Product ReviewsNeon Genesis Evangelion #6 (Viz August 2004)

Worthy successor to the anime

The story arc in which Toji Suzuhara becomes an Eva pilot and the tragic results was one of the most compelling arcs in the original anime, and no small hurdle for any artist who wanted to adapt it without loosing the emotional impact. Somehow, Sadamoto pulls off this Herculean task, and some would argue he even improves on the original.

Now that we're into the meat of the story, the art focuses on quieter moments that build character rather than actual combat with the Angels. This is a very good thing. Only the most die-hard mecha fans cared about all that techno-babble in the anime; without their original fluidity, the manga versions of these scenes were messy and confusing, and brought down Sadamoto's first few volumes considerably.

Back to the character moments, some will love and some will hate the somewhat liberal interpretation Sadamoto has taken with the characters, who tend to vocalize their issues and concerns more in the manner of the Rebuild series of movies. Some may seem a bit implausible; there were a few times when I believe the written dialog in the manga matched the implied thoughts in the anime, but that is just nitpicking. On the whole, Volume Six of Neon Genesis Evangelion pushes all the important buttons on this Eva fan, while giving Eva fans everywhere surprising new insights to debate endlessly over the Internet. In the end, isn't that why I'm reading this?Read full review...