FGC:OP B

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Screenshots	Cut #	Description/Dialogue	Commentary
	018	EVA-01's mouth opening.	Spanky the Dolphin: According to Newtype 100% Collection (page 101), EVA-01's mouth is actually bolted shut with a horizontal peg at the front teeth, and the pieces flying out is the destroyed bolt. Sharp-kun: It's actually that way for all the Evas. Watch EVA-03 when she goes crazy in episode #18. Reichu: If they bother bolting the Evas' mouths shut, why don't they just go the safer route and not give them a separate jaw piece to begin with? felineki: See that odd little “exo-tooth” EVA-01 has in the blue portion of the upper jaw? I think this is the only time it's depicted.
	019	EVA-01 throwing up her hand.	Reichu: I sure as hell don't want to be socked in the core by those knuckle dusters.
	020	EVA-01 UP.	Reichu: Later on, this will come to be known as Shogouki's “I-Need-Munchies” Face. This is perhaps one of the only times in the show that we see the helmet's four tiny nostril holes (look at the nasal region closely). They are much more prominent on EVA-02 and EVA-03, although their position seems to imply that the nares have migrated to a higher position on the head in the more “advanced” Evas, indicating a degree of further genetic tinkering.
	021	EVA-01's hand, stained with red blood.	Reichu: Here's a hand shot we'll definitely be seeing more of. felineki: Note that it actually moves a little; this is never seen in the show itself. Reichu: True, not in any of the shots directly corresponding to this one. However, a similar thing happens at a certain point in episode #19 …
	022	Text: “TEST TYPE”.	Reichu: Why is she a “Test Type,” you might wonder? All in good time …
	023	Zankoku na tenshi no têze (The cruel angel's thesis … ) EVA-01's foot, a telephone pole, and a sign smeared with red blood. A wrecked car.	Reichu: EVA-01: “Oh, and I just bought these shoes!” Too bad this scene never actually happens in the show, although the imagery does recall her little rampages in #16 and #18.
	024	Text: “EVA-01”.	Reichu: “EVA-01” — please take note. Her Japanese designation, Shogouki, translates literally into something like “First Unit,” but we already know that Anno doesn't always use literal translations for the English-language equivalents. However, people have grown so accustomed to seeing “Unit-01” (exact notation differs) in their subtitles (or hearing it in the dub) that they're going to keep on using the “U” word no matter how much I complain. ::P A rather petty niggle, I'll admit.
	025	EVA-01 turning around.	Reichu: A very dynamic shot, taken from C-266 in episode #02. (According to the storyboards, the original plan was to use C-260 here.) Since the OP is liberally showing off EVA-01 (NGE's iconic central mecha), this seems like an opportune place to mention some things about the Evangelions' design. Common "wisdom" holds that they (or the first four Evas, anyway) were based upon the so-called “Barons of Hell”, but this appears to be nothing but unsubstantiated Internet rumor (see here). The burden of proof is on this rumor's proponents, and unless they can turn up actual evidence (and any sources related to NGE don't count), this idea should be disregarded as another unfortunate n00bism. What is known, however, is that the Evas were fundamentally based upon the oni (commonly translated as “demon” or “ogre”, but actually a specific type of Japanese monster). Says Anno-kantoku himself (in an interview published in Aerial Magazine): There's a monster in Japan called the Oni; it has two horns sticking out of its head and the overall image of the Eva is based on that. I also wanted to give the impression that beneath this ‘robot monster’ image is not so much a robot, but a giant human. An early sketch Anno did of an Eva clearly betrays their oni roots. Working from this basic premise, and corresponding with Anno along the way, Ikuto Yamashita developed the Evas we know and love [with the exception of EoE's “harpies”].* Regarding this task, Yamashita said the following in the first volume of the manga: So why did Evangelion wind up with that shape?" … The director instructed me to make, “the image of [an oni].” A giant just barely under the control of mankind. I get the feeling I've seen that correlation before … The image I had for the design concept was the fairy tale, Gulliver's Travels. Enormous Power Restrained. … What I came up with was a giant that looks like a relief on a wall. … I happily discarded the efficiency and feeling of giant size that you can guess at by sight alone. … after the designs were handed in, it caused a stir — even among the staff, positive and negative opinions were flying. And from here on out, I imagine it will cause a stir among comic readers and animation viewers. I wonder how much of the “stir” stemmed from the fact that the Evas diverge so heavily from their “giant robot” precursors. They are not boxy, rigid, and robust like traditional mecha, but sinuous, with more flowing curves than straight lines. The “armor” betrays the organic forms that lie beneath, for an Eva is, as Anno said, not a robot but a giant human — a majestic, awe-inspiring combination of athletic gracility and raw savagery. But for all of their human qualities, the way in which these have been exaggerated gives the Evas an uncanny, alien feel. The Evas we see in the show are slightly different from what Yamashita cooked up: They've been streamlined somewhat and are, by and by, far more lean — stretched and pinched until their already wacky proportions are exaggerated further, often to a ludicrous degree. It actually would've been nice if the creators had given the different Evas a range of body builds (harpies and EGK nonwithstanding), rather than adhering (in theory, anyway) to one; that way, we could have had both Yamashita's body-builders and the show's anorexic athletes, among potential others.  *This conceptual evolution can be seen in the book Sore o nasumono: Shin-seiki Evangelion Concept Design Works. Along with other things, it's interesting to see how the horn configuration changes along the way, finally producing only one horned Eva, Sho here, who is somewhat more evocative of a unicorn than an oni!
