#unit 01 pilots giant shinji

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 01

Not a hoax, not a dream, not an imaginary story, and it's not an April Fool's prank! The Neon Genesis Evangelion liveblog begins here!

Man, it feels surreal to actually be doing this. This is one of those bucket-list anime series that I thought I should watch just to understand all the pop culture references. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure was one, Revolutionary Girl Utena was another, but those were a lot easier to track down. Hell, RGU was free on YouTube when I watched it. But Eva was a little tougher to get ahold of. There weren't a lot home video releases, and streaming services weren't carrying it. I think that's changed in the last few years, but I'd heard the Netflix version had some changes to the subtitles, and besides, I was busy with other things.

So a few years back I just said "fuck it" and paid too much money for the old ADV DVDs. I think it's out on Blu-Ray now, but I can't take screenshots from Blu-Rays so this is the play. But that's all prologue. We're finally here, and I'm finally watching this thing, so it's time to see what this thing's all about.

Ah, so it's a historical drama, is it?

I could gush about the theme song, which I've enjoyed for years, even without watching this show, but nah, let's just move on to the show itself. You know the words, and if you don't, go look up "Cruel Angel's Thesis" and prepare to rock out.

There's a little backstory in this episode, but the important stuff is pretty self-evident. There's some giant monster thing that emerged from the water, and a big UN military force is desperate to destroy it before it attacks. Conventional weapons are completely ineffective, and a big chunk of Episode 01 is spent on watching this thing shrug off missiles and shells as it strolls towards... someplace. I'm assuming it's a city or a base.

It's fast, strong, and agile, as seen here when it catches a missile in one hand. The missile explodes in its face and has no effect.

While this is going on, a woman named Misato Katsugari is trying to pick up a kid named Shinji Ikari. The monster attack hits right before she finds him, and he almost gets killed when she pulls up in her car. On their way to the base, she sees that the U.N. is deploying a nuclear weapon? It looks like a nuke, but I missed that line, so maybe it was something else. Anyway, it doesn't work either, but it does blow over Misato's car.

When the dust settles, they push the car back on its wheels and continue. Misato calls for some sort of train to pick them up and take them the rest of the way, and it's like some kind of car-carrier train, I guess. Not important.

Since the nuke didn't work, the UN hands things off to the NERV agency, headed by Shinji's father, Gendo Ikari. Okay, so in brief, they call the monsters "angels", and if I remember right, they said there was an attack fifteen years ago, so this is an ongoing thing. NERV was established to combat these angels, but I guess the UN wanted to see if they could hack it on their own first.

Misato works for NERV, and she introduces Shinji to Ritsuko Akagi. They discuss Shinji as being the "Third Child", so it's becoming clear that Shinji didn't just come here to visit his dad.

I kind of glossed over all this technobabble, but I already know where this is going. There's big robots that can fight the angels, and they must need Shinji to pilot one of them, and he must be uniquely capable of doing so or they wouldn't have bothered sending for him.

The ladies give Shinji a NERV manual to read, but when they show him the robot, they tell him it's not in the manual. So why is there a manual at all? I mean, there's not much else to this operation besides the robots, right? Maybe that's why the manual looks so short.

I guess they were going to slowly introduce Shinji to the job, but the angel is attacking the base, so they kind of cut to the chase. NERV needs Shinji to pilot this specific robot, Evangelion Unit 01, to fight the angel. Shinji is obviously untrained, but his dad insists that he only has to sit in the pilot seat. Shinji still hates this idea, and his dad stone cold doesn't care. Shinji clearly doesn't trust his dad, and his dad stone cold doesn't care about that either.

Misato is the only one here who's even a little sympathetic to Shinji's predicament here, but even she pressures him to get in the robot, because they're all going to die if the angel gets any closer. She says something about how Shinji needs to "confront" his dad and himself, which Shinji seems to understand, like he's known for a while now that this day was coming. He still can't bring himself to go through with it though. So Gendo goes with Plan B.

Plan B is Rei Ayanami, a girl about Shinji's age who piloted another NERV robot, Unit 00. I guess she fought an angel recently, which is why she's so badly hurt in this episode. They have to wheel her in on a gurney. The NERV staff are somewhat incredulous about this, but as Gendo puts it "She's not dead", and if Shinji won't fight, this is all they have left. Despite her condition, Rei agrees to do it, although it's pretty clear to everyone that she's in no condition for this, if she ever was.

While Shinji is still processing the implications of sending Rei in his place, the base is rocked by the angel outside, and it's enough to knock over Rei's gurney and send some stuff crashing onto Shinji... until Unit 01 raises its hand to mimic his own instictive motions. Improbably, Shinji is so in tune with the robot that he can control it from the outside, without even being conscious of it. So this sheds some light on why Gendo wanted him to pilot the thing so badly.

So between this and the pathetic state Rei's in, Shinji agrees to pilot the robot and defend the base. There's a lengthy scene of him getting put inside the robot and sending the robot outside, but I'm not going to do into that.

Gendo's second-in-command asks him if he's sure about this, and he points out that if they don't defeat the angels, then they have no future. As cold and indifferent as he seems, he does have a point. If Rei and Shinji are the only ones who can pilot the robots, what choice do they have? But I'm pretty sure the rest of this series will show that it's not that simple...

And that's the episode. I'm a little surprised they're saving the actual fight for episode 2, but at this point it seems like a foregone conclusion. If Shinji can't win, they all die, and I have a feeling the kaiju battles are kind of secondary to the rest anyway.

The way I understood it, this show started out like a fairly typical Sentai/Kaiju/Whatever-You-Call-It TV series. Kids in colorful suits, they hop in giant robots, which are the only thing that can stop the giant monsters, it's been done a million times. But as the series progresses, it turns into this introspective psychodrama or something. Also, it plays up how messed up it is to send teenagers into a war zone like this, but I think we just saw that happen already, so it looks like the social commentary hit the ground running.

I don't really have much more to say here since we're just getting started. There's not much point in trying to figure out Gendo, even though that's clearly the guy we're supposed to be wondering about. Better to wait for more information and go from there. So I'll see you next time.

[best-evangelion-girl]

the seventh angel is one of the angels in the rebuilds that doesn't resemble any angel from the original anime. dubbed "clockiel" by some fans, this angel appears as a giant clockwork mechanical angel with two long legs, a swinging pendulum that houses it's core, and Sachiel-like heads that move much like clock hands. it attacks by shooting large cross shaped explosions. because of its massive size, Unit 02 must be equipped with flight capabilities and a magnetic crossbow in order to defeat it.

https://wiki.evageeks.org/Seventh_Angel

Kaworu Nagisa is very similar to Rei, in the fact that he is a seed of life inhabiting a human body. while Rei is from Lilith, Kaworu is from Adam. despite his human form, he doesn't consider himself to be human. he also frequently refers to humans as "Lilin". he was secretly sent by SEELE to reach Adam and cause the third impact, but NERV was told that he would be a replacement pilot for unit 02. he immediately achieved perfect sync rates during his first test. despite being sent to destroy humanity, he takes an interest in them and their loneliness, especially Shinji. Kaworu takes great interest in Shinji, which initially makes Shinji uncomfortable as he has trouble trusting or emotionally connecting with people, but eventually they become close. later Kaworu takes control of unit 02 and descends to central dogma containing the body of Lilith. as he fights with Shinji, Shinji is emotional distraught and says that Kaworu betrayed him just as Gendo had. Kaworu then begs for Shinji to kill him, which he does reluctantly. in end of evangelion, he is part of the massive Rei/Lilith/Adam being, and appears to help calm Shinji and bring down his AT field.

in the rebuilds, he appears on the moon during the construction of Eva-06 before becoming it's pilot in 2.0. he, inside 06, stops Eva-01 from activating the third impact. post time skip, he plays a much larger role. as Shinji reaches the now nearly destroyed NERV hq, he meets Kaworu he teaches him to play the piano, and the two become very close. Kaworu shows him the ruins of the near third impact, and Shinji is distraught saying that he only wanted to save Rei, but Kaworu says that humanity does not see it that way. Kaworu tells him that they can save the world again by pulling the spears of longinus and cassius from Mark.06. he then takes Shinji's choker and claims that he will bare the wait of Shinji's punishment. as they descend and during the battle, Kaworu notices that something is wrong, and begs Shinji not to pull the spears. but Shinji doesn't listen and the twelfth angel is released. because of this, Kaworu becomes the thirteen angel. unit 13 then begins to awaken as the forth impact starts. Kaworu apologizes to Shinji and says that it was his own fault. he says that they will meet again before the choker explodes and decapitates him. although Mari manages to eject Shinji, he is absolutely fucking traumatized. during the additional impact in 3.0+1.0, Kaworu appears as a vision and explains that he has written Shinji's name in the book of life, which allows them to meet in all cycles after every time the universe is reset. after the would is rebuilt again without evangelions ever existing, Kaworu is seen as an adult, alongside the other children now also adults.

https://wiki.evageeks.org/Kaworu_Nagisa

[cicadas-in-late-nights]

1995 ─ THƏ ÄNGƏL§ "Neon Genesis Evangelion" unfolds as a complex tapestry of emotions, psychology, and metaphysical exploration. Set in a world battered by cataclysmic events and shadowy creatures known as Angels, the series follows the journey of Shinji Ikari, a reluctant pilot of the enigmatic biomechanical giant, Eva Unit-01.

The narrative is a symphony of dark themes, artfully woven together. It delves into the intricate minds of its characters, each struggling with their own traumas and insecurities. Shinji's path is a constant battle with self-worth and his fraught relationship with his estranged father, Gendo Ikari, who leads the covert organization NERV.

