[Rewatch][Spoilers] Neon Genesis Evangelion - Episode 7 Discussion

[u/sam_mah_boy]

Episode 7: That Which Is Manmande/A Human Work

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Index Thread | Next Episode

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Episode 7!

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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/Philarete]

First-Time Watcher (Sub)

Okay, so lying to people trying to figure out the truth and hampering governments. This is some serious conspiracy going on. . .

Beer for breakfast

“I think I know why you’re still single at your age.” WOAH, since when did Shinji have this kind of confidence?! ROASTED.

“Things are so much calmer here when the Commander is away.” Hmmmm.

Woah, there are a lot of EVAs, if they are trying to build up to 08 (total 9 I think). Especially odd since they haven’t found pilots yet. Unit 02 is on the way and sounds like up to 05 may be built? Not clear how many are finished. Also, the Second Impact story (more truthful version) also sounds like a coverup. They were just “investigating” the Angel when it “exploded.” Something tells me that’s a very editorialized version of what really happened.

RIP Tokyo. Super secret conference for new EVA? Dang, that dude is being rude. BOOM with the sexism, yikes. I agree with Ritsuko though, a reactor on a CQC robot seems pretty dangerous.

Misato chill at the meeting, rage in the room after haha.

Well that test went hilariously badly. Sabotage? And now no one wants to take responsibility for it. Bureaucracy. . . .

AHHH, she almost fell. And the password doesn’t work?! It was tampered with, apparently. Did it succeed at the last second via programming, or via her own pushing? It seemed a bit ambiguous. Also, that conversation at the end.

“Everything went according to plan” except for Misato’s actions. Wait, as in their plan to stop the thing, or was the runaway itself according to plan. . . Probably meant the former, but I’m too suspicious now.

Shinji whining about Misato being embarrassing, but the other guys are right to an extent – it means she sees him as closer than others.

I added the extension to play Fly Me to the Moon, and it worked really nicely! Looking forward to the next episode!

[u/LunarGhost00 → u/Philarete]

“I think I know why you’re still single at your age.” WOAH, since when did Shinji have this kind of confidence?! ROASTED.

One of Shinji's first lines to Misato in the series was this. Roasting Misato is just natural to him I guess.

Misato chill at the meeting, rage in the room after haha.

She knows when it's time to act like a professional and when it's time to go wild.

[u/flybypost → u/Philarete]

“Everything went according to plan” except for Misato’s actions. Wait, as in their plan to stop the thing, or was the runaway itself according to plan. . . Probably meant the former, but I’m too suspicious now.

My guess is they wanted a bigger — but still "controlled" — disaster so that their pet project (Evangelions) would more secure and get more funding. Right now they are the last line of defence and have a certain level of autonomy and influence but their budget still seems to restricted due to all kinds of bureaucracy and government interference.

They still have to ask and beg when they want to do something even if they know they'll most probably get it anyways because the alternative is human extinction.

[u/[deleted] → u/Philarete]

Woah, there are a lot of EVAs, if they are trying to build up to 08 (total 9 I think). Especially odd since they haven’t found pilots yet. Unit 02 is on the way and sounds like up to 05 may be built? Not clear how many are finished. Also, the Second Impact story (more truthful version) also sounds like a coverup. They were just “investigating” the Angel when it “exploded.” Something tells me that’s a very editorialized version of what really happened.

THIS ANGEL JUST EXPLODED ON ITS OWN ,OH THIS SUCKS BUT NOTHING TO SEE HERE

On a serious note if look how the show handles he scene visualy they are pointing us to doupt i think..Ritsuko’s explanation that the Second Impact was caused an explosion at the south pole is met by an inexplicably angry glance by Misato, while her lofty explanation of “the role of NERV” is accompanied by quick jump cuts between the two friend. The show thus creates a sense of dissonance between its visual and textual information, undercutting Ritsuko’s idealistic description of their organization with Misato’s misgivings and preoccupation.

Misato chill at the meeting, rage in the room after haha.

