you really think so?
Happy holidays to ye gentle readers! Vaguely Christmas-type post on Avemarian (character profiles in Japanese and OP download via this link), a parody of the classic, over-commercialised Evangelion and a favourite yuri series, Maria-sama ga miteru (MariMite) by M3 Animation Box. At first I thought this was just a very high quality AMV but it appears that they are planning a full-length feature at least! The basic concept is importing the MariMite characters and hierachy into the Evangelion universe as well as fusing some MariMite concepts with Evangelion plot devices. Continue reading ‘Shingakki Avemarian’
Three layers to this post. First, some Bakuretsu Tenshi (Burst Angel) screencaps and a plug for a yuri AMV site. Second, a call for Rei clone candidates and definitional questions. Third, an assertion that more yuri can save many a lousy anime series. Continue reading ‘Attack of the Rei Clones’
Continued from Vol.1, the Giant of Light appears so we can probably assume that there wasn’t any Second Impact. Apparently in Fumino’s happy happy interpretation of Eva, the rest of the world, like the characters, was spared a screwing over as well. Anyhow, the appearance of Adam, the first Angel, is hardly going to get in the way of the teenage classroom romances of the cast.
Hikari and Asuka exchange notes on getting their respective thickheaded objects of affection to realise their feelings and reciprocate (goddamit!), eventually wondering if they have to fess up first. In the meantime, Kaoru confronts Rei about her feelings for Shinji and makes it clear that he is not happy. When Rei demands to know he is friend or foe, he replies that he is a friend of Shinji’s. Latterly Shinji’s declaration of friendship to Kaoru after they make music (Shinji on cello and Kaoru on violin) also touches the latter.
There is a pretty big hint that Rei has been some kind of test subject from the time she was a toddler, lending credence to the canon depiction of her as a clone but there is no indication of what she is a clone of. Certainly not Yui I hope. She recalls the mother figure researcher who encourages her to be independent and to have the strength to pick herself up from a fall and not to need to rely on others. But back in the present, assistance is exactly what Shinji offers her and it comes with all his kindness and concern which invariably touches her heart and makes her realise how lonely she is.
Just before the Third Angel finally makes its appearance, there’s a hilarous scene where Kaoru and Rei tustle over Shinji while they make their way to the Geofront. Kaoru puts with his hand on Shinji’s right shoulder in a rather possessive way, provoking Rei to retaliate by pulling on Shinji’s left arm. The Children are shown the Evangelion robots for the first time and they’re shocked that this is what the plug tests have been preparing them for. There is considerable argument over who will pilot the first two robots. Rei readily volunteers as does Kaoru but the latter is rejected for some bs technical reason from Ritsuko, reflecting their suspicion that he might actually be the enemy. Shinji actually steps forward to help Rei who doesn’t seem to value her own life, much to Asuka’s anxiety as she worries for his safety.
In the course of the battle, Rei is hurt and giving the artist a chance to draw her with those sexy bandages. Shinji comes to the rescue and destroys the Angel, thus saving Rei but he’s terribly upset that he had to kill. Well, it does make it a bit better that Asuka is there for him. Even though she doesn’t really know what to say, at least she’s not the spiteful competitive little twat in the original series.
The story progresses with more canon Evangelion elements entering but we see how the differently predicated characters react and behave considerably at variance with the original series. Circumstance and context really are everything. The main thrust of this manga, the romance angle, doesn’t really progress much in this volume but hopefully the “new” elements of the Angels have been sufficiently developed to allow the romance to proceed in the next volume.
Fumino Hayashi’s Neon Genesis Evangelion the Iron Maiden 2nd (Tokyo: Asuka Comics, 2004-07-31, Jp language manga) is set in the alternative universe (which Stripey calls the “bread” universe in homage to the piece of toast that Rei is biting on as she collides into Shinji) imagined by Shinji in Ep 25 of the anime series and is completely different from Yoshiyuki Sadamoto’s more nuanced re-telling of the original. A doujinshi carried by a major publisher, if you will.
In this universe, Asuka is Shinji’s childhood friend who comes to wake him every morning. Shinji’s mom, Yui, is still alive as are Asuka’s parents. On a typical morning, Shinji literally runs into Rei who then turns out to be a new transfer student in Shinji and Asuka’s class with Misato as their homeroom teacher and Ritsuko as the school doctor. Touji, Kensuke and Hikari reprise their familiar supporting roles. Kaoru Nagisa is also a classmate and is rather interested in Shinji, to the point that Asuka, who fancies Shinji, feels a tad threatened.
Rei quickly puts the initial bad blood with Shinji behind her and attempts to befriend him. It’s quite clear that she doesn’t have parents and is lonely. And the six Children go off to do their Eva plug testing together. So yes, there are still giant robots but no tragic backstory and no Angels in this volume. Gendou is still an arsehole and creates angst for Shinji by hardly acknowledging his presence. Well, it’s nice to know some things don’t change.
In his honest, sincere and bumbling way, Shinji does small, kind things for Rei which touches her heart. This is how otherwise useless guys (like Bakayuki of Kiminozo) get cute (but seriously disturbed) girls. Asuka gets jealous and so hilarity ensues. But she also shows her righteous side. When some faceless female classmates covertly bully the blue-haired, red-eyed new comer who won’t try to fit in (e.g. she continues to wear the uniform from her previous school) by stealing her bad and trying to burn her stuff in the school incinerator, Asuka intervenes and goes through much trouble (and soot) to recover Rei’s possessions. A strange sort of friendship is thus formed (which the cover depicts well) but is immediately tested when Rei confides in Asuka that she is growing very fond of Shinji.
On the whole, this depiction of Evangelion did not disconcert me as much as I thought it would given how an angsty, pseudo-Christian, big robot and whiny protagonist anime was effortlessly converted into a rather happy, school-based boy-girl relationship manga (which also makes the Jp lang text easier to cope with). Having the bread universe in the original anime helped somewhat but I suspect it pandered well to my own desire for wish fulfillment - I grew to love the characters of the series and was quite appalled at how they were treated in the end. Out of unsatisfying endings comes fan fiction - ugh, that last thought just brought out the terror in me that this happy manga might warp into something akin to Jim Lazar’s The Garden of EVA.
I liked the art which was very expressive and enjoyed the light, fluffy story. Given what we know of the characters in the anime and given the new assumptions and parameters (mom still alive, everyone is less screwed up), it’s almost plausible. The antics of the Children, particularly the Shinji-Asuka-Rei threesome trio, persuaded me to get the other three volumes. Notes on Vol.2 soon!
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