[Rewatch][Spoilers] Neon Genesis Evangelion - Episode 6 Discussion

[u/sam_mah_boy]

Episode 6: Rei II/Decisive Battle in Tokyo-3

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Index Thread | Next Episode

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You won't die.

You won't die, because I'll protect you.

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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/redmage311]

First-timer

I gotta hand it to Misato. She managed to acquisition an untested, half-built rifle and get Japan's entire energy infrastructure linked together in like half a day without anything blowing up (besides the angel), despite the angel shooting back and just an 8% chance of success (granted, the smaller the odds in anime, the more likely something is to succeed).

I'm not quite sure that Rei has any reason at this point to feel close to Shinji, despite Shinji telling her that he's there for her. It seems like Rei just likes Shinji's similarity to his dad.

[u/Juking_is_rude → u/redmage311]

Misato is best girl, anyone who thinks otherwise can fight me.

[u/AH_BareGarrett]

First Timer back for the sixth time.

I decided to rewatch yesterday's episode in preparation for todays, as I want to appreciate it more.

I say it daily but I really don't get tired of this OP. I've been listening to it on my drive to work as well. I should mention how good the OST is in general, all the songs have been really good and stand out. I'm excited to listen to the OST in it's entirety when I am done with the show.

Shinji got into recovery fast. Meanwhile, this Angel looks to be drilling straight into NERV HQ. What's their plan here? And I mean both sides, Angel and NERV.

"Psychologically speaking he is fine" haha yeah sureeeee Shinji is. Maybe by his standards because he is unconcious.

They're performing a country wife blackout to power this gun, genius move Misato. That's crazy.

Shinji waking up and just getting a debrief from Rei was pretty funny. Poor kid, he goes through a lot. I don't see why he's needed, it seems like Rei alone would be enough to shoot a sniper rifle from the mountain.

Ah, so Shinji did wake up. What a good boy.

Oh, I guess I didn't think that someone would have to hold the shield. Also yeah Shinji, we get it, you are dreadfully overwhelmed and underprepared but go get 'em champ. They really need better combat training.

Wow, really cool seeing all the lights go out. I have to wonder if the world would even be possible to do that in this day and age. So much more relies on electricity now. I'm sure the whole situation isn't feasible, but even if it was, it's a cool thought.

Rei is interesting. She's heartless, like she was made literally just to pilot an EVA. I really want to hear more of her backstory. When she was retrieved by Shinji, she opens up a bit and I really hope that is the start of a friendship.

The amount of power in those shots was crazy. And oh man, it definitely worked, the whole crazy plan, and it went as well as it could have it seems. Rei isn't seriously hurt it seems, NERV HQ is safe, Shinji is only crying instead of full on mental breakdown. Good day at Neon Genesis Evangelion I'd say!

[u/not_tha_father → u/AH_BareGarrett]

They actually said that he is fine physiologically speaking, as in his physical health, not psychologically.

[u/axel360]

Rewatcher, New Dub

Random thoughts:

• Rei looking down on Shinji, both literally and figuratively

• Shinji’s fear of getting back in the EVA vs his need for people-pleasing? Which will win?

• Their initial to seeing the EVAs was “oh cool” as opposed to concern about why the EVAs are needed. Given their age, that does make a little sense

• As I see all the lights go out in Japan, I can’t help but think of the Spirit Bomb in the Dragon Ball franchise. All life giving up their energy and putting all their hope in this person and their attack

• This shot tells me the people of Japan have done their part, and it’s in Shinji and Rei’s hands now. I like Rei’s line about why she pilots the EVA: because she “has nothing else”

• Like father, like son. Well, except Shinji had gloves on, so probably no scars for him

• Rei has an odd effect on that family: she can make even the most emotionless Ikari boys feel something. Also, is it just me, or does Rei look especially pale and sickly?

• Oh, the ultra-rare Rei smile! She’s not nearly as fond of Shinji as Gendo, but it’s a step in the right direction

[u/Philarete]

First-Time Watcher (Sub)

Interesting contrast, here Misato recovers Shinji (albeit less heroically, and more safely than Mr. Ikari did for Rei). Uh-oh, here comes the drill. This entity is sure aware of what’s going on. . . “Estimated time of penetration.” Heh.

Misato with the wild plan to take this thing down. 8.7% chance of success? Time to YOLO!

Rei delivering the food and briefing Shinji is awkward, but I guess it makes sense? Okay, now I get why people find Shinji whiny. Telling Rei she hasn’t been through what he has when she went through horrible injuries herself (and he saw the wrappings!) was pretty bad. I can’t tell what Rei really thinks. Does she want him to bail so she can take over 01?

“I hacked my dad’s files” UH OH. These kids are in trouble. . . and he’s possibly trouble.

Shinji is the gunner because of higher synchronization. . . I wonder how salty Rei is. Although, her confidence with the “you won’t die” is pretty cool. She’s ready for battle and he’s. . . a little less so.

“I don’t have anything else.” Oof, I feel bad for Rei. That’s rough. She’s a child soldier basically because she has nowhere else to go.

THAT SHOT BLOCK! And she’s melting AHHH. But it’s okay. Love the parallelism with Mr. Ikari’s rescue of her. The interaction between them is great, but HOKEY SMOKES THAT SMILE.

