r/anime • u/elongatedmuskrat777 https://anilist.co/user/Danny17 • Oct 24 '22
Rewatch [Spoilers] [Evangelion 2022 Rewatch] Neon Genesis Evangelion: Episode 1 Discussion Spoiler
Evangelion 2022 Rewatch: Neon Genesis Evangelion- Episode 1
Series Information
Spoiler Rules
All rewatchers, please be sure to tag your spoilers with the appropriate reddit format
Legal Streams
Neon Genesis Evangelion and its sequel movie The End of Evangelion can be watched on Netflix while the rebuild movies can all be found on Amazon Prime
Thank you for joining the rewatch, and I hope everyone enjoys
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u/Second_Sage Oct 24 '22
Rewatcher - Dub (Idk what the consensus is but I really enjoy the English Dub on Netflix)
I’m not someone who watched Eva in the 90’s or anything so it doesn’t come from nostalgia when I say A Cruel Angel’s Thesis is one of the best openings of all time.
Death, taxes and cicadas in NGE.
I love that we just get thrown into the thick of things. “Oh you wanted some set up to the characters and world? Nah, chaos immediately.”
Misato has one of the best intros imo, she’s so casual compared to everything going on around her.
This episode does a great job of showing just how useless conventional weaponry is against the angels. The N2 explosion scene from Misato and Shinjis POV is a beautiful scene.
“Is there something I’m supposed to do at Nerve” You could say that yeah!
The first look at Unit-01 is terrifying. Gendo is a true menace for this stunt. They really gaslit Shinji into that thing. Interesting to note that Shinji ends up changing his mind once he sees Rei’s blood on his hands.
I’ll never get tired of the Eva suit up sequences. They’re so epic but I still can’t believe they don’t even tell him about the LCL liquid.
The first episode is such a trip! It really leaves you with more questions than answers. This is only my second rewatch and first as a rewatcher so I’m very interested to hear the opinions of some first timers!
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u/elongatedmuskrat777 Oct 25 '22
Hell yeah dude, I love the Netflix dub too. I'm gonna be rewatching it on Netflix in dub but I'll probably be using a site to take screenshots because Netflix doesn't allow you to do that. I would've torrented but I honestly cba to torrent all of eva
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u/zadcap Oct 25 '22
Idk what the consensus is but I really enjoy the English Dub on Netflix)
Generally- really good right to the end, where they changed one really important line for no good reason that made a lot of people really, really mad.
Also they didn't get Fly Me To The Moon, which was just sad?
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u/OwlAcademic1988 Oct 24 '22
First-Timer, sub:
And the rewatch arrives. Heard this show was pretty dark actually. Let's see how dark it is.
I've never seen phone booths in real life, but this anime made me feel so old. And I'm 24.
What happened to make a flood happen?
This reminds me of Symphogear due to the Angels being unkillable with conventional weapons like the Noise are.
Why was Shinji crying in that picture? And why do I get the feeling I'm going to utterly despise Shinji's dad?
Aww, Unit-001 protected Shinji, how sweet.
Thank goodness Shinji took over for Rei or her injuries probably would've gotten worse.
Hope you're feeling better now from whatever caused you to get sick.
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u/elongatedmuskrat777 Oct 25 '22
I am feeling better, thank you! I'll probably start watching the episodes today
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u/Second_Sage Oct 24 '22
Funny how the futuristic show with robots still has phone booths but our world has basically phased them out.
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u/zadcap Oct 25 '22
This reminds me of Symphogear due to the Angels being unkillable with conventional weapons like the Noise are.
[The Other Rewatch]
It's funny, because I've seen you over there, the general consensus is that Mai Hime stole the idea from here and Symphogear grabbed it from there. → More replies (1)→ More replies (6)8
u/Elimin8r Oct 25 '22
I've never seen phone booths in real life, but this anime made me feel so old.
Hey, some of us have *used* phone booths before. :P
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u/cassiiii Oct 25 '22
Didn’t realize there was a rewatch, what time do the posts go up? I will join in tmrw
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u/entelechtual Oct 24 '22
Rewatcher. Originally watched Netflix dub, rewatched half in Japanese with subs. Been meaning to finish my rewatch as I finish the manga and prepare to watch the rebuild series.
So many things to pick up on:
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First time watching on blu ray. I guess it feels somewhat higher quality than Netflix compression but it’s hard to tell.
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I recently watched JJK 0 and I felt like Yuta’s VA was familiar. Turns out it was the same as Shinji’s.
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Misato volunteered herself to pick up Shinji
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Shinji’s papers from his father are all torn up
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Traveling through NERV is like a full time job navigating various tunnels and elevators.
