Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 2 (2nd Edition): a flaming sword, which turned every way

新世紀エヴァンゲリオン [Shin Seiki Evangelion] #2

by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto

Japan's most controversial anime series is over...but not the manga version of Neon Genesis Evangelion! Series co-creator Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's personal interpretation of the Evangelion characters and story is sure to intrigue new and old fans alike. In 2015, the "Angels" have returned, and Shinji Ikari, a fourteen year-old child of the new Earth, is forced by his father Gendo--commander of the secret organization NERV--to pilot the monstrous biomechanical weapon called "Evangelion" to match the Angels' fearsome power...

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

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 1996

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

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shinji Ikari continues to adjust to piloting the Evangelion and his new living arrangements with Captain Katsuragi. Will the lack of approval from his father cause Ikari to run away from his responsibilities?

Yeah, I don't know if I'm in for the long haul on this. The Angels are a suitable foe and the Evangelion armor is pretty cool. I liked the battle quite a bit but Ikari is a little too mopey for my taste.

The art is still great. My favorite parts of this are the supporting cast. Captain Katsuragi is the most interesting character in the book and Ikari's new friends have potential. Pen-pen, the mutant penguin, kind of cuts into the seriousness of the situation.

I've got two more volumes of Neon Genesis Evangelion on the pile. I don't know that I'll continue the series after that unless Ikari has an attitude adjustment. Three out of five stars.

[Nərmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this volume: it has more characterization in it. I was expecting to hate Shinji, just because people were saying he is too whiny , but hey, he is absolutely okay. He is lonely, he wants his father's attention, he wants to be loved.. That's why he seems careless and emotionless. He is just a depressed teenager playin hero. I feel him, I was like that for some part of my life. So, go Shinji! You can do it!
And we got more information about Rei, but there remain some questions too. Hope to get some answers in next volume!

[Keiko, the manga enthusiast ♒︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever something sad or painful happens... it's like there's another me who watches it... like it's happening to someone else... thinking, “that's not me.” It's okay. I can live like that. I'll lock my heart away deeper... If I do that... I won't have to feel pain outside or inside... or the fear... I won't have to feel anything at all.”

Shinji is the exact character archetype that I look for in any shounen and seinen manga—the depressed kind that still manages to appear that they still got their shit together, but in reality, a door away to insanity. Or the kind that stands in the grey area unable to decide whether to pursue enlightenment or succumb to darkness. With that, I'm delighted to get to know Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.

Also, the couple of riots, Kensuke and Toji, are so funny. I really like them.

[Yukino · Rating 5 out of 5]

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION n. 2

Dopo mesi di attesa, è finalmente arrivato questo secondo volume che mi mancava per avere la serie completa. Ovviamente non ho resistito e l'ho letto.
Ho già avvisato che non sarei stata obiettiva, perchè questo manga a me piace parecchio. E questo volume non ha fatto altro che confermare quanto sia bello, e profondo. Il tormento, le paure di Shinjii arrivano al cuore come delle coltellate. La signorina Misato mi piace troppo, è fuori di testa, ma allo stesso tempo dolce e con gli attributi. Rei al momento è in sottofondo. Qui conosciamo i loro compagni di classe Tojii e Kensuke. Troppo simpatici.
Finale strappalacrime.
Ah mi stavo di menticando i PenPen (o Pen^2) Un mito! ahahahah

