Hmm, so you've actually played GoS? Heck, I wasn't even aware that there were translations of the dialogue out there...or do you know Japanese? Well, I have no way to refute your claim about it, seeing as I've never gotten ahold of the bugger, so methinks I can assume that you know what you're talking about when you mention it. When you say that it can't be reconciled with the series in terms of character development, though, do you refer to (among other things) whatever effect on Shinji that Mana might have? Obviously that sort of thing could never be completely reconciled with the TV series, seeing as the game was made a while after the anime aired, and Gainax hadn't even thought up any the stuff in the game yet...you're definitely not gonna see Mana pop up in Shinji's complementation sequence or anything like that.
Still, that really isn't my point when I refer to such items of debatable canonicity as this: what I mean is, if something more "behind the scenes" appears in a "pseudo-canon" bit of material, and doesn't conflict with anything in the anime, are we automatically to assume that it isn't compatible? The best examples I can think of offa the top of my head are two scenes from the manga: first, Kaji's death sequence (which may hint at the nature of who's "applicable" for complementation) and a short scene where we see Kaworu floating around in a cylindrical tube similar to Rei's (which might reveal something about his true nature that the series doesn't). Granted, I have no idea what sort of stuff along those lines any of the games have in them, but regardless, when it comes to information like that, especially if it comes straight from Gainax (though not Anno specifically), I still really haven't seen any real reason to distrust it. Some events and characterizations in these things, obviously, shouldn't be taken as canon, but I don't think that
everything should automatically be assumed to be as out of the loop as everything else, seeing as they're all rooted back to Anno's original vision.
Granted, drawing the line between what "stuff" could possibly be "canon" and what couldn't will definitely be debated upon as long as Eva has fans, but I really don't like to assume "absolutes" when it comes to this kind of thing without some really hard evidence...of course, seeing as this
is Eva we're talking about here, there quite likely isn't any.
You have some very good points though, and I'm sure you've probably got other evidence to support your views stashed away someplace...whatever you think's worth showing, by all means toss it out here, I'm glad to hear it.
To tie up a few loose ends, I forget exactly where I heard the games referred to as "semi-canon," but I know that it wasn't anyplace "official" (bang, ya got me, heh heh
), I just sort of thought that the term applied decently to the situation, so I borrowed it. I also find it interesting that, while you say that any sort of "alternate universe" product shouldn't be considered canon, that you count Eva2 as canon, though it has the potential for tons of stuff to occur that could never reconcile with the series...I suppose this means that, so long as Anno's directly involved, you'd be willing to consider even "AU" stuff as canon? If I'm wrong in that assumption, please clarify that for me. And as far as what you said about Anno being the only one able to "handle" all of the insanely complicated background stuff in Eva, in all honesty sometimes I just wonder whether he just tosses stuff out there to confuse us helpless fans.
I know that's probably not true, but I still find it an amusing thought anyways, that he's off someplace laughing his head off at all of us right now.
Originally posted on: 05-Mar-2004, 05:18 GMT
