Episode 02
| Episode Information | |||||||
| Episode #02 | |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| Written By | Hideaki Anno, Yoji Enokido | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Directed By | Kazuya Tsurumaki | ||||||
| First Aired | 10-11-1995 | ||||||
| Video Release Date | 2-3-1996 (Japan-Video/LD), 5-16-2000 (US-DVD) | ||||||
| Angel Appearances | Sachiel | ||||||
| Eva Sorties | Eva-01 | ||||||
| Episode chronology | |||||||
| ← Previous | Next → | ||||||
| "Episode 01" | "Episode 03" | ||||||
Contents
Overview
Shinji wakes up in the hospital, with no memory of defeating the Angel the night before. Rejected by his father, Misato decides to take Shinji with her to live in her apartment. Later that night, memories of the battle against the Angel come flooding back to Shinji.
Synopsis
Episode 02 continues where the last ended, with Shinji preparing to face the Angel in Evangelion Unit-01. Shinji's first attempt to move his Eva results in a fall. Eva-01 is left helpless as Sachiel advances and proceeds to seriously damage the Evas left arm and right eye[1]. The pilot's signal is lost, and the Eva is lifeless. The scene then cuts to Shinji suddenly waking up in an unfamiliar, empty hospital room.
Gendo discusses the reappearance of the angels after 15 years with the Human Instrumentality Committee,[2] while Misato and Ritsuko survey the aftermath of the battle. Gendo is instructed not to let the reappearance of the Angels allow the Human Instrumentality Project[3] to fall behind schedule. Shinji sees Rei at the hospital. Misato comes to pick Shinji up at the hospital and they meet Gendo by the elevator, but Shinji wordlessly refuses to enter.
Misato takes Shinji to be assigned accommodation, but discovers that he is to live on his own. She decides to take him to live with her instead, after promising Ritsuko not to "put the moves on" him[4]. On the way home from shopping[5], Misato takes Shinji to an observation point overlooking Tokyo-3 and they witness the city building emerge from underground.
Misato and Shinji arrive at Misato's Apartment. Shinji tries to enter as a guest, but Misato insists that the apartment is his home, and so Shinji says "Tadaima"(equivalent to "I'm home") as he crosses the Threshold[6]. Misato's apartment is in a state with empty beer cans everywhere, and only ice, condiments and more beer in the fridge. Misato changes and they set down to eat a meal of instant food[7].
While taking a bath, Shinji meets Pen Pen in the bathroom and is so startled that he runs naked back into the kitchen to tell Misato. Misato explains that Pen-Pen is their other "roommate", and advises Shinji to cover up, and he slinks back into the bathroom in extreme embarrassment. Shinji reflects in the days events in the bath.
| A Selection of Episode 02 Images | |||||
 |
 |
 |
| ||
 |
 |
 |
| ||
|
By row, from left to right, starting top left:
| |||||
We see Evangelion Unit-00[8] frozen in Bakelite being observed by Gendo and Ritsuko. They discuss Rei's recovery in a ruined control room. Gendo reveals that despite their hardships he will continue to have the children pilot the Evangelions[9].
Shinji lies alone in his bedroom, listening to his SDAT player. Misato speaks with Ritsuko on the phone about their situation. Shinji lies awake reflecting on his presence in Tokyo-3. As he does so, sounds from the battle are heard and images of nerve cells as viewed through a microscope flash across the screen. We begin a flashback to the events of the battle.
Eva-01 was rendered inoperative by Sachiel's attack, with Nerv losing control of the Eva and contact with the pilot. Misato orders the ejection of the Entry Plug, but the system is completely out of control. Eva-01 suddenly reactivates and begins to act on her own. She launches a vicious attack upon the Angel, succeeding in damaging its face. A second attack by the Eva is blocked by a powerful A.T. Field barrier. The Eva repairs her broken left arm and erodes the Angel's barrier with another A.T. Field.
Once the barrier is down, Eva-01 soundly defeats Sachiel by shattering the downed Angel's Core. Sachiel in a last desperate attack, wraps itself around the Eva and self destructs in a massive cross shaped explosion. Eva-01 emerges from the explosion with little apparent damage.
As Nerv regains control of the Evangelion, Shinji comes to in the entry plug. The damaged helmet sloughs off, and Shinji is able to glimpse the Eva's face reflected in the windows of a building[10] As he looks on, the Eva's eye[11] regenerates and suddenly focuses straight at him. Shinji begins to scream and the flashback ends.
Shinji slowly curls up in bed after recalling the battle. Misato comes to his door and praises him for piloting the Eva and saving the city. The episode ends.
Analysis
- When Misato is channel-surfing on TV while in the Nerv tent with Ritsuko, it is difficult to tell exactly what they are saying, however the full lines of dialogue for the people on TV were actually included in the script: (parts actually heard on-screen are italicized):
- Woman on Channel 12: "...the government administration's announcement was carried out this morning in the official residence of the prime minister of Tokyo-2."
