Last Minute Update

By The Eva Monkey on Monday, April 12th, 2004

So, I was sitting at my desk last night, a few minutes shy of midnight, playing Dr. Mario and listening to Digitally Imported European Trance. And I thought to myself…. oh yeah…. tommorow’s monday…. I have to do an update. So…. this is actually only going to be a brief update. Mostly just stuff I’ve found here and there.

Manga Volume 9 Doujin Cover

I found these on the Kadokawa Website, the one on the left is the cover of the ninth volume of the manga, being released in Japan, the one on the right is apparently a licensed doujinshi being released. I’m not quite sure what it is, but it is apparently a licensed product, it most likely was made without involvement from Gainax, so its not canon in any way.

I found the following link and blurb on #1 Superstar and I’m quite pleased by the support.

Eva Monkey
It’s so hard to find great and informative sites about Evangelion these days and Eva Monkey, The Ultimate Evangelion Resource Site is one of those rare gems that is full of content and everything else you can possibly want in an EVA site. I hope all of you take a look at it. Plus it updates more than any other EVA site I’ve been to.

It seems that Kojiro Abe finally put a page on his site for his Gollum commentary on the Live Action Project, so if you ever had any doubts as to who did it, there you go.

I found something that you may or not be inclined to read over in its entirety, but nevertheless ought to read in order to get a little bit of perspective on how Evangelion has been received by the religious community, from religious, to EXTREMELY religious. I would advise you to read over some of the responses, I can’t find the original article the emails are in response to, but you get a good feel for it from this page. You may notice a few familiar names and handles, particularly Brendan Jameison (Eva Otaku, Studio Kanzen, Stray Radio) and Patrick Purcell (Studio Kanzen, Stray Radio). I would suggest not getting to worked over some of what is said on this page, as some of it is quite “ignorant” particularly on the part of the web site’s author. I was quite saddened to see Evangelion referred to as a medium of Satan’s corruption of youth, as well as the way the author praised those that agreed with him, and condemmed those that thought otherwise. Take this with a grain of salt, it can be tough to stomach.

While we’re reading some interesting stuff, I’d also like to point out that Bakelite is snazzy, the Lance of Longinus is interesting, and penguins are awesome.

I also wrote out Hikari’s character description, and there’s also a little tidbit of info on the Live Action Project over at TrivialBeing.

Not to be confused with an April Fools…

By The Eva Monkey on Sunday, April 4th, 2004

Fake Eva Movie Poster

Now, before you get all excited, let me just tell you that this is a FAKE MOVIE POSTER. It is probably one of the more competent fakes I’ve seen, and the only reason I’m posting it is because I want to avoid any and all rumors from starting. Much like FofR over at TrivialBeing, I realize that there are people out there that are going to assume this is real, unless someone smacks them in the face and tells them otherwise. Click on the image to see the full version, as well as the first version, and some of the artist’s other art.

Eva Monkey Updates

Speaking of TrivialBeing, FofR gave me permission to post this video of the Gensis Reborn Live Action Sneak Peek. Its in .RM format, so you’ll need Real Player, or a compatible player. I know some of you out there hate Real, but it compresses well, and the player isn’t all that bad. And if you wanna watch this, you’ll have to get Real Player. Please note that the original audio was “Tokyo-3” from the Eva OST, and has been replaced with “Reincarnation” from the Ghost in the Shell OST.

Another video I have available this week is the Test Type Opening. Its essentially the full length version of Cruel Angel’s Thesis, and features clips from the series, movies, and director’s cuts. While this is technically part of a commercial product, I don’t see the harm in posting it, as it is not much different from the dozens of AMVs out on the net. You’ll need to have a good connection, a download client, or a lot of patience, as this file is 78 megs, but the quality of the video and audio is worth it.

I previously posted links to some posts on the Ask John section of AnimeNation, and John was kind enough to give me permission to create an FAQ for the site with them. So take a look at the Ask John FAQ, its all nice and new and shiny and begging to be looked it.

And on a somewhat more pathetic note, I finally finished typing up Heaven’s Messengers in the glossaries section. This was part of the Magi Archives that was on the Death & Rebirth DVD. I started typing these glossaries up a year and a half ago when I was designing Eva Monkey.

Featured Site

Since I missed an update and ought to have changed the featured site at some point, I figured I would do something different and do two featured sites. The first is a character shrine dedicated to Asuka called Asuka, the Real Girlfriend of Steel. The site includes information, images, a guide to Asuka merchandise, as well as some Asuka & Shinji cheesiness. On the flip side, I also have a Rei Ayanami shrine called Blue Girl. The site features information, images, some essays, and some other miscellaneous Rei luvin.

