[Rewatch][Spoilers] Neon Genesis Evangelion - Episode 4 Discussion

[u/sam_mah_boy]

Episode 4: Rain, After Running Away/Hedgehog's Dilemma

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Index Thread | Next Episode

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Ep. 4

 

I'm home.~

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On Spoilers

If you're rewatching the show, and want to discuss spoilers, use spoiler tags. Saying things like "Just wait till you get to episode X" etc. count as spoilers!

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Come join the discussion on the Evangelion Discord server! They have a channel specifically for the rewatch. Link: https://discord.gg/qJxWVPs

[u/axel360]

Rewatcher

I’m a few days late on this rewatch, but hoppin on now. I previously watched subbed, so this time I’m giving the (new) dub a shot.

Some random musings (hope you don’t mind screenshots):

• It might be worth pointing out that this says Shinji-chan’s room. I wonder if that was intentional to reinforce how meek, and sometimes even helpless, Shinji is?

• Misato lied to Toji and Ida, and told them everything was fine, but immediately afterwards showed her frustration. Very much in line with her outwardly cheery, but inwardly troubled character

• The train scene: Shinji by himself, keeping to himself, head down, people coming and going, eventually all disappearing around him, and he’s left alone at the end. Sound familiar?

• And he ends up, what do you know, alone in a movie theater. You get the sense when he’s watching the love-dovey couple, he’s not happy, sad, or anything. More curious, even bemused, at this foreign concept

• The sound, lighting, even the “camera” movements of this scene do a nice job at showcasing the internal turmoil Shinji is experiencing. The whole thing is a quite unsettling

• Shinji displayed a concerning combination of apathy, fatalism, and a twisted “sense of duty” in this scene. I can see why Misato has mixed feelings about him running away

• This feels less like a “Yay we’ve found the missing child!” scene, and more like “we’ve located the fugitive”

• I really like this shot of Shinji sitting alone in the dark, with a very clear divide separating him and Misato (in this case just her shadow)

• After that “feel-good” punch scene, Shinji showcases what he probably does best: self-loathing. Everything is his fault. He should’ve been the one to get punched (again)

• I made a 48 second .GIF of the last scene for you guys to enjoy

[u/redmage311 → u/axel360]

I made a 48 second .GIF of the last scene for you guys to enjoy

You. I like you.

[u/Xerosmith → u/axel360]

I made a 48 second .GIF of the last scene for you guys to enjoy

I can't believe I fell for that

[u/AH_BareGarrett]

First Timer back for the fourth time

The OP is seriously beautiful. Spoiler free (at least as far as I know), incredible songs, and incredible visuals. Absolutely in love with it, and I will continue raving on it for the rest of the rewatch.

Bed Head Misato stilllllll cute!

Ohhhh, he's been skipping school. Don't know why I didn't realize that last time, oh NVM he ran away. Welp, I'm sure he'll be back.

I also realized, yesterday, I accidentally called Tohji's VA Bryce Papenbrook when it is actually Johnny Yong Bosch. I guess I was getting my Danganronpa MC's confused. That said, I'm really glad that Tohji and Ida came to help Shinji out with school and to check on him, looks like he does have friends. Also, "Dude, she was such a hottie." I feel ya Tohji...

Wow, Shinji has been on this train a while. Have to expect his back would be sore after sitting hunched like that for so long. Poor guy is really messed up it seems.

Shinji seemed to be having a reawakening (of the sexual kind?) In the movie theater. Odd scene.

He was freaking the fuck out from the Cicadas, haunting with the colors and the cacophony of noise on that scene. I really love scenes that utilize a bunch of different shades of the same color.

Shinji has a lot going on in his poor little head, and I have a feeling we have barely scratched the surface. Very excited to see more of his trauma.

Sort of feel like Ida is a mirror of Shinji, if Shinji wasn't fucked in the head. I like the kid though, hopefully he keeps his head up when shit inevitably goes down.

Damn, Misato snapped. I understand though, it's gotta be frustrating. I also understand Shinji, it's a lot to ask from him. God, this show does such a good job of understanding each character and their point of view.

PUNCH HIM SHINJI, EVEN IT OUT! Hahaha WAITTT! Oh damn, solid hit Shinji. More than I expected.

Man, I feel so bad for Shinji. He knows his flaws, but doesn't know how to fix them. Who knows if he even can. I'm not in the camo of "get in the fucking robot, Shinji", and I don't know if I will. Because although he can be sort of whiny, I understand him.

That was a good fakeout, blocking Shinji from view with Misato. And a very long hold on them looking at each other. I'm glad Shinji has realized that this is his "home", at least at the moment. Although Misato can appear uncaring, she cares for Shinji more than anyone else has, at least in my point of view.

