FMP Ripped off NGE? Theory and Others

[Raspberry]

I suppose they're talking about English version.

[Anonz]

you can't really say fmp ripped off of nge, at least not more than any other mecha anime, cuz they all kinda copy off each other

[LeoXiao]

They wouldn't have too. After all, mecha is just a type of robot. It doesn't have much to do with plot or anything.

About the voice thing, I saw it on wikipedia but didn't confirm it.

[JelliCelli]

Thank you, Hellfire! I knew Misato and Mao didn't have the same voice actress! Anyways, I don't see FMP as a rip-off of Evangelion. However, there are plenty of animes out there that share the same story ideas and characters (giant robots, child pilots, strong/scary girls, the end of the world, yada, yada). Both animes are great, all the same, as I enjoy both. However, I lean ever so slightly towards the FMP

[LeoXiao]

So far FMP has been more entertaining but NGE is more deep, which I hold in high regard. If they could make the rest of FMP like NGE it would be so awesome, cuz then it would be better than NGE.

[Taurec]

Deep? ...Thats one way to put it ...
Saying FMP is a rip is the same as saying nge is a rip off akira. (pda sucks)

[cullenk]

Yes, I was attempting (vainly, it seems) to make a little joke based on Allison Keith being the VA for English dubs of both show. ( I considered responding: "So next you're going to tell me that Faye and Hurahi are the same actresses?", but decided another poke at levity might just annoy someone. *Ahem*.)

While there are simliarities between the shows, as has been pointed out earlier, I think it is a stretch to say FMP borrows much from NGE.

Gato has said that he does draw inspiration from other sources, the Gundam series for instance. Also, I suspect from Tom Clancy's writings. Still, I think "rip-off" is too harsh a term even if he was someway influenced by NGE.

Again, I wouldn't call it "rip-off" necessarily, but a show that pays heavy homage to NGE, I think, is Rah Xephon. The similarities there really seem blatant, but, I will allow that they might be mere coincidence. In any case, Rah Xephon ended with a big old reality change where all that had happened previously in the series before -- probably didn't happen at all.

Let's hope for a better ending for FMP. I don't want to come away from the last episode and/or novel feeling like a dope because I wasted a lot of time following the story.

[JelliCelli]

Aaah, I can't watch Akira (especially the ending)!

[KiLlEr]

I find this difficult to believe that FMP is a rip off nge.

its due to the timing.

NGE was a manga strip that ran in the Monthly manga magazine Shōnen Ace from December 1994 for 12 months.

The first FMP novel was released in December 1998. It takes alot longer to publish a novel than a monthly manga (about 2-3 years or more depending on how long Gatou had to pitch his novel to the publishers). Also, Gatou needed time to formulate the story. Manga is usually worked out as they go along.

So given that there is a 4 year difference between the 1st NGE strip and the first light novel, it is unlikely that Gatou ripped off the FMP story line from Yoshiyuki.

If Gatou did rip off Yoshiyuki, it would be:

Dec 1994-Dec 1995 read manga strips, get inspired and write novel
1996-1998 pitch, edit, draft, edit, get artist, get art, edit art, manuscript, edit, produce, publish, print, distribute
then somehow get the next novel done and out the door in March 99.

I don't think this is possible, or even worth while. Like most novelists I he had this story in his head for quite sometime before writing it.

[Taurec]

Here is a list of similarities:

1. The characters. Although Shinji and Sousuke, are, obviously, quite different, their situations are somewhat similar and many supporting characters, such as Asuka and Chidori, Misato and Mao, Kurz and Kaji, Shinji (the FMP one) and the NGE military nerd, are remarkably similar and it is hard not to believe that NGE influenced the FMP creators greatly.

You need some diversity in the series so it would appeal to a greater audience.
If there was any influence it would be money not NGE.
Besides Shinji is a wanker .. Sousuke is at best a apprentice alcoholic.

2. Military complexes with huge amounts of funding to run mechas. Not much to say here.

Mmmmmz a boat and an island with a good fishing spot on one side.
A underground city with a crappy slow elevator on the other side.

