Episode 21: Difference between revisions
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==Synopsis== | ==Synopsis== | ||
Two classified recordings showing the circumstances leading up to [[Second Impact]] begins the episode. In the first, the scientists of the [[Katsuragi Expedition]] are discussing their discovery of [[Adam]], and how it seems to prove the theory regarding the existence of the {{S2}}. Meanwhile, [[Gendo Ikari]] and [[Keel Lorenz]] are off to the side, having a conversation of their own, during which Keel openly scoffs at the scientists, finding their motives selfish. The second recording shows the immediate aftermath of the ill-fated [[Contact Experiment]] with Adam, who wakes up and smashes through the scientists' base, despite their desperate attempts to contain him by forcing him back into stasis. | Two classified recordings showing the circumstances leading up to [[Second Impact]] begins the episode. In the first, the scientists of the [[Katsuragi Expedition]] are discussing their discovery of [[Adam]], and how it seems to prove the theory regarding the existence of the {{S2}}. Meanwhile, [[Gendo Ikari]] and [[Keel Lorenz]] are off to the side, having a conversation of their own, during which Keel openly scoffs at the scientists, finding their motives selfish. The second recording shows the immediate aftermath of the ill-fated [[Contact Experiment]] with Adam, who wakes up and smashes through the scientists' base, despite their desperate attempts to contain him by forcing him back into stasis. | ||
[[File:12 C006 dr-k.jpg|left|thumb|250px|[[Dr. Katsuragi]] rescues his daughter]] | |||
Back in the present, [[Ryoji Kaji]] makes a call to [[Misato]] from a phone booth, and gets her answering machine. He comments that this is probably his last mission. Taking a look at his red Nerv I.D. card, he contemplates how the color reminds him of blood. Elsewhere, Misato is informed by a couple of Nerv agents that [[Fuyutsuki]] has been abducted, and Kaji is a suspect. Because of her relationship with Kaji, she is also under suspicion. She quickly decides that her best option is to offer the agents her full cooperation, and is willingly taken into custody. | |||
Kozo Fuyutsuki, meanwhile, finds himself handcuffed to a chair in a dark room, where he faces the Seele monoliths rather than the committee. They have questions to ask him regarding the latest troubling development, and call him Fuyutsuki-sensei, a title he hasn't heard in a long time.... | |||
In a flashback to 1999, Fuyutsuki is shown working as a teacher and researcher at [[Kyoto]] University's [[metaphysical biology]] department. He is told by a colleague about a promising new bioengineering student, [[Yui Ikari]], who has expressed interest in his work. The two have a meeting, and their discussion turn to Yui's plans for the future, revealing that she is considering a domestic life over her research. Fuyutsuki looks both startled by and interested in this information. He befriends Yui, and quickly becomes a confidant of hers. | |||
Shortly afterwards, Fuyutsuki meets Gendo Rokubungi. The younger man had asked to be released into Fuyutsuki's custody after being arrested by the local police for being involved in a bar brawl, even though Fuyutsuki had never heard of him. Gendo explains that he knew of Fuyutsuki through a friend, was curious to meet him in person, and saw the arrest as a good an opportunity to set up a meeting as any. Fuyutsuki dislikes Gendo almost immediately, so, he is surprised to hear that he and Yui are seeing each other<ref>The clear implication here is that Gendo had heard about Fuyutsuki from Yui.</ref>. Yui says that Gendo is actually very nice, but no one knows it. Fuyutsuki notes that at the time, it was thought that Gendo was with Yui because of her connections to [[Seele]]. | |||
Second Impact occurs; Fuyutsuki does not go into detail, except to say that the first year in the wake of the event, 2001, was "pure hell". In 2002, he is working as an unlicensed doctor in the ruins of Toyohashi City, in the Aichi Prefecture. Japan is now a country of perpetual summer. Fuyutsuki's clinic is visited by an agent from the Japanese government, who formally invites him to participate in a UN investigation of the Second Impact. | |||
Second Impact occurs; Fuyutsuki does not go into detail, except to say that the first year, 2001, was "pure hell". In 2002, he is working as an unlicensed doctor in the ruins of Toyohashi City, in the Aichi Prefecture. Japan is now a country of perpetual summer. Fuyutsuki's clinic is visited by an agent from the Japanese government, who formally invites him to participate in a UN investigation of the Second Impact. | |||
[[Image:Ep_21_yuis_note.JPG|thumb|right|250px|The blue-haired angel.]] | [[Image:Ep_21_yuis_note.JPG|thumb|right|250px|The blue-haired angel.]] | ||
