Volume 10 (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

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Volume 10
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン Shin Seiki Evangelion
Author:	Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Publish date:
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Volume 10 is the tenth edition of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's manga adaptation of Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is comprised of 7 stages.

Stage 64: Tears

As the angel battle from volume 10 of Neon Genesis Evangelion continues, the 16th Angel delves deeper into Rei, and the corruption of Rei’s body caused by this contact reaches a critical point. Rei’s mind is infiltrated by the Angel, who takes the form of Rei while it converses with her in her mind. The Angel declares its wish to merge with Rei, and as the corruption increases, the Angel exposes to Rei the mix of emotions in her, which are emotions that Rei, not used to experiencing them and wising to suppress them, had pushed away from her immediate consciousness. The Angel details Rei’s wish to establish a close relationship with Shinji, her loneliness, and her jealousy towards Asuka, who claims part of Shinji’s heart and is a point of focus for him (as opposed to completely feeling only for Rei) as she lay in a coma. The great pathos welling up in Rei from her acknowledgement and understanding of her emotions (their breaking to the surface clearly for the first time) causes her to cry openly for the first time. Rei questions the tears, and physical manifestation of her buried emotions, which came upon her after she felt the force of her raw human emotions. An amalgamation of the Angels (the ‘Angel Tower) erupts from Unit-00 at this time.

Kaworu is invaded by the Angel as well, and being unable to extricate it from himself, he allows its corruptive influence to progress through his body (though he could have repelled it with his AT Field).

The freeze Gendo Ikari had on Unit-01 is lifted and Shinji is sent into battle.

Stage 65: I Want to Become One

Shinji is told to force-eject Unit-00’s entry plug to rescue Rei, but before he can the Angel advances on him. He manages to evade the advance, but as a result of his efforts Rei shows extreme concern for him. As she protests the Angel’s advance, the Angel forms into a small naked Rei and pursues Shinji. It is the manifestation of Rei’s incomplete, lonely heart yearning for the presence and acknowledgement of Shinji.

Kaworu, still being invaded by the Angel, is exposed by proxy to these emotions of yearning and love which now surge through the Angel. The raw power of the depth of the emotions moves Kaworu and causes him to tear up without him knowing why. Tears, created by a response to emotion, are a representation of a function of the body. On a grander scale, they represent a facet of human existence and are testament to the individuality and vitality of the bearer of the emotion. These things he is far from understanding, though the taste of these emotions will influence Kaworu's behavior from now on.

The Angel’s corruption spreads to Shinji. In order to save Shinji and aided by the power of her newly understood feelings for him, she compresses Unit-00’s AT Field to immobilize the Angel and cut off its influence. Rei decides to have Unit-00 explode from within its compressed AT Field in order to preserve Shinij’s life with the cost of her own.

As the core of Unit-00 collapses and the Angel Tower is compressed into the core of Unit-00, Rei is satisfied with her decision and calmed as she sees a vision of Gendo Ikari smiling at her seconds before Unit-00’s explosion.

Stage 66: Without Reaching Your Heart

The reader is shown Rei’s thoughts in her final moments. The vision of Gendo Ikari makes her realize how much she longed to have a connection with people. She also realized that because she was alive with flesh, blood, and emotions that she was capable (and had received) of receiving these ties she yearned for.

Everyone is struck by her sacrifice (Kaworu and Shinji’s faces are lit up by the light of the explosion, and we see their disbelief at her actions), and Shinji is in shock, unable to react or move past what had happened.

In the boy’s locker room, Kaworu relates to Shinji that Rei was a fool for sacrificing herself (he says this despite what he felt while in the Eva, which shows how little he understands human emotions). Shinji becomes enraged at Kaworu, starts to hyperventilate, and faints. After being checked on by doctors he is escorted to Kaworu’s room at Nerv, where he says more to himself than Kaworu that he doesn’t want Rei to be dead. While hearing this, Kaworu shows an earnest interest in Shinji’s sentiments. He then wonders about these feelings Shinji has, which he begins to see as real and personal to him. He now sees them as valid, not simply as an interesting human quirk that can be viewed from a distance in an objective, logical manner as he did in earlier volumes. However, he does not understand emotions fully. Kaworu will later seek to experience these emotions once more. Nevertheless, Kaworu sees Shinji’s emotions a valid repercussion of Rei’s death after he sees how they affect him.

Shinji in his mind summarizes the experiences he has had with Rei that helped to grow their relationship. He then wonders how far their relationship had deepened to that point in time.

Stage 67: Twisted Night

Seele is shown having a meeting where they speak of the many transgressions Gendo Ikari has made against them (the destruction of Tokyo-3, and the loss of the Lance of Longinus). They intend to have Ritsuko Akagi influence Gendo to their favor.

