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*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

Wherein our hosts free up an evening to continue Neon Podcast Evangelion. When challenges were made to Michael's availability for the evening, Steve presented his alternative: "That's fine. I can go find somewhere to drink beer."

Long breaks make the show into more of an update on their lifelong relationship with Evangelion, and with developments in the Evangelion franchise. Sometimes just popular anime in general. The last year has seen Ghibli win another Oscar (and another Japan Academy Best Animated Prize - the final Eva Rebuild film won in 2022), A US limited release of EoE, and Anno continue with non-eva projects as apparently Japan's premiere server of anime nostalgia. We also cover the NGE clip episode and the first freaky monologue in the show, sometimes known as "Rei's Poem."

Highlights:

- Additional context for the Rei poem are truly fascinating, as described in Anno trying to write from a schizophrenic point of view and finding the disembodiment hitting a bit too close to home.

Hebrew corner covers some good background on the inclusion of Lillith as an "Angel".

- Lots and lots of vaguery regarding show details. Michael volunteers this as a feature for the listener to enjoy the experience of knowing the correct facts themselves.

- No screenshot coverage, ideal for a clip show and the editor's family life.

- Truly mad claim from Steve's daughter that her friends had listened to the show. Not possible.

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*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

Is that a PlayStation 1? No sir, that's a PlayStation 2 running NGE Platinum Edition in a cold shed. Is this 2000? nope it's 2023, the future, and they are doing it to it still. If God in His Heaven rewards tenacity, he hast done smiled on the Cousins Ayres this evening.

Gripping the imagination of our arrestedly developed hosts is this unique entry in the Evangelion epiverse, where the rough grip on biology (and perhaps a rough grip on translation) that show has always had is brought to the forefront. What if the whole base is biological? What if we just call a laser robot a polysome. The similarly rough grip of our college graduates is on display trying to work sense into the sci-fi told here.

Highlights:

- The idea of this as a 'guest episode' is run with, even though there's not really much to go on for that idea. Regardless, the science concepts brought into this episode that are never further explored are unique and fun.

- Though the play NERV makes to defeat the Angel truly makes less sense the further it's scrutinized. Just keep it at Gendo's take that evolution ultimately produces destruction.

- Another weak showing for Neon Podcast Evangelion's Hebrew Corner. Hoping for a strong return next week!

- It'll happen to you too, young listener: pretty much every reference we couldn't place was immediately vividly recalled with a little post show googling (i.e. Pribnow Box, Daft Punk anime videos). C-as-integer means nothing.

- Apologies from the editor for not taking a blade to all the 'printer chat.' He must have nodded off during it.

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*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to throw yourself further in time without the experience of living it to numb the changes? To hear your the fresh anxieties that come with a currently unknown circumstance of life? To hear even the voice attempting to reach about and connect over them itself weakened from the erosion of those changes? Then envy our hosts, dear listener, and live for today.

Besides grim spectacle this episode features Evangelion! That life experienced speaker is attempting to put into counselling language the journey Shinji takes to a false understanding of happiness. Much appreciation is expressed of the excellent elevator work of the series. Evangelion in the News is a little light but plenty long! Evangelion chat shines bright even as the sun crosses the sky of life.

Highlights:

- Steve describes some awesome nightlife experiences. Normies beware hearing this classy dude describing his life well lived.

- Two strong candidates for Steve's inevitable (too hopeful?) Evangelion tattoo: the intense bodybuilder flex explosion of Unit 01, and Shinji's happy idiot face.

- Yes, recording ended damn hell late. You could tell?

- Old man Michael gettin bitter about people not starting with the first Final Fantasy "... do whatever you want I guess."

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*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

Welcome to Neon Podcast Evangelion, your number one resource for high quality podcasting. Notably lucid commentary, complete sentences, and a sophisticated absence of mouth sounds await the listener. To appreciate the environment that produces such excellence, perhaps while considering the poor quality of the previous plugcast, note that for this round our hosts did test that the dedicated mics and mixer were recording instead of the laptop mic.

