I used to own a hard copy of this book ages ago -- and regret that I wasted my money on it. Please pardon the rant-review -- I've been holding this in for nine years: If you're an Evangelion fan, this book will piss you off with how little the authors actually understand of the series and the air of authority they assume, devoting entire sections to misremembered details and superficial imagery, frequently making up details whole-cloth instead of doing the most basic amount of research. The pair go on at length about how Rei Ayanami and Misato Katsuragi were named after & are symbolic of the Christian Holy Spirit and the Catholic Eucharist (even though Evangelion's creator has publicly stated that the two were named after Sailor Moon's Rei Hino and Minako Narita's Misato Izumi, respectively). The authors frequently confuse characters with one another and flat-out ignore their specific personality flaws, discussing how marketable the characters are instead of exploring their personalities or the established tropes that Eva's creators' specifically aimed to subvert (i.e.: it's the military strategist that worries over the characters' well-being and their doctor that treats them like replaceable pawns, a conscious reversal of the anime tropes of the time). (Post 1 of 2)

The fact that Neon Genesis Evangelion is a response to anime mecha show cliches isn't even brought up. The pervasive notion of escapism ("I mustn't run away!" / "What's wrong with running away from reality if it sucks?!") -- an explicit, repeated theme of the show -- isn't mentioned at all. The way that each of the characters (and the audience) regularly run from their problems instead of dealing with them is a defining part of the show's story and meta-narrative, so not even touching on the show's most fundamental message is a critical failure on the authors' part. Couple that with the sheer amount of misinformation they promote and their obvious lack of research lead the reader to question if one of the authors' even watched the show. Most perniciously, the book completely disregards the warning in the show's final episodes about misreading a situation, taking action based on that misinterpretation, and substituting an uninformed "truth" in the place of reality. All in all, the title of this book is a misnomer: it doesn't reveal any mysteries or secrets any more than the circle-jerk English commentary of Death & Rebirth / The End of Evangelion. It actively misinforms the reader on the subjects it claims to have expertise on and somehow avoids topics that would lead to any meaningful insight. Fans of the show will feel insulted, and newcomers will feel even more lost / confused than if they'd tried to figure things out on their own. If you wish to understand Evangelion better, you're far better off downloading / buying Evangelion Chronicle or watching Codename V's Revolution of Evangelion videos on YouTube instead (assuming they're still up -- Studio Khara blocked my nine-year-old "Shinji's Rant" video just last week). Don't waste your time with this book unless you have an ironic appreciation for intellectual trainwrecks. On the other hand, if you know your Eva, you won't be able to stop laughing at how badly this book gets everything wrong. (Post 2 of 2)

>The Unofficial Guide

@StockFish Props for the upload. I really don't think the authors deserve the money for this one. @Killy69 The full title of this book is "Mysteries and Secrets Revealed! ③ Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide". The Revolution of Evangelion panels I mentioned aren't official, either, but they're far more insightful -- and, more importantly, don't make things up.

@DarsideEmu, lol thanks for your review.