This 444 page manga is the first volume in what is billed as "the definitive account" of the origin of this "epoch-making" anime.  Originally published in Japan in 2002, this version "expands on the classic narrative" of the anime.  The contents of this hardcover volume are printed on heavy coated stock, including a half dozen color sections.  Also inclued are three short essays by Ryusuke Hikawa, Shinichiro Inoue and Hideaki Anno.