recurring visual imagery: downtime + recreation
neon genesis evangelion, dir. hideaki anno (1995)
but for real, stop the “asuka abused shinji” shit. it needs to die.
when people say “asuka abused shinji”, i almost want to ask: what exactly are you referring to when you use a loaded term for a traumatized 13 year old girl in reference to her incredibly complex dynamic with a boy who would later go on and attempt to kill her twice? the fact that asuka is seemingly louder, more abrasive, and more unapologetically bitter than the seemingly meek, soft-willed shinji? is that abuse? the fact that asuka calls shinji stupid? is that abuse?
the fact that asuka doesn’t screen her righteous anger through a filter of kindness when she calls shinji out for his shit? is that abuse? or is it asuka, physically pushing shinji away from her after he invades her space and demands that she be nice to him? is that abuse?
when shinji sexually assaulted asuka at her lowest point? did asuka abuse shinji? when shinji tried to kill asuka for not shutting up as she yells at him for objectifying her? when shinji tried to kill asuka again, after figuring out that he’ll be stuck with her for an indefinite period of time? did asuka abuse shinji with her response - a gentle stroke of the cheek, that frankly, shinji did not deserve?
the best thing about evangelion is that every single character is initially introduced as having a “superficial self” up until the point where that shatters, and it is revealed to the audience that their ‘true self’ is in fact the exact opposite of their superficial self. shinji ikari, for all his pain and suffering and trauma, is introduced as the meek nonviolent boy inclined to retreat from any and all contact. up until anno rips the rug from underneath us – shinji ikari, quickly jumping on the chance to hurt asuka when it finally dawns on him that she’ll never be who he wants her to be. asuka? asuka is introduced as the violent and self-absorbed girl – a stark contrast to shinji – until that, too, crumbles. cue the last scene in end of evangelion: shinji’s trying to kill asuka –shinji’s literally the manifestation of every stereotype normally attributed to asuka, here – and what does asuka do? she responds with clemency and mercy and grace. she caresses his face. the real shinji (all bite, no bark) vs the real asuka (all bark, no bite).
and then – just like that – the story of evangelion ends.
asuka and shinji’s dynamic is destructive and ugly and unhealthy, but the cards were never stacked in asuka’s favor. they were always stacked in shinji’s.
I don’t see a lot of people talking about this scene. Maybe it’s the tendency to refer to Misato as The Mama Bear™ of the Eva kids, conveniently failing to mention that by Eva kids, we really mean Shinji Ikari. Asuka never gets Mama Bear treatment from Misato, and this scene is in many ways emblematic of the real dynamic between the two: marked by a whole lot of indifference, neglect, and a latent sense of casual disdain – mostly on Misato’s end. Granted, Misato never actually comes out and says “Asuka, I care about Shinji a lot more than I care about you,” but after watching this scene I don’t think she even needs to.
Here’s Asuka having a very thinly-veiled, very public, very loud breakdown in Misato’s own washroom, complete with a heated display of water-basin flinging. The most Misato does is, well, nothing, if you disregard the glaring – which is exactly the point. Misato’s recent share of shitty life experiences aside, it doesn’t take any stretch of the imagination to figure that she would’ve made an effort to reach out to Shinji if he were in Asuka’s place, just as she did in Episode 23, propelled by little more than a hunch that Shinji would be troubled after Rei II’s death.
Once you peel away all the pleasant pretenses and platitudes behind a lot of their initial conversations, this scene makes a lot of sense. Asuka has always framed Misato as both a rival and an exemplary in all its counter-intuitive glory. For Misato, Shinji’s been the pilot whom she feels most comfortable flexing her quasi-maternal muscles, precisely because Shinji is a boy, and Misato thinks she knows exactly what he needs from her, by virtue of Misato being a woman. Asuka is the problem, the conundrum, the puzzle Misato never really bothers to work through, up until the very end.
We can even see shades of this dynamic play out in Evangelion 3.0 (which is more or less an answer to Episodes 22-24 of NGE), where it looks like Asuka has now graduated to overt dislike of Q!Misato and her modus operandi (fuck your Eva, the mission is your top priority, you get the point.)
recurring visual imagery: scenery + phonespeak
neon genesis evangelion, dir. hideaki anno (1995)
how many shots are there of shinji’s quivering eyes as he witnesses the bodies of women, girls, and girl-aligned persons being violently torn apart? girls’ mutilation in eva are mostly ever processed through being the source of boys’ trauma.
i’ve been wondering lately - what is it about nge that was so cohesive, that one singular vibe you saw in each of the characters. like, they all felt like they were part of a set, the same notes in a tone, regardless of the different stages of life, motivations, they ways they held other people at a distance (or too close), etc.
it’s contempt. i’m pretty sure that’s what it was.
you see it most in ritsuko and asuka - but contempt is there in varying levels with the others; shinji, misato, fuyutsuki, even rei. they say that contempt/disgust is one of the 7 universal expressions of humanity and i don’t know how much of that is bs, but contempt is such a crucial element in viewing nge, i think.
you have to start with understanding that contempt is a defense mechanism, and go from there. you miss so much of the subtlety in shinji’s narrative if you don’t see how tiny bits of contempt leak out in how he interacts with everyone (especially the girls, holy shit); how asuka tries to use her contempt as literal fuel for her fire until she burns from the inside out, how kaji thought he had it under control and stuffed down too many layers of lies but it poisoned him in the end, too.
it’s there. but the pinnacle of nge is not just the exploration of contempt and what it takes to truly hate yourself and others, but ultimately how nge doesn’t allow you - or the cast - one bullshit excuse to wave off your issues because of it. instead, it sits you down and says ‘you can be better than this.’
imo that’s something that needs to be said more. with that kind of honesty.
Carefully hidden in the background of these stillscreen shots from End of Evangelion are sketches of Misato, Asuka, and Rei in various sexually-fueled scenes – Misato reading a newspaper, Rei toweling off her hair, Asuka lying down, Misato bending forward, Asuka running to school, and a depiction of menstruation – from Shinji Ikari’s perspective.