Neon Genesis Evangelion, Collection 0:3 (Episodes 9-11)
Brash new Eva pilot Asuka seems to take a sadistic pleasure in deriding shy, melancholy Shinji. When the two of them are required to fight as a unit to destroy an invading Angel, she moves in with Shinji and Misato, complaining all the way. After practicing to music, they win the battle with a mecha version of a rhythmic gymnastics routine. Asuka volunteers to take her Eva into an active volcano to capture an Angel in its chrysalis stage; she's nearly killed when it escapes and has to be rescued by Shinji. After the volcano adventure, the pilots and Misato take a well-earned rest at a hot springs, where Shinji discovers the principal of thermal expansion can have embarrassing personal applications. Asuka also insults Rei, but all three pilots have to work together to defeat a huge, spidery Angel that secretes a corrosive acid in episode 11, "In the Still Darkness." A mysterious power failure that occurs during the Angel attack points to the actions of Shinji's father, Commander Ikari, who ruthlessly pursues his private agenda. All three episodes display the strong storytelling that has madeEvangelionone of the most popular anime series. Not rated; suitable for ages 14 and up for robot versus robot violence, brief nudity, and minor profanity.--Charles Solomon