[EVA] _Protoculture Addicts_ #41 (July/August 1996) article transcripts

[Gwern Branwen]

After a fair bit of work, I've finally gotten & typed up all the NGE
related material in PA #41. I am moderately disappointed - the
censorship material turned out to be minimal and mostly speculation
(Miyako Graham speculates it was the Jews or the Catholic Church!),
but still some good stuff there for my purposes.

Inline are the 7 articles/sections in it. Note that there are many
spelling errors and infelicities in the prose; these are not my fault!

-----

<http://www.protoculture.ca/PA/edito41.htm>; checked against pg 6

Editorial PA #41
TRUTH OR CYBER GRAFFITI

When I heard that EVANGELION was censored (see our article "Evangelion
Controversy" on page 45), I was totally outraged. How this could be
possible in our modern world? And all this (we speculated) in the name
of religious belief? What about free speech? How could a legal system
go along with this? Well, maybe it did not and the TV station censored
the show itself to avoid offending certain sensibilities. We cannot
really know where the truth lies. I was particularly confused when my
friend Miyako read me Hideaki Anno's interview in NEWTYPE of June. He
avoided the subject of censorship and skillfully defended his work.
His point of view made sense and he made some interesting comments
about the internet fans who excessively criticized the show.

"I think the people who are very much involved with the Net," Mr. Anno
said, "have very narrow views toward life and the world. They're
always in their rooms and don't go out very often to communicate in
person. Because of their information on the Net, they feel they know
everything without searching the real truths." They easily and
anonymously say things that they would never say in person. "Their
messages are like graffiti in a public toilet." They attack other
while they are staying in a safe place. "They don't have anything
certain to hold on... that's probably why they watch anime shows.
(...) I would like to add and say to those fans, hey, go out and visit
towns. I am 35 now and I am realizing the importance of human contact
little by little..."

(This interview, published in the June issue of NEWTYPE, was made by
Mr. Shinichiro Inoue. He encourages people to send comments and
questions to Anno-san by writing to: Mr. Hideaki Anno, Monthly NEWTYPE
Magazine, Kadokawa Shoten, Tokyo, 162-77, Japan.)

I don't entirely agree with what Mr. Anno is saying. He seems to
perpetuate the standard caricatural view of the nerd and introverted
net surfer. Nevertheless, I must admit that he is touching some
sensitive area and he scores some points.

Anyway, you have probably already noticed that this issue has a few
more pages than usual (60). It is also packed with information. It
offers the second parts of the EVANGELION and of the "Heroic Robots of
the Seventies" articles, as well as a large overview (with character
guide and mecha files) of all the recent GUNDAM TV and OVA series. The
episode guide of those GUNDAM series will be published in several
parts in future issues of the magazine. It also features the last of
the Japanese language seminars and quite a load of news and reviews.

As usual, we tried very hard to give you the best information, to make
the magazine interesting and fun for you to read. I hope you will like
it, because sometime producing the magazine is a very long and
discouraging work. Don't forget to write and give us your comments and
suggestions. It is very much appreciated.

Ja ne!

Claude J. Pelletier

---

pg 40-41
FEATURE: EVANGELION by Martin Ouellette

19. Battle Of A Man
Shinji has gone berserk at the sight of Toji being pulled out of
EVA-03's wrecked Plug and threatens to destroy NERV's headquarters in
retribution. Gendo orders him neutralized... Toji is lying in an
hospital room and finds himself in Shinji's dream, where he witnesses
Shinji argument with Rei... Later, Shinji is dismissed from NERV. An
incredibly powerful Angel attacks, with only Asuka and Rei to stop it.
Asuka is put out of commission and Rei tries a desperate attack, but
to no avail, The Angel nearly destroys NERV's headquarters, but is
stopped at the last minute by a determined Shinji and an enraged
EVA-01. When it starts eating the creature's flesh, Gendo cannot stop
himself from smiling in utter satisfaction. EVA-01 has awakened and
its true mission begins...