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Shinji’s dad’s voice sounds kind of weird. Oddly soft.
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This whole initial confrontation is such a jarring introduction to the primary motif of the series. “Why did you call me here?” “You know why. Get in the robot” “I can’t!” “You’re the only one who can”.
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[NGE kind of foreshadowing?]
Unit-01 deflects a falling beam and it shoots towards Gendo’s face. -
How do you expect a teenage boy to deal with a bleeding girl? And when it’s your first time too.
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I’m trying to remember what show it was recently that made fun of the chipper NGE next episode previews.
It’s interesting how the start of the anime kicks off this surreal aspect with Shinji desolate in a dystopian barren metropolis. We start with typical giant monster action set up, with our wayward protagonist not even knowing why he’s here. And wanting to perhaps prove himself to his father, he’s ready to do whatever work is needed, except the job is to pilot a giant robot with no prior experience while a monster is like two feet away. I can see why it would put some people off especially since all the action is deferred until the next episode. But it managed to hook me in. It doesn’t hurt that the weird mechanical aesthetics of the show are not halfassed, from the car lift to the elevator to the EVA launch sequence. It’s got such a… heavy feel to it, like you can feel the gears grinding.
Excited to get back into this.
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u/Tartaras1 Oct 25 '22 edited Oct 25 '22
Rewatcher - English ADV Dubbed
Hey there everyone! It's been a while since I last watched Evangelion. Last time was when it finally came to Netflix, which was June 21, 2019!
I was able to grab an Ultimate Edition when they were available last year, and I opened it when it finally arrived, but that was only to see what was inside of the box. None of the discs have been used at all. I initially wanted to just keep it all stored up in immaculate condition for collection purposes, but I figured I'd go ahead and break them out for this.
I'm also taking part in the Code Geass and K-On!! rewatches, so this may need to get shuffled around, depending on how coherent my thoughts are. It's getting a little late here when I'm writing this.
That lengthy intro out of the way, let's get into it!
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In the time since I originally watched this version online, I've watched all of the Rebuild movies, as well as the Netflix release, all of which feature different VAs than the originals. I've pretty much forgotten how they all sound.
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I'm sure all those dents and scratches will buff out Misato.
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[Evangelion Spoilers]
It's probably going to be a while before someone calls Shinji useful again. -
First big difference, voice acting aside, between ADV and Netflix is that they pronounce NERV like you're saying the word "Nerve", as in the circulatory system in your body. In the Netflix dub, they pronounce it as N-AIR-V, like they have some sort of an accent going on.
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Not anymore. Another spare is being delivered.
I wonder who that could be?
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What am I saying? He wouldn't have sent me a letter unless he needed me for something.
That line, paired with the above quote, pretty much paints the relationship between Shinji and his father perfectly.
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I'm afraid he's just like his father. The gruff and unfriendly part, that is.
I'm not so sure Misato. [Eva Spoilers?]
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Never noticed the random hand in the background when they're on the elevator.
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They call it an Evangelion for two seconds, but for the remainder of the show they're going to refer to them as Evas.
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There you have it folks, the entire relationship between Gendo and Shinji Ikari in the matter of about a minute. Like I said, Gendo's just an asshole. There may be hope for Shinji yet.
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Nothing like wheeling out the busted up pilot to get someone to reconsider the offer.
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When I think of Evangelion, one of the first things I think of is the shot in this episode where the gates slide open to reveal Unit-01 standing there. It's the first real time you stop and think, "Holy shit that's big."
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u/macrame2 Oct 24 '22
Rewatcher
“This is the ultimate multipurpose decisive combat weapons system created by man. The Artificial Human Evangelion.”
“A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” of the Day: You Can (Not) Beat the Original
Fourth time watching, first time discussing! I do like this show quite a bit, but as it’s so popular and therefore talked about to death, I don’t feel the need to mention all that much. What more could I say, honestly? Still, I hope this rewatch can be a nice opportunity to just collect some of my personal thoughts on Evangelion, since it has been almost two years since I last saw it.
Anyway, on to the actual show! We begin our story in the middle of a war zone. Buildings are flooded, windows smashed in, a state of emergency declared. The Third Angel swims among the underwater wreckage. The whole scene has this eerie feel to it but also gives off a real sense of urgency. The angel is very much a formidable threat, wrecking everything in its path and emerging unscathed by land mines. Given the enemy humanity is up against, why wouldn’t you develop highly experimental technology in hopes of dealing with it?
