FGC:Episode 02 Scene 05

The Welcoming Party

Commentary Navigation
<< Back to Scene 04	Episode #02 Scene List	Continue to Scene 06 >>

Screenshots	Cut #	Description/Dialogue	Commentary
	EYECATCH B	EYECATCH	Reichu: I had always thought of "The Beast" as a reference to the Evas' "true nature" — this primal, brutal, unthinkably powerful creature "barely under the control of humankind". I never really gave the choice of term much thought, as it seemed to fit so well. According to some, though, it is a reference to the Anti-Christ! If that observation holds any water, Anno's obviously using the reference ironically, considering one particular "Beast" is really the saviour of all humanity!
	099	Misato's apartment complex at night. The only illumination comes from a street light SE <<Background noise. The faint sound of a monorail>>	OMF: The upcoming scene is definitely one of the "moments" of Evangelion. Reichu: Random factoid: This particular apartment complex is called the "Comfort 17", located on the outskirts of Tokyo-3.
	100	Pull-in to a corridor. Misato and Shinji walk, carrying luggage and the bag from the convenience store. Misato:“I think your luggage already arrived, Shinji-kun.”
	101	Misato's feet in front of the door. Misato:“The truth is, I only moved into this city the other day, too.” The door opens with the sound of the card key. The entranceway lights up and Misato takes a couple of steps inside.	Shin-seiki: And judging by what we see presently, I'd say she was drinking like a fish the whole time.
	102	Misato:“Well, come on in.” Shinji:“U-um… pardon the intrusion.”	Shin-seiki: I always thought her face looked especially cartoony in this cut, but I nonetheless consider it very effective the way she frowns when Shinji says "pardon the intrusion". In NGE, moreso than most anime, it is worthwhile to carefully read the expressions on the characters' faces, as Anno and co. have done a very good job of "directing" the "performances" of their characters, with regard to the animation, as well as the voice acting (which I rate among the all-time best in anime). OMF: Shinji hasn't been responsive to Misato's attempts to start a conversation. One wonders if she's been trying all the way home in the car! Misato's so informal about inviting Shinji into her home. Shinji's apprehension might have to do with his hesitation to let go of formalities; he has a habit of hiding behind decorum. She's clearly unhappy with the distance he's maintaining.
	103	The two of them stand before the entranceway. Misato:“Shinji-kun, this is your home now.”	OMF: She admonishes, but then reassures him. It's quite touching.
	104	Closeup of Shinji's feet. A moment later, they straddle the threshold.	Deep Thought: This scene to me is representative of Shinji's discomfort in changing his enviroment. It's the crossing over from one world to another, almost. TheUserName: Shinji's reluctance can really be felt OMF: Trepidation is the word we're looking for here. Hexon.Arq: Are those shoes Converse™?
	105	Shinji speaks awkwardly, as this is an expression he has rarely used. Shinji:“I-I'm home.”	Incisivis: Awww…lookit dat. I'd hate to be lumped in with the goofy and coddling breed of Shinji fangirl, but sometimes Shinji just has a kind of sad-puppy cuteness in the early episodes. OMF: His awkwardness and blushing really gets across how totally unused Shinji is to Misato's genial nature. Judging from this cut, though, he seems to be actually glad he came in. The greeting is his way of making up for his reclusive behaviour.
	106	Misato smiles. Misato:“Welcome home.” The door closes. Misato's doorplate.	thewayneiac: (105~106) This is a rather important exchange of dialog (which will be repeated again), the traditional thing to say when arriving home. Reichu: From Wada-kun's notes in the LTP: Someone comes home and says "TADAIMA". In answer to "TADAIMA", the person at home says "OKAERI(NASAI)". But when someone visits other's houses, the visitor says "OJAMASHIMASU". These greetings are very important in the context related to "home". Quiddity: This may also be one of NGE's many references to Gainax's Top o Nerae! Gunbuster OVA. "Welcome Home" is the message that our heroes receive when they return to Earth after the final battle. Reichu: This interchange is such an integral part of Japanese culture that you'll see it plenty of times in anime. Sometimes the order is even reversed: When one forgets to announce "Tadaima", it can be prompted by someone else's "Okaeri nasai". (The final two lines of the Hare + Guu TV series are one such example.)