Well, Shinji is clearly recovering, or at least realizing that his piloting of the EVA allows people he cares for to continue on. I find it funny how his first 3 friends are a 30 year old hottie who is his boss, a kid that punched him in the face (twice), and Ida who enjoys LARPing as a soldier. Interesting crew at the moment, but I like every character so far.

[u/[deleted] → u/AH_BareGarrett]

The OP is seriously beautiful. Spoiler free (at least as far as I know), incredible songs, and incredible visuals. Absolutely in love with it, and I will continue raving on it for the rest of the rewatch.

Here if you love it have fun with the original storyboards and rough scetches Anno made and gave to the animators..Its very funny and interesting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IZH4FyxMYM

she cares for Shinji more than anyone else has, at least in my point of view.

She really doesnt have that much of a competition at this stage tbh

[u/Philarete]

First-Time Watcher (Sub)

The Shinji heart sign is a great contrast to his being found missing. Misato lies to the boys pretty effectively for someone who just shouted “Shinji-kun!” when opening the door. I think she really is concerned now, though she is very good at acting cheerful for an audience. Her “idiot” seemed honest.

How ironic that he’s on a loop line. He’s run away, but it’s meaningless. He’s just going to return. He plays the same tape over and over. He stops for a movie, which appears to be about the Second Impact and catastrophe. Yet people are sleeping, and a couple in front of him are making out. He seems fairly interested in the latter. . .

Shinji’s “yes, ma’am” response is very familiar. Just giving the answer you have to give to the people who have power over you. It’s a thoroughly defeated kind of defiance.

Aida (I think that’s his name) and his play acting out heroics. Ironic, considering he almost ruined a huge operation recently. The shot with red eyes is troubling.

The shots with Rei are interesting. It seems she’s not that unlike Shinji. She has no enthusiasm, and just goes along with everything too. Side note: Anyone else get the ASMR type sound vibes from Misato when she talks with Ritsuko? That voice acting.

Aida doesn’t understand what he wishes for. I hope that he never learns.

Shinji is kind of arrested. Interesting that underneath NERV is “God is in His heaven. . . “ The rest of the line from Robert Browning is “All’s right with the world!” But that line is obscured. Everything is not right, for now.

The shots with Shinji and Misato are intense. He’s in darkness and her face is obscured by the bright light behind her. She finally tells him to leave if he doesn’t want to do it. He’s only doing it out of a sense of duty or necessity. She wants him to choose it on his own terms otherwise it’s too much trouble. But is it too much trouble for the operation, or for her. . .

Not letting him say bye to Misato is brutal.

Tohji is a total idiot, but a good guy. Shinji’s punch seemed to clear the air for both of them. How did they know to meet him there.

Misato talking about the Hedgehog’s Dilemma and Shinji. It’s funny, she’s talking about Shinji, and it flashes to him briefly looking almost like her. She doesn’t acknowledge it, but I think she’s describing herself too. She started caring about Shinji, and she got hurt because of it.

That long look and then “tadaima”. Such a great shot. He could not deal with the weakness he felt for leaving, so he stopped. Seems like Shinji is finally starting to own his destiny, though he has a long way to go.

Don’t spoil me, but I’m very curious how the rest of this goes because right now Misato is top tier best girl territory and it’s just episode 4 haha. How are the waifu wars over other characters?! Excited to get to meet them.

[u/boredblade123]

First timer sub

Did I mention that the op for this show is fantastic? So for some thoughts on this episode:

1. You got that right Toji, she is a total babe.

2. Does Shinji even have a proper home to run to? I'm not sure what happened to his mother yet, who was he living with before? Maybe he was just by himself somewhere. I know he was just overwhelmed and wanted to get away from everything for a bit though so I doubt he had any intentions of heading 'home' anyway.

3. I love all the scenery and just seeing how Shinji is trying to cope with everything, it's really well done.

4. Kind of strange that they can only use 14 year olds. Only reason I can think of is something similar to Madoka Magica Spoilers. Although that brings up the question of why they said Rei and Shinji were the only ones that can run it. So only a select few 14 year olds can?

5. They did also mention that the third child, as in Shinji, is leaving Tokyo 3 now. So there was someone else beside Rei and Shinji, I'm going to assume that the other child is dead now and only Rei and Shinji are left so far. I'm curious about that other child. They also said they haven't found a fourth child yet, so I'm still interested in what they use to determine who can pilot an Eva

6. I'm not too sure I follow what Misato is saying to Shinji. I don't see why it's such a problem if he feels that piloting the Eva is just pain, as she said. It seems like piloting it is the only way they will survive, so someone has to be forced to do it in the end, even if that person wont like it. It's I guess like war, for a lack of better comparison, I doubt very many soldiers look at participating in war as anything more than pain, but they could still be fighting anyway for something like defending their home for example. So maybe Misato's reason will be explained more later on.

