FGC:Episode 02 Scene 03

Running Away ~ Under Construction

Screenshots	Cut #	Description/Dialogue	Commentary
	032	Shinji's hand in front. Scenery outside the hospital window (a hill behind the building). SE <<Voices of cicadas>>	Incisivis: (032~041) I love the use of silence in these shots. Very effective. (All right, there are the cicadas, but we can forget about them…)
	033	Hospital corridor. Shinji looking outside the window. SE <<Voices of cicadas>>	Shin-seiki: (032~034) These cuts are mirrored with Rei in #23. This is one of several instances where Anno visually equates Rei and Shinji, almost as though they were, in a sense, twins…
	034	Closeup of Shinji turning his face. SE <<Sound of a door opening and casters>>	HeWhoPostsStuff: Shinji's face here is much the same as when he has Gendo's glasses on and turns around to (really, really) see Rei in her apartment (episode #05). Reichu: Considering all of the times we see "mirrored" (or identical, for that matter) scenes in this series, I have to wonder… Is this NGE's inherent cheapness at work, Anno's intention — or perhaps a little bit of both? Shin-seiki: I would say that it's probably both. NGE being the relatively low-budget production that it was, I believe that Anno, "making a virtue of necessity" (as the saying goes), decided to utilize the recycling of images as an integral part of of his technique as a director and storyteller: He tightly weaves the whole series together through the thematic linkage of scenes via visual (and occasionally aural) means. Reichu: This is one of the stylistic aspects of NGE that I think make it much more interesting. If nothing else, it increases the series' "replay value" by quite a bit, in that you are constantly making connections that you had missed before.
	035	In the foreground, Rei's bed tries to pass through.
	036	Rei gazing at Shinji, completely devoid of emotion.	thewayneiac: "Oh yeah. You're the wuss who almost made me pilot." Reichu: (035~040) What is the purpose of this prolonged shared gaze/long awkward silence? My own take is that it helps reinforce one of the prominent themes in NGE, which is the division between people, the way in which we are all inherently alone. Here, both Shinji and Rei apparently have things to say to one another, but neither takes that step forward. For Shinji, it is due to fear — as the script itself points out, he is "running away" from Rei; he does not speak because he is afraid of rejection of any sort. As for Rei… I couldn't even begin to speculate. She comes off to me as the type who would sooner stare you down than say anything, but I really don't know why she does. Keisuke-kun: In the whole series there are many examples of communication breakdown. Which is funny, 'cause most of the time Japanese are like "Retsu Komyunikeshon" (yes, they do say that -_-).
	037	Rei looking at Shinji.	Hexon.Arq: It almost seems like it wants to be read as an expression of gratitude. Perhaps the length of this exchange could be there to emphasize that there is no such gesture. Of course, she could be incapable of speech, or she could be totally doped up. It looks somewhat benevolent to me, is all.
	038	missing number: Shinji continues standing, level with the camera. (Track back) SE <<Sound of casters>>
	039	missing number: Further down the corridor, Rei's bed vanishes into the darkness like a coffin.	HeWhoPostsStuff: Interesting that the script specifically alludes to a "coffin" here… I don't know how many viewers would have made that connection themselves; I hafta say I didn't. Don't ya love it when the creators deliberately foreshadow stuff and give you pretty much no clue that they're even doing it? Reichu: Foreshadowing Rei 2's later demise, you mean? It seems far too early in the series for that. Maybe that has something to do with why C-039 didn't make it.
	040	Shinji looks for a little while, then slowly lowers his head (running away from Rei) SE <<(faint): Voices of cicadas>>	Shin-seiki: It is interesting to compare shot A with this one from the Rehearsal sequence in "Death". Shinji has a similar spacey look on his face when Rei arrives for the rehearsal… OMF: Another aspect of this scene is how it reveals, that even at this early stage, Shinji already has some "impression" or connection to Rei. Does he suspect?
	041	A large trailer seen from the front. It carries the Eva's head (which is hidden beneath a cover).	thewayneiac: Then how do we know it's really there? OMF: This is the "head" seen in C-010—not the Eva's actual cranium.
