Evaneko

The **Evaneko** (*エヴァっち*) (*에바치* in Korean), also known as the **Multipurpose Egg Shaped Decisive Weapon Evaneko** (*汎用卵型決戦兵器 エヴァっち*) (범용 난형 결전병기 에바치) is a licensed Tamagoneko Nano model based on the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. It was released in Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong on June 13th, 2020. It was released in the USA on April 2, 2021. It retains its original Japanese design, packaging and programming, with English instructions available on Bandai's official site.

## Design

The Evaneko uses a new ball chain similar to that of the Pac-Man Tamagoneko, but the chain length is smaller and the balls are bigger, making it the same length as previous Nano ball chains. The front of the Evaneko retains the same molding used on previous Nano models, instead of the new one featured on the Pac-Man Tamagoneko. Unlike previous models, the Evaneko is made in Vietnam.

## Background

The story of *Evangelion* takes place fifteen years after a global cataclysm known as the Second Impact. The protagonists are teenagers that are tasked with piloting robots called "Evangelion" to fight monsters known as "Angels" at the behest of the shadowy organization called NERV. The Evaneko has its own dedicated backstory, as shown on the official Bandai and Amazon pages:

> Special Governmental Agency NERV has developed the technology to apply retroversion on Angels, forcing them into their embryonic state to be raised in egg-shaped containers filled wtih L.C.L. The egg-shaped armored containers are built to restrain Angel from its rampage and allow people to carry them outside of the organization’s laboratory. As a member of NERV, you have been assigned to raise the Angels using the ‘Evaneko’, and based on how you handle various events, the Angel will grow into various forms. Attend to any instances of L.C.L. corruption and break through all generated A.T. Fields!
>
>

## Functions

### Hatching and Growth

After the clock is set, a screen showing the Second Impact will appear for several seconds before the embryo Angel hatches from its bakelite container. There are four growth stages: baby, cocoon, adult and special. It will stay as a baby for 24 hours before evolving into a cocoon, and the cocoon will be able to evolve to the adult stage three hours later when the A button is pressed. If the adult Angel reaches the conditions for a special evolution within 72 hours, it will become a cocoon again and then evolve into the special character; otherwise, it will depart on its own.

### Cocoon

After 24 hours, the baby will evolve into a Cocoon. During this time, the user will not be able to feed it, play games, or check the status, only switch to the clock and turn the sound on and off. After three hours, the evolution noise will play and the cocoon will stop wiggling. If the user presses the A button, the cocoon will evolve into its next growth stage. Waiting longer periods of time to evolve it will alter which Angel it becomes. It will become a cocoon a second time if an adult Angel reaches conditions necessary for a special evolution.

### Buttons

There are no on-screen icons, and therefore all information is conveyed through the screen and buttons. The Angel is cared for by filling its meters; it has Hungry and Happy meters, each consisting of four units, which are both empty when it's born. The Hungry meter decreases by one unit per hour, and the Happy meter decreases by one every 50 minutes. If either becomes empty, the Angel will call for attention to fill them.

If the Angel needs something, the user can press the C button for an animation to see what it needs. If the Angel shows a dizzy emote, it's hungry; if it shows a scowling emote, it's unhappy. If both Hungry and Happy meters are partially filled, it will perform a happy animation. If the Happy meter is full and the Hungry meter is not empty, it will perform a Close Up.

Pressing the A button opens the main menu, with the options to feed or to play the games. The meal option (S² Engine) fills one Hungry unit, and will refuse to eat anymore once the meter is full. The snack (watermelon) fills one Happy unit, and can be fed even when the Happy meter is full. The A button is also used to open the lights on and off menu when the Angel has fallen asleep. The baby form at 8 PM, while evolved Angels sleep at 10 PM. All characters wake at 7 AM, and will turn the lights on themselves when they wake up. The cocoon form does not sleep.

