Episode 15
| Episode Information | |||||||
| Episode #15 | |||||||
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| Written By | Hideaki Anno, Akio Satsukawa | ||||||
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| Directed By | Naoyasu Habu | ||||||
| First Aired | 1-10-1996 | ||||||
| Video Release Date | 9-5-1996 (Japan-Video/LD), 3-27-2001 (US-DVD) | ||||||
| Angel Appearances | Lilith (Brief appearance) | ||||||
| Eva Sorties | None | ||||||
| Episode chronology | |||||||
| ← Previous | Next → | ||||||
| "Episode 14" | "Episode 16" | ||||||
Overview
It seems like it's an important day for nearly everyone at Nerv. Misato and Ritsuko are going to a wedding; Shinji and Gendo are visiting Yui's grave; Asuka has a date. However, important things will spring from these seemingly mundane events.
Synopsis
As the episode opens, Gendo and Fuyutsuki are in a helicopter, flying over the second and third Ashi lakes[1]. Fuyutsuki tells Gendo that Chairman Keel is impatient over delays in the Human Instrumentality Project. Gendo replies that everything is coming along well. When Fuyutsuki asks what should they do about "that man", Gendo says that they should let him continue working.
It then cuts to a scene with Kaji, investigating a seemingly long-abandoned building somewhere in Kyoto. He hears someone stop outside and draws his gun, but stops when a voice says, "It's me". The woman outside the door is feeding a group of cats. She tells him that the company he is investigating, Shannon Bio, is one of 108 subsidiaries of the Marduk Institute; it is the 107th to prove to be a fake. She shows him a list of the Board of Directors, which is Gendo, Fuyutsuki, and Keel. The cat Lady then reminds him that he is supposed to be investigating Nerv, and warns him to stay away from Marduk, whose stated purpose is to select Evangelion pilots.
At school, Asuka leaves a prank message for Kaji that she is being attacked by a pervert. Her friend Hikari approaches her and asks her to go on a date with her sister's friend. Meanwhile, Shinji, is watching Rei cleaning the classroom with a fascinated look on his face.
Back at Nerv HQ., Misato and Ritsuko discuss the wedding they will be attending the next day. During this, the pilots are having a synch test. Ritsuko notices that Shinji seems more morose than usual, and Misato explains that it is because he has see his father tomorrow. Afterwards, in the elevator, Shinji, who is visiting his mother's grave with his father the next day, asks Rei what he's like, but she doesn't know the answer. Remembering her cleaning that day, he comments that she wrung out the washcloth "like a mother". This visibly upsets Rei, who asks him, "What are you saying?"
That evening, Misato comes with a new dress she has brought for the wedding the next day. She discusses her plans for tomorrow with Asuka, who reveals that she has been set up on a blind date. She asks if she can borrow some of Misato's perfume to wear for the date, but Misato forbids her from this, telling her that it is "not for kids". Misato asks where Shinji is, and Asuka says that he has been sulking in his room ever since he got home. Shinji lies on his bed, contemplating his complicated relationship with Gendo. When he hears Misato at the door, he pretends to be asleep. Misato tells him that however he feels about tomorrow, he shouldn't run away, because nothing will ever change if he keeps doing that. She also tells him to keep his chin held high because he will be seeing his mother too.
The next day, Kaji arrives late at the wedding. Misato first scolds him for being late, then complains that he hasn't shaved and has dressed sloppily, before straightening his tie, prompting Ritsuko to comment that they are acting like a married couple. Kaji is amused by this, but Misato is not.
Gendo and Shinji have arrived at Yui's plot at a cemetery outside Tokyo-3. Gendo comments that they haven't been there together for three years, prompting Shinji to admit that the last time he got upset about something and ran away. We also learn in this conversation that Gendo has kept no pictures[2] of Yui, and that there is no body buried at the plot; the headstone is purely decorative. Gendo tells Shinji that people survive by letting go of their memories, but Yui taught him that there are some things that should never be forgotten. Gendo's helicopter then arrives, and he bids Shinji goodbye as he turns to leave. Shinji gets a a brief glimpse of Rei aboard, then gathers his courage, and tells Gendo he's glad they had this chance to talk. Gendo briefly acknowledges this before leaving.
Back home, Shinji is practising the cello when Asuka also comes home. She listens to him playing the piece to finish and then applauds him, telling him that she had no idea that he played an instrument and is rather impressed by his musical skills. Shinji, in his usual self-deprecating manner, says he's been practising since age five and hasn't improved much since then and admits the reason he still plays is because no one has ever told him to stop. He asks what she is doing home already, and Asuka admits that she ditched her date as she found him boring. She says that Kaji is the only man she needs.
