Beginner's Guide to Neon Genesis Evangelion

The complex saga broken down.

  

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION has been over for more than a decade, but time hasn’t diminished its popular nor it's controversy. Having recently entered the world of “EVA” as a beginner, myself, I can attest that this show is worthwhile viewing to anyone looking to get into anime. As I've said many times in my column, few stories have captured my imagination so totally as EVANGELION and I'd already rank it as an all-time favorite in any medium - - comics, movies, novels, video games, and so on. It's really that good and I encourage you to watch it now.

The Story

 Shinj and Unit-01

In the “far-away future” of 2015, the world of EVANGELION is suffering from the ramifications of the Second Impact, a mysterious global catastrophe. The official story is that a meteor crashed into the Arctic and melted the polar ice-caps in 2000, but that really isn't the truth. Even though half of Earth’s population is dead and some major cities are now underwater, daily life’s more or less going on as it has, barring the occasional angel attack.

You read that right - - angel attack.  These things that are attacking are called “angels” but they definitely aren’t beautiful winged cherubs who dress in white robes and play harps. These angels are giant alien monsters who come in progressively more bizarre forms. When it becomes obvious that these beasts can’t be taken out with .50 caliber fire or heavy-duty rockets, the shadowy organization NERV slides in with a solution. It’s got a line of equally-strange giant machines called Evas which can take these monsters on, mano-a-mano.

 Asuka and Unit-02

Who better to pilot these walking weapons of mass destruction than some maladjusted teenagers, right? The story starts when young master Shinji Ikari is summoned to a rebuiltTokyo-3 to save the city from Sachiel, the third of eighteen rampaging angels. It just happens that Shinji’s father, Gendo, is the head of NERV. It also just happens that Shinji’s the only one who can pilot the powerful “ Unit-01” Eva (and the reasons for that proved to be very… icky, by the series’ end.)

Shinji’s life of adventure begins thusly, as he’s joined by Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley-Soryu, two teen pilots who are just as troubled as he is. Since his mother’s long dead and his father's keeping him at arm's length, NERV’s captain Misato Katsuragi takes it upon herself to look after him as he balances the typical angst of attending high school and having to save the world every week.  It's kind of like he's a freshman on the varsity basketball team.

Characters

The story goes that EVANGELION’s creator came up with this show after a four-year-long bout of depression, so that ought to give you an idea as to where these characters are coming from. Everyone's got some kind of emotional problem, and some fans have actually taken the characters to represent specific psychological disorders. 

1. Shinji Ikari 

The whiniest, wimpiest world-saving hero you'll likely ever encounter - - and that's what makes him so interesting. A shy teenager, Shinji questions himself and his motivations so much, he makes Hamlet look decisive by comparison.  Somehow, though, he frequently manages to save the day. Somehow.

  

  

2. Misato Katsuragi 

A captain of NERV who's simultaneously a red-blooded ass kicker and a bubbly RA.  Not surprisingly, she has significant trauma in her past and some heavy "daddy issues." She adopts Shinji when no one else cares about him and they form a familial relationship that occasionally gets inappropriate.

  

3. Rei Ayanami 

The mysterious "first child" of NERV's program and pilot of the prototype Unit-00 Eva. Don't be fooled by her cute blue hair and big doey eyes; Rei's a big downer. She's reticent and unemotional to point of seeming autistic, and her true origins are messed on levels psychological, biological and, well, spiritual. 

4. Asuka Langley-Soryu 

A feisty German fraulein, Asuka (pronounced "AHS-KAH) is the "second child" and pilot of Unit-02, an Eva with red coating to match her fiery hair. Outgoing and enthusiastic, she seems like the only normal Eva pilot, but when her fellows start doing better than her, she loses her self-esteem in the worst way.  

  

5. Gendo Ikari 

Shinji's father and the commander of NERV, Gendo's a world class mastermind and also a world class jerk who's inhumanely cold and distant in relation to his own son. Surprisingly, he's quite the ladies man (though it's actually kind of gross.) Give him points for making white opera gloves work, though.

  

What Can This Be Compared To?

 The dream team.

