Ming Ming Evangelion Manga Illustratorr (Adaptation)
Ming Ming is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator that has worked on things from original manga to illustrations for written books. Although Ming Ming used to be active, the last noted work was published in 2015. Their most notable work is likely Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse, a manga that uses a unique interpretation and adaptation of the Evangelion universe.
About Ming Ming
Despite creating a manga adaptation for one of the most renowned anime series to hit the global anime stage, there is very little known about the Japanese manga artist and illustrator Ming Ming. From what is known is that Ming Ming debuted in 2007 as a manga illustrator and up until 2015 worked on titles such as “Ashikaga Yoshimasa and the Building of the Silver Pavilion” and “Saredo Tsuki ni Te ha Todokazu: Mononoke no Miyako” in addition to the Evangelion Apocalypse manga. Ming Ming’s illustrations are very sleek styled and the characters in the Evangelion manga are given a more mature aura.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse
This Evangelion spin-off manga was originally published in the Monthly Asuka magazine from 2007 to 2009, but was later compiled into four volumes. On September 1st, 2010, the first volume would be translated and published in the United States under the Dark Horse label. The final English volume would be released on June 22nd, 2011.
Story
Although the main characters like Shinji, Kaworu, Rei, and Asuka are all present in this spin-off, common characteristics found in most Evangelion related stories like Evangelion Units and Angels are either completely redesigned or removed entirely. Shinji is still the protagonist of this story, but instead of being called to his father to pilot Evangelion Unit 01, the Gendo Ikari in this universe is not present and Shinji is taken care of by Ryoji Kaji. He attends the NERV Foundation Academy, a highly prestigious school and, when fumbling around for change to get a drink from a vending machine one night, he drops a coin under the machine and finds a small, round stone and pockets it. After school the next day, he follows Rei and Kaworu and is attacked by a man with large, black wings, who Kaworu calls the “Angel” Ramiel. Ramiel and the other Angels are trying to gather “cores”, one of which Shinji managed to find the previous night, making him a target. Their goal, according to Kaworu, is to ensure the destruction of the world by taking the cores back. Rei and Kaworu manage to stop Ramiel, although Shinji manages to get hurt in the battle.
When he wakes up, Rei appears and brings Shinji to a secret room hidden in the school’s church, where Kaworu and Asuka have been waiting. He hears a disembodied voice that tells him that he is the only one that can truly cease the Angels’ plan, despite his inexperience and uncertainty. He is given a glowing capsule referred to as an “Eva”, which resembles nothing like a robot. In this universe, “Evas” are unusual weapons used to fight Angels and are a sign of their user’s will. Each main character in this manga has one and they are all unique. Kaworu’s is a very stylized sword with letters engraved on it, Rei’s is the Spear of Longinus, Asuka’s is a whip, and Shinji’s is a gun. Another departure from the original series is that the goal of Shinji and his friends isn’t necessary to defend against Angels, but rather to collect cores and return them to the World Tree to maintain balance. Later that night, Shinji is approached by a woman who says she is lost, but when Shinji gets closer, she reveals that she is Ramiel after taking the body of another person. A battle ensues, but Shinji has issues firing his Eva gun. Fortunately, Asuka is nearby and is able to hold her ground while Shinji escorts a young girl to safety. After returning to the battlefield, he sees Asuka being attacked by a large energy projectile, and he finally manages to fire his Eva, saving Asuka and defeating Ramiel.
Other Works
Ashikaga Yoshimasa and the Building of the Silver Pavilion: This work was published in issue 30 of Asahi’s Weekly Manga History of Japan, which was released on September 8th, 2015.
Saredo Tsuki ni Te ha Todokazu: Mononoke no Miyako: A light novel written by Kotoha Motomiya and illustrated by Ming Ming. It is an action fantasy novel set in medieval Japan where evil spirits wander the lands. It was published under the Kodansha/Bunko White Heart label and released on March 31st, 2007.
Hana ni Arashi no Tatoe mo Aredo: Mononoke no Miyako: A sequel to the previous work. It was also published under the Kodansha/Bunko White Heart label and released on May 2nd, 2008.
CP: Shindo-kun no Yuu-utsu: A light novel written by Mizuho Ono that won an honorable mention for the Shogakukan Light Novel Awards. All illustrations are credited to Ming Ming.
Links
Mangaseek Page for Ashikaga Yoshimasa and the Building of the Silver Pavilion (Japanese Only)
Weekly Asuka’s Page for the 1st Volume of NGE: Campus Apocalypse (Japanese Only)
Dark Horse’s Page for the 1st Volume of NGE: Campus Apocalypse
Shogakukan’s Page on CP Shindo-kun no Yuu-utsu (Japanese Only)
Kodansha’s Page on Saredo Tsuki ni Te ha Todokazu: Mononoke no Miyako (Japanese Only)
Kodansha’s Page on Hana ni Arashi no Tatoe mo Aredo (Japanese Only)