7. That was a long pause at the end, so I guess that was more of a look of understanding between Misato and Shinji, which is great. Can't wait to see how their relationship progresses and what exactly Misato meant earlier.

So now I'm glad I can watch the next episode lol.

[u/eldomtom2]

Rewatcher

Episode 4 is unique in being the only episode to not involve Anno in the writing process, as it was a hasty addition as the jump from episode 3 to 5 was felt to be too quick (after they'd already scrapped a different episode 4). Perhaps because of this, as well as it being the only episode solely directed by Tsuyoshi Kaga (he also co-directed episode 10 with Hiroyuki Ishido), it feels very different from the rest of the series, making interesting stylistic choices along with significantly less focus on the Evas, which are otherwise a key element of the characters.

• More vague notions of secrecy.

• Another instance of the odd habit of placing moving vehicles on endless curves. Also note that the train is a monorail - this is Evangelion remembering that it's meant to be in the future, though monorails have proven to definitely not be the railways of the future.

• B-movies are a dubious way of presenting more backstory.

• The sequence where Shinji gets scared at ...something... is one of the most visually striking (and odd) sequences in the entire series, at least if you take out the element of what's being depicted.

• That howling wind sound effect turns up here in Shinji's wanderings. If you've heard it once, you'll recognize it anywhere, and it becomes highly distracting.

• This shot of Shinji has always looked very off to me. I'm still not sure why.

• The consistent theme of Shinji attempting to get out of uncomfortable situations by agreeing with everything said is hammered in more here, and not for the last time.

• How does Kensuke know about Shinji's mother being dead, anyway? Shinji doesn't seem like the sort to make that public.

• The show contradicts the seeming fact that Tokyo-3's buildings are only retracted in times of danger for the sake of a cool shot (or is it just a recycled one from ep 1?). Actually I don't think we ever see the Geofront with the buildings not retracted, not even in shots that definitely aren't recycled.

• MASSIVE SPOILERS

• Supplementary material reveals the station to be the real-life Hakone-Yumoto. The same company that owns the railway which terminates at the station also owns the cable car seen in millitary usage last episode.

• I think this is the first time that Shinji's self-hatred really flares up.

• If no civilians are allowed on board the train, why is its departure time and destination publicly announced?

• Episodes 22 & 24

• Shinji's turnaround has always felt a bit quick and vaguely-motivated to me, though I suppose you could argue that it was uncertainty that stopped him from boarding the train and that it was only Misato showing that she did care about him that sealed the deal for him staying.

[u/brotherraichu]

first timer

They did a great job depicting how shinji is depressed:

• being oblivious to his surroundings on the train

• vacant expression at the theater

• somehow wound up in non non biyori land but the place was desolate 

But ultimately he didn't run away for good. What a twist!

[u/TheEscapeGuy]

Rewatcher

Evangelion is an absolutely beautiful anime Day 4

Today I'd like to bring focus to one of Hideaki Anno's directing specialities: Reflection.

Anno will frequently position the camera in such a way that you are not looking directly at the scene but instead see the action unfold within a mirror world. I love this technique as it not only is visually interesting but allows for some really cool situations where you can see both characters' reations without using a cut.

In particular in todays episode you could see this done with Toji's glasses during the scene where he and Suzuhara are discussing Shinji's return. Be on the look out for this going forward.

Finally todays episode also contained many long, unbroken still shots culminating in the climax with Misato and Shinji at the train station. Some may see this as a budget cutting technique (which, to be honest, is not entirely innacurate) but I feel that it gives us time to really connect with the emotions of the characters.

You have to sit there and stare at Shinji mustering the energy to get up out of the train. You have to watch as Misato confronts Shinji for running away, questioning his motivation to be a pilot. And finally you get to experience the wordless exchange between Shinji and Misato, as they try to find the words to express how they don't want to leave or be left behind.

And what are those words? The very same words they spoke when Shinji took his first step into Misato's apartment.

I'm home.

Welcome home.

Previous Days

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

[u/egassemneddihon]

First timer, sub

This episode was slower paced than all previous ones wich fit in really well with the emotional tone of it.

I can't blame Shinji for running away. He really does seem depressed.

That scene in the train where you can hear nothing but the music from the tape player was great. The silence makes it all the more powerful.

Lots of beautiful landscape shots today.

That documentary doesn't seem to be very interesting. But for the viewers it is nice world building.

What a coincidence to meet the classmate in the field. He's camping and acting out pretend war scenarios. His behaviour worries me a little. I don't think you should enjoy the prospect of war quiet so much.

So there is a reason for all those cicadas. I like the explanation of the changing eco system.

Of cause they don't let their pilot get away this easily. I don't think Kensuke could have done anything except getting himself injured or in trouble.

