Neon Genesis Evangelion: Introduction and Review

Posted on by
2

I’ll start off by saying one thing: this one is not for the weak.

If you’ve been a part of the anime/manga fandom for long enough (or even if not, really), you’ve definitely either seen this meme (right) lingering around the internet across multiple forms of media or have heard the song Cruel Angel’s Thesis.

Well, it’s good to know where memes and songs come from. These two insanely popular and widespread bases for lighthearted humor are actually from the existential, gut-wrenching, apocalyptic psychological drama (with a side of sick robots): Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Hello! Can someone please photoshop me into the shinji chair pose? : r/PhotoshopRequest
Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Series 1995–1996) - IMDb

Neon Genesis Evangelion created by Hideaki Anno, abbreviated as NGE, follows the point of view of 14-year-old Shinji Ikari in a futuristic Tokyo-3, 15 years after a worldwide cataclysm. Shinji’s flaws are extremely obvious and made known quickly (literally ten minutes into the series); he’s emotionally insecure, weak, and pathetically vulnerable to the pains of the world around him. Having had a traumatic childhood with both his passed mother and disapproving distant father, Shinji struggles with feelings of inadequacy and self-worth, making it difficult to form meaningful relationships for much of his life. However, his weak self-perception is challenged throughout the entire series as an overarching question: how do we perceive ourselves, and what is the meaning of existence and the nature of humanity?

In this apocalyptic world, beings with a 99.89% genetic affinity to humans called Angels seek to initiate a ‘Third Impact’ to reclaim Earth from humanity. To counter Angels, an organization called NERV was created, along with gigantic mecha-robots called Evangelions. These Evangelions require a pilot to ‘link’ to them, and those pilots will feel the same amount of pain of whatever pain the Evangelions feel during combat. In this sense, the Evangelions and pilots become one.

During an Angel attack, Shinji was suddenly recruited by his absent father to become a pilot for Evangelion Unit-01. This initiation is the starting point for the rest of the series as we follow Shinji’s struggles, the hauntingly relatable actions of every character, and see for ourselves the cost of advantage and greed, the instability of mental health, and the complex relationships between duty, identity, and self-worth. As Shinji and the other teenage pilots face gigantic monsters, their personal battles become intertwined with the fate of humanity, forcing them to confront not only the Angels but also the darkest parts of themselves.

(left to right) Shinji Ikari, Asuka Langley Soryu, Rei Ayanami, Kaworu Nagisa

So, that sounded horrifying! But trust me, walking into this piece of media will either make you question your own sanity or give you the biggest brain stretch you’ve ever had. Both aren’t that great, but you gotta believe me when I say it’s amazing. To be honest, I understood 30% of what I watched when I decided to give NGE a go for the first time. However, after delving into the intricate symbolism and trying to understand the psychology of each character, I found myself getting more and more hooked on this show’s eerie atmosphere and strangely familiar story work.

Neon Genesis Evangelion' Ending, Explained: Not the End We Expected - Thrillist
“Anywhere can be paradise as long as you have the will to live. After all, you are alive, so you will always have the chance to be happy”

If you couldn’t tell at this point, this definitely isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But can I tell you a secret? It clearly wasn’t mine either! I have a strong dislike for dystopian, fighting, and fantasy novels or shows, but I decided to put aside that fact and give this show a try. I can’t say that everyone I’ve recommended this show to has acknowledged or come to like NGE as a wonderful classic, but I can announce that every single person has told me they enjoyed the process of watching it. In my opinion, NGE isn’t just about understanding the show and its deep, hidden intents fully, but rather enjoying the process of watching and feeling yourself fall deeper and deeper into a world filled with questions, theories, and feelings to explore.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997) - IMDb

There are several different parts to the full story of Neon Genesis Evangelion, including multiple movies and the original series. As such, the watch order should be as follows:

1) Neon Genesis Evangelion (26 eps TV, 1995), 2) The End of Evangelion (Movie, 1997), 3) [Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone] (Movie, 2007), 4) [Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance] (Movie, 2009), 5) [Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo] (Movie, 2012), 6) Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon a Time (Movie, 2021)

My personal note is that you only really need to watch the 26-episode anime and The End of Evangelion. The movie gives a more clear-cut yet tragic parallel ending to the anime finale.

