[TaiyakiOni]

Alright, so I looked and didn't find a current thread for this so I am making one just in time with the recent release of Neon Genesis Evangelion 2.22 You Can(not) Advance in Japan!

I didn't see a lot of anime growing up, I didn't even know anime was called anime until I was 12, and before that I had only seen a small number of series, Dragon Ball, Speed Racer, Robotech, and one a young child should never EVER watch on VHS, Neon Genesis Evangelion. So there I was, not even in middle school yet watching Neon Genesis Evangelion over at a friends house, I saw the opening and thought "Oooo robots!" Then after the first couple of episodes I went "This isn't about the robots! It's about some whiny kid with daddy issues!" And yet still the Evangelion engine is still running as Gainax keeps it going with merchandising, spin offs and now the Evangelion Rebuild series.

I was somewhat psyched about them remaking the series with new animation and dialogue, finally a good way to redo Eva I thought. Now I love the original series, its great for being different in its time, a time when because of Eva Spike Spencer was cast as the main voice of the pilot in Martian Successor Nadesico ( The english casting for that series will all be met with untimely deaths... ). It was different, it threw ethics and morality all over the place, and I liked it, not because it was an outstanding series but because it was different.

With Rebuild I can say I love it because not only is it different from the norm, but it is also outstanding. I would recommend anyone who even remotely liked NGE to give Rebuild a chance.

My only real bone to pick is Funimation picking it up and screwing our chances of ever hearing the entire original english cast... with good chances that Tiffany Grant won't be picked to play Asuka again.

Phew now I can write in orange text...didn't want to make the whole topic make people's eyes bleed

[wrexness]

Well even if Tiffany Grant was picked, I don't think there's a chance she'd accept. That's just what happens when you're married to a high ranking exec from another company. You can't fault Funi for that, you'd have to fault ADV for its own choices that led to its semi-demise and having to play the shell game to stay alive in the form of a new company.

[TaiyakiOni]

I doubt they will ask her though, if she turned it down that'd be fine, its more about them TRYING to get the original cast for the main characters.

I am psyched for 3.0 already after finishing 2.22

[linlindesu]

The first one of the rebuild series was rather boring ( you are (not ) alone ) . The whole thing was just too close to the original series. The sequel is definitely more interesting, I'm not the biggest fan of the rebuild series but it did have some awesome twists

Spoiler

like, TOJI DIDN'T DIE <3 I hope they decide not to kill kaji as well <3

[Animexcel]

For now, I voted for the original Eva only cuz I haven't seen Rebuild as a whole; but it's going in the right direction though. So I might end up liking Rebuild more. I don't get the Spike Spencer option, he's part of the english cast. To me, Megumi Ogata is Shinji.

[sentinel28a]

Animexcel, on 08 June 2010 - 04:44 PM, said:

For now, I voted for the original Eva only cuz I haven't seen Rebuild as a whole; but it's going in the right direction though. So I might end up liking Rebuild more. I don't get the Spike Spencer option, he's part of the english cast. To me, Megumi Ogata is Shinji.

Because NO ONE does Shinji's trademark pants-wetting fear like Spike Spencer. When Spike is doing Shinji's voice, you can really feel the unbelievable terror that Shinji is experiencing. I'd love to see what he could do if they give Shinji the same sort of sarcasm that he gets in the manga. (One of the reasons why I like the manga. Ever so occasionally Shinji gets to shoot back at Asuka, and when he shoots, he scores.)

I haven't seen all of Rebuild yet, but I like what I've seen so far. They took out a lot of the extraneous crap and "slimmed down" Eva. I watched part of the first series with my dad, and he was so confused he just got up and left. Rebuild, however, captivated his interest--and definitely mine.

That said, I love the manga far more than the series. The manga just makes more sense. Shinji is less whiny, less "woe is me," less wimpy. (He takes a swing at Gendo for getting Toji killed--in the manga, Toji dies.) Kaworu is not sympathetic. He's insidiously evil. Rei is more well-rounded than Asuka, though I think Asuka is stronger in the manga as well. Asuka is supposed to be the best of the Eva kids, but in the anime, she never proves that--she always has to have Shinji backing her up. In the manga, she's a powerhouse in her Eva and outside of it. It doesn't make her more likeable (less, actually), but at least she walks the walk. Despite being an unrepentant witch, Asuka is my favorite character.