Shinji stays at Kaworu’s room at Nerv in order to distance himself from Misato and the other Nerv personnel who knew Rei. In doing this, Shinji hopes that he will be kept from realizing Rei’s death (and making it real). Kaworu is interested and a little surprised at what Shinji says, as if he is drawn to his words (words that represent things he just had a taste of). But his own wants (his want of a relationship with Shinji which conflicts with Shinji’s rejection of him) keep him from sympathizing this time as he laughs at Shinji after he finishes talking.

Later in the night while Shinji and Kaworu are sleeping, Shinji starts to hyperventilate. Kaworu, seeing Shinji’s vulnerability, uses this chance to kiss Shinji. Shinji is repulsed but starts to breathe normally. He questions Kaworu’s motives, and Kaworu asks him about what love is like while appealing physically to Shinji once more as he touches his face. Shinji rejects these advances and afterwards receives a call from Misato, who says that Rei is alive.

Shinji hurries to the hospital where he meets Rei. She does not remember her sacrifice, to the dismay of Shinji, and is indifferent to his concern. She says, “I think that must be because I am the third one” to Shinji at his reaction. She then leaves Shinji without fanfare to join Ritsuko.

Stage 68: Mixing

Seele wants to question Rei, but Gendo Ikari sends Ritsuko in Rei’s place.

Shinji leaves Kaworu to go back home after he finds Rei to be alive. Kaworu is disappointed and sad that Shinji leaves.

At Misato’s apartment, Misato and Shinji wonder why Rei seems to be different. Misato wonders what Ritsuko knows and is hiding.

Ritsuko speaks to Seele and finds that she is Rei’s substitute.

Rei III returns home and begins to cry as she has a vague recollection of the feelings generated by the bonds her former self had (while she squeezes Gendo’s glasses). But not having been the one to experience those feelings originally and in their entirety, Rei III wonders at them and why she cries.

Stage 69: Tainted Blood

Ritsuko’s back-story and the creation of the Magi supercomputers in Gehirn (the organization that was dissolved after the formation of Nerv) by Naoko Akagi is detailed.

The Magi were created to have the three different aspects of self of the creator so that their decisions would be balanced (and also so the creator could put her “signature” on her work) just as a human’s mind would be. The three computers are said to be imbued with Naoko’s self as a woman, as a scientist, and as a mother.

After Naoko completes the Magi, she is introduced to Rei I by Gendo Ikari. Naoko is seized by jealousy as she sees a reflection of Yui in Rei’s facial features.

Rei later comes to Naoko to tell her what Gendo thinks of her (as a useless hag). Out of anger, Naoko strangles Rei and afterwards kills herself. Ritsuko witnesses this scene and is disturbed and disgusted by her mother’s woman aspect. She promises herself that she will suppress the woman aspect of herself.

After Naoko’s funeral, Gendo Ikari appeals to Ritsuko for support. It is then implied that they begin a relationship.

Ritsuko in the present ruminates on this, and afterwards invites Shinji to Nerv to see the truth behind Rei. Misato goes to Nerv after Shinji does, and after meeting Ritsuko, they all get ready to enter the chambers that hold Rei’s secrets.

Stage 70: A Gathering of Nothingness

Shinji and Misato are shown the Evangelion graveyard, where failed Evas were dumped a decade ago (interestingly, the pits are arranged like the branches of the Sepiroth). They enter the Artificial Evolution Laboratory where Rei was “born.” Misato and Shinji are next shown where the dummy plugs are made and afterwards are exposed to the tank full of Rei bodies, which serve as spare Reis to contain Lilith’s soul. The Reis in the tank are clearly empty, without souls.

Ritsuko talks of the awakening of Adam when humans tried to claim her, and how they were punished with the Second impact as a result. She talks of how the Evangelions are human, but born without souls. She hints to Shinji that his mother’s soul resides in an Evangelion. She does not consider the Reis, which are stored and used as needed, humans. Ritsuko destroys them with a control, and calls herself a fool for being influenced by her woman aspect just as her mother (Naoko) was.

As Ritsuko sobs Shinji wonders with a heavy heart what uses Gendo Ikari intends to take advantage of with his mother, Rei, and himself as instruments. Shinji is then at a loss and left completely without support as the distance between himself, Asuka, Misato, Rei, his classmates and his father grows. Things are further complicated with Kaworu Nagisa’s open attempts at establishing ties with Shinji. Though Shinji, who has seen the bonds he created blighted so easily and effectively, does not wish to accommodate another person capable of hurting him (even though he wishes for bonds still). It is Shinji’s reversion back to being affected by the Hedgehog’s Dilemma that plagued him earlier when he had yet to build bonds with other people.