043 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 1

043 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 1

Author: We Appreciate Manga™ April 4, 2020 Duration: 50:59

This is it! The cultiest of cult 90's anime, the daddy of the sekai-kei genre! And maybe Elon Musks favourite anime? It kickstarted the popularity of angsty teen anime heroes. Skip synopsis talk @ 6:52

 

Special thanks to 'Eagle8burger' for our intro.

 

043: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 1

Chapters 1 to 6

 

By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto

Adapted to English by Mari Morimoto, Fred Burke + Carl Gustav Horn

 

Topics:

  • The Western Anime boom, the days of collecting VHS tapes and trading with friends, which Evangelion's first American dub came to us during that time.
  • Shinji's "daddy issues", sometimes you just learn that you don't need your daddy's approval, sadly the main character, Shinji Ikari, has a long way to go.
  •  Rei Ayanami being possibly "albino"
  • The concept of the "Angels" and the originality of how aliens are depicted in Neon Genesis Evangelion.
  • The ending to chapter 6, which differs from the original anime and clues us in on things to come.

 

Synopsis:

 

In the year 2015, fifteen years after a global cataclysm known as the Second Impact, teenager Shinji Ikaritravels to Tokyo-3 at the behest of his estranged father, Gendo. While meeting with Misato Katsuragi, a woman who works for Gendo, the city is attacked by a giant creature known as an Angel. Misato takes Shinji to NERV, an organization headed by Gendo that has developed giant bio-mechanical mecha known as Evangelions. As Evangelion Unit-01's pilot, Rei Ayanami, is wounded, Gendo asks his son to take her place. Shinji decides to fight the Angel, named Sachiel, but panics when he first sees it. During the fight, Shinji makes Unit-01 furiously attack Sachiel, which self-destructs, causing minor damage to the Eva. Next day, Misato discovers that Gendo is not planning to live with Shinji. Therefore, she decides to become Shinji's legal guardian to keep him from being isolated.

 

Pop culture and other references:

  • The Christian cross is used to depict a flashy death state of the defeated Angel, over the next volumes there will be many allusions and references to not only Christianity but all Abrahamic religions, and even kabbalah.
  • Group A10 is the largest group of dopaminergic cells in the ventral midbrain tegmentum of rodents and primates. The cells are located for the most part in the ventral tegmental area, the linear nucleus and, in primates, the part of central grey of the midbrain located between the left and right oculomotor nuclear. Not to be confused with T10 which is found in the human spine.

 

"On the floor of the midbrain is the ventral segmental system, that neurobiologists call region A10. Cells soaked in dopamine, certain emotions are processed here: such as the thoughts of two lovers - or a parent and a child. And it is the synchronization of the threads and bundles of A10 that splice pilot and Eva together; to become one entity, to fight. In other words, the power of love drives this weapon of mass destruction." – Yoshiyuki Sadamoto

 

 

 

Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk

Twitter - @RealJamesFitton

Website – Weappreciatemanga.com

Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com


There's a particular kind of magic that happens when a friend hands you a book they love, especially when that book is a manga. We Appreciate Manga captures that exact feeling, beginning each conversation with a personal recommendation before letting the discussion wander into deeper territory. Hosted by the team at We Appreciate Manga™, this series is less a formal review and more like eavesdropping on a thoughtful, sometimes rambling, chat between enthusiasts. You’ll hear them explore how specific stories resonate, why certain artistic choices matter, and the very real comfort these illustrated narratives can provide during difficult periods. It’s a celebration of the medium that goes beyond plot summaries to appreciate manga as a unique and powerful form of visual storytelling. Think of it as your audio companion to a vibrant, anime-adjacent book club where the panels come to life through conversation. New episodes of this podcast have been available since August 2022, offering a consistent space to connect with the art and heart of these stories.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

We Appreciate Manga
Podcast Episodes
116 - Pokémon Adventures vol. 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:13
Having played the original Gameboy videogame 23 years ago, Will and James take a trip down memory lane and decide to read up on its popular manga adaptation. Does it make us want to play the game or does it make us want…
115 - Welcome to the NHK vol. 8 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:51
The conclusion to the manga like most Japanese slice of life and coming of age drama adds an expected air of ambiguity. But for one, we could not escape an Evangelion reference and talk musings on (or in Will's case rant…
114 - Welcome to the NHK vol. 7 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:25
Steven and Will talk about the characters near the completion of their developed arcs. Specifically speaking about BPD (borderline personality disorder) and musings on what type of person has romantic affairs. Skip plot…
113 - Welcome to the NHK vol. 6 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:29
Will and Steven are perplexed by the plot as it shuffles along but find time to discuss the characters and their relationships to one and another, be it toxic or not. Skip plot summary @ 3:12 Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gma…
112 - Welcome to the NHK vol. 5 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:10
Today's episode contains explicit talk since we are talking about a manga about a porn addict who lives with his parents. It's Welcome to the NHK! Skip plot summary @ 3:10 Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com 112: Welcome…
111 - Welcome to the NHK vol. 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:12
EXPLICIT CONTENT as we talk about mature themes, you can skip the synopsis @ 3:18 Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com 111: Welcome to the NHK vol. 4 Chapters 16 to 17 'Welcome to the NO FUTURE' and 'Welcome to the Starry…
110 - Welcome to the NHK vol. 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:27
EXPLICIT CONTENT! Today's episode, Will and Steve talk about videogame addiction and Hikikomori culture as it pertains to this volume 3 Welcome to the NHK. Our protagonist falls for a Pyramid scheme and Misaki's tortuous…
109 - Welcome to the NHK vol. 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:27
EXPLICIT CONTENT! Inspired by today's manga, Will talks to Steven about his own personal ordeal with depression and suicidal ideation. They speak about their own relationship troubles. As well as how easy it is for peopl…
108 - Welcome to the NHK vol. 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:08
Will gets Steven to read one of his fave mangas, a story that revolves around the lives of several young adults all living in or around the city of Tokyo. Many different lifestyles are shown but most of the time the stor…
107 - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure vol. 5 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:14
We talk about the conclusion to the Phantom Blood arc and how author Hirohiko Araki avoids "resetting to zero" in order to have a handle on the power creep of his heroes and villains. Skip synopsis @ 5:29 Email: WeApprec…