Manga The Manga: Evangelion as it should have been
The main strengths and weaknesses of the TV series stem from the fact that Eva is born from Hideaki Anno’s hatred for his own audience. While delivering this giant “fuck you” to the otakus, he raised mature themes, created an unique setting, interesting plot and a fantastic cast of characters. But doing so, he completely forgot about properly and naturally developing them. The message hinders the story. The manga adaptation, being a derivative work by a different author who puts more emphasis on the actual plot and characters, keeps the strengths and has none of these weaknesses.
All in all, the manga is a much more coherent and solid story. While keeping the general direction of the plot and essence of the characters, Sadamoto puts his own spin on them. There are subtle differences (Shinji, Gendo), expansions (Rei, Kaji) and one complete change in characterization (Kaworu), and they all feel like natural developments and only add to the story, enhancing it.
The main problem of the manga adaptation is that it’s a lot more psychologically fucked-up than its anime counterpart. There are a lot of disturbing things in the TV series, but being a part of a different medium (not to mention a different demographic), it had to deliver them with a certain amount of subtlety, however small. The manga just goes all-out with the craziness. But considering it is Evangelion we’re talking about here, it’s just a minor nitpick.
The ending is pretty straightforward (considering manga’s eighteen years’ worth of Schedule Slip, it might come off as unsatisfactory to some) and actually resolves the plot (which, keeping in mind how both of the TV series endings turned out, is a bit untraditional).
In conclusion, I highly recommend Yoshiyuki Sadamoto’s manga adaptation. It’s a must-read.
Manga More Tightly Knit Than The Films and TV Series
As much as I loved the original anime, I can't lie that it wasn't as emotionally impactful, nor was I as motivated to rewatch it as the manga.
So, if you didn't like the anime, you'll love the manga; if you liked Rebuild, then you'll also like this. Although I liked Shinji in the anime, I do feel this version of him is the most likable for everyone. His sarcasm displayed early in the show becomes his defining trait here, mainly because the manga tells us his thoughts. As opposed to the anime with those cryptic train sequences. While one can argue this makes it less unique, since it's a manga, I feel it was a pragmatic move and adds to the reader's enjoyment.
Also, the supporting cast gets much more focus. Toji gets his own Day in the Limelight, and specific plot changes lead to some emotional moments. Kaji gets his own backstory fully fleshed out. Kaworu's earlier appearance means he gets more screentime. However, I dislike the change to his personality as it made his signature moment less emotional. Though it's not like the anime's version was a big tearjerker either.
The most significant change and best, in my opinion, is making Rei the Deuteragonist and Love Interest for Shinji while placing Asuka in a supporting role. Despite that change, Asuka still has her backstory and is more likable than in the anime. While for some, this may sting, and initially, it disappointed me too. However, this allowed it to focus on many characters and their relationships all at once in an organized manner. Because Rei interacts and has a connection with more characters than Asuka and is more relevant to the overall plot, the developments feel more coherent and efficient. Meaning that the cast isn't as top-heavy as it was in the anime. It also helps that her relationship with Shinji isn't merely Domestic Abuse for 12 episodes, but rather a more heartwarming connection between them with lots of depth explored as they develop alongside one another. It also leads to massive tearjerkers down the line compared to the anime in which those same scenes ended up having no impact. Despite being much happier, even the ending made me break down, but I didn't shed a tear during EoE. Which is the result of the change in tone.
Oddly enough, though, the tone isn't really lighter than the anime, but it's also not darker. Whereas the anime was highly prone to making the viewer apathetic, the manga manages to keep a similar tone but make you more invested. While there may not be as much symbolism or action, it works to do without those aspects.
The ending may lack the "epicness" of EoE's final scene and is still confusing (to a much lesser extent). However, it does manage to make me want to reread the whole manga because it didn't disappoint. Overall, it's a satisfying ending with some minor flaws.
Overall, the manga deserves more attention and even an anime adaptation, but that will unfortunately never happen.