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新世紀エヴァンゲリオン [Shin Seiki Evangelion] #1
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 1
Evangelion, Vol. 1, contains a Japanese sound FX glossary plus special bonus commentary by series mecha designer Ikuto Yamashita, as well as the famous "confession letter" written by director Hideaki Anno in the months before the original TV series premiere that laid out his deeply personal motivations to make Evangelion.
166 pages, Paperback
First published August 29, 1995
156 people are currently reading
5805 people want to read
About the author
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
164 books248 followersYoshiyuki Sadamoto (貞本義行) is a Japanese character designer, mangaka, and one of the founding members of the Gainax anime studio.
His notable works include Neon Genesis Evangelion character design and manga.
He is also the character designer for the .hack//Games and the Package designer for the .hack//GU games.
Also publishes with the doujinshi pen name 45yen.
His notable works include Neon Genesis Evangelion character design and manga.
He is also the character designer for the .hack//Games and the Package designer for the .hack//GU games.
Also publishes with the doujinshi pen name 45yen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 405 reviews
Want to read
July 19, 2018I forgot how crazy this anime is.
Yep. Definitely need to get around to the manga.
Yep. Definitely need to get around to the manga.
July 20, 2018
When Shinji Ikari's estranged father arranges a meeting with him, it's not the heartfelt meeting he was hoping for. Gendo wants Shinji to pilot the Evangelion, the only machine capable of battling the monstrous angels descending to earth. Can Shinji defeat the angels and his most fearsome enemy, his desire for his father's approval?
My manga self-education continues with Neon Genesis Evangelion. Reading this right on the heels of Getter Robo Devolution provides a nice contrast. Whereas GRD felt a lot more violent, this one felt more like the beginnings of a family drama that just happens to feature violence. Any man whose father is an "alpha male" can relate to Shinji. He doesn't know how to please his father but still wants his approval. Shinji has his coming of age moment inside the Evangelion but his father is still a distant prick.
The art is softer than that of GRB, which fits in with its more sensitive subject matter. The battle scenes were clear and the characters were expressive. The designs of the EVA and the angels were memorable. I'm not prepared to call them iconic just yet but I still have thirteen or so more volumes to read. I'm really curious about the future of the series. There's a little sexual tension teased between Shinji and Captain Katsuragi. We'll see where that goes.
I enjoyed this volume quite a bit. Hopefully the used bookstore has the rest of them. I'm getting the hang of this reading right to left business. Four out of five stars.
My manga self-education continues with Neon Genesis Evangelion. Reading this right on the heels of Getter Robo Devolution provides a nice contrast. Whereas GRD felt a lot more violent, this one felt more like the beginnings of a family drama that just happens to feature violence. Any man whose father is an "alpha male" can relate to Shinji. He doesn't know how to please his father but still wants his approval. Shinji has his coming of age moment inside the Evangelion but his father is still a distant prick.
The art is softer than that of GRB, which fits in with its more sensitive subject matter. The battle scenes were clear and the characters were expressive. The designs of the EVA and the angels were memorable. I'm not prepared to call them iconic just yet but I still have thirteen or so more volumes to read. I'm really curious about the future of the series. There's a little sexual tension teased between Shinji and Captain Katsuragi. We'll see where that goes.
I enjoyed this volume quite a bit. Hopefully the used bookstore has the rest of them. I'm getting the hang of this reading right to left business. Four out of five stars.
March 29, 2025
Mi parte favorita de Evangelion es Misato.
Jamás he podido avanzar mucho en el anime, esperé que el manga me diera el empujón necesario para entrar de lleno a la historia. De momento me tiene interesada, si me consigo el segundo tomo veremos qué pasa.
Jamás he podido avanzar mucho en el anime, esperé que el manga me diera el empujón necesario para entrar de lleno a la historia. De momento me tiene interesada, si me consigo el segundo tomo veremos qué pasa.
March 20, 2017
First impressions : Back to classics: Neon Genesis Evangelion ( I love the name)
Here we have evil "angels" which are robotic artificial intelligences that came from (space? another planet?).. And we have Evangelions which are man made robots that battle angles and also have their human riders. ...
Shinji is a depressed boy who is summoned to his father's , whom he hasn't seen for three years. And now he has to ride one of the Evas to battle an angel. ..
Interesting beginning and cool concept. I especially wonder how the man-robot interaction works. And what the hell are angels?
People call Shinji a whiny brat, but he seemed okay to me, If not a little depressed. I also loved Misato, she is funny and sisterly towards Shinji.
Artwork is well, but as always, I have problems with understanding fight scenes, especially with Mechas. Let's see how it will turn out.
Final rating : 4.43 stars
They told me that it is one messed up manga. After finishing the original anime, I was confused as hell. Then manga finished and additionally I saw the movie "End of Evangelion" and.. Why, God, they couldn't make an actual finished, satisfying ending or at least the ending that could be understood! That gave me a headache..