Do you believe these endings are in the same universe : r/evangelion
“And to all the children, congratulations!”

I highly recommend this anime as it opened my eyes to many more abstract ideas and insights on characterization. In a way, I believe that it also challenges traditional anime plotlines. As always, I hope this overview/review was an enjoyable read, and this time, congratulations on making it to the end! Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations!

Ann

Neon Genesis Evangelion is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Dear Evan Hansen: Musical vs Book

Posted on by
Reply

Dear Evan Hansen is a story about an anxious high schooler, Evan Hansen, who spins himself a tale and convinces everyone of a fake personality and story he made for himself. Throughout the plot, he gets deeper and deeper into this false role he created, and he can’t find a way out without exposing himself as a fraud. This story had a musical, book, and movie adaptation. I’ll be comparing the musical and book without major spoilers for either.

The story started out as a musical by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. It opened on Broadway in 2016 and was nominated for 9 different awards. The most distinguishable feature of this play is the life-like acting that Ben Platt utilizes in his role as Evan. He brings with him both depth and comedy, as well as a natural sort of awkwardness that comes with every high schooler. One of the key features of the musical is, of course, the music. Dear Evan Hansen shows a grand display of emotions and development through their musical numbers. A great example of this is in the song “Words Fail,” where Ben Platt shows the true devastation that Evan feels through his raw tone and intentional voice cracks. 

The book came a few years after in 2018, written by Val Emmich. The main story is the same, following the descent of Evan’s self-sabotage. But while the musical uses songs to convey emotion, the book uses internal monologue and description. Emmich goes more into depth about Evan’s mental state and personal thoughts. We get a glimpse into Evan’s anxiety disorder and how it affects his desicions and actions. Another major difference is how Connor Murphy– a large character in the musical– is more thoroughly fleshed out in the book. We get flashbacks from his perspective, as well as friends he had, his social life, and the mental struggles he faced. Personally, I liked this element of the book and how it elaborated on Connor, whereas in the musical we don’t get much about him as a person. Another main difference between the book and musical is the resolution. While the fundamental concept of the resolution is the same, the book cleans up a few more loose ends. Without revealing too much, Evan basically takes a bit more time to reconciles with people he affected.

No matter whether you watch the musical or read the book, both tell Evan Hansen’s story beautifully. Especially for teens struggling with anxiety or depression, Dear Evan Hansen is a message of honesty, belonging, and individuality. 

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby.

Movie Review: Despicable Me 4

Posted on by
Reply

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from Despicable Me 4. I mean, it’s the fourth movie in a franchise that started when I was a little kid. But honestly? It was a fun movie nonetheless.

The classic Minions humor is still prevalent. I am not going to spoil the movie, but the audience gets a lot of humor with Gru trying to fit in with “normal” suburban folk. The Minions are still as chaotic as ever, and the movie introduces some power-ups for the minions. Maybe they should be called Super Minions now? This was an interesting addition, to say to the least.

I will admit, some of the scenes made me laugh out loud because of how illogical they were. But I guess that is the beauty of the Minions–delivering great comedy, whether it makes sense or not.

The antagonist or villain of the movie wasn’t as iconic as past villains like Vector. The new villain’s whole revenge plot felt a little rushed, and I wish he had more screen time.

Overall, if you are looking to just have some nostalgic fun for an hour and a half, Despicable Me 4 is definitely worth a watch. I would not say it is the best in the franchise, but it still brings the humor, nostalgia, and Minion madness.

Despicable Me 4 is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Redwall by Brian Jaqués

Posted on by
1

Redwall by Brian Jaqués is about a county of animals that live together in harmony. But when Cluny the Scourge, an evil rat only heard of in legends, comes to take over Redwall, the city of the mice, a brave young warrior steps up to save the day.