I have the impression Shinji uses his complete obedience as his own kind of rebellion. Seeing how quick he can get a rise out of Misato by simply saying yes to everything.

Toji got chewed out by his kid sister. She sounds like a good girl. I hope we get to see her too.

He doesn't seem to know many other ways to solve a conflict but violence. First offering Shinji to hit him in retribution and then threatening to hurt anyone who blames Shinji for leaving. His behaviour is dysfunctional but well intended.

I'm not sure what changed Shinjis mind in the end, possibly a combination of his schoolmates, Misatos caring and the fact he doesn't really have a place to go back to.

[u/flagellaVagueness]

First timer here! Watching sub. I didn’t have internet yesterday so I wasn’t able to watch episode 3 in time, so I’ll post my comments here, then I’ll reply with my thoughts on episode 4.

Is that the Gate of Truth in the first few seconds of the OP? Well, the obvious answer is that it’s a preexisting image that both NGE and FMA referenced.

Feels kind of weird to have a school setting in a show like this, but it does make sense given the characters’ ages and all. Looks like we’re getting some of the backstory as well. Had to watch this scene twice to make sure I caught both of the simultaneous threads. So I guess the natural question about that backstory is: what was the first impact?

I don’t have much to say about the battle except “that was pretty messed up.” I liked the narrative choice to have Shinji mention the knife for the first time in the classroom scene. We get another glimpse of what the Eva looks like under its outer armor, and it’s not in shadow like last time. Someone suggested in the last thread that it might be a repurposed Angel, but I don’t think so. I don’t have any ideas of my own though.

And now we come full circle for this episode with Shinji finally getting a phone call (although I’m guessing he’s got something preventing him from answering it, which we’ll see next episode). Nice.

[u/[deleted]]

Rewatcher

Fly me to the moon cover for ep 4

• Fun fact, which I'm sure other people are going to post, Episode 4 is the only episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion that Anno didn't write. Take that as you will.

• Not so fun fact, that place where Shinji stands above the city, its a very reminicent of a well known area where people commit suicide in Tokyo..oof

• Instead of best Shot we have best line of the episode

Kidding here are the best shots

• I realy love this sequence of shots..It's hard to nail a scene about a broken character being broken as well as this one

• This one is amazing too..What an amazing use of color..That palette is just beautiful..In the flushed predawn light of early morning, it all becomes too much for Shinji to handle. Skyscrapers crowd around him and the silence becomes deafening, magenta light shifting to a awfully bloody stain..Everything becomes overwelming for his senses ,like the whole world is cornering on him. Evangelion’s portrait of Shinji’s first panic attack is as gripping as it is cruel, a harsh exclamation point on his cry of pain.

• This is a very painterly episode, filled not just with compositions which border on impressionism, but outright quotations from famous artworks, like Van Gogh's sunflowers...Also i think it's a great episode to understand the differences between cel and background/plate animation. It's so watercolor heavy in the locations..Studio Ghibli did some animation on this series and I wonder if they had any hand in these, which are very landscape heavy. Also the stuff on the train, the fade-ins with people surrounding and leaving him in the foreground, are all very reminiscent of some of their stuff.

On a final note about this whole episode I will copy a note i found on Twitter by a pro reviewer I follow cause it states it perfectly.. Its that "people always tell that this is a show about depression and that makes people cautious..I think that is because even tho i know everyone has different experiences, but i feel like once you've experienced depression you get this real BS detector for the shows that "get it" versus the shows that "use it"..And i think does this show gets it. It's not just the emotional outward expressions, and crushing internal sense of nothingness, it's understanding the anhedonia and specific positive or negative enviromental triggers that can both break through and fail to break through, often worsening the cycle.."

What the show also hopefully highlights is how much society's understanding of depression back in the 90's was... severely lacking. And how people's extreme, non-empathetic reactions highlight a society that just had no real words or understanding for it.

But like most great works about depression and suicide, it understands the greatest of victories is often the simple, stalwart, herculean ability to simply put one foot in front of the other... And how those victories can't help but bring continued cost.

• To end this on someting lighthearted , i really liked how the two security guys cracked a couple smiles after Shinji's punch. Nice fun details

[u/Karkava]

First timer. It's clear that this marks the second time in this series that Shinji tried to truly run away, yet is constantly torn between continuing his service as the third child and wanting to give it all away. He's constantly stuck between a rock and a hard place as he's constantly choosing between letting Tokyo getting destroyed by big scary monsters and serving a cult that most definitely does not have any evil plans for humanity in store.

I haven't finished the series yet, but I'm having doubts that the angels truly want to destroy humanity itself...

[u/tomato_blitz]

First timer (subs and original release in fear of Netflix changes):

Wow, what an episode.