	107	Exterior shot of the apartment complex. Misato's apartment is the only one lit. Misato (OFF):“Welllll, the place is a little messy, but…”	Keisuke-kun: Looks more like her apartment is the only one occupied. None of the other balconies have anything on them. Reichu: This ties back to the housewives' conversation about how Tokyo-3 isn't the safest place to live anymore; everyone in their right mind wants to get out of there (right after Misato herself moves in!). I suppose when Shinji remarked on how desolate the city was, he really did have a point. Hexon.Arq: Would this mean that most of the staff are living underground?
	108	Misato:“…don't mind it too much.” Shinji, completely dumbstruck, looks at the table full of the empty cans of alcoholic beverages.	Sharp-kun: This looks like your average student flat… Reichu: Except Misato is able to consume, within the space of a couple of days, the same amount of alcohol as one frat party!
	109	Cardboard boxes from when Misato moved in, among other things… Shinji (OFF):“This is…”	Reichu: The magazine here is one of the hints that Misato is a car buff, not unlike Sadamoto.
	110	Heaps of garbage bags next to open cardboard boxes, etc.
	111	Empty liquor bottles, turned into objet d'art?… Shinji (OFF):“…just a little…?”	thewayneiac: I wonder if its too late to get that private room at headquarters? Hexon.Arq: Is there anything she doesn't like? thewayneiac: (108~111) She's going to have a bug problem if she doesn't do something. HeWhoPostsStuff: Bah, this's nothing. You oughta see MY room. Reichu: Hopefully your room at least is not cluttered with the empty containers of alcoholic beverages…
	112	The chaotic dining room. Misato in the middle of changing clothes. She sticks her face out into the gap in the sliding screen. Misato:“Ah, sorry. Could you toss the food into the fridge? ♥”	HeWhoPostsStuff: Methinks that whenever someone says something that has the heart thingy following it in the script, whoever it's being said to should probably beware, as will be seen shortly…
	113	Shinji, still dumbstruck. Shinji:“S-sure.”
	114	Closeup of Shinji's hand opening the refrigerator door. The ice tray and icebox come out. Shinji (OFF):“Ice.”
	115	He opens another door. Canned goods (yakitori and cheese only). Shinji (OFF):“Snacks.”	Reichu: The "snacks" to which he refers are tsumami, "snacks that are eaten with alcohol."
	116	He opens yet another door, within which there's only beer. Shinji (OFF):“And nothing but beer…”	Dr. Nick:: Now here's a fun detail: A couple of episodes from now, the beer brand magically changes into Yebichu. This is what Eva Sage's mailing list FAQ (line 1208, or Ctrl+F yebisu) says: The name of Misato's beer was changed to Yebichu when it was aired on TV and then to Yebisu for the Video release.* … Yebisu … is definitely a real beer. However, after complaints by the brewers, in episode 2 the name was changed to "Yebichu", which may also be a homage to a manga series, "Oruchuban [Ebichu]". According to Carl Horn the brand name was retracted because the TV network which broadcast the series objected because the brewers of "Yebisu" did not advertise with them, and didn't want to give the brewers free publicity! * Reichu: This was apparently in episode #02 only. Also, forget the "may be a homage" — it 100% is. We'll cover that later, though.
	117	Shinji:“What kind of life does she lead?”	thewayneiac: I'm not sure you want to know. HeWhoPostsStuff: Isn't it kinda obvious? Shin-seiki: I don't really believe that Misato could maintain her looks and figure while being the sort of serious alcoholic suggested by this scene. It's all just a bit over the top, so that we will (in retrospect) draw the connection between her loneliness and her drinking. Incisivis: This shot always amuses me, for some reason. I think it's Shinji's expression. OMF: I consider this our first real encounter with Shinji the Prude. Admittedly Misato's apartment is a disaster area, but his tone in previous cuts and his worried look here really gets his grave disapproval across. He's so put out by it that he'll actually go to the trouble of cleaning the entire apartment later on. Reichu: (Go to the trouble of becoming Misato's live-in housekeeper, you mean.) OMF: His excessive conservatism is another negative aspect of Shinji's character that drags him down constantly. It will be a constant, even self-destructive, source of friction between himself and Asuka later on.
	118	Shinji's face emerges from the shadows of beer when he hears the sound of another refridgerator.	HeWhoPostsStuff: "Shadows of beer"…I wonder if that phrase has ever been used anywhere other than this script. Hexon.Arq: That's a band name if I ever heard one. Reichu: Wah! Leave my Engrish alone!
