Final Impact-An Evangelion Gundam Anime Corner Special (Part 12)

Previously:

Kwaoru outed himself as an Angel and attempted to start Third Impact before a last minute realization ended up being his downfall.  Now with all the Angels gone, SEELE’s ready to enact its plans for Third Impact and NERV is set to be its sacrificial lambs.  With Rei a whole different person, Asuka still in a coma and Shinji so emotionally broken down he’s hiding under some steps while NERV is being massacred…well it’s The End of Evangelion.  And Final Impact is ready to cover it all (or at least what’s covered in Volume 12).  Let’s continue, shall we?

Volume 12 (Episode 25, The End of Evangelion)
In the Anime:

Misato orders the pilots to their Evas.  Only Asuka is able to be placed safely in Unit 02.  Rei is missing and Shinji is catatonic deep within the base and it falls to Misato to save him and get Shinji to Unit 01.  As Fuyutsuki takes charge of the defense, Misato makes it to Shinji but he is nearly unresponsive to everything happening around him.  Still, Misato drags Shinji along, telling him about the origins of Second Impact, The Angels and Evas and what SEELE has in store for all of them.  As Assault Forces bombard Unit 02, hidden in a lake in the Geofront, Asuka finally regains sanity after realized that, much like Shinji’s Eva, the soul of her Mother resides in Unit 02.  This gives her the strength to reactivate her Eva and begin laying waste to the JSDF Assault Force, though they manage to sever her power cable in the process.  To counter her, SEELE sends in the Mass Produced Eva Series, Units 06-13.  Misato is killed getting Shinji to an elevator to the launch bay of Unit 01.  Meanwhile, Gendo locates Rei and takes her to Lilith, ready to enact his own plans. 

In the Manga:

·        The Adam Embryo still appears on Gendo’s hand even after he’s swallowed it.  Is this how it came to be on his hand in the Anime I wonder?

·        It’s Gendo that saves Shinji from the JSDF hitsquad, not Misato.  He’s also show to possess an AT Field

·        Gendo admits to Shinji that he has never loved him, rather he’s jealous because he feels Shinji took Yui’s love away from him.  He then reveals his final goal: To become God so he never has to lose anything like Yui ever again, his way of revenge against God for taking Yui away from him.

·        Shinji is far more argumentative than he is in End of Eva.  In turn for being more vocal, Misato is still harsh but caring, offering Shinji a hug and telling him to pilot Eva Unit 01 for himself and not the will of others.

·        Misato still kisses Shinji before shoving him in the elevator…still wrong.  However, instead of getting blown up by a missile, Misato sacrifices herself with a grenade, taking out pursuing troops in the process.

·        Shinji finds Eva Unit 01 encased in Bakelite and screams for it to move…it does, activating while Asuka is still in battle.

And now we come to The End of Evangelion: Manga Edition.  Just as a quick refresher: The End of Evangelion was conceived by Hideaki Anno following the devisive and somewhat hostile response to the Evangelion TV Series finale.  The film is comprised of two 45 minute halves that were what Anno originally envisoned for Episodes 25 and 26 but couldn’t due to time and budget constraints.  Considering this Volume came out in 2010, 13 years after End of Eva, I don’t think time and budget constraints will be an issue here.  Ok, lets get into the nitty gritty beginning with Gendo getting a beefier role in this insane finale.  Armed with Angel like powers (probs due to the fact that he FREAKING SWALLOWED the First Angel, aka Adam), Gendo eliminated Shinji’s would be assassins with lethal efficancy (also he’s good with a gun, kind of supports my he killed Kaji theory).  There were a large lack of closure for the Ikari Father and Son duo in both the TV Show and End of Eva and the Manga looks to be fixing that even though we know what Shinji was bound to hear from Gendo.  Gendo’s selfishness and pettiness are on full display and while it should surprise no one to hear he wants to become God to get revenge on God, it’s another thing to hear it, or in this case read it, for the first time (unless you’ve seen Evangelion 3.0+1.0 at this point).  Gendo’s villain status got an upgrade for sure though I’m not sure he’ll be Shinji’s final boss as he is in Rebuild.  Shinji continues to stand out from his Anime counterpart, being less dialed out of everything and more frustrated and angry.  It can still be annoying but I think we all prefer Shinji with a lot more energy than none at all.  As for Misato’s end…well it still has that totally wrong kiss between her and Shinji (WHYYYY!!!???) but she doesn’t just die brutally, she sacrifices herself and takes out some pursuit troops too.  Hmmmm…call me crazy but that’s a far more nobler end for Misato than End of Eva.  Makes me wonder if this finale will be bloody but far less bleak than the infamous movie (which I love, don’t get me wrong, The End of Evangelion is a Masterwork).

Next Friday, The End, the special Double Sized Series Finale of Final Impact: An Evangelion Gundam Anime Corner Special.  Shinji’s gonna fight the Eva Series?  Hell yes and Asuka’s still alive?  Even better.  Will this ending stand along side or surpass its Anime counterpart?  Next Friday, Gundam Anime Corner, be here folks.