Man on Channel 4: "As for the participation of the SSDF in this incident not being recognized, this was negated."
Woman on Channel 8: "They advocated that the U.N. forces' sortie into Japan was within the scope of the law."
Man on Channel 1: "When confronted with the claim, "Was this not an alien attack?", they laughed, saying, "This isn't manga"."
- Misato complains that it is hot out when they are in the truck transporting Eva Unit 01's helmet, and even with the air conditioning turned up, takes off several layers of clothing to be more comfortable. However, Ritsuko does not take off her heavy lab coat. This would seem to be emblematic of their personalities; Misato is casual and laid-back, while Ritsuko is very professional and concerned with appearances.
- The outfit that Misato changes into when she brings Shinji back to her apartment (blue cutoff short shorts, a loose fitting yellow t-shirt, and apparently no bra) is exactly the same outfit that Asuka wears when she kisses Shinji in Episode 15.
- The shot of Misato grabbing Shinji's head from above while at her kitchen table visually parallels the shot when Sachiel grabs Eva-01's head from above.
| One of many visual parallels in NGE | ||
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
OMG!! She's after his cranium!! | ||
Quotes
- (Misato is talking to Ritsuko on the phone)
Ritsuko Akagi: "What did you say?!"
Misato Katsuragi: "Like I said, I'll take care of Shinji. I've already got permission from the brass...(sarcastically)...And don't worry, It's not like I'm going to "put the moves" on a kid."
Ritsuko: (Misato holds her phone away from her head as Ritsuko yells loudly) "OF COURSE YOU'RE NOT!! What the hell are you thinking? You're always like that. Honestly!"
Misato:"She could never take a joke". - Misato: (to Shinji) "Starting today, this is your home. So you can take advantage of everything here."
- Misato: "Air conditioning has just got to be humanity's greatest treasure. It's a real triumph of science."
References
- ↑ Evangelion pilots seem to feel the damage inflicted upon their Evas. Go Here for a full analysis.
- ↑ This marks the first appearance of the "Human Instrumentality Committee" of Seele, and Seele's leader Chairman Keel Lorenz. The Human Instrumentality Project is incorrectly translated as "Human Complementation Project" in this episode by the English dub, though correctly translated in all subsequent appearances.
- ↑ The translation of the file cover displayed during the meeting of the Instrumentality Committee is: "Top Secret/Human Instrumentality Project/International Alliance Supreme Executive Council/17th Interim Report/Human Instrumentality Committee/2015 Business Plan Outline/Summary"
- ↑ Misato's promise not to "put the moves" on Shinji foreshadows both the scene in ep. 23 where she tries (and fails) to "comfort" Shinji by seducing him, and the scene in The End of Evangelion where she gives him an "adult kiss" (and promises to "do the rest" later) to encourage him to pilot Eva-01.
- ↑ The song playing in the background in the convenience store Misato and Shinji stop at is the song "You are the only one" from "Lilia", an image album for the "Ys" RPG series. Not at all coincidentally, the vocalist is Kotono Mitsuishi, Misato's seiyu.
- ↑ When Misato welcomes Shinji into her home, she says that he should feel free to "take advantage of anything here", which of course has several inappropriate implications. ADV's English dub added the extra line "...except of course me, that is!", probably to match the lip flaps, which hides the overt connotations of the original dialogue.
- ↑ Before Misato and Shinji begin eating (their meal of microwaveable insta-food and beer), in the original Japanese dub they say "itadakimasu". This is a traditional prayer before beginning a meal, literally meaning "I will humbly receive"; this is done to show proper thankfulness to the preparer of the meal in particular, and more generally to all those living things that lost their lives to make the meal.
- ↑ This is the first full appearance of Evangelion Unit-00, glimpsed briefly while frozen in bakelite when Gendo and Ritsuko are standing in the experiment room it wrecked when it went berserk. (In Episode 01, only its hand was seen.) Flashbacks to this and a full introduction of Eva-00 will be given in Episode 05.
- ↑ There is a "Signal Termination Plug", inserted into Eva 00, which resembles a crucifix.
- ↑ Eva-01's face has no visible natural upper jaw or teeth, although they should be clearly visible with the entire helmet removed. The face will be seen again, in a more anatomically plausible form, in Episode 20.
- ↑ Eva-01's Eye deliberately resembles female genitalia.
| Episodes & Films | |
| Television Series | Episode 01 | Episode 02 | Episode 03 | Episode 04 | Episode 05 | Episode 06 Episode 07 | Episode 08 | Episode 09 | Episode 10 | Episode 11 | Episode 12 | Episode 13 |
| Movies | Death | Rebirth |
| Rebuild of Evangelion | Evangelion 1.0 | Evangelion 2.0 | Evangelion 3.0 | Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 |