[Δανάη Ιμπραχήμ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pen Pen is the goat.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un segundo volumen con mejoras (por que había margen, obviamente). A diferencia de su apertura, se rompe en su primer tercio con esa sinergia de acción algo compulsiva y a la carrera. Veremos el día a día de Shinji, cohabitando con Misato y su peculiar mascota (un pingüino de penacho amarillo tragón y ladronzuelo), las consecuencias sociales de los combates, además de la vuelta a la rutina escolar y militar del joven predestinado a llevar los Eva; todo ello derivando en otra batalla con un Ángel. Ésta le acareará consecuencias dramáticas a altos niveles, de toma de decisiones vitales.
Como se deja entrever, por mis palabras, aquí se introduce algo de dimensión dramática y más fondo en el elenco de personajes; a parte de profundización. Igualmente, me sigue pareciendo un manga ‘raro’..tiene un qué dadaísta, pero su segundo número es más ‘coherente’ y consecuente en todos los aspectos. Ya no resulta tan brusco, pero sí continúa en cierta medida su ‘aceleración’.
En fin, una entrega con un desarrollo más pulido y congruente, que resalta el entorno y reflexiones y sentimientos de los personajes; por encima de la acción y simple batalla fácil.
Además, el dibujo está mejor acabado, es más refinado. Los robots, por el contrario, continúan siendo ‘rupestres’.
Seguramente en el tercero discurrirá por ésas dos vías argumentales: la cotidiana (con la más que probable formación de un triangulo familiar no al uso) y la de la contienda histórica entre humanos y Robots- Dioses. Particularmente, y para variar en mí, me decanto por la primera trama (rarezas que al final tiene una).
Lo dicho, todo muy singular, pero con mejora…y me acabó enganchando.

[Pflanzis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Band zwei hat mir gut gefallen, weil ich einen tieferen Einblick in Shinjis Charakter erhalten konnte. Er muss mit seiner neuen Aufgabe als Pilot klarkommen, aber gleichzeitig auch in seinem neuen Zuhause und in der Schule seinen Platz finden. Dass das überfordern kann, kann sich jeder von uns denken.

Der Reread macht mir unheimlich Spaß und ich genieße die einzelnen Panels viel mehr als beim ersten Lesedurchgang, als es mir vorranging darum ging, möglichst schnell die Geschichte aufzusaugen. Ich merke, wie ich mir Zeit lassen kann und die Zeichnungen viel mehr wertschätze.

[Wiktoria (^˵◕ω◕˵^) · Rating 4 out of 5]

{4.5}

[Ark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ngl the thing with Aida and Suzuhara is one of my favorites so I enjoyed this volume very much

[Razor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars
i am so glad to be returning to this series. i'm surprised it works so well in manga format considering how action heavy it is with the mecha fight scenes. in some ways though, it's actually more introspective. i was especially fascinated by Shinji's growing dissociation. as the story progresses and we're allowed his internal monologue, we get to witness his gradual detachment from reality and his personal desires, or lack thereof. leading him to function merely in his role as an eva pilot. furthermore, one odd difference i noticed between the anime and manga was Shinji's sensitivity to how others perceive him. in the anime, it's almost an internal conflict and a struggle for validation for him whereas in the manga, he's just shown to be indifferent and aloof. this was surprising as one of the reasons why Shinji is such a hated character in anime is his wimpy personality, but in truth, it was just an anime addition to emphasize his school-life struggles.

[Sophie Ligaya dela Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the manga Shinji so much. the author’s notes in the back of the manga explain how he’s supposed to be a shinji for a different, new audience and era, and although this story was written long ago, manga shinji definitely fits into the doomer pessimism of gen z’s lmao

good for him

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[Gustavo · Rating 4 out of 5]

En este tomo Shinji es un idiota. Todo el tomo siendo un idiota. Sin embargo por momentos se olvide y tiene actos de verdadero heroísmo. Lo único que me resulta un poco forzado en este manga son las relaciones entre los personajes. Si uno vio el animé entiende por qué los personajes se tienen cariño, pero en el manga realmente no comparten tantos momentos como para hacerse tan cercanos en tan poco tiempo, y eso queda un poco raro. Las páginas en color son hermosas <3

[MajesticalLion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shinji is one of the most compelling anime protagonists I've seen, and the same seems to be true for the manga. His numb depression makes you feel so much even if he doesn't. And that relationship is counterbalanced perfectly by Misato. Even in the anime this portion was the best part. The question is whether the manga can survive the introduction of Asuka and Kaji.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este volumen me ha intrigado demasiado, los personajes se me hacen bien complejos pero bien construidos, en este volumen me gusto mucho Misato ya que me identifique un poco con ella.

Quiero seguir leyendo los otroa volumenes

[Hal Incandenza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agganciato all’amo, completamente (part I).

[Met · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le tavole di Sadamoto sono assurde!!!

[jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

que rica que esta misato

[Damián Lima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente por donde se lo mire. Este segundo tomo del manga de Evangelion abarca más o menos lo que serían los capítulos 2 y 3 del animé. Comienza con la relación de convivencia de Shinji con Misato, su asistencia al colegio, su apatía por una tarea peligrosa que no quiere hacer y que no sabe por qué la hace. En el centro de la historia se ubica el combate con el cuarto ángel, Shamshel, en el que se ven involucrados sus compañeros de curso. Como nota curiosa, en el animé es Misato la que le ordena que haga entrar a Toji y Kensuke en el entry plug, mientras que en la versión del manga es Shinji quien toma la decisión por su cuenta, desobedeciendo las instrucciones de Misato. La batalla es una reproducción casi exacta de la ocurrida en el animé, con la cuenta regresiva para el cese de energía y la escena final donde el ángel y el Eva se quedan estáticos, el uno muerto, el otro sin energía, como si fueran parte del paisaje. Los episodios del final del volumen vuelven a centrarse en la historia personal de Shinji: su alejamiento por unos días, su encuentro con Kensuke en el bosque, su expulsión de NERV y su casi consumado retorno a su hogar previo. El final es sumamente emotivo, a la escena de la partida de Shinji en la estación de tren se añaden algunos componentes que no estaban en el animé (como la presencia de PenPen) que estrechan aun más la relación entre Shinji y Misato, esa relación que no se sabe si es de discípulo y directora, de hijo adoptivo y madre, de hermano menor y hermana mayor, pero que de alguna forma vuelven juntos a su hogar.

[lorena*.⁠⁰･ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me pongo super triste leyendo esto de verdad 😔😔 Shinji está tan atrapado en su soledad que no es libre de decidir, solo se queda allí donde lo usan (y por tanto lo quieren para) pero el solo quiere sentir que vale algo al fin...... ojalá pudiese abrazar a Shinji... y todo lo que se le sigue viniendo pobrecito mío

[Aran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again that was reeeally sweet. Misato's character is definitely different in these books but Sadamoto certainly know how to hit the emotional moments between her and Shinji.

[X · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume, Shinji makes friends with Toji and Kensuke, gets depressed because he thinks no one cares about him, and finally decides being an Eva pilot knowing Misato might sort of care about him for more than his ability to do what she wants is better than going back to live with his uncle who doesn't care about him at all.

Even though I was the same age as Shinji when I first watched Evangelion, I think reading it as an adult makes him all the more sympathetic. This is a lonely teenager whose lack of self-worth is taken advantage of by adults who kind of care about him... But not enough to protect him. And I'm not saying they're completely bad, but damn, the lack of ethics NERV justifies with "we're saving the world" seems even more disgusting when you're at an age where you identify with characters like Misato and Gendo more than the protagonists. Granted, I don't actually remember WHY NERV built the EVAs to be compatible with Shinji and Rei when they were babies at the time, so I can't condemn them for that yet. Anyway, this is a good series and I'm glad I found it at the thrift store.

[Cæcilie]

I wish I had read this in 2015.... ;)

[Gebanuzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Todo lo que se necesita en la vida es tomar decisiones. De momento, arma un lío mental contra las batallas que ello implica. Menuda vida.

[Angel Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing!

