Asuka Langley Soryu

Asuka Langley Soryu
Neon Genesis Evangelion character

Asuka Langley Soryu by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
First appearance Neon Genesis Evangelion anime episode 8
Created by Hideaki Anno (series creator)
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (character designer)
Voiced by Japanese
Yūko Miyamura
English
Tiffany Grant
Profile
Notable relatives Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu (mother, deceased)
Misato Katsuragi (guardian)
Ryoji Kaji (former guardian)

Asuka Langley Soryu (惣流・アスカ・ラングレー Sōryū Asuka Rangurē?, IPA: [soːɽjɯː asɯ̥ka ɽaŋɡɯɽeː]) is a 14-year old fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. Within the series, she is designated as the Second Child and the pilot of the Evangelion Unit 02. Her surname is romanized as Soryu in the English manga and Sohryu in the English version of the TV series, the English version of the movie, and on Gainax's website.

Contents

Conception

Asuka's surname comes from the Japanese World War II aircraft carrier Soryu, her German surname from the American World War II aircraft carrier Langley, and her Rebuild surname from the Japanese World War II destroyer Shikinami. Her first name comes from Asuka Saki (砂姫 明日香, Saki Asuka), who is the main character of the Japanese comic, SuperGirl Asuka (超少女明日香 Cho-Shojo Asuka?) written by Shinji Wada.[2]

Character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto explained that he “first designed an Asuka-type girl as the lead character” but felt it might be too similar to previous anime that he and Anno had worked on, such as Gunbuster and Nadia. He suggested to Anno that they change the lead character to a boy, which would be more in keeping with the robot genre.[3]

As he and Anno progressed with designing the series, Sadamoto came to believe that Asuka would occupy the position of an “'idol' in the Eva world". He also described his belief that the relationship between Asuka and Shinji would be similar to the relationship between Jean and Nadia in the earlier Nadia. Asuka's personality, as well of those for the other characters, was designed so as to be understood at a glance. [4]

Yuko Miyamura, Asuka's Japanese voice actress, noted that "Asuka wasn't the most open-hearted character I've ever met...every time I tried to draw myself in closer synchronization, Asuka would never allow herself to sync with 'me'... One day, I figured out that there was a wall in Asuka's heart".[5] Much later, she stated that work on the series was "very hard" and that at times she had "wanted to erase Evangelion.[6]

Tiffany Grant, Asuka's English voice actress, felt that playing Asuka was "refreshing", as "she says the most horrible things to people, things that you'd like to say to people and can't get away with."[7]

Appearances

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Asuka is first introduced into the series in episode 8;[8] with the arrival of Eva Unit 02 and the battle with the Angel Gaghiel, Asuka is shown as maintaining a high synchronization ratio and exceptional skills as an Eva pilot, being very aggressive and confident in battle. After first being defeated in battle by Zeruel,[9] Asuka's self-confidence (and, correspondingly, her synch ratio and effectiveness as a pilot) begins to dwindle. This comes to a head in episode 22, when Arael appears and Asuka, burdened by increasingly poor results in synchronization tests, is infuriated by being ordered to serve as backup to Rei. She defies orders and tries to attack the Angel alone, but is overwhelmed by a psychological attack by the Angel, forcing her to relive her painful memories and resulting in a mental breakdown.[10] She becomes incapable of piloting Unit 02,[11] and since piloting Eva is the meaning of her life,[12] Asuka loses the will to live and spends much of the final episodes of the television series in a hospital bed in a catatonic state.[13]

The End of Evangelion

In The End of Evangelion, as Japanese Strategic Self Defense Force invade NERV, Asuka is placed inside Unit-02, which is submerged in a lake within the Geofront, for her protection. As she is bombarded by depth charges, Asuka declares that she does not want to die and, in a moment of clarity, realizes that her mother's soul is within the Eva and has been protecting her all along. Her self-identity regained, she emerges and defeats the JSSDF before being confronted by the Mass Produced Evas. Though she successfully disables all nine opponents, Unit 02's power running out and the infinite power of the Mass Produced Evas' S² Engines (which allow them to remain functional despite being severely damaged or mutilated) finally allow them to eviscerate and dismember Unit 02 using their Lance of Longinus replicas. Shinji then is prepared to start Third Impact; in an indeterminate scene, he confronts Asuka, who argues with him and rejects his pleas for her to love him[14] - at which point he begins to strangle her, and Third Impact/Instrumentality begins. After Shinji rejects Instrumentality, she appears beside Shinji in the film's final scene.[15]