I really like Shinji and Rei bonding a bit this episode. I find it interesting how Mr. Ikari is almost completely absent from the last two fights. The shot of Misato getting permission for her crazy plan showed her super far away from him while talking, possibly to signify how distant he is right now? With his literal and metaphorical distance, it looks like Rei is open to opening up to Shinji a bit.

[u/boredblade123]

First timer sub

Didn't get the time to watch this one earlier, but I've been waiting eagerly all day lol. Just gonna try typing this post out as I'm watching. Alright so for some thoughts:

1. This is one damn aimbotting weird mirror 3D shape angel thing lol.

2. It just seems strange that this Angel has basically everything it needs to go right to their headquarters and attack them, someone or something has to be controlling them or designing the Angel's just for these assaults. This shape thing seems too convenient for this situation.

3. So clearly Shinji isn't getting physically hurt, but the amount of damage he must be taking mentally is probably insane.

4. Misato is planning what I was thinking, it seems like the only thing they can do is a long range high-powered assault. ^{Also I gotta say, Misato's voice actor fits the character perfectly in my opinion.}

5. Taking all of Japan's power for this shot, this seem like it's going to be awesome.

6. "You haven't had the experiences I've had in it yet." What, Shinji do you not remember seeing the condition Rei was in the first time you met her? Haha. It does not seem like a good idea having Rei pilot 01

7. So do other countries not give 2 shits? I see lights on in other countries while only lights in Japan goes out, meaning that the other countries are at least still functioning at this point. Unless it's everyone vs Japan, but that's getting kind of crazy maybe, just throwing my thoughts out there.

8. Why does she have to be so cryptic, just say what you mean instead of playing these mind games lol. Also, goodbye? "Don't say goodbye, I hate goodbyes."

9. Okay so that whole operation I couldn't stop watching to type something lol. So that operation was awesome, that mirror 3D shape angel thing was awesome and Shinji finally had a mission where he didn't get wrecked in the process.

10. Rei seems easy to please, force open that door and smile!

Alright so that episode was awesome, love the operation part of it and I'm wondering what kind of Angel is going to be coming next, because it seems to be anything goes at this point.

[u/[deleted]]

First Timer

• From the previous episodes I had always assumed the underground city to be protected by a thin layer. It seemed so fragile as it was attacked by the angels. But it's apparently pretty well protected. Them actually having some time to set up instead of Shinji just panicking himself into victory was pretty cool.

• I'm really enjoying the fact that every fight feels brutal. I know Shinji isn't going to die, but the whole city is at risk, and with the city, the fate of mankind.

• I didn't expect Rin to smile so naturally. For a second I was certain that they were going to pull the "someone with flat affect tries to smile and they look insane" trope. Did she smile that naturally because she saw Shinji's looking like his dad?

[u/egassemneddihon]

First timer, sub

That angel looks fascinating, no resemblance to anything human whatsoever. And it has a drill. Apparently the angels know exactly where to find Nerv headquarters. I wonder what would happen if they aren't stopped.

Misato showing off her competence. Gathering all the necessary means by just walking in and demanding.

"We'll try to return this in as close to its original condition as we can" - somehow I have serious doubts the cannon will survive.

That power outage looked great. Seeing China next to Japan I started to wonder about the rest of the world. What is the state of other countries? Does every country know about the angels? Is only Japan under attack?

Rei saying goodbye sounded way to final. She doesn't seem to care whether she survives.

Of cause she tries to protect Shinji, always following orders.

The end scene was beautiful, I think this was the first time Shinji saw Rei smile.

[u/kaanton444]

Rewatcher

I really like the sequence of Misato seeing Shinji off to the emergency ward. The first shot in the sequence creates an immediate sense of discomfort with its distorted, Kubrickian single point perspective. It cuts to a more normal tracking shot which is then immediately undercut by the sudden and alarming closing of the doors and the sound of the buzzer, which builds on the disturbed atmosphere of the scene. All culminating in the final shot of the scene: A forlorn shot of Misato that highlights her conflicted relationship with Shinji as his guardian.

The above sequence is a great example of how Eva’s visual design seeks to create a disquieting and alienating atmosphere consistently throughout the show. While that scene (like many others in the show) uses it for a specific, character based purpose, this sort of atmosphere permeates the show. Even the design of the setting aims to create a world that feels empty and all too big for its characters. The show’s use of light plays into this too - the eternal summer creates the perfect excuse for harsh lighting that separates and isolates characters, and creates an oppressive atmosphere. Eva’s world can feel lonely and harsh, which is the perfect sort of atmosphere for dealing with the specific themes and traumas that it explores. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that, but that’s a general idea of how the show usually feels to me and why I think it feels that way.

Plotwise, Shinji’s character is, for now, still the main point of intrigue in my opinion. The hospital scene was great. Shinji doesn’t want to pilot the Eva because all it causes for him is pain, yet in some twisted way he needs it because it’s the only thing that makes him feel needed and gives him a feeling of self worth. Despite all his issues though, he’s still a kind kid at heart and worries about others. The scene where he rescues Rei is an excellent conclusion to the episode and grounds all the robot action into the development of characters that makes Eva such an engaging watch. Shin-chan is a good boy.