I am going to list my reasons why I liked the manga, then begin ranting about messed up things:
1. The story was complex and I love complex storylines. It was my second post-apocalyptic manga, and first mecha manga, and I am pleased with the story, the events. The disaster, the causes and consequences was interesting and complicated but on the negative note, it was not explained enough. I read fan theories and additional explanations for understanding it. However, it doesn't reduce the geniusness of the story.
2. The underlying themes mainly I liked how Shinji's depression was demonstrated in the story. I never hated Shinji for being weak, self-loathed or depressed, because it is somehow the feeling everyone gets in a while and it is a real thing. Shinji was real, depression was real, and I understood his motivations.
The theme of Christianity, religion, the beginning and the end of the world was fascinating. I liked the idea of two life seeds and human instrumentality project and all. I am a sucker for these things.
The mother-child theme was especially my favorite, that how Evas contained the souls of their mothers and the inside was like the womb, how primordial soup and life source themes collide together, those were fantastic!
3. Characters The characters were perfectly imperfect. I mean, look at Shinji who hates himself, passive, coward, but also caring, sensitive, nice towards people, and could be much better person if those messed up things didn't happen to him.
Asuka hot-headed, rude, confident and overachieving girl and Misato professional at work, carefree at home , were my favorite female characters in the manga. I didn't particularly like Rei mainly because Rei was underdeveloped as she was a clone. Gendo could be the second worst father figure after Oz Bezarius' father (Pandora Hearts). I liked Ritsuko, Kaji, Toji, Aida, Yui, a bit Nagisa . I mentioned these characters because they are worth mentioning.
4. The art was clean and nice. It was easy to read pictures and imagine what happened.
Now, on the negative side:
1. I hated how the story was confusing and wasn't explained enough. The information was scattered through the story and never given in a whole and simple way. The ending was different in anime and manga and it made me frustrated. It didn't make sense in both versions, while in manga it was on a positive tone, it was unexplained and in anime, it was somehow explained but was depressing and sad. I am glad that the manga wasn't too long because if it was 20 + volumes, I would be extremely mad that I spent my time for a messed up ending like that ( Looking at you, Tsubasa Reservoir chronicles) I gave up on explanation, I'll interpret my own story.
2. There was many things that was disturbing. Some symbolism was overdone, there were too many sexual references/symbolism, some nudity (some of them was reasonable though) and emotionally it left me drained. It was good psychological manga that made me cry, ask why, think metaphorical and made philosophical discussion within myself but again, the ending was wtf.
So, it became one of my favorite stories (excluding the ending) and it gave me some ideas in my own writing too. Thus, I am glad that I started this manga in the first place!
Here we have evil "angels" which are robotic artificial intelligences that came from (space? another planet?).. And we have Evangelions which are man made robots that battle angles and also have their human riders. ...
Shinji is a depressed boy who is summoned to his father's , whom he hasn't seen for three years. And now he has to ride one of the Evas to battle an angel. ..
Interesting beginning and cool concept. I especially wonder how the man-robot interaction works. And what the hell are angels?
People call Shinji a whiny brat, but he seemed okay to me, If not a little depressed. I also loved Misato, she is funny and sisterly towards Shinji.
Artwork is well, but as always, I have problems with understanding fight scenes, especially with Mechas. Let's see how it will turn out.
Final rating : 4.43 stars
They told me that it is one messed up manga. After finishing the original anime, I was confused as hell. Then manga finished and additionally I saw the movie "End of Evangelion" and.. Why, God, they couldn't make an actual finished, satisfying ending or at least the ending that could be understood! That gave me a headache..
I am going to list my reasons why I liked the manga, then begin ranting about messed up things:
1. The story was complex and I love complex storylines. It was my second post-apocalyptic manga, and first mecha manga, and I am pleased with the story, the events. The disaster, the causes and consequences was interesting and complicated but on the negative note, it was not explained enough. I read fan theories and additional explanations for understanding it. However, it doesn't reduce the geniusness of the story.
2. The underlying themes mainly I liked how Shinji's depression was demonstrated in the story. I never hated Shinji for being weak, self-loathed or depressed, because it is somehow the feeling everyone gets in a while and it is a real thing. Shinji was real, depression was real, and I understood his motivations.
The theme of Christianity, religion, the beginning and the end of the world was fascinating. I liked the idea of two life seeds and human instrumentality project and all. I am a sucker for these things.
The mother-child theme was especially my favorite, that how Evas contained the souls of their mothers and the inside was like the womb, how primordial soup and life source themes collide together, those were fantastic!
3. Characters The characters were perfectly imperfect. I mean, look at Shinji who hates himself, passive, coward, but also caring, sensitive, nice towards people, and could be much better person if those messed up things didn't happen to him.
