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

 

 

 

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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
056 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 14 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:03
Why Evangelion matters? Spoilers will spill! Listen for a chance to win Tony Takezaki's Eva parody and the Eva tribute manga. Skip synopsis @ 11:09 and tweet to Steve @StevenG2189 Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com 056:…
055 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 13 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:05
Sadamoto handles the final scenes with Shinji and Asuka with a great deal of respect, and all without straying too far from the plot of the anime. Skip plot summary @ 9:03 Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com 055: Neon Gen…
054 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 12 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:26
James thinks about the Madonna/whore complex around Shinji x Misato. And how Evangelion is better at telling a cosmic tale than Ridley Scott's Prometheus. Skip synopsis @10:56 Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com 054: Neon…
053 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 11 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:23
Steven and James talk about End of Eva, losing friends and canned coffee. Skip the synopsis @ 9:10 mark. Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com 053: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 11 Chapters 71 to 76, "Descendent of Adam" and…
052 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 10 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:45
Kaworu develops feelings for Shinji, in a very different way compared to his short screen time in the anime. skip synopsis @ 13:25 052: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 9 Chapters 64 to 70, "Tears" and "A Gathering of Nothin…
051 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 9 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:13
We talk about how Kawaoryu makes his presence known as Asuka's journey takes a dark turn. And unlike the anime, Shinji doesn't like Kawaoryu. Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com 051: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 9 Chapter…
050 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 8 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:29
Since the main character is in a coma, we get to explore the rest of the characters and their relationships. James talks about being in love with the "wrong" person, the "they're not good for you" type, skip synopsis @5:…
049 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 7 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:52
We find characters whose traumatic past prevents them from loving each other a la Sophie's choice, and Shinji also has to carry that weight. Also Tabris (Kawaoryu) is introduced, way earlier than in the anime. Skip plot…
048 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 6 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:11
In this volume characters start to come across points of no return, with plenty talk on quantum theory and Bento boxes! Skip plot summary @ 3:46 048: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 6 Chapters 34 to 40 ('the fourth child' t…
047 - Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 5 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:48
The Manga starts to differentiate itself from the anime, now that all characters come together. Shinji experiences his first late night party and when the lights go off, things also get a bit steamy! Skip synop @3:49 Neo…