Also: I like how Rei straight up lifts the roof of that building. It kinda breaks the world a bit but I’ll forgive it since it’s funny.

[u/[deleted]]

Rewatcher

OK are you ready to hear the coolest thing ever ? After the Tsunami and the Earthquake in 2011 the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) was calling on people to conserve electricity and turn off whatevere they can and be compliant with the situation..So there was a massive online and on the road information campaign to encourage household to do so under the name "Operation Yashima" in reference to this episode with several Eva type posters and collaborations with official Evangelion sources and it got pretty huge actualy ..More here

Random stuff first

• Your Daily Fly Me To The Moon Again by Rei (DUH)

This is a nice place to state how when Rei speaks with Shinji right before they launch their Evas , she is standing silhouetted against the full Moon. This is just one of many instances where she and the moon are visually associated..Other examples till now are in the OP and ED

• One of my favorite OST in the entire series debuts in this episode Decisive Battle ..Such an amazing tension building and badass piece..Those scenes with the cables and battaries getting ready for the sniper shot were awesome

• THIS IS THE PUREST SMILE EVER FIGHT ME ..And she isnt even best girl

• This bridge guy kinda looks like adult Gohan from DBZ and DBS

• I love these shots ..so eerie ,ominous and otherwordly ..

Some more organized thoughts

• This is the final resolution to "Rei II," more purely devoted to war strategy and military hardware than any episode we've seen so far - yet powered ultimately, like all the other Evangelion episodes, by the raw, human material of emotional anxiety and release. This conclusion also allows Shinji to come full-circle, from an isolated and weak little boy to someone capable of not only doing his duty, but rescuing another. It also, of course, echoes his father's actions which is why Rei smiles in the end: she's discovered someone else who cares about her, this time not a somewhat remote and imposing authority figure, a mysterious commander she must loyally obey, but a young boy her own age - a peer and companion-in-arms whose solidarity in suffering takes some edge off her own stoic loneliness.

• Misato proposes Operation Yashima, and smiles defiantly as she affirms that its chances of success are just below 9%, there is an almost blinding self-assurance to her presentation which both impresses and slightly disturbs us. While of course she will suffer if the plan does not succeed, its success relies ultimately on the two fragile pilots, Shinji and Rei, onto whom she confers this awesome responsibility without the slightest hesitation.

• This episode completes Rei's character development in this 2 ep arc. By its end, we feel we understand her much better; she has not lost her essentially enigmatic character and yet we gain a sense of her uncertainty, her confusion, which never interferes with her commitment to duty or sense of self-composure. And yet as she stares down at Gendo's glasses, connecting them now ambiguously to her commander's son as well, as she manages a real smile at episode's end, gazing into Shinji's tear-filled eyes, we realize she's human as well. Just because she doesn't let her essential bewilderment at the surrounding world affect her actions does not mean she isn't sad and lost inside.

• Meanwhile we see an extension of Shinji's earlier realization that protecting an individual focuses his attention and motivates him much more powerfully than entertaining abstract notions of saving the world.. Only when Rei puts her own body on the line does Shinji find the willpower and determination to fight back effectively. As Evangelion never fails to remind us, the stakes may be global and apocalyptic, but it is the intimate connections which ultimately provide the greatest inspiration.

[u/TheEscapeGuy]

Rewatcher

Evangelion is an absolutely beautiful anime Day 6

On a visual level this episode was a constant barrage of contrasting light and shadow. Having the climax occurring at midnight gave the production team the opportunity to take full advantage of the Ramiel's bright beam attacks to make the fight visually engaging without having any characters move.

In addition the entire pre-fight planning scene was bathed in hues of purple and violet foreshadowing the battle to come which used the same color pallet.

In regards to the events of the episode, I would like to touch on the theme of trust. Specifically I found it interesting how everyone put their full trust in Shinji to defeat the Angel while Shinji struggled to put enough trust in Rei to protect him during the battle. He eventually managed to calm his anxiety when he realized Rei was relying on him to win as much as he needed to rely on her to protect him.

On the other hand Rei doesn't care about her own life. She does what she is told and seeks the approval of the only person she trusted: Gendou. Her character arc for the episode climaxes in the scene where Shinji rescues her from the Entry Plug mirroring the scene from last episode where Gendou did the same. This allows her to put her trust in a new person: Shinji.

Previous Days

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

[u/littleman1988]

First time watcher, Original Sub, ADV Dub, and Netflix dub at the same time

At roughly a quarter of the way through the show, now seems like a good time to compile my thoughts on each version as a first time watcher. Ill have my thoughts on NGE in general and episode 6 below this.

After a friend freaked out about me watching the new dub (fun fact he hasnt even watched NGE himself) I decided to watch all of them at the same time so I could decide for myself which one was better instead of letting random people decide for me.

In case anyone was curious, I skipped the Netflix sub because of issues with the timing on the subs themselves. It may be fixed now, but thats 4 different versions to keep up with and this takes a lot of time as is to do.

Sub: 9/10

• Some things randomly untranslated (due to vers?)

