The opening for a projector. A flickering light shines out. The air is misted with smoke.
Woman's Shriek:“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!”
SE <<(OFF) Loud explosion!!>>
BGM START: E-8 [PLEASURE PRINCIPLE]
Shin-seiki: (046et seq.) This movie, taken together with the fact that Second Impact is about the only topic that ever seems to be discussed in Shinji's class, seems to indicate that the population is being subjected to constant propaganda to instill the official lies about a meteor, etc., in everyone's head.
Sharp-kun: But, like most everything else, people have cashed in with a film. ^^;;;
Reichu: This is one of the only times "PLEASURE PRINCIPLE" is used in the show. It's kind of unfortunate we don't get to hear the whole thing; the second half is rather nice… It was originally envisioned as one of the action themes (the "E" group BGMs), intended for a dire situation that is escaped from via a dramatic reversal of events. (And you really can hear this switch-around in the full-length piece.)
The title given the BGM by Anno is one of many references in the show to Freudian psychoanalysis. Because I'm lazy, I'll just borrow someone else's definition:
In psychoanalysis, the demand that an instinctive need (usually sexual or aggressive) be gratified, regardless of the social or practical consequences. Sigmund Freud held that the id was dominated totally by the pleasure principle, but that, with the development of the ego and superego, individuals become aware of the demands of social reality (the reality principle), and thereby learn to temper and regulate their quest for pleasure.
Hmm… Reminds me of all those sessions with my therapist where we talked about instant gratification versus delayed gratification. You know, it's interesting. As I sit here and work on the commentary instead of studying or getting exercise, my pleasure principle basically has me on a leash. But at the same time, I am being motivated by the reality principle… That is, I am forcing myself to suffer through all of these early episodes before I can work on the really cool ones. (I would rather not, but, if I didn't, various individuals would flay me alive.) Curse you, Doktor Freud!