Ever since the passing of the great mouse warrior Martin, the forest has made a pact for Redwall to be a city of peace and wellbeing. This is so that any injured animal could come for aid, but in return Redwall could never be attacked: it was the unwritten law. However, Cluny the Scourge and his band of rats have tried to seize the opportunity of Redwall’s poor defense, and have made it their objective to break in and steal the valuables; starting with the mice’s precious Martin painting.

This is where Matthias comes in. As a young apprentice of Redwall, his duty is to obey Father Abbot at all times. The way of the mice is peaceful now, but Matthias longs to fight in an honorable war like Martin. When Cluny announces his threat, Matthias and his friend Methuselah try to find Martin’s long lost sword, shield, and belt. Cracking many clues, solving riddles, and an immense amount of courage Matthias is sent on a chase around the forest, hurrying to save his home before it’s too late.

Overall, I really liked the book. It had many unexpected plots, and the characters were well-thought out. It is a pretty thick book, so it took some time to read, but I really liked it. I would definitely recommend it to people who like animals but also adventure. There are 22 books in total in the Redwall series, and I would definitely keep reading them.

Brian Jacques’ Redwall series is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Women In Science

Posted on by
Reply

Women are typically overlooked in STEM subjects, even though they contribute heavily to research and innovations. It is now time to recognize the significant achievements women have made. Here are just some women who don’t get the attention they deserve.

  1. Margarethe Hilferding

Hilferding grew up among liberal and Jewish women; she contributed a lot of her knowledge to the field of psychoanalysis, and medicine while also advocating for women’s rights to contraception. She knew as a young kid that she wanted to study medicine, and was one of three female students to be accepted into a university to study physics and math. Many professors made fun of her for taking such rigorous courses as during this time women typically didn’t study these courses. Hilferding was the first Austrian woman to receive a medical degree from the University of Vienna. She produced a theory on maternal instinct, which is seen as controversial, and died in the Holocaust on September 23, 1942.

Aus den medizinhistorischen Beständen der Ub MedUni Wien [132]: Zum 150. Geburtstag von: Hilferding-Hönigsberg, Margarethe: Zur Behandlung der Schwangerschaftsbeschwerden. Vortrag, gehalten in der Gesellschaft für innere Medizin in Wien. | VAN SWIETEN

2. Dr. Dorothy Andersen

Dorothy Andersen was a physician and pathologist who discovered cystic fibrosis in 1983, a heretical condition that impacts the pancreas and lungs. She identified how to look for acute lung and gastrointestinal problems in children. Her first task as a pathologist was to dissect a young child’s organs who was deemed to have celiac disease. As she was examining the organs she noticed some differences in the child’s lungs and pancreas and decided to look at other patients’ autopsies to identify the problem. She wrote a 50-page paper called, “Cystic Fibrosis of the Pancreas and its Relation to Celiac Disease: A Clinical and Pathological Study” and was the first to diagnose this disease in a living patient.

3. Dora Richardson

Dora Richardson was a chemist who invented a breast cancer treatment, tamoxifen. She became a chemist after visiting her sick grandmother in the hospital and worked alongside Arthur Walpole, another chemist. She worked to create compounds, and one day she developed a base for the drug, tamoxifen. Walpole and Richardson discovered it could be an effective drug to prevent breast cancer. A pharmacologist named Craig Jordan selfishly took the title of the “Father of Tamoxifen,” and is now associated with this drug.

Many women are undervalued for their contributions to science. These are just some of many women in the world who are unforgotten for their life-changing discoveries.

SK8 the Infinity: TV Series Review (Spoiler-Free)

Posted on by
Reply

SK8 the Infinity is a lighthearted slice of life anime about skateboarding (which you probably could tell by the title). It’s a great show with lots of comedy and drama to boot, all wrapped up in a neat 12 episodes, making it a quick and easy watch!

The show is about two main characters: Reki, a skateboard-loving, overenthusiastic highschooler who skates at a dangerous underground course called “S”, and Langa, a quiet, blunt transfer student from Canada. The two quickly bond as they dive deeper into the top-secret insanity that is “S”!

