Final Impact-An Evangelion Gundam Anime Corner Special (Part 7)

Previously:

Toji Suzuhara’s tenure as an Eva Pilot came to a tragic end as Gendo put Shinji’s Eva on Berserk Auto Pilot and Shinji could only watch as his Eva tore Toji’s Angel infected Eva to pieces, killing poor Toji.  So will Shinji finally punch Gendo?  Final Impact might have some answers and some new developments in the ever changing Manga plotline.  Let’s get to it.
 
Volume 7 (Episodes 19-20)
In the Anime:
After the horrific slaughter of Eva Unit 03 that ended with the near death of Toji, Shinji resigns from NERV, unwilling to deal with his fathers cruelty anymore.  Just before he departs, the 14^th Angel, Zeruel, arrives and proves to be far more powerful than any Angel that came before it.  Both Asuka and Rei are brutally defeated before Shinji’s eyes.  Thanks to words of wisdom from Kaji, Shinji races back to NERV and intercepts Zeruel in Eva Unit 01, saving Misato and the Bridge Crew.  However, Unit 01’s power cable is severed and the Eva subsequently powers down.  A desperate Shinji pleads to the Eva to help him, causing the Eva to awaken.  In a truly horrifying moment, Eva Unit 01 becomes feral before slaughtering and devouring Zeruel, injesting its S2 engine and becoming more powerful than ever…much to Gendo’s delight.  As SEELE meets to discuss what is to be done about Gendo and his recent activities, tensions rise amongst the NERV personel as Shinji remains inside a frozen Eva Unit 01…on another plain of existence.

In the Manga:

·        While he recovers from the Eva Unit 03 battle, Shinji has a nightmare where Hikari visits him and blames Shinji for Toji’s death.

·        Shinji nearly punches Gendo during his debriefing.  Gendo actually looks a bit shocked.

·        Kaji takes Shinji to a safe house when Zeruel attacks.  Here he shares his backstory, exclusive to the Manga: Growing up post Second Impact, Kaji and his younger brother were part of a group of Scavengers struggling to survive.  Kaji got caught looting a military facility and gave up the location of his brother and friends to survive.  Kaji returns to their hideout to find everyone dead.  His personal mission to uncover the truth about Second Impact is his way of atoning for his crime.  Kaji also confesses to Shinji that he ended things with Misato out of guilt, feeling he didn’t deserve happiness after what he did to his brother.

·        We get several glimpses of NERV’s attempts to secure the awakened Eva Unit 01.  (it still looks terrifying all bandaged up and that eye follows you everywhere)

·        After SEELE discusses the incident with Eva Unit 01 and Gendo’s continued deviations from their plan, they visit Kwaoru, who is shown floating in a tube similar to what we’ve seen of Rei a few times.  This is also the earliest introduction of Kwaoru to the story.

I should be as shocked as Gendo that Shinji’s spine tingling almost punch actually happened.  But the biggest takeaway from Volume 7 isnt that OR that we get to see more of 400% Syncro Rate Eva Unit 01.  No, this week KAJI GOT A BACKSTORY!!!!  The super spy who was always too cool for school never talked much about his past outside of a few details of his time dating Misato.  So to see his post Second Impact years is a bit of a treat for the fans, though I guess that’s being too nice considering what that backstory is.  It’s nothing abnormal to see characters in a post apocalyptic setting make hard choices for survival.  It's also a miracle Kaji’s survival instincts haven’t doomed more of the main cast but I guess the lesson was learned and Kaji would risk a lot to protect what little he has left (if this backstory had made its way into Rebuild of Evangelion it would provide added weight to his actions later in the film series).  I will say that I can understand Kaji’s personal judgement that he doesn’t deserve a happy life (hence why he ended things with Misato).  But I’m still rooting for him and my favorite bad ass NERV lady, though I’m sure Kaji’s inevitable fate will remain the same.  As for other new developments, we got to see more of NERV’s capture of Eva Unit 01 and let me tell you, the sight of the de-armored Eva with that one eye seemingly following you everywhere will never NOT be scary as hell.  And then there’s Kwaoru, who I guess will be showing up much sooner than expect.  And if there’s one thing just as exciting as the History of Ryoji Kaji, it’s the prospect of seeing Kwaoru interact with more characters he never got a chance to in the Anime AND deepen his relationship with Shinji (which was already masterfully done in the TV Series).

 
But first, Shinji needs to find his way out of his naked and terrifying Evangelion.  The long road home for our hero begins Next Friday on Final Impact: An Evangelion Gundam Anime Corner Special, right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.  See ya then.