Having accepted the invitation, Fuyutsuki joins the investigation team's expedition to Antarctica. Aboard the expedition's ship, Fuyutsuki is met by Gendo, who reveals that he is also partaking in the investigation. Fuyutsuki admits to be surprised to see him alive, as last he heard, he was with the ill-fated Katsuragi expedition. Gendo explains that he was "lucky" enough to have returned to Japan the day before Second Impact, thus narrowly escaping the tragedy. He also reveals surname is now Ikari<ref>In Japan, it's normally the bride who changes her name, but occasionally the groom will do so if his new wife's family is of higher social status, especially if she has no brothers to carry on the family name.</ref>, and he is married to Yui with a child. He hands Fuyutsuki a card from Yui including a drawing of a blue-haired angel<ref>It has been suggested that this is evidence that Yui anticipated the creation of Rei, but there seems to be no supporting evidence for this theory. What significance the angel on the card may have had to Yui - if any - is a mystery.</ref> | Having accepted the invitation, Fuyutsuki joins the investigation team's expedition to Antarctica. Aboard the expedition's ship, Fuyutsuki is met by Gendo, who reveals that he is also partaking in the investigation. Fuyutsuki admits to be surprised to see him alive, as last he heard, he was with the ill-fated Katsuragi expedition. Gendo explains that he was "lucky" enough to have returned to Japan the day before Second Impact, thus narrowly escaping the tragedy. He also reveals surname is now Ikari<ref>In Japan, it's normally the bride who changes her name, but occasionally the groom will do so if his new wife's family is of higher social status, especially if she has no brothers to carry on the family name.</ref>, and he is married to Yui with a child. He hands Fuyutsuki a card from Yui including a drawing of a blue-haired angel<ref>It has been suggested that this is evidence that Yui anticipated the creation of Rei, but there seems to be no supporting evidence for this theory. What significance the angel on the card may have had to Yui - if any - is a mystery.</ref> | ||
[[File:21 C058a.jpg|thumb|left||250px|Yui and Fuyutsuki discuss Gendo]] | |||
In the present day, Misato is being kept in a dark isolation cell. She hates the bad memories it brings. The past shows Fuyutsuki watching the teenage Misato in the South Pole Investigation Ship Isolation Facility 2, and he is told she hasn't spoken in two years. | |||
Despite the investigation turning up several strange and rather disturbing facts, such as all traces of life on Antarctica and the surrounding areas having been completely eliminated, even down to the microbiological level, and the existence of the remains of a strange dome-like cave under the ground zero for the explosion, Second Impact is officially classified as a meteor impact. But Fuyutsuki is not fooled, he knows that Seele and Keel Lorenz are involved in a massive media cover-up, and decides to conduct his own unofficial investigation into the organisation. | |||
In | In 2003, Yui and Fuyutsuki meet in [[Hakone]], at her workplace, the newly founded [[Artificial Evolution Laboratory]]. But Fuyutsuki has business with the Laboratory's director, Gendo. He is aware that Gendo knows more than he is letting on, and has an unusually large amount of private money. Fuyutsuki threatens to go public with the real truth about Seele, Second Impact, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, but Gendo takes his threat in stride and instead invites him to see something. | ||
The two men go underground, into the [[Geofront]], which Fuyutsuki notices to be similar to the dome-like cave found under Antarctica. Gendo comments that they are indeed similar, and appears to have been left behind by "someone who was not us." They finally reach a research station on the floor of the cave, where they meet up wtih [[Naoko Akagi]], who is working on the early stages of the [[Magi]]. Gendo finally presents a prototype [[Evangelion]] to Fuyutsuki, which the latter momentarily mistakes for Adam. Gendo invites Fuyutsuki to work with him to create a new future for mankind<ref>Gendo never seems concerned about Fuyutsuki's threats to go public. It's quite possible that the audience is supposed to conclude that Gendo actually ''allowed'' Fuyutsuki to find incriminating material in order to have the opportunity to bring him in.</ref>. | |||
In | In 2005, the first meeting between Misato Katsuragi and [[Ritsuko Akagi]] at the University in [[Tokyo-2]] is shown, narrated by Ritsuko. Misato is now her bubbly self. Ritsuko reports that she and Misato have quickly become fast friends, as Misato treats her as a normal person, rather than with the baggage of her prestigious name, which has frequently kept her distanced from her peers in the past. Soon Misato and Kaji get together, and Misato spends a week away from classes with him. | ||
In 2003, Yui (with the young Shinji) and Fuyutsuki are discussing matters at the Ashinoko Lakefront, Hakone. Fuyutsuki supports her ideas, not Seele's. He knows that he can be easily erased, but tells Yui there's no reason for her to become a test subject. She merely replies that she will "go with the flow of things", and is at Seele for Shinji's sake. | |||