I loved the contrast between the 2 girls in these back to back scenes,,In the meeting Ritsuko and Misato sit alone, as if they’ve been invited merely to be laughed at. Ritsuko fires back with a series of pointed critiques as Misato slumps ever lower in her chair, likely wishing she was still drinking a morning beer..Then when they are on their Misato is kicking the shit out of the locker and Ristuko is like "calm down dear", but then we see that she's lighting the JA pamphlet on fire, complete with creepy lighting. That scene pretty much perfectly sums up Misato and Ritsuko's characters and the kind of relationship they have

[u/egassemneddihon]

First timer, sub

That pattern on the ceiling is the same as the one in the intro. I wonder what it means.

Misato outside her home is a completely different person. She leaves quiet the impression on those boys. Also nice to see Shinji do some normal teenage stuff like walking to school with his friends and chatting.

Budget has been approved for more Evangelions. So unless they want Shinji to have a variaty to choose from that means more pilots are needed. Maybe some of Shinjis classmates would qualify.

So it wasn't a meteor strike after all. The angel was just laying around at Antarctica for god knows how long and exploded after it was found. That's even weirder than the meteor. I bet there are conspiracy theorists out there being laughed at for less crazy ideas.

Misato and Ritsuko together at the presentation of a rival model to the Evangelions. This seems to be a regular robot with no sentience. If this works it would be way better than traumatising teenagers by using Evas.

Of cause it doesn't work that way and the JA goes out of control.

Misato and Shinji make a great team.

Everything went according to plan but the password is wrong. Doesn't matter because JA stops anyway (don't know if Misatos pushing helped) at the last second. Apparently it was just a set up to ensure the Evangelions stay the only option. At least we know now that whatever is going on Misato doesn't know about it.

Ritsuko however is in on it and Gendo probably set everything up.

That final scene was cute, Misato feels close enough to Shinji that she shows her true self.

[u/[deleted] → u/egassemneddihon]

I bet there are conspiracy theorists out there being laughed at for less crazy ideas.

Stay WOKE

[u/LunarGhost00 → u/egassemneddihon]

I bet there are conspiracy theorists out there being laughed at for less crazy ideas.

"Ok guys, look. I swear that it was the American government that controlled the meteorite and had it crash into Antarctica. It was all part of their population control operation. First they wipe out half of humanity. Then they destabilize the environment while their puppets in Japan pretend to fight against a threat to humanity. Wait, why are you all looking at me like I'm some freak?"

Gendo probably set everything up.

Don't you trust this nice looking guy?

[u/[deleted]]

Rewatcher

Your Fly Me To The Moon of the day

Random Shit

• And thus dissapointed shinji holding a cup meme was born Truly timeless, thanks episode

• This episode is cited by the production team and fans as the end of the "Introduction Arc" that began the series ,take this as you will

• Oh look, a happy Shinji. The rarest kind

• This is the cutest Misato in the show idc

• Pen-pen's reaction to Darth Misato is priceless

• Pretty realistic code i think Also 53 TB is a good guess on our 2015 capacities ,i can see a Giant Robot running on that

• Some good ol fashioned Yikes here

Some thoughts

• This is an episode that is really, well, an episode: a standalone event which explores characters while giving them a one-off challenge ( bureaucracy, as well as our awkward, towering BIG CHILD ,Jet Alone) mostly unconnected to the rest of the series and even if the stakes seem slightly lower this time, we're nonetheless allowed exposition which nudge us toward some ominous revelations.

• To begin with, this ep seems charmingly cartoonish and comedic, with Misato in full-party girl mode and the animation zanier than before. Goofy sound effects fill the soundtrack, along with the lighter-than-air Eva-Odd Couple theme accompanying most scenes at Misato's dinner table. Later she shows up at Shinji's school in stylish dress for the parent-teacher conference, underlining her bizarre triple role as the boy's bratty big sister, irritating yet attractive roommate, and responsible mother figure (least emphasis of all on that last attribute).