The Evas, towering technological marvels, serve as both saviors and monsters, their existence blurring the line between human and machine. In these colossal constructs, the young pilots grapple not only with external threats but also with their own inner demons, mirroring the series' overarching themes of isolation, identity, and existential dread.

As the narrative unfolds, it becomes apparent that "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is more than a mecha anime. It is a psychological odyssey, exploring the human psyche's darkest corners. The enigmatic nature of the Angels and the eerie, otherworldly dimensions they traverse mirror the labyrinthine depths of the characters' psyches.

Religious symbolism is pervasive, further imbuing the series with a sense of mysticism. Crucifixes, angels, and apocalyptic visions intertwine with the narrative, prompting viewers to ponder profound questions about the nature of existence and spirituality.

[one-winged-angels-world]

The End of Evangelion Alternate ending (real, not fake)

After 2 weeks ago. The giant angel has been attacked by a city and taking over from Tokyo-3

People are screaming from the panic and terrorizing by the Giant angel, her name is Sephiroth. The One-Winged Angel.

Shinji: Miss Misato,

Shinji questioned his caretaker, a purple-haired woman old enough to be his mother despite her still youthful appearance,

Shinji: why are we here? I don’t remember anything about training today, and surely if an Angel has been spotted we’d already be suited up and in the Eva Units.

Misato: shut their mouth Shinji! That giant angel has been attacked by a city. It's more likely giant human angel thing.

Misato Katsuragi thankfully she's watching her as Ritsuko Akagi

Shinji: who the heck is this.

Misato: it's a giant God angel name Sephiroth. And.... she is from final fantasy.

Ritsuko: wow Shinji, you're so cringe

Asuka: sorry stupid shinji. I'm going to kill that giant angel man

Misato: if you that giant red robot. Oh I will kill that giant angel.

Asuka: okay.

Misato: :(

Ritsuko: if that's just say. Wtf.

1028 hours later.

Asuka what she's watching her that was a size about 100 ft tall giant angel.

Asuka: what the hell is this....

Shinji: holy.....

Asuka: WTF HAPPENED!?

Ritsuko Akagi: bro Asuka

Misato Katsuragi: killed that bullshit.

Asuka: WHY DOES SO BIG!?

Shinji: I can do this.

In the wake of Second Impact and Angel attacks, the city was converted to be able to retreat into the vast chamber beneath the Earth known as the Geofront, ensuring the citizens were safe in the event of an attack. It was standard procedure.

But what was not standard was what greeted them on said monitors.

It was not an Angel, their sensors told them so, but they would not have believed it had they simply looked at it.

And last was a bright red aside from several white stripes, four eyes of green in its rectangular face. Evangelion Unit 02, Asuka Shikinami Langley at the controls. It also held a Pallet Rifle.

The first to step out, holding a colossal gatling gun in its hands, was coated in purple armor. Green lights adorned its form, contrasting with the yellow eyes affixed in an eternal stare. This was Evangelion Unit 01, piloted by Shinji Ikari.

Asuka: Let’s just deal with this thing and be done. It’s not an Angel so it won’t be trouble in the slightest

His attention was focused on the red Evangelion. He felt something perplexing about that one, something hiding within it, so he found himself drawn to it. Not that it would matter, he held full confidence in Sephiroth abilities.

Fingers clicked triggers the size of buses, unleashing hails of bullets that were individually larger than cars.

They struck nothing, continuing into the distance.

Before the teenage pilots could grasp the transpiring event, they were aware of the ground before the 01 unit bursting upwards in showers of concrete dust.

Shinji screamed as he comprehended it first, Sephiroth was somehow now standing atop the barrel of the gatling gun, pushing the end into the earth.

Asuka: What the fu-

Sephiroth: enough for that! You stupid purple robot!

Asuka questioned as she turned her Evangelion, only to have a colossal fist bash down into the crimson-plated face and cut her off. She shouted in shock, the Eva 02 crashing to the ground. She was vaguely aware through a similarly shrill screech that her fellow female pilot had also been sent to the dirt.

Asuka: what the hell.

Sephiroth: you fool! My power will be my revenge!

Asuka: why are you holding a gun.

Shinji: SHUT UP!!!

Sephiroth: Ah, you understand you stupid you too robot!

Sephiroth's leg shot up, smashing into the 01 unit’s gut. Shinji coughed as he felt his body be shoved around by the impact, the construct of man stumbling back and dropping its weapon. The gatling gun clattered to the earth, Sephiroth standing perfectly upright.

Sephiroth: Grrr. I will end this!

The giant angel rise to the fireball and then 01

Asuka: HOLY SHIT!!!

Shinji: what the hell

Sephiroth's black boots stepper by 02 and 01

Shinji: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Asuka: OH MY FREAKING GOD DAMN FREAK ME MOTHERFUCKER GIANT ANGEL!!!!

Sephiroth: Hahaha! HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!

Shinji: DIE MOTHER PRETZEL!!!

Sephiroth: no!

The one wing kick her 01

Shinji: MY DICK!!!

Asuka: you Motherfucker giant angel I am going to freaking kill you!!!

As Sephiroth keep growing bigger and bigger to the new size what she's now 500 ft tall.

Asuka and Shinji looking up to the size belt giant angel 500 ft tall.

Shinji: HOLY CANNIBAL ROMANCE!!!!

Asuka: we're all going to die.

Sephiroth: DIE SUCKER!!!!!

And so.....Sephiroth what she is now a new God to destroy the city and to begin to rampage. While the terrorizing never believe was 02 and 01.....

Misato: Shinji, please, stop!

Feet leaving the ground, Evangelion Unit 01 flew out of the Geofront. Gravity no longer bound her. The world shuddered as she did so, the sky beginning to shift in color. It was subtle, but it looked a little less blue as she sailed upward, breaching the atmosphere.

The young man remembered standing before the Evangelion for the first time, humbled and terrified by the colossus. Now, he stood before something that made the Evangelion seem as small as he had. But there was no fear.

Only a desire to destroy.

The giant One-Winged Angel he's looking down to see a purple robot staining what she is now holy cross. She looks like cross crucifix.

But suddenly..... That was it the size of the giant angel.

But..... She was a new God.... But still that the size of the earth this was an impact.... What she is the newest God himself.

The new God was terrorizing.....

It's been 7 years ago I watched evangelion as a kid in my first time so I'll make it I'll Alternate Ending. A very first version from original film. Because why did even like this well yes. Sooooo. I'm going to have edit for Sephiroth as a giant destroyed the city

Yeah I hope you enjoy

-Luna

Sephiroth belonged to Square Enix

Asuka and Shinji belonged to Eva Committee

Alternate Ending story by @moonlighs-world

[takerfoxx]

Okay, so I finished the third Rebuild of Evangelion movie, and as always, I have some thoughts.

So, this was the divisive one. This was the one that was supposed to trump End of Evangelion in how dark and fucked up it was, the one that caused Anno to relapse back into his depression, the one that split the fans by crushing the optimistic vibes of the previous one.

I...kind of loved it? Like, seriously, I really enjoyed this one (for the most part, but we'll get to my one big criticism later). Like, the first one was an abbreviated version of the first few episodes, the second was a retelling of the events leading to the Third Impact, while this felt like a genuinely new story in the Eva universe. We finally get to see past the Third Impact! I had no idea where the story was going at any given time! It was actually kind of exciting!

Okay, let's start off with the awesome. First, the Wunder, AKA the badass Eva-powered helicarrier Misato was captaining? Absolutely incredible. I was watching on my phone's little screen and I still gasped when it was revealed. Seriously, that whole battle was superb.

And Asuka and Mari as a bantering tag team? Also cool. Definitely see why they're shipped, even if Mari is fated to end up with Shinji in the end.

You know, one thing I've always liked about Eva is that for as utterly flawed and even fucked up as everyone's personalities might be, they still feel real and understandable. And while I've also felt that the way Asuka and others have mistreated Shinji in the past was inexcusable, the coldness and hostility he's getting from them now does make perfect sense. Yes, it wasn't his fault. Yes, he was just trying to save Rei and didn't know what he was doing. Yes, it was all a setup by SEELE. But the dude still triggered the Third Impact. That is a whole lot of dead people. And seeing that Misato lost her father to Second Impact, I can't blame her for not welcoming him back!

Okay, so someone in the know clear something up. Was Rei's soul recovered? Like, when Shinji pulled her out of that Angel, did NERV use whatever soul snatching tech to recover her and put her into a new clone body like they did when Unit 00 exploded in the original series? And does the Unit 00 she's piloting now still contain a piece of Rei 1?

Okay, I'm assuming that Shinji's soul lay dormant inside of Unit 01 all those years until I guess his giant robot of a mom spat him back up, after which everyone at WILLE was like, "Oh great, now this planet wrecking asshole is back." At first I assumed that they cloned him and was confused as to why everyone was ignoring him after bringing him back, but they didn't even want him back to begin with!

Kaworu. Oh, Kaworu. You know, I wasn't really on board with the whole Shinji x Kaworu thing when I first watched the series, but then again, that was a weird transitional period in my life as I moved away from my religious conservative upbringing and was still dealing with a lot of internalized homophobia. Now watching them interact with a fresh perspective...yeah. I mean, Shinji x Asuka is still my go to ship, but realistically speaking, the creepy Angel boy is the best option for him. Kaworu is pretty much the only person to show Shinji actual affection, respect, and positive reinforcement from the beginning, and it's clear why Shinji is so smitten by him. Granted, it's Kaworu, so there probably is an element of manipulation there, but it still does seem to come from a genuine place, and regardless of his motives he does seem to have Shinji's best interests at heart.