	026	The 3rd Angel UP.	Reichu: This is the face of the 3rd Angel, Sachiel (with a glaring inaccuracy I'll moan about later). As a symbol (including the "long-beaked" variation), it has come to represent the Angels as a whole, even though this visual motif recurs in very few. I don't know whether or not Sachiel's face is borrowed from actual religious iconography, although it does look an awful lot like a stylized owl face: disc-shaped, two large forward-facing eyes, “beak”. What do owls have to do with anything? Well, Lilith, maybe. In some of the extremely convoluted folklore surrounding her, Lilith is a demon of the night and her patron animal, appropriately, the owl. The Hebrew word lilith even appears in Isaiah 34:14 from the Bible, where is it often translated as “screech-owl” or another “nocturnal animal that inhabits desolate places”. There is also the possibility that it refers to Lilith herself, a “female goddess known as a night demon who haunts the desolate places of Edom”.* Of course, that could well be completely irrelevent. Oh, the perils of overinterpretation!!  * Note that the demon is the precursor of the "Lilith as first wife of Adam" who first appeared in the Alphabet of Ben-Sira. I'll attempt to add refs for all this crap eventually, but it's not high on the priority list. thewayneiac: So,... "The owls are not what they seem"...?
	027	EVA-01 enveloped by flames.	Reichu: Grrrr! Blood! Death! Destruction! A rather ominous image of EVA-01. The way she is sandwiched here by two Angel trademarks — the Sachiel face and a core — is an immediate, but indirect, hint about the Evas' true nature.
	028	The core of an Angel.	Reichu: What's with those lines? Perhaps something is being reflected off the core … but what? Very curious.
	029	Text: “ABSOLUTE TERROR FIELD”.	MDWigs: It's interesting to note that the characters in the series always refer to this simply as “A.T. Field”. Here is the only place where we are told what the “A.T.” actually stands for. (Of course, in external sources, it's also stated that “A.T. Field” = “Absolute Terror Field.”) thewayneiac: Something that needs to be buried along with the "Four Barons of Hell" is the idea that "A.T. Field" is a genuine psychological term used to descibe the barrier separating patients of autism from reality. After a search that included browsing psychology bulletin boards and newsgroups, I have yet to find one mention of A.T. Field in any non-Eva related source. I've come to the conclusion that this is yet another one that was pulled out of someone's posterior.
	030	The face of a mysterious, beautiful boy. (The last Angel.)	MDWigs: Referring back to my comments on the timeline issue in 001a, it's worth noting that Kaworu is in here right from the very beginning. HeWhoPostsStuff: And the "official" Kaworu image. He seems to be the only character (aside from Yui in C-072) not rendered in full color … Reichu: Of course, the "beautiful boy" in the description was originally — you guessed it — bishounen. Crap, I could have just left it untranslated, eh?
	031	Rei with her back to the Moon.	MDWigs: There is a strong connection between Rei and the Moon, and the Moon itself also plays an important part in NGE, which will be highlighted further throughout the series. Reichu: Also notice how Kaworu and Rei appear together here in lieu with the title “ANGELS” after a procession of “Angelic” items. Again, one of those things for which the meaning will only become apparent towards the end.