Calling EVANGELION just another giant robot anime is like calling WATCHMEN just another superhero comic. Much like that seminal graphic novel did, this show deconstructs the tropes of its genre and fills its cast with three-dimensional characters whose damaged personalities are a far cry from the straightforward heroes you’ll usually find in escapist fiction. If you enjoyed LOST for its complex storyline and long-standing mysteries, then you’ll love this show.  It rewards you for paying attention and many later revelations will change your perception of earlier episodes if you watch them again. At times, the storytelling recalls the work of Stanley Kubrick, particularly 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, in that many key plot points are never stated outright and you’ve really got to use your brain to peace together the puzzle and decipher the heady ideas. That being said, it’s still a very accessible show, and you can enjoy it without fully comprehending all the deeper meanings. However, if you desperately need answers when you get to the end - - WHAT HAPPENED TO SHINJI'S MOTHER?!?! WHERE DO THESE EVAS COME FROM?! WHAT'S THE LANCE OF LONGINUS?! WHAT DID I JUST WATCH ?!!? - - I recommend checking out fan site ReVolution of Evangelion for an extensive exploration of the series' mysteries. 

What You Need to Know

 The true finale.

EVANGELION is the brainchild of Hideaki Anno, one of the co-founders of the animation studio, Gainax. The 26 episode-long series ran on Japanese TV from fall ’95 to spring ’96, and it was followed by two movies, DEATH & REBIRTH and THE END OF EVANGELION, in ’97. There have been several mangas that spin off threads from the story into different directions, but the show is always the original. It's not an adaptation. Currently, Gainax is putting out REBUILD OF EVANGELION, a series of feature-length remakes of the show, with animation updated to modern standards. You can think of these as big screen adaptations of the show, more or less, with altered characters and a streamlined story.

  

What Should You Watch?

 The kids and their ghoulish Evas.

Due to budget problems and censorship threats Gainax suffered while producing the series, the studio hasn’t always gotten to properly execute its original intention.  As such, they’ve gone back and re-done parts a few times, creating a number of different versions. For clarity, you should get the Platinum Collection DVD box set instead of the Perfect Collection, as it includes “director’s cut” versions of key episodes with additional scenes and key alterations that really are necessary to understanding the show as a whole. You can skip DEATH & REBIRTH, as it’s just a condensed series recap, but you need to watch END OF EVANGELION. That isn’t negotiable. You are absolutely going to hate this series as whole if you stop watching with the last TV episode. Gainax ran out of money by the time they got around to making that finale, so it's an entire episode about the characters talking about their feelings and psychological hang-ups that leaves major points of the series unresolved. Think of END OF EVANGELION as the deluxe-sized final episode and be sure to check it out.   

BUYER'S GUIDE

Once again, you ought to get the Platinum Collection, not the Perfect Collection, and then order END OF EVANGELION as well. 

There you have it, NEON GENESIS EVANGELION broken down for the beginner. I can't recommend this series enough. A true tour du force, it'll warped your mind and maybe even change your life.

http://www.animevice.com/news/beginners-guide-to-neon-genesis-evangelion/4495/

http://www.mangabigbang.co.uk/

Beginner's Guide to Gundam

An introductory course to everything Mobile Suit Gundam.

I sometimes wonder what a newbie thinks about when they hear the word Gundam, and knows nothing about it. Do they envision the iconic RX-78 Gundam, a group of teenage pretty boys, Gunpla, those people who dress like Nazis at anime conventions, or do they just get confused? Most convince themselves that there are a trillion Gundam series out there in anime land, so there is no point starting now. Back in the day I felt the same way; but do not fret, I’m here to help. Let us start with the basics first. What is Gundam? 

  

    

The word Gundam actually means exactly what it sounds like, gun and dam. It is supposed to signify a unit that is so powerful that it can hold back wave after wave of enemy fighters, much like a dam you would put in a river. Of course the unit has to fight back, and it does that with a gun. Before Tomino came up with that idea, he first played around with the name Gundom, a mixture between the word gun and freedom. And before that was Freedom Fighter Gunboy, which sounds ridiculous. 

Mobile Suit Gundam is an anime franchise that started way back in the late seventies, (1979), and has since spawned 28 different anime television shows, OVAs, and movies. This is the wall that most people see when they want to start watching Gundam, I feel the same way when I think about Star Trek. Do you have to watch them all in order understand the story? Absolutely not! 

Gundam has two different categories that all of its anime fall into, shows that follow the original storyline that was created during the first show called the Universal Century, and shows that take place in separate universes, like Gundam Wing for example. Shows that take place in the Universal Century should be watched in order (whether it be the order it aired in, or timeline order, it doesn’t matter). However, shows that do not fall into the Universal Century can be watched in any order, besides Gundam Destiny (and you shouldn’t be watching that anyway.) 