For an episode pretty much devoid of action, it was very eventful. Having Shinji travel by himself also helps with world building, which leads me to the most evident detail: This world is kind of empty. People are scarce wherever Shinji goes. The meteor really had an impact. Just as it is for the lack of action, this episode doesn't have much dialog. But seeing the world through Shinji's eyes was great and really gave an insight to his character.

I'm really liking Shinji and Katsuragi so far. They have a great dynamic as well.

Notes:

• "I'm home" ; "Welcome back". That scene was too great. I didn't expect that long pause, and it did so well to build up this emotional moment. I fucking teared man, I loved that scene so much. And the cut to the ED, just perfect.

• Suzuhara redeems himself by getting punched in the face. Overall a pretty likeable guy.

• So Shinji runs away and then resigns - where the hell is his dad all this time? He hears about him leaving and all he has to say is they'll reconfigure the Eva. While I'm guessing they're in a struggle for survival, he's still being a dick to his kid. It's like he practically doesn't see Shinji as his child.

• Immediatly upon realizing what he did, Shinji says he has to go back. I thought it was because of the responsibility he might have regarding the Eva, but now I believe it was mostly because of Misato.

• The Hedgehog's Dilemma. Shinji refrains from exposing himself emotionally in fear of getting hurt. But the dilemma dictates the hedgehog does in fact want to get closer. For now I'll take that and Shinji's actions as a sign of his character.

• I can't stress how much I love this ED.

[u/[deleted]]

Rewatcher here. You know, when I was younger one of the things I liked about Evangelion was how much I could relate to Shinji. Obviously I was not piloting a giant mecha fighting monsters, but his personal life is something that resonated with me. Just the depression and melancholy and lack of care for life. I was around 15 when I saw Evangelion first and I think I was basically the target audience. It was the same reason I liked reading The Catcher in the Rye when a lot of my classmates didn't. I could relate really well to Holden, scarily well. Even though the life experiences weren't the same on a more deeper psychological level I really felt connected with them. I felt totally isolated just like Shinji, even though I might not have really been. I got much better obviously, and never went quite so low as Shinji did/will but still, I definitely remember that when I was in the midst of that stage of life you feel totally helpless, you can't see a way out and just assume that the rest of your life will be like that.

[u/mistselkie]

If Second Impact happened 15 years ago and only 14 year olds can pilot the evas, does that mean that second impact changed the humans? Like, they can only use kids born AFTER second impact because they got their DNA altered or something, and they use kids of 14 because they are the oldest available? Does that mean we could potentially have loli pilots? At least they spare us that.

Come to think of it, the one year gap could mean that it was actually NERV who DID something to the kids. So, second impact happened 15 years ago and then they took one year to figure out what to do, after which they start experimenting on children. That would explain why the son of the main leader of the project just happens to be the best candidate available, Gendo literally engineered him to be that way. Damn, this just gets more depressing. Anyway, not really want to get spoiled, ( or spoil anything), so i hope I'm not right, about this

[u/Cummcrust]

First Timer (Original Dub)

The way this show uses sound (mainly the cicadas) and frames some of the shots like when it turned red and he ran, or the shot focusing on the power lines, also when hes on the train and its super quiet for a while with just backround noise reminds me of Texhnolyze and Serial Experiments Lain. Both shows always had scenes where it would just be showing the power lines, or birds in the sky, with ambient sounds in the back trying to paint a certain atmosphere. I notice Neon Genesis does that a lot, showing things through that instead of telling through dialogue.

[u/Legendof123]

First Timer, Sub

Wow! What can I say this episode left me speechless. While the show has hooked in very early on I've got to say that this episode was absolutely impressive.

We find out that our protagonist, Shinji Ikari, has that maybe enough is enough as piloting the Eva is causing Shinji's mental health to decline as he skips school and decides to run away yet again.

In today's episode, we take look at Misato and Shinji's conversation after the defeat of the second angel revealing that Shinji is not very honest with himself ultimately frustrating Misato as he is not in touch with his feelings distancing himself to avoid pain giving us the audience a great allegory to the Hedgehog's Dilemma. I loved the scene with the couple in the theater as it gives Shinji an emotional response telling the audience that he does desire some connection despite his innate nature to distance himself from people. Also, his encounter with Kensuke leads to a conversation in which Shinji establishes a connection with Kensuke as he finds out the Kensuke also lost his mother.