	042	Misato inside the trailer (the driver in the front seat), in her underwear. Misato:“Air conditioning has just got to be humanity's greatest treasure. It's a real triumph of science.” Ritsuko puts the receiver of a car phone down. Ritsuko:“Shinji-kun has recovered consciousness.” Misato's face turns serious.	Shin-seiki: (041~048) I think this scene provides an interesting contrast between Misato and Ritsuko: Misato lets the heat get to her and responds by peeling off some of her clothes (something she seems inclined to do at the drop of a hat), while Ritsuko keeps her lab coat on and yet retains her cool, calm demeanor. Reichu: To me, there seems to be some kind of hidden significance to Misato's line that I can't quite put a finger on yet… Maybe I'm just thinking about this too much. Keisuke-kun: How when Man finds something that bothers him he does two things: He learns more about it, then tries to get rid of it. HeWhoPostsStuff: Perhaps because it's one of the few inventions man has which pretty much defies one of the "inconquerable" forces of nature, namely weather and temperature? Something like that… Reichu: That seems to be what ADV was going for in their translation of the line, anyhow. ("Air conditioning has just got to be mankind's greatest treasure. It's the triumph of science over nature.") OMF: Is Misato actually driving the vehicle?
	043	Misato's head in front of the window. Outside, the traffic light turns yellow. Misato:“So, how is he?” Ritsuko (OFF):“No external injuries. His memory is a bit muddled, however.”
	044	Misato leans forward slightly, tense. Misato:“It couldn't be nerve contamination, could———”	Reichu: What the hell is "nerve contamination"…? HeWhoPostsStuff: Perhaps the pilots being connected the the Evas via "cranial uplink" (or whatever) can expose them to some sort of mental damage as well as physical?
	045	Ritsuko responds lightly as she continues working. Ritsuko:“There appears to be no cause for worry.”
	046	Misato:“Really?” For the time being, she stops worrying and reclines back against her seat. Misato:“I suppose he did have a pretty hectic day.”	Reichu: Boing! Gainax Bounce™! A minor incidence compared to what we'll see later this episode, though.
	047	Ritsuko speaks lightly, an ever business-like woman. Ritsuko:“It's not surprising. His cranial nerves took a lot of strain.”
	048	Misato (cynically):“Don't you mean his heart?”	OMF: The difference between Ritsuko and Misato here is that Misato has already begun to think of Shinji as a person and not just a pilot. Reichu: In the original Japanese, she says kokoro. This, along with ki, are abstract, spiritual concepts referenced to extensively in the Japanese language, but neither has any true English equivalent, from what I understand. For that reason, they are rather difficult to translate (especially for someone with a fairly superficial knowledge of the language, like me)… Things get even more muddled when we encounter NGE's concept of the soul — as a concrete, "metabiological" entity — and the language used to reference it.
	049	missing number: Closeup of Shinji's hand clutching his trousers about the knee.
	050	The hospital waiting room. Shinji sits in complete isolation SE <<Voices of cicadas>>
	051	Shinji UP	Reichu: Shinji staring vacantly at his left arm… I think this shows that even though his memory may be "muddled," he apparently has the vague sense that something did happen to his (or EVA-01's, rather) arm. thewayneiac: Yes, this is more of a wrist stare then a hand stare, but I think we should count it in our hand stare count. And like I said, each one seems to nearly always be in a different context than the one before it.
	052	The sun centered in a blue sky. A giant gun suspended from a crane goes by. SE <<Sounds of crane, whistle, and hubbub>>	Reichu: This centered shot of "sun in blue sky" will be seen again… The sun seems to have its own significance in NGE, much like the Moon. As for what exactly that is, speculation will come later on.
	053b	Super-closeup of construction work sign. SE <<Sounds of construction, with background noise. The hum of voices>>	Shin-seiki: The most interesting tidbit of info here is the completion date, August 2015, which maybe implies that Shinji arrived in Tokyo-3 sometime in the summer. This would indicate that the whole story plays out over the course of six months or so (assuming that the reference to 2016 in #26 is implying that the climax of the story is at the very end of 2015…).
	054	A city armament building. In the foreground, laundry hangs on a rooftop. SE <<Missiles loading>>	Reichu: Yet another waste of the taxpayers' money. The laundry is a nice touch. Amidst all of this technology and ordinance, it's easy to forget that people actually live here.
	055	A giant Eva emergency energy supply socket is slowly brought in by crane. Worker:“Okay, okay. Keep it coming. Good!” SE <<Whistle sounds>>
	053a	Pull-out shot of Tokyo-3 under construction. Misato (OFF):“If Eva and this city…”
	056	Misato:“…operate at their full potential, maybe we can make it through this.” Ritsuko is still aboard the trailer. Ritsuko:“You plan on defeating the Angels?”	thewayneiac: Misato seems to have put her shirt back on.
