FGC:Episode 02 Scene 06

Pen² ~ Laundry of Life

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Description/Dialogue

Commentary

142

Under-shot of the dressing room. Misato's clothes are being air-dried.

SE <<(ECHO) Bathtub sound>>

OMF: One's first encounter with female laundry is always this unsettling. You knew it was there, but the sight of it is always rather sobering.

Reichu: Pfft. So much fuss over mere articles of clothing! These things should be no more unsettling (or mystically alluring, for that matter) than boxers, briefs, or, heck, even jock straps would be to a woman.

143

BGM END: B-16 rhythm only

A naked Shinji's attention is caught by Misato's hanging undergarments.

thewayneiac: Ugh, did they have to show us that?

Sharp-kun: I pity Pen² in this shot.

Reichu: Non-humans are blissfully indifferent when it comes to matters of sex. I doubt it makes any difference at all to Pen² whether his roomies are nude or not. (It never did to the conure I used to shower with.)

tv33: And they say anime girls are too thin. They must not have been feeding him at his former teacher's home.

Reichu: Well, many adolescent boys have the bad habit of being ridiculously thin regardless of how much food you put into them.

Hexon.Arq: It's probably for comical effect that he is so thin. If he were as well-developed as he appears later on, this scene wouldn't be as funny. There'd be more hooting than laughing… none from me, of course.

144

Pen² aggressively flaps his wings.

Incisivis: (144-155) *just laughs*

145

BGM START: B-17 rhythm only

Misato sitting cross-legged on her chair in front of an accordion curtain.

Shinji:“UWAAAAAAAH!”

Shinji opens the curtain and enters.

Shinji:“Mi-Mi-Mi-Misato-san!?”

thewayneiac: Seeing a penguin in an apartment would startle me, but I don't think it would panic me like this. He looked less frightened when he saw Sachiel for the first time.

Shin-seiki: Ah, but you fail to take into account that Acute Penguin Reaction Syndrome is not uncommon among the Japanese (at least in anime :P ).

Hexon.Arq: This is one of those things that makes me think they just wanted to allow the possibility for the series to not turn out quite as solemn as it did. The tones of this show can seem like patchwork at times. Was that intentional, or were they just toying around with "feels"? Either way, it worked.

Keisuke-kun: He couldn't have been so shocked that he forgot he was naked… could he have?

HeWhoPostsStuff: Well, that's sort of the whole concept behind "comic nudity," that for the character in question it isn't really even an issue (until the dreaded last-second realization, that is), despite all the undue attention he or she gets for the duration of his or her state of undress.

146

Misato (composed):“——— What?”

Hexon.Arq: Why was she sitting there watching that curtain?

147

Shinji:“W-w-w-w-w-w-what's…”

Pen² passes through.

Shinji:“…that.”

148

Misato:“Oh, him?”

149

Shinji in front, Pen², and the giant refrigerator. Pen² reaches for the switch with his left hand.

Misato (OFF):“He's a new species, the hot spring penguin.”

Reichu: Pen² really is a new species — there's nothing in the real-world Aves quite like him. However, the greatest inspiration seems to come from the crested Eudyptes (macaroni, rockhopper, etc.) penguins. I guess that would make Pen² the first member of Eudyptoides sadamotoi? ;;>

The odd thing is, if Pen² is a "hot springs" (onsen) penguin, why does he live in a fridge? I've never quite been able to figure that out.

Sharp-kun: You have to wonder how Pen² came about…

Reichu: Speaking of which, is there an "official" story behind Pen² and how he came to live with Misato?

HeWhoPostsStuff: It's not exactly "official", but Misato provides some backstory in volume 2 of the manga:

Misato: You see, Pen-Pen was being used in an experiment where I used to work. They were through with him. I got him just as they were about to put him to sleep. Do you know why I took him in… such a useless, greedy bird? I felt sorry for him. There was that, but… well, I…

I've always lived alone… I thought it might be nice to have someone who'd be there, waiting for me when I came home late at night, tired from work…

I thought it might be nice to have a family.