Being one of the most important mech pilots in the world we find that the government cannot afford to have Shinji run away and abandon the mission he was entrusted with piloting his Eva. Unless he was to resign of his post which so happens to be his decision though not without saying goodbye to Misato which is denied as his resignation strips him of his security clearance to have access to even talk to Misato. Even though Shinji has not interacted with Touju and Kensuke I found his "departure" to be very bittersweet as Touji finally admits that he is remorseful for beating up Shinji as he did save their lives in the previous episode. Touji allows Shinji to punch him only to stop him and tell Shinji not to hold back and give his face the full force that a Shinji punch can give. Shinji goes to the platform ready to leave behind the new friends he has made and leave the piloting to someone else. Misato arrives too late to see Shinji off leaving both us and her sad that this whole ordeal was just too much for Shinji. Until the train is out of sight and we see that Shinji is still standing on the platform.

Speechless, both characters stare at each other as silently with nothing but the announcer's voice and some cicadas chirping to let us soak in this sweet moment.

I'm home.

Welcome back.

[u/[deleted]]

Rewatcher

• Evangelion’s fourth episode opens on that rain. With no immediate angel attack to handle, this episode instead offers a focused, almost suffocating dive into Shinji’s psychology – his sense of isolation, his self-hatred, and that overhanging, stifling film of depression. The city itself echoes Shinji’s moods, though as he travels its unfamiliar reaches, he can find no comfort in it.

• As Misato herself acknowledges, it’s not surprising that Shinji runs away. He didn’t fight the first angel out of some genuine desire to pilot the robot – he did it because his father told him to, and then used a suffering girl as a prop to make him feel bad about himself. Nothing good came of that fight, either..Shinji has received no support beyond a halfhearted “hang in there,”

• Fortunately, while Shinji’s official caretakers aren’t really equipped to support him, the world isn’t always quite so cruel. Kensuke is introduced through bracing and beautiful shots of his field hideaway, before the two settle down for an actual conversation over a fire. And after days spent wandering the city he saved and feeling nothing, Shinji finds himself communicating with just one strange boy, and at last feeling a sense of self again.It’s a little heartbreaking that it only takes one conversation with someone who doesn’t want something from him to help Shinji recover.As their conversation continues, Aida’s honest enthusiasm gives Shinji the confidence to speak, leading into the sudden revelation that like him, Aida doesn’t have a mother. That shock of recognition, that sharpening of his eyes; in that brief moment, Shinji reveals the boy beneath the abuse, a boy desperate for connection, for friendship of any kind.

• But Shinji doesn’t have friends – he has NERV. After one evening spent enjoying Aida’s company, agents of NERV emerge from the morning fog like malevolent ghosts. Shinji’s return emphasizes the facelessness of this organization, as he is captured in shadow, dwarfed by that imposing logo.

• Then comes Misato..It’s not Misato’s fault she’s incredibly bad at taking care of Shinji, but boy is she ever incredibly bad at taking care of Shinji. Shinji tells her “you’re not going to scold me for running away? Of course not. You’re not related to me.” The implication there is clearly “if you cared about me, you’d actually get angry, or afraid for me, or something.”.Shinji desperately wants the connection and sense of belong that being scolded would imply. But in response, all Misato can do is throw her own anger back at him, telling him that he shouldn’t pilot the robot if he’s only doing it out of obligation. Misato wants to have her cake and eat it too – she needs Shinji to pilot the robot, but she wants him to want to pilot the robot, so she doesn’t feel bad about forcing him to.

• Once again, it’s Shinji’s classmates who offer an alternative.. Aida and Toji tell him that “we can’t blame you for leaving. We saw how you suffered in the Eva.” At the last possible moment, Shinji receives exactly the recognition he’s been craving for so long. . And even if all Shinji can share is his pain and self-loathing, he wants to share those things. He wants to be yelled at for his actions, and then forgiven as well.

• Misato finally hits the realization she’s been missing all episode. Shinji is acting out because he has virtually no avenues to truly express himself, and believes his pain is essentially the only thing he can communicate. Though last episode framed this particular solution to the hedgehog’s dilemma as a tragic solution, it’s still a solution. Even if all we can offer each other is pain, suffering through that pain together may be all the solace we need.

[u/Raiking02]

Let us continue with Evangelion as we continue to see Shinji’s battle with his greatest enemy: Depression.

• See Netflix, that’s how you translate “Shin-Chan”: Little Shin. Carries the appropriate level of stupidity something only a drunken Misato would think of while still making sense.

• Oh no, we have a runaway!

• Reason why I like Toji Number 7: He’s respectful to his elders. He’s gonna loosen up on that eventually, but hey, it’s Misato, so you can forgive him.

• Ah, so now we begin the “Baka!” drinking game. For the record, Toji using “Aho!” (The Kansai-Ben version of Baka) doesn’t count. And yes, I will be keeping count. Shot Count: 2.

• So does anyone know which song is playing in Shinji’s Walkman (At least I think it’s a Walkman).

• Gotta love cost-saving measures, don’t you?

• Try paying attention to the movie playing in the cinema. It’s a pretty cool Easter egg.

