By The Eva Monkey on Sunday, July 17th, 2005
NEWTYPE USA LAUNCHES EXCLUSIVE NEW SERIAL MANGA
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days begins in August 2005 issue
A bold retelling of the classic anime series!
HOUSTON, July 14, 2005—Anime fans wondering how life might be different for the cast of Neon Genesis Evangelion will finally get an answer starting this August when Newtype USA begins its serialization of the exhilarating new manga Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days!
Based on a popular PC and PlayStation 2 game released only in Japan, Angelic Days takes the angst-ridden Eva pilots and sets them in a lighter, brighter world, where choosing the right girlfriend is more important than saving Earth from unimaginable threats. With comedy, action and romance (plus a dollop of fan service), Angelic Days is sure to please hardcore Evangelion fans as well as casual readers simply looking for a lighthearted manga romp.
“Fans have been eager to see this manga released in English ever since it debuted in Japan,” says Newtype USA editor in chief Gary Steinman. “We are so pleased to be able to offer it first in the pages of our magazine. It’s so much fun to see familiar characters like Shinji, Asuka and Rei dealing with everyday problems instead of imminent destruction!”
After the serialization is finished, the complete story will be released as graphic novels from ADV Manga. The final release date hasn’t been set, but expect the first volume sometime in 2006.
Availability
Newtype USA Vol. 4, Issue 8 will be available August 1, 2005.
With the official press release concerning “Angelic Days”, I felt compelled to give my usual spiel. First and foremost, I would like to discuss the title. And I must say that I have no qualms with the title itself, but the simple fact that is has been renamed provokes a reaction in me that falls somewhere between irritation, aggravation, and disbelief. I have said it before, and I will say it again, I hate when companies reinvent things for marketability. That being said, the original title romanizes to “Shin Seiki Evangelion Koutetsu no Girlfriend 2nd”, which literally means “Girlfriend of Steel 2”. Additionally, the manga, like the two games before it, bears the English title “Neon Genesis Evangelion the Iron Maiden”, hence why this manga and game series is known by both “Girlfriend of Steel”, and “Iron Maiden”. “Angelic Days” is obviously of no relation to either of these titles, and was obviously invented, like the titles of other licensed titles like “Requiem for the Darkness” (literal title translates to “Hundred Stories”) and Samurai X (Originally “Rurouni Kenshin”).
The comic originally began circulation in Asuka Comics, and was authored by Fumino Hayashi. It was officially sanctioned by Gainax, but the studio has no creative hand in the comic. Though the story branches from the alternate reality of episode 26 of the TV series, this is entirely the work of manga artist Fumino Hayashi. It is quite different in tone from the original series, and it may or not interest those that were captivated by the stark emotional aspects of Anno’s original work. It began circulation in November of 2003, and consisted of 16 issues, which have been collected into four volumes which were published between February 2004 and February 2005.
As the press release states, the comic will only be available in its first run in the pages of NewType, meaning that if you intend to read it in English, you will have to either subscribe or wait until 2006 for the volumes to be released. If you didn’t read any of the comic while it was being scanlated by ADTRW, I would suggest downloading some of the scanlations while they’re around and seeing if it sparks your fancy. Many Eva fans are disinterested and at times violently against this comic, but there is the chance that you may enjoy it, just remember that it is not the Eva you know, which is not a bad thing, as it simply means that it will be a new experience, and new experiences are not necessarily bad.