Featured AMV

This is an AMV that I saw back in 2000 at my first Otakon, which was my first convention. Prior to that, I don’t believe I had ever seen an AMV, and needless to say, this was on of the very first I had seen. I’m not a big fan of REM, but “Losing my Religion”, is an undeniably excellent song, whether you like their musical style or not. It went well with Evangelion, and this AMV did something few have, it featured Kaji. Its entitled “Jabbernowlism” and it won Otakon 1998’s Dramatic/Serious category award in the AMV competition.

Images

This week, I thought I would post some Asuka images. Most of these are Fan Art, minus one which I know was illustrated by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. You can view them in the brand new image gallery, along with some other stuff I’ve posted previously. Also included in the gallery are some images from the Girlfriend of Steel game.

Guardians of Order, Cutie Honey, Ask John, and Neo Pokemon Evangelion

By The Eva Monkey on Monday, March 22nd, 2004

Evangelion/Gainax News

Guardians of Order Inc. will, in association with ADV, be releasing two Evangelion RPG guides this fall. They will detail the series and the director’s cuts. If they will detail the movies is unclear. They will contain numerous color images, as well as character and episode guides, rule mechanics, roleplaying sheets, and more.

It was announced at the 2004 Tokyo International Anime Fair that Hideaki Anno will be following up the live-action Cutie Honey movie by directing the upcoming anime series Re: Cutie Honey.

ADV Toys has launched its first product. While this would otherwise not seem very important, the possibility of us seeing some interesting domestic Evangelion merchandise in the future seems very possible. Pen Pen plushies anyone?

Eva Monkey Updates

I seem to have less and less competition when it comes to Evangelion resource and information sites. Eva Otaku has ceased updating, and is fortunately still available for viewing, which I’m still sad to see, as it is a site I’ve always been impressed and intrigued by. Evangelion Database is defunct, as the author has been unable to access his account and update. Fortunately, he has continued to work on the site in the last year. Hopefully he will be able to resolve his technical difficulties and bring the site back to the community with a bang. I’m also disappointed to see that Project Evangelion is being taken down. It was a site I saw as having great potential. At the moment I see it as a solid Eva fan site, with great potential to be an excellent resource site. NERV Headquarters hasn’t been updated in a year, and most likely will stick around for an undetermined amount of time and then disappear. I’m not so sad to see the site cease updating, as it has addressed so much, however there is new stuff that could be talked about. There is one other resource site out there still updating, but I see them going under very soon. The way its webmaster(s) have gone about their content is just heinous. Taking essays with little credit and nothing to suggest having obtained permission. A number of their resources are reprinted without their copy policies. I don’t even feel as if I should give them any credit with a URL link, because their practices just irk me to no end.

New Archived Content

New Linked Content

One thing I’ve enjoyed reading very much lately is the Ask John feature over at Anime Nation’s News section. My interest in anime still exists, but it has waned somewhat, and I now prefer to learn about the subculture, as well as Japanese culture on a whole, rather than watch as much as possible. I would rather have a competent understanding of Japanese pop culture rather than have watched a disgusting amount of animation. What I like about the Ask John section is that it provides me with another fan’s masterful understanding of Japanese pop culture. So I thought that I would post John’s responses to Evangelion relevant questions. I may have missed some that are indirectly related to Eva, but I know that I got all of the Eva specific questions. I hope you enjoy them, while I don’t agree with John 100%, I can’t deny his wealth of knowledge.

Random Stuff

I have been coming more and more aware that I most likely have the most heavily trafficked Evangelion website on the net. And I’m looking at expanding even further. A forum is on the back burner for now, as are sub sites for other Gainax anime/manga. But something I’m going to put together is something I think I swore not to do. But I figure, I have a lot of bandwidth and disk space to waste…. and I have a disgustingly large volume of Evangelion imagery on my hard drive. That’s right, I’m going to make the largest Evangelion specific image gallery on the net. I have the images for it, I have the bandwidth and space for it, so why not? This will be an experiment, and it may not stick around depending on how it is received. More on that next time I update.

I came across this German Fan Dub recently, and though I watched it, I really can’t say if it was any good or not. I don’t know any German, and I can only go by the way the dubbing sounds. There was a thing or two I found amusing, but largely I can’t tell the quality of the dialogue. I would appreciate if someone out there with some German proficiency could fill me in, as all I can say now is that the fan dub simply redubs the show, with no editing, aside from the sound being entirely re-engineered, which sounds quite odd, almost like a hodgepodge of various video game sound effects. That is one of the things that I found amusing.