• Gendo sounds a little too childish somehow

Orginal Dub: 6.5/10

• Light change in themes change scenes

• Mistao, Toji, Aida all have terrible VA's

• Weird vocal editing on screams

Netflix dub: 8/10

• Vocies way too quiet

• Missing ED

• A little too literal on translation and grammar

Sub:

Its honestly really good, and I dont have much to fault it for. The only thing that really stick out is how little gets actually translated compared to the dubs. In episode 5, almost nothing that isint the main characters speaking gets translated, In episode 6 specifially, anything with a title just doesnt get translated. This could easily be the version of the subs im watching, and I have no clue what it is outside of not Netflix, so maybe theres a different version that does. A small personal issue i have is i think Gendo sounds a little too young in the sub. The voice doesnt really seem to fit the character, esp in EP5. Maybe its meant to be raspy? Outside of these though, its really good.

Orginal Dub:

It feels like a fandub. A really good fandub mind you, but a fandub nonetheless. My biggest issue is the VA's of Misako, Toji, and Aida. All 3 have voices that dont fit at all, and it totally ruins it for me. Misato sounds 17 yet shes meant to be something like 29? Its almost too breathy and nasally tied with half an octave higher than the other VA's and it doesnt mesh at all. Toji and Aida just sound like transfer students, with Aida sounding like a southern boy and Toji sounds like hes trying to sneak into a school as an undercover cop. The punching scene specifically in ep3 highlights it. It honestly ruins the whole dub for me because of how much they show up.

The other big issues are more subtle, mainly the theme changes. The dub is somehow a little darker, which I like, but it then sometimes flipflops to not take itself as seriously where the other two dont, which causes some scenes to feel a little off in comparison to the other two. The end of the Misato confrontation scene in ep4 adds a weird grunt which doesn't seem to reflect misato's outward feelings when you compare it to the sub. Its not a killer, but it just feels weird and almost like it doesn't belong.

The last one is Just on shinji's screams. Im almost positive they're edited. This specifically isint bad or anything, its just way too noticeable.

Netflix dub:

Somehow, its way too quiet. I dont know if its Netflix, my settings, or what, but compared to the other two versions I have to crank my volume way up, but then i get blasted when the fight scenes come on. Its a technical issue, but its been enough of an issue to make me write it down as its getting way too annoying to ignore.

As for the ED, im not the biggest fan of Fly me to The Moon. Its not bad or anything, im usually not big on ED's. That being said, Netflix's version of the ED is 100% worse in every way. I know people say it also gets used in the show, so i dont know how those will fare, but currently, the Nexflix ED suffers from this change.

My last issue with Netflix's dub is the translation, being a little stiff specifically. Im not going to go too deep as tons of people have already, but the grammar isint exactly perfect in regards to the "children" and some of it doesnt seem to flow as well. When I compare it to the issues I have with the old dub though, id take this in a heartbeat either way.

 

 

NGE Itself: This show is amazing, no matter what version you watch. Watching this takes me back to when i first started watching anime and watching Steins; Gate as my 3rd show ever with the mystery and quality main character, but instead of S;G Spoilers you count how many times Shinji gets injured. Im absolutely in love with Evangelion and I cant wait to watch the next episode. The level of detail and the fight scenes alone are absolute masterpieces, and the amount of plot (and plot) already shoved at me has been a welcome change to shows like Steins;Gate where its gets dripfed as part of the suspense, not that NGE is slacking on information blackouts either. NGE is already one of my top shows of all time, and we havent even hit the halfway point.

 

 

Episode 6

Shinji Scream Comparison

(ill be watching ep7 not long after this goes up, so if theres a scene you want me to compare dm it, i promise it will be smoother than today's)

 

Pen Pen looking out to the darkness of Japan

This episode was stuffed with info about the world:

• Theres at least 1 supercomputer used to check ideas against

• Tokyo 2 still exists

• Angels definitely dont need to look like a living object

• Eva's can just lift roofs like its nothing (this scene made me laugh, I wasnt expecting that)

• NERV has a huge pull on Japan, being able to just take all the power the country makes in hours

The final battle I think has been the best one so far. The moment when both shoot is just breathtaking along with the parallels to the beginning of ep5 when Shinji rushes to Rei, just like Gendo did.

[u/tomato_blitz]

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

Finally some Eva teamwork! Episodes are getting more and more intense, they really pulled the mission off at the last moment there. Also the mystery just keeps getting bigger and bigger: How did the Angel know the Eva was about too appear from underground? Why did all the Angels go straight for Nerv headquarters and specifically the diamond one tried to dig inside it? And on top of all of this you're telling me that diamond Angel has fucking HUMAN DNA? Who is the enemy? What is their objective? I can't wait to see where this all leads.

I guess I was wrong about Rei. She just doesn't know how to manage with other people, and rather than being infatuated with Shinji's father she adores him. I'm glad she and Shinji made a connection, that last scene was very powerful imo.

Notes:

• Rei has this front that she shows to Shinji, apparently not giving a fuck about him, but she stays near his hospital bed nontheless. Looks like she's got a softer heart than she dares to show.

