Neon Genesis Evangelion

From Animepedia

Revision as of 22:16, 23 July 2008; Lumine (Talk | contribs)
(diff) ←Older revision | Current revision | Newer revision→ (diff)
Jump to: navigation, search


Neon Genesis Evangelion
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン
(Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Genre Mecha, Apocalyptic/Post-apocalyptic, Psychological Thriller
Anime
Directed by Hideaki Anno
Animation by Suzuki Shunji
Takeshi Honda
Shin'ya Hasegawa
Music by Shirou Sagisu
Script by Hideaki Anno
Akio Satsukawa
Youji Enokido
Studio Gainax
Tatsunoko Productions
Production I.G
MOVIC
Star Child
Network TV Tokyo
Original run October 4, 1995 – March 27, 1996
No. of episodes 26
Manga
Written byYoshiyuki Sadamoto
PublisherKadokawa Shoten
Original run1995 – ongoing
Volumes11 (currently)
Game: Koutetsu no Girlfriend
Developer Gainax Network Systems
PublisherBandai
Genre Visual novel
RatingAges 12 and up
Platform Windows
Macintosh
PlayStation
Sega Saturn
PlayStation2
Released February 1998
March 23, 2006
Game: Koutetsu no Girlfriend 2nd
Developer Gainax Network Systems
PublisherBroccoli
Genre Visual Novel
RatingAges 15 and up
Platform Windows
Macintosh
PlayStation2
Released March 2, 2006
Movies

Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン) is a series produced by GAINAX and aired from October 1995 to March 1996. Shinji (a 14-year-old boy) is pulled from his relatively ordinary life in post-apocalyptic Earth to battle the largest threat to the remaining population: the Angels. He and other children pilot mechas called Evas which are used to fight the creatures under the relatively secret organisation NERV. His father is head of the project, but Shinji lives with Misato (a commander at NERV's base). The organisation's true intents are not quite what they seem.

Contents

Plot

Episode 1

In the year 2015AD, Shinji is waiting for a mysterious woman named Misato to pick him up when a large monster, referred to as an angel, attacks the city. The defense forces are powerless against it and Shinji is in danger, when the woman appears and takes him to the headquarters of NERV, hidden underneath the city of Tokyo 3. Here his father explains that he wants Shinji to pilot a giant robot called an evangelion to fight the monster and save the earth. The conflicted Shinji refuses at first, but the angel causes damage to the building. The robot activates itself to save Shinji. After seeing the injuries on his substitute he agrees to fight.

Episode 2

Shinji pilots Eva Unit 1 for the first time in his fight against the angel. Damage to the Eva causes Shinji to pass out, waking in the hospital after the battle is over. Higher-ups dicuss the future use of eva's and something called the Human Development Project. When Gendo meets his son again, his disappointment is noticeable. News of the angels becomes public and the city begins preparing for future attacks. Shinji moves in with Misato and Pen Pen. The arc flashes back to the fight. After the Eva is damaged, it goes "beserk" quickly destroying the monster in a terrifying display of power.

Episode 3

Shinji begins to train with unit 1, revealing general information about the machines. Shinji returns to school to find the other pilot, Rei, has also enrolled. In class they go over the history of world since the emergence of the angels. The students find out Shinji is the pilot. While some are excited, others bully him for his mistakes. A second angel arrives. Two of Shinji's classmates sneak out to watch the fight. With Shinji losing badly, the two are forced to take cover in his eva. Shinji gains the courage to finish off the angel and win his classmates' respect.

Episode 4

Shinji has run away. Searching the city for answers, he finds himself outside of the city limits. Misato begins to wondering if Shinji is fit to pilot the eva, thinking back to the lecture she gave him after he disobeyed her orders. Shinji's classmate, Aida finds Shinji wondering the wilderness and they spend some time becoming closer friends. Security forces take Shinji back to NERV. He officially resigns, but changes his mind and stays.

Episode 5

The episode begins with a flashback of a test for an evangelion (unit 0) gone awry. It begins to attack the observation room where Gendo is standing. Instead of caring for his own safety, he pries open the scalding hot door to Rei's entry plug. Shinji begins to wonder about Rei's past. Ritsuko gives Shinji Rei's ID card and an excuse to visit the girl. Rei is not pleased and the two make the uncomfortable trip to NERV. Another angel arrives and Shinji is sent out. The angel attacks before Shinji is ready and blowing a hole through the center of the robot.

Episode 6

Unit 01 has been damaged. With Shinji's life in danger, NERV retracts the Eva and begins to study the angel's attack method. The monster also begins drilling toward NERV's underground headquarters. Katsuragi decides to fire a massive positron sniper rifle requiring all of the energy in Japan. The pilots prepare for the last-minute operation with some hesitation from Shinji. Unit 01 and the angel exnchage fire, resulting in a miss for the first shot. Rei uses a special shield to protect Shinji as he recharges the gun, but her Eva is damaged. Shinji destroys the angel and runs to help Rei. Both of the cildren are ok.