Rebuild of Evangelion

In the four-film re-imagining of the TV series, Asuka makes her first appearance in the second film, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. Several changes have been made to her character, such as her family name being changed from Sōryū (惣流?) to Shikinami (式波?),[16] continuing the Japanese maritime vessel naming convention, and her holding the rank of captain.[17] She is also no longer shows the same infatuation with Kaji, choosing to ignore an invitation to go on a trip with him until Misato forced her to go. In addition, she is the test pilot for Evangelion Unit 03, instead of Toji, but she manages to survive the Evangelion's possession by an Angel.[18]

In other media

Asuka also appears in many manga series based on the anime, including Neon Genesis Evangelion by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. The events in this manga series mirror those of the anime with some divergences apparent. Asuka appears as a main character in the series and is depicted, for the most part, similar to her anime counterpart. Asuka appears in various other manga spin-offs including the Shinji Ikari Raising Project and Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse with varying changes to her personality and characterization.

Asuka also makes appearances in various video games alongside other Evangelion characters such as in Neon Genesis Evangelion for the Nintendo 64 as well as the popular cross-over video game franchise Super Robot Wars, where she often butts heads with the equally hot-headed and intelligent Kouji Kabuto, the pilot of Mazinger Z and Mazinkaiser. She is also implied to have developed crushes on famous heroes such as Char Aznable (in the guise of Quattro Bageena) and Amuro Ray. However, in Super Robot Wars Alpha, Asuka jealously seizes a bouquet of roses from Shinji meant for Lynn Minmay. In Super Robot Wars Alpha 3, she snaps Shinji out of his depressed state during the battle with the Mass Produced Evas by declaring that she could not be with someone who'd simply lie down and die.

Reception

In a Newtype poll from March 2010, Asuka was voted as the third most popular female anime character from the 1990s.[19] The June 2010 issue of Newtype ranked Asuka Langley Shikinami #8 in its monthly top 10 character survey. One reviewer describes her fatal flaw as "excessive Pride", noting that her mother goes insane after taking a test pilot experience on herself just as Asuka suffers a mental breakdown or contamination when challenging the 16th Angel herself.[20] Pete Harcoff of Anime Critic described Asuka as providing much of the comic relief, while also being an "annoying snot".[21]

Asuka's fight sequence against the Mass-Production Evangelions in The End of Evangelion was particularly well-received by critics who felt that it was her definitive moment, as otherwise she remains static for most of the film.[22][23] Praise was also given to Tiffany Grant for her role as Asuka's English voice actress. Mike Crandol of Anime News Network stated that Grant was "her fiery old self as Asuka."[24]

Theron Martin wrote that Asuka's portrayal in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance is "distinct from the get-go," stating that she is even more anti-social than in the original anime series. Martin also wrote that despite seeming to be the "most socially adjusted Eva pilot in the TV series," the Asuka of Evangelion 2.0 "makes no pretenses about liking anyone" and that she "seems motivated as much by establishing herself in a future career path in NERV as she is by her personal pride."[25] Eric Surrell also commented on Asuka's role in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, stating that "the arrival and sudden dismissal of Asuka was shocking and depressing, especially considering how integral she was to the original Evangelion."[26]

