Platinum Booklet Commentaries
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"It's frozen in hardened bakelite, but it's alive." |
The Renewal Edition of Neon Genesis Evangelion came with a booklet that had brief commentaries on each episode, which were translated into English for the booklet accompanying ADV's Platinum Edition. Due to the non-availability of these at present, they have been archived on this site's resources.
EPISODE:01 Angel Attack
Aired October 4, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Masayuki, Hideaki Anno / Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki / Chief Animator: Shunji Suzuki / Assistant Character Designers: Yoshitoh Asari, Seiji Kio, Yuh Imakake
Neon Genesis Evangelion is the first TV series that GAINAX and Hideaki Anno of Wings of Honneamise, Aim for the Top! and Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water fame had announced in 5 years. The best members of GAINAX at the time came together for Episodes One and Two. They made some episodes that definitely lived up to the expectation of fans.
Episode One shows Shinji Ikari coming to New Tokyo-3 up to him getting aboard the artificial human Evangelion Unit-01 after some complications and standing in front of the Angel. The overwhelmingly realistic battle between the U.N. military and the Angel, the fascinatin character of Misato Katsuragi, who is both cool and candid, the launch scene had mecha fans roaring, and the special effects used for things like the painstakingly detailed monitor screen provide for a lot to see. With the distinctive turns of phrases in the dialogue, it is overflowing with the eccentricity unique to Evangelion, and yet, it also has the strong flavor of the orthodox school of robot and hero stories.
One of the captivating points of Evangelion is that it presents numerous mysteries during the show. At the beginning, we are shown a scene with a group of high-rises sunk into the ocean, and this is due to the unprecedented catastrophic calamity called Second Impact, but it is not discussed in the show until Episode Three. In addition, the true identity of the Angels and the L.C.L. are not revealed until the end of the series.
Reunited with Shinji for the first time in 3 years, the executive commander of NERV, Gendo Ikari, orders him to get on the Eva and out into the field on the spot. And faced with Eva Unit-00 and Rei Ayanami, he repeats over and over, "I Mustn't run away," as if he is trying to convince himself of it. "Communicating with others" is a vital theme of Evangelion and depicting how Shinji interacts with those around him is part of the story of Evangelion. The revealing of why Gendo treats Shinji so coldly is left to Episode Twenty-Six, "My True Heart For You," which was released theatrically.
When Shinji comes to New Tokyo-3, he sees a girl that seems to be Rei Ayanami for just an instant. Considering how she is injured and wrapped up in bandages, when he later meets her in NERV Headquarters, the natural assumption would be to think that this was a phantom vision. But in Episode 26, "My True Heart For You," a different possibility is suggested. The girl that appeared for just one cut in this scene may be the Rei Ayanami who is "the existence that gazes upon man."
EPISODE:02 The Beast Aired October 11, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Yoji Enoto, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Masayuki, Hideaki Anno / Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki / Chief Animator: Yuh Honda / Assistant Character Designers: Yoshitoh Asari, Seiji Kio
This episode acts as a second part to Episode One, but it is set up in an elaborate way, where the story begins several days later from where Episode One left off, depicting the continuation of the battle between the Angel and Unit-01 in flashback scenes. Numerous new mysteries are presented in this episode as well such as the existance of the Human Instrumentality Project and the organic-looking bare face of Unit-01 underneath the cranial armor that Shinji saw. What the AT field really is will not be revealed until the end of the series, either.
Continuing their work from Episode One, the director Hideaki Anno, and the assistant director Masayuki, handle the storyboards. Masayuki is an animator whose name has become well-known through his powerful work on shows such as Sasuga no Sarutobi, and he is an essential staff member to any work by Director Anno. In Neon Genesis Evangelion, he handled a large number of the episodes that focused on mecha action. In Episode Two, there are many tricky scene compositions the reflect Director Anno and his unique style. For the combat between Unit-01 and the Third Angel in Part B, the chief animator, Yuh Honda, and GAINAX's young ace, Yoh Yoshinari, handled the key animation. The action, oozing showmanship, is splendid. The key animation around the scene where Misato is drinking beer in her apartment and suggests that Shinji take a bath is handled by Shinya Hasegawa, who also worked on the animation of the opening sequence.
Shinji was supposed to live by himself, but instead, Misato takes him in and the two 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 spring 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." In the preview, the idea of her taking Shinji in is clearly stated as "Misato's arrogance." The sense with which they coolly capture such events is also part of the appeal of Evangelion.
Incidentally, in Episode One and Two, Misato effectively says, "You're a boy, aren't you?" to Shinji three times. This is very interesting when considered alongside the existence of people like the seemingly patriarchal Gendo or Toji, who appears in Episode Three. Is Eva trying to say that men should act like men, or is it questioning that value?
In Evangelion, there is an English episode title, separate from the Japanese episode title, which is displayed in the eyecatch at the beginning of Part B. In Episode Two, it is "The Beast." Is this "Beast" referring to the Angel or Eva Unit-01, which went out of control, or the impulse to destroy hidden within Shinji?
EPISODE:03 A Transfer Aired October 18, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hiroyuki Ishido / Director: Hiroyuki Ishido / Chief Animator: Nobuhiro Hosoi / Assistant Character Designers: Yoshitoh Asari, Kazuya Tsurumaki
Episode Three is set up to be part one of two with Episode Four. This episode depicts Shinji, who tends to be rather introverted, being bewildered by his new surroundings and yet taking the first step towards communicating with others. In Episode Three, New Tokyo-3 No.1 Middle School that Shinji attends is one of the places where action takes place and his classmates, Toji Suzuhara, Kensuke Aida, and the class representative, Hikari Horaki, appear.
Toji, who consciously behaves like a man, and Kensuke, who has his own world of his hobby concerning all things military and who also knows how to get on in the world, are very contrasting characters compared to Shinji. The names of these two characters are taken from the main characters in Ryu Murakami’s The Fascism of Love and Illusions, which provides no small amount of inspiration for Director Anno.
Many truths are revealed in this episode, such as Unit-01’s capabilities and weapons, the defense system of New Tokyo-3, and the truth about the Second Impact. Also, pay attention to the morning variety show voice that can be heard off the screen in the morning scene at the beginning. The story of how a giant meteor strike caused the Second Impact that the old instructor is telling during class is not the whole truth. The following information is brought up in Episode Seven. Also, Misato’s dialogue reveals that the Angel that appeared in this episode is the Fourth Angel. This is the second Angel that has appeared during the series. So did the Second Angel appear 15 years ago and the First Angel appear even before that, or what? The mysteries increase.
As opposed to Unit-01’s first battle being at night, Unit-01’s second battle develops under the blue sky. There are also many memorable images here, such as the cut that has the silhouette view of Unit-01 frozen in place where it had delivered the finishing blow to the Angel, or the special effects movie-like scene compositions, like the cut where the Fourth Angel flies right by a lighthouse and the cut with the birdhouse standing in front of the fallen Unit-01.
In this episode, Ritsuko talks about the “hedgehog’s dilemma,” which is a psychology term that originates from Schopenhauer’s fable, and it expresses the complications and ambivalence that arises as people seek the psychological distance to maintain between each other. This is where the English episode title “Hedgehog’s Dilemma” for Episode Four “Rain, Escape, and Afterwards” comes from. In addition, what Misato says in this same scene allows us to see what her thoughts on communicating are at this time, so that is also very interesting.
