history are answered. The history of this world is explained further in depth including the origins of Seele. Information dumps are much cleaner and skillfully placed.

Will be putting up a very indepth review on my channel soon.

[Camilo]

damn

[Héctor Méndez Gómez]

En esta edición tenemos los volumenes 4, 5 y 6 del manga Evangelion.

El volumen 4 nos introducen Asuka, una chica alemán con un pasado muy partícular.

En el volumen 5, cuando Shinji pareciera tener ya cierta estabilidad psicológica, nos muestran al primer ángel Adán en una escena muy épica que ocupa una doble página, y luego aparece nuevamente la crisis psicológica de Shinji. Cosas muy revaladoras.

Y en el volumen 6, de forma muy impactante, está como acto principal la muerte de uno de los personajes de la serie.

[Asher Conrad Aragon]

That ending…

[suri]

i am begging literally anyone please give me this book im on my hands and knees 🙏🏼. what i would do to physically acquire this cover is insane, i would sell my soul for free. i would kiss the devils feet and burn for all of eternity if it meant that i could touch this book😁. who the fuck is buying all of this volume why can i not find this anywhere💔waterstones please restock this rn idc how much it cost i will pay triple the price if i have too😔

[Cassandra]

Up to episode 18 of the anime. Emotional damage. I like the manga better so far cause Shinji has moments of Joy. I love seeing him happy in his tiny moments and we get similarity but differences from the anime in this volume a few different times. Kaji and Misato are still my fav of the adults both are broken but I wish they could have had it all. The dynamic of Shinji's friendship and understanding of those around him is really good in this volume. Asuka is sexualized a few times a bit of chikan behavior as well.

I hate Commander Ikari. So much is being put on Shinji and he isn't being helped by anyone. Maybe that is why I like Kaji so much, he doesn't hide things from Shinji and tries to help see the whole picture. I knew the difference of the end of this (volume 6) but I am so heart broken still...
6/6 stars

[ms1v]

Almost exactly one year later and I have finished the second volume of the mangalization (novelization but manga — you get it.) of Neon Genesis Evangelion. We are still recapping episodes of the show here, haven't really got to any manga-exclusive content yet, but the differences in characterization are interesting. I think I may prefer manga Shinji to anime Shinji. Oh, God, am I going to become one of those “Uhm, well, actually, in the manga...” people!?
The artwork is awesome here. Makes me pity the printer that had to go through so much black ink. Unit-03 hits harder in this than the show.

[litsioydaki]

Ένα πράγμα για το ευαγγέλιον, θα ξεγυμνώσει τους χαρακτήρες του συναισθηματικά με τον πιο συγκλονιστικό τρόπο. Έχω δει 3 φορές τη σειρά, την ταινία και τα rebuilds αμέτρητες φορές, και τώρα διαβάζω και τα μάνγκα. Είμαι gagged με το ότι οι χαρακτήρες σε όλες τους τις εκδοχές είναι πρακτικά ίδιοι με ελάχιστες διαφορές, κι όμως καθε φορά το συναισθηματικο τους φάσμα αλλάζει. Έχω φάει τα νιάτα μου σε αυτό το franchise και συνεχώς εκπλήσσομαι από την ικανότητα του Anno να με διαλύει ψυχικά, γιατί σε κάθε νέα εκδοχή νιώθω μια αποξένωση, ότι ε καλά τι έκαναν πάλι για το cash grab. Κι όμως εκεί περίπου στο 4th child κάτι βάζουν και με ξαναπιάνουν τα κλάματα για όλα μαζί. Feliz Jueves

[Eme M]

I was going to hesitate rating this 5 stars because of the slower-paced volume 5 in the center of this 3-in-1, but it is bookended by two of the best volumes of manga I’ve ever read. Volume 6 is an utter masterpiece (though an extremely emotional and difficult read). The depth of emotion through the page was far deeper than I felt watching the animation and I was simply stunned upon finishing it.

[Whitham Pickup]

I’d argue volumes 4-6 showcase NGE’s emotional range very well. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I cried while reading a manga, but I can confidently say the end of volume 6 got me. I particularly enjoyed the writing around Hikari and Kaji. Hikari is explored far more in this set of volumes compared to the anime, and her arc is really tragic.

[Evan]

Somehow more depressing than the TV show, and (like the Rebuild movies) just different enough to be annoying. A bit of a drag by the end, although that may be just a me problem as I've watching the anime a few times at this point. Great artwork!

[Jonathan Khan]

Loving this series!

[Matt]

Excellent manga telling of the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime. As previously stated in my Volume 1 review, it's great to savor the story.

[cheer]

There's a minor plot change from the anime in this volume, and I think it improves the emotional impact of the story as a whole. That's all I can say without spoiling anything.

[Nate Hermann]

Too much lust in my Christian manga

[m]

wow sometimes i forget how absolutely horrible and unforgiving this series is. then it reminds me!

[Jade-Lily]

killing off kids left right and center

[Spos]

still life changing

[Tye]

WHAT THE FARK

[Milan]

I prefer the series counterpart of these events, but overall it's great.

[Aidan]

The way this is exploring parts that were so glossed over in the anime while still hitting all the important notes is spectacular! the art is funny and horrific at times! absolutely amazing.

[Maddi :)]

Tonight deserved better :(

[Brennen Alm]

Poor Shinji :(

[Charlie Benjamin Matthews]

All I have to say is, HELL YEAH!

[Karah Hammond]

You know it’s about to get good when Asuka and Kaji arrive. Toji 😭💔