Episode 12
| Episode Information | |||||||
| Episode #12 | |||||||
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| Written By | Hideaki Anno, Akio Satsukawa | ||||||
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| Directed By | Hiroyuki Ishido | ||||||
| First Aired | 12-20-1995 | ||||||
| Video Release Date | 7-5-1996 (Japan-Video/LD), 2-13-2001 (US-DVD) | ||||||
| Angel Appearances | Sahaquiel | ||||||
| Eva Sorties | Eva-00, Eva-01, Eva-02 | ||||||
| Episode chronology | |||||||
| ← Previous | Next → | ||||||
| "Episode 11" | "Episode 13" | ||||||
Overview
Misato has been promoted to Major[1], but the celebration does not last long. A monstrous Angel appears in Earth orbit right when Gendo and Fuyutsuki are away, leaving her and the children to deal with a colossal kamikaze threatening to drop itself right on top of Tokyo-3.
Synopsis
The episode begins with a flashback: as Second Impact occurs at Antarctica, Misato's father, Dr. Katsuragi, saves her life by shoving her into an escape capsule. Adam[2], in Giant of Light form, is briefly seen, and giant wings appear in the cloud vortex over Antarctica as the capsule[3] floats to safety[4]. Misato watches it all unfold from a distance, clutching a bleeding injury at her right side.[5] Back in the present day in Tokyo-3, Misato regards a large scar on the right side of her abdomen in a mirror, a permanent reminder of Second Impact.
Toji and Kensuke drop into Misato's apartment to take shelter from the rain. Kensuke notices that Misato has been promoted to Major, (a fact which has completely escaped Shinji and Asuka), and he and Toji congratulate her. Misato thanks them and reminds Shinji and Asuka that they have a harmonics test that day.
Ritsuko reveals after the test that Shinji's synch rate is rapidly rising and he will soon catch up to Asuka. This doesn't seem to impress Asuka, who reacts angrily. Later, as Misato drives home with Shinji, he belatedly congratulates her on her promotion. Misato thanks him, but admits she honestly isn't too thrilled about it. Shinji replies that he can relate; he might have done well in the harmonics test today, but he doesn't care all that much about it, and all he really seemed to get out of it was making Asuka upset. Misato tells him that he worries too much about what other people think of him.
When they arrive home, they find that Kensuke has arranged a party to celebrate Misato's promotion. Toji wonders why Hikari[6], the Class Rep, is there, and Asuka replies that she has invited her. Asuka then begins to wonder why Kaji is late. Rei has turned down her invitation. Meanwhile, Misato notices that Shinji looks uncomfortable, and asks him if he is okay, to which he admits that he isn't used to be around this many people. Shinji turns the subject back to to her promotion, saying that it most mean that people are noticing the good work she has been doing. Misato replies, that while she is a little happy that her efforts are acknowledged, getting praise from her superiors wasn't the reason why she chose to work for Nerv. Puzzled, Shinji asks why she joined Nerv in the first place, to which Misato claims that it was so long ago that she has forgotten. When Kaji finally arrives, he has Ritsuko with him, causing Misato and Asuka to both react jealously. Kaji comments that Commander Ikari and Vice Commander Fuyutsuki must have a lot of faith in Misato to go away and leave her in charge.
In Antarctica[7], Gendo and Fuyutsuki are onboard an aircraft carrier in a sea of red. The surrounding area has become incapable of sustaining life; Fuyutsuki comments that it is the true Dead Sea. Also on board, the deck is a mysterious long object in wrappings. Just then they receive a message that the next Angel has begun its attack.
The tenth Angel, Sahaquiel, is colossal in size and one of the most bizarre Angels in appearance, looking like a giant amoeba with a huge central eye. Its strategy is to zero in on Nerv, dropping pieces of itself onto the Earth to calibrate its aim. Each piece has its own A.T. Field, which, combined with very high kinetic energy, causing devastation wherever they strike. It is believed that once the Angel finds its target, the main body will plummet to Earth. Even a near miss will convert Tokyo-3 into an extension of the Pacific Ocean. Misato orders all civilians evacuated in a fifty-kilometer radius[8], and concocts what seems to be an impossible plan. Using their A.T. Fields at full strength, the three Evas will catch the falling Angel with their hands and then destroy it. Ritsuko accuses Misato of putting her quest for revenge ahead of the mission[9].
