Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 9: tell me, I pray thee, thy name

新世紀エヴァンゲリオン [Shin Seiki Evangelion] #9

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, Seinen, Fiction, Comics Manga

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 3, 2004

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

[Yukino · Rating 5 out of 5]

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION n. 9

Okay basta, ma si può far finire un volume in questo modo? NOOOOOOOO
Finalmente arriva il fifth children,ma che cosa nasconde? E' ufficiale: io lo odio! e che vuol dire che lui e Rei sono uguali? e Rei? tenerissima e gelosa ^^ di Asuka..che..ç_ç Asuka ti prego riprenditi! Non puoi non puoi non puoi >_< Shinji per cortesia tiara fuori quello che devi tirare fuori. Non puoi farti mettere i piedi in testa così!
Questo manga mi ammazza ç_ç

[Nərmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't see the appeal of Kaworu Nagisa. In the anime, Kaworu &Shinji relationship was forced and fake. Here at least, Shinji doesn't jump on the opportunity to befriend him.
Asuka's past was so sad. It sort of explains her current personality. I wish she got better soon.
Another note: Asuka is as whiny as Shinji is, so I wouldn't really blame Shinji for being like this. Well they are still children. The best character in this manga is Misato in my opinion.

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

Okay, I thought I was hallucinating when I was seeing arrows highlighting the distance or invasion of personal space... I screamed bl immediately! But quoting the book extras for The Mysterious Stanger namely Kaworu Nagisa, a.k.a. the character behind the phrased title: tell me, I pray thee, thy name—I knew it!! It's oozing with romantic tones. I ship!! Also, the bathroom scene is making me breathless! It was a completely different atmosphere from when Shinji was with either the two female children. Note the arrows!! How can I not ship?!

Kaworu Nagisa made quite an impression on the fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion... That's what being an angel will do for you, especially when you made the most of your thirteen minutes on earth by having a whirlwind romance with the main character that ends in a lover's quarrel...

Kaworu Nagisa or Tabris (as his angel name) is the last of the angels kept by the SEELE, as Adam is the first of the angels kept underneath the NERV facility. Since the truth is exposed (by Kaji) about Marduk as a non-existent organization in search of compatible teens for Evangelion units is only a façade of NERV, the SEELE dropped in Tabris as a 14-year-old kid devoid of emotions like Rei Ayanami, to be the fifth child for Evangelion Unit 02 (the NERV couldn't argue.)

Kaworu has his own hidden agenda carried for SEELE which is to watch over the third child: Shinji Ikari. Kaworu was immediately exchanged after Asuka Soryu's psyche was damaged, ravaged, and assaulted by another angel (poor girl and her tragic back story. Her current situation is almost parallel to what happened to her mother...) With this, NERV Commander Ikari was forced to release the Spear of Longinus to eradicate the said villain. On the first angel attack, with Kaworu piloting Unit 02, Rei's robot was compromised by an encroachment-type angel. Now, what is to come in Kaworu's entry into the puzzle picture? And what kind of tragedy awaits Rei? (They're seriously wiping them off... each every new volume, I'm furious and anxious here, chewing my own nail.)

Also, Kaworu isn't a psychopath or whatnot. He's a doll like Rei... He is an angel (therefore, a villain? I guess) devoid of emotions and empathy, and only has transparent logic. Okay, that sounds like a psycho, but hey, he isn't human. But it's only about time... his perspective's gonna change... right?

They're strange humans. They're so curious for the state of things outside themselves. They get maddened and flustered... angry and frantic for the sake of others. They brood and they worry over them.

Also, yea, I had a hard time starting this one. Kaji's death is still fresh to me... and then Asuka was attacked just like that. I only have one soul okay, I can't mourn for myself if I die of a heart attack.

[Gebanuzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un nuevo personaje, Kaworu. La historia de Asuka, ahora entiendo más sobre ella, y su molesta forma de ser. Aunque siento algo más de transfondo en los backgrounds de los personajes, acciones o momentos de la serie se me pasan algo banales, pero va bien.