Asuka hot-headed, rude, confident and overachieving girl and Misato professional at work, carefree at home , were my favorite female characters in the manga. I didn't particularly like Rei mainly because Rei was underdeveloped as she was a clone. Gendo could be the second worst father figure after Oz Bezarius' father (Pandora Hearts). I liked Ritsuko, Kaji, Toji, Aida, Yui, a bit Nagisa . I mentioned these characters because they are worth mentioning.
4. The art was clean and nice. It was easy to read pictures and imagine what happened.
Now, on the negative side:
1. I hated how the story was confusing and wasn't explained enough. The information was scattered through the story and never given in a whole and simple way. The ending was different in anime and manga and it made me frustrated. It didn't make sense in both versions, while in manga it was on a positive tone, it was unexplained and in anime, it was somehow explained but was depressing and sad. I am glad that the manga wasn't too long because if it was 20 + volumes, I would be extremely mad that I spent my time for a messed up ending like that ( Looking at you, Tsubasa Reservoir chronicles) I gave up on explanation, I'll interpret my own story.
2. There was many things that was disturbing. Some symbolism was overdone, there were too many sexual references/symbolism, some nudity (some of them was reasonable though) and emotionally it left me drained. It was good psychological manga that made me cry, ask why, think metaphorical and made philosophical discussion within myself but again, the ending was wtf.
So, it became one of my favorite stories (excluding the ending) and it gave me some ideas in my own writing too. Thus, I am glad that I started this manga in the first place!
November 15, 2025
4/5
The best dad of the year award goes to… definitely not Shinji’s dad!
(should’ve read the manga before watching the anime..)
The best dad of the year award goes to… definitely not Shinji’s dad!
(should’ve read the manga before watching the anime..)
July 15, 2023
After the disastrous results of a cataclysmic event known as the Second Impact, an alien species known only as Angels terrorizes the last remnants of humanity. Young children are raised in military schools and trained to combat these godlike entities by piloting giant biomechanical mechas into battle. The story revolves around the personal struggles of the members of NERV, the shady organization responsible for the creation of these mechas; most notably the cold and calculated leader Gendo Ikari and his chronically depressed son Shinji.
The surface level story of Evangelion is deceptively simple. It appears to be a straightforward apocalypse story about the last survivors of humanity fighting back against an alien race that nearly drove them to extinction, but there’s a lot of depth in the background of the plot. There’s more to the Angels than meets the eye. NERV has a disturbing number of skeletons in its closet. And the few survivors in charge of fighting against the aliens have an abundance of mental scars in desperate need of being healed lest they destroy themselves before the Angels can get to them.
I love the subtle depth of the characters. Shinji appears to be a cold and distant boy with odd tendencies that are almost sociopathic in nature, but he turns out to be an extremely sensitive and anxiety-ridden teen who suffers from a lack of parental guidance and affection. He’s not always likable, but he’s uncomfortably relatable. Asuka appears to be a bratty and spunky girl with all the confidence in the world, but she suffers from a self-destructive inferiority complex caused by past tragedies that causes her to act out in front of adults to make herself appear more mature than she really is while struggling with emotional breakdowns in her private time.
Every character has a facade they put on in front of their peers, only for it to be revealed that they’re hiding a brutal amount of unhealed trauma and emotional baggage that usually causes more damage than the main threat of the story. In fact, the main story is just a part of the background. What makes Evangelion a masterpiece in my eyes is how horrifyingly human the characters are, how painful their struggles are and how disastrous their bad choices end up being.
A very bleak, depressing and terrifying series that tackles nihilistic philosophy and twisted religious allegories in abundance, but there are faint glimmers of hope and lessons to be learned from the catastrophic mistakes made by the mentally and emotionally broken cast.
I enjoyed reading this much more as an adult than I did as a teen.
My rating: 4.6/5
The surface level story of Evangelion is deceptively simple. It appears to be a straightforward apocalypse story about the last survivors of humanity fighting back against an alien race that nearly drove them to extinction, but there’s a lot of depth in the background of the plot. There’s more to the Angels than meets the eye. NERV has a disturbing number of skeletons in its closet. And the few survivors in charge of fighting against the aliens have an abundance of mental scars in desperate need of being healed lest they destroy themselves before the Angels can get to them.
I love the subtle depth of the characters. Shinji appears to be a cold and distant boy with odd tendencies that are almost sociopathic in nature, but he turns out to be an extremely sensitive and anxiety-ridden teen who suffers from a lack of parental guidance and affection. He’s not always likable, but he’s uncomfortably relatable. Asuka appears to be a bratty and spunky girl with all the confidence in the world, but she suffers from a self-destructive inferiority complex caused by past tragedies that causes her to act out in front of adults to make herself appear more mature than she really is while struggling with emotional breakdowns in her private time.
Every character has a facade they put on in front of their peers, only for it to be revealed that they’re hiding a brutal amount of unhealed trauma and emotional baggage that usually causes more damage than the main threat of the story. In fact, the main story is just a part of the background. What makes Evangelion a masterpiece in my eyes is how horrifyingly human the characters are, how painful their struggles are and how disastrous their bad choices end up being.
