Summary
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Anima, a mystery spinoff in the series, will receive an English audiobook narrated by Asuka’s voice actress, Tiffany Grant. Anima’s mechanical designs, character art, and premise make it fascinating, and an audiobook could bring it back to life after years of obscurity. Anima follows a series of alternate events after the End of Evangelion film, featuring older pilots and a more action-packed narrative.
Sequel to the light novel Neon Genesis Evangelion: Anima, will receive an English audiobook provided by Seven Seas Entertainment. Tiffany Grant, better known as the voice actress for Asuka in the original English dub, will narrate the books. The first episode will premiere on December 14. Anima is one of the more mysterious spin-offs in the Evangelion franchise, which makes it surprising that it’s getting another revival in the West.
While Rebuild of Evangelion is the most famous alternate take on the story, Anima’s existence also fascinates fans who know it. The mecha designs, character art, and premise of a world following the original TV series and film are matched only by their obscurity. However, audiobooks can give them a new lease of life years after the end of publication.
Evangelion Anima offers a super robot alternative to the series
Seven Seas Entertainment’s novel summary is as follows:
What if reluctant hero Ikari Shinji saved the world? Now, at the age of seventeen, he is the de facto leader of the EVA team. Under the leadership of Commander Katsuragi Misato, the Evangelion suits were updated with advanced designs and capabilities in preparation for the possible return of the monstrous Angels. Four clones of Ayanami Rei are tasked with running a global Angel search and destruction program. But when one of these clones goes rogue, only Shinji can stop her.
Anima was assigned to Ikuto Yamashita, the mechanical designer involved in every Evangelion game to date. As the synopsis says, Anima follows a series of alternate events after the film End of Evangelion, leaving Nerv untouched three years later. The resulting story is more action-oriented, with older pilots piloting more advanced Evangelions, courtesy of Yamashita, who provided much of the artwork depicting the iconic robot in the series. The armor is more complex and equipped with more unique weapons. At its heart, this is a simpler series than Hideaki Anno’s famous vision, which was more concerned with psychology and mental trauma.
While Evangelion has a number of spin-offs, Anima is particularly appealing to fans, offering both images of older characters and newer machines, but doesn’t do much in the way of reading the novel. Anima was first published in Kadokawa’s Dengeki Hobby Magazine in 2008, making it a strange cousin to Rebuild of Evangelion. For a good decade, all fans could glean from the material were scans from the internet. Kadokawa himself only published the final volume of the novel in 2019, and Seven Seas Entertainment also provided a translation during that time. Even then, it seems they were not widely known, despite their newfound accessibility.
Thanks to Tiffany Grant, Asuka’s voice actress, narration for the new audiobook could be just what Anima needs to remind fans that it exists. With Rebuild of Evangelion now complete, it’s the perfect time to watch – or listen to – Yamashita’s installment of the franchise, which depicts the pilots growing up and takes greater advantage of lesser-known plot threads. used as Rei’s clone. Whether people read the novel or wait for the audiobook to be released in a week, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Anima is a compelling sequel to the series that’s worth checking out after a decade of obscurity.
Source: Anime News Network
