Mari Makinami – Fallen Angel Studio
Mari Makinami – Fallen Angel Studio: Mari Makinami Illustrious is one of the characters in the “Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition” series, making her debut in “Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance.” She is one of the eligible Eva pilots, known for her twin tails and carefree personality.
Initially, Mari had a limited role, but her character was expanded upon at the director’s suggestion, Hideaki Anno. The character design and casting for Mari Makinami Illustrious were not done by Anno but were decided by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and Kazuya Tsurumaki to add variety among the cast of characters.
However, Anno was responsible for the design of all the other characters. Mari’s debut in “Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance” aimed to break the audience’s preconceived notions from the TV series by introducing this new character.
Her name, Makinami Illustrious, references two World War II naval vessels: Makinami, a Japanese destroyer, and Illustrious, a British aircraft carrier.
Mari Makinami Illustrious is an Eva pilot from the NERV European branch, outside of NERV Japan. When she first appeared in “Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance,” she was stationed at Bethany Base along with Ryoji Kaji. Her initial experience piloting an Eva, specifically Eva Provisional Unit-05, revealed that piloting an Eva was more challenging than anticipated, suggesting it was her first time.
Mari secretly entered Japan, parachuting onto the roof of the First Municipal Middle School in Tokyo-3. She had a conversation in English with someone over the phone, the identity of whom remains temporarily unknown. Later, she successfully infiltrated NERV Japan, piloted Eva Unit-02, and discovered the Eva’s Beast Mode. In “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo,” Mari joined the organization WILLE, led by Misato Katsuragi, to oppose NERV and SEELE. She became the pilot of Eva Unit-08.
Mari Makinami Illustrious is known for her brown twin tails (originally designed with purple-red hair), blue-green eyes, red-framed glasses, and an A10 nerve connection headband.
Like Asuka Langley Soryu, she is affected by the “curse of Eva” and maintains her youthful appearance in the story, appearing in “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo,” which takes place 14 years after “Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance.”
She wore an olive-green old-style combat suit when she initially piloted Eva Provisional Unit-05, which she replaced with a pink new-style combat suit when piloting Eva Unit-02. She continued to wear the pink-themed new-style combat suit when piloting Eva Unit-08.
Mari Makinami Illustrious is a rare optimist in the Evangelion series, finding enjoyment in combat while maintaining an optimistic attitude and a light-hearted tone.
Don’t miss out if you’re a fan!
