Der Mond: The Art of Neon Genesis Evangelion [ハードカバー]

Neon Genesis Evangelion has justly gained its reputation as both the most cherished and the most controversial animé of all time. Audaciously redefining the mecha genre, the saga interweaves its intriguing sci-fi premise and adrenaline-pumping action sequences with a darkly thoughtful exploration of the human condition featuring some of the most contorted personalities ever committed to film (animated or otherwise). In the process, Evangelion yields a formally daring avant-garde achievement, oozing with esoteric symbolism, psychoanalytical allusions, intrepid cinematography and open-ended plot threads.

Although both the original TV series (1995-1996) and the feature-length sequels (1997) have spawned a vast array of peripheral merchandise in the form of countless tie-ins and spin-offs, it is practically impossible to imagine a more inspiring companion to the animations than Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's Der Mond. Sleek, lustrous and often unsettling, this art book exquisitely captures the entire saga's aesthetic. One of Studio Gainax's founders, Sadamoto (b. 1962) is unanimously regarded as one of the most accomplished manga artists and animé character designers ever. Der Mond eloquently confirms these credentials by showcasing over 70 pages of paintings and designs created for Evangelion, as well as a generous selection of works devoted to Gainax's debut production Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Blue Uru and Sadamoto's memorable cover for Eric Clapton's album Pilgrim (1998).

As far as Evangelion is specifically concerned, the book offers a rich gallery of captivating and convincing characters. Their settings, both natural and architectural, are meticulously rendered, with unremitting attention to minute details and subtle nuances. The structural complexity and both textural and chromatic sumptuousness of the Eva biomechanoids is likewise conveyed with passionate care. Der Mond also demonstrates Sadamoto's knack of imagining the characters in roles and contexts external to the logic of the original animé and of placing them in a variety of alternate realities (in much the same way as a "Method" actor would handle his or her role). The images are, at times, so starkly in contrast with the nature of the characters as one has come to know them through the animé that they may well bring a smile of amusement to the viewer's face. Visions of Misato playfully climbing a Honda bike or of Rei and Asuka affectionately interacting with each other, for instance, appear so gloriously "out of character" as to verge on the hilarious. However, such images are perfectly consonant with the existential message conveyed by both the closing portion of of the TV show and by the movie End of Evangelion, where it is proposed that the world is what we make of it and that parallel visions of reality might therefore coexist. The variety of moods conveyed by Der Mond's pictures results from its inclusion not only of character sketches and model sheets explicitly created for the animé but also of ancillary drawings and paintings executed for the Evangelion manga and graphic novel, doujinshi publications, trading cards, telephone cards, calendars, illustrations for laserdisc releases and CDs, and movie programmes (amongst other categories). The sheer range of sources from which the visuals contained in Der Mond derive makes the book a priceless addition to the shelves of any committed animation, comic-book and ultimately art lover.

Der Mond: The Art of Neon Genesis Evangelion is just one of the many books on the popular anime. Many of them are in Japanese. This is one that's translated to English by publisher Viz Media. It's a larger than usual art book, hardcover, 120 pages and reads from right to left.

It collects the art of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto ('' ''), the Japanese artist who created the characters for Evangelion. The pages are filled with huge beautiful prints. If you collect the manga series, you'll find some pieces familiar because they are the chapter splash pages. Most of the art are character based, and there are also some sketches which I like.

It's not all Evangelion art though. Towards the back there are also illustrations from other projects like games and other anime. The only I recognise is Fatal Fury fighting game. The others are The Wings of Honneamise, Leiqunni Nondelaiko, Nadia of the Mysterious Seas, Aoki Uru and others. There's even an album cover for Eric Clapton.

There isn't any commentary beside the credits for the illustrations.

Nice book for the anime and manga fans of the series.

(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

A beautifully presented collection of artwork,in hardback format, that will appeal to the lover of Anime based art as well as the hardcore Evangelion fan. Read from right to left in the Japanese style, images are displayed by Character from Shinji through to support characters like Maya Ibuki and Hikari Horaki. The book also incorporates draft artwork of all the major Evangelion characters in their original concept format. Other works are shown towards the rear of the book that are not Evangelion based but are an excellent showcase for the talent of Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. Some of these artworks will be instantly recognisable to Anime fans in general. If the art of Evangelion is for you, Der Mond will not disappoint.