Misato briefs the pilots on the mission. Asuka points out the extreme danger of her plan, and the improbability of it succeeding, but when Misato tells them that they are free to refuse the mission, none of them do. Misato then informs that due to the danger associated with the mission, she is required to offer them the opportunity to write a will; they decline this too. She then promises them a steak dinner[10] if they succeed. Shinji and Asuka feign enthusiasm about this at first, but when Misato is out of earshot, they both admit that is a petty reward for such a dangerous mission. Rei, meanwhile, passes on the steak because she dislikes meat. When Misato is asked how she determined where to station the Evas (the potential impact zone is miles across), she replies, "intuition." A concerned Shinji tells Asuka that Misato has never won the lottery.
On their way to their Evas, Shinji asks Asuka why she pilots. She replies that she wants to prove something to the world. When she throws the question back at him, he doesn't have an answer.
As the pilots are stationed in their Evas at their designated points, Shinji has a flashback to a conversation he and Misato must have had a short time before. She refers back to his earlier question about why she joined Nerv. She tells him at her reason has to do with her father. He was a distant and emotionally unavailable man, who neglected his family in favor of his work, and in her childhood, Misato hated him for making her mother cry all the time. When her mother finally requested a divorce, her father was shocked, but she was happy about it, because she believed he deserved it. But then he selflessly sacrificed his own life to save hers during Second Impact, and then she was no longer sure whether she loved or hated him. Misato finally admits that her real reason for joining Nerv might be because she wants revenge on her father, and she hopes that by destroying the Angels she might be able to finally free herself of him. Shinji recognizes a lot of himself in Misato's story, as her complicated relationship with her father reminds him of his own with Gendo.
The time comes at last. The Evas race to the impact spot, Shinji arriving first. He struggles to hold up the Angel until Rei and Asuka join him. Rei proceeds to expose Sahaquiel's core with her Progressive Knife[11], and Asuka uses her knife to stab the now vulnerable core, causing the Angel to self-destruct; another mission has been successful against tremendous odds.
At the debriefing, Gendo calls in, and when Misato tries to apologize for the damage done to Eva-01, he tells her she did well. He then specifically asks to speak with Shinji and tells him, "Good work."[12] Shinji is very surprised by this.
Misato takes the pilots on an evening trip to New Miyanoshita for their promised dinner. Misato privately frets over the costs, but the pilots say that they will show mercy on her pocketbook. Asuka has found a ramen place instead of a steakhouse, which offers a vegetarian option too, so that Rei can also join them for dinner. As the group sit down to eat, Shinji muses on the words of praise he got from his father earlier. He admits to Misato that his reason for piloting might be because he wants to hear those words from him.
Notes
- The message written in three lines on the sign put on the door to Misato's apartment for the party, written in Japanese characters says: "Congratulations On Your Promotion/Celebration Spot/Reserved Today"
- Misato is wearing a sash at the party the kids throw for her, with writing on it that translates as "Congratulations on your promotion to Major".
- Misato is seen drinking "Boa" brand beer again, last seen in Episode 10, as opposed to her favored Yebisu brand from Episode 02 (possibly as a result of the network that the series first aired on complaining that they didn't want to give the real-world Yebisu beer company unpaid publicity).
Analysis
- It seems unlikely that a chrysalis large enough to hold Sahaquiel stayed undetected in orbit for 15 years.[13]
- Adam's shoulder pylons are similar to those found on the Evangelions, and thus seem to be artificial restraints added by the research team (just as they are not biologically part of the Evas, either). A still-shot of the Katsuragi expedition digging up Adam (seen in the extended opening given on the Renewal of Evangelion Test-type disk) shows Adam lying face down, skewered on the Spear, and lacking shoulder pylons.[14]
Quotes
- (Shinji wonders why his improved performance angers Asuka)
Shinji: "I wonder why she got mad. What did I do wrong?"
Misato: "That bothers you?"
Shinji: "Yes."
Misato: "That's because all you ever do is worry about what other people think." - (The readouts from a synchronization test show that Shinji's synch ratio is improving at a remarkable rate)
Maya Ibuki: "His harmonics and synch ratios are approaching Asuka's."
Ritsuko: "Is this what you call a gift, I wonder?"
Nerv technician: "It's like he was born to pilot an Eva." - Misato: "Miracles have value only when we make them happen"
- (Ritsuko confronts Misato about her plan)
Ritsuko: "You're going to do this, seriously?"
Misato: "Yes, I am."
Ritsuko: "You're going to throw away all three Evas with your selfish decision? The chance of success is only 0.00001%. That's not even one in ten thousand!"
