Episode 02

Episode Information
Episode #02
Title 1: {{{japanese_title_k}}} {{{japanese_title_r}}} Unfamiliar Ceiling Title 2: The Beast
Written By	Hideaki Anno, Yoji Enokido
Directed By	Kazuya Tsurumaki
First Aired	10-11-1995
Video Release Date	{{{video_release}}}
Angel Appearances	Sachiel
Eva Sorties	Eva-01
Episode chronology
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"Episode 01"	"Episode 03"

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 Unit-01. Shinji's first attempt to move his Eva results in a fall. Unit-01 is left helpless as Sachiel advances and proceeds to seriously damage the Evas left arm and right eye. 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, while Misato and Ritsuko survey the aftermath of the battle. Gendo is intructed not to let the reappearance of the Angels allow the Human Instrumentality Project 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. On the way home from shopping, 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" as he crosses the Threshold. 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.

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 advices Shinji to cover up, and he slinks embarrassedly back into the bathroom. Shinji reflects in the days events in the bath.

We see Unit-00 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.

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 we begin a flashback to the events of the battle.

Unit-01 was rendered lifeless 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. Unit-01 suddenly reactivates and begins to act on her own. She launches a vicious attack upon the Angel who defends with 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, Unit-01 soundly defeats Sachiel by shattering the downed Angel's Core. Sachiel in a last desperate attack, wraps itself around Unit-01 and self destructs in a massive cross shaped explosion. Unit-01 emerges still intact from the explosion.

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. As he looks on, the Eva's eye 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.

Notes

• First appearance of the "Human Instrumentality Committee" of Seele, and Seele's leader Chairman Keel Lorenz (incorrectly translated as "Human Complementation Project" in this episode by the official English dub, though correctly translated in all subsequent appearances).
  • None of the other four members of the Instrumentality Committee are ever given proper names, but Gainax production sketches indicate which country from the United Nations (which is secretly controlled by SEELE) each of its members officially represents. Besides Chairman Keel himself (who represents Germany), each of the Instrumentality Committee members is indicated only by what color their video conference hologram is tinted: Chairman Keel (Germany), France (Yellow), Russia (Blue), United States (Green), United Kingdom (Red).
    • Four out of five of the countries represented on the Human Instrumentality Committee are also permanent members of the present-day UN Security Council. China, the remaining permanent Security Council member, is notably absent, with the fifth seat on the Instrumentality Committee going to Germany.
• 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"
• Whenever an Evangelion screams when it goes "berserk" in the series, it is part of the episode's dialogue track, not just the background effects sound track. As a result, when episodes such as this one are translated into different languages (such as the official ADV Films English dub), the Evangelion screams have to actually be re-produced by different voice actors. The result is that Eva screams sound noticeably different between the original Japanese and English dub versions.
• 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. The official English dub actually added in the extra line "...except of course me, that is!", which dismisses the overt connotations of the original dialogue.
• When Shinji's memories about the battle against Sachiel return to him, images of nerve cells as viewed through a microscope flash across the screen.
• 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 original Japanese title of this episode is "見知らぬ、天井 "Mishiranu, tenjō". Gainax made their own English titles, and the English title Gainax created for this episode is "The Beast". ADV Film's translation of the original Japanese title is "An Unfamiliar Ceiling".

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Analysis

• Evangelion pilots seem to feel the damage inflicted upon their Evas. Go Here for a full analysis.
• Evangelion Unit-01 is seen without it's helmet on, revealing that Evangelions are clearly not robots, but more living organic creatures with cybernetic machine and computer components grafted onto them.
• Eva Unit 01 can apparently regenerate battle damage, just like an Angel. It doesn't do this very often in the series, but it is the only Evangelion ever seen actually doing this.
• 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 shot of Misato grabbing Shinji's head from above while at her kitchen table visually parallels the sot when Sachiel grabs Eva 01's head from above.

Go Here for more analysis

Quotes

Original Japanese dub

• (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."

Go Here for dub quotes