Evangelion Movie Changes Asuka’s Name

shikinami-asuka-langley.jpg

The new Evangelion movie, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, has driven fans into a frenzy of speculation with the surprise announcement that Asuka’s name is apparently to change.

The change is revealed by way of some official advertising, in which the cast is listed; fans looking over the names immediately (or possibly after obsessive scrutiny) spotted a mysterious 式波・アスカ・ラングレー / Shikinami Asuka Langley, presumably the same character as the previous 惣流・アスカ・ラングレー / Sohryu Asuka Langley.

shikinami-asuka-langley-announced.jpg

Along with the plethora of new terms introduced in the advertising, and with the prior announcement of “Mari”, a brand new character, it seems that the movie may break from the previous iterations of the series in a big way.

The good source.

Fans are wondering just what all this is about? Could it indeed be looking to “explore new ground”?


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    Comment by TerrawindX2
    13:19 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    The Director wants to keep the original Evangaleon as canon by creating subsequent versions that were made to cator to the fans as "alternate universes".

    So technically its not a reboot as some might say.

    Comment by Tenno Seremel
    17:24 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    I've read it as Shikigami Asuka Langley (~_~)

    Avatar of mechwarrior
    Comment by Mechwarrior
    07:26 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    This is an alternate universe version.

    So, Shikinami is the alternate reality name of this version of Asuka. That makes sense since Shinji is not a fruitcake in this version. What does that mean for the story?

    Shinji ends up with a mental threesome with Asuka and Rei, and their psychic orgasm saves the world.

    Or whateva....

    Comment by Chen
    23:10 15/03/2009 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    In his mind he had already rei, asuka AND misato. It was in ep 25/26.

    Comment by Anonymouse
    07:02 21/06/2009 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    Most pointless change ever.

    Comment by Anonymous
    23:22 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    Who gives a flying fuck?

    Avatar of metatron
    Comment by metatron
    01:52 15/03/2009 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    at first i rage'd but then i said "that was nice"

    Comment by Anonymous
    01:36 09/04/2009 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    I'm not a fan of Asuka (although I find her character appealing) but I think "Sohryu" sounds really better than a new Japanese family name. Asuka Langley Sohryu... it's one of the most interesting name I've heard in anime.

    Comment by fakyol
    12:39 03/04/2009 # ! Neutral (+0.2)

    evangelion? the greatest story ever? fuck off. yawn and boring.

    Comment by deady
    09:40 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    jeez....cant they just stick with the original name D :

    Comment by Sakuragi
    09:02 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    and I read it as shinigami...

    urk,,it made me remembers the shi(t)nigami thing in MS IGLOO 2...

    Comment by ah
    06:06 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I work with the series and I've been checking people coments on the internet about the name change. i searched in google this was one of the first websites that came out.. ill be a little spoiler... yes indeed the series is going on a different direction... bai bai

    Avatar of Artefact
    Comment by Artefact

    Thank you for this terribly informative disclosure.

    Avatar of TeeHee
    Comment by Andrew
    06:40 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    But you know, the ending to the original series was a realization of an alternative reality.

    It is fitting for a series like Evangelion to be switching things around.

    Comment by Anonymous
    12:55 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    There was that one scene in EoE where he was given a glimpse into some weird sitcom-like version of his life.

    Maybe at that moment Shinji simultaneously connected to all the parallel universes ( with the ability to jump into one) but ultimately chose the history he had already lived through.

    Well, whatever the case it definitely gives an excuse for alternate Eva timelines.

    Comment by Chen
    19:53 15/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Wasn't that sitcom like situation in ep 25 of the original series? (btw, I wouldn't mind seeing more of this happy world, as long as shinji gets rei in the end xD)

    And given the recently popularity of alternate universes (bokurano, noein etc.), I wouldn't be surprised either.

    Comment by hayatakun..
    01:57 19/05/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    why change the name...i still dont understand???

    Comment by Anonymous
    01:45 18/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_destroyer_Shikinami_(1929)

    Comment by Anonymous
    09:05 21/05/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I personally don't care too much (though I liked Sohryu better), but what I don't understand is why they had to change it. I know there's he destroyer, but then why not just change everyone's names to different ships? Why just Asuka?

    eh w/e.

    Avatar of Krisantes
    Comment by Krisantes
    10:41 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Ouch!!!

    If is other lecture of this name... maybe pass. Hang it there Asuka!!!

    Avatar of Wolfheinrich
    Comment by Wolfheinrich
    10:10 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    I consider myself a pretty hardcore Asuka fan, I don't know what to say about this apparent name change yet as so few information is available.

    Comment by Anonymous
    01:41 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    who's the artist for that pic?

    Comment by Anonymous
    01:47 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    important sauce is delicious

    Avatar of Veknus
    Comment by Veknus
    01:47 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    who knows but its freaken awesome

    Avatar of throwaway
    Comment by LegionOfValsu
    03:00 15/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Indeed that is one amazing picture.

