Aoi kaze ga ima, mune no DOA o tataite mo Watashi dake o tada mitsumete, hohoenderu anata (Even though the untested breeze taps at the door to your heart You just look solely at me and smile)
A blue sky.
Shinji fades in (expressionless) and slowly rotates around.
A silhouette of Shinji (back to us) fades in.
Shinji stops at a side profile (wind blows his hair, etc.).
The silhouettes of Asuka and Rei come IN.
Reichu: Meet our charming anti-hero, Shinji Ikari. And at the same time, two of his “love interests”, Soryu Asuka Langley and Rei Ayanami, are introduced as floating nude silhouettes.
thewayneiac: These credits seem to indicate that Shinji's thoughts are full of naked women.
Dr. Nick: Is there something unnatural about that?
Incisivis: I've always found it odd that the characters are shown that way. Fan service, probably, but I think it stands for the way in which some fans seem to relate to the female characters. Showing them naked and in shadow makes them appear vulnerable and mysterious
HeWhoPostsStuff: The “silhouette” depiction always made the aforementioned characters seem “empty” to me…soulless, if you will, just shapes to be looked at, with no other hints of humanity. Maybe I'm just too pessimistic. I'm definitely no expert, but I don't know how many guys fantasize about empty black shapes.
MDWigs: The first track on the Evangelion ADDITION album is a version of Cruel Angel's Thesis sung by Misato, Asuka and Rei. (I think it's supposed to have been sung in character; of course, the actual singers are their respective voice actors.) A while ago I matched the lyrics to the vocalist. What's interesting is that Asuka sings the line “You merely smile and gaze only at me” (Watashi dake o tada mitsumete, hohoenderu anata) right as Shinji turns to face her and smiles. Cue big Shinji & Asuka Vs. Shinji & Rei debate. In my mind, Shinji and Asuka were always meant to be a couple. I think Gainax (and particularly Anno) had that idea from the onset.
Keisuke-kun: On an Asuka-related note… I think it is significant that, even though she is depicted here as naked, Asuka still has the Eva sync clips on her head (you can see the outline).
Reichu: Something could probably be read into that… Asuka is similarly depicted (naked but wearing the clips) in episode #22′. However, it's probably significant that by the time we get to her “nude bathtub shot” in #24, the clips are gone — as is her ability to synchronize with EVA-02 (which she regains in #25′).