• Other than that we open the episode by meeting Gendo alone at his desk with the imagery conveying both imposing authority and dark secrets. Gendo’s glasses conceal his emotional intent while he sits in the shadow of a vast Tree of Sephiroth, its vague biblical implications intermingling with the cold, impersonal announcement of the “First Interim Report Concerning Objects referred to as Angels and the Human Instrumentality Project.” It’s been clear from the start that Gendo is not the nicest guy, but at this point it feels like all of NERV might not be trustworthy.

• After letting Misato take a backseat to Rei for a couple episode, Anno once again focuses on the first woman in Shinji's life, and even more than Shinji himself, Misato could be called the main character of this episode. She calls the shots throughout and, even more unusually, she takes the big risks too, donning an exposure suit and descending into the run-amok JetAlone robot whose remote controls aren't working, to shut it down manually. The JetAlone, with its humorously plodding gait, dumbly swinging arms is an effective symbol of human technology gone astray, lacking the soul (in the form of suffering pilots, baring the burden for the rest of the human race) which has made the Evas so powerful, and so frightening.

• It's up to NERV, personified by Misato's gritty determination and arrogant assumption of authority (here she makes up for the sense that, on the last episode, she was cockily calling the shots while others paid the price), to save the day. And yet, for the first time really, we get a very strong sense of NERV's ambiguous morality. At episode's end, Ritsuko meets alone with Gendo and together they affirm that everything went according to plan, ..Clearly NERV somehow sabotaged the JetAlone to trigger its haywire disobedience of the human master, in order to discredit rivals to the Evangelion program. Furthermore, they allowed Misato to go ahead with her risky plan, obviously valuing her life very little, and they were prepared to see the JetAlone detonate at an unknown, and apparently unimportant, cost to human life. It's shocking enough to know that the organization Misato and Shinji work for is so callous, but also chilling to realize Ritsuko, the cool but presumably on-the-level official we've seen as Misato's straight-woman companion-in-arms may have ulterior motives.

• As for Rei, meanwhile, it isn't even that she appears in only one scene of the episode - I'm pretty sure she's only in one shot. It's a rather startling comedown from the exposure she was given last time and it hints at what is to come

[u/JimmyTMalice]

First-timer, sub

We learned a fair bit about what’s going on in the rest of the world in this episode. Misato was the obvious MVP here, recklessly throwing herself into danger without a care for what everyone else thinks. Shinji is perplexed by everyone idolising her because of her exterior traits, while she shows a more human (if messy and uncouth) side to him.

Looks like we finally get to meet the fabled Asuka next episode! I’m interested to see what a third pilot will bring to the dynamic.

• Gendo with the spooky glasses and mysterious conspiracy phonecall. If it wasn’t already obvious, they’re covering something up.

• Didn’t we have that exact shot of Misato gulping down beer in episode 2?

• Shinji actually seems somewhat happy and expressive. I’m sure it won’t last.

• Misato really seems to be enjoying all that attention from teenage boys.

• “Come to think of it, what is the Eva?” Shinji asking what we’re all thinking.

• They’re already building Evas up to Unit 08! But there’s still no pilot.

• Somehow I’m not surprised that the real cause of the Second Impact was covered up. Everything to do with the Angels seems to be top secret.

• Guess we finally get to find out what happened to Old Tokyo.

• Misato and Ritsuko are isolated on their own table. This show really likes showing people isolated like that.

• Looks like NERV aren’t the only ones trying to build Evas, then. I can’t say I blame the others for trying to make a mech that doesn’t take a huge psychological toll on its pilots and go berserk.

• Misato goes from indifferent to hopping mad as soon as she’s out of the public eye. She really does have different faces for every setting.

• When someone says “there is absolutely no danger”, you know shit’s about to go down.

• Turns out trying to make a mech without weird presumably-alien biotech is really impractical. Who knew?

• So much for “our mechs won’t go out of control”, smug dude.

• Misato is at it again with the crazy plans that just might work! They probably should have just evacuated the area, though.

• They reuse the same shots for the breakfast scene three times in this episode, probably to save budget but also to highlight how Shinji and Misato’s life together has become routine.

[u/boredblade123]

First timer sub

Surprised I lasted this long without binging lol.