A very bleak, depressing and terrifying series that tackles nihilistic philosophy and twisted religious allegories in abundance, but there are faint glimmers of hope and lessons to be learned from the catastrophic mistakes made by the mentally and emotionally broken cast.
I enjoyed reading this much more as an adult than I did as a teen.
My rating: 4.6/5
Read
May 3, 2023Its original anime is well-received in the anime community, so I got curious and decided to read the manga. And it is tragic! 🥲
Shinji is a teen who finds himself trapped inside himself and outside by not-so-good role models while fighting strong and gigantic alien robots.He felt lonely, and I think it was eating him. Why is his father like that?! 😬
This is not an easy read. And the art says it. The blend of psychological, dramatic, and sci-fi elements generates uncomfortable scenarios that heighten the critical parts. 🙌
But I want to know how the plot thickens, so I am now waiting for the second volume to be available in the library.
Shinji is a teen who finds himself trapped inside himself and outside by not-so-good role models while fighting strong and gigantic alien robots.
This is not an easy read. And the art says it. The blend of psychological, dramatic, and sci-fi elements generates uncomfortable scenarios that heighten the critical parts. 🙌
But I want to know how the plot thickens, so I am now waiting for the second volume to be available in the library.
June 5, 2007
This is an interesting reinterpretation of the story from the anime. There are some notable differences mainly in the sequence of events, as well as the demeanor of Shinji. If you thought Shinji was too whiny in the anime, you may enjoy this better. It's also interesting in the way that the story is told more through Shinji's eyes. If you want to know more about the characters and their background you would probably enjoy this.
July 2, 2022
This series wasn't actually in my book plan for July but I saw a really good cosplay of Capt. Katsuragi earlier and was like, okay I think I'm starting July with sci-fi.
Isn't it incredibly ironic how those nasty-looking, demonic-like monster is called angel? Also, I'm hooked. The art style is clean and smooth, it has that 90s anime vibe with modernized strokes, I mean, it was a series from the 90s anyway, but I've seen other classics and they are not as preserved as this edition that I was hooked instantly. The starting volume sure has so much potential with a gratifying climax that will leave you wanting more. I was at the edge of my seat... wanting more. No wonder why the series rose to popularity. I better go ahead and open volume 2. Also, I think this is my first time reading mecha, and I must say, I kinda regret not trying one sooner.
Isn't it incredibly ironic how those nasty-looking, demonic-like monster is called angel? Also, I'm hooked. The art style is clean and smooth, it has that 90s anime vibe with modernized strokes, I mean, it was a series from the 90s anyway, but I've seen other classics and they are not as preserved as this edition that I was hooked instantly. The starting volume sure has so much potential with a gratifying climax that will leave you wanting more. I was at the edge of my seat... wanting more. No wonder why the series rose to popularity. I better go ahead and open volume 2. Also, I think this is my first time reading mecha, and I must say, I kinda regret not trying one sooner.
October 29, 2024
Corre el año 2015 y el mundo se encuentra en plena recuperación por la caída de un meteorito en el año 2000, pero entonces llegan unos misteriosos seres conocidos como los "Ángeles" que de ángeles tienen bien poco. Shinji es un adolescente que siente pocas ganas de continuar con su vida, ya que ha sido muy marcado por el abandono de su padre, pero cuando menos lo espera éste reaparece en su vida, con un pedido nada fácil, que salve a la humanidad manejando un androide gigante para enfrentar a los ángeles, y el reencuentro de Shinji con su padre no se parece en nada a lo que imaginaba. El primer manga que leo (recomendado por una alumna) y me he quedado alucinando, necesito más de esto ya!!! ... Así que tendré que conseguirme los números siguientes. Unos diálogos que me han encantado, una historia de fondo muy interesante y unos personajes muy atractivos en su imagen y comportamiento. Muy recomendable.
December 13, 2022
I had heart such great things about this manga series, so it makes me sad that this just didn't work for me at all.
The art style was what was brought this manga down the most. I like more detailed drawing, and the action scenes were confusing for me. I also didn't get a sense of who these characters were. They all felt two-dimensional and uninteresting. The only redeeming this for me was the interesting premise.
I won't be continuing on in this series.
The art style was what was brought this manga down the most. I like more detailed drawing, and the action scenes were confusing for me. I also didn't get a sense of who these characters were. They all felt two-dimensional and uninteresting. The only redeeming this for me was the interesting premise.
I won't be continuing on in this series.
September 9, 2007
Evangelion was my favorite anime series for a while, and I still have a huge soft spot for it despite disliking both of the endings.
Even without knowing how the manga version is going to end (I keep hoping Sadamoto will deliver an ending I believe, unlike Anno), I think it's a superior piece of work so far. The story is tighter and the changes made to the characters are interesting (some are improvements, some are just intriguing differences). I'm very much looking forward to seeing how it ends this time around.
