Shinji and Asuka's Relationship
Despite not joining the cast until Episode 08, Asuka quickly becomes a pivotal figure in the narrative, both in her own right and in her interactions with Shinji. The complex dynamics of their relationship quickly become the heart of the show. Most aspects of the relationship, however, remain unspoken or denied and it is important to realize that what the characters say or do almost never directly corresponds to what they actually feel or desire. Thus it is up to the viewer to piece together their motivations from the unspoken or implied aspects of their actions.
It is often only by looking at the wider details of a scene, such as background conversations or framing that their true feelings are revealed. In many cases the clues to unraveling a scene can only be found in conjunction with other scenes. Finally, it is often the case that important information is transmitted visually rather than through dialog, so examination of screenshots is necessary.
Are They a Couple?
The short answer is yes, but certainly not as traditionally portrayed in this sort of story. As stated above, there is no closure such as their accepting their feelings and acknowledging them to each other and possibly to others as well. Rather, it is the evidence presented in the show makes it clear that they are the show's primary couple.
Through the action arc and into the beginning of the downswing their interactions follow many conventions of romantic comedy. They have an eventful first meeting, complete with instant dislike and sexual misunderstandings. Circumstances force them into continued proximity, with sexual tensions and slowly building mutual acceptance. Friends see a relationship of which the character's themselves are blind, either teasing or offering advice.
For example, this from Episode 17:
| The classmates always know first | ||
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The pause in the second image before they deny their relationship typically shows that Toji's observation is correct. They are quarrelling like a married couple. | ||
Another example would be in Episode 09. Misato has momentarily substituted Rei for Asuka in the synchro-attack training and Rei aces it the first try. After Asuka runs from the room Hikari says to Shinji: "Go after her! You made a girl cry!". On the surface, it's hard to understand exactly how Shinji is responsible. If anyone made Asuka cry it was Misato. Then you realize that Hikari has already figured out that they are a couple, and feels that it is Shinji's responsibility to protect Asuka from this sort of humiliation.
Finally they have their first kiss... at which point the trouble starts.
This is also supported in a more subconscious manner via clever use of cuts during important moments to force a parallel between the Shinji/Asuka relationship and that of Misato and Kaji. In episodes 9 and 15, for example, kiss attempts between Shinji and Asuka are immediately followed by scenes of Kaji and Misato engaged in the same. In episode 11 both pairs end up in compromising positions.
| Shinji/Asuka and Kaji/Misato | ||
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comparison shots from episodes 9, 11, and 15 | ||
Episode 08: Introductions
Upon meeting Shinji Asuka seems less than impressed, dismissing him as "dull", and resenting the attention he's been getting. The radio program playing in the background during lunch, about a man whose girlfriend replaced him with a puppy reflects her feelings. Suddenly she has to share all the attention with another pilot. But when Kaji tells her of Shinji's high synch rate his first mission, for which he had absolutely no training, she feels the need to impress him. Asuka has a major schoolgirl crush on Kaji, and he seems to be deliberately pushing Shinji as an alternative.
So she takes him to visit Eva-02 in order to show off it's superiority to his Eva-01, reminding him that his is just the prototype. Just then an Angel attacks, giving her a real chance to show him just who is the superior pilot, forcing him to wear her spare plugsuit, which seems too tight in certain areas, and to accompany her in the battle.
But his presence makes piloting difficult until they both synch with Eva-02 forcing them to work together to complete the mission and kill the Angel. So, at best she only proves herself his equal. From this point on she considers Shinji to be a rival. But is he anything else to her?
| Asuka is Not Impressed | ||
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Episode 09: Once Again They Must Work Together
Asuka soon becomes Shinji's classmate. It is at once apparent that she has gained respect for Shinji, greeting him with a cheery "Guten Morgen!", while stomping disdainfully on a locker full of love letters from her other male classmates. She also meets Rei at school and immediately identifies her as a rival.
Soon Asuka finds another opportunity to impress Shinji, and everyone else, with her superiority. When the Angel Israfel attacks, instead of coordinating her attack with Shinji, she rushes ahead and tries a solo attack. Defeat soon follows when Israfel splits into two Angels. The two halves easily defeat her and then Shinji. Disaster is averted only when the JSSDF temporarily imobilizes the Angel.