The wedding has ended, and Misato, Kaji, and Ritsuko are out drinking. When Misato leaves briefly to visit the restroom, Kaji and Ritsuko discuss his and Misato's past relationship, but he dismisses it as old history, saying that they were just a couple of kids who were playing house and had no real clue about what they were doing back then. He then hands her a gift in the form of a trinket which he calls a "cat souvenir". She looks at it and asks him why he was in Kyoto. He feigns surprise and claims that he was in Matsushiro. She asks him, as a friend to another friend, not to play dumb with her and warns him that he's going to get burned if he continues doing what he is doing. Kaji replies that he will not let that stop him. Their discussion is interrupted when Misato returns, at which point Ritsuko decides to leave, saying she has some work to finish up.
Back home, Shinji gets a call from Misato that she's going to be out late. When Asuka learns that Misato is drinking with Kaji, she comments that she won't be home that night.
Misato has had too much to drink and vomits in an alley. As Kaji follows her home, the two begin to talk about their past, at which Misato suddenly becomes downcast. She admits that she lied when she broke up with him back then; there wasn't another man. Instead, she was frightened because he reminded her of her father. Misato says that she considers herself cowardly and foolish for ending their relationship for that reason, and also for only being able to tell him this when she is drunk. These comments about herself visibly upset Kaji, and he asks her to stop talking about herself like that. When she starts saying that she's really no better than Shinji, and has no right to lecture him about his behavior, he pulls her in close and shuts her up by kissing her. Misato is surprised by this, but gives in to the kiss.
At Misato's apartment, Asuka says she's bored and asks Shinji if he wants to kiss. When he hesitates, she teases him by implying that he thinks his mother is watching him from heaven, or maybe he's just afraid. Her comments upset Shinji, who resolutely replies that he's not afraid of a "little kiss". Asuka then approaches him, and the two start leaning in on each other, but Asuka pauses, telling him that his breath tickles. Before Shinji can react to this, Asuka, in one sudden movement, pinches his nose shut and then plants a kiss right on his lips. Shinji, dumbfounded, passively stands with his arms at his sides. When the kiss, which lasts long enough to leave him gasping for breath, is over, Asuka, frustrated by his denseness and lack of reaction, runs to the bathroom in order to hide her real feelings[3]. After loudly rinsing her mouth, she shouts, "Definitely not something to do to kill time!"
Shortly after, Kaji brings Misato, who by now has passed out, home. He carefully places her in her bed and then moves to leave. Asuka tries to get him to stay, but he quickly excuses himself by replying that he doesn't have a change of clothes for work with him. Trying to convince him, Asuka begins to cling on to his arm, but instantly lets go when she smells Misato's perfume on him and realizes that they are back together. She stands quiet and stunned, as Shinji bids Kaji goodbye and first snaps out of it when Shinji notices the look on her face and ask her if something is wrong. Asuka replies by blaming the kiss with Shinji as the cause of her distress and leaves.
The next day, Shinji notices that Rei is absent from class again. We see that it is because she is in Nerv Headquaters, standing in a tube which is connected to some mysterious biological looking machinery. She opens her eyes to see Gendo overseeing whatever process she is going through, and she smiles at him. He smiles back.
Kaji is about to enter Terminal Dogma when he feels a gun in his back. It's Misato; now sober. She asks him if he's here working for Nerv, or if is he at his other job, as an agent for the Japanese Department of Home Affairs. She tells him that if he continues his second job he will die. He replies that he is not in any real danger as long as he remains useful to Gendo, but he nonetheless apologies for keeping his spying a secret from her. Misato replies that she forgives him, saying that it makes them even for how he helped her yesterday. Kaji then tells Misato that Gendo and Ritsuko have been keeping secrets from her. He opens the door to Terminal Dogma and reveals a white, legless giant, hanging from a cross, impaled by a forked spear and wearing a mask that resembles moon craters. Misato momentarily mistakes it for an Eva, but then realizes that she has seen this thing before, 15 years ago in Antarctica. Kaji confirms that it is indeed Adam. However, Kaji is either lying or mistaken, because it is revealed in episode 24 that the white giant in terminal dogma is actually Lilith[4].
Notes
- The wedding song in Episode 15, Tentoumushi no sanba (てんとう虫のサンバ, "The Ladybug's Samba") is sung by: Megumi Ogata, Yuko Miyamura, Miki Nagasawa, and Junko Iwao. It is a bonus track on the Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition Album. Originally released by CHERISH (the husband-wife duo of Yoshitaka and Etsuko Matsuzaki) in July 1973 to widespread success within Japan, this song remains quite popular and is played at weddings.
- In the Japanese dub, when Asuka turns and runs away after the kiss, we hear a barely audible gasp of anger. In ADV's dub, they anticipate the "gargling" sounds by having her let out a comedic bleeehhhhh! style sound, apparently missing the point that she is supposed to be almost speechless with anger and embarrassment.
Analysis
- At the end of this episode, Kaji is revealed to be an agent of the Japanese government. So it's probable that we are supposed to put two and two together and conclude that the "Cat Lady" is his contact with the government, and not his contact with Seele (remember that Kaji is actually a triple agent). But is it possible to infer anything else about her beyond this?