AMV Spotlight

This is probably one of the more unique AMVs I have seen. Its a fine line as to whether this AMV is unique or good. I think its both, but I’m not entirely sure. Nevertheless you have to admit that it is creative, creepy, and moving, which is an odd blend. It’s entitled The Wasteland and its set to “Deception of the Thrush” by ProjeKct 3. You’ll have a look, won’t you?

Ikari Shinji Ikusei Keikaku, EvaComics.com, and an Eva Half-Life Mod

By The Eva Monkey on Monday, March 15th, 2004

Evangelion/Gainax News

I don’t have much this week, there are a few things I have on the back burner, but they just aren’t ready to be posted. One thing to be aware of is that the second edition of the first volume of the Eva manga has been released by Viz. Volume eight should be out shortly, so get to a store and check it out. Also out is the second volume of the Evangelion Director’s cuts. The final volume “Genesis Reborn” is out courtesy of ADV.

The webpage for the Ikari Shinji Ikusei Keikaku (Ikari Shinji Raising Project) has been launched by Gainax. The game will feature designs by manga artist Yonekura Kengo. Its due out in Japan this summer.

Also, Gainax has announced a new project to commemorate their 20th anniversary. The project is called “Grapple Gear”, it is unknown as to whether this project is a game, anime, manga, or other.

AMV Spotlight

I thought I’d add an AMV spotlight to the weekly update. And this week I’ve decided to spotlight a video entitled “A Beautiful Failure of a Film” by Studio Echo. It’s very rarely that a video actually surprises me, in any way, but this one did, and I was quite impressed. If you like this AMV, and you also happen to be a fan of Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstance) then I would suggest looking into “Subscriptions” as well, as I find that to be Studio Echo’s strongest AMV.

Random Stuff

Well it would appear that someone has decided to do a Eva Webcomic of sorts. I wish it were further along than it is. As of the moment, there’s three comics and a hodgepodge of fan arts and fan fiction links. Its not much, but then again the site was just launched at the beginning of March.

Something interesting I’ve become aware of recently is the EvaMod Project, which is essentially a mod for PC versions of Half-Life that provides Evangelion models, environments, and themed play modes. Aside from the basic Deathmatch mode, there is a capture the flag variation, and a species deathmatch. Future playmodes include king of the hill, defend and destroy, and some themed play modes, such as one angel versus the Nerv defenses, or the military invasion of Nerv.

Images

The full version of the following image can be found at this fan art page. I can’t tell what the page’s name is or the artist’s name, as it is a Japanese page. Also, be warned, some of the artist’s work has nudity and or slightly suggestive sexual themes. So if you don’t like that sort of thing, don’t browse around. This is the page the original appears on, and this particular gallery of images is clean.

Casshern, Anime Mid-Atlantic, and Katsucon

By The Eva Monkey on Sunday, March 7th, 2004

I’ve made a point to not stray from Evangelion, Hideaki Anno, and Gainax, but I just want to take a moment to promote Casshern. Casshern is based on the anime Casshan: Robot Hunter from quite a while back. Its due out in Japan this summer, and it looks absolutely amazing, and I would not be surprised if it gets brought over by a distributor. So keep your eyes peeled, take a look at Casshern’s trailer on the official site, and maybe take a look at the anime available from ADV Films.

Eva Monkey stuff

I skipped last week’s update, so to make up for it I’ve got a lot of stuff to add this week.

As always, I’m stumped, my traffic jumped up to 6,000 hits a day in January, to 10,000 hits a day in February. So to anyone who reads this site with frequency, I say “Thank you”, getting a response like this from something I’ve worked so hard at is the greatest thing for me.

I’ve got an Evangelion panel confirmed for Anime Mid-Atlantic, so if you’re from that neck of the woods, take a look at the convention, and the panel as well.

The new featured site is Eva-R, a site which I have been in awe of for quite some time. It is an absolutely amazing fan work, something that I think that people ought to keep in mind as a bar of excellence. If you’ve never taken a look at Eva-R, do yourself a favor and go over there. It looks like a lot of reading, but if you get into it, then thats the beauty of it. Its not just some trite little fan fic. It is THE definitive Eva Fan Fic, in my opinion. Feel free to argue with me on that point.

New stuff archived in the Written Statements section:

And finally, I decided to update my info, as today is my 21st birthday.