Episode 7

The morning begins uneventfully. Gendo meets with a mysterious man. They discuss the budget for building additional Eva's. Ritsuko explains that the natural disaster known as the second impact was actually a self-desctruction mechanism of the 1st angel before heading to a technology conference where they discuss different ways to build the Evas. A robot not built by NERV and run by nuclear energy short circuits and endangers thousands of lives. Misato volunteers to enter to core and manually disengage the robot. Shinji uses his Eva to get her on and stop the monster. Misato manages to force the cooling system into place, but realizes all of the problems were a set-up. Ristuko tells Gendo the operation was a success.

Episode 8

Misato, Shinji and his classmates fly out to a UN naval fleet to meet the new Eva and its pilot, Asuka, the German second child. Kaji, Asuka's older friend, creates some discomfort for Misato. Asuka decides she and Shinji will defeat the angel with the Unit 02. Kaji seems nervous about the attack and leaves half why through the battle to make a delivery. The angel grabs hold of Unit 02. Misato scuttles two battleships, and uses the Eva's power cable to drag the angel into their guns. Kaji delivers a fetus-like object to Gendo who calls it the first human being, while Shinji and his friends return to school to find Asuka enrolled in their class.

Episode List

Ep # Title (English) Title (Japanese) Angel Attacking
Ep 1 Angel Attack 使徒、襲来 ("Shito, Shūrai") - "Angel Attack" Sachiel
Ep 2 The Beast 見知らぬ、天井 ("Mishiranu Tenjō") - "Unfamiliar Ceiling" None
Ep 3 A transfer 鳴らない、電話 ("Naranai Denwa") - "The Phone That Never Rings" Shamshel
Ep 4 Hedgehog's Dilemma 雨、逃げ出した後 ("Ame, Nigedashita Ato") - "Rain, Escape and Afterwards" None
Ep 5 Rei I レイ、心のむこうに- ("Rei, Kokoro no Mukou ni") - "Rei, Beyond Her Heart" Ramiel
Ep 6 Rei II 決戦、第3新東京市- ("Kessen, Daisan Shin Tōkyō-shi") - "Showdown in Neo Tokyo 3" Ramiel
Ep 7 A Human Work 人の造りしもの- (" Hito no Tsukurishimono") - "The Human Creation" Jet Alone1
Ep 8 Asuka Strikes! アスカ、来日- ("Asuka, Rainichi") - "Asuka Arrives in Japan" Gaghiel
Ep 9 Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win! 瞬間、心、重ねて- ("Shunkan, Kokoro, Kasanete") - "With One Accord In A Flash" Israfel
Ep 10 Magma Diver マグマダイバー - "Magma Diver" Sandalphon2
Ep 11 The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still 静止した闇の中で- ("Seishi Shita Yami no Naka de") - "In The Still Darkness" Matarael
Ep 12 She said, "Don't make other suffer for your personal hatred." 奇跡の価値は- ("Kiseki no Kachi wa") - "The Value of a Miracle is..." Sahaquiel
Ep 13 Lilliputian Hitcher 使徒、侵入 ("Shito, Shinnyū") - "Angel Invasion" Ireul3
Ep 14 Weaving A Story ゼーレ、魂の座 ("Seele, Tama no Za") - "Seele, Throne of Souls" Unit 004
Ep 15 Those women longed for the touch of others' lips, and thus invited their kisses. 嘘と沈黙 - ("Uso to Chinmoku") - "Lies and Silence" None
Ep 16 Splitting of the Breast 死に至る病、そして- ("Shi ni Itaru Shitsu, Soshite") - "Sickness Unto Death, And..." Leliel
Ep 17 Forth Child 四人目の適格者- ("Yoninme no Tekikakusha") - "The Fourth Child" None
Ep 18 Ambivalence 命の選択を- ("Inochi no Sentaku o") - "The Judgement of Life" Bardiel5
Ep 19 Introjection 男の戦い- ("Otoko no Tatakai") - "A Man's Fight" Zeruel
Ep 20 Weaving A Story 2: Oral Stage 心のかたち 人のかたち- ("Kokoro no Katachi, Hito no Katachi") - "Form of the Mind, Form of the Man" None
Ep 21 He was aware that he was still a child. ネルフ、誕生- ("NERV, Tanjou") - "The Birth of NERV" None
Ep 22 Don't Be. せめて、人間らしく- ("Semete, Ningen Rashiku") - "At Least, Be Human" Arael
Ep 23 Rei III 涙- ("Namida") - "Tears" Armisael
Ep 24 The Beginning and the End, or "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" 最後のシ者- ("Saigo no Shisha") - "The Final Messenger" None
Ep 25 Do you love me? 終わる世界- ("Owaru Sekai") - "The World Ending" None
Ep 26 Take care of yourself. 世界の中心でアイを叫んだけもの- ("Sekai no Chūshin de 'Ai' o Sakenda Kemono") - "The Beast Who Shouted 'Love' at the Heart of the World" None