20. Weaving A Story...

After its battle with the last Angel, EVA-01 will not let Shinji out.
Meanwhile, Shinji (or his consciousness?) has many flashbacks and
hallucinations, which seem to be induced by EVA-01 (or its
consciousness?). The argument seems that he needs people more than he
let's on. During all this, EVA-01 is being repaired and Misato grows
more and more frantic because of her worrying for Shinji, while Kaji
seems up to something... When NERV tries to re-start EVA-01, it only
spews out Shinji's Plug suit. Misato is crushed, but Shinji, at last,
gets out of the cockpit, physically intact, but morally changed...

21. NERV, The Birth

In this episode we witness the birth of NERV and Gendo's multiple
schemes. We also learn his real name: Gendo Rokubungi... We see
Shinji's mother and Rei as a little kid (this is when it becomes sure
that Rei is, indeed, a clone of Yui Ikari). It seems that SEELE was
already working on a plan way before the Second Impact and that Gendo
was one of their most important agents...
Gendo also had an affair with Ritsuko's mother and there is a strong
possibility that Ritsuko's mother had something to do with Yui Ikari's
death... We also see Misato as a physically and emotionally wounded
fifteen-year old... The last thing we learn is that Gendo plans to
fashion a new god: EVANGELION!

All this is interwoven with a interrogation of NERV's key personnel by
SEELE. It seems that Kaji was indeed a spy for the government (SEELE
and NERV have nothing to do with the government and consider them
minor players at best) and that he was, at last, unmasked, hence the
curious message left on Misato's answering machine, where we clearly
hear a gun shot...

22. Don't Be...

Flashback: we see Asuka as a small child. Her mother had become insane
and Asuka was taken care of by a surrogate family (her mother later
killed herself). Back in 2015, Asuka's synchronization rate is
dramatically dropping, to the point that Ritsuko is wondering if NERV
should not be looking for a new EVA-02 pilot. When an Angel using
psycho-weapons appears in Earth's orbit, it directly attacks Asuka's
mind and nearly drives her insane. Rei tries to fire the Positron
Cannon (the one we see in episode #6), but misses. This is when Gendo
sends her to retrieve Longinuse's lance. Rei throws it and
successfully destroys the Angel. Asuka's body is saved, but her mind
is badly shaken...

23. Rei III

Misato has received Kaji's last message and is distraught. Asuka has
hidden herself at one of her friend's place, but has to come back when
another Angel attacks. However, when she gets out, she freezes, the
memories of her last encounter with an Angel being too fresh in her
mind. The Angel attacks EVA-00 and starts to infiltrate the
bio-components of the machine, including Rei. The Angel contacts her
mind and gives emotions that she had never felt before, including
loneliness and love. As a last ditch weapon, Rei tries to overload her
machine's AT Field and succeeds. Her last thought is for Shinji...
Later, Rei body is taken to NERV's headquarters. Shinji is crushed by
her death, but is later overjoyed to learn that Rei is alive! That
night, Ritsuko leaves a message to Shinji, telling him to come as soon
as possible. When he gets there, Ritsuko is not surprised to see
Misato with him. She then shows them the clones, Rei's clones! Ritsuko
has created them as mass-produced EVA pilots, but cannot live with her
guilt anymore. With the flick of a switch, she destroys the clones...

24. Nagisa, The Fifth Child

Asuka, nearly starved and dehydrated to death, is discovered by NERV
agents and brought back to the headquarters. Meanwhile, Ritsuko is
interrogated by both SEELE and Gendo about her destroying the Rei
clones. While walking on the shore of the lake that now covers
Tokyo-3, Shinji encounters Nagisa Kaoru, the Fifth Child. They become
friends and Kaoru shows incredible abilities in piloting EVAs. A few
days later, an Angel invades NERV's headquarters and takes control of
EVA-02. Shinji is sent in pursuit and, to his greatest despair, he
discovers that the Angel is none other than Kaoru! As the two EVAs
battle each other, Kaoru calmly walks to Adam, but discovers that it
is, in fact, Lilith and that his unification with her would mean the
end of Shinji and the human race. Kaoru begs Shinji to kill him and,
after long minutes of hesitation, Shinji does so...

