FGC:Episode 04 Scene 02a

Alone in the Crowd

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Screenshots	Cut #	Description/Dialogue	Commentary
	034	A new transit system advances in the rain. SE <<Sounds of train and rain>>	thewayneiac: Thrill to the dropped flowers scene! (Whoops, no. Wrong anime Note: Major Spoiler to the fate of a major character from Oniisama E.) OMF: Looks like the Tokyo-3 loop line uses a Maglev track propulsion system. What a pity no one has bothered to design aerodynamic carriages to go with such an elaborate system. Reichu: The city that is sucking up the resources of humanity can surely do better than this
	035	Shinji's large bag on the luggage rack. Train Announcer (Recorded Female Voice) (until 037):“Next up is Nagaotoge, Nagaotoge. The exit will switch to the right side.”	Reichu: Touge means "ridge" or "pass" (as through a mountain).
	036	Shinji listening to his Walkman (his face isn't visible). BGM START: "You are the only one"	Incisivis: And so Shinji goes onward into the "train-as-journey-symbol" cliché. The train will appear in Shinji's visions again, in a more obviously metaphoric context, making me wonder if the train ride had an influence on Shinji, so that it keeps recurring in his visions. Or, like I just said, it could be an easy symbol. Reichu: The two tracks Shinji is listening to are apparently "You are the only one" and "Blue Legend" from "Lilia" (mentioned back in episode #02). We don't get to hear any of the vocal parts here, though.
	037	The SDAT Walkman stops and reverses. BGM END: "You are the only one" BGM START: "Aoi Legend [Blue Legend]"	Reichu: We also met the SDAT back in episode #02. Read Shin-seiki's appendix entry on the matter if you haven't already!
	038	Bird's-eye view of the subway interior; the passengers change and the people become fewer. Shinji's only company throughout is the middle-aged man next to him; his pose changes, but finally even the man clears out. BGM END: "Aoi Legend [Blue Legend]" BGM START: "You are the only one"	thewayneiac: He's paid his fare, now he's going to get the most out of this ride. Mr. Tines: Rush-hour to mid-morning pass, at least. This isn't any sort of local train, if the guy with the book is there long enough to have a nap after the bulk of the commuters have left. Even with a frequently stopping service, I'd reckon he's covered more than 50 miles by now, which makes the loop-line quite impressively long. Reichu: 50 miles? Considering the measures we are given here, is that even possible? I suspected he was just letting the train take him around Tokyo-3 in circles. Then he wanders around Tokyo-3 some more and eventually takes the bus up into the outlying mountains. Mr. Tines: If it weren't for the fact that the chap sitting next to Shinji has been there for a long time too, I'd agree. It's too much of a coincidence for another passenger to just be taking the line around and around going nowhere. Hexon.arq: Maybe reading on the train as it goes in circles is that man's equivalent to mall jogging. Either that or he's a pervert.
	039	The Walkman reverses. BGM END: "You are the only one" BGM START: "Aoi Legend [Blue Legend]"
	040	Shinji hangs his head and listens to his Walkman. The background changes from the Mirror System to a mountain ravine. Female high school students get on. Shinji remains sitting as they multiply. Suddenly they enter a tunnel. We hear only the sound of the cassette reversing. BGM END: "Aoi Legend [Blue Legend]"	Shin-seiki: Speaking as a guy, I would say that you have to be pretty far gone to be surrounded by cute girls, and not even spare them a glance… Shinji's habit of zoning out with the headphones into his own little world is going to get him in trouble later on with Asuka (who is a person who tends to insist on the attention of others) in #09. Reichu: If ya'll recall, the Mirror System is that funky array of buildings on Tokyo-3's southern edge, right on the shore of Ashinoko. They're in the second thumbnail down.
	041	The electric train is stopped at the station. Shinji is the only passenger. It is already night. There is no one on the platform, either. Shinji raises his face a little and speaks at the end of the cut. Male Announcer:“Thank you for using the Tokyo-3 Loop Line 7. This train will be going out of service at this station. Everyone, please check that you don't leave anything behind as you get off.” Shinji:“…I have to go back.”	Shin-seiki: He doesn't seem too determined, considering how he is deterred by the sound of cicadas a bit later… Incisivis: "I have to go back," he says. As always Shinji recognizes his own failings and does not relish them, something which I think exempts him slightly, though not entirely. In my mind, true evil, true wickedness comes from a lack of self-examination or a pure enjoyment of the bad things you do. Hexon.arq: It's kind of funny — the first time I saw this, I took the line "I have to go back" to mean that he needed to go back home. It's sort of ambiguous in that way. Gundampilotspaz: (036~042) I've always been struck by how wonderful this piece of symbolism is. Shinji is at a point where he doesn't know what to do; he is confused and feels alone. The two songs going back and forth symbolize the struggle in Shinji's mind about going back or running away. When the tape stops in 041, Shinji says "I have to go back", but then we hear the Walkman click and the next track start over again. He doesn't go back — he continues to wander, hoping he'll find a solution to his problem. OMF: It's also interesting that we only now find out he's been taking the loop line, orbiting Toyko-3, but still unable to escape its pull. Always being drawn back by something. Quite profound, that.
