Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 8

新世紀エヴァンゲリオン [Shin Seiki Evangelion] #8

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. As a disembodied Shinji drifts in visions, merged with the esoteric fluids of the Evangelion, his father's long-serving lieutenant, Fuyutsuki, is kidnapped for interrogation by SEELE-in German, the "Soul"-the council of superiors whom NERV has been double-crossing for some time now...One of the founding members of Gainax, Japan's most progressive anime studio, Evangelion's Yoshiyuki Sadamoto was also the character designer for their recent Adult Swim smash FLCL. EVA Vol. 8 contains a Japanese sound FX glossary plus a special bonus guide to help U.S. fans discover the best of the many import books available on Evangelion

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

177 pages, Paperback

First published December 9, 2002

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

[aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

The relationships in this story are definitely… something.

[Nərmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked Kaji a lot.. and he died :(
Misato& Kaji love is irreplaceable. I'll always love their relationship.

So the Eva 01 is actually Shinji's mother dissolved in ? Oh, makes sense. ..and I am glad explanations were better here than in anime. We got a bit history lessons too. Good to know more background information.

*sigh * It has been such a long time I read a really good manga. It seems it is going to be one of my favorites!

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

Two down. Why are they neutralizing, one by one, all my favorite characters? (First, Toji. Now, Kaji!)

You can come to me if you want, you know. Is it that you can't move? Or is it that where you really want to go... isn't where I am? There's another sea, you know. Away from me. A place of all beginnings.

At first, I found it strange that Rei Ayanami is a visual likeness of Yui Ikari (Shinji's mother.) And then, I realized something when Commander Ikari held her face in his hand and I just went wtf. That explains his odd attraction to her, and that explains why she keeps his broken glass (the old one he used to wear when Yui is still alive.) And the fact that Dr. Ritsuko keeps Rei's body in frequent check-ups. And how she called her a doll and commented on how she's slowly regaining emotions (like an awakening.) Also, note the spare Rei dummy that Commander Ikari prepared in the previous volume.

But the strangest thing is this:

Ritsuko after strangling Rei: What did I just do? It's exactly... what she did. Referring to her mother, whom Commander Ikari had killed in the past or as the hints told... I need answers!!

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apesar de que es un volumen donde no hay tanta acción me ha fascinado de principio a fin.

En este tomo conocemos más sobre la historia de Gendo, Yui y del equipo detras de los Eva.

Este tomo es una buena pausa en la acción de la historia, así podemos conocer mas sobre las motivaciones de los personajes y sobre todo nos revelan información de como se fundo Nerv.

[Gandalf z Łodzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

No nie dam rady .... Asuka weź się opanuj albo się już zamknij xD

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been away too long from this series. Unlike the anime, this manga version seems to give a more sympathetic view of Asuka, which for me makes it exponentially more enjoyable. The revelations in this volume begin to give insight into the duality of Gendo as well as the finality of Kaji. Also the revelations of Yui's life are both tragic and confounding. We learn more about the truth of the Second Impact as well as the genesis of the EVA units, NERV and SEELE. And finally the beginning of the awakening of Rei Ayanami. This volume really does feel like the turning point in the story where disparate threads begin to come together to tell a complex and fantastic story. Excited to see how the rest of the story is laid out in the following volumes.

As an added note, I love the FX glossary in the back of the book. My grasp of the kana is rusty at best, so this was a very helpful tool to understand phonetically what was being said as well as what sound it was trying to emulate.

[Razor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars
in my inaugural encounter the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime, I was captivated. its very essence radiated an eerie, uncanny enigma. the deliberate use of hushed sequences, the ambient resonance of grasshopper calls, the contemplative visuals of narrative vistas and the emotional labyrinth that is Shinji were all accentuated within the animated canvas. consequently, as i began my journey with the manga, I anticipated something similar. the video analyses and discussions of Neon Genesis Evangelion were always something that diluted the intent of the series for me. the anime was deliberately ambiguous as one of its themes. it shows you the uncanny, eerie and terrifying without verbal elucidation. much to my surprise, the videos I mentioned previously were all inspired by the manga. the surges into the intricate narrative, although very similar the aforementioned videos, my dislike of them were not permeated in the manga. while it contextualizes myriads of facts, it never gifts the reader with the complacency of total understanding and ironically, through this act, the aura of enigma develops. depending on how this goes in future volumes, I can see it surpassing the anime.