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hace poco tiempo hacía leído una reseña sobre la personalidad de Shinki, en la cual mencionaban la gran diferencia que existe entre los clásicos protagonistas de Shonen con este personaje. En Japón, el protagonista de Shonen se tiende a asemejar un héroe, a ese campeón fuerte al que ninguna adversidad le afecta, y eso justamente da el carisma necesario para sentirse tan atraído por estos protagonistas. Si bien hoy en día el Shonen ya ha sido más diversificado, en la época escrita de este manga, este género tratada de abarcar a un público masculino-adolescente, donde trataban de sentirse motivados por personajes con espíritu ardiente, diestros con las armas y rebosantes de masculinidad. He aquí la gran diferencia que hace Shinji, y por lo que probablemente ha perdurado con el transcurso del tiempo.
Shinji no trata de ser este clásico protagonista, más todavía en un género mecha (aunque después descubriremos que no es tan mecha, pero se entiende la idea), donde el protagonista de series como Macross, Gundam o Voltron son como la descripción realizada anteriormente, sino por el contrario, trata de ser imperfectamente humano. En el primer volumen nos lo presentaron, pero acá poco a poco va sacando a flote su pasado y presente, donde esta plagado de inseguridades, con un padre ausente, una madre fallecida, y unos teóricos tíos que no le dan la importancia que Shinji requiere (o cualquier persona). He aquí lo interesante, porque nos presentan a alguien inseguro emocionalmente, con distintas cargas, donde sólo busca la aceptación de su entorno. Y justamente es aquí donde parte el inicio del volumen, y donde termina: la relación con Misato. Ella le propone vivir con él, así él no se sentirá solo, y además podrán pasar tiempo juntos. Al inicio, Shinji lo encuentra extraño, pero a la vez, es justamente lo que desea, alguien que se preocupe por él. Pero, todo cambia cuando él lee unas notas de su supervisora, y siente que es solo una persona más, alguien con quien trabaja en NERV y dentro de sus funciones es cuidarlo, y nada más.
Me quiero detener en este punto, porque es interesante el proceso que tiene Shinji, como lector tú dices: ¿Cómo es posible que no le importe nada, y luego le diga a Misato “No piloteo porque realmente quiera hacerlo”, si debe salvar a toda la humanidad? Es decir, es su deber moral hacerlo, si no lo hace él, ¿quién? Pero siento que es justamente lo que nos quieren demostrar, ¿qué persona humana está realmente capacitado para tomar tal nivel de carga? Más todavía considerando el nivel de carga emocional que ya tiene Shinji. Y bueno, luego de esto, hace una rabieta en medio de una pelea, y eso casi cuesta la existencia de toda la humanidad, pero dada su determinación y su suerte, vence al ángel que vino atacar a la Tierra, donde a raíz de esto, Shinji es recriminado fuertemente por Misato y por varias personas de NERV, hasta que finalmente él toma la decisión de escapar.
¿Por qué hace esto Shinji? La respuesta es simple, él sólo busca atención, él sentirse querido por alguien, no alguien que lo quiera porque es el piloto del EVA, sino porque es Shinji. Eso lo hace tan humano.
Además, sucede (nuevamente) algo muy humano, Shinji desobedece una orden, haciendo entrar a dos compañeros sus al EVA, pero ¿por qué? Justamente por la humanidad que él tiene, si bien, él se siente frustrado por lo que pasa, no quita que le afecta lo que ocurre en su entorno, no es indiferente, lo cual no quita lo depresivo que es (y con distintas razones de por medio).
Ahí es cuando a través del volumen va teniendo distintas conversaciones, pequeñas, donde poco a poco le hacen reflexionar sobre lo que ha pasado, llegando a la conclusión que si su actual vida es exactamente la misma que la anterior, entonces para él no tiene sentido continuar la actual. Él pensó que su padre lo llamaba porque le importaba, pero no era así, y por otra parte, pensó lo mismo de Misato. Pero, aquí hace un punto de inflexión que es realmente precioso, Misato tiene una pequeña charla con unos compañeros de clases de Shinji (los mismos que entraron al EVA), y ahí es cuando ella se da cuenta que le pasaba a Shinji con una frase de Kensuke: “Parece como si fuera un niño desobedeciendo a su madre”. Efectivamente eso fue, una rabieta de Shinji para llamar la atención, porque quería el amor de una madre. Ella inmediatamente parte a buscarlo, y termina el volumen de una hermosa manera: los dos abrazados, Shinji llorando de pura tristeza y felicidad al estar ahí con ella (al mas puro final de Inside Out), y en este lugar, porque es donde se siente importante, donde siente que lo valoran, porque siente que no sólo es el piloto de un EVA, porque siente que ahí es querido.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

{2nd readthrough}

This second book makes for a double home run.

The Story: I'd forgotten how much of an enigma Rei remains for these first two volumes and how much Eva chooses to strictly foster the relationship between Shinji and Misato until the angel Ramiel arrives. It's possible that this early fleshing out is why these two become some of my favorite characters in the series. But as with Ramiel, and maybe all the angels that serve as devices to shift Shinji out of his isolation, this volume's angel, Shamshel, inadvertently propels Shinji towards friendships.

