This episode has nothing to do with Naruto guys, instead Will Returns in time for a special Halloween where James shows evidence that the spiral is god’s signature, as well as share some of his own personal and most frightening experiences in his life.  Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com   057: Junji Ito’s Uzumaki (a.k.a. Spiral) By Junji Ito English Translation by Yuji Oniki Special thanks to @Nirakirameart for today's tribute illustration. Topics: Reminiscent to ‘Final Destination’ where death is quantitative and systematic. What makes it frightening is how you can be aware of its workings yet still be powerless because of concepts like manifest destiny, divine fate and the fact that death is simply a universal force of nature. Or Lovecraft, where the enemy is invisible, the spiral too is a force of nature, it too is universal. The model/actor (a.k.a. star) system, Ito would use the likeness of Uzumaki’s Kirie and Shuichi for Dissolving Classroom’s Keiko and Azeri. (Osamu did this system first) Similarities to the horror of RL Stine and Hino’s Horror manga. Only truly scary story is what happens to Shuichi’s mother, because mental illness = frightening. Other media Videogame for wonderswan (Gunpei Yokoi, sold 3 mill units but only 8% market share.) Curse simulator, you play as an agent of the spiral curse. Gathering items and planting them. Film – directed by Higuchinsky and released in 2000, if you're interested then James recommends you see the movies directed by David Lynch, Shinya Tsukamoto and Hideo Nakata. Animated mini-series 2021 Colin Stetson does the score. (known for his work on Heredetary and Red Dead Redemption 2) Why the spiral? (The golden ratio / Fibonacci sequence) The Fibonacci sequence starts like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 and so on forever. Each number is the sum of the two numbers that precede it. It's a simple pattern, but it appears to be a kind of built-in numbering system to the cosmos. It’s the code that nature seems to abide to. And if God was a mathematician, they would favour this code. Sources and Recommended Reading/Watch List: Junji Ito’s Interview with Crunchyroll, talking about the 2021 anime adaptation of Uzumaki. For those interested in the WonderSwan videogame you can watch this video. Super Eyepatch Wolf’s video critique and analysis of the animated ‘Junji Ito Collection’ can be found here. And an example of frame Interpolation is in this video here. ‘The golden ratio and Fibonacci numbers’ by Richard Dunlap can be purchased on Amazon. Synopsis: Set in the seaside town of Kurouzo Cho, Kirie Goshima and her boyfriend Shuichi Saito slowly witness a sinister force plague their town. At first Shuichi’s father becomes obsessed about spirals. His obsession leads towards his death and afterwards Shuichi’s mother is quick to succumb to what Shuichi refers to as “the curse of the spiral”. Shuichi Saito’s father loved all things spiral related, his mother, starts to fear all things spiral related. Soon Shuichi is orphaned and becomes a recluse. Although as the spiral curse causes many episodes of horror Shuichi is still available when Kirie needs him most. These episodes include souls imprisoned within pottery, Kirie’s spiralling hair having a parasitic mind of its own, schoolboys turning into snails as if they were infected with a virus and a deadly light house.   During these episodes, Shuichi protects Kirie from a sentient hurricane, however as part of the spiral curse the town becomes a magnet to hurricanes and sink holes, sending kurouzo Cho into a wasteland that isolates its residents. The residents are only safe inside the old row houses, which remain oddly immune to the malevolent elements. And when overcrowding becomes an issue, Kirie and Shuichi set out to escape. Unfortunately they become lost in the woods, when they spiral back into the town they planned to leave, they find that they have been in a time vortex and what seemed like a short time in the woods has been years past for Kurouzo Cho, on their return the row houses have become extended and formed into a spiral building. Essentially one long spiralling house, this leads into a well like chasm where the lake once existed but is now dried up. It’s the centre of the spiral that Kirie and Shuichi find themselves drawn towards, and where ultimately their fate is sealed. Facebook - facebook.com/weappreciatemanga/ Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk   Twitter -   @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