Characters

Shinji Ikari
Enlarge
Shinji Ikari
Shinji Ikari (碇シンジ Ikari Shinji)
Voice
Megumi Ogata (Japanese)
Spike Spencer (English)
Birthdate
June 6, 2001

Shinji is the protagonist of Neon Genesis Evangelion. He is the Third Child and the sole pilot of Evangelion Unit 01. He is very introverted, and therefore has difficulty communicating with and relating to other people. Shinji does not have much (if any) self-worth, and is frequently depressed throughout the series. This likely stems from being abandoned by his father, Gendo Ikari, as a very young child, after his mother's disappearance. After ten years of estrangement, Gendo suddenly summons Shinji to NERV, in order to have Shinji become an Evangelion pilot. With reluctance, he accepts, and eventually ends up living in Tokyo-3, with Misato Katsuragi as his guardian.

Rei Ayanami
Enlarge
Rei Ayanami
Rei Ayanami (綾波レイ Ayanami Rei)
Voice
Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese)
Amanda Winn-Lee (English)
Birthdate
Unknown

Rei is the pilot of Evangelion Unit 00. She has received pilot training since the project's beginning, and therefore she is known as the First Child. She is a very enigmatic, isolated person. Rei is extremely introverted and aloof, even more so than Shinji, with her only apparent relationship being with Gendo Ikari, although at one point, Rei remarks to Shinji that she "doesn't know what kind of person he (Gendo) is". Rei does not seem to value her existence much either, but for entirely different reasons than Shinji.

Asuka Langley Sohryu
Enlarge
Asuka Langley Sohryu
Asuka Langley Sohryu (惣流・アスカ・ラングレー Souryuu Asuka Ranguree)
Voice
Yuuko Miyamura (Japanese)
Tiffany Grant (English)
Birthdate
December 4, 2001

Asuka is the first pilot of Evangelion Unit 02, and the Second Child. She is of mixed decent, being only one-quarter Japanese, and three-quarters European, which explains her very non-Japanese appearance. In a severe contrast to the Evangelion pilots introduced before her, Shinji and Rei, Asuka appears to be a very strong, extroverted, arrogant, and fiercely independent person. However, this is a façade, behind which Asuka hides her truly vulnerable, insecure self, and a traumatic past. Perhaps because of this internal conflict, Asuka has a very volatile temperament, and is frequently verbally abusive, particularly to Shinji. She is the second Evangelion pilot to move into Misato's apartment.

Misato Katsuragi (葛城ミサト Katsuragi Misato)
Voice
Kotono Mitsuishi (Japanese)
Allison Keith (English)
Birthdate
December 8, 1986

Misato is the chief operations officer at NERV, initially with the ranking of Captain, though later she is promoted to Major. She is very capable and professional in her work. This is severely contrasted by her behavior at home: Upon Shinji's arrival, Misato's house could not, in any way, be described as "tidy". She is also quite a drunkard, both starting and ending the day with a can of beer. She seems to be a lighthearted, cheerful person, but this is simply a defense mechanism used to run away from anything that appears to be developing into more than a surface relationship. Consistent with the dissonance of the rest of Misato's character, the loneliness caused by this defense mechanism causes her to take others under her metaphorical wing (Pen², Shinji, Asuka).

Gendo Ikari (碇ゲンドウ Ikari Gendou)
The demanding head of NERV, Gendo's intents are rarely obvious. His devotion to Rei, however, is quite noticeable.
Ritsuko Akagi(赤木リツコ Akagi Ritsuko)
The brilliant computer technition who looks after the Eva's and the Magi, her mother's computer system.
Ryohji Kaji (加持リョウジ Kaji Ryouji)
The scruffy man who has no real affiliation with anyone. He also has a bit of a past with Misato.
Toji Suzuhara (鈴原トウジ Suzuhara Touji)
Kōzō Fuyutsuki (冬月コウゾウ Fuyutsuki Kouzou)
Makoto Hyuga (日向マコト Hyuuga Makoto)
Maya Ibuki (伊吹マヤ Ibuki Maya)
Shigeru Aoba (青葉シゲル Aoba Shigeru)
Kensuke Aida (相田ケンスケ Aida Kensuke)
Kaworu Nagisa (渚 カヲル Nagisa Kaworu)
Hikari Horaki (洞木ヒカリ Horaki Hikari)
Naoko Akagi (赤木ナオコ Akagi Naoko)
Yui Ikari (碇ユイ Ikari Yui)
Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu (惣流・キョウコ・ツェッペリン Souryu Kyouko Tsepperin)
Pen² (ペンペン Penpen)

Openings/Endings

  • Opening: Cruel Angel's Thesis [1] (lyrics) from Anime Lyrics's Search Engine
  • Ending: Fly Me to the Moon [2] (lyrics) from Anime Lyrics's Search Engine

Links

Personal tools