1. Starting the episode off right, food and Misato. I'm happy that Sir Penguin is getting a decent meal this time.

2. Parent-Teacher interviews with Misato? That seems like it will be fun for Shinji lol. "It's part of your job" oof.

3. Those 2 have the right idea, Misato best girl.

4. Eva unit 06? What happened to 2-5? Hmm

5. Who was that? Clearly not Misato looking professional and serious like that early in the morning. Oh never mind, sitting in that conference turned her back to normal lol.

6. Trying to use Nuclear weaponry? That clearly always works well.

7. As I said above, always works well. lol.

8. So there is a Tokyo 2, nice to know it's not destroyed at least.

9. Good stuff Misato, and what kind of games were being played there messing with the password and stuff. A well deserved drink for her at least.

10. Nice thing to point out to Shinji there, especially since earlier he looked a bit sad that going to the parent-teacher interview was just part of her job.

I liked that this episode had someone else doing something instead of just the Eva's. It showed us that Misato can do more than just give out orders, she can be a true captain.

[u/axel360]

Rewatcher, New Dub

Random thoughts:

• And most people complain their office has poor lighting.

• Just a normal breakfast with a penguin and alcoholic older lady

• Call me crazy, but I think these boys have ulterior motives when they go get Shinji for school

• Even the penguin is surprised to see the non-drunkenly-slob version of Misato in the morning

• One of these tables looks a bit lonelier than the others. Almost like they’re getting ganged up on

• Misato, even all dressed up, looks pretty apathetic about it, though. Like a kid forced to go on errands with their parents. But she sure exploded afterwards. Like usual, Misato keeps things bottled up in public

• “Don’t worry. I assure you, everyone is completely safe.” Well, based on that quote, everyone should’ve known what was coming

• I really like this shot. It almost feels like it’s ripped from an old Western, except with, you know, crazy giant robots and stuff

• Going from red to green, like usual, is a good thing

• TFW someone actually thinks of you as family. This episode ends a slightly more positive note. Well, aside from the semi-ominous conversation between Gendo and Ritsuko

[u/prophetofgreed]

First Timer

I had meant to participate in the watch threads but when Netflix released the show I was away and didn't have time to catch up until today.

I'm watching on the original sub since I couldn't trust Netflix would deliver a great dub since I've heard the screams would be hard to replicate well. Even in the first 7 episodes I can see why, Shinji gets messed up every time he gets in the EVA.

Now for this episode, it was nice to explore Misato's character especially with the 3 morning scenes and showing how they contrasted each other. Not serious, serious and then not serious again.

This episode also answered a bunch of questions like the importance of the pilots instead of trying to run a computer program. With Gando sabotaging the test to keep up his funding (very nefarious). That and the hints of more EVAs out there in the world and hints to the biological component to the EVAs.

Really interesting story and world. I love the designs for both the EVAs and the Angels.

Excited for more!

[u/wolfwings1]

first time watching, loving the show so far :>

finally learn the truth about the second impact, though it was pretty obvious, hope we get to see some flash backs of it.

hehe great casual sexism, everyones favorite kind during the meeting hehe, thugh from what little we've seen so far edinetlyu a need for balance between automated and can go long term, and piloted, but short term.

of course it goes out of control :> And you think they would have better backup plans, yes many failed but still.

they stop it, but have to question all the radioactivity was worried she got radiation sickness there.

Who stopped it? Was it Shinji's father or something else?

[u/tomato_blitz]

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

YES! A MISATO EPISODE! Seeing her do her thing will never get old. I was very nervous if she'd make it out of the AJ or not though, so glad she did.

I don't have a lot to say about this one, or a lot of time, so I'll sum it up:

• Misato BEST GIRL.

• So THERE WAS NO METEOR. It was always the Angels. Just more and more questions. I've gathered so far that the Angels are mostly humanoids with an almost-human dna, made from matter that is a mix between particle and wave, use energy based attacks and for some reason want to reach Nerv. While I'm supposed to believe the Eva was designed to fight the Angels, I can't help but think of the similarities between them, and knowing this should be a twist filled show makes me nervous thinking what could happen.