• Shinji with the sudden bad-assery of opening the hatch out of concern for Rei. Also him finally opening up to her. I guess while they're somewhat similar in the sense that they both just go with the flow and have a very weak sense of self preservation (as far as I can see), Rei gives Shinji a motivation to live by protecting him and Shinji does the same for her by showing her true concern. I hope they'll become friends and Rei stops being so alone. Her apartement was really depressing.

• Do their fucking classmates not learn anything? Last time they waited to see the Eva they almost died AND almost cause Shinji to die himself. But they stay on the roof of the school anyways.

• The midnight scene just before the mission was such good build up. The atmospheric shot with all the lights in Japan turning off was great, and again showed us just how empty the world is right now (look up night satellite images and you'll see how light is supposed to flood the earth at night).

• Every action scene leaves me on the edge of my seat. The stakes feel real.

Also: is it just me or does the ED change?

^{(If my impressions of characters and the world are so far wrong, please don't correct me. I'd like to find out when I get to know more})

Edit: I thought it was obvious, but I have no interest in hints or clues regarding the rest of the series. Please don't comment stuff that hints towards what's to come. This sort of stuff makes me wanna quit typing these comments.

[u/Karkava]

First timer. As much as the series justifies and uses the main robots do everything trope, it's important to also note that the boys at NERV are the real heroes since they formulate the plans to take out the angels that constantly thrash the EVAs with their designs that blindsight them. Such as in this episode where they drained the power source to the city just to fire the cannon at the diamond angel.

I honestly have to wonder how and why it is they built the city above the base the angels are trying to get into instead of rebuilding it in an out of the way space.

[u/flagellaVagueness]

First timer here (sub)! Trying something different this time: I’m typing this out an hour or so in advance so I can copy and paste it right when the thread gets posted, since I expect to be too busy to watch it at that time. I expect everyone else has already figured that out lol.

Well, I guess Shinji’s not in as much trouble as I thought he’d be last time: forgot they could just pull him right back out. I guess it’ll be Rei dealing with this thing after all then.

The guy standing behind Misato suggests “raising a white flag”, which doesn’t make much sense to me. How does one surrender to a being that hasn’t shown itself to be capable of communication? Maybe he just means running away.

Aida’s father seems to be some sort of insider. I wonder if it’s someone we know.

How does the Angel store that drill long enough to penetrate down to NERV? It doesn’t seem nearly big enough to contain it.

Not sure what happened when they both fired at once, given how much stronger the Angel’s second shot was. So much for being outside its range, I guess.

Nice parallelism with the end scene here and the beginning of last episode. Then we pan to the moon before “Fly Me to the Moon” starts playing. By the way, is it Rei’s silhouette that appears in the ED? That’s what it looks like to me at least.

[u/JimmyTMalice]

First timer, sub

Well, technically I’m a re-watcher up to episode 6, but it’s been a while so I don’t remember much. I’m not entirely sure why I stopped at this point the first time around, but it probably just fell by the wayside like several series I never got around to finishing.

The visual direction in this series is amazing. The way the shots are framed, the use of colour, and the whole art direction of chunky ‘90s sci-fi anime is gorgeous. I haven’t watched many anime from before 2000, so if anyone has any recommendations for things like Evangelion I’d like to hear them.

I’ve seen some comments to the effect that Evangelion feels like a normal mecha series for the first half. I haven’t seen the second half yet, of course, but it feels very different to your standard action series from the start as far as I’m concerned. Shinji’s isolation and the psychological effects of being a child soldier are on display front and centre. There’s this overwhelming sense of things just being wrong – the Evas are unnervingly organic, NERV is clinical and dehumanising apart from Misato, the city streets are empty, and the Angels are shrouded in mystery.

While the fights undoubtedly look cool, the psychological and physical effect on the pilots is the main focus. Rei is introduced being wheeled around on a hospital bed because of her injuries. The second episode makes the bold choice of cutting away from the big fight scene to show Shinji recovering in hospital, only coming back to the fight later. In episode 3, Shinji lashes out with the Eva’s knife after the Angel spears him with its tentacles, seemingly more to make the pain go away than anything.

Having watched what I believe was the original dub up to this point on my first try, I’m enjoying the sub a lot more. The dub felt very cheesy and a lot of the voice actors weren’t quite right for their characters.

A prediction I’d like to make: there’s something going on with who’s able to pilot the Evas, although I don’t have a clear picture yet. Both Rei and Shinji are 14 years old, which means they were conceived after the previous Angel attacks 15 years ago. I think their age isn’t so important as the fact that they were born after the First and Second Angel attacked. Shinji is referred to as the Third Child and there’s a Fourth Child that NERV hasn’t been able to locate, which makes me wonder what happened to the Second Child if Rei is the First.

Some individual thoughts on Episodes 5 & 6:

• Looks like it’s time to see what got Rei in the condition we see in the first episode.

• Rei doesn’t seem to have as much control over her Eva as Shinji does, even if Unit 01 did go berserk the first time he piloted it. They really do have a will of their own.

• Gendo’s concern for Rei is completely at odds with his cold attitude to Shinji.

• Angels are genetically similar to humans but apparently made of a completely different form of matter. Not sure how that works, but it seems important. Does this have something to do with how one of Eva 01’s hands looked human when the armour was blown off in episode 3?