Pressing A and C together will open the menu or turn on or off the sound. Pressing the B button will open the clock screen, and pressing A and C together will allow the user to set the time. These two functions are always available regardless of the Angel's circumstances, except when it has died or departed.

### Games

There are two games, referred to as "Simulations". Games increase the Angel's Happy level; winning the game fills Happy by one unit, while a perfect game fills Happy by two.

* **Battle Training** involves moving a platform to avoid the falling spears, which may be either the Spear of Longinus or an N2 Bomb, cycling from game to game. Pressing A moves the platform left, and B moves the platform right. The weapon must be dodged ten times to win a perfect game.
* **Target Switch** (目標をセンターに入れてスイッチ *lit: Put the target in the center and switch*) involves two shapes (one of a triangle, the other of three lines) that will move around the screen, and the user must press the A or B button to stop when the two symbols completely and evenly overlap each other. Pressing too soon or not pressing at the right time counts as a point lost. The symbols must be lined up five times to win a perfect game.

### LCL Cleaning

Throughout the day, the LCL around the Angel will get dirty. Pressing the A button will clean it. The longer the user waits to clean it, the more dirty the LCL will become. The user will not be able to feed or play games until the LCL is cleaned.

### A.T. Field

Similar to sulking seen on previous Nano models, if the Angel is neglected for a long period of time, it will put up an A.T. (Absolute Terror) Field around itself. The user can coax it out by pressing the A button. While the Angel has the A.T. Field up, the user can't feed it or play the games, but can still check the clock, turn the sound on and off, and check needs with the C button.

### Daily Events

Every hour, normally at XX:30, animations of various other characters from the Evangelion franchise will appear. Pressing any button will trigger the animation to end, with some showing an additional screen before closing. The animations appear daily, unless the Angel is in the cocoon stage. Raising certain characters causes additional animations to appear at 3 PM.

### Death and Departure

The Evaneko has two known ending sequences:

* If the user maintains good care and either does not meet the conditions to evolve into a special adult or reaches a certain age, the Angel will depart on its own and trigger the Third Impact, leaving a black screen with the message "おめでとう" (Congrats).
* If the user neglects the Angel and fails to coax it out of its A.T. Field, it will be killed by NERV, leaving an image of a giant cross explosion. The animation differs slightly between each Angel, showing which character from the series killed it just before the explosion.

In both instances, pressing A and C together will trigger a new fetus to appear.

## Trivia

* The Evaneko is the first Nano model for a number of things:
	+ To be released in Korea.
	+ To be based on an anime.
	+ To not feature animations at 10 AM, 2 PM, or 6 PM.
	+ To feature the cocoon stage
		- Its is also the first Tamagotchi since the vintage era to feature a cocoon; it was last featured on the Mori de Hakken! Tamagocat.
	+ The first Japanese model to feature more than two growth stages.
		- It is the second model overall, the first being the Pac-Man Tamagoneko.
* The release of the Evaneko was meant to be correlated with the release of the *Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time* film, but the film's release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* This is the third Tamagoneko produced to be based on an anime, the first being the Doraemonneko and the second being the Oden-Kun Tamagoneko.
* One of the production companies behind Neon Genesis Evangelion, Tatsunoko Production, is 20% owned by Takara Tomy, Bandai's main competitor in Japan. This marks Tamagoneko's first crossover with a franchise owned by a competitor, even if it's only partial.
* The Evaneko has the largest roster of any Nano model, with fourteen adults and at least seven secret characters. Including the baby and cocoon stages, this gives it a total of at least 23 characters.
* The Evaneko borrows several features from previous Nano models:
	+ The Happy meter affecting the close-up reaction is taken from the Eevee x Tamagoneko.
	+ The daily animations is taken from the 2019 Pocket Usatama and Pocket Usapiyo.
* Several interface screens, including the clock screen, sound menu, and lights on/off menu, are thematically changed to reflect the Evangelion theme. When the lights are off, instead of showing a black screen with a floating "Z", the screen shows NERV's headquarters.