Okay, so where did it lose me a little? Well, I was a little confused as to Shinji's motivations at the end. I get that he blamed himself for the Third Impact and was convinced that kicking off Instrumentality would reset the world somehow, but he went from I WILL NEVER AGAIN PILOT AN EVA to GET ME IN THE DAMN ROBOT really quickly. At first I thought that he felt that he and Kaworu were sneaking behind NERV's back to further their own agenda, but Rei's presence as their backup would imply that it was an official NERV operation from the get-go. Like, does Shinji seriously trust his dad?

So I feel there should have been one more element to convince him. Like, have him turn Kaworu down at first, but then have one more revelation that makes Shinji change his mind. And maybe have a scene where Rei asks to go with them because she's curious about her own origins. I get that this movie had a troubled production and multiple rewrites, but this bit could have stood to be proofed a little more.

I also don't get Gendo's "Just As Planned" reaction. Like, really? They counted on this exact scenario? And was he working for SEELE or seeking to undermine them? Was this all just a setup to get rid of Kaworu because he was SEELE's boy? Why would he or SEELE want Fourth Impact to be aborted? It's all way too convoluted, even for Gendo.

Okay, so in regards to Kaworu, it seems that he was led to believe that Instrumentality would reset the world like he promised Shinji, but Gendo pulled a fast one by either switching out the Lance of Cassius with a second Lance of Longius, or lied to him about the lances from the beginning, basically tricking him into a scenario that eould result in his death or a different version of Instrumentality than he promised Kaworu or...something?

See what I mean about convoluted?

But the messiness of the finale aside, I still really liked this one, and am looking forward to the completion of everyone's arcs in the final movie.

[tsukinoinaba]

Possible G Witch spoilers under the cut (as of Episode 6)

Gundam: Hey, Eva, can I copy your homework?

Evangelion: sure, just change some stuff so it's not obvious you copied.

Awkward teenager with socialization issues: Shinji Ikari / Suletta Mercury

One dead parent: Shinji’s Mom / Eri’s dad

One living parent who’s a mysterious chessmaster: Gendo Ikari / Prospera Mercury

A giant robot made by the living parent for the teen to pilot: Unit 01 / Aerial

The two main teenage girls have white and red hair: Rei + Asuka / Suletta and Miorine

The giant robot secretly houses the mind of a dead female relative: Unit 01 yes / Aerial TBD

One of the two main teen girls is also secretly a clone of the person in the robot: Rei yes / Suletta TBD

[miss-peanut-butter-cups]

Ram's foray into Neon Genesis Evangellion: Episode 6

While the intro rolls, I've been thinking. Are Eva's biological things with an exoskeleton to control it? Because unit 01 had an eyeball under the head a few episodes ago, and it was bleeding too. And has a mouth.

Shortest Eva fight ever.

They just had that balloon ready to go?

22 layers of armour daaamn

Is it necessary for Misato to stand at the opposite end of the room from Ikari? In fact why's that office so big to begin with.

Yeah it'd hand over my expensive tech if a giant robot lifted off the fucking roof

It's cool to see Misato being competent at her job instead of just borderline comic relief character

Shinji really is just a regular kid that stumbled into being an anime character isn't he

BIG GUN YEAAAAAA

So what's up with the rest of the world, are Angels only attacking Japan?

Damn all of Japan's energy into one gun? I'm expecting some cool visual effects here

HOOOOOOLLLYYYYY

Very impressed. Well done Evangellion.

He smiles!

Well he hasn't gotten a therapist, but a giant robot piloting friend is a good start

Closing thoughts:

Man, that is some nice animation on the big energy blasts. Also liking that each fight so far is different, they're not all just punch the biped until it dies. Good to see the Shinji feeling happy arc is here now too.

[rusialeksis]

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Part 1)

Hello everyone,

Neon Genesis Evangelion, produced by Kobayashi and Sugiyama from 1995 to 1996, is a profound anime that addresses complex issues both in Japan and globally. In this module, we were assigned to watch episodes 1, 2, 4, and 5, and I can say that I gained insights into societal challenges, personal struggles, and existential themes. Today I decided to change my way of creating the posts. I am mostly going to aim to talk about each episode and reflect on them.

In Episode 1, we meet Shinji Ikari, a 14-year-old boy summoned by his estranged father to pilot the giant bio-machine Evangelion Unit-01. This episode immediately delves into themes of abandonment and pressure, reflecting the intense societal expectations placed on youth in Japan. Shinji's reluctance and eventual acceptance of his role highlight the struggles many young people face when dealing with familial and societal obligations.

Episode 2 further explores Shinji's internal conflict as he grapples with his fear and responsibility. The battle scenes against the Angels serve as metaphors for personal battles and the psychological burden of living up to expectations. This resonates globally as many people, especially adolescents, face immense pressure to meet various demands in their lives.

In Episode 4, Shinji's mental state deteriorates as he attempts to run away, only to realize that he cannot escape his responsibilities. This episode reflects the broader issue of mental health, particularly in Japan, where societal pressures can lead to severe stress and depression. Shinji's isolation and struggle for acceptance are universal themes that many can relate to, emphasizing the importance of mental health awareness and support.

In Episode 5, we meet Rei Ayanami, another pilot who deals with pressure and identity differently from Shinji. Rei’s character shows emotional suppression and the struggle to fit into a strict system. This reflects Connell's idea of hegemonic masculinity, where people often conform to societal norms and hide their true selves.

Watching Evangelion reminded me of my own struggles with pressure and finding balance. Shinji's journey reflects the challenges many face in meeting expectations while taking care of themselves. Which is really hard for many people, including me to do. Sometimes we tend to give up on ourselves, setting responsibilities as a priority instead of our well being.The readings on hegemonic masculinity and queer masculinities also connect to the series, showing how characters like Shinji and Rei challenge traditional gender roles and norms.

Overall, Neon Genesis Evangelion addresses critical social issues through its complex characters and storyline. It serves as a powerful commentary on the pressures of society, mental health, and the struggle for identity, resonating with audiences worldwide.

[shadowydazecg]

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Part 1)

In the first episode, we see an introduction to what's happening in the city. After being introduced to a dystopian Tokyo-3, Shinji Ikari finds himself thrown into a battle against enigmatic entities called Angels. The city is constantly threatened, and Shinji must pilot a giant bio-mechanical robot, Evangelion Unit-01, to protect it. This episode captures the fears that Japan has felt from natural and man-made calamities throughout its history and now. The depiction of Tokyo-3, a city repeatedly attacked and rebuilt, mirrors Japan's real-world experiences with frequent earthquakes and the necessity for disaster preparedness and resilience. On a global scale, the episode highlights universal themes of existential danger and how people react to crises, highlighting the psychological effects of constantly being in fear of something bad happening to you.

In episode 2, Shinji is further integrated into the operations of NERV. NERV is the organization defending against Angels. Shinji is dealing with emotional and personal issues. This episode delves into his tense ties with his father, Gendo Ikari, as well as his challenges with the weight of piloting the Eva. In Japan, there is an emphasis on family and social expectations. The strained father-son relationship reflects broader societal issues related to familial pressures and emotional estrangement. Globally, it addresses common problems with identity formation, mental health, and parental expectations. Shinji’s internal conflict and sense of isolation resonate with a global audience, highlighting the emotional burden that comes with significant responsibilities and strained personal relationships.

I can relate to Shinji when it comes to having strained relationships with a family member. I have a great connection with my dad, so that's where we differ. I do have strained familial relationships with some of my cousins and uncles. There is a lack of communication (from both sides) which causes our relationship to feel strained. Sometimes it's awkward to speak with them because they have their minds made up about me without even getting to know me. That's why I chose to keep my distance, but I will be cordial whenever I see them.

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 02

I’m honestly not sure if I knew beforehand about the penguin.  This is one of those “wacky” anime tropes where it’s like “Uh-oh, we have a kooky thing in our show!  Wokka wokka!” and I’m pretty sure it’s in so many different titles that I probably heard about the penguin and got it mixed up with some other show’s wacky animal.  Anyway, let the record show that there is a penguin in this anime.

So last time Shinji Ikari got voluntipulated to pilot Eva Unit 01 in battle against an “angel”, a powerful monster that occasionally shows up in this world.  All we really know so far is that the angels are hostile and only the Eva machines can stop them, if they have a compatible pilot to operate them.  I guess the NERV Agency built the Eva machines, and recruited Rei Ayanami to pilot one of them, but she’s been hospitalized, so the NERV director, Gendo Ikari, has brought in his son, Shinji, to pilot another Eva unit in her place.

And he reluctantly agrees, despite having no training or prior experience.  Hell, it’s not even clear he had any idea what he was getting into today.  Anyway, he seems to have a gift for controlling his Eva, but the angel still overpowers him and starts kicking his ass.  One of its powers is some sort of energy piledriver thing it uses to batter the head of Eva-01. Shinji can feel the damage, even though his own body isn’t physically harmed.

In the NERV command center, everyone’s freaking out because this clearly isn’t working, but there’s nothing they can do about it.  Well, everyone except Shinji’s dad, Gendo.  He doesn’t seem to care much one way or the other.

Then we flash forward to after the battle, when Shinji wakes up in bed.  The middle of the episode just moves on, and for a while it’s unclear what the hell happened. 

A bunch of big shots have a meeting in a darkened room, talking in circles about how expensive it is to fight the angels and all the projects they want Gendo Ikari to work on.  I feel like I’ve seen this a hundred times.  Pop Team Epic spoofed a scene like this, and this whole show reminds me of the not-funny parts of the Excel Saga manga.  All these vague references to things the audience couldn’t possibly know about, and flashbacks to lines delivered earlier in the same episode.  I don’t know if Evangelion was the inspiration for a lot of this stuff, or if it was just using tropes that were already familiar in 1995.  Certainly the giant robots vs. giant monster thing is nothing new. 

