The Classified Information (機密情報, Kimitsu Jouhou) is a set of data files accessible from computer terminals located within the video game Neon Genesis Evangelion 2. It is generally considered a cornerstone of supplemental canon for the influx of new information it provides and given a great deal of weight due to the participation of Gainax staff in providing information for worldbuilding. Taking discrepancies in security access into account (e.g., it requires a higher clearance level to learn that the white giant is Lilith rather than Adam), the information appears to reconcile almost completely with the show. Keep in mind that this is all written in-universe, and some of it is deliberately misleading, at least in the lower clearance levels.
The CI could be considered to fall somewhere between tier 2 or tier 3 canon (on EvaWiki), due to the fact that there is no way of confirming that the information is "100% Anno" and wasn't embellished at all by the game's producers. According to the Japenese fan-wiki, Alpha Systems (makers of the game) say the information was supervised by Gainax staff, but Gainax has also repeatedly stated that "Enough information has been provided in the TV series and film.[1] These are just the settings established for the game." Also, Newtype USA only mentions Anno being consulted for the game and this seems to have been reflected in the knowledge presented in the CI, not the multiple alternative scenarios present in the game, which are mostly used for comedic purposes.[2]. Additionally, Anno himself has stated they will not provide an "all-about Eva manual".[3] With that said, unlike the specific alternative scenarios present in the game, almost all information here does not clash with the series at all, and in the few cases where it does, the series should take priority. Please refer to What Is Canon?
Translation and credits overall[]
Translation by Reichu, et al from EvaGeeks. Further notes, commentary and more details are available on the Classified Information (Translation) on EvaWiki
Original Japanese[]
See: Classified Information (Japanese) (on EvaWiki)
See Also[]
- Theory and Analysis:How the CI Reconciles with the Show (on EvaWiki)
- Theory and Analysis:How the CI does not Reconcile with the Show (on EvaWiki)
External Links[]
- EvaGeeks Forums. AnimeNation Archive. "NGE2 Classified Information".
- Revised translation by Reichu at Arqa Apocrypha
Notes[]
- ↑ http://forum.evageeks.org/post/368618/Reconsidering-the-NGE2-PS2-P-Games-Canonicity/#368618
- ↑ "To solve the mysteries you must understand the world of Eva itself The Eva 2 game draws you into the world of Eva once again. During production, the developers did their best to understand everything about Eva, and tried to incorporate what they learned into the game. Without their efforts, it would've been impossible to re-create the world of Eva. Hiroshi Shibamura of Alfa System prepared a thick questionnaire and conducted an interview with Hideaki Anno, the director of both the TV series and the films, that lasted more than ten hours. The interview included questions such as, "What do you think about each of the Gundam series?" (to help program the "Anno AI" in the game) and "What was the first Angel?" (to further understand the story behind Eva). Director Anno and his staff answered the questions frankly, and the game reflects that. However, it won't be easy to find answers. The quickest way to gather clues is to play the game repeatedly in as many different roles as possible. There are some deceptive characters, such as Gendou (you can never tell whether he's telling the truth). And after all of the hard work, much of the information obtained may turn out to be contradictory or just plain false. That is because a correct answer from the standpoint of one particular character isn't necessarily correct from the standpoint of another. On the other hand, mystery-solving is only a part of it. Instead of trying so hard to find the right answers, just keep playing around in the puzzling world of Eva to discover clues about the "Official Answer," which GAINAX is said to have presented in the game." - Newtype USA Jan 2004
- ↑ http://www.cjas.org/~echen/articles/spring97/05_03b.html