Once again, they find that they must work together; just one of them can't defeat a dividing Angel. It is determined that in order to force them to fight as a team they will spend every moment together training for a tandem attack. This includes living under the same roof, eating and sleeping together. This plan is Kaji's, who once again seems to be deliberately pushing them together. Their tandem training seems to work to some extent. When their friends come to visit they answer in unison! Now comes the afore mentioned scene. When Asuka fails to match Shinji's moves properly, Misato substitutes Rei, who matches him perfectly the first time. Asuka storms out, humiliated. Hikari, who already recognizes Shinji and Asuka as a couple blames Shinji. He takes her advice and follows Asuka, giving her a pep talk she claims not to need. She does however, seem to realize that he's on her side after all. They redouble their training and are soon ready to fight.
On the evening before the second battle with Israfel Misato does not come home, leaving the children alone for the first time. Asuka then puts her increasing infatuation with Shinji to the test, pointing out that they are all alone. This hint goes completely over the socially inept Shinji's head. Misinterpreting his lack of response as a deliberate rejection, she angrily moves into Misato's room for the night, but not without bending forward giving him an impressive look at her cleavage. She also calls the bedroom door the "Wall of Jerico", warning him to stay out. The audience realizes that the Walls of Jerico fell down; Shinji doesn't figure out this hint either. In a flashback in Ep. 22 we find out this leaves her alone and dejected.
Later that evening she makes a bathroom trip, and subconciously lays down next to him, giving him another look at her cleavage. He almost kisses her, but stops when she cries out for her mother in her sleep. He realizes that she is also just a child.
Despite this misunderstanding, the battle is a success, the Angel defeated. At this point the almost kiss comes to light, revealing that he is interested in her after all. She reacts with (feigned?) anger.
| Temptation | ||
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Asuka throws down the flirtation gauntlet, but her challenge goes unnoticed. In the last shot here, from Ep. 22, we finally see her reaction. | ||
Episode 10, if at first you don't succeed...
Following the battle against Israfel, Asuka learns that Shinji is not quite as immune to her charms as he had seemed. So she decides to keep at it,[1] first tring to get him to man-up when he fails to protest their being left behind on the school trip, then showcasing both her physique and intellect by offering him help with his physics homework via a rather suggestive demonstration involving her breasts. When Shinji reacts with embarrassment, she once again pronounces him "boring", only to try to get his attention again when she sees him watching Rei. She ends the episode happy when he risks his life by plunging into molten lava to rescue her.
Episode 11: I'm in Charge!
When the three pilots are trying to make their way to the hanger during the blackout, Asuka attempts to impress Shinji and put her other rival, Rei, in her place by showing off her command abilities. At first things don't go very well; she leads them down the wrong path. But in the end she was the right choice as her plan defeats the Angel. She also feels the need to take the most dangerous role because Shinji rescued her the previous episode.
Episode 15: Is it just a kiss?
In Episode 15 Asuka dumps her blind date, and returns home. She tries once again to get friendly with Shinji by praising his cello playing. When Misato calls to say she'll be late, Asuka sees the chance to try once more to advance their relationship, pointing out, as she did in Episode 09, that they are all alone. She then suggests that they try kissing. She has to tease him into the kiss by suggesting the he's afraid that his mother is watching them from heaven, or maybe he's just afraid. However, she hides her genuine interest in Shinji by saying that she's just "bored", and that Kaji is the only one she wants. What she doesn't seem to realize is that Shinji doesn't read mixed signals well at all[2]. Even though she holds their kiss to the point where she leaves him gasping for breath, due to his misunderstanding of her intentions, he shows no reaction at all. Furious and emabarrassed by his apparent rejection, she runs from the room and pretends to gargle to cover her true feelings.[3] Once again, in Episode 22 we see what she really thinks of this.
A short time later, Kaji brings Misato home, smelling of her perfume. Asuka realizes Misato and Kaji are back together and feels she has lost twice in one evening.
| Misunderstood Intentions | |||
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Shinji believes Asuka's lie that her kiss was just to relieve boredom, but once again in Ep. 22 we find it meant a lot more to her. | |||
Episode 16: Asuka Surpassed
Soon after the kiss incident Asuka begins to lose confidence in herself due to Shinji's perceiced rejection, actually not a rejection at all. Thus her synch rate begins to drop. When Misato conveys the news that Shinji has surpassed Asuka's synch rate[4], Asuka flies into a rage. She pretends her locker room tirade is actually over being beaten, but the viewer knows it's because he wouldn't kiss her. In her anger she goads him into a precipitous attack against the Angel Leliel, with near-fatal consequences. Despite all this, her true feelings are exposed when Shinji spots her lurking outside his hospital room door.
