Episode 01: Difference between revisions

From EvaWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
 
(93 intermediate revisions by 15 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Episode Infobox
{{Episode Infobox
| number = #01
| number           = #01
| japanese_title  = An Angel's Attack
| japanese_title_k = 使徒、襲来
| english_title   = Angel Attack
| japanese_title_r = Shito Shuurai
| image = [[Image:Episode-01-Info.jpg|Episode 01]]
| japanese_title_e = An Angel's Attack
| written_by = [[Hideaki Anno]]
| english_title   = Angel Attack
| directed_by = [[Kazuya Tsurumaki]]
| image           = [[Image:Episode-01-Info.jpg|Episode 01]]
| first_aired = 10-4-1995
| written_by       = [[Hideaki Anno]]
| angels   = [[Sachiel]]
| directed_by     = [[Kazuya Tsurumaki]]
| eva_sorties     = [[Unit-01]]
| first_aired     = 10-4-1995
| prev = ''(none)''
| video_release    = 2-3-1996 (Japan-Video/LD), 5-16-2000 (US-DVD)
| next = [[Episode 2]]
| angels           = [[Sachiel]]
| eva_sorties     = [[Eva-01]]
| prev             =  
| next             = [[Episode 02]]
}}
}}


==Overview==
==Overview==
Shinji Ikari is summoned to Tokyo-3 by his father Gendo, commander of the NERV organization, to fight off an attack by a giant "Angel" monster by piloting the only weapon capable of battling an Angel: Evangelion Unit-01.
[[Shinji Ikari]] is summoned to Tokyo-3<ref>Tokyo-3 was built on the site of pre-Second Impact Hakone.  Throughout the series  there are various stray references to geographic locations surrounding Tokyo-3 that also surround Hakone.  See the [[Tokyo-3]] main article for details.</ref> by his estranged father [[Gendo]]<ref>Shinji and his father Gendo have not met in three years.</ref>, commander of the special agency [[Nerv]], to defend the city from a giant [[Angel]] by piloting the only weapon capable of battling the monster: [[Evangelion Unit-01]].


==Synopsis==
==Synopsis==
The Angel [[Sachiel]]<ref>Sachiel's design is remarkably similar to the [[Plug suit]] designs.  For details, go here: [[Sachiel and the Plug suits]].</ref> approaches underwater towards [[Tokyo-3]], as a [[JSSDF]] tank battalion awaits it on the shoreline. A state of emergency has been declared and people have fled to shelters, leaving the region deserted. Shinji Ikari, recently arrived in a nearby town, has remained above ground waiting for [[Misato Katsuragi]], who is due to pick him up.


A mysterious figure glides underwater towards [[Tokyo-3]], passing sunken buildings on it's way. It's the [[Angels|Angel]] [[Sachiel]]. After 15 years the Angels have begun to attack.
Elsewhere, in the headquarters of [[Nerv]], a special paramilitary organisation, under the [[United Nations]], the JSSDF's leadership is coordinating their attack against the Angel. Their efforts are observed by Nerv's commander and Shinji's father, [[Gendo Ikari]], and his vice commander, [[Kozo Fuyutsuki]]. Gendo and Fuyutsuki discuss amongst themselves, noting that it has been fifteen years since the last appearance of the Angels, and predicting that the military's operation is likely in vain, as conventional weapons are not likely to have any effect on the Angel.


Meanwhile,[[Shinji Ikari]] arrives in Tokyo-3. He is waiting by a phone booth for [[Misato Katsuragi]], who has sent him a risque photo of herself.  During his wait he suddenly notices a mysterious teenage girl who seems to be observing him; she vanishes as quickly as she appeared. Before he can ponder this Sachiel appears. Shinji is rescued in the nick of time by Misato and is taken to [[NERV]]'s underground base.
During his wait, Shinji notices a teenage girl who seems to be observing him; a girl who mysteriously vanishes as quickly as she appeared<ref>Several explanations have been proposed for Rei's appearance on the street when she is actually severely injured and hospitalized. Go [[Rei's Ghostly Appearances and Quantum Mechanics|'''HERE''']] for an analysis of why we believe that it is [[Rei 3]].</ref>. Shinji then feels the ground shake as Sachiel emerges from behind a nearby foothill. The JSSDF air force begins to attack the Angel with missiles and rockets. Shinji is nearly killed in the ensuing battle, but is rescued in the nick of time as Misato arrives in her [[Misato's Car|car]] and rescues him.


Meanwhile, the military is powerless against Sachiel, so they surrender command to Shinji's long absent father, [[Gendo Ikari]].  
As Gendo and Fuyutsuki predicted, JSSDF's weapons prove useless against the Angel, and they detonate an [[N² Mine]] in an attempt to destroy it. Misato and Shinji, on their way to Tokyo-3, are caught in the shock waves of the blast, and their vehicle is overturned. The Angel survives the blast, but is temporarily halted as it begins to regenerate.