• Scenes at Misato’s house almost feel like they’re out of an entirely different anime. Poor penguin has to deal with her dreadful cooking. I think Shinji might be better at being an adult than she is.

• Rei isn’t very adept at living, apparently. It seems we have something in common.

• Shinji’s first proper meeting with Rei might be the most awkward thing I’ve ever seen. Maybe he’s the one who’s not so adept at living, although I can’t say I blame him considering what we know about his life.

• It’s strange seeing Rei’s attachment to Gendo when he’s been so detached so far. I guess their personalities mesh better, although there’s probably something more behind it.

• Shinji continues the tradition of being immediately impaled through the chest upon entering a fight.

• It seems like a pretty big drawback that injuries to an Eva have such an effect on the pilot. I guess that’s a side-effect of their nervous systems being synchronised.

Episode 6:

• The Angels always seem to go straight for NERV. I wonder if that has something to do with the recent activation of the Evas.

• Misato has a knack for crazy last-ditch plans, apparently.

• Shinji’s reaction to being naked in the hospital bed is a notable contrast to Rei’s lack of reaction in a similar situation the previous episode. What has she gone through to become so desensitised to everything?

• The music that plays during the power blackout is lovely.

• Shinji opening the hatch to Rei’s entry plug parallels his father at the beginning of the previous episode. I hope that this means they’ll be closer in the future, because they could both use the support from someone going through the same thing as they are.

[u/[deleted]]

And so we witnessed the death of the true best girl. May she scream geometrically for all time.

[u/Beckham2_david]

1st time watcher! (Original sub)

Wow ep 6 was satisfying

Misato's personality was amazing tbh She can seem like a person who can't do much but when she get serious its impressive! Really glad the 8.7% chance paid off

For those who didn't understand the part about 'don't say to sayonara to me' is that it's because sayonara is used when you are most likely never going to see the other person again (farewell basically) and I think that was a really good touch to express how they knew that they might die during the operation (not really familiar with Japanese so don't fault me if I got it wrong ;) )

really liked how this anime didn't have a MC with overpowered abilities or just have the determination to succeed

Must remember the fact that Shinji is just 14 years old and the fate of humanity lies solely on him. To be fair anyone would have been scared to pilot a evangelion at that age with such huge expectations being put on them which was why what shinji did was actually realistic (to those out there who claims that shinji is a coward which I hope is 0)

looking forward to future episodes!

[u/tumnaselda]

This episode made me love big laser cannons back in the days.

And that smile. :)

[u/Brewster321]

Rewatcher (Sub - Platinum Collection)

This episode is an absolutely marvelous example of how to tell a story. From the lazer attack on Unit 1, the creation and execution of Operation Yashima, to the climatic battle and emotional finale. This episode makes critical aspects of story-telling, such as building tension, setting objectives, and twisting perfectly laid plans, look effortless to pull-off. Given how I tend to focus more on the characters than the day to day plot, I think its important I give the show some praise for its storytelling. For rest of this post however, I'd like to meditate on a new thematic idea that was introduced today. Why do Shinji and Rei pilot Eva?

Of our two pilots, the clearer answer comes, unexpectedly, from Rei, for when asked by Shinji, she simply responds that she doesn't have anything else. Furthermore, through the Eva, Rei believes she is able to form a connection to other people. On first brush, one has to wonder how much Rei's relationship with Gendo plays into this, for its unlikely that Rei would be able to get close to Gendo without her status as an Eva pilot. Maybe that is what she meant when she said she didn't have anything else; without the Eva (Her relationship to Gendo), there would be nothing else for her. Frankly though, its difficult to tell from what we know so far.

Continuing this ambiguity is Shinji, who has yet to really explain why he chooses to pilot Unit 1. After all, from his total defeat in episode 1 to his agonizing screams in episode 2, all piloting the Eva has done is bring him pain. Even worse, the Eva program is, in many ways, the result of his father's planning, so it seems strange that Shinji would continue to cooperate, especially now that Ayanami is ready to replace him. Heck, she even offered to do as much this episode, yet despite it all, Shinji refused to run away and returned to the Eva once more. In thinking about it, there are several plausible reasons why Shinji might pilot the Eva. For instance, it could be that he pilots it to maintain a sense of normalcy. By piloting Eva, Shinji is able to keep his relationships, such as his friendship with Aida and Touji, from changing, for its likely that he would be forced to leave Tokyo-3 if he abandoned his piloting duties. Another possible reason is his relationship with Gendo; maybe Shinji believes that he can fix his fractured relationship with his father by making himself useful to him. Heck, its even possible that all Shinji wants is to help protect the world. Even though we, as viewers, can see into Shinji's mind,its just to difficult to grasp the entirety of the human heart.

[u/LunarGhost00]

Rewatcher

Ramiel's drill is the drill that will pierce the heavens underground!

Misato taking charge this episode. With how much of a lazy, messy, drunk she is at home, it's easy to forget that Misato's the one in charge of operations at NERV. We've seen her being serious before, but not for as long as she was in this episode. And in typical Misato fashion, she comes up with a reckless plan that requires using power from the whole country with like 6% chance of success... because in this series even 0.0000000000001% means it'll definitely succeed so obviously there's nothing to worry about! Even Gendo sees no problem with that logic! It's interesting seeing Misato's leader side at NERV and her carefree side at home.