Why watch Gundam? Because it was the first to break away from the over-the-top silliness that mecha anime of that time was known for. Instead, the robots in Gundam were just another tool used during war, like a tank or airplane. It was an attempt to make a realistic robot anime, using science as their bricks and motor instead of hot blood. Though 30 years later part of this concept has been lost, but we will get to that at another time. In conclusion, Gundam was the first real robot show. 

Ok, so you want to watch Gundam now, but don’t know where to start? From the beginning of course.

http://www.animevice.com/news/beginners-guide-to-gundam/4450/

http://www.mangabigbang.co.uk/

TURNING JAPANESE: A STARTER GUIDE TO (ROBOT) MANGA

In the United States, the "reign" of comics has come and gone. Even though these days comics are infiltrating pop culture and movies, reading them is still considered a very niche hobby/passion, one that is sometimes stereotyped or made fun of as "geeky". Imagine if that WASN'T the case; imagine that at bookstores it was completely normal for at least half the shelfspace to be taken up by graphic novels. Imagine going on the train and not being shocked by seeing an older lady or a business man reading comics. Imagine comics infiltrating advertising campaigns, from billboards to commercials. Basically, imagine comics had the same power in America as manga does in Japan.

Being in my twenties and growing up as a total social reject girl-nerd, I was the perfect target audience for manga when it started to become popular in the United States. As a lifelong comics reader, I never questioned the validity of manga and read it quite religiously through my teen years. However, I've come to find that manga doesn't seem as accessible to some people. At this point in time there is a definite overload of titles available… and I would guess that only about 40% of it is any good. There are plenty of fluffy "shoujo" titles (manga for girls), and strange, predictable series with boring plotlines. But amidst the shelves at your local Border's Books, if you're willing to elbow your way through piles of mall goths, there are many manga gems to be read. And manga has its own unique brand of art and storytelling, so it's not as if you're being "disloyal" to American comics.

Manga first became popular in Japan around World War II, mainly popularized by Astro Boy. Now it is an accepted part of life – I studied abroad in Japan and I could get manga ANYWHERE, from a cafe to a gas station. Manga-ka (that is, manga artists) are basically on the same tier as celebrities, and they are managed by studios that employ people just for inking, lettering, etc. It's a very efficient market, and one that has made the Japanese publishing industry about 3.6 billion dollars before 2007.

BECAUSE there is such a broad market for manga, there is something to be found for EVERYONE. From children's stories to "soap opera" types of manga to adults only (hentai), manga covers a broad spectrum of every sort of entertainment… for every taste. So in the coming weeks I will introduce you readers to "starter" manga for different genres.

Robots are awesome. I know it, you know it, and Japan ESPECIALLY knows it. Their obsession with robots is prominent: from their movies, advancement in toys and AI technology, to most things within their popular culture. Of course, manga is not an exception to this, as manga and anime show some of the most prominent robot and mecha in Japan today. It's such an expansive genre that I couldn't just lump it in with "sci fi"; oh no, mecha manga is a being in and of itself. If you're in the mood for giant robotic suits with advanced weapons technology (like Iron Man, but usually WAY bigger), robot girls who have the same feeling as humans, and strong character driven storylines with robots in the background, look no further than the following titles.

FLCL (Furi Kuri) by Yōji Enokido and Ueda Hajime

I'm about to make a very bold statement. Are you ready? I think FLCL is one of the best manga/anime OF ALL TIME. I know, shock gasp etc. But it is one of the most entertaining series I have ever come across. The writing is bizarre but suburb, the art is atypical and interesting, and the characters are so far from the ordinary they are almost impossible to assign cliches to. The anime itself is incredibly confusing (a lot is lost in translation, and it is only six episodes long so a fair amount has been cut out), so the manga really shines where the anime could not. The art is a little crazy and may not be for everyone (if you're looking for the "normal" style of manga, don't pick up FLCL), but I found the differences in it refreshing. Although the storyline is still a little ridiculous and slightly difficult to follow (in a good way), it is still honestly one of the best stories I have ever indulged in.

Here is the long and short of it: The story is based around a shy, unexceptional high school boy named Naota. He encounters an absolutely bonkers alien woman named Haruko Haruhara, who makes a flashy entry by running Naota over with her vespa and hitting him over the head with her bass guitar. Something about that encounter makes suddenly causses giant robots to grow out of Naota's head and makes him start battling bad guys. And Haruko appears as a live in maid in his household. Amidst all of this chaos there is Mamimi Samejima, a bizarre girl who is Naota's brother's ex girlfriend. She's totally aloof throughout the series, has a habit of lighting things on fire, and adopts stray animals and names them all "Ta-kun".

