Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA (Light Novel) Vol. 1 Paperback – October 29, 2019

Neon Genesis Evangelion Anima is a sequel to Neon Genesis Evangelion set in an alternative timeline. Where the third impact doesn’t happen, and it doesn’t all return to nothing or coming tumbling down. Fast forward to three years later, and we get Evangelion going full mecha anime as this light novel is all about the Evas. The three years of peace, Nerv has since upped its arsenal of Evas and weaponry, and from that’s one thing the novel goes crazy with is the designs of the Evas. From the gallery, you see the evolution of the mechas and how they’re just bigger, better, and more destructive. Throughout the book, it just dumps all the great lore and science behind the new Evas, what’s the deterrent. The geopolitical backlash of Nerv being the most powerful military force on the planet, specifically from the UN. It was all more interesting than I thought it was going to be, although the new science behind the Evas was a bit too expository, which leads me to the main plot.The whole crew is back older and wiser from the original anime. We also get not one Rei but four Rei’s, and that’s where the story begins. After saving the world from the Angels, a new threat emerges when a Rei Clone named Rei Quatre goes rogue and attacks the new Nerv HQ, and she also kills Shinji in the fight. Shinji doesn’t stay dead and returns, but he’s now one with Eva Unit 01, known as the Super Eva. Then the new threat emerges from the dark side of the moon, a black Eva known as Armaros. Who is basically like Thanos, who is here to bring back the balance after Shinji stopped the third impact. Will Shinji save the world again? Or is the third impact inevitable? The story is action-packed. We have a small little moment for the characters to catch a breather. Such as one scene where they all go to school and get some Ice Cream. Then we’re back to the giant mechas. A lot of twists and turns happened, and I ended up enjoying the plot more than I expected. The translation was top-notch, and the art from individual pages was also phenomenal.In conclusion, Neon Genesis Evangelion Anima is a full-on mecha sequel to Evangelion. Tons of mechas lots of battles and the fate of the world on the line. A fantastic spin-off series. That showcases the full might of the Nerv and the Evas. A must for any fan of the genre and for Evangelion fans who wanted more Eva action this novel delivers. Time to get in the robot.

For some context, I am reading this after having watched the original series and movies, as well as the rebuild movies. (More context: I thoroughly enjoyed the rebuild series although I am aware that many did not lol).I really enjoyed the ending of 3.0+1.0 as a closing to the series. But even so, I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to the cast of characters. The cover art of ANIMA intrigued me, and I went ahead and gave it a chance. I'm glad I did. Given how the evangelion series plays with time loops and branch and timelines and its other forms of media, this story doesn't feel like a stretch at all as far as being a proper reality within the universe. If you're a fan of sci-fi you'll get plenty of that here, as the science and tech behind the happenings of the story are thoroughly detailed. Definitely some surprises and shockers in here, the first one being the biggest, and will keep you turning the page looking for answers. I enjoy the interaction between the characters, and I actually feel like I could have used some more meaningful interactions. The characters also feel like who they were in the original series was respected and considered, but they were still evolved, and given believeable growth. I can't say how this book would stand in a vacuum if you have not at least watched the original series and end of evangelion, but for those of us who wanted to see Shinji, Rei, Askua, and the gang one more time, I think you will enjoy this. I will be picking up part 2, I hope it delivers.

The translation seems solid and the cover art is astonishing, the book itself is made well. This book's worth the wait and the price. If you're craving for NGE content this book's a good substitute till the new Evangelion movie.

Neon Genesis: Evangelion: Anima Vol .1 By Ikuto Yamashita is a media tie-in novel based on the anime “Neon Genesis: Evangelion.”Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA is a series of light novels that follow an alternate timeline where Shinji was able to prevent the Human Instrumentality Project from happening. Volume 1 takes place three years into the future and humanity is currently experiencing an uneasy peace. While no Angels have appeared in that time, the mass-produced EVAs have gone unaccounted for after the Battle of NERV HQ and so the restructured NERV created an orbital search-and-destroy system using three Rei clones in case of their resurfacing. That is, until one of the clones gos rogue, threatening the peace and serving as a catalyst for new threats.While Neon Genesis Evangelion is known for its characters and their psychological issues. ANIMA, however, begins with the characters lacking these issues. In fact, it plays out very much like a standard mech story. At least, that is before the end of the fight with the rogue Rei, then the story starts to reintroduce old issues and introduce new ones for the characters.Though I do have to say that until the Rei clone goes rogue, the beginning is kind of slow and filled with exposition, but once it reaches that story beat, the pacing picks up tremendously. There are also a few times where the narration will say "X would later learn X". While the times the narration does this can be counted on one hand, it's still a case of tell, not showing. Other than one time, we don't even see the scenes where the character(s) learn such information later in the book. They can be excised from the text and nothing would be lost.Overall, While Evangelion: ANIMA Vol. 1 starts being softer than the show, it shows itself as being on the same level by the end, both in terms of characters' mental issues, the series's technobabble, and mech action. Fans of the franchise should be able to greatly enjoy while newcomers would not have much of a problem getting into the series. For example, other than catching one or two episodes on late night TV back when I was younger, my experience with the franchise was through synopses and I didn't have much of a problem getting into the story.