	042	His Walkman reverses again.	Shin-seiki: If I wanted to really reach, I could relate the line "…I have to go back" and this cut of him switching from track 25 to track 26, to the ending of #25, where he has chosen to "run away" into a solitary world of his own, and the end of #26, where he choses to come back to the real world. Soluzar: Are you sure it's reaching? Shinji must return from blissful isolation to face reality, then as now. That, coupled with the display on the S-DAT makes it a potential case of foreshadowing. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss that as a theory.
	043	Night. "Stop!" is written on the road. Post-rain puddles are being formed. Public Announcer (female - left) (lightly) (until C-044):“Yes, cheap, cheap! ♥ Blowout sale on hot young girls!” SE <<Entertainment district, background chatter (until C-045)>>	Shin-seiki: (043~045) Uh… just what the heck are they advertising here?! Soluzar: Rather a good question. :sweating: Although some people undoubtedly do 'sell' hot young girls, in a manner of speaking, they are seldom permitted to advertise openly. Reichu: Well, it's always possible that it's "not what you think"…
	044	Shinji's bag as he walks.
	045	Shinji walking and listening to his Walkman. Public Announcer (female - left):“When you get tired, they'll lead you to paradise.”	Reichu: This "announcement" goes on for an additional line in the script, which goes something like, "Special services to heal your tired body, services to fill you with energy into tomorrow!"
	046	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: (046 et 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!
	047	missing number
	048	The premises. Cigarette smoke billows out from here. Reflection of the screen's light. A movie based on the Second Impact plays; panic. Off-camera, a megalopolis within a typhoon is exploding into flames. SE <<(until C-062) Second Impact movie>> Man:“You really couldn't detect it?” Doctor:“Correct.”	Incisivis: The theater scene almost seems to foreshadow Shinji's meeting with Kensuke: violence becomes entertainment, disaster becomes spectacle. I don't believe violent entertainment is in itself bad, but there is something about the transformation of real tragedy into fantasy that makes me uncomfortable. thewayneiac: This always seemed to be a really terrible movie. Reichu: Yeah, it's got "B-movie classic" written all over it! Shin-seiki: I detect the voices of various members of the regular cast in this corny sounding movie; Hiro Yuuki (Hyuga) and Megumi Hayashibara(Rei), in particular… Reichu: Don't forget about Fumihiko Tachiki(Gendo) as the Doctor! You can check out all of the bit parts in the credits.
	049	Old man sleeping with his legs stretched out. Doctor (until C-051):“An object tens of millimeters in diameter crashed into Antarctica at more than ten percent of the speed of light!”	Treize X: (049~052) The first time I watched this, throughout the entire scene I was expecting an usher to kick these people out. Ark: This movie theater must be run by someone, as there are films playing, but they don't seem to have a problem with people sleeping here. Reichu: This is an all-night cinema. I guess whoever is working the graveyard shift doesn't give a damn. Soluzar: Is 'tens of milimeters' really the size they intended to say? Ten percent of the speed of light is still… you know… fast, but fifty milimeters, for example is probably less than the width of your palm. Reichu: The 'tens of (whatever)' thing we're dealing with is soujuu. I'm guessing its usage is roughly equivalent to the English "dozens", only more metric in concept. It does make one wonder why we still use the phrase "dozens" — why is the number 12 significant when guesstimating quantities that seem to fall below 100? The Japanese way makes oodles more sense, IMO. In fact, any society that has for whatever reason failed to utilize the metric system is completely batshit crazy! ;;>
	050	An old man sleeping in the space between seats.
	051	A man reads a book, his feet thrown onto a big bag. Assistant A (until C-051):“Our technology could neither predict it nor defend against it.”	Shin-seiki: (048~053) No one seems to be here to actually watch the movie; I expect that the younger generation is sick of hearing about 2I anyway, and those who lived thru it would prefer to forget the hellish reality.
	052	A flirting couple.
	053	Shinji at the side, not watching the movie. We can't see his face well. Woman:“But it's hell out there! Just what is the purpose of science!?”