	032	Text: “ANGELS”.	Reichu: This is another interesting one. The Japanese term for the Angels is shito — which means “apostle” or “disciple” rather than “angel” (tenshi). Why Anno opted for this dichotomy is still beyond me. The Angels of NGE aren't exactly the attendants of some divine being. On the other hand, they really aren't anyone's disciples, either. Although apparently, apostulos and angelos both mean “messenger”, so the interchangeability of “angel” and “shito” works on an etymological basis. That they both inherently mean "messenger" carries important implications for the true meaning of the term in NGE, which, AFAIK, eluded the English-speaking community until I serendipitously stumbled upon the answer... But that is something for a later time. Speaking of apostulos, that is actually what the Angels were called in a preliminary NGE scenario (a booklet that was shipped around with the hopes of attracting sponsors).
	033	Panoramic view of Tokyo-3.	Dr. Nick: A pretty view from the best make-out spot in Tokyo-3.
	034	Text: “TOKYO-3”.	Reichu: Here we go again! In Japanese, “Tokyo-3” is called Dai San Shin-Toukyou-Shi — literally, “Third New Tokyo City.” Obviously, “Tokyo-3” doesn't contain quite as much information. Keisuke-kun: Well, shi is used to refer to any city in the Japanese language and it is always omitted in English. (Same with the suffices for prefectures and districts.) So that leaves “Third New Tokyo.” thewayneiac: Tokyo-3 sounds more natural in English than “Third New Tokyo (City)”. There is such a thing as over-translating. Reichu: Bizarrely, in their Platinum subtitles, ADV substitutes “Tokyo-3” (which they, correctly, had used the first time around) with “New Tokyo-3”. Sort of a minor quibble, but this wasn't one of the things that needed changing!
	035	Madobe kara yagate tobitatsu (Will one day take flight from the windowsill) Panoramic view of Nerv HQ.	Shin-seiki: Am I the only one that sees something vaguely gynecological about this structure? Considering how the Angels are seeking to penetrate Nerv HQ, thru the Main Shaft, to reach Terminal Dogma in order to consummate their goal, which is ‘First Contact’ and complementation with the Source of Life there, I tend to think that the resemblance is deliberate… Reichu: Well, sometimes an “inverted pyramid-shaped cavity is just an inverted pyramid-shaped cavity.” Then again, sometimes a cigar really is a phallic reference. Freudian analyses seem to have a bad habit of being either right-on-the-mark or seriously off-target. To the point, as of yet I haven't been able to find anything informative about the structure in production illos or anywhere else, including whether or not it links with the main shaft.
	036	The mark of Nerv.	Reichu: Nerv is German for — guess what? — “nerve”. However, the pronunciations of the two words are completely different, despite what certain dubs might lead you to believe. But more on that later. MDWigs: The End of Evangelion Theatrical Program has this to say about the left: The figure is half of a fig leaf. It hardly needs be said that the fig leaf symbolizes the original sin entangling Adam and Eve, and brings to mind the humans who ate of the Fruit of Wisdom. HeWhoPostsStuff: Here's my Bible's version: Genesis 3:6-7 Consequently the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was something to be longed for to the eyes, yes, the tree was desirable to look upon. So she began taking of its fruit and eating it. Afterward she gave some also to her husband when with her and he began eating it. Then the eyes of both of them became opened and they began to realize that they were naked. Hence they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves." Reichu: Interestingly, Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews contains an account of the “fruit-eating incident” from Chavvah's (Eve's) point of view wherein the fig tree is actually identified as the Tree of Knowledge: … I knew at once that I was stripped of the righteousness in which I had been clothed. I began to weep, because of it and because of the oath the serpent had forced from me. The serpent disappeared from the tree, while I sought leaves wherewith to cover my nakedness, but all the trees within my reach had cast off their leaves at the moment when I ate of the forbidden fruit. There was only one that retained its leaves, the fig-tree, the very tree the fruit of which had been forbidden to me. MDWigs: As for why it's only half, perhaps it's alluding to the nature of humanity and the Angels. Humanity, with the Fruit of Wisdom, represent half of the whole, complemented (no pun intended) by the Angels with the Fruit of Life. felineki: The “God's In His Heaven” quote is from a poem by Robert Browning. Apparently the poem is called Pippa's Song, and the relevant passage goes a little something like this: The year's at the spring, And days's at the morn Morning's at seven The hillside's dew-pearl'd The lark's on the wing The snail's on the thorn God's in His heaven — All's right with the world!