Anyway, nothing really gets settled in this scene.  The authorities want Dr. Ikari to handle this crisis, and from what I can tell he already is. He’s a callous prick about it, but none of these guys seem to care about his attitude. They briefly ask why it’s so hard to find compatible pilots for these Eva Units, but we never get a clear answer. And Gendo has no reaction to their posturing, so this scene really doesn’t advance his character at all, unless the point is to show that he’s just as indifferent towards his superiors as he is to his subordinates.

At some point Shinji is released from the hospital, and Misato sets him up to live in this city.  He wasn’t injured from the battle, but he was shaken up pretty badly.  On their way, they briefly run into Gendo, who just stares at Shinji, who looks away in frustration until the elevator door closes.  Soon enough, Misato learns that Shinji won’t be living with Gendo while he’s here.  That doesn’t seem to bother either of the Ikaris. 

So Misato arranges to have Shinji live with her, since she doesn’t like the idea of him being in a place by himself.  She tells Ritsuko about this, and jokes that she isn’t planning to seduce the kid, and Ritsuko is upset at the very thought of it.  

Misato was only kidding, but yeah, that’s kind of a messed up thing to kid about.  It’s not even a case of the joke aging poorly, because Ritsuko takes offense in the very next line of dialogue.

On the way to her place, Misato finally explains to Shinji what this place is: Tokyo-3, a fortified city designed to repel Angel attacks.  I think I can make an educated guess about what happened to Tokyo and Tokyo-2. What I don’t understand is what good the city does.  It didn’t protect anything, and it was up to Shinji to defend it.  Maybe it’s just easier to clean up and repair than a regular city.

Anyway, they get to the apartment and there’s empty beer cans and trash everywhere.  Shinji is uncomfortable being here, he’s uncomfortable eating instant meals with Misato, and when he doesn’t immediately relax like she wants, she brow-beats him over it. 

I guess that’s the point of all this.  Misato’s the only person in this show so far who even tries to treat Shinji like a person, and she’s frustrated that he isn’t more like the kind of person she’d like him to be. 

I mean, the additional frustration of living with an adult woman must be stressful as well, and the penguin probably doesn’t help matters. 

Okay, so this is kind of a thing.  At night, Shinji lies in his bedroom listening to his mixtape or whatever, and it switches from track 25 to 26.  I was reading a Twitter thread that mentioned this, and how he only listens to those two tracks over and over, so I think that becomes important later.  Anyway.

At last, we finally flash back to the battle, and learn how Shinji survived.  Somehow, his Eva went berserk and began fighting back all on its own.  Or maybe Shinji was controlling it unconsciously or whatever.  The Angel is quickly overwhelmed, and it tries to self-destruct, but the Eva survives unharmed. 

The NERV crew mention something about the Eva’s “true form”, which I guess explains whatever this thing is that we see beneath it’s helmet.  Shinji gets a look at it through his viewscreen and they stare at each other for a while before he blacks out from terror.

Before turning in for the night Misato stops by to tell him what she feels she should have told him earlier: that he did a good thing by saving Tokyo-3 from the Angel. 

I don’t know, it didn’t quite hit me until now, but yeah, it’s kind of fucked up that no one bothers to thank him until well after the crisis has passed.  I mean, if Tokyo-3, the NERV Agency, and all the rest are so crucial to the future of humanity, then you’d think there’d be more gratitude towards Shinji.  I think part of the disconnect here is that the Angel problem is a lot bigger than this one attack, and the characters are too busy worrying about the big picture to appreciate a single act of heroism, no matter how important it might be. 

Anyway, that’s it for now.  Join us next time when... actually I have no idea.  I watch the next episode preview, but I couldn’t make much sense of it. I’ll find out soon enough.

[best-evangelion-girl]

all the characters in the best non human evangelion character competition so far:

angels from neon genesis evangelion:

Adam

Lilith

Sachiel (3rd angel)

Shamshel (4th angel)

Ramiel (5th angel)

Gaghiel (6th angel)

Israfel (7th angel)

Sandalphon (8th angel)

Matarael (9th angel)

Sahaquiel (10th angel)

Ireul (11th angel)

Leliel (12th angel)

Bardiel (13th angel)

Zeruel (14th angel)

Arael (15th angel)

Armisael (16th angel)

Kaworu Nagisa (technically not human, so he counts)

angels from the rebuilds that aren't just repeats of angels from nge:

unnamed third angel (giant scorpion dinosaur thing that Mari fights at the beginning of 2.0)

unnamed seventh angel (bipedal clock thing from 2.0)

unnamed eighth angel (rainbow winged thing from 2.0)

unnamed twelfth angel (freaky shape shifting thing sealed inside mark.06 in 3.0)

angels from other pieces of eva media:

insubstantial angel (from neon genesis evangelion: second impression video game for sega saturn)

diemay angel (fan made angel designed by Satou "Diemay" Daimei, a winner of a contest to have an original angel design be illustrated by Yoh Yoshinari)

shateiel and turel (conceptual angels from the neon genesis evangelion proposal)

iblis and barachiel (angels created for the game Neon Genesis Evangelion RPG: The NERV White Paper)

adovaquiel, azrael, atalibu, and zefon (angels created for another game, Neon Genesis Evangelion RPG: Decisive Battle in Tokyo-3)

non angel characters (robots and computers and more):

eva unit 00 (piloted by Rei) (technically also unit 00', when it changes to blue armor when it's repaired after remiels attack) [let me know if 00 and 00' should be separate characters]

eva unit 01 (piloted by Shinji)

eva unit 02 (piloted by Asuka)

eva unit 03 (piloted by Toji) (I'm classifying unit 03 as the entity before it's possessed, and bardiel as the corrupted entity)

eva unit 04 (not actually ever seen in nge, but was in some promotional material, and mentioned by name only in the anime)

mass production evas (eoe)

Evangelion Proto Type-00, Evangelion Test Type-01, Evangelion Production Model-02, Evangelion Production Model-03 (rebuilds) (basically the same, just with longer names and ever so slightly different designs)

Evangelion Provisional Unit-05 (piloted by Mari in 2.0)

Evangelion Production Model Custom Type-08 (piloted by Mari in 3.0) (there's also the upgraded versions in 3.0+1.0, the one at the beginning of the movie with the big ass gun attachments is apparently called Type-08beta, and the version seen at the climax that can fuse with other evas is apparently called Type-08gamma. I'm debating whether I should consider these different characters.)

Evangelion Mark.06 (piloted by Kaworu in 2.0, and seen fused to lilith in 3.0)

Evangelion Mark.09 (piloted by the Rei clone in 3.0)

Evangelion 13 (piloted by both Shinji and Kaworu in 3.0)

Unit 01 berserk mode (multiple episodes)

Unit 00 berserk mode (episodes 5 and 14)

Unit 02 beast mode (from the rebuilds. technically different from berserk, as the pilot is still in control)

Magi-1: Melchior

Magi-2: Balthasar

Magi-3: Casper

Pen Pen

send me asks and let me know what other characters I should add. the rules for this competition are pretty dumb and silly. for this competition, a character can be really any object at all, it doesn't necessarily have to be alive. the only real hard rule is that they can't be human. (they can still be part human or take the form of a human. the evas have human souls, and Kaworu appears as a human teenager, but both of those are different enough from actual humans)

I'm still debating if I should include the goofy spin off characters, like just straight up optimus prime from the transformers crossover, or godzilla from an Godzilla /Kamen rider / Evangelion themed ride in universal studios Japan

[mysteriouspresence]

Madoka Magica and Evangelion: A Review

part 2/3

this is a brief, spoiler free introduction to Madoka Magica and Evangelion, two anime that i was surprised to find many similarities between. you can skip this post if you want to just see the analysis too, just click on this link → Part 3

i got carried away, so please expand to see the whole post!

to begin, let's point out the obvious differences that both franchises sell at a glance.

take this promotional poster of Madoka Magica:

(promotional poster for original Madoka Magica anime, source from official website)

from this first glance, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is very reminiscent of a shoujo show targeted at young girls (along with merchandise such as figurines, plushies, and props that can be easily put into toy stores). the premise of the story is simple enough as well — Kyubey, the magical animal sidekick, wants to recruit the main character Madoka and her friend Sayaka to become magical girls to fight against the evil witches who trap innocent's in pocket dimensional spaces known as “labyrinths” and torment them. In exchange, Kyubey promises to grant any wish they have, and grant them magical powers and strength that will let them right against their enemies. Sayaka is strong willed, tomboyish, and wants to use her wish to heal her sick love interest, while Madoka is kind-hearted but indecisive on how to best use their wish. the story also introduced three veteran magical girls: Mami, who takes Madoka and Sayaka under her wing as they consider their options; Kyoko, who lives in the city over and hunts competitively for witches; and Homura, who shows up every now and then to coldly warn the girls about the dangers of the job. Seems simple enough, right? 

now, let's take a look at the opening for our second series:

(video of Neon Genesis Evangelion anime opening, sourced from YouTube repost)

Neon Genesis Evangelion instantly gives shonen vibes (again, giant mecha toys sell very well) with its action scenes, kaiju-esque battles, and futuristic technology (albeit dated, since it was written twenty-plus years ago!) Shinji, a young boy, is called to the big city Tokyo-3 by his estranged father to pilot a giant robot (EVA Unit 01) to fight alien creatures known as Angels. though unwilling at first, due to his poor relationship with his father, he ultimately decides to take the call to action and learn to overcome his cowardice. he is joined by fellow pilots Asuka — a textbook tsundere girl from Germany — and Rei — a typical kuudere with a mysterious past. together, they fight tougher Angels in a monster-of-the-week fashion, learning to synchronize and get along with each other to improve their teamwork and reach greater heights. sounds fun, doesn't it?

