Links:

• EvaEnergy.jp – XP1000. Official page. Contains information and images of the portable charger pack
• EvaEnergy.jp — Official site (Japanese). Contains information on both iPhone case pack and XP1000
• Eva Store: XP1000 Battery Charger — Nerv Theme (Japanese)
• Eva Store: XP1000 Battery Charger — Rei Theme (Japanese)
• Energizer information page about the XP1000 power pack—Has images and example video.

Apparently, the site is already taking preorders and the cases themselves will be available on the 15th of May. The packs are retailing for around 6000 Yen (~$65/€48) on the EvaStore.

Links:

• Asuka Magazine — Official site (Japanese)
• Anime News Network Post

Since Asuka is a shōjo magazine, you can bet that Kaworu will be making an appearance, and the promotional materials seem to bear this out. Perhaps the series will take a Holmes-Watson approach?

Links:

• EvaEnergy.jp — Official site (Japanese)
• Eva Store: iPhone Battery case — Nerv Theme (Japanese)
• Eva Store: iPhone Battery case — Rei Theme (Japanese)
• XPAL Power Site

Oh, and you also get a Nerv themed carry sack for the battery case with the deal as a “special favour”. At least they’re not offering more “service”.

The festival is also screening Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone on the same day, so you can watch both films back to back! Apparently both films are being shown subtitled, which probably means you’ll also get to hear the Japanese voice cast (Don’t quote me on this!).

Links:

• Eva 2.0 at Glasgow film festival
• Eva 1.0 at Glasgow film festival
• Jonathan Clements blog entry

The first film will be introduced by BBFC examiner Emily Fussell, and there will be a short masterclass on anime certification between the two films.

The task left unfinished.

The Evangelion Fan Geek Commentary project was conceived and begun as the closest thing to a running commentary of of the entire series of Evangelion in web page form. Despite the initial impetus and drive, the project stalled some time ago. Committees were formed, inquiries held, and the great source of our setbacks has been firmly identified; Translation.

Key to the entire Commentary project are the individual episode “cuts” and their descriptions. These cuts, which are typically individual shots, are based off the actual production script pages, which was provided as an extra on the Evangelion Renewal DVD box set. The script pages break each episode into numbered cuts, each of which contains a description, dialogue, and sound effects. By adding an appropriate image and fan commentary to each of these, you get a fan geek commentary of the entire show.

But here’s the catch, the script pages are in Japanese. Here’s an example of one.

A sample page of the Japanese production script.

These pages need to be translated into English before they can be uploaded and commented upon. So far, translation has proved to be the single greatest bottleneck in the commentary creation process. Thus far, only four episodes, and the OP, have been completed, and the project has been stalled for some time. Our original translator, Reichu, while still enthusiastic, no longer has the time neccessary to devote to such a task.

So, we are in need of Japanese translators to help get the project moving again. And we’re in need of as many as we can get! There’s a lot of material to be translated. Each episode consists of about 70 script pages like the one above, with around 300 cuts in any given episode. And there are 24 episodes in total that need translating. Ideally, each episode would be translated by a single translator, dialogue, script text and all.

We don’t expect a single person to translate every episode. Even one complete episode translation would be greatly appreciated.

Some requirements we’d like of translators:

• Experience: Evangelion is a subtle and involved anime, with many scenes having hidden and double meanings, and it contains many scenes that are known to be difficult to translate. This is a project that needs quite experienced translators, familiar with Japanese phrases, mannerisms, etc. Some episodes are more difficult than others in this respect.
• Notes: Related to the last point will be the need for any translators to provide additional notes or “translators commentary” for cuts that need it. Essentially, if there is something of note such as a peculiar figure of speech, double entendre, strange choice of words, etc, it’s vital that these be included in the translation. It doesn’t have to be done on every cut, but it will be an important addition in those cuts needing it.
• Feedback: The Eva community is at times quite involved in its analysis. While we will attempt to keep them to a minimum, there will inevitably be questions and queries on the translation. Feedback on the translation will be greatly appreciated.
• Time: The episode scripts will require quite a bit of translation, so we don’t expect people to be especially prompt. As long as the translation does not drag on to the point where it holds up the project, we will be happy. We’d prefer a correct translation over a quick one.
• Fan: Being a fan of the series is of course a huge bonus. Not vital, but it could help a lot with the process.