EPISODE:04 Hedgehog's Dilemma Aired October 25, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Akio Satsukawa / Storyboards: Kiichi Jinme / Director: Tsuyoshi Kaga / Chief Animator: Satoshi Shigeta
Episode Four depicts the wanderings of Shinji, who has run away from Misato and NERV. Shinji and Misato hurt each other with their thorns as they try to get closer, and yet even then, they need one another. The relationship between these two is indeed just like the “hedgehog’s dilemma” that Ritsuko had mentioned in Episode Three. There is no battle with an Angel and it largely stays away from addressing any of the mysteries, but when considered from a thematic perspective, this is truly Eva-like drama.
In actuality, this episode was once omitted in terms of the series composition and it was planned that what is now Episode Five would come after Episode Three. But as production progressed, staff members voiced their opinion that perhaps there was a need to depict Shinji’s relationship with the people around him after Episode Three, and thus, this episode was made, greatly changing the contents from what had originally been conceived. Because of this, the script for this episode written after the script for Episode Five had already been finalized. This is the one and only episode of all the TV and movie episodes in which Director Anno did not have a direct hand in the plot and script.
In terms of performance, the highlight has got to be the final cut at the train station where Shinji and Misato gaze at each other. This cut, which has absolutely no dialogue or movement, lasts roughly 50 seconds. It is a silence that would normally be inconceivably long, but it depicts Shinji’s feelings in finding it difficult to express himself in words. Incidentally, the ballad playing during this scene is “Bay side love story –from Tokyo-.” And the song playing before that, when Shinji hits Toji, is “FACE.” Both are songs sung by Masami Okui.
Kiichi Jinme, who did the storyboards, is the pen-name that Junichi Satoh, famous for his work on such shows as Sailor Moon, uses when he works on robot anime. Even after this episode, for Evangelion, he continued to work on episodes that contain very few combat scenes and focus on drama instead. Akio Satsukawa is a scriptwriter who has worked on such projects as the live movie Stroller of Attics. For GAINAX fans, his exquisite film editing work on Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is also unforgettable. And in Episodes Three and Four, fans can also enjoy their fill of the dialogue that he worked into the episodes.
EPISODE:05 Rei I Aired November 1, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Kiichi Jinme / Director: Keiichi Sugiyama / Assistant Director: Masahiko Ohtsuku / Chief Animator: Shunji Suzuki / Assistant Character Designer: Seiji Kio
Just as the English episode titles "Rei I" and "Rei II" suggest, the spotlight is on Rei Ayanami, the pilot of Unit-01, in Episodes Five and Six. Episode Five skillfully depicts Shinji, who becomes interested in Rei and tries to get closer to her and her subtly wavering emotions.
Rei Ayanami is a girl who does not try to display her emotions for the most part. She does not even bat her eye when someone her own age of the opposite sex sees her naked, but with matters concerning Gendo alone, she shows some stirring of emotions. The successful activation experiment of Unit-00 is likely due to the fact that she brought the pair of glasses, which symbolizes the bond between him and her, into the entry plug with her. The failure of Unit-00's activation experiment 22 days ago was caused by her psychological instability. Ritsuko has some idea of what might have been the reason for that, but she denies it, saying, "No, that can't be." Was the reason she thought of something to do with the connection between Unit-00 and Rei or possibly something to do with Gendo?
The housing development that Rei lives in is in the older parts of town of New Tokyo-3. The area is scheduled to be redeveloped and the building on the other side of the road has already been demolished. There is a lot of attention to detail concerning the depiction of her living space. There are numerous advertisements left stuck in her door, and the entrance has countless tracks where she has gone inside without taking her shoes off. According to the premise, on the chest in the room are medical books on such topics as psychology and genetics. Rei apparently reads these intently, and they are marked with tags.
In the first half of Part A, Shinji and Misato visit a simple facility built on top of the Fourth Angel that was defeated in Episode Three. When seen from directly above, it is roughly the same shape as the Angel’s silhouette, and under the four prefab buildings in the center is the body, and there are flagella under the two to the left and three to the right. Next to this prefab facility is the white outline of the position Unit-01 fell in from the flight with the Fourth Angel, just as if it were some sort of car accident. This realistic depiction is very much like Evangelion.
The storyboards were done by Kiichi Jinme, a.k.a. Junichi Satoh, the same as for Episode Four. Rei's girlishly delighted look when Gendo appears and the comedy during the dinner scene where Misato pours curry into her ramen are distinctively Jinme's storyboard style. The eccentric way the cuts were split up when Shinji visits Rei's apartment was also memorable. Shunji Suzuki's animation work is also clear, and the quality of the visuals is also high. The trio of Satsukawa, Jinme and Suzuki later also worked on Episodes Fifteen and Twenty-One, which both focus on the drama.
Episode:06 Rei II Aired November 8, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Masayuki / Director: Hiroyuki Ishido / Chief Animator: Nobuhiro Hosoi / Assistant Character Designer: Rei Yumeno
This is the climax in the early part of the series, depicting NERV bringing all of its forces to bear in “Operation Yashima” to annihilate the Fifth Angel. Using lots of captions to create a war movie feel or a documentary feel is one of Hideaki Anno’s fortes, which hasn’t been seen since Aim for the Top! The bold idea of gathering all the electrical power of Japan for the operation is also very GAINAX. With regards to the depiction of the mecha, their sheer mass and level of intricate detail are awe inspiring. This is also the first time Unit-00 is participating in an operation, making it full of highlights.
The existence of the AT field, which drastically reduces the effectiveness of normal weaponry, is what makes the Angels seem well nigh invincible, but the Eva have the ability to neutralize those AT fields. In point of fact, in the fights against the Third and Fourth Angels, Unit-01 secured victories against them by carrying out close quarter physical combat. However, the Fifth Angel has a particle beam that makes approaching it impossible, which rules out neutralizing the AT field. Thus, a strategy was laid out to destroy it by sniping it from super-long range, outside of its firing range. This is “Operation Yashima.” Instead of neutralizing the AT Field, the plan is to use a positron cannon with enormous output gathering all the electrical power of Japan to pierce through it.
The name “Operation Yashima” is a reference to when Yoichi Nasuno shoots the fan with his bow from atop his horse on the beach in the “Battle at Yashima” in the first year of Bunji (1185). That’s Chief of Operations Katsuragi for you, quite the intellectual. In addition, “Yashima” written differently is also the old name for Japan. Thus, the name also contains a reference to the operation gathering electrical power from all of Japan.
The SSDF Laboratory where Misato requisitioned the prototype self-propelled positron cannon is actually short for Strategic Self-Defence Force Technology Laboratory. The Strategic Self-Defence Force is an organisation directly under the Ministry of Defense, which was formed in 2003 when the Chinese and Vietnamese had a military confrontation over the Nansa Islands. It is JSSDF for short, and this acronym can also be found on the positron rifle, which was remodelled off the self-propelled positron cannon.
There were many versions of the ending song, “Fly Me To The Moon,” while the show was on air, but for this release, there is a different version being used for every episode. For Episodes Five and Six, they are “Rei #5” Version and “Rei #6” Version for both the on-air and this release. The singer is Megumi Hayashibara, the voice actress of Rei Ayanami.
EPISODE:07 A Human Work Aired November 15, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Yoji Enoto, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Keiichi Sugiyama, Hideaki Anno / Director: Keiichi Sugiyama Assistant Director: Masahiko Otsuka / Chief Animator: Shunji Suzuki / Assistant Character Designer: Mitsumu Wogi
This episode has the conflict between NERV and the government in the background and depicts the heroic actions of Shinji and Misato as they try to stop the rampaging giant humanoid decisive weapon, the J.A. (Jet Alone). Through it is not flashy, the story is involved, and the animation is meticulous. Its level of finish is high. You can also enjoy the Kihachi Okamoto-esque camerawork that Director Anno excels at. The drama of communication between Shinji and Misato also hits a plateau. The segment From Episode One to this episode can be thought of as the “Prologue Arc” of the series.