150

A claw extends and hits the switch.

Reichu: As if the concept of a hot springs penguin wasn't bizarre enough, they give it three retractable wing-claws. There is maybe one bird currently in existence that actually has claws on its wings — which it loses later in life — so, suffice to say, this feature of Pen² is really, really weird.

Hexon.Arq: Perhaps the experiment was to develop a penguin-shaped killing machine?

151

The door opens, revealing a living set inside.

Mr. Tines: Am I the only one who thinks that Pen²'s backpack looks *just like* the plugsuit back-pack?

Reichu: I never really thought of comparing the two before… Interesting. Any speculation about exactly what Pen²'s 'backpack' is for, anyway?

Dr. Nick: A jet pack, maybe? Imagine the possibilities…

Mr. Tines: My guess is that it is, if not exactly life support, something that helps match the bird and his environment. Of course, if we take the manga ex-lab-animal origin, then it might be something connected with whatever experiments he was subject to.

Hexon.Arq: That living set is nicer than my room.

thewayneiac: Well, what do you expect? He's a V.I.P. (Very Important Penguin).

152

Pen² looks at Shinji. After a while, he goes inside, head bobbing.

Hexon.Arq: He doesn't seem very impressed.

Reichu: I know a bird who's given me that look on more than one occasion…

153

A surprised Shinji looks at Misato.

SE <<(OFF) Sound of the door closing>>

Shinji:“T-that!?”

154

Misato:“His name is Pen².”

155

Shinji stands, still in shock. A beer covers his groin.

Misato:“He's your other roommate.”

Misato brings the beer to her mouth. The pack of toothpicks that had been hidden behind it just barely manages to cover Shinji up.

Misato:“Why don't you cover that up?”

Shinji looks down and finally realizes his situation. A moment later, his face turns deep red and he scuttles away.

BGM END: B-17 rhythm only

Sharp-kun: Gainax really are cruel to Shinji in this scene… ;)

HeWhoPostsStuff: Ah yes, the infamous "toothpicks" joke… I guess this is why Misato didn't seem particularly perturbed by this incident.

Hexon.Arq: I did enjoy this joke the first time I saw it, but I have to say this is one of the most overrated moments of the series. "Oh, I hope they put the toothpicks thing in the movie!" Pfft!

Reichu: This is one of perhaps two "wild takes" in the entire show (both performed by Shinji). All things considered, I'm surprised it's that many.

156

Misato, still holding the beer to her mouth.

Misato:“I wonder if I've been a little TOO cheery?”

Incisivis: This line is another of those "hints" that Misato is something different than what she appears to be, implying that her cheerful demeanor is a facade, and a monitored one at that. I enjoy how the characters' outer selves show cracks right from the start.

Reichu: In an interview with Kazuya Tsurumaki included in the EoE theatrical program, he touches upon one of NGE's major themes and how it applies to this scene in particular. (It also relates back my comments in C-036 somewhat.)

— In the end, Evangelion was a story about communication[…].
KT - That was the intent from the start of the TV series. That was what I tried to produce from episode 2 onward.
— Yes, that was the scene where Misato and Shinji talk while measuring distances from each other in Misato's apartment, right? Although they appeared to be getting along fine with each other, Shinji was thinking, "She seems okay, but…", while Misato was thinking "I wonder if he sees through me?"
KT - there were other scenes in episode 2 as well. For instance, when Misato talks to Shinji but doesn't enter his room. Even in episode 3, they are having a casual morning conversation, but are not looking at each other. Like they looking through a slightly opened door, but not connecting. This is the same between Shinji and Rei, and between Shinji and his father. It's no wonder there was a lot of distant, awkward communication.
— I see. So, the theme remained the same throughout the series?
KT - That's right.