	037a	Fuyutsuki.	Dr. Nick: In my honest opinion, Fuyutsuki and Yui are the true heroes of the story. But more about that when we reach the “Ashinoko flashbacks” (in episode #21 and in EoE).
	037b	Map of Tokyo-3.	Sharp-kun: This map is of Tokyo-3 (the array of squares on the western side) and the surrounding area.
	038	Hyuga.	Reichu: This nerdy-looking fellow is Makoto Hyuga, one of the Command Center's main three operators, whose duties consist mostly of communicating data from the MAGI to the higher-ups. In other words, most of their lines are “Star Trek”-esque gobbledygook that no one can possibly hope to comprehend. There are actually other operators (besides these guys) who commandeer the lower decks of the Command Center where the MAGI actually sit, but they're just poor nameless redshirts who don't really matter. ::p
	039	Aoba	Reichu: And here's Shigeru Aoba, Tokyo-3's local hippie. (Well, not really, but he's got the hair, he plays guitar, he quite possibly uses mind-altering substances ;;) — what more do you want?) And the dub errs yet again with this one: The Japanese ao is pronounced sort of like “ow”, not “A-O”. (If you want the “A-O” sound, try eio, as in “Keio”.)
	040	Maya.	Reichu: Maya Ibuki. Referred to as “Ibuki” in NGE's script and “Maya” just about everywhere else. HeWhoPostsStuff: I wonder if anyone at Gainax ever suspected that Maya, one of the more minor characters in NGE, would end up with a bigger fan base than her “sempai” Ritsuko? Sharp-kun: Maya is remarkably popular for the amount of screen time she gets. I've been surprised by the number of other Maya fanboys and fangirls I've encountered. She doesn't have quite as much depth as Shinji or Asuka, but she still has a good number of personal issues to cope with. Again, something that will be dealt with when the appropriate cues crop up.
	041	Nerv HQ's Command Center.	Reichu: The Command Center is where most of Nerv's key personnel hang out and the MAGI super-computers are located. This image is part of a panning shot of the Tactical Command Room that will be used a lot in the series. According to production drawings, “Command Center” refers only to the top tier of this structure, whereas the whole thing is called the “Command Tower” — but we can't hope for that kind of consistency in the script. Shin-Seiki: The Command Center bears a rather blatant resemblance to the forward superstructure of a WWII-era battleship; hence the fact that it is often refered to as “the bridge”, and its denizens as “the bridge crew”, or even “the bridge bunnies”. I can't think of a good, “realistic” reason for the Command Center to be designed this way. As with so much in NGE, it's just there to look cool. Reichu: It's probably just because Anno is a big fan of WWII naval vessels.
	042	Kaji.	Reichu: Yay! Kaji-san! Ryoji Kaji, to be precise … And I don't think you once hear his given name spoken in the series, unless you're watching the French dub. Kaji's one of my favorite characters (aside from the Evas and Angels, of course); I even went so far as to cosplay as him at Otakon '03 and '04. Not like any of you actually wanted to know that. MDWigs: Kaji is probably my favourite character too; he is by far the coolest. In this shot he seems to have shaved recently, which is far from the norm.