both these series earned high acclaim and received canon movie expansions that continue the story, spinoff series with alternate universes and endings, and yes, merchandise for days. but all targeted at adults — the seinen demographic, to be specific — rather than kids.

why?

psychological horror. (Top: Madoka Magica episode 8, Bottom: Evangelion episode 25)

cosmic horror. (Top: Evangelion episode 22, Bottom: Madoka Magica episode 11)

thus, not suited for children and some adults too. Evangelion also includes themes and visual symbolism that allude to Freud’s studies in human sexuality, and both shows get quite bloody and violent in their dispatching of the enemies — this isn’t some bloodless exorcism or cool explosion seen in other shows. the viewer and the traumatized protagonists are forced to watch the people around them — their comrades, their mentors, their innocent friends, and random civilians — get injured and even killed in brutal ways. but just like the protagonists, the viewer cannot turn away. both become too embroiled in the tragedy that unfolds to escape.

yeah, i would not recommend my 14-year-old brother watch this yet.

behind the thin film of the cherry, childish themes of adventure and “14 year olds saving the world” is the exploration of the grim nature of sending children off to fight humanities battles and how cruel fate can be when the only option between humanity and a few lives is the latter. these two works from unexpected corners of fiction share a metric ton of cool parallels, converging and colliding through shared themes, plot elements, and character arcs. i believe that people should definitely check out these two key series if they enjoy trippy stories that work to subvert the viewer’s expectations using the conventions that existing trope sets have using genre deconstruction, to explore the deeper aspects of sub-genres often targeted to children in an adult light. after all, tons of dark magical girl/mecha series that popped up afterward were all inspired by, and encouraged by these two shows — in defying one genre, they helped establish a new one. 

[samasmith23]

Evangelion: You Can (Not) Marathon — (Part 6)

Neon Genesis Evangelion, “Episode 6: Decisive Battle, New Tokyo-3/Rei II”

Continuing my Evangelion re-watch marathon with NGE, "Episode 6: Decisive Battle, New Tokyo-3/Rei II"! For my thoughts on the previous episode, click the link to the post below:

With that out of the way, let's dig in!

I love how this episode begins immediately where Episode 5 ended, with Shinji getting immediately blasted by Ramiel’s laser beam the literal moment EVA Unit-01 emerged from the GeoFront's hatch! And seeing Ritsuko’s efforts to revive Shinji after he subsequently went into cardiac arrest and Misato’s efforts to revive him felt incredibly intense! The soundtrack “Angel Attack” (one of my personal favorite scores from the series soundtrack) definitely elevates the suspense in this opening:

Also, I forgot that NERV could give their pilots a heart massage via the LCL liquid inside the Entry-Plug! That actually kinda makes sense considering that in the Evangelion universe that LCL that the pilots are submerged in is actually the blood of Lilith, aka the seed of life for humanity!

So... that diamond-drill which Ramiel employs to bore into NERV HQ still gives me the absolute shivers! But seeing that I’m also a snarky bastard, I can't help but not think of Freudian psycho-sexual imagery whenever I look at said-elongated drill emerging from the bottom of Ramiel and penetrating the various plate armors below Tokyo-3.

Lol dang! I forgot that Misato actually was the one who invented my nickname for Ramiel, the “Flying Fortress” Angel, while describing its absolutely perfect offensive and defensive capabilities!

One of the things that I’ve always felt makes NGE's Angel fights so uniquely distinct from other giant-Kaiju fights in anime is how the battles rely primarily on strategic planning rather than brute force! And Misato’s plan “Operation Yashima” to take down Ramiel is a perfect example of this in how simultaneously insane and ingenious her strategy is!

Alright, so get this... due to the lighting-fast speed of Ramiel’s particle-beam attacks combined with the strength of its AT Field defenses, Misato plans to have the EVA’s utilize a long-range experimental positron sniper rifle to fire a powerful particle beam from Mt. Fukushima outside of the Angel’s firing range, drawing electricity from ALL of Japan’s power lines to create an energy beam powerful enough to penetrate the AT Field and destroy the Angel in a single shot. And the steps to complete plan, including NERV acquiring the positron rifle from the Japanese government (which Misato hilariously has Rei’s EVA Unit-00 steal from the SDF right under their roof, and then tapping all of Japan’s power lines into the rifle, and converting the hull of a disused space shuttle into a makeshift-shield to defend against Ramiel’s particle beam! And all of this has to be completed within the short span of 9 to 10 hours before Ramiel’s drill completely penetrates the armored plates directly above NERV HQ!

This plan is absolutely bonkers and has so many variables that can go wrong, but it’s simultaneously so clever and inventive that I can’t help but love it (especially since NERV’s super computers, "the Magi," determined it to have the best possible outcome of success out of all available strategies despite only having an 8.8% success rate factor)!

Oh boy! There’s certainly a lot to unpack regarding the scene where Rei wakes up Shinji in the hospital to brief him on Operation Yashima. Firstly, this scene further effectively illustrates just how emotionally detached and distant Rei is considering that she doesn’t even express any concern or relief when Shinji wakes up from a near-death experience, instead jumping the gun to read-over military protocol before coldly tossing a new plug suit onto his lap the moment she see’s he’s awake. While Rei does briefly seem to show some semblance of basic humanity when she offers Shinji a plate of food, she immediately reverts back to her usual detached personality by stating that it’s Shinji’s obligation to continue piloting EVA Unit-01, completely disregarding his fears after just being almost killed by Ramiel, before stating that if Shinji won’t pilot Unit-01 then she’ll act as his substitute, not even seeming to care whether or not she lives or dies in the process.

In addition to further conveying Rei’s emotionless detachment from herself and others, this scene is also effective in showcasing how Rei is willing to blindly and obediently follow the orders of her commanding officers without even considering the well-being of herself or others, almost as if doing so is a completely foreign concept to her. It makes Rei feel eerily robotic and doll-like, further adding to her enigmatic nature.

I am in no way whatsoever foreshadowing anything with the usage of the word "doll" there! Not at all... (sarcasm)

A couple of points about the preparation scene at Mt. Fukushima: I love the lighting of the scene where Misato & Ritsuko are re-briefing Shinji & Rei on the operation, and this exchange between the latter two as they put on their plugsuits conveys an underlying sense of humanity beneath Rei’s cold emotionless exterior:

Shinji: “Maybe this will be our last day alive.” Rei: “Why would you say something like that? You won’t die… I’ll be protecting you…”

And here it is! One of the central reoccurring questions that’s asked throughout Evangelion: “What exactly is reason that these 14-year-old children continue to pilot their respective EVA’s.”

We’ve already seen in previous episodes that Shinji hardly pilots the EVA for altruistic reasons like saving humanity from annihilation at the hands of the Angels, but primarily out of a misplaced desire to validate his own depressed and empty existence by attempting to gain the acceptance and validations of others such as his scumbag father Gendo or his flawed but well-meaning caretaker Misato. But the question of why Shinji continues to pilot is one which he keeps coming back to due to just how stressful and traumatic the experience has been for him so far.

So wanting to understand why someone else like Rei would conversely be so willing to throw her self into danger seemingly without any care, a Shinji can’t help but ask her why she decides to pilot the EVA. And although Rei’s answer is incredibly vague at first glance, it ultimately reveals and foreshadows so much about her character. Rei pilots EVA Unit-00 because, “[She’s] bonded to it," that it represents "a bond.” Not necessarily a bond between herself and Gendo like Shinji initally suspects, but to “all people,” telling him that she has nothing else before standing up directly in front of the pale moonlight and ominously stating, “Goodbye Shinji.”

Essentially, this scene subtly foreshadows the later reveal of Rei’s true identity as the reincarnated soul of humanity’s progenitor Lilith, as is conveyed through both her statement of being “[Bonded] to all people [and having] nothing else,” as well as the shot of her underneath the gaze of the white moon light being reflective of the contrast between the Angel’s progenitor Adam’s vessel, “the lost White Moon,” and Lilith’s vessel being "the Black Moon” buried underneath Tokyo-3 which the NERV GeoFront is a part of. Said-bond to all people is also reflective of Rei’s currents lack of tangible bonds to other people, with even her attachment to Gendo being one of militant subservience rather than legitimate parental/child affection.

Plus, Rei’s “goodbye” highlights her suicidal belief that she’s a disposable piece of hardware who doesn’t care whether or not she lives or dies in battle as long as she successfully completes her mission. And the fact that Rei’s soul is also the soul of Lilith also suggests the idea that her empty nihilistic behavior is symbolic of the feelings of emptiness and hopelessness which predominate all of humanity in the EVA universe following Second Impact, similar to how Shinji will later become an avatar representing all of humanity during Third Impact in The End of Evangelion!

You can definitely tell Anno was planting the seeds of Rei’s true identity (and how it ties into the series overall mythos and finale) from the very beginning! I absolutely love it!

Still... for the sake of craps and giggles, considering my earlier usage of the phrase "pale moonlight" as well as the fact that Lilith according to both Mesopotamian and Judaic mythology is the first wife of Adam and the primordial mother of all demons, (which basically means that all humans in the EVA universe are essentially demons from a certain point of view…), I can't help but think of this classic line from Tim Burton's Batman when I see the image of Rei standing in front of the moon:

I absolutely love the pattern-effect of the positron rifle’s energy-beam completely diverting Ramiel’s particle-beam during the first failed sniper-shot, plus the melted-plastic texture of EVA Units-00 and 01 when Rei desperately tries to shield Shinji before he fires a successful second shot, destroying the Angel!