Shin-seiki: There is a very interesting comment about this line in the Episode Commentaries included in Platinum (which are a translation of the original provided with Renewal):

Shinji was supposed to live by himself, but instead, Misato takes him in and the two of them begin their life together in her apartment. In order to try to close the gap between her and him, Misato acts silly around Shinji and as if in response to that, Shinji acts exaggeratedly surprised by the presence of Pen Pen, the hot springs penguin. Seeing Shinji's true intentions in his actions, Misato says to herself "Maybe I'm the one who's transparent." It is a most Eva-like depiction concerning "communication".

Well, I would say that puts quite an interesting perspective on that scene; it seems to indicate that Shinji realizes that Misato is condescending to him, in a way, by putting on an act for his benefit, so he lets her know he sees through her by putting on his own ridiculous performance over Pen².

thewayneiac: If that was their intent, it was so subtle that it got right past me.

HeWhoPostsStuff: If that's the case, then methinks Shinji demonstrates more backbone here than most give him credit for, seeing as he doesn't seem to have many hesitations about exposing himself in front of a woman for the sake of a joke… unless, of course, he only intended to overplay the yelling part and just sort of forgot his state of undress either way.

Hexon.Arq: That explanation does have a lot of merit over a situation that otherwise seems completely silly and unnecessary, especially in that it does a lot to clarify Misato's thought, but then this thing about Shinji's intentionally shameless display does kind of seem to counter its plausibility.

Reichu: It seems to be completely out of character, for one thing… I dunno, to me, Shinji's reaction to finding a penguin in the shower, while silly and overblown, felt "honest" to me, and not the sort of thing Shinji would just decide to do at the drop of a hat. Shinji never seemed big on pretense, to my mind, whereas Misato's infamous for it.

Shin-seiki: You have a point there, but, on the other hand, putting the scene (not just Shinji's reaction to Pen², but Misato's behavior the whole time) in that context does make Misato's line make perfect sense… Misato's behavior from the time they walk through the door is kinda weird, wouldn't you say? This explanation lets us know that her behavior was a little phony and affected, perhaps because she didn't quite know how to relate to a fourteen year old kid. (Note what she says later on the phone to Ritsuko, C-170 & 171.)

Also, this is the only the second episode, so Shinji's persona isn't quite set in stone yet. Besides, I think his 'acute penguin reaction syndrome' is primarily there as comic relief, and what this commentary is talking about is inputing a secondary, 'deeper' meaning to the scene, beyond its surface level meaning. It's somewhat analogous to the Kissing Scene in in #15 (another scene in which Pen² plays a role, btw), in that it is funny at first glance, but has a more serious meaning under the surface (in the case of #15, much more serious).

Keisuke-kun: On another note… Damn… ADV's original translation was really off… ("I guess I'm not being as nice as I ought to. Of course, he's probably already made up his mind about me.")

Hexon.Arq: I always found the ADV translation to be really funny. Of course, what Misato is actually thinking does put the scene in a much more helpful light.

Misato:“Maybe I'm the one who's transparent.”

157

The bathroom ceiling light.

SE <<Water sounds (echo attached)>>

Shinji (MONO):“Misato Katsuragi.”

Incisivis: Ah. These last scenes are some of my favorites in episode #02. I like how the mood changes so quickly.

158

Shinji (MONO):“She's not a bad person.”

Misato:“Bathing is the laundry of life.”

Extended Images

159

Shinji (MONO):“But bad memories always seem to find me when I'm in the bath.”

(Flashbacks to Ikari and Rei.)

Keisuke-kun: In anime, people's bodies always look like that in water … for some reason.

Reichu: To obscure the details of their nudity, of course!

Keisuke-kun: And does that flashback hint that he actually made the association between Rei and the girl he saw on the street? Realizing something like that would really freak me out.

