Forum - View topicWhat Evangelion Adaptation Do You Prefer?
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Author | Message | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3874 Location: New York state. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
I'm likely not gonna renew my subscription for a while, so might as well milk this final poll while I still have membership.
I've seen a number of debates pop up regarding what folks perceive to be the better adaptation of Evangelion, mostly to do with the animated takes with the TV anime/ End of Eva and the Rebuild movie series. However, I don't see much discussion in the debates with the manga adaptation that is currently being made by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. So I thought I would make a poll where folks would decide on what they think is the better Eva adaptation between the two anime adaptations and Sadamoto's manga take on the series. Personally, I prefer Sadamoto's manga adaptation of Eva. Rebuild and the original anime series have some pretty significant flaws for me that hurt their quality for me. In Rebuild's case, the series is a bit more positive in its depiction of its characters (Shinji being less angsty, Asuka more likeable, Rei more human, etc...) yet it is lacking in depth to a great extent compared to the original series. The problem with the original series for me is that the director (Hideaki Anno) seems too intent in spinning his nihilist beliefs into the series where it gets difficult to relate to characters because they continue to be pathetic mental messes that don't grow out of their angst traps and the title's habit of slapping any kind of hopeful moment away to leave the characters as they are and build up to its infamous ending. The direction of the series also has its questionable moments that hurt its quality in later episodes (most notable, wasting the final two TV episodes for psych evaluations of the cast) and had some decent-sized plot holes with elements to its plot. The reason I prefer the manga as the better adaptation of Eva is because it takes the better elements of both (TV anime's depth and Rebuild's more positive depictions) and combines them to create a more engaging story. Shinji still has his emotional baggage from Gendo's neglect, but is more relateable since he's become a bitter, angry youth thanks to his father. Rei's character has her growth as she comes to realize her growing humanity and establishes a bond with Shinji as the manga progresses. Asuka still has elements to her bitchy persona from the anime, but elements of her past are revealed early enough in the manga to reveal she has her own dilemmas as well. Essentially, the major characters come to get some sort of growth throughout the manga (unlike the TV anime) and while still having its harsh moments with depicting the TV anime's events (even having some alterations in events to shake things up), it is nowhere as nihilist as Anno's direction of the TV anime. But setting aside my personal opinion, what adaptation of Eva do you prefer and why? |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
larinon
 Posts: 992 Location: Midland, TX |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
I can't really answer this question without having seen the final two movies. Is this a bit premature, perhaps?
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ambimunch
 Posts: 2012 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
I completely agree with larinon. While I originally fell in love with the TV series and EoE, the rebuilt movies won me over I think. Again I can't judge because the final 4th film is not out--and who knows maybe they'll extend it to 5 films, but I am really lovin' the movies [even 3.0 despite the controversy].
But yeah, too early to judge |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
randomuser2349
Posts: 36 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Only have seen the TV version + EOE, so I'll vote that.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
One-Eye
 Posts: 2261 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
I'll have to think about this a little more before taking the poll, but I tentatively agree with Ggultra2764. I haven't finished catching up to the manga, but I recall liking it much better than NGE. Shinji's relapse at the end of NGE made sense to me but at the same time the last 2 episodes killed the momentum and climax it seemed to be moving to. I remember thinking at the time (its been several years) that while interesting 1 episode of psychoanalysis was enough and 2 turned it into a drag. Furthermore, the very very end rubbed me wrong as it felt cheap. I still like the overall show, but the end is definitely damaged for me. I have the same feeling for EoE. I liked it, but Anno giving the finger to some of the fans was distracting and the end again was unnecessary.
The Rebuild movies so far are more fun and more appealing in my opinion to a general anime audience. However, I think because of the movie format they have narrowed the focus more on Shinji and many other characters have shifted to the background. For example, we have almost nothing on Ritsuko, we have yet to get any background on Asuka or Mari, etc. (this is up to the 3rd movie). So while I find it entertaining the movies lack some of the depth of the original show for me. So, yea what I recall from the manga is that it had a better overall feeling than the other incarnations of the story. Of course I haven't finished the manga and we still have to wait for Eva 4, before a final verdict. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
victor viper
 Posts: 630 Location: The deep south |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
This was a tough question, as all three have something unique to offer. While I appreciate the fact that the both the manga and the Rebuild movie temper some of the characters somewhat (Shinji and Rei in particular), I ultimately voted for the original series + End of Evangelion.
I suppose this may be a matter of personal taste, but that's a big part of the reason why I prefer the TV series'/EOE take on the franchise. You can tweak the characters as much as you like in an attempt to make them more sympathetic to the audience, but at the end of the day, all of the characters (and the entire human race for that matter!) are frail, incomplete, impermanent entities living out their days in a hostile universe. Further, one can argue that the whole point of the show is the existential despair of the characters. While I enjoy the Evangelion manga very much, my appreciation of the manga stems from the fact that it's a slightly different take on the source; in my opinion, a little too much significance is given to Shinji's bouts of assertiveness and Rei's fledgling humanity. Contrast with the last moments of End of Evangelion. The surface of the earth is laid waste, all the humans have been reduced to LcL, but Asuka, Shinji (and presumably anyone else with sufficient will) remanifest themselves as human beings. After all the barriers between humans are dropped, they decide that the only purpose of existence is to continue existing as flawed, frail individual humans. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jose Cruz
 Posts: 1773 Location: South America |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The original series, though I haven't read the whole manga. The rebuilt movies lack that interesting experimental take that EVA took in the last episodes, which I found quite cool, instead deviating in the wrong ways from the original material.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group