NGE - the anime vs. the manga

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2005-12-06 09:24am

As some of you may know, I am perhaps the only person here who has read the first 7 volumes of the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga but never seen one moment of the TV series - and therefore I am rather curious on how the two compare to each other, especially since I am considering buying the series on DVD and would like to know if it is better spent on something a bit different than NGE.

I do know that the manga follows the same overall storyline but deviates from the anime on several points (for example, in the manga Shinji was aware that Touji was the pilot of EVA-03 from the very moment Touji was chosen, whereas I have read that the anime Shinji only found that out after the Bardiel incident) and far more Shinji-centric in regards to characterization. It would probably not surprise me that the manga is lower in the NGE canon hierarchy, but I am not really sure about that.

However, quality-wise, how do they compare? How much significant am I missing?

(I implore you to stay spoiler-free)

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-12-06 09:55am

You are missing the primary core of the series.

And it's actually up to nine volumes right now.

And didn't you already ask this?

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2005-12-06 10:02am

Are you saying that the manga makes no sense to people who have not seen the anime?

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2005-12-06 10:11am

Amazingly enough,I was about to post this

.
What happens in vol 9? I've only got 1-8 (part of

.

What I really like about the manga is the fact that Shinji has a (albeit tiny) pair of balls, he talks back, Kaji tells him that he could have fought of his own will and Saved Toji, he actually works on connecting with Rei/Asuka.

The weaker bits are Asuka (Who has some wince inducing parts with Kaji and is now a uber MA and is even more annoying in the manga), and the EVA fight scenes that are blurry copies of the Anime scenes.
Over all animation aside the story is more satisfying to read due to the far less annoying Shinji and Shinji actually standing up to Gendo Dickari.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2005-12-06 11:49am

DEATH wrote:The weaker bits are Asuka (Who has some wince inducing parts with Kaji

Are you referring to the bit where she takes off her shirt because Kaji calls her a child? I personally thought that was hilarious.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-12-06 11:54am

Peregrin Toker wrote:Are you saying that the manga makes no sense to people who have not seen the anime?

No. Again, like usual, you're putting words into my mouth.

I'm saying that seeing the anime is essential. It is the primary version of the story, while the manga is simply an adaptation.

DEATH wrote:What happens in vol 9?

Kaworu shows up earlier than he did in the anime, and it concludes during the fight with Armisael.

VT-16 · Post by **VT-16** » 2005-12-06 12:06pm

Actually, I have never heard of one being more "correct" than the other in this regard.

The manga's first chapters even came out before the series, and it includes some concepts originally developed for the series, but later dropped. Its just a different take on things.

I do wonder if Sadamoto will stick with one of the early concepts for the finalé or mirror the series/movie. With twelve Angels coming down from the Moon, or something.

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2005-12-06 12:22pm

Peregrin Toker wrote:
DEATH wrote:The weaker bits are Asuka (Who has some wince inducing parts with Kaji
Are you referring to the bit where she takes off her shirt because Kaji calls her a child? I personally thought that was hilarious.

Yeah, it felt like they were replacing the worst bits of Shinji's angst with Asuka bitchiness, (although part of the arcade fight was momnetarily amusing).

Kaworu shows up earlier than he did in the anime, and it concludes during the fight with Armisael.

Remind me who Armisael is? The infection angel that Kills Rei2?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-12-06 12:23pm

Yes, it's the big ring. And it doesn't kill Rei, she self-destructs.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2005-12-06 12:59pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:
Peregrin Toker wrote:Are you saying that the manga makes no sense to people who have not seen the anime?
No. Again, like usual, you're putting words into my mouth.

I'm saying that seeing the anime is essential. It is the primary version of the story, while the manga is simply an adaptation.

I was actualy genuinely curious about whether you should see the series first, since I get the feeling that some characters are rather marginalized in the manga - I am thinking of Ritsuko and the NERV techs primarly.

DEATH wrote:(although part of the arcade fight had a shameless panty shot)

Fixed it for you.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2005-12-06 06:13pm

Frankly, the manga is alot better because it does a better job of making you care about the characters and cuts out vast amounts of cruft that the anime had. Frankly, the anime should have been like 16 episodes long. Plus, the manga is superiorly written with better pace and frankly feels more like the "End of the World".

felineki · Post by **felineki** » 2005-12-06 07:00pm

I haven't read the manga myself, but I've seen bits and pieces of it. Sadamoto's depictions of naked Evas are severely lacking. (Are you too lazy to draw the Eva a freaking MOUTH?! Or a CORE, even?!)

