The psychological depth and cultural impact of Neon Genesis Evangelion is so ubiquitous at this point that as animation critics and journalists, it can be really hard to find something truly new to say about Hideaki Anno’s brilliant, flawed, and rich masterpiece. Its characters are broken. Its tapestry is woven with references to myth and religion. Its animation and character designs are wildly influential. If you’ve known this show as long as I’ve known this show, we’ve read it all before.
That’s what makes it a restorative surprise when you find creative iterations on the themes and ideas in EVA that genuinely do find new things to say. One such example now available for purchase is Rebirth Dilemma, a project that launched earlier this year on the heels of Netflix’s announcement that it would be running EVA on its streaming platform worldwide. The zine is a stacked 128-page book of creative work laid out with full-color illustrations, poetry, essays, analysis, and even a slate of tarot-inspired illustrations, all riffing on the show and created by 28 artists and eight writers and editors. All profits from the zine will go to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in keeping with the show’s focus on mental health and the impact it’s had on fans around the world who have responded to its emotional story.
“We’ve heard from fans who went to therapy, moved countries, became artists, and more in part because of Evangelion,” said S.M. Balding, editor of and contributor to the zine, in a statement. “So we have really worked hard to make something that will do right by them and reflect their connection with the show.”
Below, The Dot and Line presents an exclusive excerpt of the zine’s (many!) pages of prose poetry by Balding, as well as original illustrations from the artist Megamoth. You can order a printed copy of Rebirth Dilemma at Big Cartel here and read more information about the project at RebirthDilemma.com and on Twitter.
Top image: internal page selection of Rebirth Dilemma. Images below: cover and internal page spreads, pp. 80-91.
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