[[File:21 C137b.jpg|thumb|left|A high schooler Ritsuko watches her mother Naoko with Gendo and Fuyutsuki]] | |||
[[File:21 C343d.jpg|thumb|Yui and Kozo discuss the future]] | |||
In 2004, at Hakone Underground Laboratory 2, the Contact Experiment is taking place. Yui has brought her young son to watch the proceedings. But Yui is wiped out in a "freak accident". According to Naoko Akagi, Gendo changed completely after that day. He spends a week alone in mourning, refusing to see anyone during that time. Upon re-emerging from his seclusion, Gendo tells Fuyutsuki he intends to propose the Human Instrumentality Project to Seele.<ref>Gendo's lighting in this scene with the cross-shaped shadow behind him is not realistically possible. The cross-shaped framing casting the shadow is between him and the light source, and the position of the shadow behind him is such that it should fall across him. However, the symbolism in the scene stands out for all to see: Gendo appears to be carrying a cross, representing the burden he is carrying, and which he will carry, in order to reunite with Yui.</ref> He also starts an affair with Naoko. | In 2004, at Hakone Underground Laboratory 2, the Contact Experiment is taking place. Yui has brought her young son to watch the proceedings. But Yui is wiped out in a "freak accident". According to Naoko Akagi, Gendo changed completely after that day. He spends a week alone in mourning, refusing to see anyone during that time. Upon re-emerging from his seclusion, Gendo tells Fuyutsuki he intends to propose the Human Instrumentality Project to Seele.<ref>Gendo's lighting in this scene with the cross-shaped shadow behind him is not realistically possible. The cross-shaped framing casting the shadow is between him and the light source, and the position of the shadow behind him is such that it should fall across him. However, the symbolism in the scene stands out for all to see: Gendo appears to be carrying a cross, representing the burden he is carrying, and which he will carry, in order to reunite with Yui.</ref> He also starts an affair with Naoko. | ||
In 2008, Ritsuko joins [[Gehirn]] and discovers her mother's affair with Gendo. A young [[Rei Ayanami]] is introduced in 2010, being shown around the headquarters by Gendo Ikari, who claims that she the daughter of an acquaintance and that he is looking after her for them. Naoko looks at her and is instantly reminded of Yui. She searches the database and finds that all of Rei's records have been erased. The Magi are completed after this. Naoko proudly shows off her finished project to Ritsuko, and learns from her Misato is in [[Nerv 3rd Branch|Branch 3 of Gehirn]] in [[Germany]] and that she and Kaji have already broken up. As Ritsuko goes home for the evening, Naoko stays behind to finish up some work. | |||
In 2008, Ritsuko joins [[Gehirn]] and discovers her mother's affair with Gendo. A young Rei Ayanami is introduced in 2010, being shown around the headquarters by Gendo Ikari, who claims that she the daughter of an acquaintance and that he is looking after her for them. Naoko looks at her and is reminded of Yui. She searches the database and finds that all of Rei's records have been erased. The Magi are completed after this. Naoko proudly shows off her finished project to Ritsuko, and learns from her Misato is in Branch 3 of Gehirn in Germany and that she and Kaji have already broken up. As Ritsuko goes home for the evening, Naoko stays behind to finish up some work. | |||
Later, as Naoko is still working, Rei suddenly appears, says that she is lost. When Naoko offers to let Rei leave with her, Rei calls her an "old hag"<ref>Rei is using the Japanese term "baasan" which approximately means "granny", but is the equivalent of "old hag" when directed at the wrong person.</ref>, and adds that it is Gendo who calls Naoko that, and also pushy, not needed. Enraged, Naoko strangles the girl, calling her just as replaceable. Naoko is horrified at her deed, and commits suicide by jumping from a high rail above the Magi. The day after this, Gehirn is disbanded at the order of Keel Lorenz, and instead reorganized into the new agency of [[Nerv]].<ref>Rei seems quite polite when Gendo first introduces her. No explanation is given for her change in behavior at her second appearance, where she seems to enjoy taunting Naoko. It's been suggested that at this point she already lost part of her soul to [[Evangelion Unit-00|Eva-00]], and has thus gone mad, but there is no supporting evidence.</ref> | Later, as Naoko is still working, Rei suddenly appears, says that she is lost. When Naoko offers to let Rei leave with her, Rei calls her an "old hag"<ref>Rei is using the Japanese term "baasan" which approximately means "granny", but is the equivalent of "old hag" when directed at the wrong person.</ref>, and adds that it is Gendo who calls Naoko that, and also pushy, not needed. Enraged, Naoko strangles the girl, calling her just as replaceable. Naoko is horrified at her deed, and commits suicide by jumping from a high rail above the Magi. The day after this, Gehirn is disbanded at the order of Keel Lorenz, and instead reorganized into the new agency of [[Nerv]].<ref>Rei seems quite polite when Gendo first introduces her. No explanation is given for her change in behavior at her second appearance, where she seems to enjoy taunting Naoko. It's been suggested that at this point she already lost part of her soul to [[Evangelion Unit-00|Eva-00]], and has thus gone mad, but there is no supporting evidence.</ref> | ||