25. Do You Love Me?!

Shinji, Asuka, Rei and Misato each have to face both their fears and
themselves in this episode. The first to go is Shinji, who is vastly
troubled by the fact that he had to kill Kaoru. Asuka's case is vastly
different, for she tries to find herself in others and piloting gives
her a feeling of being worthy and appreciated by others. Rei mostly
explores herself. Who am I? What am I? Why do I exist? Misato only
wishes to escape from who she really is and, at the end, we discover
that the world that surrounds Shinji is only his own personal fantasy,
where he is in control. Shinji's world is a world of escapism...

26. The Beast That Shouted "I" In The Heart Of The World

Contrary to last episode, Shinji is the only one being grilled.
Everybody, including Gendo and Fuyutsuki, are on his case. Shinji is
sealing himself in his own world to shield himself from the real one.
Flash: Shinji is living in 2016, one of the possible realities of his
imagination, where his mother is alive, his dad a newspaper reading
moron, Rei a pretty, but rather aggressive transfer student and Misato
a school teacher. End of flash: Shinji understands that HE can make
his life what he wants if only he will stop fearing reality and accept
himself as he is.

The last two episodes are not the definitive ending. For uncertain
reasons (either because of censorship or simply because they were not
satisfied with the ending), Studio Gainax will provide with the
video/LD release both broadcasted and alternate endings. A.D. Vision
will surely do the same. In the meantime, we recommand you to watch
this ending with the script in hand (check the Literal Translation
Group web site). Despite the critics, this ending is quite
interesting. It is very philosophical (humans are motivated by fear),
quite strange, counterclimatic with the action of the beginning, but
if you take time to think about it, you will like it...

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
"EVA Maniacs" SETTEI books (20 one-sided pg, B&W, ¥1,500).

EVANGELION FILM BOOKS VOL. 1-8 (Kadokawa Shoten, 84 pg, ¥590/$9.95 US).

NEWTYPE 95-11 to 96-06

Special thanks to Soichiro Yuasa and the Literal Translation Group
(http://www.yk.rim.or.jp/~wadakun/trans/) for their help.

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pg 42-43
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: MECHA FILES by Martin Ouellette

EVA-03 (MASS PRODUCED TYPE - NERV USA)

The fourth EVA to reach operation status, EVA-03 was built in the
United States and shipped to Japan at Gendo Ikari's request.
Basically, EVA-03 is identical to EVA-02, the only difference being
the head, which is very similar to EVA-01. It was supposed to be
piloted by Toji Suzuhara (the fourth child), but suffered a fate that
proved to be quite gruesome. While in transit to Japan, EVA-03 came in
contact with a mysterious cloud and became infected by the Angels. It
went berserk soon after its activation and had to be destroyed by
EVA-01. Toji, prisoner inside his machine's plug (cockpit module)
barely escaped with his life. EVA-03 is overall black with white
markings similar to EVA-01's.

EVA-00-2 (TEST TYPE)

EVA-00-2 Human Shaped Battle Weapon Operation is the final,
operational form of Rei Ayanami's EVA-00, which was heavily damaged in
episode #6. EVA-00's new form is identical to EVA-02, save for the
head, which remains the same as the old Test type. The armament is
identical to EVA-01, but Rei being the best shooter in the three
pilots, EVA-00-2 often handles the sniping duty, which consists in
covering the two other machines with a giant sniper rifle (heavily
inspired from the Sterling Model 81 sniper rifle). EVA-00-2's colors
are medium blue with white markings similar to EVA-01's.

DESIGNS SELECTION

1. EVA "D" Type suit

This is the suit EVA-02 wears in episode #12. It can be used in
extreme conditions, both hot and cold, and can resist fantastic
pressures. The pilot must wear his (or her) Plug Suit at a special
setting to pilot when their machine wears it.

2. NERV isolation suit

Used around sites containing dangers such as bacteriological and
chemical contamination. It is not pressurized, but offers good
protection.

3. NERV Anti-Rad suit

This is the suit Misato uses to stop the Jet Alone Robot in episode
#7. Unlike the isolation suit, it is pressurized and has its own
oxygen supply. The helmet contains a radio and a data display screen.

4. JSDF Jet Alone Robot

This robot was conceived to liberate the Japanese Self Defense Forces
from the need to call on NERV and its EVAs during Angel attacks. It is
fully automated and uses a onboard nuclear reactor as its energy
source. It runs amuck on its first test run and the JSDF has to call
on NERV to stop it before a reactor overload. The circumstances of its
malfunction remain a mystery.