A major chord the manga strikes with me is in this volume's last stage, 'Fumbling Towards Kindness'. With the illustrative aid of resident lovable "useless, greedy bird" Pen-Pen, Misato opens up to Shinji, shaping her clinical bond with him into a familial one. I love their dynamic, and though I'd consider Misato more of a big sister than a mother figure, it feels like he is able to experience some overdue maternal nurturing from her here. Taking time to focus on teenage "normalcy" that includes domestic life, school life, bullies, friendships, rebellion, running away - Shinji is being shaded with more dimension. He longs for these simple connections, but deadens himself inside, protecting himself out of a deeply-seeded fear of pain and rejection.

The Extras: I wasn't sure about reading the glossary again, but as my eyes made a quick pass I was surprised to see that the stock information wasn't just copy/pasted from the first volume; all examples are updated to mirror volume 2. Impressed with those updates, but also the further distinction of giseigo (擬声語) versus gitaigo (擬態語), too.

Paraphrasing Sadamoto's interview: the anime is an honors student, and the manga is the flunkie. Hah! Is that why I feel like I more closely resonate with this version of Eva? There were a couple of curious nuggets he dropped, like how rock band 筋肉少女帯 (Kinniku Shōjo Tai's) theme song "Doko e demo Ikeru Kitte" (and its line "hotai de masshiro na shojo" (lit. "the white girl with bandages") [stolen from Wikipedia]) inspired the character of Rei. I'd listen, but I'm having trouble hunting down the song though. That specific line is a throaty contrast to the rest of the song, and from my own gaijin viewpoint makes sense contextually. Sadamoto also said he'd originally wanted to reframe Eva as a manga for 14 to 15 year-olds, but that under those restrictions it would just cease be Eva. The goal shifted to not only dilute the amount of info given in the anime, not just for pragmatic reasons (being essentially a one-man job, a long one at that), but to focus on what Eva would look like through Shinji's heart. And, like Hideaki with the anime, Yoshiyuki's Shinji stems from the dialogue within himself. Each Shinji is distinct in that regard.

Following this, there's some rather poetic commentary from both the Japanese voice over for Shinji, Megumi Ogata, and Angel designer Yoshitou Asari.

The problematic text formatting seems less insulting this second volume, or perhaps I was just too engrossed to notice any real errors. Exploring "book feel" from my first review, these guys have quasi-velvety matte covers that I just get a sensory kick out of rubbing my fingers across.

I know in this day in age it's equivalent to a fans YouTube opinion piece, but the editor, Carl Gustav Horn (not sure if he was the editor responsible for filling this same section of the book as last time, the one explaining the manga becoming public before the anime), curates an alternative soundtrack for Eva. Note that it's particularly for the anime, each episode number having a theme song along with substitutes for the opening and ending themes. I'm listening to the selected tracks now, but I will return to this list once I whip out my Platinum Edition DVDs and see what my thoughts are on the correlation. At the very least, though mainly a time capsule of the '90s (which is fair enough), it seems well-rounded in genre, including bands like Nirvana, A Perfect Circle, Suede, The Cardigans and The Cure (at the time of writing, I'm hearing their "Why Can't I Be You?"). It's a neat addition only because I think most professional publications would have phased this type of material out by now. We get some great supplements like translator notes and historical or cultural references, but a serious '21 English manga translation company would never print these fun music recommendations now. It's groovy. ♪

つづく

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. - Genesis 3:24, KJV (Thanks, Biblehub.com.)

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series!

After the disastrous results of a cataclysmic event known as the Second Impact, an alien species known only as Angels terrorizes the last remnants of humanity. Young children are raised in military schools and trained to combat these godlike entities by piloting giant biomechanical mechas into battle. The story revolves around the personal struggles of the members of NERV, the shady organization responsible for the creation of these mechas; most notably the cold and calculated leader Gendo Ikari and his chronically depressed son Shinji.

The surface level story of Evangelion is deceptively simple. It appears to be a straightforward apocalypse story about the last survivors of humanity fighting back against an alien race that nearly drove them to extinction, but there’s a lot of depth in the background of the plot. There’s more to the Angels than meets the eye. NERV has a disturbing number of skeletons in its closet. And the few survivors in charge of fighting against the aliens have an abundance of mental scars in desperate need of being healed lest they destroy themselves before the Angels can get to them.