Along with understandable speech, efforts were also made to improve the "truth/what?" ratio of the facts given on this ostensibly information-based service. Foremost this means that the topic is the big Hideaki Anno doc covering the production of 3.0 + 1.0, with an emphasis on the professionalism of the auteur himself.

Highlights:

- It's shorter than the last one too!

- We also respond to listener requests for better cohesion in covering NGE vs Rebuild character traits in an arguably non-defensive manner.

- Hideaki Anno does not appear in our recording, but we'd like to think he would honor us with one of his signature "ultimately, this is boring."

- In case you're wondering, we do think that if you're in the tiny slice of humanity that fits as an audience for our show, you'd definitely get a lot out of this doc.

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*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

This qualities of this episode speak for themself. Quite literally - it's quite long and the sound quality has a strong feeling of "didn't put any work into those levels before starting the recording." However, this episode proves an important point: two fans can spend three hours on a mid-series episode of NGE. The facts are loose, the shed is cold, and the snacking is loud! We got what you came for.

There is a lot of qood analysis in this rough. Also a heads up to anyone looking forward to the visual version of the shot-by-shot coverage: corporate Khara is alive and well, and quite capable of immediately shutting down the YouTube version of that effort. Stay tuned for the next attempt.

Highlights:

- Steve arrives at "Saint Bernard" as the best comparison for Rei's hair.

- "This is just one drawing, except the man is animated." Quality analysis worth listening for there two hours in.

- Splinter Cell. That's the Tom Clancy sneaking around game franchise. Protagonist is Sam Fisher. Keerist.

- OK, this is actually good: at 2:27ish Michael pulls off a might fine "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" (of course calling it 7 due to his brain issues) from Ryoji Kaji to the English title of this episode.

- Learn about the Palmaris Longus! Turns out is is possible but uncommon to NOT have one. Hahahaaaaa...

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*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

Billed right up front as a straight forward and efficient episode, this plugcast eschews any fancy special topics and focuses on arguably the least essential episode of the series. The cause of this being that, nearly miraculously, they decided they should probably record and actually made it happen that day. As Steve puts it, "this is almost a bonus episode!"

So, expect solid coverage of the NGE episode, near embracing of despair over the longevity and aims of the franchise 25 years after it's debut, and Steve managing a Beavis boi-oi-oi-oing amidst our continuing go at mature discussions of teen sexuality.

Highlights:

- We were called out by a listener on not giving enough time between our call for comments and the recording. Best comment we've ever received.

- Interesting convo on the potential for longevity of the Eva franchise in terms of Anno's career success, citing excesses of the Star Wars franchise.

- More tall guy self-promotion: "She's just bald-faced in her adoration... Being out with our tall hunky dude here... Our super-spy... he's very handsome."

- Steve answers the question of Asuka's red hair v her possibly Japanese heritage through his actual genetics education and career practice.

- Just want to amend that Eva has roughly great characters, not four. You know which ones.

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*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

Too lengthy to be a hiatus, but too long to have remained on the subscribed list of most listeners. A banger of an episode, featuring foundational Asuka character work. This plugcast also features some material stretching the hosts' ability manage the big topics swirling around Evangelion. Come ready to judge!

The release of 3.0 + 1.0 has overshadowed everything in the Evangelion world. After their takes on the grand finale of their project's reason for being, where to take the show but a lengthy discussion of healthy perspectives on teen sexuality in media! Yep, from forty-something male cousins recording alone in a shed at 10pm.

Highlights:

- New feature! The screenshot coverage is cross posted on YouTube. So you can follow along instead of wondering why they are using screenshots in audio media!

- Special guest for this episode is shrimp chips! After a little treat at the start, Mouth noise fans will want to tune in around 34:00.

- The best name they can come up with for fans of the show is "Avid Listeners." This phrase gets a lot of play.

