'ALL HAIL LORD IRON-BALLS!!!'

While the above statement may seem entirely childish; you, too, will want to chant this endearing phrase after reading 'Shinji the Casanova.' IT'S THAT DAMN GOOD. In fact, it's so good that you have that satisfied feel that screams 'I just paid eight bucks to see a movie and I don't care!' by the end.

It's hard to classify this fic, as it does tend to jump between romance, comedy, drama, WAFF, and even action. But that's another good point about this fic: There is something for just about everyone. (Fans of Neo Armageddon Evangelist need not apply.) The author even goes as far to give you a percentage value for each story element at the very end.

The fic starts off with an Angel battle. (It also starts off by totally disregarding continuity, but hey, a lot of fics do.) During said battle, Eva-01 eats the Angel.

And that's where the fun begins.

The Angel in question turns out to be Cupid, the Angel of Love. And this Angel gets stuck in Shinji's head. Apparently, when young Ikari went Berserker and ate the tasty morsel that was once matchmaker extraordinaire, it's mind took residence in Shinji's. And, to quote Cupid himself, "...I can't move around until your brain leaves a Number Two in the psychological toilet." Lovely imagery that, once you consider Shinji's mind and the form of this Angel, but hey, weirder stuff has happened. So, Shinji has Cupid in his brain, and Cupid can't go anywhere for a few days due to his current situation. So, Cupid decides to help Shinji out.

(Quick factoid that might be important from here on in: Casanova: (noun) A man who is a promiscuous and unscrupulous lover. (history) A man who was a promiscuous and unscrupulous lover. Casanova was rumored to have heard the voice of Cupid in his head.)

Now we all know that Shinji has craved one thing ever since his mom died. And that one thing is Love. Now, before your little hentai minds start working (you know it's happening), this is not a lemon. This is where the story gets extra sweet. Sweet in the 'good' sense, not the 'trashy romance novel you find in the supermarket near the magazine section.'

So, with Cupid's help, Shinji is shown the hearts of those around him, and begins to return in kind; leading to an improved Shinji Ikari. A smooth 'Casanova,' able to charm the ladies. Needless to say, Cupid does his job well, and he does it in a manner that is entirely engaging. The dialogue between him and Shinji is fantastic, and the two speak on equal terms, like friends.

Of course, there are reactions to Shinji's behavior, and they do not go unnoticed. Touji and Kensuke start to wonder about Alien Abduction. Misato, Ritsuko and the rest of NERV notice Shinji's change, and perform tests. Of note, 'Operation Number 2.' Asuka thinks she's died and gone to Hell. And, last but not least, the girls in class start to swoon over the more relaxed and suave Shinji Ikari.

Alas, no fic is without its down points. It's very Out Of Character. Shinji adapts to his new situation too quickly. Asuka's a bit too emotional towards Shinji. Rei gives a smile that shows teeth. Teeth, for God's sake! It's... unheard of! But the author clearly states in the beginning (right after the title, to be precise) that the characters would be OOC for plot reasons.

The writing is very good, but there are spelling mistakes. For a document this size, though, the spelling msitakes are negilible. They just creep up when you're into the fic. And I was engrossed into this fic, even after the third time I read it.

My main complaint: NO KAJI. There is one mention of him, but that's it. The fic takes place after Shinji and Asuka's kiss, but before the arrival of the twelfth, so there should be a Kaji. But there isn't. However, they do mention Barry White. And Barry White's about fifty times as smooth as Kaji, so I guess it makes up for it.

(Quick factoid number 2: Barry White: (noun) smoothest man alive. (history) Music artist that does slow, romantic songs that are chock full of sexual tension, innuendos, and the like.)

Actually, there are a ton of American pop-culture references. These range from the Fonz ('eeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!) to The Smashing Pumpkins. Sometimes it's Cupid, but oftimes it's Shinji. How does a 14 year old Japanese boy know about the Fonz? The Smashing Pumpkins I can understand, but the Fonz? In fact, I'm sure a few of you have no idea who I'm talking about.

But, despite American pop-culture references in Japan, the lack of Kaji, and spelling creeping up on you, even the OOCness of the characters; this fic is one of the best reads I've had. So, take an hour, grab a soda and a sandwich, and enjoy.

And remember:

'ALL HAIL LORD IRON-BALLS!!'

Until Instrumentality is needed again...

SEELE-03

I'm not too fond of long fics, like this one, or other fics like Variations On A Theme. But when it appeared on the RAAC, I decided to read it anyway, as soon as I would have some free time. Guess what? I didn't waste my time at all!

We'll begin with the storyline and plot. What I like in fanfiction is "originality", and this one definitely is. Shinji "eats" an Angel (while piloting Unit-01), and that Angel ends up into his mind. What a surprise when you learn that this Angel is none other than Cupid, the Angel of Love!

All throughout the fic, you find humor. A lot actually, along with American music references (I guess it's American. I'm French... and the said music references at definitely not Mathmata, Telephone, or Louise Attaque) that I didn't get... But what the hell, they don't play a major part of the fic, so it's no problem.

After humor, you gradually see WAFF approaching. From that point my mind instantly got more interested in this fic. Imagine an Evanjellydonut style humor with some of the best WAFFs I have ever seen? ^_^

I won't tell you the whole story, but just know that Cupid will help Shinji to become closer to a certain redhead female, against his will (at the beginning anyway ^_^ ). To convince Shinji, Cupid first demonstrates brilliantly the effectiveness of his "powers" with Misato and Rei (No, Shinji's not getting a harem in this fic!)

The fic ends with a nice touch of humor and WAFF, and some scenes are really going to make you laugh your ass off, believe me!

Now, let's point out the faults of this fic. First, OOCness. I mean, okay this is humor, okay this is WAFF, and OOC in these cases are almost unavoidable, but, but... oh, who cares anyway? I mean, in order to make a fic, we need to expose our characters to a set of new elements in the beginning. So what if Eva-01 had eaten an Angel and it came in Shinji's mind? That might just have happened this way in the series, who knows? All this to say that OOC is not something condemnable in this fic (as it's not overused). You end up not paying too much attention to this little fault, just because you're too absorbed into the delightful humorous and WAFFy atmosphere of this fic (oh, and there's suspense too at the end! ^_^ )

So, my opinion? You didn't guess it yet? Go read that fic! Even if it's 165Kb long, you won't regret it. It's nicely written, everything is properly developed so that nothing suddenly changes from one scene to another. Let me say it again: go read it!