Misato is normally slovenly, but here, she gallantly stops the J.A. without any regard for her own life. Shinji is disappointed by the enormous difference between these two sides of her, but at the end, he learns that the reason she shows that defenseless side of her to him is because that’s how much she trusts him. Back-to-back with that is revealed the ironic truth that the J.A. going out of control and the miracle that Misato and the others brought about were all plotted by Gendo, but the way Shinji begins to walk forward when he understands that his relationship with Misato has become closer is refreshing enough to even erase the sense of upset.
At the beginning and end of the episode, the image displayed on the floor and ceiling of Gendo’s office is a chart called the Systema Sephirotica. This is a chart symbolic of the Kabbalistic arts, which became the basis of alchemy, mysticism, astrology, and other such fields, and it explains the creation of the world. The same chart appears in the opening sequence.
Also, in this episode, Ritsuko’s dialogue reveals that the Second Impact occurred when the First Angel exploded 15 years ago. Make note of the fact that Misato turns away while Ritsuko explains this. The notes in the textbook in this scene also explain that the First Impact is what is also called the Giant Impact, which happened 4 billion years ago when an asteroid struck Earth. In other words, it is called the Second Impact because it is the first enormous impact since the Giant Impact.
The name of J.A comes from the robot, Jet Jaguar, which appeared in the special effects film Gozilla vs Megalon (1973). Jet Jaguar was a robot whose design was chosen from submissions from the public, and when it was initially announced, its name was Red Alone. Jet Alone is a name made by combining Red Alone and Jet Jaguar. It is truly a geeky GAINAX-like name.
EPISODE:08 Asuka Strikes! Aried November 22, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Yoji Enokido, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Shinji Higuchi / Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki / Assistant Director: Masahiko Otsuka / Chief Animator: Takeshi Honda / Assistant Character Designers: Mahiro Maeda, Mitsumu Wogi
This episode depicts the actions of Eva Unit-02 and its pilot, Asuka Langley Sohryu. Starting here, the series charges into the second part, the “Action Arc,” which depicts battles with various Angels in standalone episodes. The spirited character of Asuka ushers in a new phase of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Apparently, Asuka’s character became solidified in Director Anno’s mind when he came up with the lines “This is my Chance!” and “What are you, stupid?!”
The storyboards for Episode Eight and the following Episode Nine were done by Shinji Higuchi, known for such things as his work on the Heisei Gamera series. The Chief Animator is Takeshi Honda, who also worked on Episode Three. Tense action, catchy characters, fun expressions and visuals make for plenty for the eye to see. Asuka’s energetic character, Higuchi’s storyboards, and Honda’s animation work together to create the series’ foremost amusing episode. There are also a lot of comical depictions, and in that sense, it is a unique episode in Evangelion. Shinji Higuchi has been involved in various projects at GAINAX since its establishment and has worked on such shows as Wings of Honneamise, Aim for the Top!, and Nadia: Secret of Blue Water. Episodes Eight and Nine were apparently referred to as the “island arc” among the staff members due to its feel being similar to the “island arc” (episode 23 and onwards) in Nadia which he directed.
The U.N. naval fleet appears in this episode, giving it a heavy military feel. The U.N. naval fleet’s flagship is Over The Rainbow, and the fleet consists of ships and craft from both the Eastern and Western camps. Its main force consists of formerly American naval ships, and each has been given a codename from among Shakespeare’s plays, such as Othello, Titus Andronicus, Cymbeline, and Tempest.
The contents of the trunk that Kaji is carrying looks like a human embryo and Gendo calls this “the first man, Adam.” In Episode Seven in the SSTO conversation, they were talking about the “revised budget for the sample collection,” but that sample is probably this Adam. Adam’s existence is one of the greatest mysteries in this show. Could it be related to the Adam that appears in the Old Testament? The name of Adam’s wife in the Old Testament is Eva.
EPISODE:09 Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win! Aired November 29, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Aiko Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Shinji Higuchi / Director: Seiji Mizushima / Chief Animator: Shinya Hasegawa / Assistant Character Designers: Mahiro Maeda, Mistumu Wogi
This episode depicts Shinji and Asuka's cooperative Angel counterattack operation with a most lighthearted touch. Following Episode Eight, "Asuka Arrives in Japan," this is another amusing episode that fully exhibits Shinji Higuchi's distinctively cheerful quality. The is also a plot development where Shinji ends up spending a night alone with Asuka and almost kisses her, giving it a youth drama feel as well.
Each of the 5 episodes from Episode Eight to Twelve is designated as having a plot where "the characters become as one to defeat the angel." In Episode Eight, Shinji and Asuka work together to fight the Angel, but this story is the developmental form of that idea. With their perfect unison, they defeat the Angel.
The elegant and yet cheerful fight scene in the second half of the episode is the ultimate high point. The beauty of it lies in the fact that the 62 seconds of combat in the show is actually depicted in approximately 62 seconds. In this scene, various methods such as split-screen are used to produce a flashy presentation that is truly benefitting a robot anime, but depictions of this sort in this show can only be seen in Episode Nine.
Episode Nine is also the episode where Asuka's character gets filled in. At the beginning in the scene where she talks to Rei at school, she is standing on the edge of the flower bed, but this is because in Director Anno's plans regarding her, one of the things was "she is a girl who endeavors to stand at a higher spot compared to the person she is addressing when greeting people." In Episode Eight, she also addresses Shinji from the top of the elevator.
Asuka says, "This is the wall of Jericho, never to fall!" of the sliding door that separates the two rooms, but the "Wall of Jericho" is a reference to the Western film It Happened One Night (1934, America). In the movie, a rich runaway girl and an unemployed newspaper reporter end up spending a night in the same room, and they put a blanket as a divider, calling it the "Wall of Jericho." Incidentally, the original "Wall of Jericho" is a castle wall that appears in the Bible. Also, she says, "It is proper that boys and girls sleep apart after the age of seven," but the correct proverb is "it is proper that the boys and girls sit apart after the age of seven." This is a saying in the ancient Chinese Confucian text of The Book of Rites, and the seat refers to a straw mat. In ancient China, sitting on the same mat meant that the two were husband and wife. Is it the genius girl's pride that leads her to want to use difficult sayings, even though she's not supposed to be used to Japanese yet?
The Chief Animator is Shinya Hasegawa, known for his work on the Sailor Moon series and Revolutionary Girl Utena. In terms of the visuals, his unique touch is very apparent and the finished product is catchy, with its colorful characters and punchy action. They key animation team is also most luxurious. The first battle between the Eva and the Seventh Angel was done by Fumitomo Kizaki, known for such things as designing the characters in Shadow Skill. The "6 days of training" with its brilliant action matching the music was done by Masayuki. The first half of the "62 second decisive battle" was done by Keisuke Watabe, know for his work on such things as Crest of the Stars. The second half was done by Yutaka Nakamura, who made the fans roar at the characters in Cowboy Bebop. The helter-skelter exchange between Shinji and Asuka after defeating the Angel was done by Nobutoshi Ogura. The section of key animation that Shinya Hasagawa drew was the scene where Shinji almost kisses Asuka. The ampleness of her bosom is impressive.
At the beginning, Hyuga compares the data on the Seventh Angel and says, "Pattern blue, confirmed as an Angel," and at the time, the screen displays "BLOOD TYPE: BLUE." In the scene before that, with the data on the Sixth Angel that Ritsuko had analyzed, it also has "6th ANGEL pattern: BLOOD TYPE: BLUE." This indicates that it is an Angel. The term "BLOOD TYPE: BLUE" comes from a sci-fi film directed by Kihachi Okamoto called Blue Christmas (1978, Japan).
