Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA (Light Novel) Vol. 2

Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA Light Novel #2

by Ikuto Yamashita, Yasuo Kashiwabara (Editor)

Tensions run high as the black giant Armaros looms threateningly over planet Earth, armed with the mighty Spear of Longinus. The pilots race to avert disaster, but Rei Quatre throws a wrench in their plans by kidnapping Misato! Meanwhile, Shinji is confronted by a strange white Evangelion that looks just like Eva-02, piloted by a familiar face. Can Shinji and his comrades save the world yet again, or are the forces arrayed against them just too strong this time?

Genres: Manga, Light Novel, Science Fiction, Fantasy

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2017

Reviews

[Jacob Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird.

I did not expect the canyon to be filled with prehistoric creatures, and for said creatures to swarm Shinji.

What a strange book.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Second verse, same as the first...."

Loved it.

[Cameron (camzcollection) Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

The absolutely ridiculous Eva fanfic that you should totally read if you’re craving more Eva.

[Curtis Mullins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Evangelion. It is my favorite show. Looking for more content in this franchise I love, I bought all of the Anima books and began to read them. My thoughts on the first book is that it was average, but hooked me enough. The only character I was really interested in was Rei, with Shinji turning into a pretty generic mecha protagonist and Asuka being just a normal tsundere. Seeing Rei's feelings and aspects of herself was interesting and I wanted to see where her relationship with Shinji would go. The second book started out the same, but slowly became more and more of a joke. First off, Toji is Deputy Commander of NERV. This is stupid. Eva has always strived for some degree of realism. The reason the pilots are 14 in the anime is because they're the only ones who can pilot the evangelions. There were no teenagers in NERV's top brass. Secondly, we have Loli Rei, Rei Six, this character I could somewhat ignore in the first book, but with a good chunk focused on Toji at NERV HQ, she is kind of in your face. Her character traits is that she likes animals and is goofy. I think she is meant to represent Rei's innocence or curiosity, but it doesn't matter because Six sucks. Three, Asuka discovers the Anima-Verse is Mass Effect and wanders the moon for too many chapters. I have yet to finish the series so perhaps it gets better, but so far the plot makes no sense. So Anima is its own universe, I can accept changes from canon, but nothing seems like it was thought out. So the big bad, Armaros, is just a big black suit of armor and a rejected Dark Souls boss. If I was to guess he is probably something the First Ancestral Race (the Eva deep lore guys who made Lilith and Adam) made. So he is there to make sure Instrumentality happens, or else he destroys the world and resets it. Number one: why? I bet there will be attempted answer, but it will probably make no sense. Why does Armaros want humanity to turn into fanta? Number two: this is pretty much kill yourself or I kill you. Instrumentality has always in Eva been a metaphor for extreme escapism and suicide (Especially in End of Evangelion), so it's lose/lose for humanity. I guess in the fanta sea you would at least be absorbed into a collective consciousness, but you as a person would die and thus humanity would as well. Also the Ark makes no sense. So if the Ark is meant to reset the world then why doesn't it just pop out humans and current animals? Why does it completely reset it? Also what does this mean for Lilith. Lilith is the mother of all life on Earth. Did she make life once and let things run by the Ark? Also if the Ark is going to just reset life, wouldn't all it need is LCL from Lilith and just let evolution play out or just save the most basic lifeforms. Because the Ark has dinosaurs saved. Yes, dinosaurs. Shinji, like he's in a horrible fan fiction, snaps the neck of a dinosaur in this book. Also what happens if evolution takes a different turn? What if humans don't evolve and you get some other Lilith based sapient life? Also this book has the great line of "Birds Transend time and space, they can get to the next world."

