Evangelion ANIMA (general)

[Blockio]

Honestly not the worst idea, yeah

[FXArmaros98]

The Super Evangelion already were included in Super Robot Wars X-Ω and we get Evangelion Final Model using for a Panchiko's Machine so Video Games seem to be the only path that ANIMA could take for get a adaptation. They could even make a Evangelion Fighting Game that included the various versions of Evangelions we have see in the various series, the ANIMA's Evangelions can be included.

[Allansfirebird]

Had a bit of a roadtrip to do for work today, so I had time to finally listen to ANIMA for the first time (haven't had a chance to read the series yet, so this was all new to me)...

It was maddening from a writing level throughout. While there were a lot of good ideas, the execution was so poor that I couldn't believe this was an official publication. When Shinji disappears following the first engagement with Rei Quatre... nobody seems to take a moment to react or even really care that Shinji might be gone? The story just chugs along like "oh, that happened - ANYWAY --." In general, the first book seems oddly devoid of meaningful character beats until the very end with Rei Cinq & Asuka. It's just PLOT PLOT PLOT with extremely long and unnecessary paragraphs of technical jargon and descriptors of every new Eva upgrade that stop the proceedings cold. I also found the author had a tendency to repeat the same information not even a few paragraphs apart. And also these weird asides that break suspense with the story, as in "Shinji would later find out..." and so on.

Ultimately, the author seemed to care more about the tech and the little details of the world, but could take or leave the story or the characters. Just disappointing all round.

[Axx°N N.]

Ultimately, the author seemed to care more about the tech and the little details of the world, but could take or leave the story or the characters. Just disappointing all round.

Not to assume you're unaware, but the author happens to be the series' long-standing tech designer, ie, the guy who designed the Eva Units. That being the case (and all very reasonable narrative critique aside) the fixation on the tech, and the fact the books are supplemented with a lot of his design artwork, makes complete sense.

[Blockio]

Eeeeyup, that's the Anima experience alright.

Fwiw some of the more outlandish plot points seem to be taken pretty directly from early drafts of NGE, various plot points that didn't make it into the show (which is likely also where some of its more peculiar parallels with NTE come from, if you bother to peel back the layers of obtuse nonsense both have), but as Axx says, Yamashita is a mechanical designer rather than a writer, and it really does show.
A year or so before the official English release got announced, Reichu actually tried her hand at translating it herself, and kept saying that this is probably weird and stilted because of lacking experience on her part, but no, turns out it was also just bad prose.

I haven't been able to verify this in either direction, so take my word here with more than just a grain of salt, but allegedly, Anima started out as Yamashita doing lore blurbs for modelling magazines, which would make sense given the aforementioned extreme focus on tech and massive amounts of technobabble

[Allansfirebird]

Ultimately, the author seemed to care more about the tech and the little details of the world, but could take or leave the story or the characters. Just disappointing all round.

Not to assume you're unaware, but the author happens to be the series' long-standing tech designer, ie, the guy who designed the Eva Units. That being the case (and all very reasonable narrative critique aside) the fixation on the tech, and the fact the books are supplemented with a lot of his design artwork, makes complete sense.

I hadn't even pieced that together until now. Knowing that he was the Eva designer tracks with the experience I had listening to ANIMA... As the saying goes, "don't quit your day job," Yamashita.

I haven't been able to verify this in either direction, so take my word here with more than just a grain of salt, but allegedly, Anima started out as Yamashita doing lore blurbs for modelling magazines, which would make sense given the aforementioned extreme focus on tech and massive amounts of technobabble

I could see this being the case because the tech blurbs are oddly the better-written parts of the piece, though they feel pasted-in between the bits of story.

[FXArmaros98]

ANIMA indeed has many flaws and some too weird ideas but still I would like see it became animated or get a Video Game's adaptation for the fights, Shinji and Asuka's Moments, Armaros and the Eva 01's Evolution Line

[Axx°N N.]

