Neon Genesis Evangelion Proposal
The Neon Genesis Evangelion Proposal (企画書, kikakusho) is a 35-page, full-color document created in 1993, 2 years before the show's TV airing, for promotional purposes. It is essentially a prototype for the series, complete with production illustrations; notes on theme and story; write-ups on characters, mecha, and setting; and short summaries for the planned twenty-six episodes.
33 of its pages are printed, as 6 cm x 8.5 cm thumbnails, in Neon Genesis Evangelion Newtype 100% Collection (with 33 and 34 omitted, and page 35 labeled as 33). All 35 are reprinted full-size in Evangelion Chronicle, as 35 separate leaves, each with supplemental commentary on its opposite side.
Only translations of isolated pages are available at this time. See the translation page, or check individual availability in the Contents section.
Differences
Numerous changes would be made between the Proposal and the final version of the show. An incomplete listing follows:
Characters
- Gendo has the title of "Professor" (kyouju), in addition to his rank as supreme commander of Nerv.
- Kensuke does not appear with glasses.
- Fuyutsuki is 45 years old -- Gendo's junior rather than senior.
- The council chairman is "Konrad Lorenz", rather than "Keel Lorenz". ("Konrad Lorenz" is actually, letter-for-letter, the name of a famous Austrian biologist.) His age is given as 67, whereas Keel's official age is "unknown".
- No name is provided for the "hot springs penguin". The bird does, however, have an age (2 years) and a vestigial back-story involving bioengineered origins -- neither provided in the anime canon, but the latter utilized in Sadamoto's manga.
- The three Nerv operators (Maya Ibuki, Makoto Hyuga, and Shigeru Aoba) are not present.
Evangelions
- The Evangelions are recognizable, although the design work is still undergoing. Some of the armor layouts presented are very close to those seen in the final show. The Evas are more solidly-built than their anime counterparts.
- Three design variations are presented for Eva-01: the "ceratopsian" (horn and "frill") look present in the final show; something resembling a prototype Eva-03 with the left "cheek" extending into a flattened, horizontally-oriented blade; and a version with two long horns projecting from above the eyes like twin feather crests.
- Eva-01 is most commonly depicted in white armor. The trademark purple color scheme is nowhere to be seen.
- Eva-00 is depicted in blue with shoulder pylons only. The actual head design is essentially that seen in the final show.
- The only presented design for Eva-02 is entirely red and two-horned and and has nothing in common with the final save the basic color.
- Unique Eva-05 and Eva-06 models are present, rather than a mass production Eva series.
- The Evas' height is given as 40 meters. This is in contrast to the final figure, which has the Evas fluctuating between 40 and 200 meters depending on their surroundings.
- Limitless power is obtained through a "positron engine" rather than the S² Engine.
Apostolos
- Entities called shito (使徒) are present, but the "alternate version" of this is "Apostolo" (アポストロ) rather than "Angel." This is a much more literal approach, considering shito is the Japanese word reserved for the Biblical apostles. However, as in the final show, the Proposal's shito are all named after angels, not apostles.
- There are twenty-eight Apostolos total.
- Adam was excavated in the Dead Sea region (subsequently vaporized via Second Impact), not Antarctica. Adam is also explicitly referred to as "he." (The final show seems to contradict this by having Kaworu refer to Adam in maternal terms.)
- A metallic Apostolo called Raziel attacks in Episode 01 rather than Sachiel.
- Sachiel is present, although Yoshitoh Asari's final design bears scant resemblance to it, save for adherence to an "amphibious humanoid" motif. In the Proposal, Sachiel attacks Eva-02 when it's being transported to Japan, rather than Gaghiel.
- Ramiel looks the same, except there is a "cut-out" triangle levitating above each of its eight faces.
- The Sahaquiel of Proposal is completely different design-wise: essentially two super-destructive ribbons (a la Zeruel's arms) attached on either side of a disembodied core.