We Appreciate Manga™

057: Junji Ito's Uzumaki

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: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 14 Chapters 91 to 96 “To where the light returns” and “Setting off”   By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Adapted to English by Mari Morimoto, Fred Burke + Carl Gustav Horn   Topics: Impressions of the ending. Why Evangelion matters? Hikikomori (shut-in, post-modern hermit) Difference Between Shut-ins (hikikomori) and geeks (otaku) Why can’t people grow up/face the world? What will save the otaku/shut-ins? What it means to be an adult millennial? Mari Makinami and the Evangelion rebuild films.   Synopsis:   Through their last moments all souls of the earth endure Rei Ayanami as she is the newly-instated Lilith and Adam hybrid. It’s through her omniscient ability to turn everyone into a sea of LCL, the primordial liquid that allows all beings to become one entity, that she appears to everyone as the one they love before they die.  All Barriers to everyone’s soul, their A.T. Fields disappear. Proffessor Fuyutski sees Shinji’s mother Yui Ikari, Fuyutski knew Yui would sacrifice her soul to Shinji’s Eva unit-1, yet he would keep this a secret from Gendo due to jealousy. Before he dies, Fuyutski asks for Yui’s forgiveness.   Gendo Ikari manages to fulfil his wish of seeing Yui through Rei, yet he too knows that he will die and in his place his son Shinji will decide the fate of what is to come.   Shinji becomes one with Lilith and endures whilst fully conscious.  He is confronted with everything he ever knew, everything he loves and fears. Shinji must bear witness to all the souls on earth and must open himself up to them. And Lilith shows Shinji a world with no pain, anxiety, angst or sadness but in doing so he is granted a world with no joy, aspirations or happiness. A world where everyone is connected and everyone is one, and yet being one is a lonely place.   Through a truce with Lilith Shinji decides to return the world to the state that it was before, believing himself to be a young man, he wishes to learn the purpose of his hands and use them to connect to people on his own terms.  To see if it is truly possible to have a meaningful connection with another human, to find his own path and to fail or succeed on his own terms. He gives Rei one final touch of his hand before Lilith’s corpse rains like snowfall on the Earth.   And in another unknown time and place, the snowfall persists and we see that Shinji is reincarnated in a world where the Evas are nothing but remnants of a pre-historic time.  Shinji is a young man, leaving his hometown to enter university. He has never had any dreams or aspirations, and didn’t worry too much if he lived or died, but for now, the world holds infinite possibilities.   Facebook - facebook.com/weappreciatemanga/ Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk   Twitter -   @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

056: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 14

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 Genesis Evangelion vol. 13 Chapters 84 to 90, “Calling” and “Memories of Summer” By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Translation by John Werry and Evan Galloway   Topics: Shinji x Asuka Existentialism, Is Rei god? Is Shinji God?   Other references: Guf (or the chamber of Guf) is depicted as an orb held by the combined Lilith and Rei, in both Judaic lore and in Evangelion it is a celestial body which houses all unborn souls and during third impact is where all the souls on earth return to. Confusingly Ristuko makes reference to Guf when she reveals the Dummy plug system (the Rei Clones), but due to circumstances in that mankind has no access to Guf, or there being no souls left in Guf, this means the Evas have adapted souls from others and that the Rei clones have no souls. [1]   Tree of life vs Tree of Knowledge (Fuyutsuki refers to the formation as both) There are many interpretations of this symbolic “tree” as it appears in a multitude of theological text. One being the tree that Adam and Eve ate from, however Evangelion takes the majority of its symbolism from Kabbalah and sacred geometry.   In the opening of the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime, we first see the tree of life in Robert Fludd’s illustration and again as the Systema Sephiroticum, illustrated by Athanasius Kircher, which also appears in Gendo’s room. Within Kabbalah, the tree of life is a diagram called the Sefirot (Sephiroth), consisting of 10 nodules known as Sefira. It is a diagram representative of creationism. In End of Eva, before instrumentality is triggered, you may find Shinji is placed on the sixth nodule of the Sefirot. In a Kabbalisic interpretation of Genesis, Tifaret (or Tif’eret) is referenced when God is creating the world on “the fifth day” in the following passage:   "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. '" – Genesis 1:20 (English Revised Version)   This is because all nodules represent all of God’s utterances upon creating the world, the first being uttered on the first day, “Let there be light”- Genesis 1:3 (English Revised Version). “Tif’eret” or “Tifarah” means “Glory” or “beauty” in Hebrew, it symbolises compassion and beauty. It’s placement on the sefirot gives it more significance due to it representing mercy, justice, balance, giving and receiving. The image of the cross is also superimposed on the Tifaret, with Shinji in the centre, this gives a sacrificial meaning towards the scene. [2] [3]   “Malboge Fusion” Italian for evil ditch (referring to the destruction of NERV’s basement and formation of Lilith’s egg) Malboge is referred to as the eight circle of hell in Dante’s Inferno (the first part of The Divine Comedy by Italian poet Dante Alighieri) the Malboge word is plural, meaning “evil ditches”, which there are ten of, the first instance is in canto 18 of the divine comedy “There is a place in Hell called Malebolge, Wholly of stone and of an iron colour”. [4]   Synopsis: Shinji is able to get inside his Eva and save Asuka from the opposing Eva units. Meanwhile Ritsuko, desperate that the after-life doesn’t fall on Gendo’s terms, uses the help of the Magi system to blow up Adam and the entire base. In a twist of fate, it is her mother’s Artificial Intelligence that stops her from doing so. Ritsuko’s attempt at making a murder-suicide against Rei and Gendo fails.   During this time, Shinji is ambushed by the Evas and is provoked into awakening his own Eva as he syncs with it beyond the maximum threshold, this gives his Eva the properties of an Angel and allows Shinji and his Eva to become a pawn towards triggering a third impact. This advertently causes the lance of Longiness to be drawn out from the moon’s orbit and crucify Shinji’s Eva. The enemy Evas coordinate and trap Shinji.   Gendo attempts to fuse himself with Rei, Lilith and Adam, however Rei rejects Gendo and instead chooses Shinji to be the arbiter of the world. A dying Ritsuko manages to fatally shoot Gendo in the throat and tells him that he is a liar, that there was only one person he ever loved, and it was not herself.   Rei, having undergone her fusion with Adam and Lilith is now a macro-cosmic being, she beholds the crucified Shinji and his Eva unit, in doing so Shinji becomes a literal tree of life. The being formerly known as Rei is able to use Shinji’s new body to amass a single treasury of all earthly souls, but before she does so, she asks Shinji to show him his personal wishes, his thoughts and all that he truly is.   Sources:   https://wiki.evageeks.org/Guf   https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ten-sefirot-tiferet   https://wiki.evageeks.org/Tree_of_Life   http://www.fullbooks.com/Dante-s-Inferno2.html     Facebook - facebook.com/weappreciatemanga/ Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk   Twitter -   @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