Episode: 10 Magma Diver Aired December 6, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Tsuyoshi Kaga, Hideaki Anno / Directors: Tsuyoshi Kaga, Hiroyuki Ishido / Chief Animator: Satoshi Shigeta / Assistant Character Designers: Seiji Kio, Mitsumu Wogi
Continuing on from Episodes Eight and Nine, this episode also centers around Asuka's actions. For the first time, NERV takes an active approach towards an Angel and tries to capture it in a pupal state. In the second part, the "Action Arc," that started with Episode Eight, the key focus of the plots is in just what kind of situation they must fight the Angel, and in this episode, the fight is in magma. The operation itself is carried out by Asuka alone, but Shinji is there to provide support and ends up risking himself to save Asuka. As a result, in the fight in the following Episode Eleven, Asuka volunteers for a dangerous offensive role to repay this debt. The story progresses from depiction of normal life, discovering the Angel, forming a plan, and then carrying out the operation, but this kind of traditional story development is unusual for Eva. Also, several new mysteries are presented in this episode: Kaji's inexplicable behavior, Misato and Asuka's past, and others.
During combat, Asuka and the others remember the thermal expansion that they had talked about in the pool scene and form a plan to defeat the Eighth Angel. Planting a plot device in the depiction of daily life in the first half of the episode, and then using it as a hint to turn the tide of battle in the second half is a classic robot anime theme plot. The key here is having a character who remembers something useful for the battle to say "I know! Let's... !"
There is also a scene depicting the three operators taking a break between work. Maya Ibuki is reading a romance novel. Makoto Hyuga is reading a comic magazine. Shigeru Aoba has a music magazine next to him as he mimics playing a guitar. Aoba's hobby is to play the guitar, and in Episode Eleven, he can be seen coming to work with a guitar case containing an electric guitar. This was never realized, but there was an idea of having him play his guitar and singing nearby Shinji and the others in the final scene on the hill.
The model that the Eighth Angel was based on was the Anomalocaris, the largest carnivore of the Cambrian Period. The Anomalocaris was taken up on the NHK Special Life - A Long Journey of 4 Billion Years (1994, Japan), and at the time the show aired, the creature was a hot topic.
Episode:11 The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still Aired December 13, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Yoji Enokido, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Masayuki / Director: Tetsuya Watanabe / Cheif Animator: Toshio Kawaguchi
This episode depicts the commotion and a battle with an Angel with the great blackout at NERV Headquarters in the background. Paper fans, candles, buckets and other small props that are generally not seen around NERV Headquarters make an appearance here. The "It's lukewarm" at the end of Part A is the one and only gag utilizing Gendo, but there are numerous humorous scenes, including when Hyuga takes over an election PR car and the various raggedy antics of the three Children. The glimpse into an awareness of the problem of modern life relying too much on a technological civilzation could also be said to be very Director Hideaki Anno-like. The English subtitle is a reference to a sci-fi movie classic The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951, America)
Unit-00, which was heavily damaged in Episode Six "Decisive Battle, New Tokyo-3," has been repaired and retuns to the frontline as of this episode. For the first time, Units 00, 01, and 02 take part in the action together. During the outage, Gendo has faith that Shinji and the others will rush to Headguarters and proceeds with preparing the Evas for launch. And Shinji, Rei, And Asuka destroy the Ninth Angel by working together. This was an episode where Gendo and the trio worked as one and where the trio worked as one to rise to the occasion.
Note that the military personnel of the U.N. Forces refer to the Ninth Angel as the "Eighth Angel." It seems the U.N. Forces consider the Angel that appeared at the South Pole 15 Years ago and caused the Second Impact to be the first one and the one that appeared in Episode One to be the second one. The existence of the Second Angel must be a secret that only people in NERV know.
The animation for this episode was handled by Studio Ghibli, known for their work on such films as My Neighbor Totoro. Nozomu (written as "peek") Takahashi, the city assembly electoral candidate, who only appears as a name is a twist on the producer of Ghibli, Nozomu (written as "aspire") Takahashi.
EPISODE:12 She said, “Don’t make others suffer for your personal hatred” Aired December 20, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Masayuki / Director: Hiroyuki Ishido / Chief Animator: Satoshi Shiteta / Assistant Character Disigner: Mitsumu Wogi
This is essentially the climax of the second part, the “Action Arc.” The largest Angel that comes plummeting from satellite orbit, the desperate operation betting all on a one in a million chance, Misato’s past, the giant of light that appeared at the South Pole during the Second Impact and the giant wings… This episode is full of highlights.
Shinji, Rei, and Asuka give their all to obliterate the Tenth Angel. Misato gambles on those three, and those three show concern for Misato. Toji and the others celebrate Misato’s promotion and after the battle, Gendo expresses a word of thanks to Shinji. Episode Twelve is an episode that most strongly depicts the harmony of mankind in Eva. Shinji's doubt regarding his reason for piloting the Eva which will become key in the story development from here on out, is also presented here.
At the sea at the South Pole, where Gendo and Fuyutsuki travel on board an aircraft carrier, the waters are red and there are giant pillars of salt. This is also due to the effect of the Second Impact. Gendo calls the post-Second Impact South Pole “a world that has been purged, untainted by the original sin.” In general, original sin refers to the sin Adam, the father of mankind, committed in “Genesis” of the Old Testament, as well as to the sin that all of mankind was burdened with as a result of it. In the conversation in this scene, it is revealed that Fuyutsuki and Gendo disagree on various topics, such as the Second Impact, mankind, and science. Fuyutsuki says, “I prefer the world where man lives, no matter how tarnished by sin it is.” One wonders how he felt being involved in the Human Instrumentality Project.
“By the hand of man” and “a miracle has value when it is brought about” are two lines that are familiar from some of Director Anno’s previous works. In this episode, it is revealed that Rei dislikes meat, but Nadia: Secret of Blue Water was also a vegetarian. Director Anno himself is also famous for not eating meat. Incidentally, Rei orders a garlic ramen without the pork at a ramen shop, but the script has Rei ordering seaweed ramen. It is a rare example of pure adlibbing on the part of a voice actress in this show.
EPISODE:13 Lilliputian Hitcher Aired December 27, Heisei 7 (1995)
Script: Mitsuo Iso, Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards & Director: Tensai Okamura / Assistant Director: Masahiko Ohtsuka / Chief Animator: Kazuya Kise / Assistant Character Designers: Mitsuo Iso, Kazuya Kise
Adorning the finale of the second part, the "Action Arc," is the most intensely sci-fi episode of the series. It depicts the battle between an angel that possesses attributes like a computer virus and the NERV staff trying to protect the brain of Headquarters, the supercomputer MAGI, from the Angel. This story of battling "an invisible enemy" is an idea that is hardly suited for a visual work, but the skill with which this was scripted and directed into a high tension drama was brilliant.
The script is a collaborative effort by Mitsuo Iso, Akio Satsukawa, and Hideaki Anno. The original idea and plot for this episode was proposed by Mitsuo Iso, who is also an animator. Mitsuko Iso not only contributed to the episode, but has also proposed numerous ideas concerning the premise relating to the core aspects of this show.
The supercomputer MAGI is composed of three different computer systems, Melchior-1, Balthasar-2, and Casper-3. Various calculations, problems and operations are examined by these three. The naming of the MAGI come from the three wise men from the East, who foretold the birth of Jesus in the "New Testament." The names Melchior, Balthasar, and Casper are also taken from each of the wise men. The word "magi" also means "astrology" and is the origin of the English word "magician."