The decision to have the ending of Episode 6 identically mirror the beginning of Episode 5 was a perfect way bookending this two-parter! Especially since while Shinji does end up saving Rei here in a manner exactly identical to how Gendo did during the first Unit-00 activation test, in contrast to his father Shinji presents himself to Rei as visibly more emotional and caring, not only asking if Rei is alright like Gendo did, but also telling her to never say goodbye in such a suicidal manner like she previously did before he bursts into tears. In contrast to Gendo’s distant “I see" response, Shinji’s tearful breakdown is so completely foreign to Rei that she doesn’t know how to respond to this situation before Shinji asks her to smile, suddenly reminding her of a similar gesture she once received from Gendo. Realizing that she’s starting to form a more sincere and legitimate bond with someone else, Rei can’t help but show a visible emotion for the first time ever by responding to Shinji’s kindness with a genuine heartfelt smile!

What a perfect bit of character development for Rei to end the episode on! Episode 5 began with her only possessing a hollow and subservient bond to Gendo who only see’s her as a tool, whereas by the end of Episode 6 she’s beginning to form a legitimate and meaningful bond with Shinji who conversely see’s her as a person. It also demonstrates a level of empathy not previously conveyed by Shinji, whom instead of wallowing in his own depressive self-pity, has now found someone who’s existence is even more empty and directionless than his own, and genuinely wants to help her self-actualize and discover her true purpose for existing! In that regard, Episode 6 serves as an important stepping stone not only for Rei’s character development, but for Shinji’s as well!

As heartwarming as this scene is, I still can’t help but feel that it’s a tad unrealistic for Rei to form such a sweet and innocent smile so easily after apparently never having smiled before in her entire life. If this scene were to play more realistically, it’d be like that hilarious David Willis' Shortpacked! parody webcomic version of this scene!

Being serious again though, I feel that I should indulge in some behind-the-scenes trivia concerning Rei's characterization. In a 1996 interview with Rei's Japanese voice actress, Megumi Hayashibara (who also provides the voice of Shinji's mother, Yui Ikari), she stated that despite the character's apparent lack of visible emotion, "Rei's beauty comes from the truth that she has feelings." According to Hayashibara, Hideaki Anno informed her during the directorial process that, "It's not that [Rei] doesn't have emotion, but that she doesn't know what it is," which contributed to Hayashibara delivering her lines in a manner that's simultaneously flat yet meaningful, like she's struggling to draw out the feelings "hidden deep inside [her] heart."

And I personally felt that Amanda Winn Lee carried over this same kind of energy to her performance as Rei in the ADV dub! Which is quite an accomplishment considering that Winn Lee's personality IRL is incredibly open and snarky, which is a stark contrast to Rei's quiet and reserved demeanor.

One last note before wrapping up, I'm kinda embarrassed to admit this, but it took me forever to realize that the silhouetted figure spinning underneath the water upside-down in front of the moon during the closing credits is actually supposed to be Rei (when I first watched the series back in college I honestly mistakened said-silhouette for Shinji). Both the presence of the moon combined with being submerged in liquid definitely feels like further visual foreshadowing to Rei’s role as Lilith in The End of Evangelion!

So yeah, that was NGE, "Episode 6: Decisive Battle, New Tokyo-3/Rei II" and both it along with the previous episode reminded me of why I was initially so captivated by Rei’s unique enigmatic nature (therefore making me want to learn more about her)! Rewatching these episodes has helped me gain an even greater appreciation for the sheer amount of characterization and development she receives in only just under an hour’s worth of screen time! It's very impressive work on Anno’s part!

Which is actually somewhat ironic considering that Anno has openly expressed that out of all the characters in NGE Rei is the one he feels the least attached to. Specifically, in a 1997 interview Anno stated that, "I don't really understand [Rei]. The truth is, I have no emotional attachment to her at all. [...] At the end [of the sixth episode], when Rei says, 'I don't know what kind of expression I should have at a time like this,' and Shinji says, 'I think you should smile,' and Rei smiles. [...] When I thought about it afterwards, I cursed. I thought, in short, that if she has [already] communicated with Shinji there, then isn't she over with? At that moment, Rei, for me, was finished, all at once."

This attitude is also apparent in the notable differences in the portrayal Rei's character was portrayed between the NGE anime and the official manga adaptation for the series written & illustrated by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (who was also the lead-character designer for NGE). While it's not the only difference between the manga and anime despite both versions sharing the exact same plot beats (but interpreted much differently), Sadamoto dedicated a lot more time and focus to Rei and her relationship with Shinji in the manga version of the story, Anno was more openly interested in exploring the dynamic between Shinji & Asuka (which will become evident once Asuka debuts in Episode 8...). Despite this, I do love the amount of development Anno provided for Rei's character in both Episodes 5 & 6 as well as later on in the series' later episodes and The End of Evangelion movie, demonstrating that he still understood and respected her importance in the narrative!

But yeah, I overall really enjoyed Episodes 5 & 6! Next up is Episode 7 which... while by no means a bad episode and is still a lot of fun from what I remember, was always my personal least favorite episode in NGE (even more so than the "Magmadiver" episode which is seemingly universally derided by a large amount of the EVA fanbase, which always confused me since I personally really loved that episode). But anyways... let's see how I feel about Episode 7 upon rewatch...

[askteletraaniv]

Dear Teletraan IV where was Shinji Ikari during the events of Transformers and Evangelion crossover? Was he in EVA-1 or somewhere else at the time?

Also why didn’t Skylynx assist his fellow Autobots in fighting Angel-scream or there a reason why?

As an Evangelion, in the Prime Evangelion universe anyway, requires the pilot to either be piloting a unit with their mother's soul, or otherwise be highly compatible with LCL and AT field technologies, it is most likely that Shinji Ikari was the one piloting Eva Unit 01. Even in realities where the Eva units work differently, Shinji Ikari is usually the pilot of Unit 01, because such changes in reality usually result in Shinji's confidence gaining a considerable boost compared to his appearance in the two main Evangelion timelines.

As the Autobots, and therefore cybertronian technologies, exist on Earth in the Transformers X Evangelion timeline, I do theorize that rather than having the soul of Shinji's mother in this reality, Eva 01 runs on an advanced wetwork AI that co-operates with Shinji and acts as the Evangelion's "Soul" for the AT field technologies to work. However even in a world where Yui Ikari lives, she's a little screwy, and thanks to that incorporated some of her own DNA into the creation of Eva-01, resulting in the massive cyborg essentially being Shinji's "Big Sister". Having been constructed both off of reverse bio-engineered angels and Cybertronian technology also explains how Optimus was able to use his reconfiguration Matrix to adapt Eva 01's traits and massive size.

As for the fight against Angel Scream, as Skylynx was one of the only flyers on the scene, he was assisting with Evacuation of Tokyo-3.

Interestingly, the angels of this universe ended up recovering data on Starscream after his merger and started to create mass production smaller Angel foot soldiers, both human size and Cybertronian size. When a more human sized angel fell, it'd be common for their foot soldiers to merge with them to become giant again, which is when Prime and the Evas would deploy.

However to deal with them while they were human sized, a series of exosuits based on the Evangelions and Optimus using reverse engineered angel and Masterforce technology were developed.

The Q series Exosuit; These suits allow Eva pilots to use their AT field constructs even at a human scale, provide augmented strength and fire power. In addition they allow them to transform into a small scale vehicle for faster locomotion and ramming attacks. Don't let their chibi appearance, a quirk of the lead human scientist Ritsuko, an eva pilot using one of these suits can really pack a punch!

[zenosanalytic]

Growing Up is Hard; It’s Hard and Nobody Understands

So I noticed netflix has Neon Genesis Evangelion up last week and started watching it front to back for the first time ever(this happens to have coincided with me being in a down-mood for your edification, dear readers u_u), finished it today, REALLY liked it, and I wanted to try my hand at explaining what the hell is even going on in NGE cuz it actl seemed super-clear to me(a person who has been consuming NGE analysis and post-NGE media for literally 25 years) u_u

Surface Plot; Or NERV: What the Hell Is It?

I’ll try to make this as brief as possible: An organization of super-wealthy individuals calling itself Seele(looking this up, it means soul in german) wants to possess the power of God. The final third or so of the series is clear on this; it’s all about power. Ikari Yui, a geneticist, is recruited by this organization, and her husband Gendo(having taken her name which says a LOT given typical Japanese practice) comes with her. In seeking out this power, they discover a hollow sphere underneath Antarctica(”The White Moon”), send an expedition there under the guise of the UN, encounter an entity with this power which they label an “Angel”, and do SOMETHING which prompts it to explode the continent flooding the earth and killing half the population(that Gendo left beforehand implies this may have been intentional, or that a bad outcome to Seele’s approach was easy to predict, tho in typical Gendo fashion, his is the only ass he cared to save).

Afterwards Seele blame the scientists for this outcome and send Gendo on a salvage mission which recovers both remains of the Angel, now dubbed “Adam”, and a device they dub “the spear of Longinus”. Seele creates Gehirn to study these remains for practical use; they clone “Adam” and dub the result Evas(Eves). Having cloned them, they now need a way to use and control them as the Evas are non-responsive. They hit on the idea of injecting people into them via the Entry Plug system, presumably to act as a brain. The first person to try this, Ikari Yui, was absorbed by the Eva(Unit 01); the second(Soryu Kyoko Zeppelin; Asuka’s mother) was partially psychologically absorbed by Unit 02, psychologically and mentally injured by this, institutionalized, abandoned by her shit USian husband Langley who remarried to her LEAD DOCTOR, and eventual kills herself in a hanging which Asuka either is the first to discover or, given her memories of promising to die with her/begging her not to do it, was present for. An important thing to note about this: Shinji and Asuka’s ability to sync with their Evas comes from the fact that their mothers are PART of their Eva’s identity, and all of their classmates are potential pilot-candidates. The implication here is that Seele KNEW this happened when you put adults into an Angel, and they KEPT DOING IT ANYWAY to create more pilots, but there’s no confirmation of that in series.