055: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 13

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 Genesis Evangelion vol. 12 Chapters 77 to 83, “Genocide” and “Concorde” By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Translation by Lillian Olsen, William Flanagan, David Ury and Karl Gustav Horn   Topics: Sadamoto’s somewhat over reliance on copy pasting action scenes from the anime. Humans: the 13th Angel Asuka’s return to battle. The mother/whore complex with Shinji x Misato’s relationship. Why Evangelion works as Sekai-kei sci-fi genre.   Other references: Bakelite   Synopsis: SEELE destroys NERV HQ by sending out the Japanese Strategic Self Defence Force. As part of their security system they flood parts of the base in Bakelite, a thermo setting polymer plastic, used to drown and block out the corridors akin to cement.   Asuka is forced to hide out in her Unit-2 but is soon ordered to fight the air force. She is mentality recovered in the fight once she realises that her mother’s soul is a part of her Eva. Asuka forgives her mother but is not safe for long, her umbilical cord is cut, meaning she has no power except for a limited battery supply. And on top of this, SEELE has sent out a group of mass produced Evas to battle her. Fuyutski believes that the number of Evas sent are not just to fight but to bring forth the human instrumentality, the literal death and possible rebirth of the world.   Shinji is saved by father and commander, Gendo Ikari but Gendo admits he does not love Shinji and wishes that Shinji stops SEELE so that he can have his own instrumentality where he will become god and reunite with Shinji’s mother. Misato knows Gendo has betrayed NERV, but shares a common goal with Gendo in getting Shinji to pilot his Eva and help Asuka.   Misato explains the cosmic events on how the human race was designed, that the angels they fought are of the same ancestry and the instrumentality will threaten to reshape all life if he doesn’t act now. She gives Shinji one last instruction, to save Asuka and fight off the mass produced Evas. Misato does her best to be like a mother to Shinji but she knows Shinji is hard to convince, she is afraid and desperate and so she speaks to him like the woman she knows she is and passionately kisses Shinji. Misato dies fending for herself as Shinji makes his way to his Eva.   Shinji finds his Eva trapped in Bakelite. He calls out for his mother, knowing that it’s her soul that resides inside it.   Do you want to see Asuka's biggest fan? You'll find her [here]   Facebook - facebook.com/weappreciatemanga/ Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk   Twitter -   @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