- Listen for another reference to a "tall handsome dude" slipped in, calling out a random background character. More oblique discussion of Kaji's height as well.

- As promised the first comment received on Apple Podcasts is read on the show. Feel free to contribute. Feel free to offer a dissenting take!

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

A few days before recording Steve texted Michael, "I've been a little obsessed with Evangelion lately." Although this might be hoped to be baseline for hosts covering a very niche topic, here it represents a nice window of opportunity to record during a spike in the general level of knowledge available. Another stroke of good fortune has the Hideaki Annography topic as a sequence from Miyazaki's Nausicaä, Michael's favorite film from the director. This plugcast can't help but succeed!

In such favorable conditions, this might be best seen as a recovery from recent challenges. The full schedule of bits are covered while keeping the runtime intact. Both main project and the Hideaki Annography make ground. Questionable material as we approach ground zero for fan service starring 14 year olds: skirted! So to speak.

Highlights:

- Is it this or the previous episode where the cousins fervently insist that they are not weirdos for liking something in the show? Never mind, that's going to reach drinking game levels going forward.

- Yep, the same guys in a podcast episode with a story where teen Steve gets his grandma to buy him a Xanth book, which she discovers is "rife with horse sex".

- Michael is on the far fringe of normal human height. Steve is up there too for a hāfu. They both gush with projection over Kaji being portrayed as a tall hunk.

- The straight scoop on Anno working for Miyazaki on Nausicaä, and Michael's pleasant fantasy that they are good friends. Could be true!

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

Steve has got Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0 fever, and the only prescription is going 30 minutes into overtime watching 10 minutes of bootleg footage from the Paris 2019 Japan Expo. "At last, I've been waiting a long time to see this" Michael sighs during the screening, meaning of course the on-screen destruction of the Eiffel Tower since his expectations for the ultimate film of the spin-off(?) franchise are lowwww.

Besides contemporary Evangelion animation, the main course is another episode of the series that made it famous. It seems like a runner is being built in the first minutes as the cousins differ in their appreciation of this episode, but nothing really comes of it. This is another episode taped in what Steve has dubbed "cousin mike's murder shed", and the fellas enjoy themselves throughout.

Highlights:

- A visit to the archives of Gwern.

- Review of the logistics of the geofront. How do you get to that pyramid? Are there shops down there?

- Michael speculates on what positive mental health message is going to be the heart of Eva 3.0 + 1.0.

- Spirited discussion on how a robot flying forward could land skidding backward.

- Behind the scenes: discomfort. Three hours in a cold shed with drinks and no ready toilet access. FOR YOU.

*** https://evangelionpodcast.com ***

*** https://twitter.com/NeonPodcastEva1 ***

Their 10th plugcast! Their 20th labored exploration of what "plugcast" is meant to mean! Ten in a year and a half ain't bad. Certainly plenty of time for the new set of anime fans coming up with the loaded anime line-up on Netflix to have passed through a full healthy course of Evangelion fandom and now only occasionally reference the show. Maybe, ultimately, this podcast is for those gripped by the show and never let go.

The new format featuring shot-by-shot analysis continues. This episode of NGE introduces the show's love of magically well orchestrated military logistics. Interspersed with this is much digging into scraps of Rei psychology. Shinji screams; gets back in a robot. It really hits all the Eva buttons.

Highlights:

- There's a light hip-hop thread as Steve brings in a reminder of the power of connecting an interest (anime in this case) with one's creative endeavors with a short eulogy for his favorite MC.

- Steve shares his excitement for the Eva dropping rapper Open Mike Eagle.

- Some good cogitations on the timeline of production and how it broke down at the end. Who has the scripts of the theoretical original last episodes of the series?

- Analysis of NERVs emergency medical protocol.

- The arbitrary over-analyzed room background feature of this plugcast is the multitude of monitors around Shinji’s medical coffin.

- The new format naturally highlights that a way to share all these screenshots would be welcome. Watch our Twitter for this...