Even without knowing how the manga version is going to end (I keep hoping Sadamoto will deliver an ending I believe, unlike Anno), I think it's a superior piece of work so far. The story is tighter and the changes made to the characters are interesting (some are improvements, some are just intriguing differences). I'm very much looking forward to seeing how it ends this time around.
April 17, 2020
Finally read this manga (after seeing the anime almost a decade ago, which has influenced me more than pretty much anything else), and it was everything I wanted it to be. In general, it follows the anime pretty closely, but with a heavier focus on characters, and a few key changes that seem really important. Also, in general, there's just a lot more of the story, which I think makes it pretty essential for approaching Evangelion as a whole.
October 4, 2017
عيني لم ترى مثل هذا العمل في فنه .. في افكاره العبقرية في ...
( أقصد الأنمي 1995-1997 )
ملحوضة هامة 🔴 " المشاهد الذي لا يرد أن يشاهد عمل معقداً وقصة فلسفية مليئة بالعمق النفسي والديني فعليه أن يبتعد عن [ إيفانجليون ] ، عدا ذلك اهلاً بك في عمل من أجود ما صنعته العقول البشرية " :)
،،
بعض من الفنانين الذين شهدو لهذا العمل الإبداعي :
1- [ Hajime Isayama ] كاتب مانجا [ Attack on Titan ]
يقول : " أنا مبهج بالانميشن ، وأسلوب رسم الآلات ، والفكرة أن
[ هيدياكي انو ] كتب كل ما في داخله في هذا العمل ( احاسيسه - ماشعره - افكاره )
طبعاً [ هيدياكي آنو ] يعتبر مخرج ومؤلف [ Evangelion ]
2- المانجاكا العظيم [ Nobuhiro Watsuk ] كاتب مانجا [ Samurai x او Rurouni Kenshin ]
يعتبر العمل الانمي المفضل لديه
3- الممثل العالمي الراحل [ Robin Williams ]
يعتبره من أنميات المفضلة ومعه [ Ghost In The Shell ] و [ Cowboy bebop ] وحتى [ Akira 1988 ]
4- المخرج [ Wes Anderson ] مخرج [ The Grand Budapest Hotel ] و [ Fantastic Mr. Fox ]
والمرشح لـ 6 جوائز اوسكار ، يعتبر فيلم [ End of Evangelion ] من افضل عشر اعمال انميشن شاهدها في حياته
5- ناقدة الأنمي [ Susan J. Napier ]
تقول : " عمل إستثنائي معقد والذي لاقى انتقادات طفيفة وشهرة هائلة ، حيث يرونه عملًا اعيد فيه صياغة الميكا بالكامل، وبالرغم من عرضه الجبار لمواجهات الميكا إلا أن هذي المشاهد تموضعت ضم محتوى كئيب من إختلال في الاسرة العمل والعلاقة الجنسية ، هذا المحتوى تغلغل معه روحنيات وفلسفة في * الأبوكلبتيك* ( وصف أهوال الدمار المتنبأ به، ممزوجة برسومات وصور *سريالية*، فهم يهدف الى التعبير عن العقل الباطن بصورة يعوزها النظام والمنطق .. )
🗿
( أقصد الأنمي 1995-1997 )
ملحوضة هامة 🔴 " المشاهد الذي لا يرد أن يشاهد عمل معقداً وقصة فلسفية مليئة بالعمق النفسي والديني فعليه أن يبتعد عن [ إيفانجليون ] ، عدا ذلك اهلاً بك في عمل من أجود ما صنعته العقول البشرية " :)
،،
بعض من الفنانين الذين شهدو لهذا العمل الإبداعي :
1- [ Hajime Isayama ] كاتب مانجا [ Attack on Titan ]
يقول : " أنا مبهج بالانميشن ، وأسلوب رسم الآلات ، والفكرة أن
[ هيدياكي انو ] كتب كل ما في داخله في هذا العمل ( احاسيسه - ماشعره - افكاره )
طبعاً [ هيدياكي آنو ] يعتبر مخرج ومؤلف [ Evangelion ]
2- المانجاكا العظيم [ Nobuhiro Watsuk ] كاتب مانجا [ Samurai x او Rurouni Kenshin ]
يعتبر العمل الانمي المفضل لديه
3- الممثل العالمي الراحل [ Robin Williams ]
يعتبره من أنميات المفضلة ومعه [ Ghost In The Shell ] و [ Cowboy bebop ] وحتى [ Akira 1988 ]
4- المخرج [ Wes Anderson ] مخرج [ The Grand Budapest Hotel ] و [ Fantastic Mr. Fox ]
والمرشح لـ 6 جوائز اوسكار ، يعتبر فيلم [ End of Evangelion ] من افضل عشر اعمال انميشن شاهدها في حياته
5- ناقدة الأنمي [ Susan J. Napier ]
تقول : " عمل إستثنائي معقد والذي لاقى انتقادات طفيفة وشهرة هائلة ، حيث يرونه عملًا اعيد فيه صياغة الميكا بالكامل، وبالرغم من عرضه الجبار لمواجهات الميكا إلا أن هذي المشاهد تموضعت ضم محتوى كئيب من إختلال في الاسرة العمل والعلاقة الجنسية ، هذا المحتوى تغلغل معه روحنيات وفلسفة في * الأبوكلبتيك* ( وصف أهوال الدمار المتنبأ به، ممزوجة برسومات وصور *سريالية*، فهم يهدف الى التعبير عن العقل الباطن بصورة يعوزها النظام والمنطق .. )
🗿
August 11, 2013
Good God, this manga took for ever to reach an ending! It took almost 18 years to get all 14 volumes done!