See also

Anime and manga portal
Fictional characters portal

References

  1. ^ Sadamoto, Yoshiyuki (October 2006). Der Mond. Viz Media. pp. 22, 32, 33, 42–50, 55, 74. ISBN 1421507676. 
  2. ^ "Evangelion character names". Translation of essay by Hideaki Anno about character name origins; includes a link to the original essay in Japanese. http://www.evacommentary.org/appendix/character-names.html. Retrieved August 19, 2007. 
  3. ^ "EVA If it weren't for Sadamoto -- Redux". Translation of interview with Yoshiyuki Sadamoto about designing the series. http://eva.onegeek.org/pipermail/evangelion/2006-November/003855.html. Retrieved August 1, 2011. 
  4. ^ "EVA If it weren't for Sadamoto -- Redux". Translation of interview with Yoshiyuki Sadamoto about designing the series. http://eva.onegeek.org/pipermail/evangelion/2006-November/003855.html. Retrieved August 1, 2011. 
  5. ^ pg 166 & 167 of "A Place For Asuka In The Heart", written by Yuko Miyamura in 1997 and translated into English by William Flanagan. This short essay was included as a backpage supplement in the third manga volume released in the US: Neon Genesis Evangelion Volume 3, story and art by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto 1966, English adaptation by Fred Burke, published July 1999 in Canada by Viz Communications. ISBN 1-56931-399-7; it is also included in the June 2004 edition of Volume 4 published by Viz in the United states. ISBN 1-59116-402-8
  6. ^ "Interview with Yūko Miyamura - SMASH 2010". Anime News Network. April 5, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2011-04-06/with-yuko-miyamura-smash-2010. Retrieved July 4, 2011. 
  7. ^ "Otakon Highlights - Evangelion Voice Actors". A Fan's View. August 7, 1998. Archive copy at the Wayback Machine retrieved April 5, 2010.
  8. ^ "Asuka Strikes!". Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki, Writers:Hideaki Anno, Yoki Enokido. Neon Genesis Evangelion. TV Tokyo. 1995-11-1. No. 8.
  9. ^ "Introjection". Director: Masayuki, Writers:Hideaki Anno, Akio Satsukawa. Neon Genesis Evangelion. TV Tokyo. 1996-2-7. No. 19.
  10. ^ "Don't Be". Director: Akira Takamura, Writers:Hideaki Anno, Hiroshi Yamaguchi. Neon Genesis Evangelion. TV Tokyo. 1996-2-28. No. 22.
  11. ^ "Rei III". Director: Shoichi Masuo, Writers:Hideaki Anno, Hiroshi Yamaguchi. Neon Genesis Evangelion. TV Tokyo. 1996-3-6. No. 23.
  12. ^ "Piloting the Eva provides the means by which Shinji and Asuka acquire their sense of purpose. Emotionally stunted in all other areas of her life, Asuka has focused exclusively on the Evangelion, her "job", to give meaning to her existence. As she loses the ability to control her Eva late in the series she loses the only sense of value she knew." [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2002-06-11 "Understanding Evangelion", Mike Crandol ANN
  13. ^ "The Beginning and the End, or 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door". Director: Shoichi Masuo, Writers:Hideaki Anno, Akio Satsukawa. Neon Genesis Evangelion. TV Tokyo. 1996-3-13. No. 24.
  14. ^ "It’s one of the most intense scenes in the film, and a perverse subversion of the dynamic between these two in the series. Asuka tells Shinji he wants her because he’s scared of Misato and Rei. She is the most accessible to him, so he tries to channel his affection towards her, but does he really care for her? It’s a question he can’t really answer, and all his uncertain feelings about women get wrapped up in this awful mess that leads him to choke Asuka. It’s intense and hard to watch. This is the ostensible hero of the piece and he’s caught in this psychological hell, choking the heroine to death. This leads into the trippy reality bending sequence that brings the film towards its climax." Meaney 2008
  15. ^ Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hideaki Anno (directors) (1997) (Film). The End of Evangelion. Toei Company, Ltd.. 
  16. ^ "「ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:破」作品情報 -キャラクター紹介-" (in Japanese). http://www.evangelion.co.jp/chara.html. Retrieved April 5, 2010. 
  17. ^ "Evangelion official website" (in Japanese). http://www.evangelion.co.jp/. Retrieved 2009-03-29. 
  18. ^ Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki, Masayuki (directors) (2009) (Film). Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. Studio Khara. 
  19. ^ "NT Research". Newtype, Issue 4 (Kadokawa Shoten). March 2010. 
  20. ^ "An extrapolation of these verses also incorporates the eventual similar 'fate' and punishment of parents and children. With this in mind, the seeming parallels are shocking:...Asuka's mother, after direct (1st level) contact with an Angel, goes 'insane' and eventually kills herself. Asuka, after direct contact with the 16th Angel, as well as an extremely wounded hubris (excessive Pride), has a complete mental breakdown and attempts to commit suicide, but fails; she is effectively 'dead.'" Kenneth Lee, "The Thin Veneer Known as "Evangelion"", ANN; Lee also describes Asuka in one scene as "completely misanthropic".
  21. ^ Pete Harcoff (May 26, 2003). "Neon Genesis Evangelion". http://www.animecritic.com/evangelion/anr-evangelion.html. Retrieved 29 June 2011. 
  22. ^ Patrick Meaney (March 19, 2008). "Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion". http://thoughtsonstuff.blogspot.com/2008/03/neon-genesis-evangelion-end-of.html. Retrieved 29 June 2011. 
  23. ^ Pete Harcoff (June 6, 2003). "End of Evangelion". http://www.animecritic.com/evangelion/anr-endofevangelion.html. Retrieved 29 June 2011. 
  24. ^ Mike Crandol (September 24, 2002). "Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion". http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/end-of-evangelion-dvd. Retrieved 29 June 2011. 
  25. ^ Theron Martin (March 31, 2011). "Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance". http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/evangelion-2.22/you-can-not-advance/bluray. Retrieved 30 June 2011. 
  26. ^ Eric Surrell (June 1, 2011). "Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance". http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=2771. Retrieved 30 June 2011. 
  • Fujie, Kazuhisa (2004). Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide. Tokyo, Japan; printed in the USA: DH Publishing, Inc.. ISBN 0-9745961-4-0.