Reichu: As wayneiac pointed out, Shinji doesn't seem to react to things the way a normal human being would — for example, being more frightened of a 4-foot penguin than a 50-meter green-eyed humanoid monster. Regardless, he does seem to have made the Girl on Street = Rei connection, on some level anyway.

HeWhoPostsStuff: I wonder what this wonky b/w pattern thingy is supposed to be. A lunar surface shot…?

Mr. Tines: It looks like the Mare Orientale. As we know, Rei is repeatedly associated with the Moon (More). Though why they'd picture a feature just barely visible on the limb beats me. (However, had the Moon rotated an extra 90° before settling down, Mare Orientale would be one to make the moon look like the Eye of God.)

Reichu: AHHHH ANNO'S MESSING WITH OUR MINDS AGAIN!!!

160

Shinji (MONO):“——— Father and…”

(ON):“Rei Ayanami?”

OMF: Like synapses firing, he's making connections. One would probably be mistaken to assume Shinji completely clueless for the entire series.

Reichu: I think he knows more than he's even willing to fully admit to himself.

161

A dark experiment facility within H.Q., illuminated solely by red light. EVA-00, a cross-shaped stop signal plug having been driven into her

SE <<(OFF) Sounds of glass falling onto the floor and pieces being broken as they are walked upon>>

Ritsuko (OFF):“——— How was Rei?”

Reichu: Crosses are a rather versatile Pointless Religious Symbol™, aren't they?

Keisuke-kun: Just what the hell is the stop signal plug for? Can we assume that if the entry hole isn't constantly filled it will close up like a wound? Regenerate? Has this ever even been speculated on?

Reichu: Tying back to the extensive entry plug comments from the previous episode… I'm pretty sure that there has to be some kind of internal cyborg-ish implant to receive the entry plug, an artificial cavity of sorts, and that they don't just stick it straight into the Eva's raw thoracic cavity.

Sharp-kun: Another possibility is that it is a sure-fire way to prevent the Eva from moving. As a living being, it's still possible for an Eva to move with no plug (as we'll see in episode #05); the stop signal plug perhaps negates that possibility completely. Evas are unpredictable, and they perhaps don't want to take the risk of activation.

Reichu: Indeed; "stop signal plug" implies that it serves a… well… a stopper in the nervous system, to prevent the gap in the Eva's spinal cord from being bridged by the Eva herself. Granted, there do seem to be ways around this (as Shogouki demonstrated in the last episode), but no system is perfect.

162

A heavily damaged control room, the windows broken and panels out of place. White covers are on a console.

Ikari:“…”

Ritsuko:“You went to the hospital this afternoon, didn't you?”

Ikari:“She'll be ready to work again in twenty days.”

tv33: Something tells me he was there for another reason than to see how soon she could work. He could have sent anyone to ascertain that.

HeWhoPostsStuff: I tend to think that Ritsuko is implying "While you were there, you DID stop to see your son, didn't you?" Which, of course, he had no intention of doing.

163

Pull to a rear view of that. Cords dangle from the ceiling.

Ikari:“By then, arrangements will have been made to re-activate EVA-00 from cryostasis.”

Ritsuko:“It must be so hard on those children.”

Sharp-kun: EVA-00 didn't look very frozen to me a few seconds ago. ;)

164

EVA-00, her lower body frozen in special bakelite. The bottom of the Cage is filled with water.

Ikari (OFF):“There is no one else who can make the Evas move. As long as they live, that is what I'll have them do.”

Ritsuko (OFF):“With no regard to what the children may want?”

tv33: However, his concern for Rei, as important as it may be to him, only extends so far. "The ultimate goal" transcends everything else. In the path to its achievement there is no right or wrong, no compassion or intentional cruelty, just necessity.

Reichu: Amazing how, without any power being supplied to their muscle tissues, Evas are able to hold poses flawlessly for months at a time. (Wait… Didn't I already rant about this?) Notice here how EVA-00's right arm is going through the wall; as you might remember, we saw her hand on the other side in the previous episode.

