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A Review - HERZ, by Toh Ee Loong HERZ, written by Toh Ee Loong, is an inspiration for all fanfiction writers. A wise writer, a new setting, and the same old story, all fall together to create a legendary piece of fanfiction with a humble attitude and a patient form. Everyone from the series is now fourteen years older, twice their age from before for the pilots. Shinji and Asuka are married despite a past with a shaky relationship. A new character is introduced, and her history with the gang blends very well with the void of fourteen years and the interactions that took place between them. Asuka is now a chesspiece of the organization called HERZ, the rebirth of NERV. Shinji is still an EVA pilot, and also a full-time father. Paths cross between Seele and NERV quickly, and the story is underway, told from the point of view from just about everyone. About the new character, Kagero Kurumi: I believe that she is a model example of what a dreaded ACC (Author Created Character) should be like. She has her own personality, and is totally fallible, as the audience easily finds. She is a likable character, though that is obviously not always a necessity with good ACC's. As mentioned before, her life story flows into that of the rest of the main characters. Unfortunately, I found the resolution of her testimony in HERZ to be very inconclusive. This is one of the larger faults of HERZ that I can identify, but at least it is embedded with one of HERZ's greatest strengths -- it's characterization. No doubt about it, the characterization in HERZ is as close as one can get and still have this particular story told. There is no controversy as to whether the actions of the characters were reasonable. Amazingly, Shinji and Asuka's marriage does not change their attitudes, and somehow it all flows together -- another ideal for (romance) writers to follow. And though this fic has a strong Shinji/Asuka tinge, the element of Rei is still acceptable for Rei fans, though it can easily be complained that Rei does not have enough screen time for her grand role in the series of Neon Genesis Evangelion. But this is fanfiction, and although a half of fans may be a bit disappointed, I assure them: "You will still keep reading." The storyline of HERZ is actually a bit twisted towards politics and development. Impatient readers will find that they will miss half the story the first time they read it through. Even today, as I finish reading its epilogue, I remember the third time I read HERZ, I found new revelations. The tone is a slow one in many sections of the story, where one will probably reread the lines a few times to achieve understanding. And it's all worth it. Some great thinking and obvious planning are visible through the grand paragraphs and dialogue in HERZ. But perhaps it's all worth it. After all, the majority of battle scenes described in any piece of fanfiction are at best not exciting. More is given into the reason behind each battle than the actual event of the engagement. As a result, the main characters, who have little to do with the politics of the world (for the better part of the story), get a lot of downtime where the daily life of the characters everyone loves is described in a calming and fitting tone. And best of all, every character is respected, including the villains of the story. Why? Because the tone is so fair upon them. That doesn't mean, however, that there is not sense of foreboding and the overshadowing of evil in the hanging. It's merely "fitting," something which many fics have achieved, but many more could. In other words, the two feelings one often gets from Neon Genesis Evangelion, glee and hope versus angst and introspection from the first and second half of the series respectively, remain intact and both have their debut in HERZ. Perhaps this is the greatest achievement of all in fanfiction. If any complaint about HERZ is to be made, I would argue that the ending is too short and the conclusion of everything is too easy. Perhaps it is the void that is left in the reader, the void where the reader wants to see more downtime for the main characters, but without trouble lurking above. The epilogue makes an attempt at this, but for those with a sense of hope, they might very well be dissatisfied when they reach "The End." Of course, this is only the opinion of one reader, and others might argue otherwise. Whatever the case, Toh wrote this story, and if he can hatch the story of HERZ, then an ending good enough for him will have to be good enough for the still-thirsting. HERZ is thirteen chapters strong (including the epilogue). The actual length of the story is pretty right; it's not too short and definitely not too long. I know that I will read HERZ again in the future. That would make it my seventh time. I will always look at this story as an inspiration, because it is an inspiration to all writers. What Toh Ee Loong has done is something all fanfic writers would be happy to have done themselves. For drama lovers, such as myself, HERZ is what a hero is to an army. From it a writer can learn the value of patience and dedication. A reader can find a good story. Highly recommended. |
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