After the attempt at human adult control fails, Gendo combines Yui’s DNA with Adam’s and creates Rei. At the same time he is doing this another team, under Akagi Naoko, is developing Magi, a biomechanical computer for simulating the human mind(again: certain implication to this re: Evas though the series never says anything). Naoko is romantically interested in Gendo, and they start getting together(Gendo’s too much of an asshole to be said to date, I think). After Rei, a toddler, tells her Gendo calls her an “old woman” in private, not realizing this is insulting, Naoko kills her, then kills herself out of shame over having MURDERED A CHILD, and Gehirn is folded into a new organization, NERV, which Gendo is put in charge of. Rei forms the basis of the second attempt at controlling the Evas; child-pilots.

How they use Rei for this I’m not exactly sure. It could be because Rei is cloned from Yui(she easily syncs with Unit 01 before Shinji bonds with it completely), or because she’s part Angel via her Adam element(Kaworu says Angels merge with one another easily and naturally), or it could be they did something with Rei I’s corpse and Unit 00(I dont see how as it seems to require a LIVE pilot). Regardless, she is raised to be the pilot for 00, the prototype. MUCH later, when the rest of the Angels finally decide to come looking for Adam, Shinji is called in, and after his success Asuka(who like Rei and unlike Shinji has been training to pilot her whole life) is called to Nerv headquarters(under Japan, in the “Black Moon”; a second spherical hollow where they found another Angel they call Lilith) too.

Regardless the child-pilots are only a step in Nerv and Seele’s plans, as Rei is ALSO the template for the Dummy Plug system, the final step in complete control of Eva units. To put it simply, the Dummy Plugs are Rei-clones without her personality or memories, and will just do whatever the heck they’re ordered to. At least once during the series(and I’d argue two, possibly three times) Rei dies and is replaced by one of these clones through some process, which involves what looks like a pre 00 Eva’s spine and probably a Magi-like backup, which transfers her personality and memories into the new body.

So what is Nerv? Well it’s hard to say EXACTLY because Gendo is in some sort of conflict with Seele(and I want to keep my watches of End of Evangelion out of this post; to focus entirely on JUST NGE itself) and Nerv IS Gendo, but as the series states repeatedly it’s an attempt to control the future of humanity by controlling what they call “the power of god” which, given that it’s what most distinguishes the “Angels”, is the AT, or “Absolute Terror”, Field. What is the AT Field? It’s a field that can make or unmake any kind of matter or energy from basically nothing, and it also seems to have a strong tie to what you could call the Ego; to desires and sense-of-self. An AT Field gets stronger when the person generating it is experiencing powerful emotions; Confidence, sure, but also Fear, Abandonment, the Will to Live, and Anger.

That last bit is very important. Why? Strong AT Field effects require a powerful emotional motivation in the pilot combined with high sync-rates with the Eva(basically a lobotomized Angel-clone) generating the Field. The three pilots we meet, the Strongest candidates, are all exceedingly traumatized people, and Gendo is the direct cause of the trauma of two of them. At no point in the series is Gendo ever a good father to Shinji, he is CONSTANTLY unreasonable, neglectful, and cruel to him; he’s kinder to Rei but at the same time her loneliness, the state of her “home”, and her lack of self worth shows that he rarely interacts with her outside of missions or explains what’s going on beyond bald facts; and he COMPLETELY ignores Asuka, a deeply lonely child with a history of abandonment and close brushes with death; he even delegates bumping her from the program. This point is important because it’s important to recognize that Gendo is a bad dad on PURPOSE; that he instrumentalizes his bad dadness to traumatize Shinji(and Rei and Asuka, though sadly the series doesn’t focus on them enough for us to see much) as much as he can, because he thinks that trauma, that emotional instability and anger, MAKES SHINJI A MORE USEFUL PILOT; ie lets him generate more powerful AT Fields. This is never said clearly, but it’s clearly what’s going on as forcing Unit 01(and thus Shinji) into awful, heartbreaking, life-threatening situations is vital to his plan. Gendo’s a piece of shit, and I want ppl to recognize just HOW BIG a piece of shit he is, because I feel this powerfully.

And for what? For Power. To be “God”. To get the highest numbers. To generate the MOST Invincible Invincibility Shield. For Ridiculous, Absurd, Childish reasons. For, you know, the same reasons rich and powerful people do all the fucked up shit they do in the real world where giant magic robots thankfully DONT exist.

And how do they plan to do this? Through “Human Instrumentation”, which will literally kill everyone by turning them all into goo.

Metaplot; Or “SHINJI! Don’t Get in that Robot!!”

So, maybe this is just because(as said previously) I’ve been reading NGE Analysis and consuming media which NGE heavily inspired for ~25 years, but I think it’s old hat at this point to note that Neon Genesis Evangelion is ALSO an allegory for becoming an adult, centered on Shinji. However, it’s just really SO on the nose in this, so PERFECT as such a narrative, that I want to run through it real quick. Also: A Cruel Angel’s Thesis is basically a thesis-statement for this series; please check out the lyrics.

So Shinji is living under the guardianship of a teacher(yup: this series even takes a swing at how our society uses schools to warehouse kids so their parents can waste their lives producing “Value” instead of raising them), when the shitty dad that abandoned him decides he has a use for him after all and calls him up.

On meeting with a child he has not seen SINCE HE WAS A TODDLER LITERALLY ABANDONED HIM ON THE STREET WHEN HIS MOTHER DIED he immediately ambushes him with the command that he get in a huge body(that he grow up) to do what? Whatever Gendo tells him to, but specifically: commit acts of violence for Gendo and Seele’s profit. He tells him this will protect people; meanwhile doing it destroys those peoples’ literal homes. The rest of the series is a series of monotonous, incomprehensible “Tests” judging his, and his peers, worthiness for approval and affection on the basis of how well they can use those giant bodies to do what Gendo tells them(so: capitalist work), punctuated by unpredictable, brutal, traumatizing, and physically dangerous events(so: capitalist work). Every friend, and the one lover, he meets, he is placed in unnecessary, destructive competition with and, when they are male, forced to attack and(in the case of the one lover, Kaworu) kill them; this last comment on homophobia is so stark and obvs I don’t even feel like you can CALL it subtext, even IF it plays out over mostly a single episode(honestly this plotline should have been given more time). And all the time they’re doing this, they must ALSO continue going to school and maintaining the front that they’re happy smiley Heroes, completely normal and not traumatized at all, and Nerv and the government that lets them run this city is a great and wonderful organization. Is this not what becoming an adult, over your teens and 20s, feels like?

And then there’s Seele and Nerv. Able to move state governments as they wish, Seele CAUSED Second Impact(Global Warming). By not returning Adam’s remains, they’re CAUSING the Angel attacks on Nerv meant to retrieve them(the threat of Human extinction). The Angels eventually begin trying to communicate and Nerv’s response? Destroy them before they can; blow up the Evas(and their pilots) if they succeed. And to top it all off Seele and Nerv are actually trying to CAUSE the very extinction(Third Impact) they claim to be preventing! Seele and Nerv are just SUCH good metaphors for capitalism in our modern day.

The transwoman reading of Shinji also seems pretty dang strong to me, though I’ll only deal with it shallowly. Shinji is the only “male” of all the pilots. Outside of command and security, most Nerv staff are women. Being an Eva pilot, being Nerv staff, is marked as “feminine”, and Shinji is an Eva pilot; is a Nerv staffer. The body he gets into, Unit 01, acts as a metaphor for the large, imposing, masculine body he’s expected to have as an adult “man”, yet it’s also spiritually his mom -feminine- and his ability to use it is tied DIRECTLY with his ability to “Sync” with that spirit; with his ease and comfort being feminine. Even at the level of mere aesthetics, Shinji’s plugsuit makes him appear to have breasts! Going a bit deeper, he initially relates to the women around him by relating to their gender. He’s most at ease with Rei because of the personality traits she shares with him which, we know from his gender-policing of Misato from earlier in the series, are traits he considers feminine(ie: he doesn’t feel like Misato has them, so he thinks she’s being a woman “wrong” and gets oddly offended by this in a way that really feels more about him than her). Asuka is constantly expressing her frustration with him for not “being a man”, ie, for being “feminine” in her eyes, and he isn’t really bothered by it(her calling him an idiot seems to stick much more firmly). Misato and Shinji establish a modus vevendi when she accepts him as he is, allowing him to do the household chores and to cook; he’s comfortable and happy when accepted into roles his culture considers feminine, while most of the series is him bucking AGAINST the masculinity forced on him by Nerv, his father, and others. Again: this is a very surface-level engagement with the subject, but even at that shallow level I feel like the case for reading Shinji as a transwoman is pretty solid.

Dislikes

It’s not a perfect series by any means of course.

There’s allot of dialogue that’s pure 90s nonsense, though the series mostly includes it only to shoot it down.

Like I said above, I don’t think Rei and Asuka really get the time or attention they deserve. In general the series treatment of women is ...Weird... especially around the issue of sex. It’s really strange; in many ways it’s far better than most anime(spcl from that period) on this. Women are ACTUAL PEOPLE with psychology, opinions, and pasts; they’re allowed to have emotions of their own, and struggles, and to be damn competent; they are independent and their own selves rather than accessories or “prizes” to men. But on the issue of feminine sexuality it just gets suddenly so weird in this very particular old-school misogynist way. Like: it treats women’s attraction and reactions TO relationships as something devoid of and impenetrable to reason, without belittling the emotions(the desire and hurt) behind those reactions. That’s the only way I can describe it, and it’s so strange to see something that is both so insulting and sympathetic at once. Oh, and the Akagis in particular are done super-dirty for seemingly no reason I can see, tho I can guess, and Akagi Ritsuki is CLEARLY a lesbian(possibly bi lesbian) and also Rose Lalonde(srsl; her Deal should have been an unrequited, unspoken crush on Misato. They openly dealt with queerness re: Kaworu and Shinji they could have done it here too).

