Darkness is where it begun.
For a long time, I tried to find a suitable way to begin this review,
to summarize this story. But none seems to work as well as this line taken
from the beginning of the prologue. Those five words manage on their own
to set the tone of the story to come.
If we had to classify this story, I would guess that action/darkfic would be the closest fit, even if it's not overly dark (and not in the usual style - in other words the story isn't oozing teen angst) and it's not completely action focused either. When trying to compare it to other stories I know, some of the vampire novels I have in my bookshelf came to mind, as well as some stories from one my favorite authors, Dean R. Koontz. No wonder I got so trilled with this fanfic.
Now, don't go think that this is a vampire story, or even a horror story for that matter. I think that 'suspense' or 'fantastic' would be more suitable terms. This story goes into a different direction than most those followed by NGE fanfics writers and should be a reminder that there are still many new paths just waiting to be taken.
I'm reluctant to give a big summary of the story, so I'll try to keep it brief. The story begins as one of the Rei spare clones gains sentience. This isn't acceptable, so Commander Ikari give orders for it to be disposed of. It seems, however, that this 'flawed component' has other plans and soon, the hunt begins. But who is the hunter and who is the hunted?
On technical aspects, this is a piece I consider as well written. It flows very well for such a short mini-series. Words aren't wasted and get to the point, but nothing seems to be missing either. The story is highly focused on a new character, but it's understandable due to it's nature and it's very well done. I know for sure now what will be my vote for the "Best New Character" on the next Chicken Ball Awards if this series ever get posted on either the RAAC or the FFML (if now, then there'll be the Tako Balls Awards...). The other characters also came out well and I especially like Rei and Gendo. Some might debate that Shinji might be too open, but it's nowhere near as bad as a number of Asuka/Shinji fics I could name. As for grammar and spelling, well I'm not a really good judge in this field, but I didn't notice too many mistakes, so it should be alright for the average reader like me.
Oh, one last note... the art! I mustn't forget about the art... It's simply gorgeous. Mekat only put a few pictures into the story so far, but those are excellent fanart. I was, and still am, greatly impressed. It's on par to some of the pictures you can find in EVA-R chapters, if not most of the time better. I really hope he'll add more.
So, in overall, an excellent story. It has a special place among my
favorites. Heavily recommended.
SEELE-01
October 25th 2000
Pariah is one of those rare fics where the HTML format works better than the ASCII text format. The thoughts of the 'flawed' Rei clone are highlighted in italics and besides distinguishing this first person narration from the third person narration of the rest of the text, it also has the effect of emphasising her alieness.
There are occassional lapses in the story's clarity of expression, especially in the form of missing words or jumbled sentence segments which increase as the fic progresses. Even then these errors do not occur frequently enough to impede one's enjoyment of the story.
With respect to characterisation, the original NGE is handled well. I particularly liked the very balanced way Gendou was portrayed - his innate good/evilness, his cunning, the limits of his knowledge, power and control over events. Also interesting ideas of linking other bits of old myths like Atlantis and the Knights Templar into the NGE universe. But the real gem, of course, is Inasis around which the story is centred. The right balance of introspection and urgency, of old memories and new identity, some one/thing to be feared yet sympathised with.
I didn't see Pariah on the usual forums of the RAAC, FFML or EFML and read it due to Chairman Gravel bringing it up for review. I do hope that these reviews will bring this wonderful story to the larger audience that it deserves.
SEELE-06
October 26th 2000
One good thing about this story is that it, like the original "Evangelion" series itself, can't simply be classified into one specific genre category. Trying to do that would be like trying to classify "Fight Club" as an action flick when there's a lot more to it than that.
In this particular story (which my fellow reviewer says can be compared to a Dean Koontz novel, and rightfully so), Gendo's been experimenting with some of Rei's spare bodies, and one of them develops sentience. Naturally, this cannot do, so he orders it destroyed. Of course, this proves to be not as easy as it looks, as this "flawed component" has some rather interesting abilities that make her very hard to kill. She escapes, and so begins a game of "cat and mouse" as Gendo tries to have his little impromptu creation destroyed before SEELE finds out and gets their hands on her. But as the action and tension build, the questions arise as to what this girl is, and for what purpose was she created for in the first place? And what will happen when she runs into the pilots, particularly Shinji? Or, for that matter, Rei?
I'm going to admit right out that this has to be, bar none, one of the best fics I've read in awhile. Mekat is able to do what few can, and that's just about capture the pure essence of the original "NGE" story. There's just the right amount of action, suspense, and intrigue that made "Evangelion" so popular. True, this story would probably fit better in the later parts of the original anime (when it got all serious and moody), but humor wasn't the intent of the story, nor was it necessary (even if some people probably will find some parts to laugh at). There's probably even a bit more violence in this story than what was in the original anime, but after recalling the "End of Eva" movie, some might think it isn't so bad. Best of all, Mekat doesn't drag this story out for an endless number of chapters, but keeps it short and sweet with a beginning and an end, with the hint of a possible follow-up (this may sound like a spoiler to some of you, but then again, don't most stories end that way?).
One thing I found interesting was the characterization, particularly Gendo's. This is a guy who makes it his business to be in control of things, doing what he wants to in spite of the advise of others. Naturally, when something pops up that he can't control, he starts to lose it. He becomes almost obsessed in seeing the "flaw" destroyed, and when each attempt fails, he just gets worse, making what some think are a few rash decisions in the process. This may seems OOC to some people, but for those who know NERV's Supreme Commander, this may not be as out of place as one might think.