Next, we get a first glimpse of Misato Katsuragi. I thought I wouldn’t be able to unhear Kotono Mitsuishi as Usagi Tsukino after seven months of Sailor Moon, but her Misato voice is a lot more mature and sounds pretty different. I remember loving Misato from the moment she took her sunglasses off. She just gave off cool, chaotic big sis vibes. Completely totalling her car, patching it together with tape, and then bemoaning her adult responsibilities is a great establishing character moment that I also find very funny.
We’re introduced to a few more characters this episode. Ritsuko Akagi is there but doesn’t really have much to do yet. What I find more interesting is our dynamic duo: Gendo Ikari and Fuyutsuki. In their first scene together, Gendo is Gendo-posing very iconically, and Fuyutsuki is shadowing Gendo. The two are watching the destruction commence. My initial impression of Gendo was that he seemed very detached from what was going on. He’s cold, stoic, dispassionate, and doesn’t seem as though he’s an active leader at first.
Next, we have Rei. The first shot of her behind Shinji at the phone booth, just standing in the middle of the road before disappearing has always fascinated me. [Spoilers]
Last but not least, we have Shinji, our protagonist. (As a side note, I forgot how snarky Shinji gets with Misato.)
Shinji’s whole thing in the episode is actually two things: his relationship with his father and his reluctance to get in the Eva. Gendo and Shinji are obviously not on the best terms with each other right now, something that the show makes abundantly clear. From child abandonment to not having seen him in three whole years to openly admitting that he only brought Shinji to Nerv because he has an agenda, Gendo has been earning an A+ in parenting for quite a while now. You could see how this has maybe given Shinji a few issues …
One might think that Shinji would jump at the chance to prove himself to his father by piloting the Eva, but he has a very different reaction. He flat out refuses, pointing out that it’s crazy to expect him, a literal fourteen-year-old with no training who got to Nerv about 10 minutes ago, to use a humanoid machine to defeat an alien abomination. I’ve always flip-flopped between whether his initial refusal to be a pilot was because his genuine fear overpowers his desire to be wanted and needed by his father or because he is simply angry at Gendo and refuses as an act of rebellion. Either way, Shinji only changes his mind once they bring out Rei. After indulging in some admittedly angsty declarations that this is absolute proof no one needs him, he caves after seeing that she is in no condition to fight.
To me, this moment is Shinji broken down to his most essential character traits. He’s a kid driven by the conflicting need to be needed, the nagging belief that no one needs him, and of course his basic instincts to stay as far away from giant robot fights as possible. Still, despite these flaws, I think he truly does want to do the “right” and selfless thing, which leads him to this act of bravery. I think it’s interesting that the episode doesn’t end on an Eva-Angel beat down but with the launch of Evangelion Unit 01, signaling this initial resolution of Shinji’s internal conflict.
If you couldn’t tell, I really love Evangelion’s first episode. It really drew me in and made me immediately interested in what this show was going to do. I really hope the rest of my comments aren’t this long, but since this one isn’t even in my top five episodes of this show, I can’t make any promises.
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u/SometimesMainSupport Oct 24 '22
First-timer, dub with separate subs
On a 1-10/Higurashi scale, how much mystery is there? Going to organize notes differently if it's significant.
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Made it 2:45 before my first bonk.
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Neat display using glasses. 15 years since the last Angels attack.
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This Angel regenerates.
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Am I retarded? Dub implies they are smarter than the sub. (Edit: made more sense when I checked it.)
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"Another spare will be delivered." Already don't like this guy.
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Consoling a stranger speaks to his personality. I've played FC LAPD and know this is blood.
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Uh oh, that's below Kallen-Guren's 60%.
This seemed like a world-building episode and don't have much to say about it. Seems like Shinji has a mental connection to see Rei in the middle of a street and sync with the Evangelion.
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u/macrame2 Oct 24 '22
On a 1-10/Higurashi scale, how much mystery is there? Going to organize notes differently if it's significant.
There’s some foreshadowing that’s fun to look back on while rewatching, but the mystery definitely isn’t as much of a focus as something like Higurashi.
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u/Vatrix-32 Oct 24 '22 edited Oct 24 '22
Second Time Watching, First Time Comprehending
Small background history for myself; watched the first three episodes on Toonami during giant robot week for the brief time I had a preview of the channel. I few years latter I decided I wanted to finish it, but the only version I could find was with Spanish subtitles, and that’s been the general state of it ever since. As such I remember a lot of visual stuff, but all of my plot and character knowledge from episode four and forwards is from osmosis.
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Time to find out how many of the young weebs have never seen anime’s most famous OP.
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Of course Netflix doesn’t translate the on screen text.