5. EVA Independent Power Pack

This is the emergency energy system used when the standard one is not
available to the EVAs. These are basically batteries and function much
the same way. There is one on each shoulder blade. They are used in
Episode #11.

6. EVA platform

These are the platforms on which the EVAs are brought to the surface.
It is mounted on rails and can be sent to any place in the city via a
vast rail network. The EVA is secured to it by hydraulic clamps.

7. UN VTOL Gunship

A mix between helicopter and a plane, this gunship is used by the UN
forces in place of chippers. Heavily armed and armored, it is very
efficient against a standard military target, but proves too weak
against Angels. Its main armament are rocket launchers.

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pg 44
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: PRODUCTS by Martin Ouellette

As with any popular series, EVANGELION has been heavily merchandized.
Here are some of the products
currently available in Japan.

There are three CD singles: “Cruel Angel’s Thesis” (KIDA-114; ¥1,000),
“Fly Me To The Moon” (KIDA-115; ¥1,000) and another version of “Cruel
Angel’s Thesis” (KIDA-116; ¥900). There are three CD soundtracks
available: Vol.1, 2 and 3 (respectively KICA-286, KICA-290 and
KICA-300; ¥3,000 each). The LDs (5,800¥ each) and VHS tapes (¥5,300
each) have two episodes each (that makes 13 Vol.). Three Hybrid
(Macintosh and Windows) CD-ROMs are available: Evangelion Collector’s
Disk Vol.1, 2 and 3 (¥6,800 each). A game on the Sega Saturn Platform
is also available at ¥5,800.

Two MOVIC design books have been released so far: “And So Neon Genesis
Evangelion Goes To Action” and “EVA Maniacs” (70 one-sided pages each,
¥1,500 each). Kadokawa Shoten has published NewType Film Books (8
Vol., 66 color pages and 18 b&w pages, ¥590 / $9.95 US each). They
have also released the Neon Genesis Evangelion Photo File “EVE, Venus
At The 2015 A.D” (66 pages, full color, ¥980). The Kadokawa manga
version, by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and GAINAX, is also available (176 b&w
pages, ¥590 each). There are posters (¥500), cassette labels (¥250),
laminated cards (¥100), plastic sheets (known as “shitajiki”, ¥500),
post cards (¥600), mouse pads (¥1,500), a school calendar (¥980), etc.
There are also caps, pins, bandanas and so on. All these goodies can
surely be found at conventions.

There are, of course, models. Some are very costly, while others are
very reasonnable. Kotobukiya has released full-action resin kits for
all five EVAs (00, 00-2, 01, 02, 03) at ¥9,800 each. They also
produced 1/6 resin figures of Rei, Asuka and Misato. Kaiyodo has
released a non-scale EVA-01 (¥6,800) and a superb 1/8 scale Rei.
Musashiya has released a non-scale resin kit of EVA-01 and 1/8 resin
figures of Rei and Asuka. Volks has released two resin kits of Rei:
one at 1/8 (with Pen Pen) and one at 1/5. They also produced a
full-action non-scale resin kit of EVA-01. Tsukuda Hobby has released
a 50cm tall soft vinyl EVA-01 and 1/ 6 soft vinyl dolls (fully
painted) of Misato (¥3,500), Asuka and Rei (¥4,500 each). Last, but
not least, Bandai has released LM (Limited Models) plastic injection
kits of EVA-01, 02 and 00-2 (¥1,000 each). Good Hunting!

---

pg 44
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: REVIEW by Martin Ouellette

One of the best series in the last six years, it could be said that
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION has contributed to the renewal of the interest
for animated TV series in Japan. Playing at the same time than SHIN
KIDO SENKI GUNDAM WING (NEW MOBILE WAR CHRONICLE GUNDAM WING),
EVANGELION, like WING, catered to the needs of teenage boys and girls.
However, both series were very different. While WING’s character and
mecha designs were both flashy and hard hedged, EVANGELION’s were at
the same time more cartoonish and realistic. Both the animation and
music of EVANGELION were better than WING’s, especially the animation,
which was of OVA quality in many episodes. The story of EVANGELION
could be considered a psychological drama and, as such, could
discourage viewers who prefer action filled flicks. The ending, as it
was presented on TV, is very philosophical and seems botched. A
viewing with script in hand changes that point of view and will
definitely prove that even pressed by time and censorship, Studio
Gainax is one of the best animation teams around. EVANGELION is
probably one of those series that will mark its time... Domo arigato
gozaimasu to Gainax for creating such a masterpiece and thanks to A.D.
Vision for bringing it to us in English (the first volume will be
released in July).