I know some will say "Eva isn't about plot, it's about character," and I agree. The thing is this book has turned many of the characters I love to shit. Shinji is a boring protagonist in these books. All of the things that make Shinji a relatable and interesting protagonist are gone. Does Shinji still enjoy cooking, does he still play cello? I can't tell you. Gone is all his fears and insecurities. Gone is his reluctance to fight and his thoughtful, introverted nature. I get the point is that Shinji has matured and isn't as bad off mentally, but I don't think he would turn into a generic mecha hero if he got over his issues. He would still be an introverted, quiet guy. Someone who is sensitive, but he wouldn't run away from people and his problems. He would still pilot the Eva, but still as a reluctant warrior. This Shinji doesn't have any reluctance to fight. He just seems empty for the most part. The only time I found this Shinji interesting is near the end when he pretty much goes crazy. Asuka is boring, which is a shame, because even though I like Rei slightly more, Asuka is one of my favorite characters in the show. In Anima, she is just a tsundere. I find it a bit strange she is attracted to Anima Shinji. In the anime, she is partly attracted to Shinji since he is quiet, kind, and sensitive. She sees a lot of her self in Shinji, which both attracts and pushes her away. She beats him up so much because the traits she loves him for are the one she wishes the most to hid. Since Anima Shinji doesn't really seem to have that sensitive and self-conscious side, I don't really get wants she's drawn to. Is it the fact he is cosplaying as Kaji now? Maybe. Speaking of Kaji, he's evil now and is Seele. I guess it is an alright idea, except it's sort of dumb how it happened. So Kaji could of just took the visor and kept it away from Kensuke until they properly analyzed it instead of putting them on so he wouldn't. Toji is interesting enough, I just wished they would of got him a better role for his age. Hell, Operations Director is still a stretch, but it still makes more sense than Deputy Commander. At least Toji has some experience in an Evangelion. The rest of the characters I have little to say on, though Maya taking over for Ritsuko is good. Also it's fun to have Fuyutsuki back. He is one of my favorite minor roles in the show and its fun to see him get a bit more spotlight.

Anima Rei III, or Trois, is the most interesting of the main cast. Her relationship with Shinji is both interesting and sad. A lot of her story is never spelled out and has to be pieced together, a rare clever move by the author. Most of this information can be gathered from Rei herself and her clones, which serve as aspects of herself and share her memories. From what I gathered, this Rei III, just like Canon Rei III, betrayed Gendo. This time rejecting him, but not merging with Lilith. It's clear from the actions and thoughts of Rei Quatre (Evil Rei), that Rei III betrayed Gendo because of a love she had for Shinji. Given that Rei Quatre passionately kisses Shinji, a kiss by Anima Shinji's own admission is sweet, and the fact she states she wanted to lean on Shinji, I would say that Rei's love is a romantic one. But, then it comes out she is a clone of Shinji's mom. Shinji and her begin to distance from one another, with Shinji seeing his mother in Rei and Rei worried of losing her identity to Yui. Rei feels hurt and alone, perhaps even more than in the original series. At least then she had Shinji to value her as a person, but at the start she has no one really. Sure Toji seems to her friend, but its clear she has some unresolved feelings with Shinji. This can be seen with her being very uncomfortable with Shinji seeing his mother in her, probably one reason being some level of romantic attraction she has towards him. She shows some signs of attraction to Shinji in this book, though you could argue that her stroking Shinji's check when he's got his head near her boobs is some motherly love. Her depression from losing her clones is also interesting, with her feeling they are more there own independent people than see is. This is true in a sense that all the clones are pretty one note and seem, to me, to just serve as a window into Rei's thoughts. Rei Cinq is pretty much just rushed Rei II, right down to having the sudden realization about her feelings and wanting to live before she dies. Rei Six is just some weird loli crap and sort of makes me uncomfortable. Rei Quatre is more interesting, but only in the fact that she shines a lot of light on Rei. I wonder if she inspired a bit of Rei Q's design, with both wearing black plug suits and piloting weird versions of Unit-00.

Worldbuilding in the books so far has been average. The new Rei piloted Evangelions are a bit weird. We have a good idea that Unit-00's soul is a fragment from Rei I, so what are the souls in these new Evas. Did they shatter more of Rei's soul. I doubt it. Gendo might of done that, but with Misato running NERV that seems off the table. Also the whole "let's break up NERV into tons of smaller national organizations" thing is dumb. If Seele is on the run and Gendo's gone, then NERV should of either stayed together or been reorganized as something else. Why would anyone even want NERV around after the Angels and Seele are defeated? You think the governments of the world would want to find out what NERV and Seele have been hiding. If so, would there be an arms race and if there would wouldn't it make sense to keep Evangelions under UN control? Would countries make Evangelions if they knew they were really eldritch abominations powered by human souls? Depends on your view on humanity, either way breaking up NERV into separate organizations seems dumb.

The Mecha designs are fine. Not my cup of tea. I find a lot of them to be too complex and out there. I like the somewhat grounded Evangelions of the anime better.