054: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 12

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 “Final Enemy” By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Translation by Lillian Olsen, William Flanagan and David Ury   Topics: Pacing of Kaworu death and pros and cons of the two medias. In the anime Kaworu believes he is going to see Adam, not Lilith, his attack is made out of curiosity than it is an order from SEELE. In the anime Shinji loved Kaworu, he doesn’t in the manga but Sadamoto still manages to make Shinji feel guilty about his death. End of Eva and the anime series. That masturbation scene. Dead Friendships. The British attitude towards canned coffee.   Other references: Coca Cola UCC (Japanese Coffee products)   Synopsis: Shinji hears the last phone call from a schoolfriend, his whole relationships are dismantled before him but one Kaworu Nagisa insists on being his friend. Shinji however can’t reciprocate. Afterwards Kaworu is revealed to be Tabris, the final angel and a descendent of Adam, whereas the entirety of the human race only descended from Lilith. SEELE, being the keepers of the dead sea scrolls, believe that humanity are the false successors of earth. Shinji’s father, Gendo Ikari, consumes Adam and it attaches to him as a symbiotic body. Under orders from SEELE Tabris takes Asuka’s Eva and attacks the base of NERV so to contact Lilith and bring destruction to the human race. Shinji is sent to stop Tabris but struggles to do so, amongst the struggle an apparition appears to watch over them. Tabris explains to Shinji that the goal is not necessarily to destroy the human race but to the rebuild it as one single being, ascending humanity into godhood. Shinji begs Tabris to retreat but eventually Tabris chooses not to fight Shinji and instead gives his life to him, he tells Shinji that SEELE would want him dead either way but Tabris can find meaning in his life if Shinji fulfils his last request, which is to die by Shinji’s hands. Shinji hesitates but grants the angel’s wish. SEELE now plans to conduct their human instrumentality project and merge the human race as one. Gendo has plans of his own instrumentality by withholding Rei Ayanami, who is key to his success. Shinji has no friends. He visits the catatonic Asuka and tries to wake her up only for Asuka to attack him. He sees Rei, but being a clone, she has no real memory of Shinji’s friendship. When NERV HQ is under siege, threatening the life of everyone there, Shinji’s depressive state freezes him into doing nothing as he bears the guilt of Kaworu’s death.     Facebook - facebook.com/weappreciatemanga/ Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk   Twitter -   @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

053: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 11

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 Nothingness” By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Translation by Lillian Olsen, William Flanagan and David Ury   Topics: Differences from the anime and the mentality of the fans when volume 10 was released. Shinji’s hyperventilation as an excuse to get Kaoru to kiss Shinji, plus rei imprinting on him and that dorm room shipping! Ristuko’s emotional complexity / Electra complex. Rei being a clone!     Other references: Evian bottled water (Kaworu drinks it, has it in his drinks cabinet/cooler) Want to know why your hosts care so much about tap water? Just follow these links:   https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/9775158/Bottled-water-not-as-safe-as-tap-variety.html   http://mentalfloss.com/article/70706/which-city-has-tastiest-tap-water   https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/01/should-i-stop-drinking-bottled-water Synopsis: Both Rei and Kaworu fight the angel Armisael , when the angel penetrates the mind and body of Rei this prompts Shinji into action. Rei is confronted with her feelings for Shinji and the angel manages to imprint them upon Kaworu. Soon the Angel’s attention turns to shinji and it attempts to fuse Rei and Shinji’s soul into one. In an act of selflessness, Rei self-destructs the Eva unit 00, killing herself and the angel. The surface of Tokyo – 3 is destroyed in the aftermath.   The pain of losing Rei causes Shinji to withdraw from his emotions. He stays with someone who had no prior relationship with Rei and who he has no feelings for, this being Kaoru.   During the night Kaworu shares his bed with Shinji and notices him hyperventilating. Kaworu uses mouth to mouth resuscitation so to help him breathe and in doing so wakes him up. He asks Shinji what it feels like to be in love and then tells him that during Rei’s final moments he felt Rei’s feelings and believes that She did love Shinji.   Shinji receives a call from Misato that Rei is alive. On visiting her he finds she no longer has any memory of their past ordeal. She is no longer the same Rei that loved him.   Dr. Ritsuko Akagi is interrogated by SEELE in substitution for Rei, feeling betrayed that Gendo would allow this to happen she starts to lash out. Like her mother before her, Ritsuko has been emotionally manipulated by Gendo and now resents Rei. She reveals to Misato and Shinji that Rei is a clone before destroying the secret culture chamber where they house Rei’s bodies. Otherwise known as the dummy plug system.     Facebook - facebook.com/weappreciatemanga/ Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk   Twitter -   @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