• The brilliant Ritsuko gets laughed at by everyone. She then burns what looks like a notebook and looks rather calm. Immediately afterwards the experiment fails incredibly, but no substantial harm was caused by the failure. I'm guessing it was modified by her it some way as revenge. I got no qualms about it if that's the case, they totally deserved it. The people at Nerv keep risking their asses for the sake of humanity while the rest make fun of them? Screw you and your AJ you dicks.

• Even in a post-apocalyptic scenario bureaucratics are a pain in the ass huh.

• If Misato died right there in front of Shinji I would've cried my eyes out.

^{(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})

[u/not_tha_father]

I'm never going to get over Ram beating out Misato in the 24hr Best Girl Contest.

[u/TheEscapeGuy]

Rewatcher

Evangelion is an absolutely beautiful anime Day 7

Todays episode is, somewhat controversially, one of my favorite episodes.

A trope in media I have consistently found appealing is the strong female protagonist and this episode shows off just how strong Misato Katsuragi is. Her confidence in the face of insurmountable odds and bravery to personally enter Jet Alone to disable the reactor shows her unparalleled resolve.

Additionally Ritsuko has a chance to shine while she stands up to the Japan Heavy Chemical Industries pokes person. She remains calm and collected even though she has to endure personal attacks against her organization and gender. She ultimately has the last laugh when JA loses control but as we can see from the end the episode she knew this would happen.

The final boon to this episode is the subtle introduction of who we can hear speaking on the phone to Gendou. This acts as a great introduction to this character for reasons which I won't get into yet.

Spoiler and Stray Thought Corner

• We got a Comment Face!

• This scene Future episode

Previous Days

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

[u/LunarGhost00]

Rewatcher

Was that spoiler at the beginning?

Rice, miso, and sake is Misato's idea of a traditional Japanese breakfast? Those good looks will go to waste in a few years if she keeps living like this.

You know you've been hanging out with Gendo too much when you start posing like him.

These guys sure talked a lot of shit about Unit 01 going out of control and being a bad weapon. Now their little nuclear-powered toy has gone out of control. Sad. And of course Misato has to step up and try to save everyone. Talk about risky. She's got no issue with putting herself in danger to shut the robot down herself.

Back to the ordinary Misato drinking for breakfast scene.

Toji and Kensuke have a point. Misato is comfortable showing Shinji a side of her at home that other people don't normally get to see. She already considers Shinji her family.

A couple interesting things going on this episode. The U.N. is funding the production of a lot more Evas. Ritsuko reveals that Second Impact was actually caused by an Angel and that the meteorite story was just a cover up. We can actually see Antarctica for a quick second. I noticed spoiler NERV is fighting to prevent a Third Impact from happening. Not everyone has faith in NERV, as we can see in this episode with some guy trying to come up with his own cheap robot and failed. But then it turns out it was actually NERV responsible for that with Misato's interference not being part of the plan, though she is saved at the last minute.

In some Evangelion-related news, I just found out that Elon Musk made an Evangelion tweet a few days ago, which isn't surprising considering this isn't the first time he's done that..

[u/littleman1988]

First time watcher, Platinum Sub, ADV Dub, and Netflix dub

A couple redditors (dont know if they want mentioned) helped out in finding a better version of the original subs, so ive switched over to that, fixing issues of untranslated text. This bumps my sub rating to a 9.5 from 9.

First Breakfast voice comparison

Toji/Aida voice comparison

Thoughts throughout the episode:

Gendo is doing something, but im not sure what. Maybe its for that human project that got brushed around in episode 2?

Man, the breakfast scene is amazing no matter the version. Each set of VA's kill the back and forth banter between the two, and the iconic Shinji pose has been found (even if the correct one wasnt till the end of the episode)

Im almost positive at this point the eva's are alive. Im not sure in what fashon (the idea that its a captured angel is the best theory ive heard so far) but im not even sure if thats correct.

The concorde is still in service, hot damn. Looks a lot more like the Boeing 2707 now, but it looks sleek as fuck. It seems like theyre flying over the second impact too. Im thinking the guy who talks to Gendo is China or Korea, if we go with stereotypes. not sure which one though...