I haven't been able to verify this in either direction, so take my word here with more than just a grain of salt, but allegedly, Anima started out as Yamashita doing lore blurbs for modelling magazines, which would make sense given the aforementioned extreme focus on tech and massive amounts of technobabble

This is true, I've seen said blurbs, although it wasn't just Yamashita. Anima was originally a more collaborative affair; it had a different character illustrator (Hiroyuki Utatane) and a different writer (Takeru Kageyama) with Yamashita contributing narrative ideas and, of course, mechanical illustrations. It began as what is essentially speculative design works with some bits of world-building to accompany it and kept developing until it became its own light novel work. It was an editor on this version of Anima that encouraged Yamashita to expand it himself, leading to rewrites of already written material and him taking up reigns as character illustrator. Said editor also contributed certain ideas, such as several Reis co-existing.

Outside of said blurbs in Dengeki Hobby Magazine, only the Yamashita-helmed versions of anything ended up in print, except some stuff in a related mook ("Anima Visual Book") released by Dengeki Hobby Books.

[Blockio]

Oh right, I completely forgot about the writer change. You're 100% correct. If memory serves me, Yamashita was actually the more comprehensible of the writers, I seem to recall that before his rewrite, the first part of the story was barely followable

[MsenjaKagami]

Volume 1 definitely feels the most disjointed in relation to the rest of ANIMA (which I realize feels disjointed basically all the time normally), which would certainly be explained by it being partially frankensteined together from a version that wasn't even really intended to be a story at first. After Vol 1 the story at least flows a little more like a regular story...kinda...YMMV... Anyways, point I'm trying to make is that Volumes 2-4 at least don't really feel like Volume 1, which I'm presuming were written after Yamashita took over all writing duties.

[Blockio]

I am under the impression that the published Volume 1 was rewritten by Yamashita

[FXArmaros98]

From what I remember in the English Translation of Reichu there was a scene that was absent in the Volume 1.

I'm talking about that one in which Shinji was contacted by Kaworu in the dreams which has give birth to those Rumours about the presence of a Dark Kaworu or something.

[Blockio]

Afraid I don't remember the scene you're talking about; evil Kaworu talking to Shinji in his dreams is very much a thing in the later books tho

[FXArmaros98]

From what I remember in ANIMA Japanese Chapter there was this interaction between Kaworu and Shinji that was translated by some fans:

SPOILER: Show

1.2.7 Self Invasion

When people are in deep sleep, their Ego Barrier will go down.

That night, Kaworu crossed over Shinji’s self boundary and visited his world. “Is this a dream?” Shinji asked in his mind. Kaworu sat on his bed, he tilted his head.

“Yes, it is something like that. You are the one who usually calls me to come here, and you probably forgot all about this after you woke up. But I came to you myself today, because I have something important to tell you.”

Kaworu’s smile vanished. Shinji became uneasy.

“Right now, a me who is not me, a ‘black being’ is gradually awakening.”

Being stared by Kaworu, Shinji’s uneasiness began to swell. Even thought he knew this is only his own imagination, Shinji still asked: “Is it because we choose to exist individually?”. Kaworu nodded, he was smiling again.
“But it is not “we”, right? It was your choice, and indeed, that is one of the reasons. But, you are the most important person to me, I wouldn’t give you up to him……That one hates Lilin……Yes, he hates music.”

I found it here: https://www.tumblr.com/17th-angel/49377 ... f-invasion

Mm ? I don't remember that the Kaworu with which Shinji has interacted long the Volumes was Evil or something

[Axx°N N.]

Yep, I went back to the Dengeki Magazine installments and that is in fact in chapter 2 (ie, the second serialized part).

[FXArmaros98]

It seem that Kaworu here was just talking about the arrival of Armaros but some fans instead back then has believed he was talking about a Dark Counterpart of himself.

I remember that people have said that Armaros was a sort of "Black Adam" due this rumours of a Dark Kaworu.

SPOILER: Show

Ironically later in the Volume 4 it was revealed that as host Armaros have the Eva 01 and Shinji of Previous World.

I wish that Yamashita has give some explanation about that part in the Vol 5's Final Phase in which Shinji call himself to potentialy be the Sepent/Snake which should be a part of Adam itself removed from itself.

[FelipeFritschF]

ANIMA artbook coming out on February.

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— twitter-user (@username) date

[Axx°N N.]

I guess this will replace the "Visual Book" as a must-have if it repeats everything therein; which is good, because I hadn't yet tracked one down. Seems it has some non-Anima stuff in it too, so it's more like a general Eva Yamashita art book.