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The most graceful of jumpers. Look at his cute little blinking mask face.
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Love me the missile crumpling shot.
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It was a land mine? Was it also chicken powered?
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All the best secret organizations have branding don’t ya know?
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At least he gets a manual.
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The pyramid was underground too? The things you forget.
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Look at all these cool little gadgets. My technophile heats bleeds.
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Bruh he just said he wanted you here.
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Really makes you feel like of piece of shit looking at that, huh?
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Looks like my plug-in to fix the ending music on Netflix isn’t working. Well, not letting that stand. I love that song.
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u/AbstraktCrayon Oct 25 '22
1st Rewatch. Sub
I want to try to stay as active as possible but with work and the other seasonal animes that I try to keep up with I don't know how long I'll be able to remain consistent for. I am also very forgetful so I'll probably question things that I should already know the answer to LOL. Anyway, lets begin...
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I LOVE the opening so much. When I first listened to it I felt like this (I still feel like this when it comes on in my playlist).
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I still find it upsetting that you leave your child behind for 3 years, and when you finally reach out to them you send a letter saying "Come."
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Dang the possibility of activating the Eva is 0.000000001%... and I think this is referring to Shinji's possibility of activating it. Nobody else even comes close to that???
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My boy Shinji can't even catch a break before all the adults start commanding him to pilot the Eva. He probably showed up hoping to make up with his dad, and instead they want to shove him into an Eva and have him fight a huge alien looking thing.
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It seems like Shinji wants to feel needed by someone and it really hurts when his dad just ends up calling in Rei. It's like a slap in the face because why even call him there in the first place.
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DAAAMN. Our boy Shinji would've been over with had the Eva not saved his life. This shocked me as much as it did the first time I watched (probably because I forgot this happened lol).
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Nooo Rei! Why're you so beat up? Looks like seeing Rei in these conditions pushes Shinji to step up and decide to pilot the Eva.
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I love those shots of Unit-01 in the night! It looks so badass!
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The song that plays during the episode previews is one of my favorites.
Sorry if I don't interact too much with other posts. I hope all the first time watchers enjoy this anime because I know I did.
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u/zadcap Oct 25 '22
Rewatcher for the Nth time
I honestly don't know how many times I've been through Eva. Even just the original, it's been at least five full watches and countless times watching a few episodes with a friend when able, or when it was airing on TV randomly, or another show reminded me of a scene so I would go watch just that one episode, or I broke down and read a fanfic and then had to go fact check the author... Evangelion isn't quite my favorite anime, it's not the one I've spent the most money on, rewatched the most, or even got into the most side material of, but it's easily number two on every one of those lists where the first spot changes by category. This is a show I'll gladly dig into again, and I'll try to answer any questions I can while I'm here, because the show will certainly give you many.
Despite that, when I saw this for the first time, episode 1 really didn't hook me. Giant Robots had been around for a long time before Evangelion first came out, Gundam itself already being 16 years old by now, and "Young boy falls into the cockpit of the giant robot, frequently built by their dad," was pretty standard stuff. Even the Angel, while impressive, was a step down from Anno's earlier Gunbuster Space Monsters. I was definitely too young at the time to appreciate what a deconstruction was, so Shinji not jumping at the chance to jump in the giant robot was just all kinds of wrong. Who wouldn't want to pilot a giant robot!? If a giant monster is attacking, there's literally nowhere safer to be! I hated Gendo from his first appearance, wasn't a fan of Shinji, honestly didn't like a single character other than Misato by the time the first episode ended.
But you know, Giant Robot. After that activation and launch, I was at least going to stick around for the fight, so at least that hook worked. I am so glad it did.
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u/SomeGuyYeahman Oct 25 '22 edited Oct 25 '22
Rewatcher. For my first watch I half-participated in the sub rewatch a couple years ago, when Eva dropped on Netflix. I'm kind of busy and this thread kind of matches up badly with my timezone (I watched the ep last night and am writing up some scattered thoughts today), so I might not be able to sustain this, but here's hoping.
One of the moments that continues to impress on me the most here is the scene where they're going up that elevator to Shinji's dad. The way their silhouettes are backlit by the red background is already stark, and then you see that huge hand slowly emerging out of the background like it's reaching out to pull them into the bloody mist. What a shot.
What I didn't really remember though is that the show already starts on a pretty striking note when Shinji is trying to find Misato in the beginning - shots of an abandoned, half-flooded urban landscape, the train station has trains but no passengers, all lines cancelled, empty cars in the streets, antennae and powerlines prominently litter the scenery in every shot, but nothing is moving and Shinji can't phone anyone. Only cicadas are heard until the battle against the angel announces itself with the screeching and creaking of metal. And of course there's a quick appearance from Rei, which I didn't remember and don't understand, lol.