052: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 10

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 57 to 63, the’ fifth child’ to ‘Returning Fire’   By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Adapted to English by Lillian Olsen, Mari Morimoto, Fred Burke + Carl Gustav Horn   Topics: What we know so far? Tabris is a spy sent by SEELE, his cover is of being the 5th NERV’S goal is to defeat the angels and protect the human race. There is a secret plan to create the human Instrumentaility project, both Gendo and SEELE aim to fulfil this plan however SEELE has no trust in Gendo. SEELE planned to mass produce EVA, there is no evidence that the plan still stands but Gendo’s methods have infringed upon them. “Adam” can’t touch Eva or else 3rd impact will happen yet there is evidence to the contrary. Angels are deliberately seeking Adam. Central dogma.   What is Human Instrumentality? Asuka’s feminism (is she a feminist icon?) Who is Tabris/ Kawaoryu?   Synopsis:   Misato tells Shinji to return to school whilst Asuka is struggling to sync with her Eva. On his way Shinji meets a stray kitten and Kawaoryu Nagisa, who is the 5th child to pilot Eva and sent by SEELE. Shinji is upset with Kawaoryu when he attempts a mercy killing on the kitten. Shinji takes Kawaoryu to school but shinji is ashamed to face his friends after the death of Toji suzuhara so he decides to ditch it.   Kawaoryu follows him and asks him to take him to NERV HQ. Asuka meets Kawaoryu and immediately feels threatened by his presence. The Angel, Arael , appears over Tokyo-3 and quickly results in Asuka’s EVA unit 1 being attacked. In the form of light-waves it is able to penetrate through to Asuka’s mind and brings forth traumatic childhood memories. The memories of her mother’s psychosis, surviving an attack from her mother and ultimately her mother’s death.   Rei is able to defeat the angel by using the spear of longiness on Gendo’s command. This surprises both, Fuyutski, Misato and Kawaoryu and results in Rei losing the spear as it gets lost in lunar orbit.   Asuka becomes catatonic and Shinji’s relationship with Rei remains limited in terms of their friendship outside of NERV.   Kawaoryu takes over as EVA unit 1’s pilot. Defying all logic, Kawaoryu can maintain perfect sync with Asuka’s EVA. Once another angel attacks, Shinji is left again left to stand by as Kawaoryu and Rei fight it. Kawaoryu is exceptional in the fight but fails to harm it. Rei however isn’t so lucky. Being an encroachment type it attaches itself to Rei and like with Asuka’s fight with Arael and Toji’s deafeat this too seems bad. Very bad for Rei.   Pop culture and other references:    The scene where Tabris/Kawaoryu kills the kitten out of mercy is inspired by Mark Twain’s “the mysterious stranger”, who does a mercy killing. Orphan (2009 horror film) uses that same trope. “Ode to Joy” From Beethoven’s 9th symphony, it’s the 4th and final movement of the symphony. Used during protests e.g. Berlin wall It’s on record as being the anthem of the European union since 1985. Over 1 hour long, even in it’s day that was very long. The Lyrics based on Friedrich Schiller’s 1785 poem and it Premiered in 1824 at vienna’s Theater am Kärntnertor Ode to Joy also appears in the films A Clockwork Orange and Die Hard. In the Anime Kawaoryu is humming it but in the manga and Evangelion rebuild movie he plays a piano rearrangement.       Facebook - facebook.com/weappreciatemanga/ Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk   Twitter -   @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

051: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 9

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 @5:18 email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail   050: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 8 Chapters 49 to 50, “…Kiss” and “of Jealousy” By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Translation by Lillian Olsen, William Flanagan and David Ury   Topics: Kaji’s curtain call/bow out The setup with Kaji’s kiss and the missed phone call. Being in love with the “wrong” person, The “they’re not good for you” type.   Other references: Mcdonalds’ (Kaji brings the popular fast food to Misato)   Synopsis: Shinji remains trapped within Eva unit 1, experiencing dreams of his mother and wishes to not leave. A month passes and Rei begs the unit 1 to release him, through Misato’s words Shinji eventually rematerializes outside of the Eva. As Shinji recovers the sub-commander of NERV Fuyutski is kidnapped by SEELE, his interrogation prompts a flashback where we learn how NERV was created and that Shinji’s mother lost her soul to the unit 1. Kaji frees Fuyutski but Kaji is eventually killed for spying on NERV. Misato mourns his death. Soon afterwards Dr. Ritsuko Akagi notices that Rei has changed due to her companionship for Shinji replacing her love for Gendo. Ritsuko falls under a spell of jealous rage and hurts Rei. She apologises quickly and realises that she has acted like her mother and predecessor, whom killed herself before her work at NERV was complete.     Facebook - facebook.com/weappreciatemanga/ Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk   Twitter -   @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