	054	Shot of Shinji from above. Shinji seems to be deep in thought. We can't see his expression. Shinji faces the other direction, apparently zoned-out. SE <<Sudden buzzer sound - speaker>> Man (Speakers) (until C-056):“The atmospheric flux caused by the change in the Earth's axis has decreased by 3%.”	Mr. Tines: This sounds like a long-term sort of change. Fast axial change would simply melt the whole crust, and game over. Reichu: How would it cause the crust to melt? Mr. Tines: It takes a lot of energy to shift the axis significantly, and it has to dissipate somewhere.
	055	The couple that we saw before flirt openly.
	056	Shinji's vacant eyes UP. Woman:“So, has it calmed down a little?”
	057	Again, the couple dallying Assisant C (until C-058):“Negative!! There's a tidal wave approaching at 230 meters a second!”	OMF: Dallying!? They're philandering I tell you! Reichu: It's all "icha-icha" if you're Japanese. Mr. Tines: ("There's a tidal wave approaching…") That, however, sounds like a prompt effect. thewayneiac: 230 meters a second is about 513 miles per hour, FYI. Reichu: (Too bad much of the audience needs that 'translation' in the first place, heh. Insanity! Insanity, I tell you!!) Shin-seiki: BTW, that's Yuko Miyamura(Asuka) providing the vocalizations of the girl making out.
	058	Shinji's slightly empty eyes return to normal. He comes back to his senses.	Reichu: Finally, that "Paper Mario"-esque vacancy in his eyes disappears. Mr. Tines: I'd put that down to his looking up and his eyes reflecting the screen. He looks like he's watching the courtship ritual of some alien species; I guess I would have done the same at his age.
	059	The couple's flirting escalates. Man:“Doctor! We must evacuate!” Doctor:“No…”
	060	Shinji watched them fixedly Doctor:“It's my duty to remain here.”	Sharp-kun: …A film with cliché lines, at that. ;)
	061	Hey, what are those two doing!? Man:“Doctor, dying is easy.”	thewayneiac: ...Comedy is hard.
	062	Shinji's eyes become somewhat sullen. Man:“But you have an obligation to watch this Hell on Earth.”	Shin-seiki: (061~062) "Doctor, dying is easy. But you have an obligation to watch this Hell on Earth." A hint, perhaps, that scientists were to blame for the catastrophe? Magami no ER: Watching this "Hell on Earth" seems to be making him a bit frustrated. Reichu: Shinji doesn't have a very approving look on his face when he sees what sorts of antics come after making out, either, much further down the line… OMF: I'd say Shinji is as annoyed with himself for having stared at them as he is with the couple's flirtatious behaviour. Going back to Reichu's comment in 046, we might well be seeing a conflict between Shinji's id, which stared, and his superego, which disapproves of both their behaviour and his staring. Shinji's a prude who doesn't really understand sexuality at all. Hexon.arq: I always found it kind of odd how Shinji, a(n allegedly) straight 14-year-old boy, would be annoyed at the prospect of this kind of show taking place before him rather than intrigued. It just screams, "opportunity for Paul Rubens mischief". The accusations of perversion later on are beyond ironic; he really does seem to be a damn prude. Reichu: He's only fourteen. Give the kid a break. ;;P Soluzar: BTW, watch this cut in the dub, if you find it amusing to hear ham being served up in thick juicy slices! I know I do. ^_^
	063	Shinji lying down on the sofa in the movie theater's lobby. The only light comes from the vending machine. SE <<(OFF) Movie audio>>	Quiddity: I'm surprised Shinji was actually allowed to sleep here. One would figure the movie theater staff would kick a loafer out. He's next to a vending machine, so he shouldn't be too hard to notice. Reichu: That's assuming the late-night theater staff isn't sleeping, as well. ;;> Hexon.arq: I had a very similar experience in a theater lobby. If it's late enough, nobody cares where you sleep. OMF: Shinji's so put out by the flirtation going on inside that he's retreated to the lobby to get some sleep. Shinji always shies away from sex. He's not the most lecherous teen around. Reichu: I don't think you need to be a prude to be of the sentiment, "Geez, get a frickin' room!" Shinji lacks the assertiveness to confront the couple, so he runs away. Now, imagine if Toji had been there instead… OMF: I think Toji would have been cheerleading from the back benches, spilling his popcorn everywhere. Reichu: Well, okay… Hikari, then. "Just look at you two! You are so indecent!" OMF: I don't think Hikari would have let them drive her out, though. Then again, what would Hikari be doing in an all-night B-movie theatre? Reichu: Accompanying Toji, of course!

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