I always wanted to see the Anime version of Evangelion but instead, I decided to read the Manga because it was so well drawn! This has to be one of the best artistic work in Manga and I really like how the Mechs were drawn in it. I could see where Mr Shinkawa (Metal Gear Solid) got his artistic inspiration :)
The plot is a good mix of drama, apocalyptic set, philosophy and war. While I may not agree on how it ended, I believe that overall this is a good manga for future setting lovers.
I always wanted to see the Anime version of Evangelion but instead, I decided to read the Manga because it was so well drawn! This has to be one of the best artistic work in Manga and I really like how the Mechs were drawn in it. I could see where Mr Shinkawa (Metal Gear Solid) got his artistic inspiration :)
The plot is a good mix of drama, apocalyptic set, philosophy and war. While I may not agree on how it ended, I believe that overall this is a good manga for future setting lovers.
April 18, 2024
El anime es infinitamente mejor
January 3, 2022
Worum es geht:
Shinji wird, nach vielen Jahren der Trennung, von seinem Vater zurück nach Neo-Tokyo-3 gerufen. Den Grund erfährt er erst vor Ort: Shinji soll eine Evangelion-Einheit, einen riesigen Roboter, im Kampf gegen die "Engel" steuern. Das erste dieser Monster hat bereits 15 Jahre vor Beginn der Geschichte eine gewaltige Katastrophe ausgelöst, die große Teile der Menschheit vernichtet hat. Jetzt greifen die Engel wieder an und Shinji ist einer der wenigen Menschen, die sich mit einer Eva-Einheit synchronisieren können. Doch kann er dem ständigen Druck standhalten, der nun auf seinen Schultern lastet?
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Leute, ich LIEBE Neon Genesis Evangelion!
Egal, ob Anime (den ich zuerst sah) oder Manga (den ich daraufhin kaufen und lesen musste), die Geschichte um Ikari Shinji, die Evas und das drohende Ende der Welt ist einfach episch, aber auch sehr gefühlsbetont und gehört zu meinen liebsten SciFi-Stories. Die Darstellung des mentalen Drucks und wie die Eva-Pilot:innen damit umgehen, spielt dabei eine große Rolle und lässt die Geschichte in meinen Augen aus den anderen dieses Genres herausstechen.
Spannend wird der Manga natürlich durch die Kämpfe, aber auch durch die vielen offenen Fragen, die nach und nach beantwortet werden, oder deren Antworten die Leserinnen zumindest erahnen können. Gleichzeitig wird die Geschichte mit einer gewissen Ruhe erzählt und wirkt nicht gehetzt, sodass zwischen den Ereignissen immer noch Platz ist für das nähere Kennenlernen und die Entwicklung der Charaktere.
Ich habe jetzt einige Minuten darüber nachgedacht, ob ich zuerst den Anime oder den Manga empfehlen würde.
Der Manga ist an vielen Stellen ein bisschen detaillierten, tiefgehender, brutaler. Er lohnt sich in jedem Falle!
Der Anime glänzt allerdings mit einem unglaublich tollen Soundtrack und kann aufgrund des Mediums das Erzähltempo noch besser steuern (Schweigen kann in die Länge gezogen werden o.ä.). Daher werde ich zuerst den Anime empfehlen (OmU!) und wenn ihr genauso begeistert davon seid, wie ich, dann könnt ihr die Atmosphäre und die tolle Musik mitnehmen und den Manga lesen. ;-)
Wer keine Animes mag, steigt natürlich sofort mit dem Manga ein! Es lohnt sich!
Shinji wird, nach vielen Jahren der Trennung, von seinem Vater zurück nach Neo-Tokyo-3 gerufen. Den Grund erfährt er erst vor Ort: Shinji soll eine Evangelion-Einheit, einen riesigen Roboter, im Kampf gegen die "Engel" steuern. Das erste dieser Monster hat bereits 15 Jahre vor Beginn der Geschichte eine gewaltige Katastrophe ausgelöst, die große Teile der Menschheit vernichtet hat. Jetzt greifen die Engel wieder an und Shinji ist einer der wenigen Menschen, die sich mit einer Eva-Einheit synchronisieren können. Doch kann er dem ständigen Druck standhalten, der nun auf seinen Schultern lastet?
