UrsusArctos: Interestingly, Shinji seems grumpier in the "missing" cut that follows this. Also, pay attention to the beautiful background with its accurately rendered fighters, deck edge fire nozzles and aircraft tractor. Be-yoo-tee-ful!
Kendrix: I think it is very important to take note here that THIS is her first impression: She had zero interest in Shinji either as a boy or as a human being until she heard “forty percent”, very much playing into his personal fear that everyone who gives him attention in any way only does it because of his job.
Also, no one likes to be dissed & rejected by an attractive out-of-your-league member of your preferred gender(s). (especially not people with a particular fear of rejection) – though this is something that a mature individual should be able to take & accept without resorting to cracking people's necks. Also worth observing is how Shinji actually gets outwardly pissed here (a tendency that continues into the next episode), continuing how he’s started voicing more outward complaints now that he’s in a more relaxed place. Prologue Arc Shinji would just have lain down & took it. Ironically, he has kind of returned to that by ep 12 in the specific case of Asuka because he starts caring about her opinion/ wanting to get along with her rather than seeing her as an enemy.
The ‘sadly’ is also interesting – consider the flashback in ep 22 where Kaji tries to get her hyped about all the boys she’ll meet in Japan & how the new pilot is a boy. Perhaps she did give it some thought after all.