[Grace Arango · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right... so Kaworu is a psycho.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simplemente este volumen es increíble, ya que en este nuevo tomo nos presentan a un nuevo personaje que me intriga mucho su doble personalidad y espero que en los siguientes volumenes se explore mas su historia.

La historia de Asuka me dio mucha pena ahora entiendo porque es como es, me dio mucha cosa lo que le pasa, pero me gusto ver su pasado ya que por fin pude comprenderla mas.

Este volumen sigue lleno de intrigas y secretos es una historia que va mejorando con cada volumen.

[jonina · Rating 4 out of 5]

shinji toward kaworu in the anime: 😳🥰🙈💖💦

shinji toward kaworu in the manga: 🤬👹🗡🔫🖕

[Arnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pēc oficiālās versijas pirms 15 gadiem, īsi pēc tūkstošgades mijas, Zemi ne tikai skar, bet tajā ietriecas ne pārāk liels meteorīts, bet ar gana lielu ātrumu, lai tā postošais spēks un pēcāk sekojošās kataklizmas laupītu dzīvību vairākiem miljardiem cilvēku. Bet draudi Zemei un tās iemītniekiem ar to vien nebeidzas, pēcāk uzrodas ironiskā kārtā par Enģeļiem sauktas dīvainas tehnoloģijas un bioloģijas kombinācijas būtnes. Vienīgais glābiņš šķiet rasts faktā, ka šie Eņģeļi, lai kādi būtu to mērķi, neizmanto situāciju, lai tos realizētu.

https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...

[Pflanzis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das fünfte Kind stößt zum Team. Asukas Kampf gegen den 10. Engel hat wieder einiges ins Rollen gebracht. Am meisten gefiel mir allerdings die Szene an der Schule, als Kensuke und Hikari Shinji wiedersehen. 😢

[Alvina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaworu!!!! The kitten!!! WHY???

[Eressea · Rating 5 out of 5]

20250117 6th read
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20200526 5th read
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20200509 購入KOBO版
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4th 20190125
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3rd 20180221
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2nd 20170108
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1st 2008 12 05

[Gustavo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Al día de hoy no entiendo por qué había una legión de fans de Kaworu Nagisa/Tabris, siempre se me hizo un personaje insoportable, y en el animé no tenía sentido del todo que se hiciera amigo de Shinji o al menos no se exploraba mucho la razón. En esta versión al menos Shinji reacciona de una manera más natural con respecto a el, creo que se mantiene más fiel a su personalidad.

La historia de Asuka es excelente, realmente creo que entender sus razones la hacen una persona mucho más real.

A esta parte del manga no la leí tantas veces como a los primeros tomos asi que es medio como leerla por primera vez, no me acuerdo de casi nada. vamos a ver como sigue.

[Leylamaría]

“Still, humans are curious creatures. They get angry, flustered, desperate, and even consumed, over other humans. I do not tire of watching it, though.”

[oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh god, poor asuka :(

[Met · Rating 4 out of 5]

Che altro dire se non spettacolare? Però Sadamoto inizia a soffrire un po’ nel lavoro… e si vede nelle tavole.

[MajesticalLion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kowaru

[Camilaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

Lo retome (no lo abandone, solo leí otras cosas) luego de un tiempo, y que buen regreso.

[Yazmin S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaworu, hijo de perra te amo.

[Executionereniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now that was truly unnecessary and distasteful. 😿

[Katie Boe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooooooo much better than the anime 😭😭😭😭

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

kocham kaworu, ale ten kotek...