To sum it all up, I highly recommend this story. It has great writing (the usual spelling and grammar errors notwithstanding), and even has some art that just about blows the mind. For those who haven't seen the entire Eva story (as few of you as I'm there are), there are some spoilers, but the author doesn't beat you over the head with it like some fics would. So if you're looking for something that seems more original than most fics, check this one. You won't be disappointed.
Until Instrumentality is needed again...
SEELE-05
October 26th 2000
I'll be honest, when I first heard of this project, klaxons screamed NAE. A dark Angel/human hybrid goes around and seems to kill things and generally be dark, spooky, and violent. Thankfully, I was wrong. However, I was still not impressed.
Instead, Pariah is like taking action from the Matrix and throwing it in your typical action/Psionics anime. The stereotypes even resemble that of the genre.
For instance, you have your typical anime character trying to gain acceptance/humanity/whatever. This is Inanis, a DNA-tinkered Rei clone, a person who is capable of mad ninja skillz that she got from Rei and an Anti-ATField she got from Gendo. Shinji is the shy character who tries to understand her. And, of course, as per usual action movies or anime, there's a secret organization that bears the meaningful (and, in keeping with NGE, a one with reference to religion. However, the name is poorly chosen for the organization's purpose.) name that steps in to further mess things up. It also features Asuka as the spunky last minute savior, Gendo as the enigmatic allegiance-unclear last minute savior, and Misato as the heartfelt, caring last minute savior. Yes, there's a lot of last-minute saves. And that's all in one chapter.
On the character side, Inanis is handled well. She receives growth, however, none of it can be truly considered original. She goes through much of the same thought processes (especially concerning Shinji) that Rei has gone through in many other fics. But it is handled well.
The character who shines the most in this is Gendo. Although, anything I say would be regurgitating what has already been said by other members of SEELE, so I'll save some time and be lazy. ^_^
Shinji is the odd one here. His actions are pretty much OOC, and even the author states that he has no idea why he's doing this.
Asuka and Misato are barely touched upon, but Rei is not touched upon enough to come to the conclusions that she does before the climax. She does have some nice scenes, however.
The plot was easy to guess, as was the outcome and open end, since the fic adheres to standard action movies/anime, so I was never surprised.
Inanis herself is a soul-sucking Megaman. When she takes someone's souls, she acquires their abilities. This allows her to do action scenes which would require multiple camera angles and shots that move around the subject of the camera or force the world into slo-mo.
Okay, I'm exaggerating. But you get the picture.
The tech in it is interesting, as some of the people use weapons with bits of the Lance of Longinus either stuffed inside or grafted on. Lance tipped weapons, such as bullets, and extendable fingernail blades that are coated with the Lance. I remember there was a post on the Original IOW MB about Eva tech, and I believe this came up in it. It's good to see that even small fan suggestions make their way into fics. ^_^ (On a personal note, this screws over an idea for a chapter of Dead Children, but hey, I should have written quicker.)
The top-secret organization that bears a religious name is, in this case, the Templars. In a totally original turn of events that corresponds exactly with any action movie out there, Inanis turns out to be pre-destined. However, this can be overlooked as everything else in NGE is too. Unfortunately, the Templars wouldn't have cared much about Inanis, but certainly would have slaughtered SEELE and NERV for their knowledge alone. A much better name would have simply been the Paladins. The original Templars were very evil themselves, after all.
So, all in all, this fic is worth one read, but nothing about it stands out. It certainly does not, however, live up to the hype that surrounded it. In fact, I think that it would have worked using original characters instead of using the NGE cast.
On one final note before I leave: Damn, that's some nice art.
Until Instrumentality is needed again...
SEELE-03
October 27th 2000
What more can be stated about this fic that my fellow pieces of onyx laid out in dimensions of 1 by 4 by 9 haven't already gone over? It is a crafty, thoughtful work, which is developed in measured steps. Not too long so that things are dragged out and scenes repeated over and over again; not too short so that we don't get an understanding of the characters, the author has written a remarkable piece.
The new character is given enough to make her existence worthwhile without hogging too much limelight. While some might find similarities between the 'component' and vampires, I think the author successfully takes her character bit deeper than that. Vampires are blood sucking creatures of malevolence that prey on sentience for their own hunger. Here, the component is a tiger accidentally released in an urban jungle: beautiful and deadly, lord of all she surveys, but in the final equation ultimately lost. She is trapped in a situation not of her own making and desperately struggling to find something of herself. In the end however, like a wounded predator surrounded by people, she is too dangerous to be allowed to exist. She is tragic without drowning in angst.
Gendo himself is handled in an interesting fashion. Not only does he regard hunting the compliment as a game, but in a weird kind of fashion I get the idea he's really enjoying himself. It's probably been a long time since he's had someone whom he could actually respect as an opponent, and every time she exceeds his expectations it's like he's found something a new spark in his life. For Gendo, the component never should have gotten free and he's confident in his ultimate victory. But till that time the chase... the chase is turning out better than he ever could have imagined.
The other characters are handled well, staying well within bounds of what can be considered 'in character'. Shinji shows some spine, but not exceeding amounts and I don't find him jarring to read. Rei is Rei: quiet but powerful. Asuka is loud and abrasive, but you can clearly see what the author suggests about her without the use of direct words. The bad guys are adequately handled as expensive, specialized red shirts. Their 'Why We Are The Way We Are' speech is standard fare, although it does bring in a nice amount of the religious mumbo-jumbo that we expect from an 'Eva' fic. No complaints from this peanut gallery.
Definitely a good way to waste time.
SEELE-04
November 9th 2000
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