In order to prevent the Angel from invading the lower regions of NERV headquarters, Gendo completely physically seals off the region in the Central Dogma below the Sigma Unit. The pyramid-shaped building standing in the Geo-front is but a small part of the NERV Headquarters. Stretching directly below the square lake adjoining the pyramid-shaped building is an incredibly deep facility going down approximately 7km. The majority of this incredibly deep facility is called the Central Dogma and the Sigma Unit is a part of it. Incidentally, the name Central Dogma came from biology. Genetic information is transferred DNA=>RNA=>protein, and this flow of genetic information is called the central dogma.
The animation was done by Production I.G., known for their work on such projects as Blue Seed and Mobile Police Patlabor 2 the Movie. The cool visuals that they were known for fit this episode dealing with computers.
Episode: 14 Weaving a Story Aired January 3, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script & Storyboards: Hideaki Anno / Directors: Masahiko Ohtsuka, Ken Ando
Every so often, the show was aired at an irregular time in the Tokyo region, such as on January 3rd, when it was aired at 8 a.m., and thus, Episode Fourteen was created as a recap episode of sorts. The English subtitle is also a reference to the fact that this episode is a recap.
Part A looks back on the Angel battles thus far in the form of the Human Instrumentality Committee and Gendo Ikari reviewing these battles. The number of new scenes was kept to an absolute minimum for this part, but this was also true for Part B, in which a new story unfolds. The entire episode was produced by mainly reusing photographic materials from previous episodes. The number of new cels animated for this episode was about 500.
Part A has no BGM, and there is also very little dialogue. The lack of "sound" and the heavy use of Bold Mincho captions create a stifling tension. The structure of displaying the subtitle at the end of Part A was also effective. In addition, in Part A, the names of the Angels and operations that had appeared up through Episode Twelve "The Value of a Miracle" became clear. The names of the Angels are the same as the names of angels that appear in the Bible, and each of their spheres of influence, characteristics, and the situations in which they appear are consistent. At the end of Part A, the terms "Dead Sea Scrolls" and "SEELE" appear for the first time. Generally, the "Dead Sea Scrolls" refers to the ancient documents discovered in a cave on the west bank of the Dead Sea in 1947. They contained the "Old Testament," the "Apocrypha," and other religious writings not included in the Bible. They are thought to be writings from around 200-100 B.C., meaning around the era that Christ was alive. Though it is said to be the greatest find of this century, full disclosure of it to the public was dragged out for another 45 years. Additionally, there is speculation that parts of it have been deliberately withheld from being released due to it containing writings that shake the very foundation of Christianity. It is unclear whether the "Dead Sea Scrolls" that they speak of are the actual "Dead Sea Scrolls." SEELE is the controlling organization of NERV and its members seem approximately the same as the Human Instrumentality Committee. Seele means "soul" in German.
At the beginning of Part B, Rei's inner space is depicted through her monologue and various images. This is the first scene seriously depicting someone's inner space in Eva and how this depiction was constructed would greatly affect the story later on in Eva. We are also able to get a read on how Rei Ayanami perceives the "world" from this monologue.
In the final scene, what Unit-02 is holding is the Spear of Longinus that was being transported from the South Pole in Episode Twelve. In the Bible, the Spear of Longinus is the spear that pierced Christ on the crucifix.
EPISODE:15 Those Women Longed For the Touch of Others' Lips, and Thus Invited Their Kisses Aired January 10, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script; Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Kiichi Hadame / Director: Naoyasu Habu / Assistant Director: Masahiko Ohtsuka / Chief Animator: Shunji Suzuki / Assistant Chief Animators: Katsuichi Nakayama, Naoya Furukawa / Assistant Character Designers: Mitsuo Iso, Yu Honda
Starting with this episode, the drama is presented more densely, entering into the third part, which drives the theme strongly. The first episode inthis part, Episode Fifteen, shines a spotlight on the human relationships between such people as Misato and Kaji, Shinji and Gendo, Asuka and Shinji, etc. In the meantime it is also structured to reveal that NERV, which our protagonists are all part of, is actually a mysterious organisation. This is an episode with absolutely no mecha action, but it is finished in a way that is well worth watching. In particular, with the scene in Part B with Misato and kaji walking down a street at night. the work of Kiichi Hadame, who handled the storyboards, and Kotono Mitsuishi's acting were splendid.
Through kaji's investigations, it is revealed that the organization created to select Eva pilots, the Marduk Institute, is largely insubstantial. The name for the Marduk Institute comes from a Babylonian god said to have 50 names. The god Marduk had 50 names, and the Marduk Institute in Eva was using 108 names.
The homeostasis that Ritsuko mentioned is a biology term that refers to a quality that creatures have that allows them to maintain their physical and biological condition within stable levels and to survive in response to various changes in their enviroment. The American biologist Canon (Walter Bradford Canon: 1871 - 1945) proposed it as a universal principle of life. Combining that with its companion concept of transistasis to come up with the idea that "having these two contradictory qualities is what defines life" is original to this series.
Misato sees the giant crucified in Terminal Dogma inside central Dogma. Is this the First Angel, Adam, which caused the second impact just as Kaji says? If so, then what about its connection to the human fetus-like thing that appeared at the end of Episode Eight? Thrust into its chest is the Spear of Longinus that also appeared in Episode Fourteen.
Episode:16 Splitting of the Breast Aired January 17, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script: Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards & Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki / Assistant Directors: Masahiko Ohtsuka, Ken Ando / Chief Animator: Shinya Hasegawa / Assistant Character Designer: Kazuya Tsurumaki
Episode sixteen depicts the fight against the Twelfth Angel that takes its opponent into imaginary space and Shinji's struggle within the inner space. This is an episode that could only be a part of Eva, possessing two very disparate appealing aspects in its depiction of sci-fi drama and the abyss that is the "human heart." And the scene of Shinji's inner space in the latter part of Part B could be said to be one of the finest examples of this. This sequence on board a train car at dusk with no one else present depicts the world of Shinji's heart in a most vivid way by using methods that could even be called experimental, such as expressing the character as a white "line" on a black screen and interjecting various images throughout the sequence. In addition, the image of "inside a mother's womb" can be taken from the entry plug that Shinji can't escape from, and the image of "giving birth" can be taken from the scene where Unit-01 escapes from within the Angel, covered in blood. Thus, this is also an episode with strong symbolism.
In the inner space sequence, the question, "Is it okay to live by stringing only the happy things in life together like a rosary?" is presented, and later on, it becomes one of the themes carried throughout the series. In the same sequence, Shinji's mother, Yui Ikari, appears for the first time. Shinji's line, "No. Mother was smiling," serves as a foreshadowing to the mystery involving Yui. Also, there is a directional reason for why she is voiced by Megumi Hayashibara, who also voices Rei Ayanami.
The episode title is a reference to "The Sickness Unto Death" (Sygdommen til Doden, 1849), the most important work put out by the father of existentialism, the philosopher Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855) of Denmark. "The sickness unto death" refers to "despair," and in the introduction of this work, Kierkegaard says that for a Christian, "Even death itself is not 'the sickness unto death.' Not to mention any of the suffering on Earth known as destitution, illness, misery, privations, misfortune, pain, anguish, grief, or regret." The English episode title, "Splitting of the Breast" refers to a psychological process by which an infant's impression of the breast becomes split into two, a "good object" and a "bad object."
The "Dirac's sea" that took Shinji and Unit-01 in is a concept that the British theoretical physicist Dirac (Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac: 1902-1984) used in his hole theory. A vacuum is filled with negative energy electrons, and this is what is called "Dirac's sea."