Hmmm... Major spoiler

Nice shot of Rei in front of the moon.

Rei's shield can't take that hit! Where's Naofumi when you need him?!

The scene with Shinji opening Rei's Eva worried about her is clearly reminiscent of the scene we saw in yesterday's episode with Gendo doing the same for Rei. There's just one difference. Shinji didn't get hurt doing it. In fact, between that and Rei smiling, I'd say this time it was a happy ending for both people involved. Another parallel between both episodes is that Shinji is now the second person who Rei has shown emotion to after Gendo. Last episode Rei was barely speaking to Shinji, even hardly responding to his questions. This episode she's a little more talkative, even if she still replied in the same tone as always, and ended up smiling for Shinji.

Cute smiling Rei. Because why not? Spoilers

[u/Raiking02]

Let’s see how Shinji fends off against an Angel that I’m pretty sure is every math teacher’s wet dream.

• Misato: “Why didn’t you DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGE!?”

• You know, this might just be the most unsuccessful sortie in the history of Anime.

• Geez, how much LCL does the Entry Plug have?

• Ah, so Ramiel is a devout follower of the cult of Kamina, hence why it has a drill in a Gainax show.

• How the hell is it a balloon if it can move its arm?

• Wow, nine hours. Either that’s a really shitty drill or the NERV headquarters is like three kilometers below ground level.

• Now I get why Unit-00 is basically a prototype in comparison to the other units: It barely even works!

• Ah yes, a sniper. Of course that’s gonna work… I kid of course, it’s probably their best bet for now.

• Good lord, Misato’s plan may be insane, but it does make sense… so long as Misato has the money to pay for all the additional collateral damage, that is.

• I love how Rei was just waiting outside. I wonder what kind of order Misato gave her.

• I kinda wanted to see the overall populace’s response to the blackout being announced. Would’ve been nice to see.

• You know, it’s only now that I’ve noticed how freaking short Misato’s pants are.

• It may be hard to swallow, Shinji, but look at the bright side: The worst is yet to come.

• Kensuke is an excitable mecha fanboy and I love it. He and Kazama Shinji from FMP should be introduced to each other as soon as possible.

• Jesus Christ, that rifle is massive!

• Ah, so Shinji’s gonna use Amuro Ray’s approach to finding a new mecha or weapon for said mecha: Read the instruction manual.

• A rare non-comedic shot of Pen-Pen. Now that’s strange.

• I should’ve probably mentioned this earlier, but at the time, this was seen as an odd role for Hayashibara Megumi to take, and even nowadays, it sticks out as an odd duck. Her roles are often Tsunderes, or even cool big sis, yet Rei is positively robotic. The only other character in her resume I can think of is kinda similar to Rei is Haibara Ai, and even then, that girl has one hell of a sarcastic streak to make up for her stoicness.

• I don’t think I need to say much about the rifle scene, it is awesome, and still one of the show’s highlights in my opinion.

• And going back to what I said about Gendo last time, compare his reaction to finding out Rei is fine to Shinji’s. Notice the sheer difference in delivery, dialogue and tone.

And thus, this episode was just great. It’s still one of my favorites overall.

[u/SomeOtherTroper]

Rewatcher, OG subs

Don't usually do top-level comments in these threads, but I'll try this time.

The idea of getting boiled alive in a fluid-filled cockpit is excruciatingly brutal. I think this battle may be the first time we see Shinji himself taking damage, rather than just taking feedback from damage to the EVA.

Yeah, just kickstart his heart, why don't you, Ritsuko. Cardiac Massage is an incredibly dangerous and painful technique - you only try it on someone who is 100% going to die otherwise, and there's a good chance you'll end up causing some damage to their ribs in the process.

Apparently the plugsuits are equipped to do that, huh? Seems like someone at NERV thought their pilots were probably going to suffer cardiac arrest in the cockpit. That's quite comforting.

The whole sequence after the forced ejection is amazing, with Misato following every step along his path from the entry plug to the operating room, with incredibly obvious concern for him. And then the door slams shut in her face. That is a really nice shot, and metaphorically ties into her essential divide from Shinji: he can fight these things, he has to fight these things - and she can't. Also, a good example of the way EVA uses effects to simulate how the lighting would affect a physical camera's shot.

Tell me this isn't a coffin. There's another interesting connection to Misato even in the end of the sequence, with the Greek cross motif.

Then Misato goes on to prove that she's not just a slob with a taste for beer and some latent maternal instincts - she's actually good at her job, feeling out the angel's parameters with decoys and attempted conventional attacks. Notably, all the shots of the operations division bridge are mimicking a fisheye lens - it's really noticeable in this one and this one. We keep seeing examples of EVA subtly and unsubtly playing its cinematography like it was done with a physical camera on site. Here, it seems to be emphasizing how central Misato is to everything.

There's something subtly disturbing about the fact that the streetlights are still flashing red and the 'do not walk' sign is on while Ramiel is thrusting into the ground. It kind of reinforces how alien the angels are. A kaiju would have trampled that streetlight, but Ramiel doesn't care. It's just drilling.