Evangelion News

I’ve already posted these dates, but I would just like to bring them up again. These are release dates for the Evangelion manga in North America and Japan

March 2004 (North American edition manga)
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 1 (Viz 2nd edition)
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 8 (Viz Action Edition)

April 2004 (Japanese edition manga)
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 9 (Kadokawa Comics Limited Edition)
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 9 (Kadokawa Comics Standard Edition)

Live Action Project News

If you’ve kept up on the Live Action Project then this may not be new to you. ADV released a press statement last month stating that the second volume of the Director’s Cuts “Genesis Reborn” will have a “sneak peak” at the movie. More on that later on. Though I would like to point out an advanced sneak peak at some of the newest concept pieces available at TrivialBeing.net. And while you’re over there, check out the info coming from Matt Greenfield and Tiffany Grant.

Images

I’ve had some kind of fascination with Kaworu’s character recently, so I thought I’d post some images of him, be advised that most of this is fan art I’ve collected from the web, I’m not sure if any of these are official, as I couldn’t find any of these appearing in any of my Evangelion artbooks. This goes out to Kaworu’s number one fan. You know who you are.

Also, I’ve prepared a directory of screenshots and technical drawings from the Evangelion 2 game. Some are a little big, as I decided to not compress them at all. I figure I’d go for quality, as I have plenty of bandwidth to spare. It might choke some people’s modems, but oh well. Its just a directory, so its leech friendly. Enjoy!

Did I mention I got to meet Takeshi Honda at Katsucon? Check it out.


Honda-san drawing Asuka

The finished product

Site Traffic Report, and New Written Statements

By The Eva Monkey on Monday, February 23rd, 2004

Eva Monkey Updates

First of all, I would like you to look at this log of my traffic over the last year, which absolutely kicks ass and makes me speechless at the same time. Last month my traffic went up dramatically, so I would like to keep up on that by going into an advertising mode of sorts. I ask that anyone who is a reader of this web page, who would like to see it grow further to please help me out. If you have a web page, put either a text link or this link button up. If you have a journal, tell people to come here if they like Eva. Put a link in your forum signatures, post a topic about the site, put the URL in your Email signature. Tell friends by word of mouth, etc etc etc. But most of all, please spread the “http://www.evamonkey.com/” URL around the net. The more times it appears, the more it will show up in search engines and such. But please, help me out by putting the link up. And if I see people coming here from your site, I’ll throw a link back at you. Scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.

And now on to the updates.

First of all, I would like to point out Kaworu’s character profile, which I put some work into. And though there’s not much new original content this week per se, I would just like to say that I have done A LOT of work on the site’s components and structure, so even though it looks exactly the same, it works better, and will be easier and more efficient to work with in the future.

New Hosted Content:

New Linked Content:

Updates, Katsucon, and One Hour Photo

By The Eva Monkey on Tuesday, February 17th, 2004

Eva Monkey Updates

Not a whole lot for this week, I had to restructure the entire site, and I was away for the weekend at Katsucon, so I don’t have much new. However I did begin work on the Eva Monkey FAQ, which as you can tell will be similar to that of Eva Otaku’s. I also did work on Kensuke’s profile, as well as Keel’s profile. I have a few additions to the written statements section, first of all, I finally wrote up an essay of sorts about my love for the Evangelion show, that goes into my own life, and how the show has affected me. And last but not least, another essay by Sarah Myer, about Shinji Ikari’s character.

I found this interview with Tristan MacAvery interesting, as it really goes into the negative views of the voice actors towards ADV. I also found some interesting essays on Evangelion I thought you might enjoy.

Also, this week’s featured site is a site called Multistasking, and it is to my knowledge the only Makota Hyuga shrine, which I find amazingly cool. Check it out.

Katsucon 2004

I picked up the Death and Rebirth program booklet, and the expanded edition of the booklet, as well as the Newtype 100% collection, so I’ll add them to the books section in the immediate future, and possibly find a way to have the content translated.

I got a Japanese issue of Newtype, which contains a side by side comparison of the original and Renewal edition of Eva, so I’ll see about capturing it and serving it up so people can see the difference for themselves. I also have a Poly-O String cheese commercial featuring Eva characters that will be served up in the near future.

I went to see Hidenori Matsuabara, and Takeshi Honda, and they had some interesting things to say about their work at Gainax, and the panels were recorded by an associate of mine, so I’ll have some video clips of that for you as well. But until then, I will say that one very interesting thing Takeshi Honda said was that there is indeed a possibility of seeing a sequel to Evangelion. Apparently Anno has been tinkering with the idea since Evangelion was completed, however he said Anno would have to get bored with Live Action enough to go back to animation. This does not mean that they are pursuing it, just that Anno has been considering it. I remain hopeful, but realize that this is rather unlikely.

Random Stuff

Go out and rent “One Hour Photo”, in it Robin Williams plays a murderer who gets tormented to some degree by an Eva Unit 05 figure. I also have this one image from a Japanese dojinshi. Don’t ask what this means, it just looks funny.