	119	Shinji in front of another refrigerator — a giant one. SE <<Refrigerator sound>>	Hexon.Arq: Just for the record, what kind of machine is that supposed to be? Is it a custom lair, or some kind of weird freezer someone really makes?
	120	Misato's room, a fluorescent light in front. Considerable clutter lies about her unmade bed. Further in, Misato is changing her clothes. Shinji (OFF):“Err… What's with the other refrigerator?” Misato:“Ah, don't mind that. He's probably still sleeping.”	Shin-seiki: Misato changes into "something more comfortable," as they say. It is interesting to note how her get-up here (short shorts, loose fitting T-shirt, and apparently no bra) matches what Asuka wears when she tries to "put the moves" on Shinji (#09 and #15). Reichu: Can't blame a woman for shedding the bra. Did you know that not only do bras accelerate breast saggage by contributing to the atrophication of the relevant ligaments, they can also serve as a risk factor in the development of breast cancer? But… I digress. A lot. thewayneiac: The "camera" should have been placed in a more advantageous position. Reichu: It is interesting how Anno likes to put large things in the foreground that obscure potentially interesting details… The light here detracts from what is actually a very nicely-animated sequence (the key frame drawings of which can be seen in Groundwork of Evangelion Vol. 1). And as thewayneiac said, it puts the fanboys at a disadvantage. Sharp-kun: Ironic really, given the promises of "more service". Reichu: More car magazines here, BTW
	121	Shinji:“Sleeping?”
	122a	Microwave oven UP. SE <<Sound of the microwave oven>> Misato (OFF):“Let's eat!”	Reichu: Misato and Shinji are actually saying, "Itadakimasu". This is another Japanese expression in the vein of "Tadaima" and "Okaeri nasai" -- its layers of significance are completely lost in translation. Apparently, it has its roots in Shinto: Killing anything for living should be done with a gratitude ... [and] should be kept to a minimum. Modern Japanese continue to place great emphasis on the importance of "aisatsu" or ritual phrases and greetings. Before eating, one should say "itadakimasu", lit. "I will humbly receive", in order to show proper thankfulness to the preparer of the meal in particular and more generally to all those living things that lost their lives to make the meal. Source
	122b	Retort packs lined up on the dining room table. Shinji (OFF):“Let's eat.”	Hexon.Arq: Thrilled… for Shinji.
	123	BGM START: B-16 rhythm only Without delay, Misato hits the beer and starts chugging away. Misato:“Fuhaaaaah! Kuuuuuuu! Life just doesn't get any better than this!”	Shin-seiki: Shinji finds himself living in a beer commercial. OMF: From her reaction at the end of the cut, I think she was trying to make him laugh with her outrageous quaffing. This is where she begins the act she'll mention in 156. Reichu: You don't think she drinks like a maniac when she only has a penguin for an audience? OMF: I think it's the way she quaffs it. When she was on her own she probably just sat there sullenly guzzling the stuff down, eventually getting drunk enough to fling a few bottles at the refrigerator where Pen2 was cowering! ;) Reichu: Nahhh. Why scare the bird when you can make him drunk, too? HeWhoPostsStuff: I wonder how accurately this translated into the "Yeeee-haaawww!" that the ADV dub used here… Reichu: Well, they're in Texas, what do you expect? Vocalizations of this sort don't really translate into anything, so the best one can really do is approximate; that is, come up with some nonsensical exclamation that captures the feeling of the original and sounds "natural" in whatever language one is translating into. I didn't bother. She's getting merrily pissed — that's all we need to know. This BGM is the "rhythm only" version of Misato's memorable theme (named, appropriately enough, "MISATO"). It's available in addition to the original track on "S² Works", though, honestly, I've never been able to hear a difference between the two. Hexon.Arq: I absolutely love the brief quotation of this music from the Eva Symphony album. I wish there had been a full performance. We could easily have settled for a single performance of Pachelbel's Canon.
		Finally, she notices Shinji. Misato:“Hmm?”
	124	The two sit at the table. Misato looks inquisitive. Misato:“Don't you want to eat? It's pretty good, even if it is all instant.” Shinji feels a little awkward. Shinji:“No, er, I'm just not used to this kind of meal.”	Hexon.Arq: Damn kids and their reasonable diets.