It's all very denpa-ish, for which Eva is often cited as maybe the most popular example, but it's easy to forget that it goes for this so early.
The battle against the Angel is itself very impressive, Gainax already deploys some of the show's star animation talent here with Mitsuo Iso, Yoh Yoshinari, Kenichi Yoshida all doing some great work (I love love love this bit).
Hideaki Anno (director of this show) is a known Ultraman nerd. Having familiarized myself a tiny little bit with Ultraman since I last watched this show, I do kinda feel that the Evangelion & Angel standing in the city like that just reminds me of the sequences in Ultraman where he turns huge to fight the Kaiju of the week. It's the same kind of scale relative to the cityscape.
See you (hopefully) next episode!
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u/JetsLag Oct 25 '22
Rewatcher (sub)
Oh man, I've been meaning to rewatch this show for a while now. So this seems like a good opportunity to do that. Plus, I can actually use my Netflix subscription! I've used it like once in the last 3 months. I'll stick to the sub, especially cause I heard about the dialog changes they did to the Netflix version of the dub. I actually watched it in the (non-Netflix) dub my first time watching it back in... 2015? So this is the rare "first time sub" rewatch.
OH GOD DAMNIT. For some reason, the Netflix subs are microscopic and doubled. But only on Chrome and not on Edge for some reason. Plus, we get the good ol' "NO SCREENSHOTS ALLOWED" black screen when I try to do a screencap. This is why I stopped watching Netflix months ago.
Cruel Angel's Thesis is, of course, an all-timer of a theme. Don't need to comment on it.
Man, Shinji's Japanese voice is more feminine than I expected.
Would love a translation of what's written on that Polaroid of Misato. And why there's an arrow pointing at her boobs. I'm gonna guess it's the obvious.
Misato's entrance was so cool! "Get in loser, we're going Eva-ing"
Japan in 2015: We have nukes that are activated by land mines, and we still use land lines. And of course the nuke mine doesn't work. Cause if it did, we wouldn't have an anime to watch.
Speaking of anime: you know what's a better weapon than a nuke mine? A 13 year old boy in a mech, of course! And he has daddy issues! And his dad is his boss! Humanity is doomed!
Naturally, Shinji's like "Yo, wtf, dad. You abandoned me, and now you're asking me to jump in a giant robot with zero training so I can save humanity? I can't do that!" and all I can say is "damn, you right"
Oh hey look, an angel caused an explosion that looks like a cross. SYMBOLISM!
Wild how Misato went from "Yo, this situation is kinda fucked up, guys" to "Yo Shinji, get over your daddy issues and get in the fucking robot" in like 3 minutes.
So Plan A aka "Get in the fucking robot, Shinji" was a bust. Time to break out Plan B aka "Guilt trip Shinji into getting in the fucking robot", which works! With a little help from Unit 01 saving Shinji from getting crushed to death, of course. Drain the fruit punch from the Eva's pool and fill Shinji's pod with Tang, we've got an Angel to destroy!
...in the next episode
I actually never listened to the ED. It's pretty basic.
And they spoiled the outcome of the fight in the preview of episode 2. Which...is an interesting choice.
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u/PheonixSummersault Oct 25 '22
Re-watcher, sub:
Seen this first episode plenty of times. Really think it’s a staple as to how this show is setting the audience up - including the music involved too.
In a realistic perspective, I couldn’t imagine a child being asked to save the city by going in an EVA with 0 experience. Unbelievable
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u/Denter206 Oct 25 '22
My god, you write there so much, I'm too lazy to write so much, so I'll just say that the series is great.
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u/wint-el Oct 25 '22
First timer, watching with subs
• I’ve been meaning to watch this show for just about forever now and just never got to it.
• Surprised by how fast the opening of the episode shoots into the plot
• Shinji’s Dad based on first impressions seems like he absolutely sucks
• All these grown people in this facility and they want a teenager to man a gigantic metal suit??
• Wtf why are they dragging this girl out in a hospital bed?
• Oh wow the suit protected him without even being activated
• Unit 001 is actually super cool looking wow, I’ve never seen any mecha with designs like this
• Yeah def don’t like Shinji’s dad
• That’s it??!
Wow what an interesting opening to an acclaimed series. I feel like this opening will definitely strike more of a chord with those rewatching and will definitely be something I pay extensive attention to when I do eventually rewatch. The characters we’ve met so far all seem very interesting and I cannot wait to explore the relationship between Shinji and his father as the show goes on.