Studio Gainax, 26 Episodes TV series, Played From October 4, 1995 To
April 3, 1996 on TV Tokyo.

Criteria | Ratings
Designs         4.5
Animation       4
Soundtrack      3
Story           4
Translation     -
Average         4

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pg 45
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: THE CONTROVERSY, by Miyako Graham & Claude J. Pelletier

Japanese TV viewers were stunned by the odd ending of EVANGELION! Many
of their reaction weren’t very nice, and they complained giving
comments like: “I was stunned! I thought that the ending was a bad
joke!”, “I think that EVANGELION ended practically at episode #24. The
rest is absolutely ridiculous! The creators didn’t care about fan’s
feelings! I almost threw up!”, “I won’t watch this show any longer!”
etc. EVANGELION’s ending is at the center of a controversy. With this
article, we will try to understand why the show evolved to this
strange endind.

One of our very reliable sources in Japan informed us that the Japan
branch of an organization, irritated by the symbolism found in the
show, complained and took legal action. Our source refused to disclose
the identity of this “organization”, but we can speculate. Since
EVANGELION’s storyline offers lots of religious symbolism (cross,
angels, Adam, Eve, Lilith, Death Sea’s scrolls, etc) and that this
organization is obviously not Japanese (it’s a “Japan branch”), we can
imagine that the complain could be the doing of a Jewish organization
or of the Catholic Church. Censorship is rather rare in Japan,
especially for anime shows. Many fans have speculated (particularly on
the Internet) that the strange ending was the result of this
censorship. They said that Gainax had no choice but to change the
storyline from episode #22. Desperate because of the dealine and not
having enough cels, they would have re-use scenes, using also
pictures, production designs, drawings and texts as filler.

In an interview in the magazine NEWTYPE (6-96: 10-16), Director
Hideaki Anno denies everything. He doesn’t mention any censorship and
says that episodes #25-26 were intentionally made that way, as an
artistic statement, to show that animation could be done in different
ways. He is very satisfied with the result and has no regret.
Nevertheless, they will re-do the last episodes to please fans. Most
non-anime and anime fans praised the show (NEWTYPE published many
positive comments from fans in its June issue), and it even received
Awards. Those who criticized the show, he says, were either already
negatively biased or immature and narrow-minded internet fans.

So, where is the truth? Is there a real ending? The series seems to
bring so many questions. A rumor says that, at the end, Gendo, having
achieved his goal (???), kills everybody to cover his tracks. A very
short scene in #25, showing Misato and Ritsuko dead, gives weight to
this thesis. One day or another we will know. Or does it really
matter? In any case, we’ll be able to see a different version of the
ending on video or in the movie (which will be released in summer
‘97).

The ending of EVANGELION became metaphysical. People were expecting an
action story with a regular ending, but, in this case, the story
shifted at the end! Not that EVANGELION wanted to give a philosophical
lecture (maybe it could be called “meta-fiction”?), but it reflects
the insights of its creators (sometime rather pessimistic). The ending
shows Shinji-kun questionning his life and his existence. The basic
storyline and theme of EVANGELION is LOVE. According to Studio
Gainax’s press release, when humans fall in love or feel close to
their family, the part of the brain labeled A-10 comes into play.
Strangely, the pilots of EVAs have to use this part of their brains to
“merge” with their EVA. That makes them warriors of LOVE, with the
power of LOVE to protect their loved ones. In 2001, half of the human
race was destroyed and the world of 2015 looks very dark and grim, due
to the attacks of the Angels. 14 year-old Shinji-kun and 29 year-old
Misato-san are both extremely afraid of
human contact.