Misato: "It's not zero; I'm just banking on the Evas."
Ritsuko: "Major Katsuragi!"
Misato: "I am currently in charge. I want to do whatever I can. Destroying Angels is my duty."
Ritsuko: "Your duty! Don't make me laugh, This is for your own sake, isn't it? Your revenge against the Angels! - (The pilots prepare for their mission.)
Shinji: "Say."
Asuka: "What?"
Shinji: "Asuka, why do you pilot an Eva?"
Asuka: "To exhibit my talent to the world, of course."
Shinji: "You mean to prove that you exist?"
Asuka: "Yeah, something like that." (Looks at Rei) "You're not going to ask her?"
Shinji: "I've asked Ayanami before."
Asuka: "Mmmm...My, how intimate the two of you are."
Shinji: "It's not like that."
Asuka: "Then what about you, Shinji?"
Shinji: "I don't know."
Asuka: "You don't know? What are you, stupid?"
Shinji: "Maybe I am."
Asuka: "You really are stupid." - (The characters celebrate their victory over Ramen.)
Shinji: "Say, miss Misato?"
Misato: "What?"
Shinji: "When I heard my father's words earlier, I think I finally understood what it's like to feel happy when you're praised and I also realized that maybe I pilot the Eva because I wanted to hear those words from him."
Asuka: "You're piloting for something like that? You really are stupid."
References
- ↑ Misato is promoted from Captain to Major as of this episode. For practical purposes, this doesn't really change any character dynamics in the series: she was already head of the Tactical Operations division of Nerv, and she doesn't now outrank anyone we know of that she didn't before.
- ↑ Adam is seen as a "giant of light", bearing an unmistakable resemblance to an Evangelion and glowing all over except for its core and eyes (normally, the core and eyes are the only bioluminescent parts in Angels and Evas).
- ↑ The survival pod that Misato's father put her into looks somewhat similar to an Entry Plug: it is possible that this was an earlier technology which was later developed into the Entry Plug.
- ↑ Twin pillars of light are seen rising at the end of the flashback. These may or may not be the base of Adam's wings of light. In Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, the wings of light are also seen with red dots of light flying around them.
- ↑ The origin of Misato's scar, first seen in Episode 10, are now fully explained. Her sternum is wounded and bloodied over the region where the scar is later seen.
- ↑ As previously seen in Episode 9, when Hikari comes over for the party she is having a lot of fun playing with Pen Pen: when Misato has to send Pen Pen away from Tokyo-3 for safekeeping in Episode 24, she says she's sending him to stay with Hikari's family.
- ↑ The reason for Gendo and Fuyutsuki's trip to Antarctica is not revealed in this episode, however, they bring back a large mysterious object wrapped in tarps, which is longer than an aircraft carrier's flight deck. This will be seen again in Episode 14.
- ↑ Misato mentions that if Tokyo-3 and Nerv HQ have to be evacuated, they will move the Magi supercomputers to Matsushiro. Matsushiro is on the outskirts of Tokyo-2, and later in Episode 18 we will see that Nerv has a secondary testing facility there.
- Special order "D-17", which can be declared under Nerv's authority, is the order to evacuate all civilians within a 50-kilometer radius of Tokyo-3.
- ↑ Another instance of Misato and Ritsuko clashing. Ritsuko is a highly logical thinker, and she strongly disagrees with Misato's placement of the Evas on pure guesswork.
- ↑ Due to the hardships caused by Second Impact, Misato thinks of a steak dinner as something quite extravagant. (As it is in Japan today, even without Second Impact.)
- ↑ First and only time that Eva-00's prog knife is seen: it is only seen briefly, but it appears to be visually identical to the knife used by Eva-01.
- ↑ Gendo's audio-only transmission from the end of the episode says that he is transmitting from a ship designated "DDG-099", which is the real-life designation of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Farragut although this ship did not exist when the show was in production.
- ↑ See Theory and Analysis:Angels' Origins for details.
- ↑ Adam immobilized by the Spear
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| Television Series | Episode 01 | Episode 02 | Episode 03 | Episode 04 | Episode 05 | Episode 06 Episode 07 | Episode 08 | Episode 09 | Episode 10 | Episode 11 | Episode 12 | Episode 13 |
| Movies | Death | Rebirth |
| Rebuild of Evangelion | Evangelion 1.0 | Evangelion 2.0 | Evangelion 3.0 | Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 |