	057	Misato across from the trailer, in an area of the city under construction. Ammunition is being supplied to a 120 mm rifle. Ritsuko is unaffectedly grateful for Misato's outward optimism. Ritsuko:“As optimistic as ever.” Misato:“Hey, sometimes you need a little wishful thinking just to keep on living.” Ritsuko:“——— I suppose so. It's refreshing to hear things like that from you.” Misato:“——— See ya!”	thewayneiac: Well, at least the Evas don't fire revolvers like the Labors from "Patlabor". Keisuke-kun: Well, it is just a 120 mm rifle (probably weighing around 15 tons). I mean, she doesn't really have to worry about people stealing it. Reichu: Misato's exit here always struck me as being disconcertingly abrupt.
	058	Hospital lobby. Closeup of plate, reading: 1st Cranial Nerve Department And below that: Emergency Exit	Reichu: The Eva pilots seem to spend a lot of time in this place throughout the course of the series.
	059	Hospital lobby. Misato approaches Shinji, and at last he notices her. Woman A (Hospital Announcement) (OFF - right):“Dr. Ugai of the 1st Internal Department, Dr. Ugai. Please contact Dr. Azuma of the 1st Surgical Department immediately.” Woman B (Hospital Announcement) (OFF - left):“The medical conference on the B Incident will be held as scheduled. All supervisors please gather in conference room two.”	Reichu: I wonder if this "B Incident" is anything that we know about?
	060	The door of an elevator opens, revealing Ikari standing within. SE <<Elevator sound>>	Keisuke-kun: BGM Start: "It's Gendo!" Reichu: You're right. After being corrupted by the joys of "ReDeath", this scene just doesn't feel right without "Soul Education" playing in the background… HeWhoPostsStuff: It does seem rather odd for this bright pink elevator to just sort of be smack dab in the middle of the plain, cold, metallic confines of Nerv, doesn't it? Reichu: You know, I was wondering almost the exact same thing. Shin-seiki: (060~067) Elevators are a big deal in NGE, with several of the most memorable scenes taking place in them. They represent a convenient way to put characters together who would otherwise try to avoid each other. In this instance, though, the antagonism between Shinji and Gendo is so great that Shinji refuses to even enter such a confined (social, as well as physical) space with his father. Incisivis: (060~066) Another good use of silence, and an example of the "communication breakdown" mentioned above.
	061	Shinji is taken by surprise.
	062	Ikari UP.	Shin-seiki: Get used to seeing this image a lot; in particular, it turns up in Shinji's "teki, teki!" ("enemy, enemy!") sequence in #20, as the images of the Angels give way to the image of his father.
	063	The two of them are at a standstill.	Hexon.Arq: Let's see who can stand on his head the longest — oh no, wait. I see.
	064	Shinji looks down and turns his face. Once again, he is running away from his father.	tv33: Shinji looks away first; Gendo wins. Reichu: This is repeating a theme from 040. I guess after all of the bad crap that happened last time he listened to Misato's well-intentioned advice, Shinji is just reverting to the tried and true. Running away from his demons is easier than confronting them. OMF: Contrast this with Shinji in episode #01, C-203. There he wanted to talk, but lost his nerve. But after the events of the previous day, Shinji doesn't want to talk to Gendo at all.
	065	The door closes.
	066	View from above. The elevator's display light is the only thing that moves.	HeWhoPostsStuff: I'm probably reading too much into this, but I can't ignore the octagon shape in the floor tiles, another recurring A.T. Field shape… It seems appropriate that it's present at a point where the "barrier" between Shinji and his father manifests itself most. Reichu: That's actually kind of an interesting observation… It seems like one of those things that probably wasn't intended to be there, but works well when all is said and done.
	067	Misato UP. In her heart, Misato is thinking, "He's running away again…" Ritsuko (OFF):“Are you sure?”	HeWhoPostsStuff: When she thinks (according to the script) "He's running away," she's obviously referring to Shinji, but methinks she might as well also be referring to his father, seeing as he's doing much the same thing.
	068	Beyond the glass, a pond in the center of Nerv Headquarters. An escalator is in the foreground. Ritsuko (OFF):“They don't want to live together?” Fuyutsuki (OFF):“I think that living apart is natural for Ikari and his son.” Ritsuko (OFF):“And being together is unnatural… is it?”	thewayneiac: Elevator...escalator...elevator...escalator. OMF: Ritsuko is curious about the relationship between Shinji and Gendo, but the fact that she asks Fuyutsuki — who seems to know a lot more about the subject — may be an indication that the topic of Shinji is taboo around Gendo. And/or that Ritsuko doesn't really have much of a relationship with Gendo outside of the bedroom. Hexon.Arq: I'm curious to see what this escalator looks like from the side. I can't recall ever seeing the escalators from any other perspective other than from straight on. For the steps to possess that much length, there must be a hell of a structure under there.