I love the subtle depth of the characters. Shinji appears to be a cold and distant boy with odd tendencies that are almost sociopathic in nature, but he turns out to be an extremely sensitive and anxiety-ridden teen who suffers from a lack of parental guidance and affection. He’s not always likable, but he’s uncomfortably relatable. Asuka appears to be a bratty and spunky girl with all the confidence in the world, but she suffers from a self-destructive inferiority complex caused by past tragedies that causes her to act out in front of adults to make herself appear more mature than she really is while struggling with emotional breakdowns in her private time.

Every character has a facade they put on in front of their peers, only for it to be revealed that they’re hiding a brutal amount of unhealed trauma and emotional baggage that usually causes more damage than the main threat of the story. In fact, the main story is just a part of the background. What makes Evangelion a masterpiece in my eyes is how horrifyingly human the characters are, how painful their struggles are and how disastrous their bad choices end up being.

A very bleak, depressing and terrifying series that tackles nihilistic philosophy and twisted religious allegories in abundance, but there are faint glimmers of hope and lessons to be learned from the catastrophic mistakes made by the mentally and emotionally broken cast.

I enjoyed reading this much more as an adult than I did as a teen!

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadamoto's manga adaption of Neon Genesis Evangelion delves deeper into the characters' souls, and unlike in the anime, the spotlight is more focused on a point of view coming from the characters, mostly Shinji. Which definitely gives it a different feel, but I like it. And I've only watched the Rebuild movies anyway, which are very different and special in their own right.
I don't really know how to explain this volume. I like that, as far as character spotlight goes, it mostly focused on Shinji and Misato's relationship and living arrangements. And Shinji's classmates were in there a bit too, I also liked that. I can't really feel a lot of pity for Shinji. He sort of comes off like just a shell, but surely he's not. He's just, a used up person with no purpose and no aim, and any purpose given to him is a sham. Of course he'll be insecure. Sadly, everyone who is secure hates insecurity. Misato is a good match to be his family, because she is also insecure. And she's even admitted, she's not mature enough to have him live with her to keep surveillance of him. She just wanted a family, she took Shinji in for the same reason she took Pen-Pen in. She thought it'd be nice to have someone to come home to, someone welcoming. As for everything else, I don't know how to address it. Toji is a mature hot head, but he really cares for Shinji and as does their other classmate whose name I forgot. But Shinji seems to go through the motions in every part of his life... He needs Kaworu or Asuka to hurry up and give him some purpose <3 When they eventually appear. Although, sadly, I know they won't either. I just wish they could. Shinji seems so empty inside, yet how is he not relatable? Is he well-made? Or not? Or is he an embodiment of insecurities and emptiness but without it being entirely crippling?

[Siew Hok Rui Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This masterpiece has taken a special spot in my heart. After watching the anime, I thought how about read the novel. So I did it. Since it was soo good that it left an impact on me. I decided to go on and research about Evangelion. This leads me to discover the depressing things author Hideaki Anno had to go through. He mentioned in an interview that Evangelion is a way of expression Hideaki Anno was using to burn down his feelings of depression. I wouldn't say that Shinji Ikari is my favorite protagonist, but I can't help it but feel relatable to him. During this novel as well as the anime it almost feels like I am Shinji, I felt like I was betrayed. My feelings were betrayed. Shinji will always be the most unique protagonist I will ever see, because the protagonist is not the ideal version of himself, as if Evangelion is telling me that Shinji is the person you would never want to be. This is my review of Evangelion as a whole.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

So the first one was clearly the preliminary setup and this one we dug deeper into everything to do with the characters + Shinji's new life. And more importantly we talk about my favorite subject matter - feelings. There was still a cool robot battle, but it was more about investigating how Shinji views the world and how the world views him. I do have to say I did also enjoy the curve ball of the emperor penguin living with Misato. Even with the serious subject matter of depression there was still movements that were just downright funny. I did wonder at first about the introduction of the bully Toji and his nerdy sidekick Kensuke (it felt like it could very easily go towards the worst kinds of tropes). But truly their story unfolding as this volume went along was just great *chef's kiss.* I definitely am still obsessed and ready to take on the next volume!