Neon Genesis Evangelion – 19/20 – Throwback Thursday

Well ladies and gentleman, there isn’t any easy way to say this, but strap in. This week of Neon Genesis Evangelion is going to be a long one, because shit went down. There is no other way to put that, so let’s just get right into it.

Starting off we need to talk about the production because Evangelion was very divisive on that this week. On one hand, 19’s animation and direction was fantastic. I loved how it paralleled shots from earlier in the series when Shinji left. Except this time he is more sure of himself, he has a real reason for it and is assertive on the matter. Meanwhile the movements of the EVA unit were bestial and organic, terrifyingly so. It was one of, if not the, best episode of the series so far. On the other hand though, 20 was very weird and often difficult to follow. I understand the point, Shinji was having a bit of an episode. However a lot of it was difficult to follow and often just outright weird. There were some interesting repeating motifs, such as the train that Toji saw, but overall it wasn’t great.

Getting into the meat, episode 19, A Man’s Battle, gave us a lot of follow up to Toji. Naturally the primary focus of this episode Shinji, and you know what? It worked. Everything about it just worked. I liked what we saw between Gendo and Shinji, that bridge finally burning for good. Shinji no longer caring about his fathers opinion and breaking free from that relationship. Evangelion frames a lot of it as Shinji running away, but I don’t quite agree. As Gendo is an outright terrible father and, most likely, behind a lot of what is happening. At the same time, Evangelion did a good job of showing Shinji was serious this time. Misato noted it as well, but you could tell in his voice. He was deadly serious, assertive even, and he had valid reason for quitting. This was no mere whim, not this time.

This is also what makes the 2nd half of the episode impressive. As Evangelion gave Shinji a good reason to come back. Shutting down the roads so he couldn’t leave. Showing him the effects of an Angel attack on the ground level, screams of civilians and all. Having Asuka and Rei fight to the death alone, without him, while he is on the ground helpless. And even through all of that, Shinji didn’t immediately go, didn’t immediately run back to his father. Instead requiring the words of Kaji, someone who has acted more like a father to him than Gendo has. I think Evangelion did a good job here by hitting Shinji from both sides, having Kaji give him a choice while showing him the consequences of his choice. Ultimately having him return not for Gendo, but for Misato/Asuka/Rei, those he cares about.

At the same time, Rei and Asuka’s fights were brutal. Really every fight of the episode was brutal. Seeing the Angel dismantle both 00 and 02 piece by piece, forcing Asuka to disconnect right before her head flies off. Or Rei, unable to fight with 1 arm, just suicide bombing the Angel knowing she is replaceable. Good stuff. The nerve connections in the Eva have always been used to add drama, to transfer pain. But they are also starting to be used to transfer the risk of death, and it’s great. And we can’t forget Shinji’s fight either. Using the elevator to get it out was a great use of established terrain, and near the end I loved the Eva’s movement. How it walked and crawled almost organically, just like back when the Dummy Plug had control. Only this time it was Shinji himself breaking bones and shattering skulls.

Speaking of the Eva unit, I really enjoyed its… evolution? Awakening? Whatever you want to call it when Shinji merged with it, unleashing its full strength. This is where the episode really went off the rails, ripping off and attaching the attacking Angels arms to the Eva. Growing and hardening its skin to be immune to the Angels attacks. Evangelion did a fantastic job of depicting just how beastial and organic it was. Such as even when zoomed far away, they made sure to animate the bright glowing eyes blinking in the distance. Like a beast, free for the first time. And if anyone needed any more proof that the Eva units are alive, this was it. As even Ritsuko points, and I called it, that the armor was not there to protect it but rather to limit it.

As for what actually happened between the Eva unit and Shinji, this is my best guess. I would wager that the Eva’s are clones of Adam, the Angel, mixed with Human DNA. Thats what gives them their uniform shape, allows Shinji and co to connect with them, and explains their willingness to fight with us. At the same time, I believe that the clones don’t have a personality of their own. They are just meat puppets, similar to Rei in the Dummy Plug. So when Shinji or someone connects, they become the “brain”, the “personality”, and take it over. However the more the connect, the more the Eva manages to construct more and more of its own personality, until eventually it tries to merge with its user. Explaining why some Eva’s reject some users. The question now then is: What happens to the Eva’s next?