- A human-shaped Apostolo, the prototype of Kaworu Nagisa, appears earlier in the chronology. He is also accompanied by a pet cat (a detail Sadamoto apparently makes ironic reference to in his manga).
- Arael's appearance is minimally different.
- Designs are disclosed for the unused Shateiel and Turel.
- The final Apostolo conflict involves the "twelve strongest," which descend from the Moon and (apparently) vaporize North America.
- Cores seem to be variously depicted as red and blue.
Miscellany
- The organizations Seele and Gehirn are absent. (Seele would not be created until sometime into the show's actual production.)
- The Artificial Evolution Laboratory is a contemporary establishment, not something restricted to the backstory.
- The First Ancestral Race are said to be prehistoric (possibly Terran?) lifeforms responsible for Adam and the Apostolos.
- The ending involves "the ancient ruins of Arqa" -- a popular target of fan speculation.
Contents
A rundown of the Proposal's contents. Pending more translations and/or the input of someone more skilled in Japanese, many of the descriptions are based on nothing but the pages' headlines and (if possible) impressions of the text bodies.
| Page # | Thumbnail | Content Description | Translation? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | |
Title / cover page. Image: "Chrome" Eva-01. (Original drawing by Anno; painting by Sadamoto.) |
yes | ||||
| 02 |  |
Brief plot synopsis. Run-down of series specs. Vestigial staff. Image: "Classical" angels. (Source undetermined.) |
yes | ||||
| 03 |  |
The project's intentions and "the appeal of the giant robot anime." Image: Group portrait of Asuka, Misato, Rei, Shinji, Kensuke, and Toji (by Sadamoto). |
yes | ||||
| 04 |  |
Goes into our "everyday, very real" protagonist. Image: Shinji casually glancing our way (by Sadamoto). |
yes | ||||
| 05 |  |
Headings are "Story and dramatic highlights: puzzle-solving entertainment," "Sensory gaming entertainment" (with reference to a "simulation RPG game" and a "shooting action game"), and "Visual highlights." States the goal of going beyond "today's anime." Image: White prototype Eva-01 with single horn projecting off left cheek. (Original drawing by Yamashita; painting by Sadamoto.) |
yes | ||||
| 06 |  |
The "fortified, preplanned city, Tokyo-3," with mention of the Geofront and Artificial Evolution Laboratory. Image: Eva-01 strutting through Tokyo-3 and removing a gun from an armament building. (Original drawing by Anno; painting by Sadamoto.) |
yes | ||||
| 07 |  |
Basic primer on the Apostolos. Image: Eva-01 faces off against the Apostolo Sahaquiel. (Original drawing by Yo Yoshinari; painting by Sadamoto.) |
yes | ||||
| 08 |  |
Basic primer on the Evangelions. Image: A Eva-01 (red) and Eva-00 (blue) emerge from underground, with technicians and an all-terrain Nerv vehicle in the foreground. (The basis for a later illustration executed by Yoshinari for Newtype. Did he do the original, as well?) |
yes | 09 |  |
"Evangelions' Features." Provides more detailed information on the Evas and briefly describes the individual units (which run up through Eva-06). Image: Eva-01, turned away from us. (Painting by Sadamoto.) |
yes |
| 10 |  |
Adam, and the Evas' true nature. Image: Eva-01 breaking free of its restraints. (Original drawing by Anno; painting by Sadamoto.) |
yes | ||||
| 11 |  |
The selection (via the Marduk Report) of motherless 14-year-olds as pilots. Mentions the A10 nerve. Image: Caged Eva-01 with Shinji and Misato standing next to the ejected entry plug. (Original drawing by Anno; painting by Sadamoto.) |