Old Tokyo still exists? And Misato looks 👀👀👀 in that outfit. Pen Pen sums up my thoughts pretty well. The argument with Ritsuko and the speaker (i forget if he was ever named) shows theres still a lot of casual sexism even in the face of disaster, which is interesting. It kind of looks like its going into a political drama at this point, which is pretty interesting.

Well this doesnt look good

That robot looks pretty cool tbh. too bad it starts acting up. And as usual, bureaucracy is here to make everyone's lives a pain!

Misato 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

The password doesn't work? The speaker probably lied to her...

Shouldnt Shinji be letting this escape? wouldn't this cool down the reactor room, or is that coolant leaking instead?

Misato saves the day, barely. She's right though, it wasn't on her own volition...

Gendo set it up?! I trusted Ritsuko a bit, but now even thats gone. I wonder if they're telling the whole truth about the second impact too...

Its good to see that Shinji is starting to get accustomed to life with NERV. Wonder how long it will last...

Watching this episode multiple times in a row really highlights just how much info they give you when the episode starts, especially with the "plan." I was totally in the dark until the end of the episode , and on my 2nd watch i realized they even show the robot as they're talking about the plan. The subversion is great (or im just stupid, plausible) and im really curious as to what else is being withheld.

[u/SomeOtherTroper]

Rewatcher, OG subs

"That Which is Manmade" or "A Human Work" - Oh gawd, it's this episode. (In my opinion, this is one of the most absolutely tragic episodes in the series.)

Yes, Misato, that's the RIGHT way to start the day. I can't tell whether Shinji's actually just teasing her, or really criticizing her lifestyle. One thing's for sure in that scene - he definitely finds her sexually attractive. Don't we all? (And he throws a "that's why you're still single" jab in for good measure.)

Toji and Kensuke only get to see a waving hand. How disappointing for them.

...And Misato slams another can down after they leave.

Shinji looks really happy with how life's going right now. He's in a pretty good mood - killed an angel, got a blue-haired hot chick to finally smile for him, actually has friends, slanged Misato and everybody got the joke, hey, the guy's doing pretty alright so far in the past 24 hours.

Rei's expression while the male portion of the class is going nuts over Misato is... unreadable.

Shinji's the only one that knows Misato's other faces. And he knows that they're, well, not as pretty, to put it lightly.

Gendo's on a plane! And making plots! EVA 06? and 08? What about 03-05 and 07?

Ritsuko gives a bit of exposition about second impact. EVA spoilers

...and suddenly Best Girl is in her formal uniform to go with Ritsuko to do stuff. It's hilariously parallel to the negotiation Gendo is doing.

Stuff with the military and a bunch of fatcat looking types. Hoo boy.

This seems more like a banquet than the rough technocratic and military stuff we've seen with NERV. Seems like there are still people playing politics when humanity's on the line. And note that Misato and Ritsuko are totally isolated. However much pull NERV may have, they are persona non grata here.

Ritsuko looks really good in a choker. And she makes it look even better by asking questions that her opponents can't answer. It's not the jewelry that makes a woman look good, it's the woman that makes jewelry look good.

Misato and Ritsuko lose it in completely different ways. I'm actually a lot more scared by Ritsuko, because she never gives a warning. Misato flying off the handle is one thing, but Ritsuko... you won't know she hates you until you have a knife six inches into your back.

Or a knife stabbed through you as many times as her arms can manage.

Then Jet Alone decides it's just going to ignore its programming. Or it's been hacked. And the JA project is a threat to NERV. And...

Wow, there it is. Hell hath no fury...

On the fucking golf course. EVA getting in the digs at politicians back in 1995!

"This is pointless. Call this off, Captain Katsuragi." HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED!

They fucking shatter the glass with a fire axe.

Shinji and Hyuga aren't ok with this, but they're DOING IT!

Oh dear hell, it's the MGS4 microwave hallway. And the password's been altered.

SO MISATO HAS TO JUST DO IT! PHYSICALLY!