Reki and Langa are incredibly endearing as protagonists, making it super easy to want them to succeed. The side characters all have great chemistry with each other, making the in-between character moments just as special as the dramatic skateboarding races.

Speaking of that, this show tends to be very overdramatic at times – which might not be ideal for someone who prefers very grounded shows. It does do a fairly good job at ramping up the unbelievability as the show goes on instead of throwing the viewer right in, but the point still stands. It’s best to go into this show with some suspension of disbelief. However, I personally found the drama to be incredibly entertaining and fun to watch!

In the end, I would highly recommend SK8- it’s got great characters, intense races, and fun episodes that I continue to rewatch. Check it out!

2025 NFL Combine

Posted on by
Reply

At the end of the NFL season, fans look forward to the prospect of improved player rosters through the NFL draft.  The NFL draft involves NFL teams selecting eligible college players to their teams with the order of the teams being determined by the teams’ records from the previous season.  One tool the NFL coaches and scouts use to determine which college prospects will be the best fit for their team is the NFL combine. The NFL combine is the annual event held in Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, for football players attempting to be drafted to show what they can do in a series of fitness tests specific to their position.

2025 NFL Combine logo | Sports | virginislandsdailynews.com

This year’s NFL combine will take place from February 27th to March 2nd with different positions competing each day.  Some of the players that are projected first round picks in this year’s draft are Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter, and Ashton Jeanty. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are quarterbacks from Miami and Colorado respectively.  Abdul Carter is an edge rusher from Penn State who many people regard as the top prospect in the draft. Ashton Jeanty is Boise State’s breakout running back with 1,376 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns in his 2024 season.  Finally, Travis Hunter won the Heisman trophy after being the best two-way player in recent history as Colorado’s star cornerback and receiver. Unfortunately for fans who want to see these players in action, many of them will not actually participate in the combine in order to avoid possible injury. 

Prospects will have their height, weight, and wingspan measured, complete fitness drills, and conduct interviews with coaches and general managers interested in drafting them.  My favorite drills to watch are the 40-yard dash and the bench press.

The Tennessee Titans currently hold the first overall pick in the draft. The Titans have many viable candidates to draft. Alternatively, they could trade this pick to another team.  I believe that the TItans will keep this pick and draft either Abdul Carter or Cam Ward, depending on whether they decide to stick with Will Levis at the quarterback position, acquire someone through a trade or free agent signing, or pick a replacement in the draft.  The NFL combine will be the determining factor for many teams like the Titans when deciding who will be the future of their franchise. For football fans like me, it’s exciting to watch this process play out.

The Captive Kingdom

Posted on by
1

The Captive Kingdom is the fourth book of the Ascendance series. It takes place in lands called Prozaria and Belland. In the start of the book, Jaron, Tobias, Amarinda, and Roden get captured. Roden and Tobias look a lot like Jaron so to protect him from their captors, they all claimed to be Jaron. They were sailing on a ship called the Shadow Tide and Jaron started to think that he was losing his allies because they revealed some of his secrets. As the story progresses, he figures out that Tobias and Roden were helping him all along by trying to figure out the captain’s plans. Jaron, using his lightning-quick wit, finds a way to escape. He, along with some other people from the Shadow Tide meet up with more people that Jaron knows and they sail to Belland. There, Jaron and his allies find the other people on the Shadow Tide. Towards the completion of the book, Jaron finds out something that could possibly threaten his position as king, a position that he does not want to give up. So in the end, who will sit on Carthya’s throne?

One thing that I liked about the book was the fact that it was different from the other ones. It had different characters, yet it was still good. I enjoyed the fact that Jaron and Roden were on better terms because I really like both of them, and I probably would not like it as much if Jaron did not like him. The author elaborated on the relationship between Amarinda and Tobias, which I thought was good because I was interested in it as soon as Jennifer A. Nielsen brought it up. I was pretty disappointed that Roden and Wilta did not work out, because while Wilta was not my favorite character in the world, I think that Roden deserves to be happy. The Captive Kingdom made me like these characters even more because they seemed extremely life-like. I think this because the three people that were training to be the lost prince/king Jaron (real Jaron, Tobias, and Roden) got to have love lives, or things that were close to that. As always, they have real emotions, such as Jaron’s sadness when he thought that Imogen didn’t care about him anymore and Tobias’s anger at the crew of the Shadow Tide when they captured Amarinda.

