Episode 01

Episode Information
Episode #01
Title 1: {{{japanese_title_k}}} {{{japanese_title_r}}} {{{japanese_title_e}}} Title 2: {{{english_title}}}
Written By	Hideaki Anno
Directed By	Kazuya Tsurumaki
First Aired	10-4-1995
Video Release Date	{{{video_release}}}
Angel Appearances	Sachiel
Episode chronology
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"(none)"	"Episode 2"

Overview

Shinji Ikari is summoned to Tokyo-3 by his father Gendo, commander of the NERV organization, to fight off an attack by a giant "Angel" monster by piloting the only weapon capable of battling an Angel: Evangelion Unit-01.

Synopsis

A mysterious figure glides underwater towards Tokyo-3, passing sunken buildings on it's way. It's the Angel Sachiel. After 15 years the Angels have begun to attack.

Meanwhile,Shinji Ikari arrives in Tokyo-3. He is waiting by a phone booth for Misato Katsuragi, who has sent him a risque photo of herself. During his wait he suddenly notices a mysterious teenage girl who seems to be observing him; she vanishes as quickly as she appeared. Before he can ponder this Sachiel appears. Shinji is rescued in the nick of time by Misato and is taken to NERV's underground base.

Meanwhile, the military is powerless against Sachiel, so they surrender command to Shinji's long absent father, Gendo Ikari.

Upon their arrival, Shinji and Misato are greeted by Ritsuko Akagi NERV's chief scientist. Shinji then learns that he has been summoned to pilot Evangelion Unit-01 into battle against the Angel. Shinji, who plainly detests his father refuses. Gendo then sends for his other pilot Rei Ayanami despite her being seriously injured, coldly telling his vice-commander Kozo Fuyutsuki "she's not dead". Rei is wheeled into the room in a hospital bed, covered with bandages and clearly in pain. The audience recognizes her as the girl Shinji saw on the street, but in her condition how could this be?. There is no sign that Shinji recognizes her as well.

Sachiel has now zeroed in and has begun to attack NERV headquarters. The room shakes and Rei tumbles to the floor. As Shinji moves to help her a bank of floodlights falls straight towards him! Suddenly, Unit-01's arm moves to deflect the lights. Ritsuko is astounded because the Eva shouldn't have been able to move at all with no entry plug inserted. Misato realizes that the Eva had moved to protect Shinji thus they have a chance to succeed after all. Cradling Rei in his arms, Shinji sees her blood on his hand, and is finally shamed into piloting. The episode ends with Shinji being launched into battle. Gendo's smile indicates his supreme confidence.

Notes

• Every recurring major character in the series appears in the opening sequence of this episode, including Shinji's classmates (who don't appear until Episode 3), and Asuka and Kaji (who do not appear until Episode 8), probably because it would have been more expensive to create more than one opening sequence.
• Tokyo-3 was built on the site of pre-Second Impact Hakone. Throughout the series stray dialogue about there are various stray references to geographic locations surrounding Tokyo-3 that also surround Hakone.
• According to Misato it took seven months for Rei to synchronize with Eva Unit 00. It is not clear if Rei's accident in which Eva 00 went berserk, which chronologically seems to happen right before this episode (and is seen in flashbacks in Episode 5, is what Misato is referring to as Rei's first synchronization, or if it happened even earlier than seven months ago.
• This episode premiered on October 4th, 1995, which also happened to be Yom Kippur that year. It's not clear if, given the various references to Jewish mysticism in the series, this was an intentional choice or just coincidence.
• Shinji and his father Gendo have not met in three years.
• When Misato asks Shinji if his father sent him a NERV ID card, he hands her the letter that his father sent him summoning him to Tokyo-3. All of the printed out words on the entire letter are censored and blacked out because it is classified information. The only actual information on it is a handwritten message from Gendo which reads: "COME -- Gendo Ikari". Shinji obviously tore up the paper out of frustration at his father, and then taped the pieces back together.
• When Shinji says he doesn't get along with his father, Misato says he sounds just like her. The relationship between Misato and her father will be expounded upon in Episode 12.

  

  "Check these out!"

• Misato mailed Shinji a photo of herself to let him know what she looked like when she picked him up: it is a humorously inappropriate photo of her wearing cutoff jeans that reveal her thighs, leaning foward in a tank top revealing excessive cleavage, winking at Shinji and giving him the V-sign. She also left a lipstick kiss on it. The Japanese writing on it translates as "To Shinji: I'll be picking you up, so wait for me, okay?" (apparently written in creator Hideaki Anno's own handwriting). Misato also punctuated the photo with a highly inappropriate message, "Check these out!!" with an arrow pointing to her barely covered breasts. The Platinum Edition DVDs translate this into English as "Pay Attention!".
• Sachiel's energy blasts look like crucifixes.
• Despite being the head of NERV's Tactical Operations division, Misato is apparently a relatively new arrival at NERV HQ, as she gets lost on her way into the base, prompting Ritsuko to comment that she's "lost again" (i.e. it's not the first time that she has been in NERV HQ, but she is has not been there long and still gets lost). In the next episode, Misato says that she just moved to Tokyo-3 "the other day" and there are still unopened boxes in her apartment.
• Sachiel's resperator system is somewhat unusual; this is made more clear in production sketches, but apparently it "breathes in" through the gills on its thighs, and "breathes out" through what is apparently a large "nostril" in the center of its crotch.
• The original Japanese title of this episode is "使徒、襲来 "Shito, shūrai". Gainax made their own English titles, and the English title Gainax created for this episode is "ANGEL ATTACK". ADV Film's translation of the original Japanese title is "An Angel's Attack".

Analysis

• Sachiel's design is remarkably similar to the Plug suit designs. For details, go here: Sachiel/Plug Suit Design Analysis
• When Ritsuko first meets Shinji and Misato, she is wearing a one-piece swimsuit, which she was wearing under a diving suit, with her lab coat over it. However, between when Ritsuko, Misato, and Shinji meet in the elevator and when they reach Unit 01, Ritsuko has changed into her normal clothes (blue shirt, black skirt, and stockings); in addition, Misato has put on her trademark red jacket. They're supposed to be hurrying to Eva Unit 01 as fast as they can to sortie it against the Angel: Misato could conceivably have just thrown her jacket on while walking, but Ritsuko apparently took the time to change her entire outfit?

Quotes

• Fuyutsuki: "It's been 15 years"
  Gendo Ikari: "Yes. Well, now we know for sure: the Angels are back".
• Misato Katsuragi: (while standing on an elevated people mover transporting her through NERV base, which is clearly visible from lower levels) "It's because of these things that I hate to wear a skirt around here".
• Ritsuko Akagi: "This is Man's ultimate fighting machine: the synthetic life-form known as Evangelion Unit 01. Built here in secret, it is Mankind's last hope".
• Shinji Ikari: "I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away..."

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