Because during this episode we also learned exactly what it is the Angel’s are trying to do. That being to reach Adam and cause a Third Impact. This makes me wonder though, what happens when an Eva touches Adam? Do we still get the impact, or will they be more human than Angel at that point? I ask because in this episode Evangelion shows us just where that line is. How the Eva can absorb Angel body parts, how it cannablisms them and “takes in” its S2 engine, letting it move without a power plug. Does this mean Unit 01 has become more Angel than the other units? Or more human, after its stint of trying to absorb Shinji? It’s the sign of a good episode I think when it answers a bunch of questions, only to introduce a bunch of new ones that are just as compelling. Great job.

Next up we have episode 20, Shape of Heart, Shape of Human, which I was not as enthused about. After the high-octane thriller of the first episode, this one consisted mostly of pseudo technobabble. With characters like Ritsuko mostly trying to work out ways to get Shinji out of the Eva, or trying to understand what happened at all. Throughout the episode there was also Anno’s trademark “wtf” directional choices. Most of those took place inside the Eva with Shinji of course, but they still existed, and it still wasn’t all the enjoyable to watch. Was there some interesting stuff there? Yes, this episode was not without some merit. I always enjoy seeing Misato, because she is just a fantastic character. But for the most part? It just wasn’t entertaining.

An example of this would be the usage of Rei, Asuka and Misato undressed, asking him to join them. I get what this was for, all motherly female figures in his life, etc. Trying to get him to become one with the Eva Unit in what would be the most literal representation of Shinji’s “running away” thematic line. It would be akin to him running away from reality to what is being shown as a sort of “paradise”. Poor word there, but best I have at the moment. Now I don’t want to knock this to hard, thematically I like it. I enjoyed how Evangelion presented Shinji’s world view. How he believes people only find worth in him when piloting the Eva. How people only praise him, and thus the only thing he should continue to do, is pilot the Eva. And he threw that away in episode 19. Again.

That said, what were the previously mentioned good parts? For one, when Evangelion’s direction is on, its on point. I loved a lot of the imagery involving Eva Unit 01 as it stands in the background. The organic eye watching their every move, unconcerned, unreacting yet always present. It was one of those things that hyped up the tension of the episode every time it was on screen, the white bindings only making it look even more striking. It’s as if the entire cast is now aware the the Eva Unit has a mind of it’s own, and no one is really sure how to react to that. Evangelion also gave us a good shot of Asuka, breaking down after her failure. Every Angel fight seems to drive her further and further down, and I am waiting for her to do something extreme, I can’t wait.

However ultimately I felt the presentation of those theme’s, Anno’s trippy visuals, just didn’t work. Thematically, yes, they fit. We see him, as I said, embracing the female figures in his life whom he has found comfort in. We see him confronting his past and a lot of his decisions and his mindset through his arguments with “Rei”. Whether it be on the train or the elevator or the escalator, over and over we see him mulling it over in his head. And for the most part, those are fine. But just because something is thematically resonant doesn’t exactly make it something fun or interesting to watch. Reusing the same clip over and over again for a minute while repeating the same line of dialogue from various VA’s isn’t exactly stimulating to the viewer. So at best I can give Evangelion half marks for it all.

Finally, let’s talk about voyeurism, boo ya! And by that I mean the final scene of episode 20. I joke about it because personally, I found it uncomfortably long. Yes, I enjoy Misato and Kaji’s relationship, every time they talk with each other it feels like a real conversation. But something about this just felt like… ASMR voyeurism. That said, I will always enjoy their relationship progressing. Showing how and where Misato seeks release after what was a very trying month for her. I do find it concerning, and telling, though that she would rather be with Kaji than Shinji after the clear birth/motherhood allegories. Hopefully we see a bit more of that before the end and less ASMR sex.

So allegories of the womb, motherhood, running away and birth aside, how were these two episodes? One was fantastic, possibly the best episode of Evangelion I have seen yet. There wasn’t a wasted moment as it drove Shinji’s story forward while dragging him back in believably. Only to end on yet another brutal fight scene. The other however was filled with technobabble and questionable imagery, packed to the brim with thematic elements. On an intellectual “I am a sophisticated critic of anime”, it was a good look into everything. On a consumer “I want entertainment and I want it now” level though, it felt lacking as it meandered around in Shinji’s mental state. Pairing the two together I think hit both of those fairly well, so as a pair I want to call it a success. But I am starting to see what some of Evangelion’s detractors were talking about.

When all is said and done though, I wanna see the end, and we are in the home stretch. 3 more weeks! 3 more weeks!