EPISODE:17 Fourth CHILD Aired January 24, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script: Shinji Higuchi, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Akira Oguro / Director: Minoru Ohara / Chief Animator: Mou Hanahata
The three episodes spanning Episode Seventeen to Episode Nineteen are a serial piece called the "First Child Trilogy." This serial piece is the greatest climax in the middle of the series and also holds important meaning in terms of Shinji's drama. The first of these episodes, Episode Seventeen, is one that focuses on depicting daily life. The main plot is of Toji being chosen as the fourth Eva pilot and of how he finds his resolve concerning that, but at the same time, such things as Shinji's growth as a person, Rei's emotional uncertainty, and Hikaru's romantic feelings are also depicted. Episode Eighteen and Episode Nineteen, which follow, become more intense in terms of both drama and action. This episode is meant to be "the calm before the storm."
The scripts for Episode Seventeen and Episode Eighteen were written by Shinji Higuchi, who handled the storyboards for Episode eight and Episode Nine. In Episode Eighteen, Shinji Loses his Relationships with both Misato and his classmates, which had been his emotional support up until then. In order to make Shinji's place in life clear as a setup to that, Episode Seventeen shows plenty of his life at school. Furthermore, New Tokyo-3 is a city that was built for combat, and the existence of the school Shinji and the others attend is one that could be snuffed out at any time. Higuchi apparently wanted to show how fragile that situation was.
There are NERV facilities all over the world. Eva Unit-00 and Unit-01 were built at NERV Headquarters in Japan, Unit-03 at First Branch in America, Unit-04 at Second Branch likewise in America, and Unit-02 was built at Third Branch in Germany. The topic of conversation at the beginning of this episode is Second Branch in the Nevada Desert that disappeared. Incidentally, Unit-00 and Unit-01, which were designed in and built in Japan, and Unit-02, which was designed in Japan and then built in Germany, are designated by the Chinese Characters for their Number assignments. Unit-03 and onwards are designated by the Arabic numerals.
EPISODE: 18 Ambivalence Aired January 31, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script: Shinji Higuchi, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards & Director Tensai Okamura /Assistant Directors: Masahiko Otsuka, Ken Ando / Chief Animator: Kazuya Kise
The second episode in the "Fourth Child Trilogy." Continuing from the previous episode, Part A is set in daily life, depicting the human interaction between Shinji, Asuka, Rei, Toji, Kensuke. and Hikari. Part B depicts the tragedy that results from Unit-03 being taken over by an Angel. The grim and fiercely tense battle with Unit-03 that takes place in a mountainous region dyed red by the sunset is one of the outstanding battle scenes in the series. Many shot compositions that remind you of special effects movies can also be seen.
This is the next episode Production I.G. cooperated or the production after Episode Thirteen "Angel Invasion”. Tensai Qkamura, who handled the storyboards and directing, has worked as a director on such shows as Medabots and the Stink Bomb segment of Memories, and among his more recent works is Wolf's Rain. Kazuya Kise is the star animator at Production I.G. Among his representative works are the theatrical Mobile Police Patlabor, Ghost in the Shell, and Blood, the Last Vampire.
In a conversation with Kaji, Shinji says, "You know, I'm a man." So far, Misato and Asuka have repeatedly harangued him about, "You're a man, aren't you?" and he never offered a response, but now, he says this without a hitch. Does this mean he is feeling more at ease, just as Toji had said in Rei's room? It is also noteworthy that he looks at Toji with a smile as Toji stubbornly declares that cleaning is not a man's job. In Shinji and Kaji's conversation at the watermelon field, the topics covered are once again "enjoying" and "suffering," following up on the inner space in Episode Sixteen "The Sickness Unto Death, and..."
The people who performed the English operator dialogue at the beginning were Michael House, George A. Arriola, and Hiromi Arriola. Michael House was a GAINAX employee at the time, who did m-house translation work. George A Arriola and Hiromi Arriola were friends of his and are apparently husband and wife.
The English title for this episode is "Ambivalence." Ambivalence refers to a state where two contradictory emotions or attitudes exist at the same time within an individual. It was originally a psychoanalytical term, which was first used by a Swiss psychoanalyst, Bleuler (Paul Eugen Bleuler: 1857-1939). Perhaps the title ofl "Ambivalence" was given to this episode because Shinji is conflicted between his mission to defeat Unit-03 and his emotional reluctance to fight Unit-03, which has a human pilot on board.
EPISODE:19 Introjection Aired February 7, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script: Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno/ Storyboards & Director: Masayuki / Assistant Directors: Ken Ando, Masahiko Otsuka / Chief Animator: Takeshi Honda / Assistant Character Designers: Yoshito Asari, Masayuki
Shinji ran away from piloting the Eva in Episode Four, and once again, he runs away from the Eva. However, though he ran away from the "unpleasantness" of piloting the Eva, what awaited him was an "unpleasantness" that was even more painful. Having realized that, Shinji resolves to pilot the Eva. Episode Nineteen is the final episode in the "Fourth Child Trilogy" and also an episode where "the tale of Shinji's growth," which has continued since Episode One. comes to the end of a chapter. The memorable cuts and developments from Episode One, Episode Two, and Episode Four are repeated. By Shinji taking different actions than he did before in the same situations, his growth is really highlighted
Following Episode Eighteen, this episode is also very full of mecha action. In addition to the powerful lineup of Masayuki directing and Takeshi Honda as chief animator, mecha action experts Yasushi Muraki, Hiroaki Aida. Shoichi Masuo, and Mitsuo Iso also participated. The final images are worth the watch and worthy of the battle against "the greatest" Angel.
As the story unfolds, Shinji resolves to fight on his own and gets on board the Eva. And with a fierce battle that can truly be called "a man's battle," Episode Nineteen is upheld by the fans as having the most exciting content in the series. However, what in fact defeats the Angel is neither his resolve nor his fighting spirit, but the berserk Unit-01. Having aggressively faced the Angel, Shinji is taken in by Unit-01 as a result, and there is not even any portrayal of him realizing victory. In that sense, this episode also has a most Eva-like ironic structure.
The English episode title "Introjection" is a psychoanalytic term meaning "to take in." It refers to taking in various attributes of another person and making it one's own. It is one form of a defense mechanism. For example, by taking in a mother's prohibitive or denying aspects, the super-ego is formed. Introjection is a term that refers to a phenomenon that occurs in the world of the psyche, but in this episode, it is likely used both in terms of its original meaning and how Unit-01 took in the Angel's abilities.
EPISODE:20 Weaving a Story 2 : oral stage Aired February 14, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script: Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hideaki Anno / Director: Masahiko Ohtsuka/ Chief Animator: Kazuya Tsurumaki
In the entry plug, Shinji's body has become one with the LC.L. and separated from his psyche, Ritsuko sets a plan in motion to reconstruct his body and get his psyche to anchor itself in it. As the English episode title "Weaving A Story 2" indicates, this episode is a summary of sorts, like Episode Fourteen. In point of fact, it is made largely centered around the reuse of already existing composite material and film, however its contents do not look back on what happened in the past but tell a completely different story. Having become an existence solely consisting of his psyche, Shinji agonizes and suffers over things like "his relationship to others" and "the establishment of self." Depictions in his inner space is the locus of this episode and just as in Episode Sixteen, experimental methods are abundantly used. Also, with this episode as a turning point, This show begins to show a stronger tendency to directly portray "the human mind."
Ritsuko says that the Eva "contains a human will" and that the fact Shinji was taken in "might be the Eva's will as well." Misato felt she was saying it jokingly, but when considered along with things like how the story unfolds later and how Ritsuko said, "So, she's awoken..." in Episode Nineteen, it becomes clear that what Ritsuko said is conveying the truth to Misato to a certain degree.
