This guy is simply incredible... Maybe it's an angel! :)

Strike Fiss strikes again, with another Romance fic. First, we'll see what the story is all about.

Right from the start, Shinji and Asuka's relationship is a bit tense. Asuka challenged Shinji to hit her, and that's what he did. Needless to say, other scenes like this will occur at the beginning of this average-sized fic (65Kb, IIRC) but, after a while, things will begin to clear up a little...

So, what's so original about this fanfic? First, the narration style used. In a first person view, Strike Fiss takes malicious pleasure to mess with the reader's mind by switching the POV from Asuka to Shinji and vice versa several times during the fic. But, contrary to what you may think, this isn't a problem at all. The reader gets used to this procedure quite quickly, in fact.

Strike's talent is easily recognizable in his writings. It has been a long time since I've read such refreshing romance stories, and reading his work is always a pleasure. Considering he said that he wrote this fic in two nights, I can only be impressed by the easiness with which he writes his fics...

Still, whereas the story was good, I find it a bit less good than Shinji the Casanova (read my review of this one) or Higher Learning. Why? Frankly, I don't know. Maybe it's the WAFF, not enough present to my taste (I repeat, it's my taste, okay? :)). Maybe it's because the ending made me feel like the fic was incomplete... Hey Fiss, what about a sequel? ^_^

Overall, it's a really good read, as all works from Strike Fiss are. It has a good plot (even if it's a bit unrealistic/utopian at the end, I mean, for Shinji and Asuka), a nice (but still I would have wished more) dose of WAFF, and almost no grammar/spelling mistakes. Go read it, you won't regret it.

Until instrumentality is needed again...
 

SEELE-02
May 11th 2000

Ever been annoyed so much by someone that the thought of taking your fist and use it seemed like a very tempting idea?

In any case, this is how this story begins. With a smirking Asuka and a Shinji pushed to the very limits of extreme patience.

A while ago, when HERZ was only halfway done, I can remember discussing with SEELE co-member, Ee-Loong about the Asuka relationship. As he pointed out, a Shinji/Asuka relationship is not impossible, however, if these two are to get together, they would no doubt have to follow a hard and rocky path. I can only agree. And in some ways, this is what 'Holding Hands' is about. The passage from teenage years to adulthood for two individuals, which are complete opposites, yet strangely alike, stuck together, both by fate and a need for one another. It's a story where Shinji reaches a point where he can't no longer tune out Asuka as he did so far and where Asuka can no longer stand Shinji's weak side. And so starts a war for something in between.

It's not love at first sight. In fact, love is not really considered for a good part of the story. And this is what I love about this story. Instead of the usual sudden "Oh, Shinji, I love you!" "Me too, Asuka!", we rather see how two people living together in a world of their own get to gradually tame each other, and become friends and maybe even something else. Life is not easy, relationships are not always smooth and I thing this fic shows it very nicely.

There are some... minor details however...

If one considers that this story is half the time done through Shinji's POV, there an excessive use of swearing. Put together, we can find over 50 instances where the words "shit" or "fuck" (includes "fucking"). And no, this is no lemon!

The second thing that bugs me is how the background of the story is rather... vague. I'm sort of a perfectionist, and so, I often like to know how a story managed to get where it is. So, in this case, I find myself asking many questions: "How was 3rd Impact avoided?", "What about Ritsuko, Maya and Co.?", "Where does the new Angels comes from?", etc. Unfortunately, none of these are ever answered. Now, considering how the story is built, it's perfectly normal, but still, I can't help to wonder. Maybe it's just a pet peeve of mine.

But in general, a very good fic. No doubt, one I would very much recommend.

Just make sure to brush your teeth afterward. It has some very sugary sweet moments.
 

SEELE-01
May 19th 2000

I am a Reihead. And I like Shinji x Rei stories. But I have to admit to a great deal of admiration for 'Holding Hands'.

However, not without caveats. Let's get them out of the way first, shall we? I unambiguously like the later scenes (when Shinji and Asuka are at university) more than the earlier ones. The latter make me very uneasy. Firstly, as a matter of personal opinion, violence is NOT something that leads to happy, balanced relationships. Secondly, as a technical point, the device of Asuka de-wussing Shinji by pushing him to the ends of his tolerance is a tad over-used and frankly, difficult to write convincing. And as a jokey aside, I thought that women only try to change men *after* we've allowed them to sink their hooks into our hearts.

There's plenty that I do like about this though. There is considerable effort put into build-up and context. It fits my mental image of the Shinji x Asuka relationship requiring the two to move metaphysical mountains. Their love is not an easy one despite their mutual need for it. Strike Fiss enthuses his piece with feelings of frustration, confusion, anger, rage - roots sinking deep into the darkness to grow beautiful flowers. As such, the tender moments don't seem overly sugarly or WAFFy, there is a certain bittersweetness about it. And I'm a sucker for that (see my review of Anand Rao's 'His Only Begotten Son'). And while our esteemed Chairman would prefer more contextual information about the rest of the NGE cast and this world, methinks that would clutter the piece and divert its strong focus which is one of its strengths.

My favourite was the cello-playing scene. Very classy eroticism and intimacy conveyed by wonderful writing there. What a seduction routine! There could have been more, and longer, university scenes. Asuka's conversation with her friend is the point where she decides to 'claim' Shinji as her own - I was slightly disappointed by this 'tell me' approach rather than the 'show me' approach of much of the rest of the fic. IMHO the conversation scene is an important 'turning point' device but it would have more convincing to set it  after a few scenes that hinted of stirring competition to Asuka.

Another innovative device which conveyed the full force of the pair's feelings is the changing points of views - between Shinji and Asuka. As such, we understand how both of them feel and how they progress.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this piece immensely. However that enjoyment did not diminish my unease about the premises surrounding the first half of it. Well, great stuff tends to be controversial.