- When Kaji gives Ritsuko the trinket, she knows instantly where he's been. Of course it's possible that it has "Souvenir of Kyoto" stamped on it, but in that case, why would he bother denying it? And how did she know he had been doing something dangerous? Something about it must have told her not only where he had been, but also what he had been doing and maybe even who he had seen. Did the Cat Lady give him the trinket? If so, how did Ritsuko know it?
- We learn later in the series that Ritsuko's grandmother has been caring for her cat. Since Kaji's contact is associated with cats and seemingly gave him a trinket that Ritsuko recognized, it's very tempting to say that Kaji's contact is Ritsuko's grandmother, and that she is a government agent investigating Nerv, and thus her own granddaughter. However, as there is no more evidence presented to us about this woman, this must remain just a (plausible) theory.
- When Kaji gives Ritsuko the trinket, she knows instantly where he's been. Of course it's possible that it has "Souvenir of Kyoto" stamped on it, but in that case, why would he bother denying it? And how did she know he had been doing something dangerous? Something about it must have told her not only where he had been, but also what he had been doing and maybe even who he had seen. Did the Cat Lady give him the trinket? If so, how did Ritsuko know it?
Quotes
- (Shinji and Rei are in an elevator)
Shinji: "When we were cleaning today, you were wringing out the cloth, remember? The way you did it was like a mother."
Rei: "A mother?"
Shinji: "I thought it was like a mother. Maybe you'd be really good at being a housewife, Ayanami."
Rei: "What are you saying?!"
- (Shinji and Gendo visit Yui's grave)
Gendo: "It's been three years since the last time we came here together."
Shinji: "I ran away then, and haven't been back since. It just hasn't sunk in that mother is resting here. I don't even remember her face."
Gendo: "Man survives by forgetting his memories, but there are some things a man should never forget. Yui taught me about the irreplaceable things. I come here to confirm that."
Shinji: "You have no pictures of her?"
Gendo: "There are none left. This grave is just a decoration too. There is no corpse."
Shinji: "So the teacher was right; you threw them all away."
Gendo: "I keep everything in my heart. That is enough for now. (The helicopter approaches.) It's time, I'm leaving now."
Shinji: "Father! Um, I'm glad I got to talk to you today."
Gendo: "I see."
- (Asuka asks Shinji if he wants to kiss to pass the time)
Asuka: "Hey, Shinji, do you want to kiss?"
Shinji: "What?"
Asuka: "A kiss. A kiss? You've never kissed, right? Then, let's do it."
Shinji: "Why?"
Asuka: "Because I'm bored."
Shinji: "Because you're bored?! But..."
Asuka: "You don't want to kiss a girl on the anniversary of your mom's death? Afraid she may be watching you from Heaven?"
Shinji: "Not really."
Asuka: "Or are you scared?"
Shinji: "I'm not scared of a little kiss!"
Asuka: "You brushed your teeth, didn't you?" Shinji nods "Then, here I go. (Asuka walks up to Shinji, he blushes as he closes his eyes in anticipation, opening them again to see Asuka starting at him.) Don't breathe, because it tickles."
(The two kiss, Asuka pinching Shinji's nose as his arms stay at his sides. After they break away, Asuka lets out an annoyed noise as she rushes to the bathroom, gargling her mouth)
Asuka: "Definitely not something to do to kill time!"
References
- ↑ The second and third Ashi lakes are the craters left behind when Angels self-destructed. It is never explicitly stated which Angel created the second Ashi lake, but it would appear to have been formed by Israfel self-destructing, and dialogue in Episode 12 implies that Sahaquiel's self-destruction created the third lake.
- ↑ Gendo says that he destroyed all of Yui's photographs and other memorabilia. He may have done so out of despair, to destroy any painful reminders of her previous existence. Episode 21 reveals that he was blamed for the accident and accused of murder, and so may have tried not to remember the horror of being accused of killing his own beloved wife. It is also possible that he did not want anyone to notice the connection between Yui and Rei, or even that he was lying to Shinji to ensure the boy did not ask any uncomfortable questions about his mother.
- ↑ For a fuller treatment of how Asuka really felt in this scene, see Theory and Analysis:Shinji and Asuka's Relationship.
- ↑ Kaji identifies the Giant in Terminal Dogma as Adam, even though it is later revealed that she is Lilith. While it is possible that he deliberately lied to Misato, with the fact that he knows that Adam was an embryo just a few weeks earlier as evidence, it is unlikely. We learn in The End of Evangelion that this is one of the very facts that Kaji entrusts to her in Episode 20. It's also plain that he is trying to recruit her as an ally in this scene. Not knowing the true fate of the Adam embryo, Kaji may have believed at this time that Gendo had grown the giant from the embryo that he had delivered, and discovered the truth sometime before Episode 20.
| Episodes & Films | |
| 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 | (-46h) | (-120min) | Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 |
