*********************** PY @ TOKYO ******************************
First the usual disclaimer of translation:
The STANDARD TRANSLATION COPYING POLICY (tm)
Want to repost or archive this? Just follow these rules:
1) Don't change the content, although formatting is ok. You can
translate it into html, just don't go inserting your own paragraphs,
or changing words (even spell-checking). If you want to translate
this, you have far too much free time on your hands. Mail me.
2) Bill me as "Patrick Yip <Patrick.Yip@ing-barings.com>", despite
what email address you see this coming from.
3) Leave this disclaimer intact.
This applies to all my translation that have been released (either
posted to the Evangelion ML, or rec.arts.anime.misc). You don't need
to send me mail to ask permission to archive this, but it might be
a nice gesture to let me know you did it.
**********************************************************************
Secondly, the FAQ of "What is RCB?"
THE RED CROSS BOOK (aka RCB) -- the final(?) canon of Evangelion
translated by Patrick Yip (Patrick.Yip@ing-barings.com) 1997/10/19
The Red Cross Book (referred to as RCB onwards) is the pamphlet sold
in the cinema to those who came to see the movie "the End of
Evangelion". It cost 800 yen. The book is A-4 in size and landscape in
orientation. The cover is pitch black with a red Georgian cross
superimposed on it, hence the name "Red Cross Book" On the cross, the
words "THE END OF EVANGELION" was printed, in thin, match-like manner.
What makes this book particularly special and meaningful to all EVA
fans is that, for the first time, we hear the voice from Gainax about
why and how the movies were made. We also know a great deal about the
answers to some of the most discussed after mysteries in the anime.
The "commentary" "glossary" and "production notes" are three parts
that are most informative. I shall strive to translate these three
sections so that all the EVA fans could know the latest update of the
"official" answers to the EVA mysteries (real-life or anime :-)
*********************************************************************
In the Glossary of the RCB, the words beginning with English alphabet
come first, followed by words beginning with Japanese characters,
which are arranged in the conventional order (a,i,u,e,o,ka,ki,ku...and
so on)
GLOSSARY PART III
=================
[EVA-01] (SHOGOKI)
EVA-01 TEST TYPE. The first EVA to be thrown into real battle. It is
the second EVA, after EVA-00, that was built in EVA HQ. Although it
contributes a lot in its participation of many battles against Angels,
it also behaves unexpectedly in many occasions: going berserk,
starting up without the presence of Entry Plug, staying active after
its activity time limit etc. It obtained the S^2 Engine directly by
defeating and devouring the 14th Angel.
Colouring is purple. Dedicated pilot is Third Children -- Ikari
Shinji. It seems that inside it lives the soul of his mother -- Ikari
Yui. Also, it seems that the physical body of EVA-01 was made using
Lilith. This is why in the case when the Spear of Longinus was lost,
EVA-01 became the only substitute of Lilith as the tool for Human
Complementation.
[Human Complementation Plan] (JINRUI HOKAN KEIKAKU)
A plan to induce artificial evolution for human, who had reached an
impasse in becoming a colony of worthless, to become a total
single-form organism. It was under the direction of SEELE, and the
secret agency NERV was the implementation organisation. However, the
expectations of SEELE seems to be different from the objective of NERV
(which means the objective of Gendou and Fuyutsuki).
EVA was in fact not planned as a weapon. It was built with the aim to
realise this plan. More specifically, it seems that the plan is to
artificially start the Third Impact, thus erasing all human, and after
human shed their physical form, they will then evolute into a new
stage.
[Stigmata] (SEIKON)
A word used by members of SEELE in ep.26 to describe the bloody wounds
appeared at both hands of EVA-01. It is called "stigma" in English.
Originally it means the burn marks applied on cattle or slaves. In
Catholic areas, it is said that the wounds suffered by crucified
Christ (on both hands, both feet, side of abdomen, forehead) sometimes
appear on human with no external reason.
[Tree of Life] (SEIMEI no KI)
When the Human Complementation Plan starts, EVA-01 grows into
something like a tree, with its roots spreaded towards the sky and its
branches extended to the ground. Regarding this Fuyutsuki comments,
"EVA-01 is returned to the Tree of Life". A Tree of Life that has its
roots and branches inverted appears on both Hindu scriptures and the
Kabbalah. This was called "the Inverted Tree"
[Fruit of Life] (SEIMEI no MI)
It is mentioned by Fuyutsuki in ep.26 as the thing that Angels have. It is
written in "Genesis" of "Old Testament Bible" that at the centre of Eden
there were the "Tree of Wisdom" and "Tree of Life". Human disobeyed the
order from God and ate the "Fruit of Wisdom". But what if the "Fruit of
Life" was instead eaten? Could the answer be the Angels?