[Arnis · Rating 3 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...

[Grace Arango · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my goodness the anime and manga are diverging more and more and there's so much thrill to this reading experience

[Leylamaría]

“Who am I? I’ve never understood myself.”

—

The manga IS more off the rails then the show also REI!!!!!!!!!!!!

[oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

i cried while reading this 😔

[MajesticalLion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is taken up mostly by flashbacks, and they're really good. I'm far more invested into these characters than I was previously. I'm really enjoying it. Also the Kaji stuff happened WAY earlier than in the show, and his stuff with Misato was one of my biggest gripes about the anime, and it's not present. I just keep winning.

[Gustavo · Rating 4 out of 5]

En este tomo conocemos más sobre la historia de Gendo, Yui y el equipo detrás de los Evas, es una buena pausa en la acción para conocer más sobre las motivaciones de los personajes, con un montón de información que en el anime no se muestra.

[Pflanzis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieser Band war wieder super interessant und spannend: Reis langsame Veränderung, Misato und Kaji, Shinjis Erfahrungen im Eva, die Zusammenhänge zwischen Seele, Gehirn und Nerv und nicht zuletzt die Origin Story von Yui, Gendo und Fuyutsuki.

[Azori Blomkvist · Rating 4 out of 5]

El dolor 😭😭😭

[Hal Incandenza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scene da piangere forever e complotti che manco la CIA ❤️

[k1tzzkah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Шкода Кадзі, проте нічого іншого й не могло бути… Цікаво було глянути на минуле, а саме створення як такої організації NERV. Також досить захоплююче було спостерігати за станом Сіндзі у капсулі Єви.

[Δανάη Ιμπραχήμ · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don't have mommy/daddy issues what are you even doing here?

[Juuso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually enjoyed this volume more than I thought I would. It has been some time since I read the 7th volume, so I have pretty much forgot most things. This volume still suprised me and the art is wonderful!!

[Antjehellsing Gomei · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a very beautiful story with a lot of plot.

[Alexander Pyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another strong entry, especially as we get a lot of resolution from the previous volume and more questions, although more answers as well.

Really love the play between Shenjj's Mom and Rei here.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

{2nd readthrough}`

The Story: It's fitting that this new half of the manga shares the spotlight with some of the underdeveloped background characters. Fuyutsuki, for example, has felt pretty mysterious up 'til this point. It really took him a long time to emerge, more time than even Gendo, the man who hides in broad daylight. Yui, Naoko, Makoto and even Ritsuko have more definition by the time we're done. This volume takes some time to explore the groundwork of the Instrumentality Project, visited in flashbacks. Paraphrasing pg. 131: Gehirn (German for "brain") has become Nerv (German spelling for "nerve") - the branch by which the soul (Seele) reaches out to grasp. There's a lot less Eva action, but there's more human drama. In its late stages, we hear by word of mouth via intel that mass-production of Eva units are being kept under wraps. It's not my favorite volume, but it's an important one and still a solid 5-stars and the first to draw tears from me this readthrough.

Sidenote: After learning of the courting of Kunihiko Ikuhara, Sailor Moon's director, to work on Eva, the possible reasons behind Rei and Naoko's names and now a pair of black and white cat figurines as a reference to Luna and Artemis (as seen on pgs. 162-163), along with a reach of a reference I inserted below - it's clear team Gainax respected the work of BSSM. <3

Quote appreciation!

