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Reviewed by Eric Owens Harried, harassed, and harangued; that's Shinji Ikari's life in a nutshell. Still, his days are fairly typical for a Tokyo teenager; he's got a pushy childhood friend in Asuka, who rudely starts his day when he is late for school, and he's surrounded by the standard assortment of high school goofballs. In fact, everything is just the way you would expect it to be... until one day, when Shinji bumps into a strange girl he's never met who quickly accuses him of being a pervert and peeking up her skirt. And then there are the strange dreams lately, dreams of an "other" just over the horizon..... "And now for something completely different." These are the words I would leave with you to start this review for Neon Genesis Evangelion Angelic days. (I'll refer to it as Angelic Days from here on in and the original Evangelion as just Eva.) Now many, and I do mean many, are familiar with Eva; its deep religious, and rather complex story is still subject to debate to this day. While Eva is a series that many fans have come to love or hate for its deep and complex story, they may find themselves staggering back a step or two with Angelic Days. The characters are all there (eva units included), but many of the characters now act like normal, emotionally developed human beings. Many of the characters have changed greatly in this series remake, which takes the direction of a more light-hearted, romantic comedy, schoolyard coming-of-age story. Easily first noticed is the change in the personalities of the 3 main characters; Shinji, Asuka, and Rei (especially Rei). The story plays out like your classic high school romance; love triangles, transfer students, the quiet pretty boy in the back (Kaworu), school lunches… it's all there in neat, classic anime/manga style. While many hard core Eva fans might not take to Angelic Days, its easy going story and simple but elegant art is a nice read for those who wish to have a good time. The story moves along at a good pace, playing off enough angles to keep you from getting bored over just one point of the story, and the comedy in the series is the standard romantic comedy style that most are used to. For original Eva fans; if you can laugh, you will, mainly at the oddness of the characters you know being thrown into completely out of character events. (If the thought of Rei running to school late with toast in her mouth isn't an image that brings a smirk to you, you’re far more Eva hard core then I am.) If you were lucky enough to catch some of Angelic Days during the few chapters run in Newtype America, you know what to expect; light-hearted comedy with familiar people and places, doing something you never thought you would see them doing before. So in conclusion: while some Eva fans may find Angelic Days a dumbing-down of one of the greatest anime/manga masterpieces ever known. many causal readers and fans will enjoy this amusing, if not different, retelling of a masterpiece. Comment on this review of Neon Genesis Evangelion Angelic Days v1 on the Manga Life Forums. |
30 December 2008
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