---
Leute, ich LIEBE Neon Genesis Evangelion!
Egal, ob Anime (den ich zuerst sah) oder Manga (den ich daraufhin kaufen und lesen musste), die Geschichte um Ikari Shinji, die Evas und das drohende Ende der Welt ist einfach episch, aber auch sehr gefühlsbetont und gehört zu meinen liebsten SciFi-Stories. Die Darstellung des mentalen Drucks und wie die Eva-Pilot:innen damit umgehen, spielt dabei eine große Rolle und lässt die Geschichte in meinen Augen aus den anderen dieses Genres herausstechen.
Spannend wird der Manga natürlich durch die Kämpfe, aber auch durch die vielen offenen Fragen, die nach und nach beantwortet werden, oder deren Antworten die Leserinnen zumindest erahnen können. Gleichzeitig wird die Geschichte mit einer gewissen Ruhe erzählt und wirkt nicht gehetzt, sodass zwischen den Ereignissen immer noch Platz ist für das nähere Kennenlernen und die Entwicklung der Charaktere.
Ich habe jetzt einige Minuten darüber nachgedacht, ob ich zuerst den Anime oder den Manga empfehlen würde.
Der Manga ist an vielen Stellen ein bisschen detaillierten, tiefgehender, brutaler. Er lohnt sich in jedem Falle!
Der Anime glänzt allerdings mit einem unglaublich tollen Soundtrack und kann aufgrund des Mediums das Erzähltempo noch besser steuern (Schweigen kann in die Länge gezogen werden o.ä.). Daher werde ich zuerst den Anime empfehlen (OmU!) und wenn ihr genauso begeistert davon seid, wie ich, dann könnt ihr die Atmosphäre und die tolle Musik mitnehmen und den Manga lesen. ;-)
Wer keine Animes mag, steigt natürlich sofort mit dem Manga ein! Es lohnt sich!
November 28, 2016
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION n. 1
Finalmente dopo 10 anni riesco a mettere le mani sul primo volume e presto il manga sarà tutto mio.
Come potete capire non saró obiettiva con queste valutazioni perché io semplicemente lo adoro. Ho visto peró prima l'anime e avevo paura che non rendesse a pieno leggere...e invece! riesco a godermi tutto: Combattimento dialoghi il rapporto tra Shinji e suo padre...tutto. Mi sono fermata ad ogni pagina cercando di catturare ogni cosa. Ed è stato bellissimo. Non so come spiegare ma appena inizio a leggere vengo trasportata dentro la storia e sento ogni personaggio. Il loro dolore, il loro terrore e la loro gioia. È un pugno allo stomaco, ma...non vedo l'ora di leggere il prossimo. *_*
Finalmente dopo 10 anni riesco a mettere le mani sul primo volume e presto il manga sarà tutto mio.
Come potete capire non saró obiettiva con queste valutazioni perché io semplicemente lo adoro. Ho visto peró prima l'anime e avevo paura che non rendesse a pieno leggere...e invece! riesco a godermi tutto: Combattimento dialoghi il rapporto tra Shinji e suo padre...tutto. Mi sono fermata ad ogni pagina cercando di catturare ogni cosa. Ed è stato bellissimo. Non so come spiegare ma appena inizio a leggere vengo trasportata dentro la storia e sento ogni personaggio. Il loro dolore, il loro terrore e la loro gioia. È un pugno allo stomaco, ma...non vedo l'ora di leggere il prossimo. *_*
July 13, 2018
Interesting start. The book is even briefer than it looks, because lots of pages are explosions or non-detailed action scenes with no text. I'll probably read the next one to see how it progresses.
August 9, 2022
Powrót do tej mangi to podróż przez sentymenty. Jedna z tych serii, która swego czasu poprzestawiała mi we łbie kilka aksonów, ha, chyba nawet nadal potrafi to robić.
May 21, 2025
[4.5] Już prawie zdążyłam zapomnieć, jak wiele emocji we mnie to wzbudzało 👺
March 9, 2024
damn, all characters are so traumatised, i hope they will be ok
November 5, 2021
Review for the whole series
Very good adaptation of the famous anime, somewhat improving it by developing the characters (main and support) more and giving clearer explanations to the endgame.
That being said, the manga is no less dark- sometimes on the verge of nihilism- than the anime and all the main themes are here: (fear of) interaction with others and opposition between life/death pulsions encased in an apocalyptic religious atmosphere.
Odd manga indeed in its attributed shonen genre: as said it is very, very dark, sad and cruel. Most characters are deeply flawed (Shinji is a whining cry-baby, Asuka is an egotistical insufferable bitch, Rei is a walking depression...) and hard to root for at first glance. But they all have good reasons to behave the way they do and that makes them more humane than usual. And so their sometimes terrible fate is even more acutely felt.
