Comments on: Petit Eva Turns Our Existential Crisis All Adorable

By: Bonnie Ruberg

Bonnie Ruberg — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:04:57 +0000

Note the fact that there’s not just one Rei, but 3.
Yeah, what is the deal with that? I mean, I like Rei as much as the next guy/girl, and I get that chronologically there are 3 Reis, but how do really explain that one?

Then again, given the seriousness level of the series, maybe you just don’t :).

By: Darkpen

Darkpen — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:52:24 +0000

Yeah, its called Angelic Days, or more specifically, Girlfriend of Steel 2/Iron Maiden 2nd. They originally took that brief moment of “happy eva” and turned it into a game (I think PC), THEN they made it into a manga.

However, that story actually was more like serious EVA guised in stereotypical happy anime’s clothing. This, on the other hand, seems to be entirely happy-EVA, except they’re actually using the original’s symbolism as well. Note the fact that there’s not just one Rei, but 3.

I didn’t know they decided to make a DS game out of it, though.

The petit EVA series is supposed to be a merchanidise line, following the hype train of the movies coming out. But they’re also making animated shorts. One of them can be viewed online, but the rest will be direct-to-DVD, and Japan-region encoded too :(

As to what Christopher said, I totally agree. Eva was the first anime that made me feel such incredibly deep feelings of attachment to a character on screen. I related with Shinji so much, and I fell in love with Rei, and the whirlwind of drama and emotion surround the show just encapsulated me right up to the very end, and then some.

The only other anime that’s ever done that to me (and actually made me cry several times) was Kanon, the 2006 version; an anime based off of a dating sim, but really well done.

By: Bonnie Ruberg

Bonnie Ruberg — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:32:20 +0000

I totally hear what you’re saying, Christopher. I don’t know if I’d called the Eva cast real–for me at least–but after watching characters you care about be so unhappy, it’s like a weight off your shoulders to get to see them just be wacky.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:29:53 +0000

I dont’ think it’s ‘strangely comforting’ that somewhere the cast of EVA can be happy. The cast of EVA are real people. Not to everyone, but there is a set of us out there who know these characters. We’ve laughed, and cried with them. Shared the rush of battle, and the fear of death. We know them, and thus they become real to us. So there is nothing wrong with wanting these people who’ve come into our life to be happy. Especially after seeing them hurt for so long.

BTW isn’t the a manga along the similar lines? Angelic days I think it’s called. Try checking Amazon, see if I’m right.