The action scenes are fine for the most part, with some being pretty good. My complaint is that the appeal of Eva is only partially cool battles. Hell, a lot of my favorite episodes and moments feature very little to no combat. If the books spent more time with the characters and made them more interesting I might enjoy them a bit more.

What caused me to write this long review is the last few chapters in which everything goes from low average to utter shit. So in no order we have: 1. Kensuke is a war-criminal who causes hundreds of deaths and, if taken with a bit of realism, threatened to plunge the world into war just to have an easier time escaping Africa. 2. Hikari kills at least thirty or so European soldiers who aren't attacking her. To be fair its not intentional, but still. 3. Shinji does battle with jellyfish, fish, and literal dinosaurs. Snapping one's neck. as mentioned above. 4. The dumb ass Asuka/Evangelion hybrid that fits no where in the Evaverse and feels completely out of place. The only admittedly good thing about it is the scene where Shinji is going crazy and complements it believing it is Asuka. That was actually sort of creepy and well done.

I will continue the series for two reasons: Rei and to see if it can get any worst.

[Chris The Lizard from Planet X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA Vol. 2 by Ikuto Yamashita is a Young Adult tie-in novel based on the anime franchise “Neon Genesis Evangelion”.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA is set in an alternate timeline set apart from anime series, and it’s various movies. Evangelion ANIMA gives us a rather charming alternate ending to Neon Genesis Evangelion - what if ? Shinji had managed to save Tokyo-3 and the world from the Third Impact.

The novel is set 3 years after the end of the Human Instrumentality Project, replacing episodes 25 and 26 of the anime, as well as the End of Evangelion film. Where in the Human Instrumentality Project failed without taking the world with it. In this alternative future, Shinji Ikari had somewhat saved the world from oblivion. Given his exploits, he became the de facto leader of the EVA team. Since three years has passed in this timeline, the Evangelion units are also given some nifty upgrades to combat the upcoming evils, in this case, the return of the monstrous alien creatures known as Angels.

Neon Genesis Anima Volume. 2, picks of where the last book left off. A mysterious black EVA unit called Armaros armed with the Spear of Longinus has attacked the moon causing a swarm of natural disasters across Earth. Causing high tensions between various world governments. Who lay the blame on Japan’s NERV Organization. As the various EVA pilots and members of NERV race to avert disaster many factors play against them. Shinji is left fighting Hikari in a new Eva Euro II as the UN military forces try’s to invade Japan. Asuka piloting her EVA unit is left stranded in space as she fights for survival against massed produced EVA units controlled by Angles. We have the beginning of a globetrotting mecha light novel, As Nerv and the EVA pilots race to prevent the second attempt of the Human Instrumentally Project from Armaros.

Just like the last volume, the series is all about the mechas and the battles. Take the Eva battles from the original anime and even the rebuilds times it by 100, and we have the Anima series in a nutshell. Pure, unfiltered unapologetic mecha worldwide. The plot goes outside of Japan to places like Cyprus, Morocco, Russia, and The Moon as the fate of humanity is once again in Shinji’s hands. Although it does get ridiculous at times, the fact that the earth is currently being shrunk two smaller causing natural disasters 24/7 and on top of that we have skirmishes breaking out between Europe and NERV. I get that they’re trying to raise the stakes to make it bigger and worse then it’s ever been. It just comes off as eye-rolling to be entirely honest that the earth would experience this much damage, and there’s still civilization, and it hasn’t all turned to Mad Max. Despite that, the fights are one of the highlights. The best arguments are Asuka and Angel on the moon and Shinki fighting two mechs in the Quantum Realm.

The best part of the light novel, hands down, has to be the characters. They step up a show their growth in the three years time skip. Such as, Toji who you see become Nerv commander HQ and how he steps up during his leadership role. Rei and the clones Rei Trois, Rei Quatre, and Rei Six. How they highlight aspects of her personality with Rei Trois, who hates being compared to Yui Ikari even though she’s a clone of her. It’s great! Even Shinji, who is now one with his Eva learning to control his new power and is learning to fly with Super Eva. Pretty much, all the characters shine even though a lot of the peaceful segments have been cut from the first volume as the Eva and Angel fights are ramping up.

Overall, Neon Genesis Evangelion Anima Vol. 2 continues the Mecha action from the last volume and turns it up to eleven. Any mecha fans, this novel is a must read as it goes into the details of all the mechas, the upgrades, and the technology. Evangelion fans see the characters basically be the Avengers of the Earth and being guardians of the planet, as Armaros is pretty much Thanos and is all about bring balance to the world after the third impact was prevented in this timeline. Through the twists and turns, Anima Vol.2 delivers in a great spin-off/sequel to Neon Genesis Evangelion.

