Neon Genesis Evangelion, originally created by Hideaki Anno, has been reinterpreted and re-imagined by multiple different creators. While numerous manga creators have since reinterpreted Evangelion as a school romance (Shinji Ikari Raising Project) or a supernatural thriller (Campus Apocalypse), the first major re-imagining of Evangelion coincided with the anime's debut: Neon Genesis Evangelion the manga by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.
Sadamoto was the character designer for the Evangelion anime. While he worked alongside Anno, he doesn't share the same vision Anno had for the series; he saw working on Evangelion as "just another job." When given the chance to tell his own version of the story in manga form, Sadamoto created arguably the best iteration of Neon Genesis Evangelion ever written. While not perfect, the Evangelion manga is a superb reinterpretation of Anno's vision.
Dancing to the Beat of a Different Drum
On paper, Sadamoto's Neon Genesis Evangelion follows the general beats of the anime very closely, almost beat-for-beat. However, subtler differences between the anime and manga are apparent right from the start. The manga adds a moment with Shinji Ikari where he reflects on his life before setting off to meet Misato. This small difference gives you a little more insight into Shinji's perspective and life.
The plot being just slightly different throughout. Asuka is introduced entirely differently: she fights against the Angel Gaghiel on her own and Shinji watches the fiht via video tape. There are only 13 Angels in the manga, as opposed to the anime's 17. In the anime, when Evangelion Unit-03 is overtaken by an Angel, its pilot Toji loses a leg. In the manga, Toji is instead killed by Shinji... and unlike in the anime, Shinji knows Toji is the pilot of Unit-03 beforehand. In the finale, it isn't Misato who saves Shinji from the JSSDF, but Gendo.
Because the manga could take its time telling the story, Sadamoto is able to give everything a concrete reason in-text. In the anime, we never learn why Misato has Pen-Pen or what Kaji's backstory is, but we do in the manga. Sadamoto also makes smaller changes to increase the drama. For example, in Episode 4 of the anime, Shinji runs away due to being overwhelmed by his responsibilities. In the manga, he runs away because he realizes Misato is spying on him and documenting his every action. Changes like these result in a more dramatic story where every action and event feels impactful.
Character Differences
Sadamoto portrays the characters of Evangelion differently than Anno did. These differences in characterization have drastic ramifications as the manga goes on. Asuka, for example, is a test tube baby. While the backstory involving her mother is roughly the same, she's now a "perfect" child. She's also more self-centered and immature, putting more effort into convincing adults she's responsible. Rei, by contrast, is far more docile and warm than in the anime, showing more emotional range throughout. She even has romantic interests in Shinji. Kaji goes from an aloof authority figure to almost a mentor to Shinji. By contrast, Gendo is even colder and more mean-spirited than in the anime.
The two characters who undergo the most drastic changes are Shinji and Kaworu. Kaworu is introduced far earlier -- the moment Asuka's synch rations start to go down. He's introduced killing a kitten and making Asuka profoundly uncomfortable. While Kaworu is a queer boy who shows Shinji more love than anyone else at that point could in the anime, the manga's version of Kaworu is uncanny. Shinji doesn't like Kaworu. In fact, he actively avoids him.
This leads to the most radically altered character: Shinji Ikari. The changes made to Shinji completely alters the entire arc of the manga as opposed to the anime. Many have criticized anime Shinji for being so passive in his own narrative. Shinji is presented as a vulnerable person whose experiences pushes him to the emotional breaking point. The series is about his psychological break from reality. While manga Shinji still suffers from emotional pain and anguish, he's a more assertive character. Anime Shinji is reactive, which results in a more vulnerable character. Manga Shinji is an active protagonist, taking matters into his own hands.
An Optimistic Evangelion
All of these changes lead to the manga's finale, which offers a more optimistic take on Evangelion's end. Some of the darker elements of End of Evangelion, such as the coma masturbation scene, Asuka's grizzly demise and the apocalyptic epilogue, are altered. Even Shinji's motives for Instrumentality are different. This results in a more uplifting finale.
Some might prefer Evangelion to be more depressing and more existential. Undeniably, Evangelion's anime is a fantastic exploration of human psychology and existential fear, with a strongly identifiable cast of characters. However, while the original series is a monumental achievement, when revisiting Evangelion, many fans who love these characters probably don't want to see them break and suffer again. They want to see them finally have a chance at being happy.
This is where Sadamoto's manga comes in. The manga takes the narrative Anno crafted, and tweaks it so it operates more like a traditional sci-fi epic, with a much more optimistic ending. It isn't free from darkness, and in fact, some scenes are made more visceral. However, in contrast to the abstraction of the TV ending and the misery of the movie ending, the characters in the manga manages to fully earn a happy ending. Sadamoto's Evangelion is an easier work to revisit than the anime, offering the characters from Anno's classic a chance to find uncompromising happiness after undergoing hardships beyond compare.
