Kouga Yun – Birth of Evangelion – a Neon Genesis Evangelion Doujinshi

[leahandillyana]

Kouga Yun is an accomplished mangaka whose works are usually difficult to categorize. Her most famous works are “Earthian” and “Loveless”, she has also provided the character designs for “Gundam 00” anime and wrote a side story collection (gaiden) for the series. She continues creating doujinshi for works she particularly likes. Below is an excerpt (14 pages out of 51) from the Polish translation of her Kaworu/Shinji doujinshi courtesy of Alvis, with original English translation (which I unfortunately don’t have access to) by DokiDoki. Minor nudity and huge spoiler warning.

The story is set after episode 24. Asuka is in coma, Rei is distant and confused in regards to who she really is, and Shinji is miserable, fantasizing about what might have happened had he chosen not to kill Kaworu. One night, his fantasy asks him to go to the moon together, away from human misery.














(In summary, Shinji rejects Kaworu's offer of joining him (in the afterlife?) because he realizes that there are still people who care for him and whom he cares for, after which he starts to heal slowly.)

Comments

[alicemacher]

Huh. So in this doujinshi, does the Third Impact not end up happening? I'm guessing from those last three scans it doesn't, since they seem to portray a more unambiguously hopeful future than does the "extremely dark but with a sliver of hope for humanity's renewal" conclusion to The End of Evangelion.

As for the ship... while I do like Kaworu a lot, I feel he got introduced far too late, and too briefly, in canon for me to place as high a value on his relationship (such as it was) with Shinji as many fans do. (The Sadamoto manga introduces Kaworu much earlier, but also portrays him as more "alien" in his morality and social skills, such that while he comes to love Shinji, what Shinji feels for him, despite some attraction, is more like "reluctant companionship" than requited love.)

Me, I'm solidly on Team Shinji/Rei/Asuka, despite what I admit is the complete lack of canonical support, especially between the two girls. ^__^ Maybe it's that I just can't decide which of them I love more.

[leahandillyana]

The doujinshi was published before End of Evangelion premiered, so Third Impact is not a question.
You might be interested in Camus Apocalypse official AU manga: Kaworu is present from the beginning as part of the main cast and Asuka is explicitly in love with Rei.

[alicemacher]

Campus Apocalypse is great. I liked the concept of Evas as handheld empathetic weapons, a bold departure from canon. (In every other take on the franchise I've seen -- serious, parodic and in-between -- apart from ones where there's no conflict with the Angels at all, the giant mechas are a constant.)