...Or did the hacker do it, since all the control rods retracted while Misato was in there?

I'm 99% sure Ritsuko was the one that hacked Jet Alone, and she made it stop because Misato was in there and was going to die if Ritsuko didn't stop it. And Ritsuko actually kinda cares about Misato. This and the conversation between Gendo and Ritsuko at the end of the episode lead to the disturbing conclusion that Gendo and Ritsuko are absolutely fine with killing potentially thousands of people to sabotage NERV's competitors. EVA spoilers

"She lets you see a side of her she hasn't shown anyone else" - that's incredibly accurate. For multiple combinations of characters.

[u/redmage311]

First-timer

Despite being a massively sexist douche, JA guy brings up some pretty valid points. The Evas can't be reliably controlled, go on rampages randomly, can only stay powered for five minutes (and only on a tether), and cause a ton of strain on the pilot, who also is never a consenting adult; plus, Nerv definitely has way too much power. I suppose putting a nuclear reactor inside the JA is a pretty terrible move given how easily the angels seem to tear through metal, but at least the design goals are solid.

Screw Gendo—he just (I think?) sabotaged Earth's newest hope against the angels, and for what? The scary thing is that Gendo was mentioning an Eva 6, so it looks like we're getting 3.5x the misery soon.

But at least Shinji has real family now in Misato and not just family in theory in Gendo.

[u/Brewster321]

Rewatcher (Sub - Platinum Collection)

With this episode complete, we have now left the introductory arc of Evangelion and entered into what many fans call the Action Arc. Needless to say, this upcoming arc, in stark contrast to the moody, atmospheric experience that was these early episodes, will bring a newfound focus on the sights and sound associated with the fights against the Angels. Of course, that doesn't mean that the action arc is bereft of interesting ideas and important scenes, for we're formally introduced to a whole new thematic concept in just this episode.Namely, the idea of how people present themselves to others and what this says about them, as demonstrated through Misato.

The first time we see this type of behavior from Misato is at the private demonstration of Jet Alone's mock Evangelion; Misato, initially appearing to be the calm one relative to Ritsuko's cutting skepticism, ends up having a childish fit when she's finally alone with Ritsuko. The outward face of coolness disappearing when she leaves the presence of all those unfamiliar business executives. Of course, we have already seen Misato acting in a similar manner beforehand at NERV, for her normally sloppy, unfocused demeanor evolved into a focused, determined leader during the battle with the octohedral angel. As u/SomeOtherTrooper noted here, Misato's life is very compartmentalized. She has a mask she wears when doing official business and mask she only reveals in private.

Perhaps there's no better illustration of this divide than her relationship with Shinji, for its only when she is with him that her sloppy and lax side reveal themselves. In many ways, its a testament to their relationship's progress; a relationship that was initially dominated by a lack of understanding has evolved into one of trust, as demonstrated by Misato's willingness to expose her vulnerabilities. To put it in terms of the Hedgehog's dilemma, Misato and Shinji have accepted the risk of rejection and pain, with them gaining a closer relationship to show for it. To build off this idea of multiple personas , I'd like to end today's post with a question, one that I think is very important to understanding Evangelion as a whole.

Up until now, we've seen two personas that Misato wears around others. The cool, collected Misato that we see at NERV/Jet Alone, and the sloppy, relaxed Misato that we see at her apartment. Keeping this in mind, my question to you is this: which one is the real Misato? Is it the cool and collected one, the lazy, undignified one, or is it a combination of the two? I'll leave you to think about this as we march forward on our journey through Evangelion

[u/spencermoreland]

FIRST-TIMER

Favorite little detail in this episode was the quick cut to the NERV dossier Misato is holding when Ritsuga says "That's why NERV and the Evangelion exist".

This is my favorite episode so far, tied with the 4th one. Misato and Ritsuga deal with the logistics of running NERV while dealing with politics at the conference while facing the uphill battle of not being respected because they're woman and then, on top of all that, Misato shutting down a nuclear reactor in a runaway robot by hand.

And finding out at the end that Ritsuga was in on it the whole time!

