Final Impact-An Evangelion Gundam Anime Corner Special (Part 9)

Previously:

Shinji took an introspective trip down memory lane in his own Eva while Kaji made sure the two main ladies in his life we’re ready to give up on Shinji before he got offed by an assassin that could’ve been Gendo (IMHO).  Rei also scoffed at Gendo not caring about Shinji and Ritsuko’s jealousy almost resulted in a deadly case of déjà vu for Rei.  How’s the rest of the week gonna treat the NERV crew?  Final Impact is back to answer that question.
 
Volume 9 (Episodes 22-24)
In the Anime:
Following Shinji’s return from Eva Unit 01 and the death of Kaji, Misato throws herself full time into finishing Kaji’s work, enlisiting NERV officer Hyuga to look into classified intel for her.  Asuka’s deteriorating confidence hits rock bottom when the 15^th Angel, Arael, attacks Eva Unit 02 from Earth orbit with a powerful psychic attack that nearly cripples Asuka.  When conventional weapons wont work, Gendo orders Rei to retrieve the Lance of Longinus from Terminal Dogma.  Rei throws the Lance at the Angel, killing it instantly and leaving the weapon floating in space, further invoking the wrath of SEELE.  The 16^th Angel, Armisael, soon appears.  Asuka finds herself unable to pilot and the Angel begins to merge directly with Unit 00, threatening Rei’s life.

In the Manga:

·        Possibly the biggest change in the series so far: Kwaoru joins the series far sooner than in the Anime, Shinji finds him playing Beethoven’s Ode to Joy on a piano in an abandoned house.  Kwaoru also kills a kitten who had been following Shinji when Shinji told it he couldn’t take care of it, Kwaoru insisting it would have died anyway and his doing so was a kindness.

·        Hikari admits to Kensuke that she’s glad Shinji isn’t coming back to school as things can never be the same between them again after what happened to Toji.

·        Kwaoru and Asuka meet in the Ladies Room.  This scene is basically the famous Elevator Scene from Episode 22 but with Kwaoru in Rei’s place instead.  The dialogue is still the same, though Asuka nearly passes out and is taken away by Misato while Kwaoru is ordered to leave.  Also, Asuka is aware Kwaoru is here to replace her as Unit 02’s pilot.

·        Between Kwaoru killing a cat and his seeing Asuka’s mental attack as “interesting,” the dynamic between him and Shinji is far more hostile than the gentle uneasiness it is in the Anime.

·        After the defeat of Arael, Asuka is in a mental coma, whereas in the Anime she is still a little active before she gives out and is brought to NERV for medical attention.  Shinji comes to visit her…thankfully no “sticky situation” from The End of Evangelion…yet.

·        Just as in the Anime, Gendo is grilled by SEELE for using the Lance against Arael.  What’s different is once he leaves the meeting, SEELE discusses matters with Kwaoru, aka Tabris (who in the Anime is the 17^th Angel, ill admit I have not been keeping numbers on the Angels in the Manga for a while).  Kwaoru tells them he could have stopped Gendo but it would have blown his identity. 

·        Kwaoru gets to meet Rei (her second incarnation, the one who’s been the predominant Rei).  She denies that she and Kwaoru are alike despite him claiming otherwise.

·        During a very awkward shower scene, Shinji confirms Kwaoru’s suspicions that he doesn’t like him and doubts they could ever be friends.

·        As he is now Eva Unit 02’s official pilot, Kwaoru gets to sortie in the battle against Armisael.

This is it, the moment I’ve waited almost two volumes for.  Kwaoru Nagisa now takes the stage with the rest of the Evangelion crew and…my God, I’m gonna really ruffle some feathers…I don’t like him.  Both the TV Anime, the End of Evangelion and Rebuild of Evangelion present Kwaoru as the most honest being in the entire series.  And while that continues in the Manga, Kwaoru’s honesty comes off incredibly cold and down right mean.  The first meeting between Shinji and Kwaoru in the Anime was a major turning point for Shinji and I instantly knew these two would become good friends (tragic but good nonetheless).  Manga Kwaoru doesn’t shy away from killing kittens, stealing Rei’s iconic elevator scene with Asuka and relocating it and rubbing his superiority in Shinji’s face.  Anime Kwaoru made Shinji both uncomfortable and safe.  Manga Kwaoru is everything Shinji definitely doesn’t need right now and I wonder if that very, very important moment at the end of his story will have the same impact on me as in the Anime, aka that pivotal moment at the end of Episode 24 that is my favorite scene in all of Evangelion.  Anyway, with Kwaoru on the scene it meant we got to see him interacting with both Asuka and this current version of Rei (in the Anime he only gets to meet Rei III).  I’m not too thrilled that Kwaoru took Rei and Asuka’s elevator scene but given Rei’s growth in the Manga, I don’t think that scene would work with the two Eva girls anymore…so having Kwaoru there works.  It also means that, despite my not liking him, Kwaoru filling Asuka’s spot so soon means we did get to see him ride out in Eva Unit 02 and seeing Kwaoru act so arrogant…gah it just feels so at odds with every other version of his character we’ve seen.  This is the guy who’s supposed to leave a lasting mark on Shinji’s heart…I don’t know what kind of a mark this one will leave but if he says “I love you” to Shinji, I doubt it will mean the same as in the Anime.

Man, of all the things I anticipated doing this cross examination, I never expected Kwaoru Nagisa to be a major detractor from an Evangelion story.  Maybe things will get better?  Volume 10 has the answers, hopefully.  So come back for more Final Impact: An Evangelion Gundam Anime Corner Special to see if we get them right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.