Upon their arrival, Shinji and Misato are greeted by [[Ritsuko Akagi]] NERV's chief scientist. Shinji then learns that he has been summoned to pilot [[Evangelion Unit-01]] into battle against the Angel. Shinji, who plainly detests his father refuses. Gendo then sends for his other pilot [[Rei Ayanami]] despite her being seriously injured, coldly telling his vice-commander [[Kozo Fuyutsuki]] "she's not dead".   Rei is wheeled into the room in a hospital bed, covered with bandages and clearly in pain. The audience recognizes her as the girl Shinji saw on the street, but in her condition how could this be?.  There is no sign that Shinji recognizes her as well.
Misato and Shinji repair their vehicle and continue on to Tokyo-3. The JSSDF, admitting their ineffectiveness, transfer responsibility for the Angel's destruction to Gendo and Nerv. Gendo immediately declares that he plans to deploy [[Eva-01]] against the Angel, which Fuyutsuki questions, as they have no pilot on hand. Gendo just assures him that a spare is being delivered. Elsewhere, Shinji and Misato descends deep underground on a car train into the [[Geofront]]. He tries questioning Misato on when he will able to talk to Gendo, saying that the only reason he can think of for his father to send for him is that he needs something from him so he wants to know what it is. Misato is evasive towards answering his questions, but comments that she can tell he doesn't get along well with his father, noting that the two of them are quite similar in that.


Sachiel has now zeroed in and has begun to attack NERV headquarters. The room shakes and Rei tumbles to the floor. As Shinji moves to help her a bank of floodlights falls straight towards him!  Suddenly, Unit-01's arm moves to deflect the lights.  Ritsuko is astounded because the Eva shouldn't have been able to move at all with no entry plug inserted. Misato realizes that the Eva had moved to protect Shinji thus they have a chance to succeed after all. Cradling Rei in his arms, Shinji sees her blood on his hand, and is finally shamed into piloting. The episode ends with Shinji being launched into battle. Gendo's smile indicates his supreme confidence.
Upon their arrival, Shinji and Misato meet with [[Ritsuko Akagi]], who leads them further down. The recovered Angel begins to resume its journey towards Tokyo-3. Shinji is brought to the Evangelion hangar, where he is shown Eva-01 and where Gendo also appears above. Shinji then learns that he has been summoned to pilot [[Evangelion Unit-01]] into battle against the Angel.
 
{{MontageBox
|float  = right
|columns = 4
|title  = A Selection of Images From Episode 01
|colour  =
|image1  = [[Image:FGC 01 C003a.jpg|150px]]
|image2  = [[Image:FGC 01 C047.jpg|150px]]
|image3  = [[Image:FGC 01 C076d.jpg|150px]]
|image4  = [[Image:FGC 01 C127b.jpg|150px]]
|image5  = [[Image:FGC 01 C168.jpg|150px]]
|image6  = [[Image:FGC 01 C194.jpg|150px]]
|image7  = [[Image:FGC 01 C219b.jpg|150px]]
|image8  = [[Image:FGC 01 C284r.jpg|150px|]]
|image9  =
|image10 =
|image11 =
|image12 =
|caption =''By row, from left to right, starting top left:''
{{Multi-column numbered list
|
|Sachiel approaches Tokyo-3
<li>Misato rescues Shinji in the nick of time
<li>The JSSDF detonate an N² Mine...
<li>...but the Angel survives.
|4
|<li>The [[Geofront]]
<li>Arrival by hovercraft
<li>Shinji is brought before the Eva, and his father.
<li>Eva-01 saves Shinji.
}}
 
}}
 
Shinji confronts his father and protests at his treatment, believing he has no chance of doing what is asked of him, but Gendo coldly tells him to pilot or leave. The rejuvenated Angel discovers and begins to attack the Geofront, and the hanger is shaken by its blasts<ref>Sachiel's energy blasts look like Latin crosses.</ref>. Misato tries to encourage Shinji to stand up for himself, but he ultimately refuses to pilot the Evangelion. Gendo then sends for his other pilot [[Rei Ayanami]], despite her being seriously injured.
 
Rei is wheeled into the room in a hospital bed, still covered with bandages (much to his disquiet, Shinji notices that, injuries aside, Rei inexplicably closely resembles the mysterious girl he saw in the streets earlier). The violence of one the Angel's blasts causes a heavy ceiling light in the hangar to fall and Shinji is nearly killed, but is saved when Eva-01, breaks its bonds and moves its arm to deflect the lights, despite it being unable to move in its restraints. Shinji runs over to help Rei who has been thrown to the floor by the blast. Confronted with the sight of Rei's injuries, Shinji resolves himself and agrees to pilot the Evangelion.
 