Oh and I don't think Mithril tried to blow up the planet ... unlike that other organization.

3. The "light plot-to-serious plot" phenomenon is present in both series. In FMP, it starts out with Mithirl kicking ass for the first 24 episodes and then going on to Sousuke's and Chidori's personal issues and Mithril almost getting it's own ass kicked before kicking ass.

In NGE, it starts out with Angel after Angel getting pwned, as each one gets harder to kill the characters sink into their psyches and the whole ordeal becomes a surreal mindtrip full of Judeo-Christian undertones, which finally ends as a huge battle where NERV loses and Shinji figures out what he's worth or something really complicated like that and saves the world from collectivism.

Also, with the FMP novels going farther and farther down the plot device of the Whispered, it seems to be turning out like NGE.

Again in FMP we have the altered state of reality due to Black Tech influences story.

In NGE we had to deal with the next phase of human evolution ...
We all be happy when we get absorbed by a uber being.

I mean there is no plot similarity in this.

4. Pilot/Mecha interface and the Lambda Driver and AT Field. Again, not much to say about an energy field/weapon used by mechas and powered by the pilot's concentration. Also: the Evas are living creatures that synchronize with their pilots and the FMP mechs having AIs that do something similar (ARX-7).

Again off by miles .. The EVAs needed to sync with the pilot so they could move.

Hell the Armed Slaves operate even on autopilot have cruise control and air conditioning.
The only syncing was needed to operate the LD and not the AS.

Besides the AT field was this metaphysical "wall" around our "self" / soul bla bla.
The LD the Lambda Driver can manifest thoughts into physical power.

Technically it's possible to turn somebody into soup with use of the LD
But it won't help human evolution.
Maybe it helps to clean the gene pool <grin>

5. The FMP control room and the NERV control room. In one episode in TSR, there was a control room that looked almost exactly like the NGE one with the lights turned off.

Errr .. show me the pictures .... maybe they had the same interior designer...


I think we can say that FMP wasn't that influenced by NGE...

The biggest difference and definite proof would be to state that the male protagonist in FMP Sagara Sousuke has balls.
Shinji on the other hand has no balls, This of course is backed by the fact that "his" Japanese VA was Megumi Ogata... yes a woman.

[LeoXiao]

Dude, those you mentioned are all superficial details. I never said they were exactly the same. I said SIMILAR.

[KiLlEr]

In that case, NGE was a complete ripoff of Gundam, Space Battle Ship Yamato and Arthur C. Clarke's novel Childhood's End.

Because they're SIMILAR.

My point is that just because something is similar doesn't mean it was a rip off.

Hideaki Anno, when faced with criticisms that he plagiarized NGE stated:

"There is no longer room for absolute originality in the field of anime, especially given that our generation was brought up on mass-produced anime. All stories and techniques inevitably bring with them a sense of déjà vu. The only avenue of expression left open to us is to produce a collage-like effect based on a sampling of existing works."

There is simply not enough similarity between FMP and NGE to make FMP a rip off of NGE. The story line is different, the inter-character relationships are different, etc. There are similarities, of course, but these also can be said for every other anime out there. Hence, the term GENRE. All anime within a genre will be similar in many respects. That however does not automatically make them rips offs. A rip off is a complete blatant copy,with barely any difference. That is simply not the case with FMP & NGE.

[Taurec]

Dude, those you mentioned are all superficial details. I never said they were exactly the same. I said SIMILAR.

I merely pointed out they are not that similar....
But I sure had fun to write it ...

[LeoXiao]

Did I say that "ripped off" was an exaggeration? If I didn't, my bad? I just thought there was a great similarity between the two series. I haven't watched many of these other animes you're mentioning, so I may be wrong.

I started the topic mainly for fun anyway.

[KiLlEr]

And we have fun debating, and debating is good.

Its better than the dub/sub thing... we're tired of that one.

and.... if you get good, you'll be a master(de)bater