[[File:21 C275b.jpg|thumb|Kaji's last moments]] | |||
Kaji leaves the phone booth, (the episode must have actually begun at this point) and frees Fuyutsuki, who comments that this action will result in his death. Kaji replies that he was thinking of himself because Seele was about to discover that he was the one who brought Adam to Gendo and that he just wants to get closer to the truth. Late in the afternoon, Misato is released from custody, since Fuyutsuki has been found. She tries asking about Kaji, but the agent refuses to give her any details. Elsewhere, Kaji meets an unseen person, calmly greeting them with "Hey, you're late," and is shot. | Kaji leaves the phone booth, (the episode must have actually begun at this point) and frees Fuyutsuki, who comments that this action will result in his death. Kaji replies that he was thinking of himself because Seele was about to discover that he was the one who brought Adam to Gendo and that he just wants to get closer to the truth. Late in the afternoon, Misato is released from custody, since Fuyutsuki has been found. She tries asking about Kaji, but the agent handling her release refuses to give her any details, claiming that he doesn't know. Elsewhere, Kaji meets an unseen person, calmly greeting them with "Hey, you're late," and is shot. | ||
When Misato returns home, she finds an answering machine message from Kaji. In it, he apologizes for all the trouble he has caused her, and tells her to also apologize to Ritsuko. He urges her to continue his search for the truth, and finally adds that if he should ever see her again, he will "say the words I wasn't able to say eight years ago." From the nature of the message, Misato quickly figures out that Kaji is dead and breaks down in tears as it plays. Shinji hears her crying and gets up, but can’t go into the kitchen. He returns to bed and puts a pillow over his ears, thinking that he is just a child, and there is nothing he can do. | When Misato returns home, she finds an answering machine message from Kaji. In it, he apologizes for all the trouble he has caused her, and tells her to also apologize to Ritsuko. He urges her to continue his search for the truth, and finally adds that if he should ever see her again, he will "say the words I wasn't able to say eight years ago." From the nature of the message, Misato quickly figures out that Kaji is dead and breaks down in tears as it plays. Shinji hears her crying and gets up, but can’t go into the kitchen. He returns to bed and puts a pillow over his ears, thinking that he is just a child, and there is nothing he can do. | ||
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*The college-age Ritsuko is shown smoking: this is the only time in the series she is shown doing this, but the adult Ritsuko is sometimes depicted with ashtrays full of lipstick-marked cigarette butts, indicating that she smokes heavily, a possible sign of anxiety. | *The college-age Ritsuko is shown smoking: this is the only time in the series she is shown doing this, but the adult Ritsuko is sometimes depicted with ashtrays full of lipstick-marked cigarette butts, indicating that she smokes heavily, a possible sign of anxiety. | ||
*The theory that Misato had killed Kaji is one of the oldest misconceptions in Eva fandom. This theory shocked Anno so much at the time that he'd later rectify it in the Director's Cut version of Episode 21 by changing the previous "evidence" for this, a shot of her room's door with her name on it, which was changed to just a shot of her apartment complex. This is one of the few cases of a straight-up retcon in Evangelion. [https://web.archive.org/web/20111121072444/http://eva.onegeek.org/pipermail/oldeva/1998-April/012739.html This was controversial enough to be addressed by Newtype] at the time: "While a lot of fans think that it was done by Misato, Director Anno raised the possibility that it could have been done by Japan government or Seele agent". The film-book also states that the killer was not a main character.<ref>'''…Who killed Kaji? What’s your version of it?'''