Eva-01 is prepared for launch. The [[Entry Plug]] with Shinji inside, is inserted into the Evangelion where Shinji achieves [[synchronization]] with Eva-01. The Evangelion is then launched up from the Geofront to a road on the surface, into the path of the Angel. The two stand opposing each other and the episode ends.


==Notes==
==Notes==
*Every recurring major character in the series appears in the opening sequence of this episode, including Shinji's classmates (who don't appear until [[Episode 3]]), and Asuka and Kaji (who do not appear until [[Episode 8]]), probably because it would have been more expensive to create more than one  opening sequence.
*When Misato and Shinji are entering Nerv HQ, the hexagonal sliding door they walk through has the misspelling "cauntion" written on it
*Tokyo-3 was built on the site of pre-Second Impact Hakone. Throughout the series stray dialogue about there are various stray references to geographic locations surrounding Tokyo-3 that also surround Hakone.
*Eva-01's shoulder normally just has the word "EVA" written on it, with a number "1" superimposed over it. However, when Shinji and Misato first drive up to Eva-01 in a hovercraft, the entire word "Evangelion" is written on its shoulder due to an animation goof.
*According to Misato it took seven months for Rei to synchronize with Eva Unit 00.  It is not clear if Rei's accident in which Eva 00 went berserk, which chronologically seems to happen right before this episode (and is seen in flashbacks in [[Episode 5]], is what Misato is referring to as Rei's first synchronization, or if it happened even earlier than seven months ago.
*Background announcements in Nerv HQ after Misato and Shinji enter state that the "[[Sigma Unit]]" is under a complete lockout. It also states that "a special state of emergency has been declared for the Kanto and Chubu regions"; Tokai is the district between Tokyo and Nagoya. Kanto and Chubu contains Tokai and the area north of it.
*This episode premiered on October 4th, 1995, which also happened to be Yom Kippur that year. It's not clear if, given the various references to Jewish mysticism in the series, this was an intentional choice or just coincidence.
[[Image:FGC 01 C169B2.jpg|200px|thumb|Cauntion!]]
*Shinji and his father Gendo have not met in three years.
*Although it is never mentioned in the series, a comparison between the tactical map displayed in Central Dogma's command center in the episode and maps of the region reveals that the town where Shinji first meets Misato is the city of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atami,_Shizuoka Atami], 25 kilometers away.
*When Misato asks Shinji if his father sent him a NERV ID card, he hands her the letter that his father sent him summoning him to Tokyo-3. All of the printed out words on the entire letter are censored and blacked out because it is classified information.  The only actual information on it is a handwritten message from Gendo which reads: "COME -- Gendo Ikari".  Shinji obviously tore up the paper out of frustration at his father, and then taped the pieces back together.
*When Shinji hands Misato the summon letter, we can see that the letter was torn to pieces then sticked back together with black tape. Misato makes no comment on the matter, and it's never explicitly stated what drove Shinji to break the letter nor what drove him to repair it.
*When Shinji says he doesn't get along with his father, Misato says he sounds just like her. The relationship between Misato and her father will be expounded upon in [[Episode 12]]. [[Image:FGC 01 C020.jpg|thumb|"Check these out!"]]  
*While going down the Nerv HQ's elevator, Misato tells Shinji "I see, so you don't get along with your father. It's the same with me" in response to Shinji's remark that Gendo wouldn't have called him unless he had a use for him. This is one (probably the first) of the many similarities between Shinji and Misato that are noted or established throughout NGE.
*Misato mailed Shinji a photo of herself to let him know what she looked like when she picked him up: it is a humorously inappropriate photo of her wearing cutoff jeans that reveal her thighs, leaning foward in a tank top revealing excessive cleavage, winking at Shinji and giving him the V-sign. She also left a lipstick kiss on it.  The Japanese writing on it translates as "To Shinji: I'll be picking you up, so wait for me, okay?" (apparently written in creator Hideaki Anno's own handwriting). Misato also punctuated the photo with a highly inappropriate message, "Check these out!!" with an arrow pointing to her barely covered breasts. The Platinum Edition DVDs translate this into English as "Pay Attention!". 
[[Image:FGC 01 C020.jpg|thumb|right|150px|"Check these out!"]]  
*Sachiel's energy blasts look like crucifixes.
*Misato mailed Shinji a photo of herself to let him know what she looked like when she picked him up: it is a highly inappropriate photo of her in revealing clothing and posing, winking at Shinji and giving him the V-sign. The Japanese writing on it translates as "To Shinji: I'll be picking you up, so wait for me, okay?"). Misato also punctuated the photo with a highly inappropriate message, "Check these out!!". See [[Theory and Analysis:Sexuality In Misato and Shinji's Relationship]].  