Episode 18
Still smarting from Shinji's unresponsiveness, Asuka complains to Hikari:
ASUKA: "Actually, he's the most dense of them all. And he's an idiot to boot. He doesn't know how to relate to people."
Episode 22
This is the big payoff episode for the Shinji/Asuka relationship. We learn in the flashback prologue that the night before she met Shinji, Asuka attempted to seduce Kaji. To put it mildly he seems less than thrilled, and immediately suggests Shinji as a substitute, something he will repeat throughout the series. Her professed desire for "Kissing and even the stuff after that!" would seem to indicate that Shinji also would have received considerably more than a kiss had he been more responsive in Ep. 09 or 15.
In the series present, Asuka's jealousy still surfaces when she sees Shinji speaking to Rei at the station: "He was melted into his Eva for a whole month until just the other day. What's with him? He's totally back to his usual thing again. Fine, so I've lost." Later, much to her disgust, Asuka catches herself confiding her feelings about her stepmother to Shinji. She is stunned to realize that she was treating him as a confidant. Moments later while alone in the bathroom, she complains bitterly to herself about having to share her quarters with Shinji and Misato.
Later, during her mindrape by the Angel Arael, Asuka is at last forced to face her true feelings. Not only is it revealed that she was devastated by his perceived rejection in Eps. 09 and 15 (see above), there is a replay of the post-kiss sequence in Ep. 15 where she is trying to get Kaji to stay the night. Instead of smelling Misato's perfume and realizing that Kaji is lost to her, she sees that Shinji is there as well. Realizing that this means that Shinji has replaced Kaji in her affections, she snarls "Why are you there?! You won't do anything! You won't help me! You won't even hold me! No one! No one! No one!" Interestingly, the line "You won't help me!" is interposed over a flashback of Shinji rescuing her from the volcano in Ep. 10; that isn't the kind of help she wants.
In the end, she is utterly defeated. She realizes that she loves a social misfit who can't or won't return her feelings as she so desperately wants. Moreover, she was rescued from Arael by her arch rival, Rei. When Armisael attacks in ep. 23, Eva-02 won't move for her at all. In Ep. 24, in an apparent suicide attempt, she is found in an abandoned dirty bathtub in a pool of red liquid.[5]
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Episode 22 Flash-Sign Montages
See this page: User:Ran1 for a complete interpretation of this following piece.
Asuka, during the Episode 22 mindrape, is forced to come to terms with the nature of her relationship with others and society, especially in regard to her relationship with Shinji. In it, she engages in a dialectic with her inner persona, actively trying to reject Shinji due to his unresponsiveness to her, but in the end, realizing her need for him.
EOE
One More Final
(coming soon)
For more information, less accepted alternatives and objections, see http://forum.evageeks.org/viewtopic.php?t=3758
References
- ↑ But not before making a play for her crush, Kaji, by dragging him along swimsuit shopping, much to his embarrassment.
- ↑ In EOE Shinji accuses Asuka, Rei, and Misato of "keeping things ambiguous". It's quite possible that if Asuka had just admitted that she wanted to kiss Shinji things would have worked out better. Of course, Shinji is never honest with Asuka about his feelings either.
- ↑ That Asuka is mortified by Shinji's lack of reaction to the kiss is demonstrated by the shading over her eyes. This visual is quite common in anime, and is used elsewhere in Evangelion as well. Compare it, for instance to the shot of Shinji refusing to pilot in Episode 01.
- In the Japanese dub, when Asuka turns and runs away after the kiss, we hear a barely audible gasp of anger. In ADV's English dub, they anticipate the "gargling" sounds by having her let out a comedic bleeehhhhh! style sound, missing the point that she is supposed to be almost speechless with anger and embarrassment.
Mortification and the Aftermath of the Kiss 
Asuka mortified. 
Shinji mortified.
- ↑ Yuu ah nunbah wan!
- ↑ After being told by Shinji of Kaji's death, perhaps the last straw. This is a very curious scene in that no context is given as to why he tells her.