[R.J. Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,7⭐️

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

{2nd readthrough}

The Story: I love this volume. Always have. Kaworu is formally introduced, to whom Shinji immediately compares to Rei. Asuka goes crazy. The Second Impact is confirmed not to have been caused by contact between Adam and the Evas. The positron rifles have no effect in outer space like they did with the third Angel Shinji destroyed. We're fucked, and things are getting weird. The arc for volume seven felt self-contained, sure, but it wasn't as buttoned up as the previous had been, leaving us with Shinji's consciousness floating around the LCL. Eight was an odd bird with a bunch of backstory and no Angel to fight. And from the moment Misato eyes Angel Armisael from her car (pg. 148) on the last page of this book's penultimate stage, you know nine is straight-up ending on it's biggest cliffhanger the series has seen so far. I'm signing off with a Kaworu quote just before the quotes section, because there were way too many goodies to pick from this round: "Well... things are getting interesting." (pg. 69) Yup. Still one of my favorites!

Quote appreciation!

1) The Eva won't move unless you open your heart to it. - Kaworu, pg. 43

2) We can't turn the clock back... but we can make the hands move faster. - Gendo, pg. 110

3) And once the plan is executed... it is from that which we shall all be free. - Kiel, speaking on the emotional state of humans, pg. 131

Art appreciation!

1) There are many awe-inspiring panels of the celestial Angel Arael, first seen on pg. 52. Maybe it was this fantastical creature that got Sadamoto a little playful with Asuka; note an extremely, long-haired variation of her (directly opposite aforementioned first sighting of Arael) on the cover of Stage 59: Pride. In any case, it's graceful design, complete with wingspan, while glowing, hovering in the atmosphere, projects the closest image I think of out of all the Angels to an actual, Biblical one. We also get to see it eat a face full of spear and turn into stardust, on pgs. 117-118, which is just hella bonkers cool.

2) Evas in the rain. What's not to like? They're moody looking. They're cool. Unit-02 gazing up through the storm-soaked clouds on pg. 63; Unit-00 holding the Spear of Longinus like a badass, ready for an Olympian portrait on pgs. 111-112. Aw, yeah. BONUS: Not to be outdone by that Olympian bit, catch Unit-02 with a buzzsaw on pgs. 165-166.

3) The fanservice alert we've all been waiting for: pg. 142, panel 1. What do you think's going on here? Docking? Frotting? Jk, jk. But hey, at least it's not Misato's ass or Asuka's panties for a change.

Moment appreciation!

1) Kaworu's introduction. After Shinji comforts a kitten on the brink, he follows the sound of "Ode to Joy" until he stumbles on some church ruins. A boy bathed in light sits at a miraculously untouched grand piano. He seems rather friendly, despite being a complete stranger. Things quickly sour when he kills the kitten Shinji leaves behind. "He'd slowly starve to death on his own. And if that's all there is-what I do is kinder." Oof. He may not be wrong, but the boy ain't right. (pgs. 16-28)

2) "I'm glad he left. [...] Even... even if Ikari-kun was with us again... it wouldn't be like before. We wouldn't be like friends anymore," Hikari says to Kensuke, with sadness in her eyes. This book shows our beloved castmates fraught with isolation. And the worst part about this particular case of it is that all the students, not just the few Shinji is acquainted with, and not just the dwindling amount seen in the classroom this chapter, are connected by an invisible thread; they're all qualified Eva pilots. (pgs. 33-34)

3) From the opening pg. 8, chibi Asuka had my heart. Asuka's invasion by Angel Arael is the train wreck you can't look away from. We finally get an (uninvited) peek into the Second Child's soul. Desperate to prove herself, Asuka charged into battle, and even after understanding her defeated position declared she'd rather die than retreat. She always had to be the best, because being perfect meant she might be loved. Ugh, chibi Asuka breaks my heart. (pgs. 90-100)

The Extras: My last Action Edition is a 1st ptg., dated Oct '04. Auf wiedersehen. The bios are surprisingly up-to-date again, but there is a minor spoiler in Kaworu's, revealing he's the last Angel. Boo.