Eva Monkey Updates, Music Guide, and Evangelion Legos

By The Eva Monkey on Monday, February 9th, 2004

Eva Monkey Updates

Having to convert old site content over to the new format combined with a really shitty first week of school has resulted in very little actual work on the website as of late. Converting the site takes priority over new content. I do have some stuff, including some images. I also started up work on the Music Guide.

As far as conventioning goes, I’d once again like to note that I’ll be holding a Psychology and Sociology in Anime Panel at Katsucon this weekend. So if you’ll be there you’ll know where to find me. Also, somewhat into the future, though deserving mention, is the fact that I just had an Evangelion Panel approved for Otakon. So if you’re one of the 25,000 some people who will be making the trek to Baltimore Maryland this summer, be sure to stop by and be enlightened.

Images:

The following will bore or intrigue you:

I’ve been interested for some time in researching the production of Evangelion in a greater sense. This would require a substantial amount of capital, time, and presence. It would require travelling to Japan and having the presence and importance to secure interviews. It would also require a translator. Much of this is dependent on support, all of which I am capable of securing, given I play my cards right.

I’m going out for several research grants at UMBC, among them are the Provost Undergraduate Research Award, and Provost Travel Grant. Both of which I am capable of being awarded. Both of which I want, and if awarded would give me the metaphorical kick in the ass to labor with conviction to seeing my dreams of meeting Anno and writing THE book on Evangelion come true.

Why is this important?

You just might learn something. I refuse to believe that it isn’t possible to detail and chronicle the work. In a decade’s time, one would think that the book would have been written, and if it hasn’t, then it means it won’t happen. I refuse to believe this. I will write that book, so that everyone can have their questions answered.

Some other random stuff:

I’ve started a featured site bit, and first up is a forum I frequent, called Game Sekai. Scroll over the botton for a pop-up with some info about it.

I would also like to refer people to the comic Gangsta City, which features an alarming number of Evangelion references, as well as this one comic strip in particular from Krakow Studios.

I love Eva, I love Legos…. what happens when you put them together? You get mad props from me.

Eva Monkey Redesign

By The Eva Monkey on Saturday, January 31st, 2004

Surprise! after a year of service to the Evangelion community, I decided to go even further by giving the site a much need overhaul. This took hours and hours of designing, I just couldn’t nail down a design that I liked. But this is the new design, that for all I know could be around for the entirety of this year! Just kidding, I’m going to see about designing skins so that you can browse the site with the layout featuring your favorite character, or if you like the red and black of the version 1.0 layout, you can stick with that. That is in the future however. I can only do so much while keeping the updates coming.

And sorry I don’t have anything new this week. Expect huge changes round here as I finish up converting stuff.

Evangelion: Genesis Reborn, Manga, and Live Action Evangelion News

By The Eva Monkey on Monday, January 26th, 2004

Eva News

I’ve got a slew of release dates for you.

According to Anime on DVD, the second volume of the Evangelion director’s cuts will be released on March 9th by ADV.

According to Viz’s corporate site, we have the following release dates:

March 2004
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 1 (2nd edition)
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 8 (Action Edition)

According to Gainax’s corporate site, we have the following release dates:

April
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 9 (Limited edition with articulated Rei Ayanami action figure sculpted by Masaki Apsy
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 9 (Standard Edition)

Also, aparently there is a book being released by Cocoro Books & DH Publishing entitled Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide. I’ve heard about this book vaguely on a message board or two, and know very little about it. However I will be receiving a copy in advance of it’s June slated release so that I can read and review it and spread word around about it.

You can learn more about Cocoro and DH Publishing at DH Publishing Online.

Eva Monkey Updates

I’ll be attending the Katsucon anime convention this Valentine’s Day weekend. I have a panel entitled “Psychology and Sociology in Anime”, so if you’d like to harass me, that will be your best way of doing so. I will also be congregating with a few people I know through my Eva Monkeying, so if you’re going to be attending and would like to meet up and talk Eva and the like, send me an email, and I’ll keep you posted. Also, I’ll be sure to harass any representatives from ADV and Viz for details about various things. Also, Hidenori Matsubara, who is credited as an animator for Evangelion, will be a guest of the convention, so I’ll see about setting up an interview with him.

Believe it or not, the Eva Otaku FAQ has been updated.

I also found this rather blatantly fabricated script for the Eva Live Action movie. And speaking of the Live Action Project, there’s a new concept piece out.

And of all the retorts slandering the Evangelion Live Action Project, this has to be the most creative. I don’t know who is the original author, or where it came from, I merely found it hosted on KojiroAbe.com

Images