1) If he has the will to live... he can make a heaven wherever he is. - Yui, pg. 64; The idea of making heaven a place on Earth (Belinda Carlisle fans, sing it with me ♪) instead of holding out a belief for it is something that I know I've said to my mother before in my 20s. Maybe it stemmed from or was cemented by a quote like this through some subliminal messaging~

2) I brought him here, professor. [...] I want him to see... the bright future ahead for humanity. - Yui, from inside the Eva; she may have been earnest here, and she may love Shinji way more than Gendo is capable, but perhaps to an extent, she's perfect for and just as fucked up as Gendo; pg. 128

3) I can't cry forever. The situation keeps changing. Planning for a fight is my job. Time to use... the soul kiss you gave me. - Misato, (whom I just found out shares the same seiyuu as Usagi, Kotono Mitsuishi, 三石 琴乃) while holding a compact similar to Sailor Moon's Crystal Star brooch. It's obviously time to cry "Moon Prism Power Make-up!" or sing the DiC OP theme; pg. 158

Art appreciation!

1) It's a very small, almost throwaway panel, but I like that 131-1 is a link back to Jacob's Ladder, when inferring the Human Instrumentality Project.

2) PAN! We get a large sound effect over a deceptively beautiful two-page spread of Tokyo-3, with the sun trickling streams of light between the skyscrapers, instead of seeing the real-time act of Kaji being fatally shot.

3) The cover for Stage 56: Of Jealousy. A young Ritsuko without her bleach work done (though the length and styling are the exact same, grrr). It's one of those stark differences that makes you stare at it forever.

Moment appreciation!

1) Dr. Naoko Akagi and the newly Gendo Ikari (taking Yui's surname for her status) show off Gehirn's creation, a haunting prototype of Unit-00, who's group of appendages are suspended from the ceiling. "Prophecy has gotten us this far. But it's time for mankind to start writing his own." Fuyutsuki shoots Gendo (but also the reader) a troubling, inquisitive look. It's a fantastic way to close the chapter. (pgs. 114-116)

2) The beautiful GeoFront gazebo is visited once again, this time sinking our senses even further into its crystal waters. Rei does a great job of expressing foreign feelings to the best of her abilities, that she is enjoying becoming close to Shinji. Shinji gets to finally apologize for their awkward "dance" early in volume 3. And she wants to continue exploring her humanity, asking to hold his hand. (Beatles fans, sing it with me. ♪) (pgs. 122-126)

3) "Hey!" "Hey... thanks for coming, man." The last images Kaji sees are of his brother and friends calling out to him, and that last line uttered hurt unexpectedly. I found myself to be emotional wreckage afterwards. Sadamoto must have known the audience would react this way and gave us a hug from Pen-Pen on the next page. I felt Kaji's importance much more presently this time around. He will be missed. (pgs. 145-146)

The Extras: Woah. My (second Viz Media) copy is a third ptg, Nov. '06. Here's what I don't understand about the oddball balloon formatting from last book, because Sadamoto's whole memoir is written sideways in this one. At this point I have to chalk it up to inconsistent decision-making. Was it because the memoir written sideways in the Japanese version? I noticed an odd font in pg. 34's 2nd panel. An isolated, lowercase i always sticks out like a sore thumb. Again, was this intentional? It never shows up anywhere else, but it's in the bizarre Eva-scape, so I have to wonder. Also in my copy, pg. 90 has some ink ribbing in the first panel that almost blocks out Gendo's name. Good riddance, I know, but I'm always curious if these details are of significance or are just accidents.

The restructured to one, concise page glossary does a better job of explaining that, case-by-case, sometimes just saying what sound is of is the better option, rather than pulling their editor hair out trying to imitate it.