Moreover, the myth has it that one can live forever if he eats the fruit
from the Tree of Life.
[SEELE]
A secret organisation that existed even before the Second Impact. It hid
the truth about the Second Impact and the existence of Angels and uses
its power to abuse UN and other countries. After the Second Impact, it used
UN as a cover, established the Committee of Human Complementation and the
secret agency NERV, and built the EVA series.
SEELE's Human Complementation Plan is mapped out according to what was
recorded on the "Secret Dead Sea Scrolls". The objective of the plan is
to move human up to another stage of evolution. However, with the loss of
the Spear of Longinus, and then the rebellion of Ikari Gendou, the
commander of the secret agency NERV, it became inevitable that the plan
has to be changed at the last stage.
By the way, "Seele" means "soul" in German. All organisations that are
related to SEELE, like GEHIRN and NERV, all have their names derived from
German. Could it be that these organisations first started in Germany?
[SEELE's Coat of Arm] (SEELE no MONSHOU)
A coat of arm which has an inverted triangle superimposed by seven eyes.
The same emblem was painted on the mask that covered the face of Lilith.
Its relationship with Jehovah, who is the absolute God in "Old Testament
Bible" and is sometimes said to have seven eyes, is unclear.
[Second Impact]
This is called so because the catastrophe was the largest since the
Giant Impact, when a small meteorite collided with Earth 4 billion
years ago. There were radical changes in Earth's environment: Floods,
Volcanoic eruptions and change of Earth's axis etc. These, combined
with the civil war on a world scale afterwards, caused half of the
world's population to die.
Usually its cause was explained as a massive meteorite fallen on the
Markam Mountain in Antartica. But in fact its cause was artificial:
SEELE and Gendou's group reverted Adam, the first Angel, back into
embryo before other Angels woke up, and this caused the Second Impact.
[Second Children]
It means Souryu.Asuka.Langley, who was chosen by Marduk organisation,
after Ayanami Rei, as a suitable candidate. She received training at
the Germany branch of NERV, and was then sent to Japan as the
dedicated pilot of EVA-02.
When she lost her self-confidence because of low Synch-rate, she went
missing for a while. She was finally found and brought back by agents
from the secrety agency NERV. At ep.25 "Air", she was still taking
medical care in hospital ward when the Strategic Self-Defence Force
invaded NERV.
[Tree of Sephiroth] (Sehuiroto no KI)
A graph of symbols in Kabbalah (A mystery sect of Judaism which built
around the mystery interpretations of "Torah"). It represented, as a
diagram, the physical rendition of the 3-dimensional images of the
spiritual realm. The same diagram can also be found in Gendou's office.
The diagram is composed of ten circles linked by 22 paths. It shows
the route of how a human can attain the highest possible spiritual
level. Moreover, many other interpretations are said to be possible:
As a step-by-step diagram for meditation, as a map that shows the way
to wisdom, or as a prediction for human's future etc. In ep.26 "Magokoro
wo kimi ni", EVA series formed a big Tree of Sephiroth on the sky.
[Noises of Cicada] (SEMI no KOE)
In the world of Evangelion, because of radical changes in the climate
and environment caused by the Second Impact, Japan had lost her four
seasons and had a summer climate all through the year. That is why in
the anime the noises of cicada can always be heard.
[Strategic Self-Defence Force] (SENRYAKU JIEITAI)
A military force directly under the Defence Ministry of Japan. Triggered
by the military conflicts between China and Vietnam over the Spartleys,
it was formed by the Japanese government which had no military force of
its own (all the army, navy and air force of the original Self-Defence
Force had been incorporated in UN Force). The English abbreviation is
JSDF, which stands for "JAPAN STRATEGY SELF DEFENSE FORCE" [sic]. It was
also often called "Senji" as its short form. In ep.25 "Air", under the
instruction from the Japanese government, one division of JSDF was
deployed in an attempt to directly occupy the secret agency NERV.
[Central Dogma]
A huge and wide underground area directly beneath NERV HQ. Its lowest
level has a sea of LCL and Lilith who was cruficied on a red cross.
By the way, in biological terms, "Central Dogma" means the
irreversible information flow that occurs in the transformation DNA ->
RNA -> protein.
Leave a message for the Keeper of the Shrine.
Back to the Main Akai Megami Shrine
Back to the Realm of the Dark Lord of the Otaku.