Grade: 9.6
Why?
I didn't like some of the ways the characters were made out.
I mean, Rei acted... out of place, where she does that thing in volume 1 or 2, one of those. Some of the characters could have been more realistic/according to anime, although it's just absolutely fine the way it was. Maybe the scenes were a bit rushed, and I think that the characters changed mindsets more often than what they would have done, but it's fine. Although at first the characterization, while there, could have been better, this is way more than supplemented in the later volumes, where it just becomes... epic. Just plain epic.
The art was good. As a doujin, it's fucking spectacular. I seem to think that it could have been better, seriously. Backgrounds and grainy shots were missing, something to give it a little more feeling. I think a bit different/better artwork would have given the characters a little more feeling. Some scenes, like the action, could have used different art
Plot... The main, large idea, the beginning and ending and whatnot, are perfect. They are canon, man, they are canon and there's nothing you can say about that. Some things were rushed in between, as there was no action WHATSOEVER, which was considerably very well done in the anime, so I'm a bit disappointed in how they rushed these parts, as they were very important, but since we already knew about them... hell, it works. It'll jump around a small bit in the volume 4, but that's okay, since you'll still understand where it's going. IT was awesome, although I wished that anno could have superivised some parts of it.
The ending's a bit happy, yet still bittersweet. I'd prefer it if some of that happiness could be gone, cause I don't think something as epic and emo as evangelion should end so "happy" although I guess the ending's happiness is debatable. Fucking awesome last scene(s) though.
I hate the fact that it's a H-doujin, and I completely skipped over those parts. Sigh... those scenes just had to be in. Luckily, a Re-take censored and edited was released, so I'm pretty happy.
The entire thing was not perfect, but you will pretty much never find another doujin even close to this, I'd think. Dammit, it's almost canon.