    Avatar of Zelretch
    Comment by Zelretch
    01:30 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Ayanami has the same secondary letter 'nami' , maybe there's a deeper connection between Rei and Asuka in the new movie?

    Avatar of linkinstreet
    Comment by linkinstreet
    01:41 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    No. She is still Shinji's mom.

    Comment by Chen
    03:26 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Not in the new movies, perhaps? Besides... what makes Rei to the mother of shinji? His mother is dead and Rei just has her genes.

    Nevertheless, the new movies will be superspecialhyperaweseome.

    Comment by Anonymous
    01:50 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Evangelion : The Franchise Milking version? :D

    mmm Asuka Milk....

    Comment by Anonymous
    02:46 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Fuck yeah, I'd like me some Asuka milk right now...

    Comment by Anonymous
    04:12 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    fucking seconded

    Avatar of Shuu
    Comment by Shuu
    08:07 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Let's go gang-milk her!

    Avatar of Geerie
    Comment by Geerie
    07:48 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    fuck i third that

    Comment by zZzuuUiii
    10:51 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    milku raep? XD

    lemme join...

    Avatar of kajunbowser
    Comment by KajunBowser
    11:21 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    fukking thirded :D

    Avatar of g0dslay3r
    Comment by paul
    01:48 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    alter ego?

    Comment by Otaku Dan
    01:28 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    this is madness!!!

    how dare them change her name

    Comment by Anonymous
    00:50 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Asuka Langley SHIKINAMI?! Doesn't sound right at all. Seriously, is there another way to write Sohryu? But now at least it's a name for a WWII warship.

    Comment by Anonymous
    01:30 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    There are other ways to write Sohryu -- in fact, Asuka's WWII aircraft carrier namesake is actually written 蒼龍 (blue/green dragon) rather than 惣流 (all + flow of current or method) which is how Asuka's surname is written.

    None of those ways of rewriting Sohryu can turn into 式波/Shikinami, though. The only readings for the first kanji in Shikinami are "shiki" (on-yomi/Chinese reading) or "nori" (nanori/name reading).

    But I'm no expert.

    Avatar of Artefact
    Comment by Artefact
    02:12 14/03/2009 # ! Transparent

    If anyone has alternative readings feel free to suggest - I couldn't find a reference for this reading.

    Comment by Riiku
    00:46 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    A long lost sister maybe?

    Comment by Anonymous
    00:51 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    The stuffed monkey from hell?

    Changing her name is like declaring Pluto no longer as part of the solar system. Shit this ruins my coffee.

    Avatar of linkinstreet
    Comment by linkinstreet
    01:26 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Her name came from a battle ship, changing it would make it weird

    Asuka's Japanese surname comes from the Japanese WWII aircraft carrier Soryu. Her German surname comes from the American aircraft carrier Langley, also from WWII

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:13 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    @Anonymous: 2009-03-14 01:56:13

    If memory serves me, Asuka's father is actually American, he just lived in Germany. Probably due to Asuka's mother having been stationed at the German branch of Gehirn. Later he marries an German woman, who's the stepmother that Asuka can't get along with.

    So with her mother being Japanese and her father a Yank. That makes Asuka's names fully appropriate, considering there really isn't a German angle there to begin with. She was just born and raised there, that's it.

    Avatar of linkinstreet
    Comment by linkinstreet
    22:14 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    @anon: She was listed as an American citizen, altho she grew up in Germany. Thus her German vocabulary.

    Avatar of Artefact
    Comment by Artefact

    My apologies, I was referring to Shikinami.

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:52 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    綾波 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_destroyer_Ayanami_(1929)
    綾波 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rei_Ayanami

    Looks the same to me, then again, lot of this stuff looks highly similar to me anyway, so I'm probably one of the last people one should ask if it's similar or not.

    Avatar of Artefact
    Comment by Artefact

    The characters are different - I tried searching before (in Japanese) and all I came up with were some obscure technical terms... Not sure if these are also relevant or if the ship connection is all.

    Comment by Anonymous
    11:23 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    @Anonymous: 2009-03-14 01:56:13

    Oops. Ignore the above.
    Misread you. Me bad

    Did notice that in that Shikinami article, that one of the sister ships of that vessel was called: Ayanami.

    Comment by Anonymous
    01:56 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Don't wanna be picky, but what exactly makes the name Langley German, when it's taken from an american carrier? ^^

    The only "German" part about Asuka's name is her first name sounding distantly like "Oskar", which "can" be referred as a common german name. ^^

    Comment by Spoony Bard
    04:38 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Pwned.

    Comment by Logeres
    02:17 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    Except that it's obviously a male name...

    Comment by Anonymous
    03:14 14/03/2009 # ! Neutral (0)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_destroyer_Shikinami_(1929)

    :)





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