050: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 8

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 summary @ 4:29   Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 7 Chapters 41 to 48, “Fist and Eradication”. By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Translation by Lillian Olsen   Topics: James criticises the repeating of the running away beat in volume 2 to be soap operatic. Sophie’s Choice (Kaji rats out his brother and friends similar to the factual horror story) Survivor guilt as coping mechanism and how guilt or self-loathing can be a barrier to good relationships. Introduction of Tabris.   Synopsis: After the death of Toji Shinji vows never to pilot Eva unit 1 and decides to leave NERV, unfortunately this leaves NERV HQ vulnerable to another angel attack. Unit 1 rejects all substitute pilots, including the dummy plug system. Out of desperation both Asuka and Rei are left to defend the Geofront. Asuka’s unit 2 is decapitated and Rei’s kamikaze methods fail.   Kaji talks to Shinji about survivor guilt and sacrificing personal happiness in order to get Shinji back into piloting Eva and to compensate for Toji’s death. Shinji returns to NERV goes to fight the angel. He is overpowered, Unit 1’s armour beaks but the armour itself is merely a restraint. It results in the Eva having a will all its own, it goes berserk and kills the angel. NERV manages to capture the rampant Eva but the cockpit is stuck, Shinii is lost inside, having been reduced to LCL, what was suppose to be an amniotic liquid made to connect Shinji with the Eva has now turned him into primordial soup.   Facebook - facebook.com/weappreciatemanga/ Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk   Twitter -   @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com

049: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 7

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’ to ‘staining the twilight black’) By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Adapted to English by Fred burke, Carl Gustav Horn, William Flanagan and David Ury   Topics: Talk of s2 engine etc. Super solenoid (electromagnetic coil) Kaji to Toji Segue Injured/nursing shinji segue (a lot of Segues!!!) Asuka’s confession and expressing love (Basically more Tsundere stuff)   Other references and Product Placement    The Magi - Within Zorastrianism or Mazdayasna they are mages. Gospel of Matthew calls them kings and wise men. Never named in the new testament but are known as the saints, Malchior, Casper and Balthazar.   Dirac sea - Named after Paul Dirac who created the concept so to unify theories of relativity and quantum theory. It remains as a mathematically sound theory of infinity that exists in our universe. In Eva it’s used as an explanation for why the American base vanished or imploded. “ a hole in the sea of fermions”.   “Armoured Gear” Asuka’s watermelon lollipop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfAfQiXqJGo Bento boxes     Plot Summary   Shinji learns that his classmate Hikari has feelings towards his friend, Toji Suzuhara. Asuka intervenes and tries to help to help Hikari in getting Toji’s attention. Later on, Asuka takes her own advice and confesses her love to Kaji, Kaji is quick to condescend but respectfully denies her. Asuka is angry but is more so angry when she discovers who the next eva pilot will be.   Toji is focused on other things, specifically his sister who is hospitalized after an angel attack on Tokyo-3 and the fact that he is chosen to be the new pilot for Eva 3.  On his first test run Toji becomes attacked by a new parasitic, almost viral form of an angel which takes full control and assimilation of his eva unit. The remaining Eva pilots gather to fight it until Shinji is left standing. Toji is uncommunicative whilst trapped inside his Eva and Shinji refuses to fight back so not to harm his friend. By his father’s command, Shinji loses control of his Eva as a dummy system takes over. A distraught Shinji can do nothing but be witness to the murderous assault on Toji. Hikari spends the night alone, cooking for Toji and being proud of how much he would love the recipe she made for him.     Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

048: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 6

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 Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 5 Chapters 27 to 33 “If this be the work of man, it will come to naught”   By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Translation by Lillian Olsen   Topics Shinji’s first party. Asuka being that one girl where it’s like walking on eggs to be with. Gendo as a father and wherever or not he should be responsible for Shinji as a teenager. Missing Angels from the anime, Sandalphon and Matarael do not make an appearance. Showing that the manga isn’t going for an “Angel of the week plot”. Shinji as an “Atlas Personality”. E.g. Someone with Depression and anxiety, as well as over-sensitivity to others and an inability to assert their own needs.  Vogel, L. Z., & Savva, S. (1993). Atlas personality. British Journal of Medical Psychology Putting context to the Biblical elements. Adam, Crucifixion and the Lance of Longiness. First hint towards the “Human Instrumentality Project”. Other References Raiders of the lost Ark (1981 Dir, Steven Spielberg) The first Indiana Jones movie, it was the highest grossing movie of that year and was a collaboration between George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Paramecium, a microscopic being that feeds on bacteria. Water Flea a.k.a Cladocera, a freshwater creature that can reproduce sexually and asexually, not to be confused with ZooPlankton. James is talking about a specific pest, be it a tick or louse. Mitochondria Otherwise known as “The Powerhouse of the Cells”, it is responsible for providing chemical energy to our cells. James and Steven talk briefly about the Endosymbiotic Theory, another branch of Creationism. What James refers to as the “primordial soup” is the Proto-Mitochondrion, the ancestor that which begot mitochondria and the majority of species on earth.   Plot Summary Asuka moves into Misato’s apartment with Shinji, Shinji’s friends Toji and Aida, notice that Misato is promoted and so they throw a party in celebration. This leads to a night a of drinking for Misato and Kaji followed by the admission of why they broke up and who was responsible.  After this night the EVAs are deployed to fight a new angel that has appeared in satellite form Over Tokyo 3, it uses its own mass as a weapon so to target NERV HQ. To fight the angel, all 3 pilots work together to overcome it. After this a power failure leads to the revelation of a few secrets and an intimate moment for our characters.   Instagram –  weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