This is perhaps one of the only times where Ritsuko sounds like a human being and not the cold, scientific bitch that she is normally. Maybe someone else wants to go into it more, though.

OMF: Actually, rewatching this scene, I was struck by how the dialogue, tones and silences here make it clear that this is something more than a purely professional conversation. There is an undertone of intimacy here—rarely felt where Gendo is concerned—though mostly stemming from Ritsuko's side of the conversation.

Mr. Tines: With regards to the bakelite, this is one of my friction points. Call the stuff "unobtanium" and I'm happy. Call it after something real, then it should be like that stuff — and Eva bakelite isn't. Real bakelite is "cured" from the liquid precursor under heat and pressure, and in its pure form is very brittle. The brownish bakelite that made up the insulators of much early-mid 20th century electrical equipment is actually resin-soaked sawdust, with the wood fibres providing the strength. This makes it pretty much unlike the pour-and-set stuff that Nerv uses. That said, I just mentally replace the references to it with something appropriate to the context.

thewayneiac: Ah, but you see, Nerv is using special bakelite!

165

A hand-written sign on the sliding screen:

"Shin-chan's Room"

OMF: At this point, I think Misato now counts as both cruel and unusual punishment for Shinji!

Keisuke-kun: Regarding "Shin-chan", Japanese have a habit of taking one or more syllables off a name and adding -chan. Like "Nakano-san", a girl at the Japanese school I attended, was called "Nacchan".

Shin-seiki: Somehow ADV turned "Shin-chan's Room" into "Shinji's Lovely Suite" in the old (pre-Platinum) version.

166

BGM START: A-2 [BACKGROUND MUSIC]

Cardboard boxes in front. Shinji lies on his bed.

SE <<SDAT music playing faintly>>

OMF: He seems to be glancing suspiciously through the wall at Misato — he's still uncertain about Misato. Am I the only other one who's done this in a strange house?

Reichu: Interestingly, this music piece was originally intended to serve as Asuka's theme music! But, for whatever reason, her theme ended up being the country-style B-16 (which we heard the "sans fiddle" version of a moment ago), and A-2 was demoted to having one SDAT cameo

167

From Shinji's POV, cardboard boxes and bags.

168

Closeup of his change of residence papers.

169

BGM END: A-2 [BACKGROUND MUSIC]

Closeup of the SDAT turning. It reverses.

BGM START: B-4 [FLY ME TO THE MOON]

Reichu: Does anyone know exactly how this device works? Do they exist in real life?

thewayneiac: DAT players certainly exist. It means digital audio tape. I suppose that SDAT is an improvement on that: "Super Digital Audio Tape." They play audio tapes where the information has been digitally encoded, as opposed to standard magnetic tape, which is analog. They never really caught on here, but I've heard that they were popular in some parts of the world.

Reichu: That's interesting… The SDAT is actually referred to simply as "DAT" in this episode's script, but I suppose they had second thoughts and decided that the technology would advance just a little in 15+ years. ;;> Honestly, considering the kind of technology NGE has, even a Super DAT seems like a prehistoric relic.

Soluzar: Once again, current technology has already advanced past the "future" of NGE. You wouldn't accept anything using tapes as a free gift these days.

Treize X: You would think they'd heard of compact discs.

thewayneiac: I'm sure it must mean something that Shinji's SDAT player is always shown as playing tracks 25 & 26. Perhaps it is anticipating the importance of those episodes from the beginning.

Shin-seiki: The fact that we always see Shinji listening to the SDAT player represents how he tries to shut out reality and exist in his own little world. See more.

The Eva Monkey: Matt Greenfield of ADV proposed the idea that Shinji is shown listening to tracks 25 and 26 because he is viewing his life externally from within Instrumentality. It's an interesting idea, but I don't think it's really applicable, primarily due to the fact that the TV ending was supposed to have been like EoE, rather than the Instrumentality episodes that tie well with the theory.

