[4][MANGA] The Manga did it better (Was: Re: [EVA] Worst Ep)

[Herman Bernard Walker]

At 09:47 PM 11/17/97 -0600, you wrote:
>My least favorite episode is at this point the one early on where Shinji
>leaves NERV and is going to get on the train but doesn't. (ep 4?) It may go
>twords character development but for me a good portion of that episode
>falls flat.
>

Well, I've just got to say that the TV version of EVA just munged up that
arc of the story irreparably.  In vol. 2 of the manga, the equivalent of
eps. 3 & 4, there is a major theme of Shinji learning to trust Misato.  For
example, his berserker rage in the fight against the 4th Angel was set up by:
	-Finding Misato's "Third Child Observations" diary, with a writeup of
	the incident with Touji already, clinically, included
	-An argument with Misato over dinner that night after she lectures him
about his responsibilities as a pilot.
	-Unlike in the anime, Shinji comes up with the idea to let Touji and
Kensuke in the entry plug on his own, and gets berated for it, at length,
by Misato(DIRECTLY leading into him going berserker).

	Afterwards, it's made fairly clear that Shinji feels betrayed by Misato's
apparent motivation for taking him in, and he runs away immediately after
debriefing for the latest mission.  Misato, trying to make things up to
Shinji, only complicates matters by releasing him from his duties at NERV
more or less unilaterally.  Misato only realizes her mistake when she hears
Kensuke's chance remark about Shinji's behavior("...like a child throwing a
tantrum at his mother..."), and averts the crisis by rushing to Shinji and
explaining the reason why she had both him and Pen^2 live with her:"I
thought it would be nice to have someone there when I came home... to have
a family."

In short, the TV version of this arc seemed to have several stillborn
changes in its concept, and the result was somewhat weak and less coherent
that it could be, while the manga version manages a considerable degree of
thematic unity and clarity.

Or, in shortER, "The Hedgehog's Dilemma: Show(Manga), Don't Tell (TV)".
Think about it, won't you?  Thank you.

>Purely my humble opinion.
>
As this was mine.

>
>Lathrop Preston   LP0027 at DRAKE.EDU
>Drake Anime Club Librarian
>___________________________________
>Drake Anime -  Anime at acad.drake.edu
>
>
Bern Walker
"After all, it'll be all right if I win, right?" - Shinji Ikari
binaroid at mit.edu
>