These are not essential qualities, just desirable ones. We’re grateful for any translation aid and advice that can be provided, and hope to put it all to very good use in what we hope will become the most comprehensive  presentation and discussion of Evangelion, or indeed any anime.

Any interested parties or those with queries can either head over to this thread in the forums, or else send an email to obsessivemathsfreak at gmail.com . There is no obligation to buy.

In the coming days, notices like this will be posted on other sites in a determined effort to attract the translators we need. One way or the other, this project is getting moving again.

So what is EvaGeeks.org?

Over the last few months, a project has been brewing, lead by the inimitable Rachel Clark, a.k.a Reichu. What initially began as an attempt by a small band of Evangelion fans to restart the Evangelion Commentary Project, grew slowly in scope, ambition and magnitude. The commentary project was to be revived, and in addition an Evangelion wiki was to be created, with the purpose of archiving and presenting the results years of fan discussion and debate. An encyclopaedia made by Eva fans, for Eva fans.

With the addition of The Eva Monkey, and the Eva Monkey Forums, the project suddenly became a much bigger beast. Beyond simply the commentary, encyclopaedia, or forums, it became greater than the sum of its parts. The Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan-Geeks Project had been born, and had grown so large that a whole new site was needed to contain it. We were a lot of fan geeks, who needed to live up to the greatness of evamonkey.com. And so EvaGeeks.org was launched.

The ambition of this site is to become The Ultimate Evangelion Fan Site. We are carrying on the mission of the old EvaMonkey.com and EvaCommentary.org sites, but now with many more people behind the effort. It’s our aim to become the best source of Evangelion news, information and discussion on the web. It’s a tall order, but we’re going to try to fill it.

There are currently three keystones to the site

• The Forums: Discussion and debate has always been central to the online Evangelion community, and it will be central to this site as well. With the migration of the Eva Monkey forums, we’ve got a strong base of fans to build the site around.
• The Encyclopaedia: Over the years, there have been many great threads, theories and topics. We’ve learned a lot about Evangelion, and the ambition of the Encyclopaedia is to catalogue and present all we know and love about the show.
• The Commentary: The jewel in our crown… if we can finish it. The aim of the commentary is to present the closest thing to a running commentary of the entire series, in the form of a cut by cut online discussion, with pictures. This is our ultimate tribute to Evangelion, and its our aim to complete it, or perish in the attempt.

But there’s more to the site than the keystones. News, events and archival are among our other plans. In addition, we want the site to have a firm foundation, and to stay online for a long time. And so we’re in the process of drafting a site constitution and forming a group of custodians to see that it’s implemented. It’s early days yet, so for now we’re letting our enthusiasm carry us forward.

This is going to be a fan based site, and there’s a lot that needs to be done. So we’ll eventually be needing volunteers to help with all the various projects we’ve gotten planned. Right now, with the site launch, and Reichu away, we’re still assessing our situation, so a full list of “positions” isn’t available yet. Stay tuned for more information about tasks that need completing, and Minionisterial[sic] positions that need filling.

One position that we definitely will need in the immediate future is that of a project translator. There’s a swathe of material that needs to be translated for the commentary project, and a wealth of other material besides. Ideally we would like someone who is both proficient in Japanese and also and avid Evangelion fan. Things are often tough for Eva translator, but we aim to make it worthwhile by offering authority and kudos.

So with that, I leave you for now. Hopefully the Commentary Mistress herself will be along soon to lash us all back into action, but for now, a few us us will be taking a well earned break for a few days. It’s been a long month, and there’s going to be some more up ahead, but I think it’s going to be worth it.