EVANGELION definitely offers many things to think about, especially
when the 17th Angel (the last one), named Kaoru Nagisa, shows up. This
Angel was proud of being God’s son, but then he finds out that he is
the descendant of Lilith (original wife of Adam expulsed from Eden for
refusing his authority and who gave birth to evil spirits), who was
the symbol of decadence, greed, laziness, lust, etc. The last Angel
wanted Shinji-kun to kill him, so that humans could find out their own
destiny by themselves instead of accepting the one decided by God (a
thematic close to NAUSICAA’s ending).

EVANGELION is about love, the hypocrisy of the world, the reality, our
fears. As Mr. Anno said in his interview, our problems are not
material anymore, but more related to our heart and mind. Instead of
asking ourself “what will I eat tomorrow?”, we ask “am I loved?”

Anyway, we will probably know more about EVANGELION after talking to
Mr. Anno himself at Anime Expo. Stay tuned!


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pg 46
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: MANGA by Miyako Graham

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION anime TV show became a superhit in Japan in
1995, and Studio Gainax’s character designer, Mr. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto,
drew this manga format for manga readers & fans. As I have read the
manga version, there is not much difference between the two formats
(anime and manga) when it comes to storytelling. The big differences
are the way of approaching the readers and the more mature use of
words. Mr. Sadamoto also changed the scripts to concentrate on
Shinji-kun’s feelings.

The TV anime’s version storytelling is concentrating on the concept of
God and the existence of humans and its meanings, but the manga
version concentrates more on human feelings and Shinji-kun’s behaviour
as a fourteen-year old schoolboy who’s desperately seeking answers
about the meanings of his life as a human being. Yes, both versions
are the same story, but the manga by Mr. Sadamoto offers more scenes
and dialogs of Shinji-kun’s feelings as a youth. He is a very cynical
fourteen-year old boy. He says things like “I don’t known what I’d
like to be in the future. I can’t think of any occupation I’d like to
take. I haven’t thought about my dreams, hopes or whatever. I am
fourteen-years old and I’ll always be this way. Even if I die today,
from an illness or an accident, I don’t think I care very much” etc...

When he became an EVA pilot and became very close to Misato-san,
Shinji-kun’s way of seeing things changed because he now had to deal
with “the fear.” Mr. Sadamoto wrote dialog to make us understand WHO
Shinji-kun is as a fourteen-year old schoolboy who is trying to avoid
close human contacts due to his upbringing after his father left him
at his uncle’s place. So, everytime Misato-san says things to touch
Shinji-kun’s feelings, even a small compliment, Shinji-kun cries.
Personally, I find it touching when Misato-san brings her pet penguin
Pen Pen to him, saying “ This little boy Pen Pen, he was used in the
lab as an experiment and I was working there. After the experiment
ended, he was ready to be exterminated. I decided to keep him instead.
He’s absolutely useless and eats too much, and yet, why do you think I
decided to keep him? Not only did I felt sorry for him, but also... I
have lived most of my life alone... When I come back home late at
night, I thought It’d be very nice to have someone who’s waiting for
me. It’d be nice to have a family member. I am NOT a human who can use
people because of the job or whatever...” When Shinji-kun heard this,
he started crying “Misato-san, I’d like to stay... I do not wish to go
back...” Mr. Sadamoto has a very gentle heart, I think. In a way, yes,
EVANGELION offers lots of fancy details of mecha, science-fiction and
all that, but, basically, it’s an orthodox (or classic) story of a
Boy’s psychological growing process, which offers us a very warm
feeling, and we can feel the loneliness of those characters, as if the
whole story is our sweet memory of our youth, with a little bit of
heart-rending sorrow and loneliness. We all go through those feelings
when we’re teenagers and also ask ourselves who we are and why we are
here, etc.

I hope this manga will be published in English someday.

Story written by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.

Published by Kadokawa Publishing ©1995 Gainax / Project-EVA / Tokyo-TV
/ NAS 1995.

Those who would like to obtain the manga version directly from Japan,
here is the address: Kadokawa Shoten, 2-13-3, Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 102, Japan. Book Service Department: (Tel) Tokyo 03-3238-8530.

This manga is also available at Nikaku Animart or Kinokuniya Bookstore.

-- 
gwern