*Despite being the head of NERV's Tactical Operations division, Misato is apparently a relatively new arrival at NERV HQ, as she gets lost on her way into the base, prompting Ritsuko to comment that she's "lost again" (i.e. it's not the first time that she has been in NERV HQ, but she is has not been there long and still gets lost).  In the next episode, Misato says that she just moved to Tokyo-3 "the other day" and there are still unopened boxes in her apartment.
*Despite being the head of NERV's Tactical Operations division, Misato is apparently a relatively new arrival at NERV HQ, as she gets lost on her way into the base, prompting Ritsuko to comment that she's "lost again". In the next episode, Misato says that she just moved to Tokyo-3 "the other day" and there are still unopened boxes in her apartment.
*Sachiel's respiration system is somewhat unusual; this is made more clear in production sketches, but apparently it "breathes in" through the gills on its thighs, and "breathes out" through what is apparently a large "nostril" in the center of its crotch.
*Sachiel approaches Tokyo-3 from coast to the east, and is said to be "moving from Highway 83 onto 88" when it arrives at Shinji's original position. When Shinji first appears at a phone booth before he arrives in Tokyo-3 itself, a road sign he is standing next to says he is 12 kilometers from Tokyo-3 and 35 from Gotenba. Also, an aviation support unit spreads "from the direction of Odawara". Soon afterwards Sachiel "penetrates the Tonosawa area" crossing the "tertiary self-defense line".
*When Misato and Shinji are entering NERV HQ, the hexagonal sliding door they walk through has the misspelling "cauntion" written on it.
*Ritsuko tells Misato that the odds of Eva Unit 01 activating are "0.000000009%. "O9 System" seems like a fitting thing to call it". This is a pun in Japanese, so the English dub inserted an extra line clarifying this, with Ritsuko explaining that "O-Nine" is a pun on "Oni", the Japanese word for "demon". Eva-01 is also designed with a traditional "Oni" as an inspiration.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070613125248/http://www.aoianime.hu/evangelion/index.php?page=interanno Interview with Hideaki Anno, Aerial Magazine]</ref><ref>[https://www.evamonkey.com/writings/yamashita-ikuto-the-design-concept-is-enormous-power-restained.php Ikuto Yamashita, ''The design concept is "Enormous Power Restained"'']</ref>
*The announcer at the beginning of the episode says that "a special state of emergency has been declared for the Kanto and Chubu regions"; Tokai is the district between Tokyo and Nagoya. Kanto and Chubu contains Tokai and the large area north of it.
*Gendo never properly wears his uniform, even while in front of the JSSDF generals who at the time are technically his superiors. Fuyutsuki keeps his uniform properly zipped up the entire time, but Gendo just wears his uniform's jacket open. It's possible that this is just economy of animation, but it can also hint that Gendo has no respect for the JSSDF at all.
*When Shinji first appears at a phone booth before he arrives in Tokyo-3 itself, a road sign he is standing right next to says that his current position is 12 kilometers from Tokyo-3 and 35 kilometers  from Gotenba.
*When Ritsuko first meets Shinji and Misato, she is wearing a one-piece swimsuit, under a diving suit, with her lab coat over it. However, when they later meet in the elevator and when they reach Unit 01, Ritsuko has changed into her normal clothes, and so has Misato. They're supposed to be hurrying to Unit 01, Misato could conceivably have just thrown her jacket on, but Ritsuko apparently took the time to change her entire outfit.
*Misato's blue car is apparently based on a modified 1981 Alpine Renault A310. However, the A310's driver's seat is on the left hand side, while the driver's side of Misato's car is on the right side. Further, Misato's car appears to be battery-powered, and does not use gasoline.  Further, Misato's car seems to have some sort of GPS display monitor on the dashboard.
*The writing process for this episode took a long time, as much as six months according to Anno.<ref>[https://forum.evageeks.org/post/425333/NGE-Ep24-Script-First-and-Second-Drafts/#425333 2nd JUNE interview]</ref>, and the opening sequence was not yet finished. This is probably why [[A Cruel Angel's Thesis]]'s songwriter says she only watched two unfinished episodes, as she was probably called in during their production before Gainax would make the opening sequence based on the then unwritten song.<ref>[https://www.gwern.net/docs/eva/2002-takeda-notenkimemoirs Notenki Memoirs]</ref> In [https://wiki.evageeks.org/Resources:Neon_Genesis_Evangelion_Proposal_(Translation) Proposal], it was originally called ''People's Reunion''. Shinji would fight an angel called "Raziel", not to be confused with [[Ramiel]]. This was moved to the second episode with [[Sachiel]].
*The original Japanese title of this episode is "使徒、襲来 "Shito, shūrai". [[Gainax]] made their own English titles, and the English title Gainax created for this episode is "Angel Attack".  ADV Film's translation of the original Japanese title is "An Angel's Attack".