<br>''This is a question that many Japanese fans also wonder about. Kaji wanted to investigate a deeper part of NERV (SEELE) and learn of its secrets. He was tricked by one of his informants and then killed. It wasn’t Misato or Ritsuko.'' [http://forum.evageeks.org/viewtopic.php?p=454429#454429 Tsurumaki, FUNime March 2002 interview] </ref> | *The theory that Misato had killed Kaji is one of the oldest misconceptions in Eva fandom. This theory shocked Anno so much at the time that he'd later rectify it in the Director's Cut version of Episode 21 by changing the previous "evidence" for this, a shot of her room's door with her name on it, which was changed to just a shot of her apartment complex. This is one of the few cases of a straight-up retcon in Evangelion. [https://web.archive.org/web/20111121072444/http://eva.onegeek.org/pipermail/oldeva/1998-April/012739.html This was controversial enough to be addressed by Newtype] at the time: "While a lot of fans think that it was done by Misato, Director Anno raised the possibility that it could have been done by Japan government or Seele agent". The film-book also states that the killer was not a main character.<ref>'''…Who killed Kaji? What’s your version of it?'''<br>''This is a question that many Japanese fans also wonder about. Kaji wanted to investigate a deeper part of NERV (SEELE) and learn of its secrets. He was tricked by one of his informants and then killed. It wasn’t Misato or Ritsuko.'' [http://forum.evageeks.org/viewtopic.php?p=454429#454429 Tsurumaki, FUNime March 2002 interview] </ref><ref>''When it was first aired on TV, it seems no few fans suspected that it was Misato that shot Kaji in this episode. In the "video version," dialogue explaining that SEELE has discovered that Kaji has delivered a sample of Adam to Gendo and has made his position precarious has been added and the way the scene where Kaji is shot conects to the next scene has been changed. It leads the audience to think that the culprit is someone on SEELE's side.'' - [http://www.evamonkey.com/platinum-booklets/episode-commentaries-21-26.php Platinum Episode Commentaries]</ref> | ||
==Analysis== | ==Analysis== | ||
''See also: [[Theory and Analysis:Yui's Agenda]]'' | |||
*Gendo refers to Fuyutsuki as "Sensei" and appears to have at least a professional admiration for him if not anything else. That he had Fuyutsuki spared at his behest shows not only Gendo's influence within Seele but perhaps a grudging trust in Fuyutsuki as well (and perhaps Yui's influence), over other less scrupulous men of similar capacity. | *Gendo refers to Fuyutsuki as "Sensei" and appears to have at least a professional admiration for him if not anything else. That he had Fuyutsuki spared at his behest shows not only Gendo's influence within Seele but perhaps a grudging trust in Fuyutsuki as well (and perhaps Yui's influence), over other less scrupulous men of similar capacity. | ||
*Misato is revealed to have gone mute following the horror of the Second Impact, and is seen sitting alone in a room. Her own treatment- more like a scientific experiment than as a proper human being- might draw a parallel with Rei's own upbringing. Ritsuko says that she constantly talks away in college, possibly because her loneliness drives her to seek more and more friends. | *Misato is revealed to have gone mute following the horror of the Second Impact, and is seen sitting alone in a room. Her own treatment- more like a scientific experiment than as a proper human being- might draw a parallel with Rei's own upbringing. Ritsuko says that she constantly talks away in college, possibly because her loneliness drives her to seek more and more friends. | ||
**Ritsuko describes Misato's week-long sex spree with Kaji as "an unexpected side of her". This is seen again in [[Episode 25]], where Misato is accused by the other characters of wanting to show this side of herself to Shinji, but she shakes her head in absolute disgust with herself. | **Ritsuko describes Misato's week-long sex spree with Kaji as "an unexpected side of her". This is seen again in [[Episode 25]], where Misato is accused by the other characters of wanting to show this side of herself to Shinji, but she shakes her head in absolute disgust with herself. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 13:57, 15 May 2024
| Episode Information | |||||||
| Episode #21 | |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| Written By | Hideaki Anno, Akio Satsukawa | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Directed By | Hiroyuki Ishido | ||||||
| First Aired | 2-21-1996 | ||||||
| Video Release Date | 2-5-1997 (Japan-Video/LD), 5-29-2001 (US-DVD) | ||||||
| Angel Appearances | Adam (Flashback) | ||||||
| Eva Sorties | None | ||||||
| Episode chronology | |||||||
| ← Previous | Next → | ||||||
| "Episode 20" | "Episode 22" | ||||||
Overview
Kozo Fuyutsuki is kidnapped and interrogated by Seele, who are horrified over the results of the last encounter with an Angel. He recounts his past, providing flashbacks into the creation of Nerv. The pasts of Misato Katsuragi, Ritsuko Akagi, Rei Ayanami and Yui Ikari are also revealed. Ryoji Kaji, meanwhile, decides to find out the truth, no matter the cost.