	043	Ritsuko.
	044	The crest of Seele.	Reichu: Seele's crest is also found on Lilith's mask for reasons that probably won't ever become clear. Keisuke-kun: The seven eyes are probably a reference to the “seven eyes of God,” mentioned twice (without much to it) in the Bible (Zechariah 3:9 and Revelations 5:6). “Eyes of God” in general are mentioned in the Bible a multitude of times. thewayneiac: It's also been pointed out that if you add up the number of eyes on the first three Evas, you get seven. (1 + 2 + 4 = 7) I've never been sure if this actually means anything, though. Reichu: The shape of the triangle has become associated with God, partly because He encompasses a Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. (Robert Fludd — mentioned back in 002b — also depicted God as a triangle in his works.) The fact that the triangle in Seele's mark is divided in half also gives us a second ‘trinity’, of sorts, in that it creates three triangles (the two halves and the whole). In any case, Seele chose their symbol aptly, considering they're an organization out to evolve humanity into something equivalent to God. Or reunite it with God. Or something. HeWhoPostsStuff: The pretty rainbow colors always looked weird on that ominous logo, in my opinion. Perhaps a passing reference to the rainbow which God put up in the sky after Noah's flood, as a promise that he would never repeat such an event? Probably not … I'd say it's more likely that Seele are just a bunch of Grateful Dead fans or something. Reichu: Either that, or they're targeting a line of Seele merchandise at young girls. They're suckers for pretty colors. (How else to explain the commercial success of such franchises as Rainbow Brite and Lisa Frank?) But I digress. Again. In the storyboards, not only does the logo look slightly different, it is said to belong not to Seele, but “Essene”. Considering the timing issues Wigs mentioned back in 001a, it seems odd that the name of the collective baddies hadn't been decided yet — but, then, Seele is not even mentioned until episode #14 (we are only dealing with the Instrumentality Committee before then). Interestingly, "Essene" is actually quite a bit more meaningful than “Seele”… Some quick Googling yielded the following: The Essene brotherhood had its inception at the time of Melchizedek, the great spiritual master who lived on this planet around 1973 B. C. and was the incarnation of Jesus. … The development of the Essene brotherhood over the next two thousand years is embodied in the development of the Jewish religion. The Essenes were a Jewish sect representing an esoteric aspect of Judaism, or Jewish mysticism. The Jewish mystics studied the Kabbalah, which taught belief in reincarnation, astrology, channeling, prophecy, soul travel, psychic development, and angels, and which organized itself around the Tree of Life. (Source) Hmm, any of that sound familiar? Also interesting is that the Essenes are often credited with the actual creation of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is fun to theorize which, if any, real-life occult organizations Seele is supposed to be, and this, even though it was changed in the end, provides the most “definitive” answer we are going to get. Ever since I made this finding, I've become increasingly fond of the idea that Seele represents a modern-day incarnation of the Essene: a radical Kabbalist sect mutated by the discovery of real-life "supernatural" beings and artifacts that provide tangible justification for their "faith"... and provide a means to attain the goals set forth within their "sacred texts".
	045	An intrepid Gendo.	Reichu: Gendo looks especially attractive here.
	046	Chairman Keel.	Reichu: Everyone's favorite German cyborg, Keel Lorenz, the crotchety mastermind behind Seele. The name “Keel” doesn't look especially German, but it is the official spelling. Carl Horn (a long-time Eva geek who has worked on the English adaptation of the manga) insists on the proper German spelling “Kiel”, for which I really cannot blame him, but I'm just going to be a stickler here, heh. ^_^ In case you're thinking, “What the hell kind of name is ‘Keel’?”, there actually is an explanation (which encompasses many of the other names in the series) — you can read more about it here. BTW, in the storyboards, this was going to be a side profile of Gendo.
	047	Front cover of the “Human Instrumentality Project: 17th Interim Report”.	Reichu: More on this in episode #02.
	048	Gendo in his younger days.	MDWigs: This is an unconfirmed tidbit that Olivier Hague presented in some trivia questions he posted on japan.anime.evangelion years ago: The cut showing a young Ikari Gendou during the opening credits is based on a similar shot of Straker, the commander of SHADO, in the UFO TV series … I looked up some UFO pictures, but while some do look a little similar I couldn't find an exact match. (A capture of the two shots side by side would be cool.) Sharp-kun: Note that this “sketch style” is often used when referring to things that happened to the characters in the past. Reichu: And this particular image also prognosticates the future. Poor Shinji is going to look like this someday. Although hopefully he won't have Gendo's “hyperthyroid eyes”. tv33: Shinji look like Gendo some day? I don't think he's that lucky.
	049	Emrbyonic Adam.	Dr. Nick: ♪ “His buddy Bubba was a shrimp-lovin' man.” ♪ thewayneiac: Grow your own Sea Monkeys!! Reichu: Notice how embryonic Adam here is framed by pictures of Gendo. I don't think there's any particular reason for it, do you? ;;p
	050	Gendo's smiling mouth.	Reichu: Gendo's “tee-hee! dance-puppets-dance!” smile. It tends to imply that a grand and violent “Giant Entities Beating the Crap Out of Each Other” action sequence will follow soon after. HeWhoPostsStuff: See, now HERE'S where they need one of those cross-shaped sparkly things from earlier on glinting off of Gendo's teeth, in 50's-era fashion … with the xylophone-esque “ting!” of course.
	051	Hotobashiru atsui PATOSU de (With your torrent of ardent pathos) EVA-00 lifting her face.	Reichu: She might look inconspicuous here, but EVA-00 (a.k.a. Zerogouki) has unsuspectingly created more controversy than any other Eva. All of which will be covered when the time is right.