047: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 5

Asuka comes to Japan! The definitive red haired tsundere shakes things up. We talk about the human genome, freudian stuff and the politics of a break up because of Misato x Kaji.   Skip synopsis @ 8:23   Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 4 Chapters 20 to 26   By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Translation by Lillian Olsen     Topics Differences from the anime and the Angels Asuka talk and the Freudian dynamic (Eva even have umbilical cords/power lines) Kaji x Misato romance, and the politics of a break-up.     Other References Adam Israfel’s name Sperm donation Biorhythms   Synopsis   Asuka Langley Soryu makes her way to Tokyo 3, she is the second child to have piloted Eva before Shinji Ikari. On her way she is attacked by an Angel yet manages to defeat it. Shinji sees video of her fight and it becomes clear that she is extremely well trained and talented.   After School Shinji spots a red-haired girl with his friends, Kensuke Aida and Toji. She is loud and boisterous, and a sore loser when it comes to playing crane claw games seen in arcades. The boys watch her until she starts accusing them of perving on her. The attention brings round a gang of thugs, the girl is ready to fight and does well defending herself but Shinji is weakest of the two and manages to get punched in the face. The police are called in and they all scatter.   On his way to NERV, the base of the Evas. Shinji spots the red-haired girl and discovers that she is Asuka, the 2nd child.   Misato Katsuragi’s ex-boyfriend arrives. Acting as Asuka’s supervisor he has secretly delivered a foetus like specimen known as ADAM, the first human, and the possible reason why the Angel attacked Asuka on her journey to Tokyo 3. ADAM now belongs to Gendo Ikari.   As Rei’s Eva is being repaired it forces Asuka and Shinji to team up and fight the next angel. Their lack of team work results in their fight being a complete failure and the Angel duplicating itself into two. Misato puts the two of them into a room together and sets up a training regimen to hopefully sync both Asuka and Shinji’s biorhythms. Asuka tells Shinji that she has no father, and was chosen from a donated sperm by her mother, her raison d’etre is to pilot Eva, defeat the angels and to be acknowledged for it. She says it doesn’t matter if she hasn’t got a father, however, at night, Shinji hears Asuka crying and calling out to her mother in her sleep. Eventually Asuka’s jealous and competitive nature is enough to help inspire the sympathetic Shinji and the two succeed in defeating the angel.   Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