Synopsis
Two classified recordings showing the circumstances leading up to Second Impact begins the episode. In the first, the scientists of the Katsuragi Expedition are discussing their discovery of Adam, and how it seems to prove the theory regarding the existence of the S² Engine. Meanwhile, Gendo Ikari and Keel Lorenz are off to the side, having a conversation of their own, during which Keel openly scoffs at the scientists, finding their motives selfish. The second recording shows the immediate aftermath of the ill-fated Contact Experiment with Adam, who wakes up and smashes through the scientists' base, despite their desperate attempts to contain him by forcing him back into stasis.
Back in the present, Ryoji Kaji makes a call to Misato from a phone booth, and gets her answering machine. He comments that this is probably his last mission. Taking a look at his red Nerv I.D. card, he contemplates how the color reminds him of blood. Elsewhere, Misato is informed by a couple of Nerv agents that Fuyutsuki has been abducted, and Kaji is a suspect. Because of her relationship with Kaji, she is also under suspicion. She quickly decides that her best option is to offer the agents her full cooperation, and is willingly taken into custody.
Kozo Fuyutsuki, meanwhile, finds himself handcuffed to a chair in a dark room, where he faces the Seele monoliths rather than the committee. They have questions to ask him regarding the latest troubling development, and call him Fuyutsuki-sensei, a title he hasn't heard in a long time....
In a flashback to 1999, Fuyutsuki is shown working as a teacher and researcher at Kyoto University's metaphysical biology department. He is told by a colleague about a promising new bioengineering student, Yui Ikari, who has expressed interest in his work. The two have a meeting, and their discussion turn to Yui's plans for the future, revealing that she is considering a domestic life over her research. Fuyutsuki looks both startled by and interested in this information. He befriends Yui, and quickly becomes a confidant of hers.
Shortly afterwards, Fuyutsuki meets Gendo Rokubungi. The younger man had asked to be released into Fuyutsuki's custody after being arrested by the local police for being involved in a bar brawl, even though Fuyutsuki had never heard of him. Gendo explains that he knew of Fuyutsuki through a friend, was curious to meet him in person, and saw the arrest as a good an opportunity to set up a meeting as any. Fuyutsuki dislikes Gendo almost immediately, so, he is surprised to hear that he and Yui are seeing each other[1]. Yui says that Gendo is actually very nice, but no one knows it. Fuyutsuki notes that at the time, it was thought that Gendo was with Yui because of her connections to Seele.
Second Impact occurs; Fuyutsuki does not go into detail, except to say that the first year in the wake of the event, 2001, was "pure hell". In 2002, he is working as an unlicensed doctor in the ruins of Toyohashi City, in the Aichi Prefecture. Japan is now a country of perpetual summer. Fuyutsuki's clinic is visited by an agent from the Japanese government, who formally invites him to participate in a UN investigation of the Second Impact.
Having accepted the invitation, Fuyutsuki joins the investigation team's expedition to Antarctica. Aboard the expedition's ship, Fuyutsuki is met by Gendo, who reveals that he is also partaking in the investigation. Fuyutsuki admits to be surprised to see him alive, as last he heard, he was with the ill-fated Katsuragi expedition. Gendo explains that he was "lucky" enough to have returned to Japan the day before Second Impact, thus narrowly escaping the tragedy. He also reveals surname is now Ikari[2], and he is married to Yui with a child. He hands Fuyutsuki a card from Yui including a drawing of a blue-haired angel[3]
In the present day, Misato is being kept in a dark isolation cell. She hates the bad memories it brings. The past shows Fuyutsuki watching the teenage Misato in the South Pole Investigation Ship Isolation Facility 2, and he is told she hasn't spoken in two years.
Despite the investigation turning up several strange and rather disturbing facts, such as all traces of life on Antarctica and the surrounding areas having been completely eliminated, even down to the microbiological level, and the existence of the remains of a strange dome-like cave under the ground zero for the explosion, Second Impact is officially classified as a meteor impact. But Fuyutsuki is not fooled, he knows that Seele and Keel Lorenz are involved in a massive media cover-up, and decides to conduct his own unofficial investigation into the organisation.