==Analysis==
==Analysis==
*Shinji sees a "vision" of Rei standing in the road wearing her school uniform soon after he is introduced, right before Misato arrives in her car to pick him up. Obviously this couldn't have been the "real" Rei simply physically travelling from Shinji's position to Tokyo-3, as Rei has been seriously injured and is at NERV HQ (wearing her plug suit) under constant medical surveillance.  This shot effectively forms half of two "bookends" for the series:  when Shinji comes to Tokyo-3 here he sees a vision of Rei wearing her school uniform, and in the penultimate scene of [[The End of Evangelion]], Shinji sees a vision of Rei wearing her school uniform standing over the Sea of [[LCL]] after Instrumentality (and ''after'' the Rei/Adam/Lilith hyper-being has died, or perhaps as it was dying) which then vanishes. What "really happened" in this appearance of Rei?
 
**It seems almost assured that Shinji didn't just "hallucinate" it, as he had never met Rei before and thus had no way of knowing what she looks like. 
*A mysterious apparition of a blue-haired girl appears before Shinji shortly after we meet him. She hasn't been formally introduced yet, but the figure is Rei Ayanami, whom we meet later in the episode. However, it's clear that there's something strange at work here, since there's a discrepancy between the apparition we see and the Rei we're introduced to, primarily being the injuries. Right away, Rei's character evokes mystery. The figure appears again in the final scene of EoE, and is often referred to as "Bookend Rei". See [[Theory and Analysis:Rei's Ghostly Appearances and Quantum Mechanics]].
**During several episodes of the series ([[Episode 16]], [[Episode 20]]) Shinji has internal mind-trips in which he appears to be talking to Rei.  In these scenes it is not clear if Shinji is simply hallucinating (talking to his own subconscious feelings, etc.), or if "Rei" is an Angel or Eva Unit 01 trying to contact his mind using the image of Rei, etc. Another possibility is that in these instances Rei actually reached out and contacted Shinji's mind, and the "Rei" in his internal visions in Episodes 16 and 20 ''actually was'' Rei, contacting him.  It's unclear exactly what happened in these scenes, but Shinji's vision of Rei at the beginning of the series hints as to her "Angelic" properties...
*The little green booklet that Misato hands to Shinji when they enter Nerv HQ says "Welcome to Nerv" on it.  Apparently, Shinji has never even heard the name of "Nerv" before, and yet he is a matter of minutes away from being told to pilot Eva-01.
*Sachiel's design is remarkably similar to the [[Plug suit]] designs.  For details, go here: [http://evacommentary.org/appendix/01_sachiel-plugsuits.html Sachiel/Plug Suit Design Analysis]
*When Ritsuko first meets Shinji and Misato, she is wearing a one-piece swimsuit, which she was wearing under a diving suit, with her lab coat over it.  However, between when Ritsuko, Misato, and Shinji meet in the elevator and when they reach Eva-01, Ritsuko has changed into her normal clothes (blue shirt, black skirt, and stockings); in addition, Misato has put on her trademark red jacket.  They're supposed to be hurrying to Eva-01 as fast as they can to sortie it against the Angel:  Misato could conceivably have just thrown her jacket on while walking, but Ritsuko apparently took the time to change her entire outfit?
*When Ritsuko first meets Shinji and Misato, she is wearing a one-piece swimsuit, which she was wearing under a diving suit, with her lab coat over it.  However, between when Ritsuko, Misato, and Shinji meet in the elevator and when they reach Unit 01, Ritsuko has changed into her normal clothes (blue shirt, black skirt, and stockings); in addition, Misato has put on her trademark red jacket.  They're supposed to be hurrying to Eva Unit 01 as fast as they can to sortie it against the Angel:  Misato could conceivably have just thrown her jacket on while walking, but Ritsuko apparently took the time to change her entire outfit?


==Quotes==
==Quotes==
*'''Fuyutsuki''': "It's been 15 years, hasn't it."<br>'''Gendo Ikari''': "Yes, there can be no mistake.  It's an Angel".
*'''Fuyutsuki''': "It's been 15 years, hasn't it."<br>'''Gendo Ikari''': "Yes, there can be no mistake.  It's an Angel".
*'''Misato Katsuragi''': ''(while standing on an elevated people mover transporting her through NERV base, which is clearly visible from lower levels)'' "This is why I hate wearing skirts here".
*'''Misato Katsuragi''': ''(while standing on an elevated people mover transporting her through Nerv base, which is clearly visible from lower levels)'' "This is why I hate wearing skirts here".
*'''Ritsuko Akagi''': "This is the Ultimate All-Purpose Humanoid Decisive Battle Weapon developed by humanity. The artificial human, Evangelion. That is EVA-01.  Its construction carried out in complete secrecy, it is our — humanity's — final trump."
*'''Ritsuko Akagi''': "This is the Ultimate All-Purpose Humanoid Decisive Battle Weapon developed by humanity. The artificial human, Evangelion. That is Eva-01.  Its construction carried out in complete secrecy, it is our — humanity's — final trump."
*'''Shinji Ikari:''' "I mustn't run away.  I mustn't run away.  I mustn't run away..."
*'''Shinji Ikari:''' "I mustn't run away.  I mustn't run away.  I mustn't run away..."
*'''Gendo Ikari''': "Go wake up Rei."<br>'''Fuyutsuki''': "Can we use her?"<br>'''Gendo Ikari''': "She isn't dead."<br>'''Fuyutsuki''': "Understood."
*'''Gendo Ikari''': "Go wake up Rei."<br>'''Fuyutsuki''': "Can we use her?"<br>'''Gendo Ikari''': "She isn't dead."<br>'''Fuyutsuki''': "Understood."


