Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, Shin Seiki Evangelion) is a long-running manga series by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and published by Kadokawa Shoten; begun in the February issue of Shōnen Ace in December 1994, it is still running and consists of 11 volumes, each comprised of several "stages" or chapters, out of a planned 12 volumes. It was released before the anime of the same name, Neon Genesis Evangelion and was intended to increase public interest although Sadamoto's authorship of the manga caused problems for Gainax as multiple publishers felt "that he was too passé to be bankable".