In 2003, Yui and Fuyutsuki meet in Hakone, at her workplace, the newly founded Artificial Evolution Laboratory. But Fuyutsuki has business with the Laboratory's director, Gendo. He is aware that Gendo knows more than he is letting on, and has an unusually large amount of private money. Fuyutsuki threatens to go public with the real truth about Seele, Second Impact, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, but Gendo takes his threat in stride and instead invites him to see something.
The two men go underground, into the Geofront, which Fuyutsuki notices to be similar to the dome-like cave found under Antarctica. Gendo comments that they are indeed similar, and appears to have been left behind by "someone who was not us." They finally reach a research station on the floor of the cave, where they meet up wtih Naoko Akagi, who is working on the early stages of the Magi. Gendo finally presents a prototype Evangelion to Fuyutsuki, which the latter momentarily mistakes for Adam. Gendo invites Fuyutsuki to work with him to create a new future for mankind[4].
In 2005, the first meeting between Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi at the University in Tokyo-2 is shown, narrated by Ritsuko. Misato is now her bubbly self. Ritsuko reports that she and Misato have quickly become fast friends, as Misato treats her as a normal person, rather than with the baggage of her prestigious name, which has frequently kept her distanced from her peers in the past. Soon Misato and Kaji get together, and Misato spends a week away from classes with him.
In 2003, Yui (with the young Shinji) and Fuyutsuki are discussing matters at the Ashinoko Lakefront, Hakone. Fuyutsuki supports her ideas, not Seele's. He knows that he can be easily erased, but tells Yui there's no reason for her to become a test subject. She merely replies that she will "go with the flow of things", and is at Seele for Shinji's sake.
In 2004, at Hakone Underground Laboratory 2, the Contact Experiment is taking place. Yui has brought her young son to watch the proceedings. But Yui is wiped out in a "freak accident". According to Naoko Akagi, Gendo changed completely after that day. He spends a week alone in mourning, refusing to see anyone during that time. Upon re-emerging from his seclusion, Gendo tells Fuyutsuki he intends to propose the Human Instrumentality Project to Seele.[5] He also starts an affair with Naoko. In 2008, Ritsuko joins Gehirn and discovers her mother's affair with Gendo. A young Rei Ayanami is introduced in 2010, being shown around the headquarters by Gendo Ikari, who claims that she the daughter of an acquaintance and that he is looking after her for them. Naoko looks at her and is instantly reminded of Yui. She searches the database and finds that all of Rei's records have been erased. The Magi are completed after this. Naoko proudly shows off her finished project to Ritsuko, and learns from her Misato is in Branch 3 of Gehirn in Germany and that she and Kaji have already broken up. As Ritsuko goes home for the evening, Naoko stays behind to finish up some work.
Later, as Naoko is still working, Rei suddenly appears, says that she is lost. When Naoko offers to let Rei leave with her, Rei calls her an "old hag"[6], and adds that it is Gendo who calls Naoko that, and also pushy, not needed. Enraged, Naoko strangles the girl, calling her just as replaceable. Naoko is horrified at her deed, and commits suicide by jumping from a high rail above the Magi. The day after this, Gehirn is disbanded at the order of Keel Lorenz, and instead reorganized into the new agency of Nerv.[7]
Kaji leaves the phone booth, (the episode must have actually begun at this point) and frees Fuyutsuki, who comments that this action will result in his death. Kaji replies that he was thinking of himself because Seele was about to discover that he was the one who brought Adam to Gendo and that he just wants to get closer to the truth. Late in the afternoon, Misato is released from custody, since Fuyutsuki has been found. She tries asking about Kaji, but the agent handling her release refuses to give her any details, claiming that he doesn't know. Elsewhere, Kaji meets an unseen person, calmly greeting them with "Hey, you're late," and is shot.
When Misato returns home, she finds an answering machine message from Kaji. In it, he apologizes for all the trouble he has caused her, and tells her to also apologize to Ritsuko. He urges her to continue his search for the truth, and finally adds that if he should ever see her again, he will "say the words I wasn't able to say eight years ago." From the nature of the message, Misato quickly figures out that Kaji is dead and breaks down in tears as it plays. Shinji hears her crying and gets up, but can’t go into the kitchen. He returns to bed and puts a pillow over his ears, thinking that he is just a child, and there is nothing he can do.
On-Air Version Differences
Main article: Guides:Episode 21 OA vs. DC
- The recording showing the circumstances leading up to Second Impact is not included.
- The scene of Fuyutsuki meeting the agent sent by Gendo/Seele on the houseboat is not included.