Towards the end of Part A, Shinji recalls that he knew the Eva even earlier and that when he found out, he ran away from his mother and father. And the images of that flashback are the scene of the experiment from Episode Twenty-One "NERV Is Born," in which Yui Ikari is the subject. Shinji ran away from that site, and that incident is likely what planted the compulsive idea that he "must not run away".
While the final scene at the love hotel contained no explicit images, the love scene was depicted boldly, which caused quite a stir when it was originally aired. After touching upon Misato's tryst, Ritsuko's line, "I guess I'm in no position to talk," is also curious.
The English episode title "oral stage" is also a psychoanalytical term. The oral stage is the first stage of development in Freud's (Sigmund Freud: 1856-1939) libido development theory. It is the time period when the mouth serves as the principal source of pleasure. It is said that the oral stage starts at birth and ends around the age of 1 1/2. in the scene where Misato and Ritsuko are in the car, a radio DJ show can be heard from the car radio. We can suppose that this is the same show that was airing in Episode Twelve. A woman DJ is advising a listener on their romantic problems, but the term "oral stage" appears here as well. In this case, the oral stage refers to the oral personality. In other words, it points to personality tendencies that strongly lean towards being dependent and needy for love People with an oral personality happily sacrifice themselves in order to obtain the love of others. Shinji could be said to have an oral personality at this point in time.
EPISODE:21 He was aware that he was still a child. Aired February 21, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script: Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Kiichi Hadame / Director: Hiroyuki Ishido / Chief Animator: Satoshi Shigeta / Assistant Character Designers & Layout Supervisor: Shinji Suzuki
Video Version Staff Storyboards: Kiichi Hadame / Directors: Masahiko Ohtsuka, Shunji Suzuki / Director of Animation: Shunji Suzuki
Starting with this episode, Neon Genesis Evangelion launched into the final series, the fourth part, where the creators' distinctiveness comes into play even more with additional radical content. In Episode Twenty-One, "NERV is Born", as the timeline slips in and out of the past and present, the past of the various characters and of NERV is revealed. How Gendo and Fuyutsuki met, and the conflict between them, how Misato and the others were as students, the relationship between Naoko Akagi and Gendo, the experiment in which Yui vanished, Rei Ayanami getting strangled to death, etc. The drama herein is both powerful and exciting. The amount of information in it is also extremely large. The fact that the location of NERV Headquarters was built on the giant spherical space that had been previously created by some unknown entity and that it is approximately the same as the underground cavern found at the South Pole is also revealed in this episode.
If you look at Eva as a story whose protagonists are Gendo and Fuyutsuki, then the heroine would be Yui Ikari. She fascinates Fuyutsuki and she says, "He's quite a sweet person," of Gendo. Gendo's resolve to advance the Human Instrumentality Project is surely also related to her disappearance. Many mysteries, such as the Eva and Adam, the circumstances of Ayanami's birth, Unit-01 going out of control, etc., are linked with Yui's existance.
The big additions in the "video version" are the South Pole scenes at the beginning, Fuyutsuki being an unlicensed doctor in Toyohashi City in Aichi Prefecture, the scene where Fuyutsuki and Yui meet out in front of the Artificial Evolution Laboratory, and likewise the scene with Fuyutsuki and Yui at the Ashinoko Lakefront. There are also many other minute modifications and final cuts.
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.
EPISODE:22 Don't Be. Aired February 28, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script: Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Hideako Anno / Storyboards: Kazuya Tsurumaki / Director: Akira Takamura / Chief Animator: Mau Hanabatake / Chief Mecha Animator: You Yoshinari / Assistant Character Designer: Kazuya Tsurumaki
Video Version Staff Storyboards & Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki / Directors of Animation: Takeshi Honda, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Kazuya Tsurumaki.
In the fourth part, the drama unfolds taking an even deeper look into the characters. Not only Shinji, but Asuka, Rei, and Misato are put through hearth-wrenching experiences. In Episode Twenty-Two, the spotlight is on the Unit-02 pilot, Asuka Langley Sohryu. It becomes clear why she had been so hung up on the Eva and worked so excessively hard, and when that is uncovered by the Angel, she loses her psychological balance. Just as it holds true for the Fifteenth Angel that appears in this episode, non of the Angels that appear in the fourth part launch brute force attacks, but instead, try to shake the Eva pilots psychologically.
The big additions in the "video version" are the carrier at the beginning, the scene where Asuka is looking at Shinji and Rei at the station, and the bath scene. The highlight is the struggle in Asuka's inner space when she is being attacked psychologically, which took as much as 70 cuts to accomplish. In the station scene, she speaks nastily of Shinji and Rei's relationship, saying, "He is totally back to his usual thing again." Perhaps Asuka thought that the two were a couple or at least in a relationship close to it. Note that in the struggle in her inner space, a scene where she is hanging her head in dejection with the sliding door closed has been newly inserted after the scene from Episode Nine, "Moment and Heart Together," where she shuts the sliding door. And likewise, after the kiss scene from Episode Fifteen, "Lies and Silence," there is a new scene showing her looking frustrated after rinsing her mouth. And from Asuka's dialogue that overlaps these scenes, it becomes clear that she has been looking for help and love from Shinji.
In the same struggle in her innner space in the "video version," when the voice that speaks with Asuka's mothers voice asks, "Who are you?" various Asukas with different voices appear as if in response. Those playing her various voices are female cast members we are familiar with: Kotono Mitsuishi, Megumi Hayashibara, Miki Nagasawa, Yuriko Yamaguchi, and Junko Iwao. In her phone conversation with her stepmother in Part A, Asuka speaks German. The contents of which are roughly as follows: "Hello? Mother? We just finished eating. What about you? You want me to introduce him? Please, of course not. He's not sociable. Uh-huh, uh-huh. Really, wow, I didn't know. That's great. I don't have anything to say, either. Talk to you again later. I'm hanging up, okay? Well, goodnight!" This dialogue was not written in the script, and was left up to Yuko Miyamura, who plays Asuka.
In the fourth part, the effectiveness of certain important scenes has been increased by the use of well-known classical pieces as BGM. The piece used in this episode is Handel's oratorio "Messiah." Messiah means savior and the lyrics have been taken from the Bible. The piece portays the prophecy of Christ's birth all the way to his resurrection in three parts.
EPISODE:23 Rei III Aired March 6, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script: Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hideaki Anno / Director: Shoichi Masuo / Assistant Directors: Masahiko Ohtsuka, Ken Ando / Chief Animator: Shunji Suzuki / Assistant Character Designers: Shunji Suzuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki
Video Version Staff Storyboards: Masayuki, Anno Hideaki / Director: Shoichi Masuo / Director of Animation: Shunji Suzuki / Director of Mecha Animation: You Yoshinari
Episode Twenty-Three is the episode where the spotlight falls on Rei Ayanami. The secrets of her inner thoughts, her death, and her third self are depicted. This is also the episode where Ritsuko's drama is depicted, and just as the title "Tears" indicates, Rei cries in the first half and Ritsuko cries in the second half. The way the story unfolds in a cool, detached way in spite of the fact the episodes portrays the life and death, and the love and hate, of the characters is very much in character with this show.
This DVD contains both the "on-air-version," whose source is the TV broadcast version, and the "video version," which has had animation retaken and scenes added to the TV broadcast version. Some of the big additions to the "video version" of Episode Twenty-Three include the latter half of the combat scene, the fleshy object that bursts out of Unit-00's back, and the depiction of the Angel taking on Rei's form. In Part B, the scene where Gendo and Fuyutsuki look up at the dummy plug is also a new addition. There are also other added cuts and changes to layouts. There were also an extremely large number of revisions made to the character animation, giving it a rich style overall.