We've introduced honorifics at this late stage, why? See: "Shinji-kun," pg. 15 and "Asuka-chan," pg. 91, for examples. I suppose it's never too late to course correct, but I wonder if it isn't moot with less than half the series to go. In formatting woes, there's a lowercase "t" on Misato's nose on pg. 15, panel 2. It sticks out like the sore "i" from last volume, though it's not a hypothesis this time; I know this is definitely an error. There's a period running out of Ritsuko's speech balloon on pg. 39, panel 4. It's not as gross as it sounds, but it's making my OCD itch. And what do we have here? Another continuity error involving Rei? When she is about to throw the spear, it's fork winds up tightly (pg. 113, panel 6), but in panel 2 of pg. 114 it looks to be unwound as it was before.

For further reading, editor Carl Gustav Horn (not sure why I always feel the need to say all three names) recommends the posthumous work of Mark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Among the comparisons between its main character, Satan (not to be confused with the devil himself), and Kaworu, he points out another advantage the manga version has over his anime counterpart: more time, more involvement. Also, hats off to Sadamoto (the car-lovin', womanizin', mangaka-bein' mofo he his) for introducing another chance at humor for the series with this character. The best bit by far this volume was the "hefty" comment he made at Rei on pg. 134. I gagged. The editor took stock of it in this special, too. *insert crying laughter emojis* Will the GoodReads librarians ever allow those, you think? Doubt it.

Aaah! There are ads for Wolf's Rain in the back! I used to have those volumes, and I miss them! Exclamation points!!!

Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. - Genesis 32:29, KJV (Thanks, Biblehub.com.) A lot of the verses used come from this book and contain the same numbers, but in varied positions...

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kaworu

He’s a psychopath. His weird vibes freak everyone out. He straight up kills a kitten Shinji had with him when they first met. Who is this guy?

[Angel Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

The return of the King!

[trix · Rating 5 out of 5]

KAWORU 👹👹👹👹

[Jimmyjamjamesjayy · Rating 5 out of 5]

getting pretty interesting!!!!

second read: i have no clue whats happening LOL

[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!

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

En este nuevo volumen se realiza un proceso de transición entre el próximo destino de los protagonistas, y para eso, deben pasar por distintos procesos personales, en especial Asuka y Shinji. Y bueno, como en todo proceso de aprendizaje aparecen distintos personajes que ayudan para avanzar en esto. Es por eso que viene la introducción de Kaworu Nagisa, el quinto niño.
El choque de personalidades entre Kaworu y nuestros dos protagonistas es evidente. Por ejemplo cuando Shinji tomo ese gato, no sólo es tomar un animal para brindarle amor (o quizá al revés, para sentirse amado), sino sentir que la vida todavía existe. Pero para Kaworu es una falsa realidad, en el momento que ellos partan de allí, ese gato morirá, porque no tendrá quién le de comida, por lo que decide matarlo inmediatamente. Esta escena es cruel, fría y calculadora, pero a la vez Shinji entendió un poco más la realidad, aunque sea difícil de convivir con ella.
Kaworu también le llama la atención como se comportan los humanos, no entiende porque Shinji tiene tantos problemas de relacionarse con él o así mismo Asuka cuando lo ve a él. Pero claro, él es diferente, nos dejan ciertas insinuaciones cuando nos hacen entender que él es como Rei, y son personas con bases humanas, pero con un alma diferente.
La trama avanza, poco a poco, pero termina siendo más un puente para el camino que quiere trazarse.

[isaac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly I would call this the first miss in the manga…

Up to this point, the manga has been usually at least on par with the anime, in fact it’s even done some character moments BETTER. But sadly I can’t say the same with what’s on offer here.

The Asuka stuff here is clearly the focus of this volume, but I’m surprised they didn’t go deeper. Instead what could have been a really interesting character analysis was wasted with a couple page backstory.

But what really bothered me was Kaworu’s characterisation. In all other Evangelion media, Kaworu’s relationship with Shinji is one of the most fascinating to me, but here I just simply don’t care about anything going on with him.

Honestly though, both of these problems may be looked on in a better light later on if future volumes build on them. But as of rn, this was really disappointing, especially considering the insane run and momentum from the last few volumes.

I’ll admit, 2 stars feels a bit harsh. In reality it’s probably closer to 2.5. But I just really didn’t get much out of this one unfortunately.