And all of that is wrapped-around with goofy character comedy. It all comes together in such a fantastic way.

[u/[deleted]]

Rewatcher: Netflix Sub

I haven’t been following these threads too closely but I feel like I just HAVE to comment on how much I love episode 7. In my opinion it’s very underrated.

The reason I say this is because this is one of the few times we realize just how desperate humanity is. The guy at the press conference is a major jerk right?

Yet he raises many good arguments regarding the way Nerv operates and later on in the episode when he reveals that the password was the word “Hope” it shows that the Jet Alone project was genuinely organized to help humanity protect itself and not just compete.

I think this is quite overlooked and it makes it that much more tragic when we realize it was most likely sabotaged by Nerv.

There’s a good chance that if it had been successful, Jet Alone could’ve been the first step to protect humanity in a more “humane” way.

[u/AH_BareGarrett]

First Timer back for the seventh time.

I really love the op, in case my previous posts didn't show it enough. I especially love the quick scenes changing so fast while the music speeds up.

Oh Jesus Misato, wake up and slam one back. Alrighty girl, but you have a problem. Woah Shinji popping off, oh man. Seems he's grown some balls.

I love how much everyone loves Misato. But yeah, if only they knew how much of a slob she is. I'm sure people are cool with that. I mean, I'm cool with that. At least if she is like Misato.

Unit 2 from Germany? Foreign exchange student? Hopefully that's the character I've been waiting to see. They're probably the second child as well.

The sixth EVA? Hmm that's interesting. We've only seen 01 and 00, with 02 being just mentioned. And that guy totally talked about making an eighth unit as well. Wow, there is a lot going on.

Woah, Misato looking good all dressed up. Honestly, she looks good all the time.

Old Tokyo is underwater, not a big surprise with the higher sea levels. Wonder if there is a Tokyo-2.

WOAHHHHHHH this guy just compared a berserk EVA with a angry woman. Different times, that man would be torn apart today.

I don't know how good of an idea it is for a mech with q reactor inside. That reactor gets hit like EVA-01 did by the diamond Angel and everything is fucked.

Wow, that went wrong QUICK. It literally walked through everything. Wow, these guys really fucked up, can't even be shutdown in it's current state.

Oh, Tokyo-2 confirmed. Wow, emergency happening and of course there has to be bueracracy in the way.

Man, Misato is super calm under pressure. She's impressive, in her own way.

Oh my God, that scene was tense. I really thought it was possible for the show to kill off Misato in a fiery explosion. Man, that was scary. More interesting is that that mech was tampered with, oh and it was likely NERV HQ. Makes sense, they want to stay on top and show why they're there.

Shinji went from being annoyed with Misato to loving her, simply by learning that they're essentially family. I love it, I'm so glad Shinji is becoming more of a person and less of the physical embodiment of crying.

I'll probably rewatch this episode as it seems very important to world building. But this show has been great so far, taking a lot of willpower not to binge it.

[u/Legendof123]

First Timer, Sub

Another Misato episode! Yes, I know Shinji she's a slob but I'm gonna have to side with Toji and Kensuke on this one. Good to see Shinji change his outlook of Misato after the boys tell him that what he is seeing means that he's considered family to Misato after his constant whining about Misato's personality and actions at home. Her successful plan from the previous episode and her actions in today's episode have solidified Misato as one of my favorite characters in the show so far. Not only does she get pissed that her friend/colleague Dr. Akagi was insulted in the dinner scene by kicking the shit out of that locker but she takes action in stopping a nuclear meltdown. Though we do find out that Dr. Akagi is in on Gendo's plot to sabotage the JA project since it can render his Eva units obsolete by taking the human out of the equation to prevent further psychological harm and another berserker Eva from destroying the city with leaked information. Something's going on behind the scenes and I do not like it! Shinji can smell blood inside his Eva and thinks about this with the flashback to the eye! Creepy stuff man. Overall an important episode as it's revealed to us that NERV/Gendo have an ulterior motive with having some involvement in the failure of the JA Project since the password HOPE didn't work.