Hexon.Arq: I suppose Matt's comment also led to the argument that the TV ending "feels" more valid than the films, or, as I've learned to see it, the ending ADV doesn't sell. ;)

170

Bird's-eye view of Shinji's room.

Misato (OFF):“Yeah, after all the horrible stuff he went through, there's no telling if he'll pilot it again.”

SE <<Faint SDAT music>>

BGM END: B-4 [FLY ME TO THE MOON]

Keisuke-kun: "All the horrible stuff?" Come on, he didn't go through that much. Not compared to later, at least

171

Misato soaking in the bathtub, knees UP.

Ritsuko (OFF - TEL):“Maintaining him is your job, isn't it?”

Incisivis: (171-173) Interesting that Misato's scenes in the last part of episode #02 are the ones that aren't entirely melancholy. But still…

OMF: Ritsuko's choice of words here is rather morbid, given the irony bomb ticking since 073. She may have also mentioned it to Gendo, a man with few scruples, for whom such things have worked well in the past. He's probably approved it.

172

Misato in the tub, the faucet in front.

Misato:“"I'm scared. I don't know how to deal with him."”

Reichu: She says that she's "scared" so casually…

BTW, Misato-san, you might want to turn that faucet off…

thewayneiac: Yes, I agree, this scene did need just a little less water in the tub. :evil:

Keisuke-kun: The faucet looks like a cheesy attempt to distract you from Misato's breasts.

thewayneiac: It's not working.

Reichu: We could potentially read something Freudian into the juxtaposition of Misato's breasts with a running faucet… But I'm going to stop that thought right there. The one big Freud-ism we run into at the end of this episode is enough!

173

Ritsuko looking over some documents as she talks on the phone.

Ritsuko:“Grumbling already? You were the one who had the bright idea of taking him in.”

Ritsuko holds the phone away when Misato shouts at her.

Misato (OFF - TEL):“Shut up!!”

174

Her finger presses the switch on the bathroom handy-tel.

SE <<BEEP>>

Reichu: I hope that phone doesn't decide to suddenly fall into the tub…

175

Misato side UP, looking very serious.

Misato (MONO):“That time, I was thinking of Shinji as a tool.”

(lifts face up)

Misato (MONO):“Am I the same as Ritsuko?”

Incisivis: "Am I the same as Ritsuko?" Interesting quote. Friends will think bad things of each other behind their backs, but the solemn nature of the scene, and the lack of humanity Ritsuko seems to display at times, means this scene deserves a second look. Someone once suggested to me that Ritsuko and Misato aren't really friends at all; they share surface interaction, but when it comes to support and sharing, and all the other things we'd hope exist in adult friendships, there's nothing to go on.

Reichu: This suggestion fits in quite well with what Anno himself has said about Misato: "…a 29-year-old woman who lives life so lightly as to barely allow the possibility of a human touch. She protects herself by having only surface-level relationships, and running away."

176

Bird's-eye view of Misato in the bath.

Misato (MONO):“Even though we defeated that Angel…”

(looks up)

Misato (ON):“…I don't feel happy.”

Incisivis: "…I don't feel happy." More signs of Misato's hidden self.

Reichu: I also find this interesting, in that Misato has literally devoted her life to "avenging her father", yet, now that her vengeance is being achieved (by overseeing the slaughter of the Angels), she feels no satisfaction from it.

Incisivis: Yeah. I guess that Misato, like a lot of people, doesn't really have an idea of what will make her happy.

Reichu: This scene also serves to prove that, yes, Misato's breasts are 100% natural.

Keisuke-kun: Natural, as opposed to…?

Reichu: Silicone. ^_^; Breasts augmented this way apparently float in water (fat floats, but not like this!), which you can see in "Austin Powers" when Alotta Fagina gets in the hot tub with Austin…