	052	Text: “PROTOTYPE EVA-00”.
	053	EVA-02 striking a pose with the Prog Knife.	Reichu: EVA-02 (a.k.a. Nigouki) here is probably my second favorite Eva, probably for the reason that, after Shogouki, she's the one who is developed the most as a “character”. Granted, that kind of stuff is absolutely meager when it comes to the Evas, to my chagrin. Doesn't make them any less fascinating to me, though. And, on a completely unrelated note, I have a box cutter that looks kind of like that …
	054	Text: “PRODUCTION MODEL EVA-02”	Reichu: “Production Model”, even though EVA-02 is quite literally one of a kind.
	055	Rei inside the entry plug, leaning forward.
	056	Unused Cut: EVA-02's Prog Knife cuts across the front of the camera.
	057	Asuka inside the entry plug.	Reichu: Your sole OP appearance in full color, Asuka. Enjoy these milliseconds.
	058	Toji.	Reichu: I must profess a slight weakness for Toji. Maybe it's due to the fact that Tomokazu Seki does his voice.
	059	Kensuke.	Reichu: And for those of us who are self-conscious about how NGE has turned us into complete and utter geeks, we have Kensuke Aida to pick on.
	060	Hikari.	Sharp-kun: Hikari Horaki, I've always thought, is one of the characters who had potential to be more in the series than she was. In episode #18 there's an event that, had Anno handled it slightly differently (as Sadamoto did in the manga), could have resulted in major character development for Hikari and provided an interesting relationship with Shinji. Unfortunately for those of us who are fans of these minor characters, we don't see enough of them. Dr. Nick: I disagree with you here (with regards to Sadamoto's handling of the event), but we'll debate about that later on.
	061	An exploding building.	Reichu: So what is this place and why does it have to blow up? Dr. Nick: This brings to mind the 11th Law of Anime: Law of Inherent Combustability: Everything explodes. Everything.
	062	EVA-01 attacking with a Pallet Gun.
	064	An explosion ~ EVA-01 does a rotating jump and flies into the foreground.	Reichu: Yet another shot that will get recycled in the show a couple of times. Sho looks especially cool in that face close-up, don't she? That look has “I'm going to kill you” written all over it. MDWigs: This is another great sequence. The shot is stationary, the “camera” doesn't move, and we have an explosion with EVA-01 coming flying out of it. As she gets closer, she gets bigger and bigger until we are focused right in on her eye. Why focus on on the eye and not something else? I think here it's one of those things that just looks cool. ^_^ Reichu: The eye looks terribly odd, though. The super close-up seems to be suggesting an iris and pupil, but, as you can see in C-073, her eyes aren't yellow, they're green. I'll rant more about the depictions of the Evas' “eyes” in episode #01. If you're wondering where C-063 went, this cut is actually a combination of the storyboarded 063 and 064. 063 had the hemispherical explosion and 064 had EVA-01 jumping towards us. Work well together, don't they?
	065	Omoide o uragiru nara (If you are to betray your memories) Ikari UP (low angle).
	066	Shinji as a child, crying.	Sharp-kun: This is another shot that we see quite a lot — although I think we'd best wait until later to discuss it. Reichu: I'm intrigued by how well the juxtaposition of these two shots (065 and 066) embodies Gendo and Shinji's relationship. Gendo is the stern, unemotional man who looks down upon his own son (both figuratively and, here, literally), whereas Shinji is the broken, almost wrecklessly emotional child who continues to look up to his father in spite of everything. In truth, their relationship is really much more convoluted than that, as we'll learn later.
	067	Misato, naked from the waist up.	Sharp-kun: Random topless Misato shot. :) tv33: I could never decide if this picture was from Shinji's or Misato's perspective. Is it Shinji seeing Misato as a woman for whom he has physical feelings or is it a representation of Misato's lonely and fragile self? Given the short-shorts I'm leaning more towards Shinji. Reichu: I'm inclined to think that this is a very “Misato” image, myself. The fact that she's shirtless and wearing such ridiculous shorts is kind of fan servicey, but notice how she's covering the place on her chest where her scar is located. (And for the Japanese censors, there's the plus that she's also covering her nipples!) Covering something can also be a way to draw attention to it. Also consider that the following images (her father's pendant, Second Impact, Adam, Antarctica) all relate to the event in which Misato acquired her scar.