046: Neon Genesis Evangelion: vol. 4

On this episodes it's all about the definitive blue haired waifu, Rei Ayanami. Steven feels he doesn't have a lot of info to decide what is Rei's deal. Is James being presumptive? The gender politics are strong in this one. Skip intro/synopsis @ 9:17 045: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 3   Chapters 13 to 19   By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Translation by Adapted to English by Lillian Olsen, Fred Burke + Carl Gustav Horn     Topics: Is there such a thing as a story without a goal? Joseph Campbell and the monomyth. Rei Ayanami . Stoicism and “Resting Bitch Face” The action scene/Angel battle being a plot device to get Rei and Shinji closer.   Synopsis + first impression:   On his return to base, Shinji befriends Toji and Kensuke Aida, it becomes the first time that Misato sees Shinji smile. Rei doesn’t give much of a welcome to Shinji and Misato tells him that Rei never smiles and treats everyone the same. The exception is that Rei adores Shinji’s father, Gendo Ikari.   Ritsuko Akagi comments on Misato’s and Shinji’s relationship, she congratulates Misato on passing the rite of passage which is Shinji’s rebellion towards his guardian. Ritsuko was always confident that Shinji would return to Misato and pilot the Eva. Not long after this, Shinji notices that his dad has scars on the palm of his hands, which he acquired by saving Rei from a malfunctioning Eva. The Unit-00 which somehow tried to reject her. Shinji can’t help but wonder if his father would ever do the same for him.   The next day Shinji is sent on an errand to go to Rei’s home and drop off her new security pass. Shinji finds the doorbell broken and the door already unlocked. As he makes his way inside, he finds that Rei has kept broken spectacles that belong to his dad. Rei appears out of the shower. She is more concerned that Shinji is touching Gendo’s glasses then him seeing her naked. Rei is cold and reticent in her demeanour and Shinji is embarrassed through their meeting. It becomes clear to Shinji that Rei is more loyal to piloting Eva than Shinji is, but also that Rei lives a lonely life and has given it solely to Gendo Ikari.   Soon another Angel attacks the city, Shinji is almost killed by its laser and it forms a drill in order to attack the underground base, calculations are made and they have less than a day to kill the angel before it succeeds. Rei watches Shinji recover like a mother at a bedside vigil, she even notices him cry as he dreams about and calls out to his own dead mother.   When Shinji recovers, he is ordered to use a prototype positron rifle whilst Rei uses a shield in order to protect him. It becomes their first time battling together. Shinji realises that if he misses the shot, the time it takes to recharge the rifle means Rei’s shield would be destroyed before he can fire back. Shinji misses the first shot but thanks to Rei’s sacrifice and her promise to protect Shinji, they manage to fire a second time and defeat the angel. Shinji runs out to Rei’s Eva; he opens her pod door and looks into the cockpit as his dad did before him. Shinji sees that Rei is okay and begins to cry. Rei asks him why he is always sad; Shinji says he is not sad but that he’s happy she is alive and tells her that its okay to show emotion when you’re happy. For the first time we see Rei smile.   Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

045: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 3

Shinji Ikari runs away! Which gives us time to reflect on the thing all teens do. Which is to rebel! Skip us chewing the fat/synopsis @ 5:50   Theme music: 'Electro Hype' by Liam Bradbury.   Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 2 Chapters 7 to 12.   By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto Adapted to English by Lillian Olsen, Fred Burke + Carl Gustav Horn   Topics: First form of fan service/gratuity shot (Misato in shower p212) Comparing the depiction of Shinji compared to the Anime, he has a tough exterior but we get more thought bubbles and inner monologs. Sadamoto’s intention was to “shine a spotlight on Shinji’s soul” Shinji vs Misato – Why did Misato slap him? Is Shinji doing the right thing? And is it right for Shinji to live with Misato? Running away from home and generally rebelling against your parents. The action scene that involves a depleting battery.   Synopsis:   Shinji arrives in his new home, Misato Katsuragi’s apartment. He is introduced to her pet penguin, Penpen and her pig sty mess of a home. Her fridge is full of nothing but beer, she eats TV dinners and gives Shinji the majority of chores. Decided by a fair game of rock, paper, scissors of course!   Shinji attends school and rumour quickly spreads that he was the pilot in the fight with the Angel. He is flattered by the attention but by confirming the rumours he exposes himself to criticism. A classmate, Toji, blames Shinji’s sloppy fight for putting his sister in hospital. During classroom breaks Toji beats up Shinji.   In a surprise attack, a new Angel appears, merely 3 weeks after Shinji and Rei fought the last one. Toji and his friend Aida sneak out from their shelter to record video of the fight. During the fight, Shinji’s power line is cut and thus he is forced to fight with a battery backup. Toji and Aida almost die as Shinji’s Eva falls towards them. Shinji spots them and goes against Misato’s orders by opening the entry plug to the Eva. He allows Toji and Aida to sit beside him inside the cockpit for their own protection.   Shinji refuses Misato’s order to retreat from the fight, he fights the Angel as the clock countdowns the battery. By the time the battery dies, the angel dies too.   Afterwards Misato berates Shinji for his defiance, he remains detached and cavalier both about the situation and his relationship with Misato. She slaps him.   Shinji runs away, he briefly meets Aida before he is apprehended by NERV agents. Aida envies the position of Eva pilot but Shinji, when given the choice, refuses to pilot Eva. Shinji is given his belongings and cast out of NERV. When Toji and Aida go to Misato’s home out of concern for Shinji, They tell Misato that although Shinji acts calm and nihilistic, he is still just a child. He will act like a spoilt brat when not appreciated. Misato runs out and stops Shinji before he gets on the train out of town. Shinji knows he has nowhere else to go and can only stay where he feels he is needed. Misato asks for Shinji to come back home.   Pop culture references/Product placement:   Pocky Yebisu Beer   Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

044: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 2

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       Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com

043: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 1

It starts with friends recommending their manga books. It quickly turns into a reflection on the power of storytelling and how manga can some times get you through hard times. Dive into this anime related book club and appreciate manga with us!

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