The Shinji Ikari Raising Project is great if you want a good laugh. They're keeping it lighthearted, and hopefully it stays that way. The part where Rei and Asuka team up to "keep Shinji straight" (having completely misinterpreted Kaworu and Shinji's friendship) is awesome, and portraying Gendo as a henpecked, over-the-top mad scientist was similarly great. I've rarely read anything funnier than Vol. 3's Parent-Teacher Conference--with Gendo as the parent, Misato as the teacher, and Shinji in hell. Angelic Days wasn't bad, but the artwork was lacking and the story sort of went off the tracks.

The best Eva manga, IMHO, is actually the Evangelion Retake doujinshi. It provides a much more plausible ending for the series, and it's one doujin where the sex scenes actually add to the story and are peripheral to it. Shinji and Asuka start a relationship, and it's believable--as is Rei's rather horrifying reaction to it. (Remember Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction? Now think of that character as Rei.) Everything goes to hell, of course, but it's done in a matter that fits in well with the series.

Ben Da Mad Irishman
"Yes, it sucks to be Shinji"

This post has been edited by sentinel28a: 09 June 2010 - 05:54 PM

[TaiyakiOni]

Quote

Because NO ONE does Shinji's trademark pants-wetting fear like Spike Spencer. When Spike is doing Shinji's voice, you can really feel the unbelievable terror that Shinji is experiencing. I'd love to see what he could do if they give Shinji the same sort of sarcasm that he gets in the manga. (One of the reasons why I like the manga. Ever so occasionally Shinji gets to shoot back at Asuka, and when he shoots, he scores.)

This is exactly why I added that option, Spike Spencer has always been my Shinji Ikari. The manga truly was great and I need to finish it ( I have odd placed volumes of it with gaps in between them ), I liked how Shinji was more normal and able to stand up for himself more than in the anime where all he did was get pushed around.

Quote

I haven't seen all of Rebuild yet, but I like what I've seen so far. They took out a lot of the extraneous crap and "slimmed down" Eva. I watched part of the first series with my dad, and he was so confused he just got up and left. Rebuild, however, captivated his interest--and definitely mine.

2.22 was great, I watched it in Japanese and that took some getting used to the Japanese voices since I have always watched it in English. I suggest watching it or making sure to watch it the moment it hits state side on DVD, it was amazing and it has me yearning for 3.0 to come out sooner.

Quote

The best Eva manga, IMHO, is actually the Evangelion Retake doujinshi. It provides a much more plausible ending for the series, and it's one doujin where the sex scenes actually add to the story and are peripheral to it. Shinji and Asuka start a relationship, and it's believable--as is Rei's rather horrifying reaction to it. (Remember Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction? Now think of that character as Rei.) Everything goes to hell, of course, but it's done in a matter that fits in well with the series.

I've actually read that series, it is a great one and I've read it a few times. Rei's reaction was great and totally put her on a level other than "Emotionless" doll that most people who have only seen the anime seem to know her as. I especially like this one and the Rebuild series and RSIP because Rei with a personality ( Not having one is not considered one people ) is much more amusing.

( Posted in Black for easy reading )

PS:

Quote

Despite being an unrepentant witch, Asuka is my favorite character.

Asuka fans 4 Life!

[wrexness]

TaiyakiOni, on 09 June 2010 - 06:23 PM, said:

This is exactly why I added that option, Spike Spencer has always been my Shinji Ikari. The manga truly was great and I need to finish it ( I have odd placed volumes of it with gaps in between them ), I liked how Shinji was more normal and able to stand up for himself more than in the anime where all he did was get pushed around.

Finish it? You mean catch up? The original manga series is still not complete from what I've read (though it's "close").

[TaiyakiOni]

wrexness, on 09 June 2010 - 08:19 PM, said:

Finish it? You mean catch up? The original manga series is still not complete from what I've read (though it's "close").

No, I'm pretty sure the series ended with Volume 11 in 2008... I have Volumes 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7.

This post has been edited by TaiyakiOni: 09 June 2010 - 09:26 PM

[wrexness]

TaiyakiOni, on 09 June 2010 - 09:25 PM, said:

No, I'm pretty sure the series ended with Volume 11 in 2008... I have Volumes 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7.

They're up to 12. If they ended at 11, it would've been no more satisfying than the anime. Wiki lists the manga as being in hiatus though as the author works on the rebuild.

This post has been edited by wrexness: 09 June 2010 - 09:38 PM

[TaiyakiOni]

wrexness, on 09 June 2010 - 09:35 PM, said:

They're up to 12. If they ended at 11, it would've been no more satisfying than the anime. Wiki lists the manga as being in hiatus though as the author works on the rebuild.

Interesting... Well I can put up with Hiatus so I can catch up on getting all the manga. Not to mention I am looking forward to 3.0 and can't wait for it to come out.

The reason it's taking me time to get the Eva manga is I am collecting the original graphic novel release by viz media