However, I think that the believable characters and the interesting plot make this a fascinating book. From when I first read The False Prince, my favorite has changed. When I first read it, I liked Jaron, and while I still like him, my favorite is Roden Harlowe; captain of Jaron’s guard. I like him because while he seems so tough and cool on the outside, he has his flaws. Take the scene in The Shadow Throne when he wanted more soldiers and so he sent a letter to Jaron asking for them, his letter had a lot of misspellings and bad grammar. I just thought that that made him seem all the more human.

Captive Kingdom by Jennifer A. Nielsen is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free as an audiobook from Libby.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Book Review

Posted on by
3

Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is a masterful work of suspense and mystery, often hailed as one of her finest achievements. First published in 1939, the novel introduces readers to a group of ten strangers who are invited to an isolated island under various pretexts. Each guest has a hidden past, with secrets they hope to keep buried, but soon, a series of eerie events unfold. As the guests begin to die one by one, the novel becomes an intense psychological game of survival, with no one knowing who can be trusted.

Christie’s skillful plotting and brilliant misdirection keep the reader guessing until the very end. The novel is a prime example of the “locked-room mystery” genre, as the isolated island setting creates an atmosphere of confinement and paranoia. Each chapter ratchets up the tension as the characters’ anxieties grow, and the clever use of nursery rhymes as a thematic device ties together the chilling sequence of murders.

I personally loved the constant suspense Christie gave us throughout the book. I loved how I could predict what would happen based on the poem “Ten Little Solider Boys” from the 1600’s, but was still left with unknown elements of the story. I also enjoyed reading about each character’s past and true natures. Not only were they all unique, but I loved how Christie highlighted human fear and suspicion and demonstrated the destruction death and fear can bring. Additionally, I loved the unexpected and haunting ending of the novel as it left me completely stunned and unsettled.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller murder mystery. If you like to read about a variety of unique characters and how they all become intertwined, I recommend giving this book a read!

Kaiya T.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Tips for Running Track

Posted on by
3

Track season is almost here, and that means a lot of meets right around the corner. Track can be a challenging sport, here are some things that I have learned for running during track season.

1. Get in a proper warm up and cool down.

Getting in a proper warm up and cool down is one of the most important parts of track. I find that getting a warm up and cool down before and after a workout makes running much easier. It can also help you to do better in races and can help you to avoid injury. Stretching before and after workouts is also very beneficial.

2. Wear the right shoes.

Wearing the right shoes is also important while running track. This can help you to improve your times for a race and it can also keep you from getting injured as well.

3. Keep the right pace.

One thing that I found very useful for running track is keeping the right pace. This is especially useful for distance events where you will need endurance over a longer distance and period of time. I found it helpful to keep a pace and maintain it throughout the race and then speed up closer to the end.

4. Get the right diet.

Having the proper diet and eating the right foods is very important for running track as well. It’s important to eat and hydrate before you run, especially before races. I also found it helpful to have a snack for after a race or a hard workout, as it helps to replenish some of the energy that you have lost.

5. Do a variety of workouts.

Doing a variety of workouts each time you train is also helpful for running track. Running the same workout every day can slow your improvement in running. Instead, it’s helpful to incorporate a variety of workouts when training, such as long runs as well as harder workouts. This can help with improvement and can be very useful, especially if you are running distance events.

6. Get good sleep.

Getting good sleep and proper rest is important for running track as well. Getting good sleep can help you to do better in a race, and being well-rested is one of the most important parts of running track.

7. Mentally prepare for races.

Finally, one of the most important parts of running track is being mentally prepared, especially before races. A large part of running, especially in track, is mental, and I found that a large part of running is being able to mentally ready yourself, especially before a race. I found that visualizing success and focusing on goals for the race was very helpful in doing better in a race as well.