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
066 - Battle Angel Alita vol. 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:14
Our Cyborg season continues as we cover 'Battle Angel Alita', also known by its original Japanese title 'Gunnm'. This manga would go on to inspire James Cameron to produce a Hollywood adaptation. Skip synopsis @ 4:32 Ema…
065 - Chobits vol. 8 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:56
Will gives his short review of the latest Evangelion movie before we talk about the hefty themes of Chobits, we compare the anime to the manga as well as find time to to talk about our fave anime filler episodes (Dragonb…
064 - Chobits vol. 7 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:04
Spoilers ahead as James and Will discuss the penultimate volume of the CLAMP manga, the one where we find out exactly who Chi a.k.a. Elda and her sister Chobit, Freya, really are. Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com 064:…
063 - Chobits vol. 6 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:28
Inspired by CLAMP's story of androids falling in love, Will and James talk about self-confidence, body positivity and the warm glow of love. Skip the plot summary @5:19 Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com 063: Chobits vol…
062 - Chobits vol. 5 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:01
Chi finally stands up for herself, expressing the importance of consent! But the way CLAMP handles a more action heavy approach to these chapters gives our hosts a good opportunity to critique the story. Skip plot summar…
061 - Chobits vol. 4 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:57
061: Chobits vol. 4 Chapters 37 to 48 By CLAMP English Translation by Shirley Kubo Lettering by John Clark Topics: Tony Robbin's interview with the robot Sophia When asked if she (as a robot) has emotions; "Not in the sa…
060 - Chobits vol. 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:24
We talk about true love in the context of cheating, extramarital affairs, hyper realism and simulations! And is there parallels between Pinnochio and Chi? Skip plot summary @3:22 060: Chobits vol. 3 Chapters 25 to 36 By…
059 - Chobits vol. 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:27
Explicit content ahead, talk about peep shows and pin up models. Also expect James to mispronounce Yumi's name, a lot! Why is that even possible? Skip plot summary @4:29 059: Chobits vol. 2 Chapters 13 to 24 By CLAMP Tra…
058 - Chobits Vol. 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:37
Do Androids need love? Will and James return from the doldrums and kickstart the cyborg season with CLAMP's Chobits. Boy finds a discarded PC in the trash and falls in love with said PC. It's a story for the ages. But wh…
057 - Junji Ito's Uzumaki [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:03
This episode has nothing to do with Naruto guys, instead Will Returns in time for a special Halloween where James shows evidence that the spiral is god's signature, as well as share some of his own personal and most frig…