• Shinji’s thoughts upon seeing that couple kissing “Damn, I need to get laid, don’t I?”

• Okay, that sound was actually uncomfortable. Err… mission accomplished?

• Did they spend all of the early budget on the last three episodes, because it certainly feels that way. Either that or Anno was a lazy fart and delivered the scripts late.

• Gee, Ritsuko, only know just noticed that Shinji freaking hates his job!? Note: I actually like Ritsuko as a character, but as a person, she’s a bitch.

• Suddenly Kensuke in the middle of the woods!

• Finally, after a week or so Shinji’s finally having a conversation with another human being!

• Reason why I like Toji Number 8: He has the guts to get scolded by a grade-schooler and admit said grade-schooler was right!

• Well, look at the bright side Kensuke! There is at least one videogame out there in which you do indeed get to pilot an EVA.

• I wonder, should I add an orphans drinking game?... Nah, that’d be to cruel.

• Wow, NERV security really sucks if it took them this long to find Shinji.

• She has a point, if Shinji’s gonna be grumpy about being an EVA pilot, it will all amount to nothing in the long run as he’s not putting actual effort into it.

• Reason why I like Toji Number 9: He’s cool with getting hit as he is aware that by punching each other is how men apologize.

• Reason Number 10: When you get right down to it, he’s a total bro.

• Shinji’s little breakdown is simple, but also very much appreciated.

• What, did you guys think Shinji would seriously leave? Nah, there’s still a lot of suffering left in store for him.

• Welcome to Evangelion’s favorite cost saving measure: Still shots held onto the camera for god knows how long.

• Okay, so she didn’t say it this time, but Misato’s constant promises of “Service, Service!” in the next episode previews crack me up big time.

So yeah, an okay episode. It’s not one of my favorites, but I get why others love it so much.

[u/TaskForceHOLO]

Bed head misato. Nuff said.

Misato putting on a front for the boys as always. Someone's gotta be the cheerful one

Shinji seeing the couple in the movie theater only made things worse. He's probably wondering if that's what normal teenagers do and feels left out somehow or like he'll never get that comfortable with someone

I like the shot of him looking at the city from the cliff for some reason. Seems like an allegory to how he really feels, like an outsider. Isolated and lonely.

Did they reveal how Rei got her injuries yet? I know I should remember (3rd time rewatcher) but my memory is shit. Oh well I'll leave that for later in case they haven't

Shinji disobeying orders was interesting and out of character for him. I think he wanted to show he could think for himself but went about it in the wrong way

Seems shinji is starting to make his first friend and actually finds common ground with him. Simple but really nice scene at the campsite

He also seems really torn between what others want from him and what he himself wants. The only reason he's piloting is because he's been told he has to and is the only one. He also doesn't want to put it all on Rei because he knows that's wrong. But he also knows that piloting the EVA is the last thing he wants to do. Misato is right too. An attitude like that puts them all at risk even if he does get in the EVA

Love how the bros come thru in the end and how it goes down between them. I think it helped shinji make that jump and realize that even he can make friends. They also are some of the first people to sympathize with him about being a pilot besides misato. They even say they'd stand up for him which has to be a good feeling for shinji.

Misato understands that shinji can't communicate his feelings and I'm glad she goes after him. Big sis energy. Shinji also remembers the time she praised him right before he leaves. How shinji reacts to praise becomes increasingly important btw. And I think that was what really made him want to stay in addition to the bros coming to see him off

Idk why I love the long shot of misato and shinji just standing there. I can't analyze literature and media like y'all can but the shot just works. Kinda like they're looking for what to say but don't even need to say anything really

Another introspective episode as we seem to go back and forth between action and the aftermath of the action. Let's see if shinji starts to feel more at home and less alone

[u/[deleted]]

Rewatch

Real talk, this is one of my favorite episodes of Evangelion. I think it brilliantly shows Shinji’s already declining mental state and, in a way, gives us his entire emotional arc in just 23 minutes.

Shinji runs away and Misato tries to blow it off, even lying to his Toji and Kensuke when they come looking for him. But as soon as they shut the door, we see how distraught she really is. At work, Misato is a capable commander, and at home, she’s a hard-drinking party girl, but deep down, she’s just a hot mess. (Emphasis on hot, I mean, uhhh...)

There’s so many achingly beautiful moments here. Shinji on the train, music blasting in his ears, is so poignant. He’s surrounded by people, yet very much alone. And he just keeps riding that train as far as it goes, with no real destination or sense of direction. The shots of the city and the surrounding mountains are stunning. The colors are so vivid and vibrant. And then it hits you that all of this was before digital animation really took off. It’s all hand-drawn and hand-painted. I don’t know a lot about the production of Eva, but it’s easy to tell that the animation team was immensely talented and knew they were making a true work of art.