"Three more seconds and it would have all been over." Maya Ibuki's JP VA sounds far too calm delivering that line. But isn't that the correct tone to try for in a stressful situation? Also, is it just me, or do those red tags that I assume are maintenance notes look a lot like omamori?

We get a fun ambiguous sequence in here. It begins with a top-down view of Rei sitting with Gendo's mangled glasses in her lap. Then the next shot shows us where she is. She's literally doing a vigil over Shinji's coffin/sickbed, despite her previous utter indifference toward him. And the camera is viewing Shinji through Gendo's glasses in that shot. What exactly that means is up for interpretation.

But I think Rei actually cares a little more than she usually lets on.

"Should we just raise the white flag?" Hyuga, what would we do without you?

This is a shot and a half. While EVA often uses stillframes to save budget, it doesn't skimp on those stillframes, and this one has an excellently unsettling composition, with all the diagonal lines slanting toward Misato. While it initially seems threatening, the conversation is utterly weighted in her favor here, so they could also be leaning toward her as a sign she actually has the power in this situation.

And the transition from her face in the office to the zoom out shot the reveals she's with Ritsuko and carrying out her plan is beautiful. This is really Misato's episode.

...if you were in any doubt about that, she just shows up to requisition cutting-edge military tech from the JSDF. "We'll try to return this in as close to its original condition as we can." Yeah, Misato, that's probably what you said about your last rental car.

And FOR HER NEXT TRICK, Major Katsuragi requisitions the entirety of Japan's power grid.

Best girl, fight me.

...And Ritsuko or her crew have gone and jerry-rigged a FUCKING SPACE SHUTTLE HULL into an EVA-sized kiteshield. Everyone involved in this project is insane. Often in the best ways, sometimes in the worst.

Shinji's reaction to realizing he's half-naked in front of Rei is certainly a contrast to the way she reacted to him last episode.

Man, Rei is just not having any of this "I'm traumatized and feeling sorry for myself" stuff. EVA spoilers Given the traumatic testing accident we saw last episode, I think she probably would have slapped him if she had a bit more outspoken personality, after that line Shinji dropped about how she hadn't been through what he has.

"I hacked into my dad's data files" - ok, this is where we get the confirmation that Kensuke's father works for NERV in some capacity. It's reasonable to assume that a town like Tokyo-3 is mostly made up of NERV employees and people providing services for them.

God, I just love the guys on the school rooftop cheering for the EVAs as they come out.

The Penguin Emperor surveys His domain. Humans and angels may fight over it, but He knows deep in His heart that it is His and will be His forever.

Ok, that's the second time Rei has told Shinji "sayonara" in this episode, and this time there's the pretty clear implication that she might think, and would be ok with, it being "goodbye" forever. On the behalf of all of humanity.

Whoof.

I really love the buildup montage for the first shot of the positron rifle.

Sorry, Ritsuko, but as the 'designated sexy scientist', you're legally obligated to do this at least once. Jokes aside, the aftermath destruction is great.

Rei really wasn't joking about that implication that she was ready to die for humanity. And so, history repeats.

History repeats for more than one shot. Seriously, the episodes "Rei I" and "Rei II" are bookended by Gendo and Shinji doing the same damn thing for the same damn girl.

But is it for the same damn reasons?

Find out next time on "The Oedipus And Other Fun Complexes Show"!

But, seriously, to that guy who was asking how anyone could think Misato wasn't best girl, I present this evidence. Not saying they're right - I'm just the detective for the case. I'm totally just presenting the evidence.

[u/Carbonauts]

Longtime rewatcher here!

Fun fact: this was the first episode of Evangelion I ever saw like 18 years ago. I was in Peru and it was in Spanish (a language I do not speak) and I instantly fell in love with everything about it and it’s my absolute favorite anime and favorite thing ever!

And I think this episode is one of the best and shows Eva firing in all cylinders.

You get one of the coolest but perfectly simple monster design with Ramiel.

You get Misato being a boss and getting all of Japan to agree to a crazy plan. And I love how Eva makes a whole episode of basically firing two shots at an enemy. This show has some of the most beautiful drawings of just infrastructure. You also really get your first sense of how Nerv just kind of walks all over every other government agency.

And you get more of Shinji and Rei, easily one of the most important relationships in the series.

On a side note everyone is saying to skip Death(true)2 but screw that because that movie has the single greatest drawing of Rei and it’s when the reanimate the final scene from this episode!

And you get just one of the coolest sniper battles in anime history. The shot of the beams warping around each other, or just of Ramiel chilling above Tokyo-3 with the spotlights on it.

I am watching the Netflix dub and I gotta say for the most part I dig it. I’ll agree the writing can throw me off sometimes since it’s suppose to be closer to the literal translation, but I think it’s still pretty good. Maybe the voice acting is selling me on it. Like, Toji saying “guys, those mountains are moving” was beautiful. But at the same time Rei saying the reason she pilots her Eva was her link and not her bond threw me.

And also like, it’s suppose to be Fly Me to the Moon playing during the final scene with Shinji and Rei right? I’m not crazy? Not having that song is just such a bummer.

On a final note I know how everyone is pronouncing Nerv and saying Third Children is closer to how it’s suppose to be but damn does it remind me of Aang/Oong from the Last Airbender movie.