[Zachary Waszczak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book two is slower than the first but with a greater payoff. the plotlines around Asuka and Shinji are the real page-turners while the secondary plots can sometimes leave you wondering if they are necessary. Thankfully, the book mostly continues plots from the first entry and only adds a few key characters. This keeps the story simple and easier to follow as there are a lot of proper nouns to sort through anyways.

Unlike the anime, characters are more forward with their motivations even to the point of awkwardness. Some conversations or discoveries feel clunky and unearned. It pulled me out of the story a few times, but I think the author really excels at the combat sections of the story. It feels like the author got the world building out of the way and had more opportunity to go into detail on the fights. Despite traveling through dimensions, dissociating souls into the void, and teleporting to the moon, I was never lost on the details of the fights. The ending is fantastic and makes me excited to read book 3. If you enjoyed the first book it is well worth your time to continue the series.

[Michele De Simoni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: this review is for the italian translation

La traduzione italiana e' di bassa qualita'.
Alcuni pezzi "Adesso saltiamo alla terra, ora torniamo sulla luna" uccidono l'immersione e fanno sembrare l'opera quasi una sceneggiatura piu' che un romanzo coeso. Personalmente li avrei omessi.
I dialoghi sono tradotti molto male e se ricordiamo che escono dalla bocca di adolescenti diventano ancora meno credibili. La traduzione a pezzi suona troppo come l'ignobile versione Netflix di Cannarsi.
Nope. Traduzione a parte:

- Tecno-religio-sofico mubojumbo? Check
- Asuka? Check
- Eva? Check

Gli scontri sono interessanti, la traduzione nelle sequenze piu' intense e tecniche e' ok, un po' asciutta ma personalmente preferisco voci piu' aride e quindi ho apprezzato.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was classic Evangelion. And I mean that in the sense of “what the fuck is going on”. Most of this book was far to confusing. There were large ideas and the author (and translator) did their best to write epic scenes in the way the show had, but it’s not easy to convey that type of drama in this format. I would say this this one took me a LOT longer to get into and finished and I’m not really sure how the stakes can keep getting so high when there hasn’t been much resolution yet.

I will continue to read these but I think it will be a few months before I read the next.

[Roxanne Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was still an interesting read, it got so much apocalyptic action that it was hard to make sense of it and follow. Also some details got repeated a bit too often, showing that it was published by chapter in a magazine but those should have been edited a bit for the novel version. Other than that, Asuka got some very cool solo action on the moon and we get to see more of the side characters from the beloved series, so that was nice.

[Kiernan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once the novelty of this new take on the series wears off, the cracks really start to show. This writing is seriously clunky, it seriously does feel like officially licensed fanfic. Maybe i'm just dumb, but with how much the perspective jumps around its honestly kind of hard to follow sometimes, especially if you put it down for a couple days. This isn't terrible but I'm also not really inclined to read more when i have other, better books to get to that have been sitting unread on my shelf.

[Scott Mattson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was better than the first volume, but still seems to be a mishmash of different short stories. Lots of interesting concepts were brought into the story and somehow the ending of the Earth seems to be underplayed. Overall the characters were interesting, and Story kept moving.

[kerrycat · Rating 4 out of 5]

intense and to the point - this return to a favorite universe has zero filler and a whole lot of action and emotional drama.

[I live in your walls (real) (go check) · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔥🔥𝙊𝙃 𝙃𝙀𝙇𝙇 𝙔𝙀𝘼𝙃🔥🔥


🎸🦖🤖⚡️D⃞    I⃞    N⃞    O⃞    S⃞    A⃞    U⃞    R⃞ ⚡️🤖🦖🎸
    

🙏🏻✝️⛪️☀️🌈F⃞    I⃞    G⃞    H⃞    T⃞🌈☀️⛪️✝️🙏🏻

[Eressea · Rating 2 out of 5]

比起漫畫來
中意的輕小說實在不多...

現在光是堆砌一堆很炫的名詞已經無法吸引我了
那些拿量子力學來亂湊的武器
斧鑿痕跡太重，缺乏邏輯
劇情也普普，EVA變成巨大機器人就不酷啦

話雖如此，如果台角繼續出的話
還是會買完啦~