The entire series is short and sweet, but has such an impact that I will recommend it to anyone for years to come.

Broken Blade by Yunosuke Yoshinaga

Broken Blade is not only a manga about giant robots, it is also a manga about war and the way if affects people. It is incredibly compelling in some regards, but it is peppered with light humor and slice of life stories. It's set in an alternate world where fossil fuel is non existant, and instead humans are born with an ability to control a special form of gemstone that allows for energy. The main character in this series is named Rygart Arrow, and he seems to be plagued by bad luck. Why? Because he was not born with this ability, which is an extremely rare anomyly. He is constantly harassed and shunned for his lack of normality, but he has an incredibly supportive family that sends him to military school in a last ditch effort for him to do some good in the world. By pure chance, he befriends the future king and queen in the academy. Though he becomes a farmer later in life, he is suddenly confronted with choices that could turn his friends against each other and change the outcome of an unjust war.

Rygart discovers a mecha suit that only he can control, which is where the robot angle comes in for this manga. Broken Blade also contains a lot of stark reality and observations on what killing other humans can do to a man. It is a study on war and society as much as it is about giant mecha suits, which caught me totally off guard when I picked it up. Broken Blade does not disappoint.

Chobits by CLAMP

In my description above, I offered up hot robot chicks… and I promise I am not about to disappoint. Chobitsis probably one of the best manga I have ever read about a hapless boy who falls in love with the "perfect" girl. It is rife with sexual tension and undertones, but they are done in a tasteful and relateable way. It is written by the most exceptional all women manga team ever, CLAMP, and as usual the storyline is up to par with their typical quality. It's based around the life of 20 year old slacker Hideki, a dude who is working a crappy job to make ends meet and who kind of despises his life. He is surrounded by friends who are more tech savvy and successful than him, who all possess a supercomputer called a "persocom" (a play on the words "personal computer"). These computers can not only do everything, they are also modeled in the likeness of humans and have nearly tangible artificial intelligence.

They come in all shapes and sizes, but persocoms have taken Japan by storm. They offer companionship and functionality, the equivalent to walking, talking Real Dolls. Hideki is desperate for one, but they are incredibly expensive, and due to the fact he is working a dead end job there's no way he could ever afford one. Then, one day on his way home from work, he finds a body dumped behind his apartment complex in the alleyway. After his intial shock, he realizes the "body" is a persocom, one like he's never seen before. She is exceptionally beautiful (of course), but once he brings her home and turns her on he realizes she is not like other persocoms. For starters, she can only say one word: "chii" (which she is dubbed), fries any computer he plugs her into, and she seems to be able to LEARN. As the series progresses, he begins to try and unravel the mystery that is Chii, which puts him on the run from the evil corporation that created her. And of course he ultimately falls in love with the robot girl.

Neon Genesis Evangelion by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto

I tried really hard to leave Evangelion off this list, I really did. But if I'm making a list of who's who in big honkin' robot manga, it seems to be an injustice to not include Evangelion. It may be the most well known mecha manga/anime out there (save Gundam Wing), and it carries such a weight for a reason. I know so many people who don't like anime or manga but are crazy about Evangelion due to the brilliance of the storyline and the relatibilty of the characters. But if you are one of the few people who has never experienced Evangelion, allow me to enlighten you.

Set in the near future of 2015, Tokyo-3 is suddenly attacked by giant robot monsters called ANGELS, that have appeared after the ice caps melted. Humanity's only hope are giant robot mecha suits to combat the ANGELS, the Evangelion… which just so happen to be piloted by fourteen year old teenagers. Though the manga itself has a lot of scenes with the mecha, it is primarily based around the nuances of human interaction, the awkwardness of that particular age range, the angst of being a teenager, and the lengths humans will go to to save themselves and their race. It is a poignant and beautiful read, one that I find myself going back to over and over.

Above are four very excellent examples of mecha/robot manga for you to delve into. As long as you don't dress up in cardboard boxes and record yourself beating up the neighbor kids for YouTube, I condone reading of all these manga.

http://ifanboy.com/articles/turning-japanese-a-starter-guide-to-robot-manga/

http://www.mangabigbang.co.uk/