no | ||||
| 12 |  |
Eva-01 (with mention of "fearsome power"). Image: Same as 01. |
no | ||||
| 13 |  |
The Human Instrumentality Project. Image: Dies Microcosmicus, Nox Microcosmica by Robert Fludd from his Utriusque cosmi maioris scilicet et minoris metaphysica, physica atqve technica historia (vol. 2, p. 275). |
no | ||||
| 14 |  |
Nerv. Image: Kircher's Sephirotic Tree. |
no | ||||
| 15 |  |
"Nerv General Organization Layout." Mentions an inspection committee headquarters in Tokyo-2, Nerv Headquarters in Tokyo-3, and the three Nerv branches. Images: Illustrations of Eva-00 and Eva-02 similarly posed, with captions indicating their designations and equipment type (B). (Painted by Sadamoto.) |
no | ||||
| 16 |  |
Organizational structure of Nerv HQ itself. A list of positions is provided, but only Commander and Vice-Commander have names attached to them. Image: White, double-horned Eva-01 with red trim. (Original drawing by Yamashita; painting by Sadamoto.) |
no | ||||
| Character Pages (Pages 17~23) | |||||||
| 17 |  |
Shinji Ikari. Images: Five concept illustrations by Sadamoto. |
no | ||||
| 18 |  |
Misato Katsuragi. Images: Five concept illustrations by Sadamoto. |
no | ||||
| 19 |  |
Ritsuko Akagi. Images: Five concept illustrations by Sadamoto. |
no | ||||
| 20 |  |
Asuka Langley Soryu. Images: Three concept illustrations by Sadamoto. |
no | ||||
| 21 |  |
Rei Ayanami. Images: Three concept illustrations by Sadamoto. |
no | ||||
| 22 |  |
Gendo Ikari. Images: Three concept illustrations by Sadamoto. |
no | ||||
| 23 |  |
Supporting cast (Toji Suzuhara, Kensuke Aida, Hikari Horaki, Ryoji Kaji, Konrad Lorenz, Kozo Fuyutsuki, and Hot Springs Penguin). Image: Group picture of Kensuke, Shinji, and Toji by Sadamoto. |
no | ||||
| Episode Synopses (Pages 24~28) | |||||||
| 24 |  |
Episode 01. Image: Rei in plugsuit. |
yes | ||||
| 25 |  |
Episodes 02 through 08. Image: Asuka in plugsuit with arms crossed. |
yes | ||||
| 26 |  |
Episodes 09 through 15. Images: Asuka in plugsuit, plus detail of torso. |
yes | ||||
| 27 |  |
Episodes 10 through 22. Image: Rei in plugsuit, close-up. |
yes | ||||
| 28 |  |
Episodes 23 through 26. Images: Rei in plugsuit; Shinji in plugsuit (front and back). |
yes | ||||
| "Visual Highlights from the Image Board" (Pages 29~34) | |||||||
| 29 |  |
"Apostolo Ramiel (Angel of Thunder)" and "Eva-01 Under Preparation for Sortie." Images: Illustration of Ramiel floating above Tokyo-3 (inverted color), and the Caged Eva-01 illustration from Page 11. |
no | ||||
| 30 |  |
"Eva during high-speed transport to surface launch portal" and "Battleground Tokyo-3." Images: Eva-01 in the launch chute, and Eva-01 strutting through Tokyo-3 (from Page 06). |
no | ||||
| 31 |  |
"Apostolo Sahaquiel (Angel of the Sky), wheeling over Tokyo-3" and "New imagery: Battle in a night scene." Images: Eva-01 vs. Sahaquiel (from Page 07) and Eva-01 with Progressive Knife and rifle (drawn by Yamashita and painted by Sadamoto). |
no | ||||
| 32 |  |
"Eva Unit-01 forcibly removing its armor and equipment" (image from 10) and two alternate Eva-01 designs (from pages 06 and 18). | no | ||||
| 33 |  |
"Apostolo Sachiel (Angel of Water): Amphibious, humanoid melee weapon." Images: Sachiel in bipedal plus swimming modes, plus head closeup. (Painted by Sadamoto.) |
yes | ||||
| 34 |  |
Apostolos Arael, Shateiel, and Turel, with accompanying concept illustrations. | yes | ||||
| 35 |  |
Wrap-up. Images: none. |
no | ||||