==References==
{{reflist}}
==Credits==
See "[[Episode 1/Credits]]"


{{Episode List}}


[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion Episodes]]
[[Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion Episodes]]
[[Category: Originally Aired Episodes]]
[[Category: Originally Aired Episodes]]

Latest revision as of 16:44, 25 May 2024

Episode Information
Episode #01
Title 1: 使徒、襲来
Shito Shuurai
An Angel's Attack
Title 2: Angel Attack
Episode 01
Written By Hideaki Anno
Directed By Kazuya Tsurumaki
First Aired 10-4-1995
Video Release Date 2-3-1996 (Japan-Video/LD), 5-16-2000 (US-DVD)
Angel Appearances Sachiel
Eva Sorties Eva-01
Episode chronology
← Previous Next →
– "Episode 02"

Overview

Shinji Ikari is summoned to Tokyo-3[1] by his estranged father Gendo[2], commander of the special agency Nerv, to defend the city from a giant Angel by piloting the only weapon capable of battling the monster: Evangelion Unit-01.

Synopsis

The Angel Sachiel[3] approaches underwater towards Tokyo-3, as a JSSDF tank battalion awaits it on the shoreline. A state of emergency has been declared and people have fled to shelters, leaving the region deserted. Shinji Ikari, recently arrived in a nearby town, has remained above ground waiting for Misato Katsuragi, who is due to pick him up.

Elsewhere, in the headquarters of Nerv, a special paramilitary organisation, under the United Nations, the JSSDF's leadership is coordinating their attack against the Angel. Their efforts are observed by Nerv's commander and Shinji's father, Gendo Ikari, and his vice commander, Kozo Fuyutsuki. Gendo and Fuyutsuki discuss amongst themselves, noting that it has been fifteen years since the last appearance of the Angels, and predicting that the military's operation is likely in vain, as conventional weapons are not likely to have any effect on the Angel.

During his wait, Shinji notices a teenage girl who seems to be observing him; a girl who mysteriously vanishes as quickly as she appeared[4]. Shinji then feels the ground shake as Sachiel emerges from behind a nearby foothill. The JSSDF air force begins to attack the Angel with missiles and rockets. Shinji is nearly killed in the ensuing battle, but is rescued in the nick of time as Misato arrives in her car and rescues him.

As Gendo and Fuyutsuki predicted, JSSDF's weapons prove useless against the Angel, and they detonate an N² Mine in an attempt to destroy it. Misato and Shinji, on their way to Tokyo-3, are caught in the shock waves of the blast, and their vehicle is overturned. The Angel survives the blast, but is temporarily halted as it begins to regenerate.

Misato and Shinji repair their vehicle and continue on to Tokyo-3. The JSSDF, admitting their ineffectiveness, transfer responsibility for the Angel's destruction to Gendo and Nerv. Gendo immediately declares that he plans to deploy Eva-01 against the Angel, which Fuyutsuki questions, as they have no pilot on hand. Gendo just assures him that a spare is being delivered. Elsewhere, Shinji and Misato descends deep underground on a car train into the Geofront. He tries questioning Misato on when he will able to talk to Gendo, saying that the only reason he can think of for his father to send for him is that he needs something from him so he wants to know what it is. Misato is evasive towards answering his questions, but comments that she can tell he doesn't get along well with his father, noting that the two of them are quite similar in that.

Upon their arrival, Shinji and Misato meet with Ritsuko Akagi, who leads them further down. The recovered Angel begins to resume its journey towards Tokyo-3. Shinji is brought to the Evangelion hangar, where he is shown Eva-01 and where Gendo also appears above. Shinji then learns that he has been summoned to pilot Evangelion Unit-01 into battle against the Angel.

A Selection of Images From Episode 01

By row, from left to right, starting top left:

    1. Sachiel approaches Tokyo-3
    2. Misato rescues Shinji in the nick of time
    3. The JSSDF detonate an N² Mine...
    4. ...but the Angel survives.
    1. The Geofront
    2. Arrival by hovercraft
    3. Shinji is brought before the Eva, and his father.
    4. Eva-01 saves Shinji.