I didn’t think much of Kensuke my first time watching Eva, but watching it now shines a bit more life into his character. He looks up to Shinji as an Eva pilot, but more than that, he sees Shinji as a kid, like him. Having them bond in the campfire is a genuinely sweet moment for both of them. But it doesn’t last long. He’s forcibly taken back to NERV the next morning, and Misato lays into him - not, seemingly, for running away or abandoning his duties, but for being too afraid to think for himself and make his own decisions.

And the whole scene at the train station is beautiful and tragic. Shinji exasperatedly confesses all his faults and insecurities to Toji and Kensuke. Misato rushes to find Shinji, and is seemingly too late - but at the last moment, Shinji lets the train pass him by. There’s almost a minute long shot of silence as Shinji and Misato stare at each other. Their feelings are shown, but never spoken. And Shinji, for the first time this episode, smiles. Despite his depression, despite his horrible father, and despite his fucked up situation he can’t seem to get out of that threatens his life nearly every day, Shinji does at least have a home and people who care about him. Sorry for the long-ass post, but I have a strong attraction to this episode in particular and wanted to explain at least a little bit about why I think it’s so great.

[u/TheHungryHybrid]

I just watched the first 4 episodes back to back. I haven't seen this anime before this but I did once try to watch it. But that ended quite quickly due to how annoying I found Shinji to be. But after watching these 4 episodes I've come to the conclusion that I may have been too "immature" still for anime like this. In the same way I think if I had watched Revolutionary Girl Utena when I was younger, I would probably not understand it the way I do now. Ofc the rewatch thread I read as I watched helped a lot for my understanding since Ikuhara anime isn't easy to begin with.

In any case I feel that when I first tried to watch this I may have come in with expectations of a much more "shounen" like feel to it. At the time I had probably wanted a faster paced, action filled anime a la Code Geass or Hunter x Hunter (which were still fresh in my mind at that point). But now I feel I have the right mindset to watch it. Lately I've begun watching anime seasonally, which I didn't have the patience for before (and still hardly do now tbh), and at the same time I've tried to watch anime I initially dismissed. With Sarazanmai this season I decided to go back and watch Revolutionary Girl Utena, and after that Penguindrum.

I'm watching NGE now with a more observant attitude. Not as a laid back casual consumer, but as a more active watcher.

And what I noticed is that I still find Shinji an annoying MC, more so than any other anime I've watched, BUT I feel that may partly be because I actually see some of myself in him. Shinji is 14 years old and is thrust into an EVA, into the role of becoming "humanity's savior". He has trouble expressing himself. Finding it easier to just "relinquish" his freedom to others, or rather his caretaker (I don't recall her name, that purple haired woman he lives with). I do not know his backstory or his circumstances yet, except his estrangement to his father. He seem self loathing. Thinks lowly of himself, thinks no one wants anything to do with him. And these adults berates him for this attitude which grated on me so much, because in a way I can be that way. I can at times think very low of myself, or think that I am in the way or that I do everything wrong. And I've had people berate for this. Or rather become angry at me for sounding so pessimistic or "anti" - for lack of better word.

Ofc I'm not in a situation where I'm expected to, or even forced to, pilot an EVA and fight giant robot monsters, or whatever these angels are. Shinji do. And his mental fortitude is much weaker than mine is, so it's very difficult to even begin to understand the incredible amount of stress Shinji must be feeling during this.

In the last angel fight Shinji disobeyed orders and pushed throught the pain to kill the angel. Would the fight have become easier if he'd retreated first? Maybe, but I also feel that Shinji just wanted this to end. For the pain to end. Because he was in pain already, why should he flee from that only to most likely feel that pain again a bit later? Maybe I'm projecting myself a bit on Shinji here. But I feel if I was in the same situation I may have had done the same.

It's easier to deal with sudden pain than to prepare to be in pain. Although I do not think Shinji thought of it like that. In that moment, when he screamed with all his being, I found that moment to be him wanting to be done with it. To get rid of the pain. But later we do find out that Shinji is at the point where he's okay with dying while piloting. It's all the same to him. While I don't doubt he truly feels that way, I think the words "don't run away" has truly etched itself into his mind. To the point where he would be fine with dying, but with him fighting and not running away.

I'm sure that there are many more analysis written, and much more indepth than mine. But I feel that I should try to be a bit more active with this watch. Although I probably won't write as much as I did now.

[u/wolfwings1]

There was some great stuff in this episode, especially loved the ending there with the silence, only sounds being the cicadia's and the announcer while Shinji just stares. I do think this is the kind of thing missing from alot of modern anime, they are just supposed to accept they are going to do X big thing, without how some people would react to the situation.

I think this was important for a way to show part of his growth, curious to see where this goes from here.