Crossroads Inc. · Post by **Crossroads Inc.** » 2005-12-06 07:21pm

Isn't there a fan-site deoted to the 'art' of Naked Evas?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-12-06 08:00pm

Yes there is, and they're pretty much based on Sadamoto's designs for the anime and depictions in the manga. I would guess that Felineki, the perverted freak, probably hasn't seen many of the actual examples beyond just a handful. In Volume Seven there are four panels after EVA-01 goes berzerk and NERV has to capture and subdue it. EVA-01 not only has a core, but has also ripped off Her head armour.

As for sometimes lacking a core, I don't know, and I'm not going to bother hypothesising or guessing anything, because it just doesn't matter. As for the mouth, I always assumed that it occasionally self-sealed and unsealed at times. Again, not really that big of a deal to me.

I like that Sadamoto did get to incorporate the design for the body colourisation pattern, which had only been depicted in concept work before.

Crossroads Inc. · Post by **Crossroads Inc.** » 2005-12-06 08:28pm

I don't suppose you have any screen caps of the Eva in question getting funky?

felineki · Post by **felineki** » 2005-12-06 09:00pm

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:In Volume Seven there are four panels after EVA-01 goes berzerk and NERV has to capture and subdue it.

Yeah, in a cheap "Gulliver's Travels" knockoff scene that makes no freaking sense. :p I mean seriously, she completely DESTROYS Zeruel with one flick of her wrist, how are a bunch of itty-bitty ropes supposed to be able to hold her down?

felineki · Post by **felineki** » 2005-12-06 09:06pm

And I'd cut the "perverted freak" stuff, if I were you. Remember that I'm not the one who goes around asking board members for pics by PM.

Crossroads Inc. · Post by **Crossroads Inc.** » 2005-12-06 10:31pm

felineki wrote:
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:In Volume Seven there are four panels after EVA-01 goes berzerk and NERV has to capture and subdue it.
Yeah, in a cheap "Gulliver's Travels" knockoff scene that makes no freaking sense. :p I mean seriously, she completely DESTROYS Zeruel with one flick of her wrist, how are a bunch of itty-bitty ropes supposed to be able to hold her down?

I would like to echo that this, for me, was one of THEE most booo0oogus moments of Evangelion...

EVA-01 had just consumed Zeruel S2 engine, accordingly, it should have been independent of energy, further more, with nothing holding it back as it had just 'broke free' of its bindings, it should have, in hounestly, become a free, self aware creature that should have been able to give a big "Up Yours" tyo NERV and walk off on its own...

But somehow, mysterious, by the next eposode it has 'shut down' once more, completly pacified back in HQ...

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-12-06 10:34pm

EVA-01 was captured in the manga by NERV using an Angel capturing system. I seriously doubt they were merely "itty-bitty ropes."

Next time I'd suggest actually know what the fuck you're talking about before you use an incident as an insult.

You are a perverted freak. You practically masturbate over giant bio-androids from an anime as if they were furries or something. And even if it's just a gag, it just makes you look pathetic and obsessive.

felineki · Post by **felineki** » 2005-12-06 10:40pm

And you have a different Asuka avatar for every day of the bloody year. Who's obsessive now?

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2005-12-06 10:50pm

Clearly what we need here is a doujinshi where Asuka grows to the size of an Eva and then has hot lesbian sex with the Eva.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-12-06 10:51pm

I'm not, because the whole Asuka avatar thing is more the result of circumstance: I made a set and liked how they looked, so it just grew from there. Asuka isn't even my favourite character in Eva; Maya is.

Crossroads Inc. · Post by **Crossroads Inc.** » 2005-12-06 10:54pm

Uraniun235 wrote:Clearly what we need here is a doujinshi where Asuka grows to the size of an Eva and then has hot lesbian sex with the Eva.

Seriouslly, funniest thing all day, and the Aquagmire emoti is simply icing on the cake...

Of course, I'm sure some are already working on something like that

Sidewinder · Post by **Sidewinder** » 2005-12-07 02:58am

Peregrin Toker wrote:
DEATH wrote:The weaker bits are Asuka (Who has some wince inducing parts with Kaji
Are you referring to the bit where she takes off her shirt because Kaji calls her a child? I personally thought that was hilarious.

I believe that scene is was added to the special edition (released by ADV as the 'Platinum Collection'), so it wasn't Sadamoto getting perverted, IT WAS ANNO!

Anyways, the manga has extra character scenes make you say, "Ah, so that's what he's going through! I can relate to that!" when it depicts an angsty Shinji, instead of "What's he crying about? Whiny bitch!" If these scenes were in the anime, I probably wouldn't have gotten into such a vicious feud with Spanky here.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2005-12-07 04:02am

I too find the manga a much more enjoyable version of the story.