- Several scenes are redrawn subtly, such as the scene where Kaji faces his killer.
- Kaji's comment that Seele would have discovered his guilt in transporting Adam to Gendo is absent. ADV has stated that the changes relating to Kaji's death were made because the OA version had led fans to mistakenly assume that Misato was Kaji's killer.
Notes
- The college-age Ritsuko is shown smoking: this is the only time in the series she is shown doing this, but the adult Ritsuko is sometimes depicted with ashtrays full of lipstick-marked cigarette butts, indicating that she smokes heavily, a possible sign of anxiety.
- The theory that Misato had killed Kaji is one of the oldest misconceptions in Eva fandom. This theory shocked Anno so much at the time that he'd later rectify it in the Director's Cut version of Episode 21 by changing the previous "evidence" for this, a shot of her room's door with her name on it, which was changed to just a shot of her apartment complex. This is one of the few cases of a straight-up retcon in Evangelion. This was controversial enough to be addressed by Newtype at the time: "While a lot of fans think that it was done by Misato, Director Anno raised the possibility that it could have been done by Japan government or Seele agent". The film-book also states that the killer was not a main character.[8][9]
Analysis
See also: Theory and Analysis:Yui's Agenda
- Gendo refers to Fuyutsuki as "Sensei" and appears to have at least a professional admiration for him if not anything else. That he had Fuyutsuki spared at his behest shows not only Gendo's influence within Seele but perhaps a grudging trust in Fuyutsuki as well (and perhaps Yui's influence), over other less scrupulous men of similar capacity.
- Misato is revealed to have gone mute following the horror of the Second Impact, and is seen sitting alone in a room. Her own treatment- more like a scientific experiment than as a proper human being- might draw a parallel with Rei's own upbringing. Ritsuko says that she constantly talks away in college, possibly because her loneliness drives her to seek more and more friends.
- Ritsuko describes Misato's week-long sex spree with Kaji as "an unexpected side of her". This is seen again in Episode 25, where Misato is accused by the other characters of wanting to show this side of herself to Shinji, but she shakes her head in absolute disgust with herself.
References
- ↑ The clear implication here is that Gendo had heard about Fuyutsuki from Yui.
- ↑ In Japan, it's normally the bride who changes her name, but occasionally the groom will do so if his new wife's family is of higher social status, especially if she has no brothers to carry on the family name.
- ↑ It has been suggested that this is evidence that Yui anticipated the creation of Rei, but there seems to be no supporting evidence for this theory. What significance the angel on the card may have had to Yui - if any - is a mystery.
- ↑ Gendo never seems concerned about Fuyutsuki's threats to go public. It's quite possible that the audience is supposed to conclude that Gendo actually allowed Fuyutsuki to find incriminating material in order to have the opportunity to bring him in.
- ↑ Gendo's lighting in this scene with the cross-shaped shadow behind him is not realistically possible. The cross-shaped framing casting the shadow is between him and the light source, and the position of the shadow behind him is such that it should fall across him. However, the symbolism in the scene stands out for all to see: Gendo appears to be carrying a cross, representing the burden he is carrying, and which he will carry, in order to reunite with Yui.
- ↑ Rei is using the Japanese term "baasan" which approximately means "granny", but is the equivalent of "old hag" when directed at the wrong person.
- ↑ Rei seems quite polite when Gendo first introduces her. No explanation is given for her change in behavior at her second appearance, where she seems to enjoy taunting Naoko. It's been suggested that at this point she already lost part of her soul to Eva-00, and has thus gone mad, but there is no supporting evidence.
- ↑ …Who killed Kaji? What’s your version of it?
This is a question that many Japanese fans also wonder about. Kaji wanted to investigate a deeper part of NERV (SEELE) and learn of its secrets. He was tricked by one of his informants and then killed. It wasn’t Misato or Ritsuko. Tsurumaki, FUNime March 2002 interview - ↑ When it was first aired on TV, it seems no few fans suspected that it was Misato that shot Kaji in this episode. In the "video version," dialogue explaining that SEELE has discovered that Kaji has delivered a sample of Adam to Gendo and has made his position precarious has been added and the way the scene where Kaji is shot conects to the next scene has been changed. It leads the audience to think that the culprit is someone on SEELE's side. - Platinum Episode Commentaries
External links
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| Movies | Death | Rebirth |
| Rebuild of Evangelion | Evangelion 1.0 | Evangelion 2.0 | Evangelion 3.0 | (-46h) | (-120min) | Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 |