Shinji confronts his father and protests at his treatment, believing he has no chance of doing what is asked of him, but Gendo coldly tells him to pilot or leave. The rejuvenated Angel discovers and begins to attack the Geofront, and the hanger is shaken by its blasts[5]. Misato tries to encourage Shinji to stand up for himself, but he ultimately refuses to pilot the Evangelion. Gendo then sends for his other pilot Rei Ayanami, despite her being seriously injured.

Rei is wheeled into the room in a hospital bed, still covered with bandages (much to his disquiet, Shinji notices that, injuries aside, Rei inexplicably closely resembles the mysterious girl he saw in the streets earlier). The violence of one the Angel's blasts causes a heavy ceiling light in the hangar to fall and Shinji is nearly killed, but is saved when Eva-01, breaks its bonds and moves its arm to deflect the lights, despite it being unable to move in its restraints. Shinji runs over to help Rei who has been thrown to the floor by the blast. Confronted with the sight of Rei's injuries, Shinji resolves himself and agrees to pilot the Evangelion.

Eva-01 is prepared for launch. The Entry Plug with Shinji inside, is inserted into the Evangelion where Shinji achieves synchronization with Eva-01. The Evangelion is then launched up from the Geofront to a road on the surface, into the path of the Angel. The two stand opposing each other and the episode ends.

Notes

  • When Misato and Shinji are entering Nerv HQ, the hexagonal sliding door they walk through has the misspelling "cauntion" written on it
  • Eva-01's shoulder normally just has the word "EVA" written on it, with a number "1" superimposed over it. However, when Shinji and Misato first drive up to Eva-01 in a hovercraft, the entire word "Evangelion" is written on its shoulder due to an animation goof.
  • Background announcements in Nerv HQ after Misato and Shinji enter state that the "Sigma Unit" is under a complete lockout. It also states that "a special state of emergency has been declared for the Kanto and Chubu regions"; Tokai is the district between Tokyo and Nagoya. Kanto and Chubu contains Tokai and the area north of it.
Cauntion!
  • Although it is never mentioned in the series, a comparison between the tactical map displayed in Central Dogma's command center in the episode and maps of the region reveals that the town where Shinji first meets Misato is the city of Atami, 25 kilometers away.
  • When Shinji hands Misato the summon letter, we can see that the letter was torn to pieces then sticked back together with black tape. Misato makes no comment on the matter, and it's never explicitly stated what drove Shinji to break the letter nor what drove him to repair it.
  • While going down the Nerv HQ's elevator, Misato tells Shinji "I see, so you don't get along with your father. It's the same with me" in response to Shinji's remark that Gendo wouldn't have called him unless he had a use for him. This is one (probably the first) of the many similarities between Shinji and Misato that are noted or established throughout NGE.
"Check these out!"
  • Misato mailed Shinji a photo of herself to let him know what she looked like when she picked him up: it is a highly inappropriate photo of her in revealing clothing and posing, winking at Shinji and giving him the V-sign. The Japanese writing on it translates as "To Shinji: I'll be picking you up, so wait for me, okay?"). Misato also punctuated the photo with a highly inappropriate message, "Check these out!!". See Theory and Analysis:Sexuality In Misato and Shinji's Relationship.
  • Despite being the head of NERV's Tactical Operations division, Misato is apparently a relatively new arrival at NERV HQ, as she gets lost on her way into the base, prompting Ritsuko to comment that she's "lost again". In the next episode, Misato says that she just moved to Tokyo-3 "the other day" and there are still unopened boxes in her apartment.
  • Sachiel approaches Tokyo-3 from coast to the east, and is said to be "moving from Highway 83 onto 88" when it arrives at Shinji's original position. When Shinji first appears at a phone booth before he arrives in Tokyo-3 itself, a road sign he is standing next to says he is 12 kilometers from Tokyo-3 and 35 from Gotenba. Also, an aviation support unit spreads "from the direction of Odawara". Soon afterwards Sachiel "penetrates the Tonosawa area" crossing the "tertiary self-defense line".
  • Ritsuko tells Misato that the odds of Eva Unit 01 activating are "0.000000009%. "O9 System" seems like a fitting thing to call it". This is a pun in Japanese, so the English dub inserted an extra line clarifying this, with Ritsuko explaining that "O-Nine" is a pun on "Oni", the Japanese word for "demon". Eva-01 is also designed with a traditional "Oni" as an inspiration.[6][7]
  • Gendo never properly wears his uniform, even while in front of the JSSDF generals who at the time are technically his superiors. Fuyutsuki keeps his uniform properly zipped up the entire time, but Gendo just wears his uniform's jacket open. It's possible that this is just economy of animation, but it can also hint that Gendo has no respect for the JSSDF at all.
  • When Ritsuko first meets Shinji and Misato, she is wearing a one-piece swimsuit, under a diving suit, with her lab coat over it. However, when they later meet in the elevator and when they reach Unit 01, Ritsuko has changed into her normal clothes, and so has Misato. They're supposed to be hurrying to Unit 01, Misato could conceivably have just thrown her jacket on, but Ritsuko apparently took the time to change her entire outfit.
  • The writing process for this episode took a long time, as much as six months according to Anno.[8], and the opening sequence was not yet finished. This is probably why A Cruel Angel's Thesis's songwriter says she only watched two unfinished episodes, as she was probably called in during their production before Gainax would make the opening sequence based on the then unwritten song.[9] In Proposal, it was originally called People's Reunion. Shinji would fight an angel called "Raziel", not to be confused with Ramiel. This was moved to the second episode with Sachiel.