Standing before the Reis in the tank, Ritsuko speaks of the relationship between Rei and the dummy plugs, and also of the relationship between "God" and the Evas. It is a scene that provides the greatest amount of information regarding the mysteries in Eva. What exactly is this "God" who disappeared 15 years ago? Was it not Adam appeared 15 years ago? She said that the "God" humans resurrected was Adam, but is this Adam the embryo-like Adam that showed up in Episode Eight? Or could it possibly be the giant underground? In the same scene, Ritsuko says, "The Chamber of Gaf was empty, you see." The Chamber of Gaf, according to Hebrew legends, is a room in the house of God in Heaven where the souls dwell. Babies receive a soul from this room before they are born. It is said that if there are no more souls in the Chamber of Gaf, it is an omen that the world will fall to ruin.
EPISODE:24 The Beginning and the End, or “Knockin' on Heaven's Door” Aired March 13, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script: Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Masayuki, Hideaki Anno / Director, Layout & Chief Animator: Masayuki / Assistant Directors: Masahiko Ohtsuka, Ken Ando / Layout Supervision: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Video Version Staff Storyboards, Director & Director of Animation: Masayuki
The appearance of a new friend, Kaworu, seems to be the salvation of Shinji's soul. However he is in fact the Angel SEELE has sent in, the final messenger. If humans have no contact with others, they will never be betrayed, never hurt. But then, they will never be able to forget their loneliness, either. Humans constantly feel emotional pain and feel that living is suffering. And Kaworu himself, who speaks eloquently about the human heart to that effect, draws Shinji to him emotionally and then deeply hurts him. Episode Twenty-Four is an important episode, both in terms of the plot and the theme, leading up to the climax. The incredibly polished dialogue and the visuals done by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and Masayuki were brilliant. The big additions ins the “video version” are the scenes where Asuka leans of Kaji's death at the start and where Misato is observing SEELE conversing with Kaworu. There are also other revisions to the animation and composition, as well as additional shots and dialogue.
Kaworu only appears in this episode of the show, but his unique atmosphere and his relationship with Shinji led to his character garnering overwhelming support from female fans. When you disassemble the character for his last name, “Nagisa”, it becomes “shi” and “sha”. Thus, it is a play on the sub-title, “The Final Messenger (saigo no shisha)”. The “Nagisa (shore)” also forms a pair with Rei Ayanami's “nami (wave)”.
Only the fourth movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125 “Choral” is used as BGM in this episode. Event what Kaworu is humming when he first appears and what Shinji is listening to on the S-DAT are from No. 9, showing quite a thoroughness. During the climax, it plays for over 7 minutes making a strong impact on the audience. The lyrics for the choral “Ode to Joy” are from the poem “To Joy” by the German poet and playwright, Schiller. There is a passage in those lyrics that goes, “We enter, drunk with your fire, Oh heavenly one, into your sanctuary.” it can be thought of as linking to the content of the second half of this episode.
Also, note the scene where Gendo says, “Yui.” when addressing Unit-01. Considering Shinji's monologue in his own room, it seems he has noticed the relationship between Yui and Rei and is convinced that it is true.
EPISODE:25 Do you love me? Aired March 20, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script: Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hideaki Anno / Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki / Assistant Directors: Masahiko Ohtsuka, Ken Ando / Chief Animator: Takeshi Honda
This is a singular piece of work with an exceedingly experimental structure. In spite of the story unfolding only through monologues and conversations between characters, the directing does a brilliant job maintaining the high tension. When it was originally aired, many voiced their opinion that they could not understand the story in Episode Twenty Five and the Final Episode. However, there is actually a bare-bones explanation of the story within the show. That being… Gendo uses Rei to execute the Human Instrumentality Project and the complementation of man begins. Seeing the remakes, Episode 25 “Air” and Episode 26 “A Pure Heart For You”, may in fact make the content of Episode Twenty-Five easier to understand. The depictions of Misato and Ritsuko being shot to death, Unit-02 hugging its knees in the lake, and Asuka likewise hugging her knees within Unit-02 all correspond to Episode 25.
Gendo says, “All souls will become one and find eternal peace”. His Instrumentality Project must have been for all human souls to be combined as one and to compensate each other for what they have been deprived of. In the story that follows from Episode 25 “Air” to Episode 26 “A Pure Heart For You”, he was not able to execute the scenario he had drawn up. It may be that it was in Episode Twenty-Five and Episode Twenty-Six that his wish actually came true.
The English subtitle, “Do you love me?” is from the book of the same title written by a British psychotherapist named R.D. Laing (Ronald David Laing: 1927-1989). It is a work that is done in a distinctive style as a discourse between individuals, and the style in which this episode is advanced through conversations between the characters is reminiscent of “Do you love me?”
In “The Third Character – In the case of Rei Ayanami” part, three Rei Ayanamis ask and answer their own questions. In the storyboards and the recording script, the child is denoted as Rei 1, the one in the plug suit as Rei 2, and the one in the school uniform as Rei 3, and they appear to correspond to the three generations of Rei Ayanamis. Rei 1 is heartless and Rei 3 appears to have a shallower awareness of “self” compared to the other two. The one who said she existed because Gendo needed her is Rei 2, who knew Gendo for the longest.
“Vividly drawing people” is a distinct quality of this show, and it was also the creative theme. In that sense, stepping deeper into Misato's mind using the reason she slept with Kaji as a lead into it can be called the end point for Neon Genesis Evangelion in depicting people.
EPISODE:26 Take care of yourself. Aired March 27, Heisei 8 (1996)
Script: Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hideaki Anno / Directors: Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki / Assistant Directors: Masahiko Ohtsuka, Ken Ando / Chief
This is the final episode of the TV series. The year is 2016 A.D., and the complementation of mankind is ongoing. Shinji agonizes over the value of his existence and his relationship with other people and comes to a conclusion. The subtitle “The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World” is fron a story by American sci-fi author Harlan Ellison (1934 - ) of the same name. Taking the subtitle of the final episode from a sci-fi novel is a tradition of Director Anno's works, continuing from Aim for the Top! and Nadia: Secret of Blue Water. The “love (ai)” being written in katakana is likely a play on the “love (ai)” and the English “I”.
The final episode also takes the unusual route of unfolding entirely within what appears to be the world within Shinji's mind. In terms of technique, there are also various modes of expression used in abundance, such as still photographs, paper anime, and illustrations. Director Anno and the animator You Yoshinari are the ones who did the key animation for the paper anime.
In “one of the possible worlds”, Shinji lives with Gendo and Yui, and in this world, Asuka is his childhood friend. Note that on the newspaper Gendo is reading is the headline “South Pole Base Opening Its Doors To Visitors”. The Second Impact has not occurred in this world. Incidentally, part of this newspaper headline was revised in the renewal. The parts that were “MPEG2” for the TV broadcast and LD and VHS versions are now “MPEGX”.
The moment that Shinji gains conviction that it is okay for him to be there, the background changes, and the blue Earth spreads beneath his feet. However, there are no continents on this Earth, and it is covered by a gigantic coral reef. It seems this is the Earth that has been transfigured by the Instrumentality Project. This episode ends with the captions “To my father, thank you.” “To my mother, farewell.” “And to all the Children.” “Congratulations!” Eva is something of an Oedipus complex story, where a boy feels love and hatred for his father and mother, so the first two captions can be thought to means that Shinji has come to an understanding with his father and grown out of his dependence on his mother. Perhaps the latter two captions mean, “This is a world where all the children born into it deserve to live.” It is left for the audience to decide whether this ending is the Best Ending or the Bad Ending.
