I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that if you’re reading this, then I don’t need to explain what Neon Genesis Evangelion is to you like you’re a Robin Williams character in a legally distinct Walmart (footnote: okay, I just really wanted to reference the One Hour Photo scene in which a child talks briefly to Williams’ character about Evangelion, but it’d be remiss to mention this without also mentioning that in real life Williams was, in fact, an anime fan). Widely considered to be one of the crown jewels of anime as a medium, it’s hard to overstate the influence Evangelion had—and continues to have—over the years. Consequently, its empire of influence is vast, and includes both merchandising on an unheard of scale and a number of additional materials, such as Ikuto Yamashita’s—the person who designed the Eva units alongside Hideaki AnnoEvangelion ANIMA novels. In particular, this review will focus on its audiobook version read by Asuka’s voice in the ADV dub of Evangelion, Tiffany Grant.
First, a brief plot synopsis
It’s difficult to talk in detail about ANIMA’s story without spoiling certain aspects of Evangelion. While I know there’s a good chance you’ve already finished the movies and/or TV series, this review is meant to be spoiler free so I don’t want to take that gamble. Suffice to say: the events of this novel take place in an alternate timeline, and three years after the events of the TV series. So if you haven’t already seen it, I’d say you should at least watch the Evangelion TV series before jumping into the ANIMA novels.
So, how is the book itself?
When ANIMA is good, it’s great. A fascinating look into another possible future that could’ve awaited the Eva pilots.There’s a very exciting story that’s constantly being underscored by a sense of dread being told here—albeit one that doesn’t necessarily match the Evangelion TV series’ more psychological tone. But fun as they are, even the most thrilling moments are always sandwiched between thick, heaping portions of confusing, Nerv-branded, technological jargon that’s nigh-impossible to parse a substantial meaning from. It’s easy to get lost in these many sections of what may as well be TV static, and by extension of that to lose track of what’s going on and/or for any momentum to come to a grinding halt. It makes the novel feel overly dense, not to mention way longer than it needs to be.
But, how is it as an audiobook?
I’m the type of person who likes having an audiobook on while I’m doing something that doesn’t require a ton of attention—chores, or grinding in a video game for example. And that same aforementioned technobabble makes it really easy to zone out, which spells trouble when you’re already listening to it in a more casual way. Several times I had to rewind it because I felt like I might have missed something important. And even now, I can’t help but wonder if there were scenes that I missed out on because they just got lost in the sauce. This isn’t the kind of book that readily lends itself to being an audiobook, and easy listening it most certainly is not.
That being said, it’s obviously so ridiculously cool to listen to the original English voice of Asuka—known and documented Asuka merchandise collector Tiffany Grant—read this novel to you. Grant is, of course, an icon (who, disclaimer, I am acquainted with), and a longtime Evangelion fan herself. She knows precisely who these characters are, how they speak, how they feel—and this is all to say nothing of how, as per usual, she knocks it out of the park any time Asuka has dialogue. This dual status of hers as both fan and actor lets her bring a distinct and completely undeniable energy into her performance here, which ultimately ends up being a real show stopper. The only downside to this is that since her voice is so unique, that even when not-Asuka is speaking, there are times where—if her tone doesn’t make it clear who’s speaking (which, to be fair: most of the time, it does)—you might do a double take and wonder when Asuka joined the conversation.
Verdict:
If you’re a diehard Evangelion fan, congratulations! You’ll probably have a great time having this book read to you by Asuka. But I wouldn’t readily recommend this to anyone outside of that category. It’s not a completely unenjoyable novel, per se, but it’s tricky for this novel’s best moments to shine as brightly as they could be when they’re constantly being weighed down by a constant stream of minutes-long sci-fi word salad. Admittedly, it’s probably easier to get through this novel when reading it in print. But as an audiobook, it’s incredibly dense. And sadly, when your material is actively working against the medium, there’s only so much that can be done; while Grant does a brilliant job, no performance—not even her’s—can hope to fully resuscitate this.
You can purchase Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA Vol. 1 via Audible, Spotify, Nook, and Bookwalker.
If you liked Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA, you might also enjoy:
- Gunbuster
Credits:
Written and Cover Art by: Ikuto Yamashita
Planning and Editing by: Yasuo Kashihara
Translated by: Nathan Collins
Narrated by: Tiffany Grant
Published by: Seven Seas Entertainment (Siren Imprint)
A special thank you to Seven Seas Entertainment for allowing us the opportunity to review this title. Receiving a review copy has in no way altered the opinions expressed in this article.
The Good
- It’s hard to overstate how awesome it is that you can listen to an Evangelion novel read by Tiffany Grant, and Grant herself really rises to the occasion in her performance.
The Bad
- This novel doesn’t readily lend itself to the audiobook format; it’s often dense and hard to follow.
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