There's a really cool bonus guide on imports for further reading that includes specs like ISBNs, measurements, advice on ordering (which I wish I would have paid attention to back in the day) and a transparency on the Japanese / English ratio quantified among them. Eight books to celebrate the eighth volume of manga and its return to US shores. What was the reason for the absence, now? I know this volume kicked off the new printings (and explains why the previous volumes' bios sourced this book for profile pictures), but were there licensing issues? (This forward also made me look up a Read or Die reference, the character of Yomiko Readman.) In any case, all of the titles sound fascinating. The first, and taking up the most descriptive real estate, is 2015: The Last Year of Ryohji Kaji. I can't help but think this was a thematic choice, especially considering its limited issue availability, but I live for nuggets like this. AndIalsolovethemessooo. The role-playing game, appropriately named Neon Genesis Evangelion RPG introduces a new pilot from America name Maria (hmmm) and also continues the tradition of using ships as the naming convention. The glorious 変態 (hentai) master Toshihiro Ono (of "obscure" fame, nyak nyak) has some involvement in Yon-Kama Zenshuu, and the topic got me wanting to experience Gainax's Ebichu Minds the House. At first, I was playing along with the editor's joking involvement in what would otherwise be essays about essays until, in E-Mono, Carl seems to make a gay joke about Shinji dropping the soap. I might have jumped the gun on something harmless, however, as the next page solicits the June Reader's Zankoku-na Tenshi no These. The June magazine, a bi-monthly magazine of nearly 35 years, until 2012, specialized in 少年愛 (shonen ai, lit. "boys love") and gay culture. And to contain one of Hideaki Anno's longest interviews inside it ( 30 pages), that seems quite special.

And now... a momentary hiatus with this series to get (the rest of) my birthday week's (attempt at) videogaming on. Can't help it. Eva's been a real treat for me once again.

Come now, let us make covenant, you and I. Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee. - Genesis 31:44, KJV (Thanks, Biblehub.com.)