Rei is probably the most interesting characters of all for reasons I won’t develop because spoiler if you haven’t seen the anime.
Good supporting cast too. Misato Kutsanagi is my favorite but Ritsuko Akagi is interesting too.
The plot is not overtly complex but needs a bit of concentration in the final issues due to the numerous biblical references and a few double crossings. The manga concludes in a way less open to interpretation than the anime, even including "The end of Evangelion" follow-up. An improvement imo.
So, to sum it up: good action, good plot with rich subtext and characters, good art and storytelling; all this undoubtedly drags Evangelion way up the mass of sci-fi manga.
An absolute must read.
Very good adaptation of the famous anime, somewhat improving it by developing the characters (main and support) more and giving clearer explanations to the endgame.
That being said, the manga is no less dark- sometimes on the verge of nihilism- than the anime and all the main themes are here: (fear of) interaction with others and opposition between life/death pulsions encased in an apocalyptic religious atmosphere.
Odd manga indeed in its attributed shonen genre: as said it is very, very dark, sad and cruel. Most characters are deeply flawed (Shinji is a whining cry-baby, Asuka is an egotistical insufferable bitch, Rei is a walking depression...) and hard to root for at first glance. But they all have good reasons to behave the way they do and that makes them more humane than usual. And so their sometimes terrible fate is even more acutely felt.
Rei is probably the most interesting characters of all for reasons I won’t develop because spoiler if you haven’t seen the anime.
Good supporting cast too. Misato Kutsanagi is my favorite but Ritsuko Akagi is interesting too.
The plot is not overtly complex but needs a bit of concentration in the final issues due to the numerous biblical references and a few double crossings. The manga concludes in a way less open to interpretation than the anime, even including "The end of Evangelion" follow-up. An improvement imo.
So, to sum it up: good action, good plot with rich subtext and characters, good art and storytelling; all this undoubtedly drags Evangelion way up the mass of sci-fi manga.
An absolute must read.
March 8, 2024
Neon 1
This is the introduction volume, so it just used to show the main protagonist, who has some suicidal personality, the monsters called angels, the big robots called evas, and a glimpse on the people behind it.
So it just basically setting up the elements and characters of the story, it kinds of does it in a rushed way, considering how the guy is kind of forced to pilot one without knowing how. But it set a nice start for the story, not giving us really much so we end wanting to read the next one to see what was all that about, the hows and whys.
The only part that feels about to break plausibility is when the officer picks the guy outside the train station and drives him around the city on the middle of the attack, nice scenes and drawings, but considering what happens in the second part of the comic, one bad turn, one second late avoiding an explosion, and humanity loses. It has some really nice drawn sequences.
3.5 stars
This is the introduction volume, so it just used to show the main protagonist, who has some suicidal personality, the monsters called angels, the big robots called evas, and a glimpse on the people behind it.
So it just basically setting up the elements and characters of the story, it kinds of does it in a rushed way, considering how the guy is kind of forced to pilot one without knowing how. But it set a nice start for the story, not giving us really much so we end wanting to read the next one to see what was all that about, the hows and whys.
The only part that feels about to break plausibility is when the officer picks the guy outside the train station and drives him around the city on the middle of the attack, nice scenes and drawings, but considering what happens in the second part of the comic, one bad turn, one second late avoiding an explosion, and humanity loses. It has some really nice drawn sequences.
3.5 stars
September 25, 2017
Me ha gustado mucho desde el momento que te dan una breve explicación de lo que esta pasando en el mundo que creo el autor, simplemento no me decepciono al contrario me sorprendio demasiado.
La secuencia de la historia es increíble, los dibujos estan geniales, ya quiero sefuir leyendo los otros mangas.
La secuencia de la historia es increíble, los dibujos estan geniales, ya quiero sefuir leyendo los otros mangas.
July 27, 2018
Four stars out of nostalgia, mostly, since I watched the anime ages ago. But I'd give this three stars, since I only read it as part of the Read Harder Challenge; and then two because it has many volumes and I feel the obligation to finish them somehow, which means I'll be reading these for the next five years, at least.
Damned challenge.
July 25, 18
Damned challenge.
July 25, 18
April 17, 2021
Evangelion lives up to its reputation in the manga format and the first volume is even more fleshed out than the original series which is now free on Netflix. Highly recommend the manga over the show as time constraints and creative restrictions crippled the show but the manga definitely lives up to its potential
May 12, 2025
After watching the anime, I wanted to give the manga a try. It follows the anime pretty closely, and I am very curious regarding the ending. The anime ending was pretty confusing at first, and the alternate ending bought more clarity.
For now, I'm in the I like it zone, and I will see where it will take me. :D
For now, I'm in the I like it zone, and I will see where it will take me. :D
October 6, 2020
I love this manga. Really well drawn. The staging and panelling is great and the detailed backgrounds are amazing. As far as the story goes, its pretty good with a lot of interesting characters and drama.
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