Analysis

  • A mysterious apparition of a blue-haired girl appears before Shinji shortly after we meet him. She hasn't been formally introduced yet, but the figure is Rei Ayanami, whom we meet later in the episode. However, it's clear that there's something strange at work here, since there's a discrepancy between the apparition we see and the Rei we're introduced to, primarily being the injuries. Right away, Rei's character evokes mystery. The figure appears again in the final scene of EoE, and is often referred to as "Bookend Rei". See Theory and Analysis:Rei's Ghostly Appearances and Quantum Mechanics.
  • The little green booklet that Misato hands to Shinji when they enter Nerv HQ says "Welcome to Nerv" on it. Apparently, Shinji has never even heard the name of "Nerv" before, and yet he is a matter of minutes away from being told to pilot Eva-01.
  • When Ritsuko first meets Shinji and Misato, she is wearing a one-piece swimsuit, which she was wearing under a diving suit, with her lab coat over it. However, between when Ritsuko, Misato, and Shinji meet in the elevator and when they reach Eva-01, Ritsuko has changed into her normal clothes (blue shirt, black skirt, and stockings); in addition, Misato has put on her trademark red jacket. They're supposed to be hurrying to Eva-01 as fast as they can to sortie it against the Angel: Misato could conceivably have just thrown her jacket on while walking, but Ritsuko apparently took the time to change her entire outfit?

Quotes

  • Fuyutsuki: "It's been 15 years, hasn't it."
    Gendo Ikari: "Yes, there can be no mistake. It's an Angel".
  • Misato Katsuragi: (while standing on an elevated people mover transporting her through Nerv base, which is clearly visible from lower levels) "This is why I hate wearing skirts here".
  • Ritsuko Akagi: "This is the Ultimate All-Purpose Humanoid Decisive Battle Weapon developed by humanity. The artificial human, Evangelion. That is Eva-01. Its construction carried out in complete secrecy, it is our — humanity's — final trump."
  • Shinji Ikari: "I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away..."
  • Gendo Ikari: "Go wake up Rei."
    Fuyutsuki: "Can we use her?"
    Gendo Ikari: "She isn't dead."
    Fuyutsuki: "Understood."

References

  1. ↑ Tokyo-3 was built on the site of pre-Second Impact Hakone. Throughout the series there are various stray references to geographic locations surrounding Tokyo-3 that also surround Hakone. See the Tokyo-3 main article for details.
  2. ↑ Shinji and his father Gendo have not met in three years.
  3. ↑ Sachiel's design is remarkably similar to the Plug suit designs. For details, go here: Sachiel and the Plug suits.
  4. ↑ Several explanations have been proposed for Rei's appearance on the street when she is actually severely injured and hospitalized. Go HERE for an analysis of why we believe that it is Rei 3.
  5. ↑ Sachiel's energy blasts look like Latin crosses.
  6. ↑ Interview with Hideaki Anno, Aerial Magazine
  7. ↑ Ikuto Yamashita, The design concept is "Enormous Power Restained"
  8. ↑ 2nd JUNE interview
  9. ↑ Notenki Memoirs


Credits

See "Episode 1/Credits"

Episodes & Films
Television Series Episode 01 | Episode 02 | Episode 03 | Episode 04 | Episode 05 | Episode 06

Episode 07 | Episode 08 | Episode 09 | Episode 10 | Episode 11 | Episode 12 | Episode 13
Episode 14 | Episode 15 | Episode 16 | Episode 17 | Episode 18 | Episode 19 | Episode 20
Episode 21 | Episode 22 | Episode 23 | Episode 24 | Episode 25 | Episode 26

Movies Death | Rebirth

The End of Evangelion: Episode 25' | Episode 26'

Rebuild of Evangelion Evangelion 1.0 | Evangelion 2.0 | Evangelion 3.0 | (-46h) | (-120min) | Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0


Retrieved from "https://wiki.evageeks.org/index.php?title=Episode_01&oldid=116553"