	125	Misato plunks her beer down and leans forward. Misato:“That's no excuse! You can't be so finicky!”	Reichu: The "Gainax Bounce" makes one of its few NGE appearances. tv33: Gainax is just being true to the laws of physics. Well, that and the laws of "service"… Shin-seiki: Yikes! You don't often get to see a character's molars like this…
	126	Shinji cowers before her. Shinji:“——No, that's not what I… um…”	OMF: I don't think he's lying here. From his tone in 124, it was likely the setting of the meal he was unused to. Has this kid been eating alone for 12 years? Reichu: So he really wasn't talking about the food itself, eh? Still, I'd be surprised if Shinji didn't find the edibles a bit below his standards.
	127	Misato speaks for Shinji as if she's able to see into his mind. Misato:“——— Isn't this nice?”	Shin-seiki: Misato is a "happy drunk". Hexon.Arq: I find that I have trouble distinguishing drunk Misato from the one who's just trying hard to be friendly.
	128	Shinji (perplexed):“Eh?”	thewayneiac: If you ask me, she's already "putting the moves" on Shinji here.
	129	Misato:“Having dinner with somebody else? ♥”	HeWhoPostsStuff: "Heart thingy! Heart thingy! Danger! Danger, Shinji Ikari!" *waves arms wildly*
	130	Shinji (meekly):“——— Y-yes.”	thewayneiac: O.K., now she's putting the moves on us. Hexon.Arq: Ah… another kind of heart thingy. ♥ Reichu: Interesting and pointless tidbit: …Desmond Morris (in his 1985, Body Watching: A Field Guide to the Human Species) states that the origin of the heart symbol with its deep cleft, was probably the shape of human female buttocks seen from the rear, and not an actual heart. source Misato seems to be proving him right here. Even AWL noticed Misato's "heart-shaped bottom" in her Commentary of Evil.
	131	Exterior shot of the apartment complex. Misato's apartment is the only one lit. SE <<Background noise. The faint sound of a monorail>> Misato (OFF) (p.d.):“Sooo…”
	132	Empty beer cans stacked up into a mountain. Misato (OFF):“Let's go for the next one. Janken, pon, pon, pon, pon, pon!” Again and again, they both tie (aiko), until finally Shinji makes a choki (scissors) and Misato wins. Misato:“Ahhh, that's too bad, Shinji-kun.”	Reichu: This is janken, the Japanese incarnation of "rock, paper, scissors". The only thing that really differs is the terminology: gu = "rock", choki = "scissors", pa = "paper", and aiko = "a tie". Hexon.Arq: "Pon" is simply the Japanese equivalent of "pop", so I doubt it has any significance beyond that of our "kai, bai, bo". Sharp-kun: Janken seems to come up a lot in anime. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen it in situations where I wouldn't expect it. For example, the newest series of Galaxy Angel has "The 13 Special Moves of Janken" between episodes. Hexon.Arq: Well, "rock, paper, scissors" seems to come up a lot on this side of the planet as well. We're probably just so used to it that we don't really notice anymore. Its Japanese cousin's prevalence may simply equal that of the western Coin Toss.