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

En este volumen nos encontramos en primera instancia con la introspección de Shinji Ikari, volcando sus sentimientos más profundos a sus deseos más íntimos, teniendo imágenes de su familia, su padre, su madre y de sí mismo. Si bien, el volumen comienza así, no es el foco principal de éste, sino la historia pasada de cuatro personajes de NERV: Yui Ikari, Kozo Fuyutsuki, Gendo Rokubungi y Naoko Akagi.
Comenzaremos el análisis con la madre de Shinji, Yui. Vemos distintas escenas de ella con su hijo, tratando de retenerlos para que no vuelva al mundo terrenal, que se queda con ella, en ese espacio cálido donde podrá pasar con su hijo y estará a salvo de los peligros que existen a su alrededor. Ella es plenamente consciente de los distintos cambios que se enfrenta la humanidad, tanto por lo ocurrido por el primer y segundo impacto. Es debido a esto, posterior al nacimiento de su hijo, que toma una decisión importante: darle un mejor porvenir a Shinji. Pero bueno, antes de eso, nos cuenta que los primeros informes prometedores sobre los análisis de los EVA fueron realizados por ella, siendo compartidos a Kozo Fuyutsuki (su tutor en el laboratorio donde trabajaban), donde él le menciona lo interesante que es la investigación, haciendo énfasis en lo prometedora que ella es como investigadora. Aquí añaden algunas viñetas donde explican un poco la relación entre alumna y maestro, pero no queda claro si la relación es un tanto amorosa (por parte de él hacia ella) o solo el cariño de un pseudo-padre que se ha generado con la relación vertical entre ellos dos. Lo cierto, es que esto genera un gran compromiso, por acompañar a su pupila en su brillante carrera, donde nunca él le daría la espalda.
Así es como posterior a esto nos introducen a otro personaje en esta historia del pasado, Gendo, donde todavía no se llamaba Gendo Ikari, sino que todavía utilizaba su apellido. Desde un comienzo nos introducen al personaje como un impulsivo, alguien que se deja llevar por las emociones. Aun así, Yui le gusta, es alguien importante para ella, y aunque su maestro le mencione mas de alguna vez que Gendo no es la persona indicada, ella hace caso omiso a sus comentarios, e incluso él acude a la ayuda de Gendo por pedido personal de Yui. Pero bueno, varias veces en la vida están esos casos donde uno dice: “¿Cómo es posible que ella esté con él? Él sólo se aprovecha de ella, y nada más”. Personalmente, si bien creo que Gendo es un pelotudo, no se aferrada a ella por otro tema que no sea emocional. Es decir, ella está tan tremenda, tan brillante, que él es completamente inseguro, y a la vez, tiene una profunda admiración y vínculo emocional tremenda fuerte, que más adelante lo profundizaremos.
Luego de un tiempo, que ellos se casan, tienen a Shinji, y ahí es donde cambian las cosas. Existen dos temas interesantes abordar: El cambio de prioridad de una madre y el despecho de un padre por la nula atención que recibe. Respecto a la primera Yui empieza a reflexionar sobre el mundo que vivirá su hijo, y no tiene intención alguna que él sufra como podría hacerlo, por lo que decide darle una herramienta de tal manera que pueda ser dueño de su libre albedrío, y vaya que herramienta le ha dado, porque no fue nada más, ni nada menos que el mismo EVA-01. Respecto a distintas reflexiones de Yui, ella considera que Shinji debe ver cómo su madre marcará un hito en la humanidad, y le dejará a él las bases de una nueva sociedad. Pero bueno, el experimento resulto exitoso desde un punto de vista, y fallido desde otro, y aquí es donde iremos al otro tema que va relacionado con Gendo. Cuando él empieza a tener estas conversaciones con Yui sobre lo que realizará en el futuro o no, empieza a notar una cierta distancia de parte de ella con él, lo cual es natural, al fin de cuentas está con un fuerte deseo de estar con su hijo, y darle lo mejor a él. Pero Gendo, inseguro, con carencias emocionales y plena dependencia de ella, empieza a sentir celos, los cuales oculta con tal de no causar conflictos con ella. Lo malo de todo esto, es que posterior a la experimentación, él genera un tremendo rechazo con su hijo, porque al fin de cuentas él no quería a Shinji, sino a Yui.
Terminado lo anterior, introduciremos al último personaje de esta historia del pasado, Naoko. Muchas veces se empieza cuestionando a una mujer sobre su rol de madre, donde es algo esencial el cumplirlo, el estar ahí para ejercer su rol, pero ¿qué pasa con la mujer? Existen dentro de la literatura distintos libros donde tratan estos temas, donde el más conocido es Casa de muñecas. La madre cansada de la subyugante relación que lleva en su casa, decide dejar todo con tal de ser libre y vivir. ¿Eso quería Naoko? No lo sabremos, pero si sabemos de dos cosas: la primera es que mató a Rei I, llevándola posteriormente al suicidió, y segundo, la decisión de MAGI como mujer por sobre la madre. Ella tenía un fuerte amor por Gendo, pero nunca pudo concretarlo, por diferentes razones, probablemente porque Gendo estaba más preocupado en volver a encontrar con Yui que otra cosa. Por lo que no entiende, como es posible que eso sea así, siendo que la podría tener a ella, y daría lo que fuera con tal de estar con él o ayudarlo, por su amor (bastante tóxico y obsesivo por lo demás). Uno de los momentos más emblemáticos (adelantándonos bastantes capítulos del Manga) de esto es cuando Ritsuko quiere destruir todo, pero MAGI la traiciona, en especial el lado mujer de MAGI, donde al darse cuenta que moriría Gendo y su plan, no podría permitirlo. Y bueno, aquí es donde entramos a analizar la dualidad que existe en la maternidad, por una parte Yui, y por otra parte Naoko. Una por un lado quería todo por su hijo, lo que llevó finalmente a generar graves consecuencias psicológicas a su hijo. Por otro lado, la que privilegió sus sentimientos, y traicionó a su hija con tal de lograrlos. De ser así, ¿qué es lo que debemos considerar como correcto? Y más aún, ¿debemos preservar nuestra infelicidad por la felicidad de los demás? Esta pregunta es importante, porque Gendo no estaba dispuesto, Naoko tampoco, pero ¿Yui? Todo lo que hizo, ¿lo hizo por Shiji o para sentirse segura que él estará bien?
No ahondaré más con el desarrollo de los personajes, porque llega el momento más duro de expresar, porque este volumen podría haber sido solo flashback, pero no fue así, termina con el duelo de Misato y Asuja por la muerte de Kaji, quién fue asesinado luego de haber liberado a Fuyutsuki de SEELE (luego de haberlo secuestrado anteriormente). De ser así, es hermoso el momento cuando Kaji entre a la oficina de Misato, última escena que vemos de los dos, y le da un beso, y le recuerda que se podría haber sido su octavo aniversario, que nunca lo olvidaría y siempre la amaría. Pero a la vez, también sabiendo él en el fondo, que no volvería a verla, y tampoco estaría juntos, porque ahora estuvieran vivimos, ninguno de los dos podría ser feliz, por el solo hecho de no sentirse con el derecho de hacerlo.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know this will no doubt be considered a blasphemy by some, but I need to say it: I hate reading right-to-left. Maybe it's one of those signs that I'm just too old, and it's no doubt a sign of cultural insensitivity, but give me left-to-right text any day.