The Kaworu storyline should have been a series of episodes or even developed from the start with him as another pilot(maybe replace Toji with him), though they’d have to tone down his weirdness, at least at the start. A deeper dive on Shinji’s sexuality(honestly his attraction to Kaworu is SO much more immediate and believable than anything we see with him and Asuka, which there is basically nothing of beyond the ep where they had to do choreography for a fight, and that’s not developed on) would have really been appreciated, and having Kaworu be a bigger part of the series would have facilitated that.

Also honestly the whole series feels a bit rushed? Spcl the second half. Like I said: I haven’t done any followup reading lately, but I remember there being some budget problems or something, so maybe that’s the cause. Ironically it might actl also be why it’s as GOOD as it is; having to keep it short forces you to write concise and lean, and that’s probably why its themes and message are so clear. But, I’d have liked more rambling for character development, and more time spent on seeing Rei and Asuka react to the stresses we saw Shinji face(also they never really get moments to shine like he does; another negative common to the medium and genre). Asuka in particular, as a Japanese German with a USian temperament abandoned by her parents, already an outsider in SO many ways, coming to live in an entirely different culture where she’s even MORE of an outsider; forced to live with people(Misato and Shinji) she finds it impossible to relate to or connect with; who has literally NO ONE beside a single adult guardian who totally blows her off THE WHOLE SERIES after delivering her; PLUS her awful past: there’s just SO MUCH material I’d have loved to see explored more slowly and with greater depth, detail, and sympathy even if what IS there already is pretty powerful and effecting. She’s SUCH a good Vriska(so I’d also have loved to see her break more shit too >:>)

Conclusion

So Anyway: I really liked this series. It had its problems, there are things I’d have liked to see, but it absolutely deserves the reputation it has. I might write more about this, I might do a watch through INCLUDING End of Evangelion(which actl makes much more sense having watched the series, though having done so makes Shinji’s masturbation scene comPLETELY out of left-field like where the hell did THAT come from); we’ll see.

[madmanjive]

Shinji, Asuka, and QRei wander until they are picked up by a truck, transporting them to a nearby Lilin settlement.

Toji is a village doctor and father of a young child named Tsubama (with Hikari, who is also alive).

Kensuke is also there. He’s an avid survivalist and works for a smaller sub-organization within WILLE called KREDIT, developing and refining the re-vitalization tech used for Angel Sealing Pillars.

Shinji stays with Kensuke and Asuka. Asuka wanders around naked and has a few suspiciously intimate moments with Kensuke, who she refers to as Ken-Ken.

Shinji is nearly catatonic. He refuses to eat or engage, still shaken by what happened with Kaworu. At one point, he gets a glimpse of Asuka’s DSS Choker and vomits, having been reminded of Kaworu’s head exploding. Kensuke cleans up the vomit.

Asuka marvels how he can manage to throw up without eating anything. Frustrated, Asuka and other villagers try to forcefeed him meals. Village elders scold Shinji for not trying hard enough. Hikari implores that the elders go easier on him.  

Meanwhile, Shinji is slowly recovering from his initial shock. Asuka is protecting the village perimeter.Kensuke teaches Shinji how to fish, elaborating more on the Angel Sealing Pillars. According to Kensuke, ASPs do not run indefinitely. Their failure will mean the end of the Lilin settlement and its inhabitants. Here, he introduces Shinji to “Ryoji Kaji” - Misato and Kaji’s 14 year old son, who works with Kensuke on KREDIT.Ryoji wears a light blue/white radiation suit. Here, it’s explained that Kaji died during 3rd Impact by closing the Door of Guf, while Misato was pregnant with Ryoji. Presumably, the Door of Guf can only be opened and closed with a Key of Nebuchandezzer, so Kaji could have procured two Keys from SEELE, one that he gave to Gendo, and one that he kept for himself.Ryoji has no clue who his parents are - allegedly thinks of himself as orphaned (parallels with Kaji’s own childhood post-Second Impact). Misato had abandoned him shortly after he was born. 

Turns out, Rei has an LCL deficiency in need of constant maintenance. Her body deteriorates the longer she remains outside her tank. With Tsubama near, Rei starts crying as the realization dawns on her. She has no idea how to process her death and doesn’t understand why it makes her so sad.Before she dies, Rei finds Shinji and gives him the SDAT. She thanks him. Her plugsuit changes color from black to white and she explodes in a pop of LCL.Shinji decides to return to WILLE and help Misato restore the world back to its pre-Impact state.WILLE does not react to Shinji well. They quarantine him again, though this time without a DSS Choker. Asuka and Mari visit him in his quarantine cell.Mari re-introduces herself to Shinji. Asuka admits to Shinji that she’d “liked him a long time ago” when she was still a child. Asuka is relieved to be long past those childish feelings, and happier still she had the opportunity to get them off her chest.Gendo starts to make use of Eva 13. The Wunder embarks to destroy him and 13. Here, a battle ignites between a skull-Eva army and Units 02 and 08, repaired with the spare parts WILLE salvaged from Paris in AVANT.Asuka attempts to destroy Unit 13′s core, first by removing her eyepatch to unleash an energy bolt from her Bardiel-corrupted eyesocket.When that doesn’t work, she goes beast mode, only for Unit 13 to destroy her after she injects Angel blood into 02 for an emergency upgrade. Asuka dies.  

Gendo successfully merges with 13, ready to start the final Impact. Shinji demands that Misato let him pilot Unit-01.Misato agrees; the time has come for Shinji to face off against his father in Unit-01. However, Sakura and Midori are vehemently opposed to the idea.Sakura, terrified and panicked, tries to shoot Shinji. Misato intervenes and takes a bullet for him (just like in EOE).As Shinji rushes to Misato’s aid, they have a heart to heart. Shinji tells Misato he met her son, Ryoji, and liked him. Shinji hands Misato a photo of Shinji and Ryoji smiling together that Kensuke had taken moments before. Misato smiles, relieved.Mari retrieves Shinji and transports him to Unit 01. Inside 01, sits Rei II with long hair. Shinji goes berserk.Shinji and Gendo duke it out in Units 01 and 13. Shinji is positioned as someone capable of growth, someone who can move on from the past, versus Gendo, who is escapist, stagnant, trapped in old memories. Shinji resolves to create a new world without Evas. During their fight, Shinji and Gendo’s memories cycle through, pulling in random scenes from their pasts: Shinji’s middle school, Sachiel stage, inside Misato’s apartment, etc.WILLE is baffled how Shinji can pilot despite his synch ratio reading “zero” - until Maya and Ritsuko realize “zero” actually represents the number closest to zero; that is, infinity.At one point, Gendo and Shinji stop fighting and the setting transforms to reveal a train, where they both confront each other. Gendo’s backstory is explored: he was alone and didn’t care about people, until he met Yui, who made him feel for the first time. When she died, he decied he’d do anything to get her back again.  

Shinji gets right up in Gendo’s face and pops his AT Field. Gendo protests, incredulous and resisting. We see a flashback of Gendo sending Shinji away.Shinji gives Gendo the SDAT through the AT Field. Gendo, defeated, departs the train  

Shinji and Rei brainstorm how the new, Eva-less world will look like. Shinji says, in English, the new world will be a “Neon Genesis.”Rebuild is set up as a sequel/loop of the original TV series. Kaworu is the same character in every Evangelion story: when he dies in one universe he gets brought back in another.Shinji remembers the original anime inside Unit 01, which contains both the Lance of Longinus and Lance of Cassius (the lances of hope and despair, together).  

Shinji attempts to impale himself as we get flashbacks from End of Evangelion. Giant Rei returns in hyperrealistic/fantastical CGI.Misato sacrifies herself and the Wunder by colliding the ship into GNR’s giant head. Before she dies, she says “I’m sorry, Ryoji” - a parallel played straight with Gendo in EOE.Yui blocks Shinji before he can impale himself with the Spears. Two sets of arms wrap around 01, including Eva 13 (Gendo). Gendo and Yui reunite, smiling fondly at their son.Shinji gets transported into the sea of LCL from End of Evangelion. Asuka is there, her plugsuit in tatters. Shinji tells Asuka that he once liked her, but now she needs to take care of Kensuke.Asuka has an Instrumentality sequence where she confronts a giant, human-sized doll as a child. The doll removes its head to reveal Kensuke, who affirms her existence  

Final Impact commences. Shinji says “Goodbye, all of Evangelion.” Unlike EOE Impact where everyone explodes into puddles of LCL, everyone, already having exploded, regains their forms through self-discovery.Evangelions turn into humans. Humans become men, women, children, animals, and nature.Shinji is alone on a quiet, blue beach. Mari’s Evangelion appears and says, “Goodbye Evangelion 3.0+1.0.” We’re treated to another train station. Adult Shinji, wearing a business suit, waits on one side of the tracks. Adult Rei and Kaworu are on the other side.Adult Mari comes up from behind Shinji and goes “Guess who?”Shinji replies: “a woman with a big chest.” Mari asks him if he’s “ready to go” and Shinji responds with an affirmative. Then, the shot pulls back to reveal a shot of live action Ube, Japan - Hideaki Anno’s hometow 

There you have it. After all these years kensuke get to be whit the girl of his dreams. Kensuke is the man.   AsukaKkenken LIVES!!!! Good things comes to those who wait.