	133	Closeup of a rota, mostly filled in with "SHI". Misato (OFF):“Okay! That should be it for fairly splitting up the chores!”	Reichu: Click on the thumbnail to see what the rota says Shin-seki: Misato is really good at 'janken'… Hexon.Arq: She has to be. She's a tactician. HeWhoPostsStuff: While the anime just kind of suggests that Shinji has bad luck in this scenario, in the manga Misato tosses the "rock-paper-scissors" method of chore-dividing at him very abruptly and aggressively, apparently with the intention of catching him off guard before he even knows what's going on (and, conveniently, end up with fewer days of chores to do). As such it put a bit more of a devious, opportunistic spin on Misato than the anime does…
	134	The empty beer cans multiple atop the table. Misato sits in her chair with her legs crossed. Shinji:“—— Yes.” Misato:“Starting today, this is your home…”
	135	She raises a finger. Misato:“…so you can take advantage of everything here.”   ADV's dub made this change: Misato:“…so you can take advantage of everything here...Except, of course, me!”	Reichu: In ADV's original (Collection) subtitles, they appended "except me" to Misato's line. Somehow, that seemed more appropriate to the reaction Shinji gives… thewayneiac: Probably in their original translation, they just didn't want to go there, so they went out of their way to make it look as if she weren't implying anything. But, as I said in 128, I think she is deliberately flirting with him here. Plus, they thought it made it funnier. The way things turned out, they were probably right to eliminate this change. Shin-seiki: Yeah, and they really "didn't want to go there" in #23… It's annoying, to say the least, how ADV managed to obscure the whole meaning of scenes with their fast and loose translation, but, fortunately, the revised translation on Platinum largely makes up for this. Incisivis: Adding "except me", when it seems to contradict the changes ADV made to the script later (though I still say that's also a matter of what you're prepared to interpret, as much as what's directly said), might have been done because the Greenfield and others thought Misato really was joking at this point. It's an easy mistake to make, I think. Look at it this way: Many non-EVA fans think Shinji is simply "getting lucky" by living with Misato, and so do Toji and Kensuke, echoing that presumption that an older woman paying attention to a younger man is perceived as "flattering" to the man, or at least harmlessly comic. It probably has to do with the views on men and women and age differences, which I won't get into here. Soluzar: Indeed, I can't visualise many boys of Shinji's age reacting in the way that he does! :-) A decent proportion of lads his age would think of Misato as the perfect roomie. The more I watch this series, the more I realise how strange of a character Misato is. I just can't see a woman of her age being that way towards a 14-year-old boy in real life. Incisivis: If the sexes in the Shinji/Misato situation had been reversed, it would have been a lot harder for the Japanese to get the early-ep comedy out of it, and ADV might not have been so flippant, for several reasons. Among them, pedophiliac relationships where the male is the abuser have greater precedent, so right from the start it'd be very hard to see it as "innocent" if it weren't immediately presented as another "dirty-old-man" joke. Secondly, most people seem to expect the man to be the "dominant" one in a relationship. The male is always going to be able to say no, going to want sex, and can't be violated by a woman, no matter the age difference. Hexon.Arq: I think she may be trying to act Shinji's age rather than her own. This part of her life was marred, as we will see, and this particular means of quelling her loneliness may be born as a form of compensation to herself for this loss of age as well as an attempt to evoke the kind of spirit that a boy of is age "ought" to have. Her character evolution would be viewable as almost absurdly drastic if this weren't a good-natured facade.
	136	Shinji replies without much thought. Shinji:“Y-yes.”
	137	Misato folds her arms. Misato:“Man… 'Yes, yes, yes, yes.' It's such a drag! You're a boy, aren't you?” She extends her palm into the camera.	Shin-seiki: OMG! SHE'S AFTER HIS CRANIUM!! Reichu: That's actually pretty creepy, now that you juxtapose the two scenes… HeWhoPostsStuff: Misato here sounds like the infamous type of gal who would stop dating a guy because he's "too nice," and end up with an escaped convict or something.
	138	Misato rubs her palm against Shinji's head. Misato:“Pull yourself together! Come on!!”
	139	Shinji:“Y-yes.” Misato removes her hand. Misato (OFF):“Oh well…”
	140	Pull out to the dining room. Misato:“Why don't you go take a bath and scrub away what's ailing ya?”	Hexon.Arq: At this point, I would be extremely annoyed by Misato, as hot as she is. He's probably thinking, "What did I get myself into… or rather, what did she get me into?" Her attractiveness is probably the only thing other than his subdued nature that is keeping him from bolting for the door. OMF: He's also been mentally wearied by Misato's excessive gregariousness. Introverts usually find social communication exhausting, and Shinji is probably ready to pass out by now. HeWhoPostsStuff: This seems like an odd place to put the "camera" for this shot, with the plant obscuring a sizable chunk of the action. I'm at a loss to think of why they might have done that. Unlike the light in C-120 that served as a "conveniently-placed atmospheric censor device" (much like the lamp in Rei's room in a later ep), I'm not sure what the plant would be "blocking out" here…
	141	Misato puts her finger up. Misato:“Bathing is the laundry of life.”	HeWhoPostsStuff: *in soothing voice* This has been "Deep Thoughts", with Misato Katsuragi. Hexon.Arq: Do Japanese typically wave the western "no no" when citing… whatever that is?

Commentary Navigation
<< Back to Scene 04	Episode #02 Scene List	Continue to Scene 06 >>