The problem with that, though, is that the local library had Eva volumes 1-7 in left-to-right format, but the last three parts of the story are only in the original Japanese format (but with the text, at least, still translated). As a result, my reading of these was slowed by my brain's unwillingness to read RTL, and it is possible that I didn't pick up on all of the subtle details of the story.

This was primarily a character-based volume, one that tidies up a lot of the outstanding character stuff from the earlier volumes in anticipation of the end of the series. Kind of like "Evangelion and the Half-Blood Prince", in that regard. Some good stuff, some necessary stuff, but definitely just an appetizer when I was looking for a main course.

[Jen Held · Rating 5 out of 5]

The manga, as we all know, differes greatly from the anime for a multitude of reasons that one may or may not like. But I highly recommend reading this one volume if you read no others. Volume 8 really delves into some history that is lacking the original anime. You find out aby Fuyutsuki's motivations, about Kaiji. You find out a little bit more about Gendo, Ritsuko and even Katsuragi. Things that anime glances over and only hints at. I highly recommend it if you are interested in any of these characters. : )

[Eressea · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Angel Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cover! ❤

[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!

[isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time we touched, I didn’t feel anything.

The second time it felt a little queasy I think.

The third time I felt warm inside. It was the head from your hand. Even through the suit.

But the forth time, I was just happy.

Could I… hold your hand again?

——————

They did it, they killed off one of my favourites in the series…

Though weirdly that might have been my least favourite and least impactful moment in this volume? Maybe it’s just because the anime handled his death better, but I think I find it less meaningful emotionally for me here because it doesn’t feel like a satisfying end to his character.

While it’s an interesting callback, it feels more used here to cement another character as a threat than to say anything about the person who actually died…

But maybe I’m just disappointed because I might not see much of Kaji in the manga anymore. That is genuinely really sad.

But on the bright side I LOVE the added backstory provided here. Finally after all the Evangelion media that I have consumed, I am finally even slightly interested in Fuyutsuki!

Also the Rei stuff here is still amazing. She is my favourite character overall and the manga adaptation has done nothing but cement my character placement for her. I am very happy with how her development is being handed in the manga overall.

[Amanda Lemes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comecei reclamando demais do mangá, mas tenho que admitir que as coisas estão ficando muito interessantes agora. Desde o volume 5 a história já vinha crescendo e os personagens estavam apresentando um bom desenvolvimento, mas o presente volume é com certeza o grande destaque da série (chego até a duvidar de que os próximos volumes sejam tão bons quanto este). Aqui nós não vemos muita ação como nos anteriores, até porque não tem nenhuma cena de batalha, mas temos muitas explicações sobre todo o rolê confuso dos Evangelions, sobre a criação da NERV e um background bem interessante de vários personagens (dos pais do Shinji, da Misato, do Kaji e vários outros). É realmente um volume pra que as coisas comecem a se tornar mais claras, mesmo que ainda tenha muita coisa pra gente ficar ????. Mas agora a série realmente ficou com um gostinho bom e despertou mais minha curiosidade. Além disso, o meu profundo desagrado com a Misato passou, tá muito legal ver como os personagens estão amadurecendo. E, bem, como não podia faltar, já que se trata de NGE, esse volume também dá uma dorzinha no coração, uma tristezinha. Mas também proporcionou uns calorzinhos no cuore (o que tem sido raro até aqui, haha); as cenas da Ayanami com o Shinji foram um conforto no meio de todo o caos.