	079	Misato's pendant.	Reichu: Another recurring shot. If you're received any sort of artistic training (as I have), you can have all sorts of fun analyzing these things compositionally. The most important part of the image (the cross) is located in the dead-center, and the light-against-dark contrast helps draw your eye. The composition is one of virtual symmetry, with the zipper on the left being balanced by the hair on the right. Blah blah blah blah… Jinpun: Yeah, all of the negative space around the cross really brings it out and offsets it from the rest of the frame. It flashes by really fast in the OP, and the cross is all you really see.
	068	"SECOND IMPACT"	Someone: "SECOND IMPACT" is in red coloured font, while the other text is in white coloured font. I wonder why is this so?
	069	The Giant of Light turning around.	Sharp-kun: This shot of Adam will crop up again and again. Its main purpose is obviously to hint at what the Evas really are. It raises some interesting questions, though, as Adam is shown here with bindings (shoulder pylons specifically), which we know are not organic and were added to the Evas by Nerv. (We'll speculate more on this in later eps that deal with Second Impact in detail.) She also looks a bit anorexic. Reichu: Indeed. A little-known fact is that Adam was once a model for Calvin Klein. Not only did she impose strict diet and exercise regimes upon herself, she also had her two lower pairs of ribs surgically removed, hence the overexaggerated “Minoan Waist.” Of course, despite her best efforts, Adam didn't make it very far in the modeling biz. In a final, pitiable act of self-defeat, she moved to Antarctica and skewered herself with a pitchfork. However, after recently going through vigorous rehabilitation, Adam says she feels ready for a comeback; watch out for her cameo in the upcoming straight-to-DVD “Casper” sequel. Dr. Nick: That reminds me of Toasty Frog's review of Collection 0:1 … Eva's success was inevitable, because it's effectively the anime equivalent of Calvin Klein ads. Not only are the pilots anorexically thin waifs, but so are their mechs. Gundampilotspaz: Most the the characters and symbols important to the series are in the opening — except for Lilith. Lilith, possibly the most important Angel. And yet Adam is worthy enough to be shown twice. Reichu: Well, you know, they have to show “Big Adam” and “Little Adam” … Strictly speaking, Lilith isn't an Angel-Angel, but, yeah, her absence does seem a little odd. I guess they figured having her blue-haired avatar was enough. Or maybe there's another reason …
	070	Image of the South Pole at the time of Second Impact.	tv33: This is a satellite view of Second Impact, used a few times in the show.
	071	Rei hugging her knees and looking at the camera. (About five years old?)	Sharp-kun: This particular shot hints at Rei's origins. Reichu: Is the glass half-empty or half-full? But, seriously, why is Rei pictured with a nondescript glass here? In the show, don't we see a water-filled beaker in her room? Eva tomo no kai adds: Could this be Rei from several years back? This image doesn't appear in the actual show. It may be hinting at how Rei was brought up in an experimental facility-like locale. I always found this image misleading … It looks like the current-day Rei's head was sewn onto a child's body. Or is it just me?
	072	The young Yui (Shinji's mother).	Sharp-kun: The fact that this drawing follows straight-on hints more. Reichu: If you're thinking, “Gee, she looks kind of like Rei … ” — well, there's a darn good reason. Odd that Yui is described as “young” here, since she never really gets any older than this.
	073	EVA-01's face.	tv33: Is it a coincidence that a head shot of Yui is shown back-to-back with a head shot of EVA-01? I don't think so. :P Reichu: A partially-naked head shot at that. I have certain issues with the … technical aspects of this particular image, but I'll get into the dirty details later.
	074	“ADAM” telop on a white background.	Reichu: Notice how “ADAM” follows an image of EVA-01 rather than a picture of Adam herself … The relationship between Shogouki and Adam is an item of dispute due to a particular line in #26′, but we'll wait until then to argue about it. Someone: The word "ADAM" is in black coloured font with a white background, unlike the other titles in the OP. Any connections? Reichu: It brings to mind Adam's “White Moon”, but this sort of analysis fails when applied to the others telops. Well... maybe.
	075	Ritsuko in profile.	Jinpun: In the cuts involving Ritsuko (015, 043, and 075) she seems rather perturbed or in deep contemplation. In three of her four cuts she isn't even looking at the camera (or audience). Personally, I think this might be foreshadowing her mental instability and personal issues.
	076	Monitor screen of DNA map.	Sharp-kun: The “Blood Type” of the 6th Angel. Reichu: Also known as Gaghiel. We'll see this image again in episodes #09 and #25′, although the reasons for its inclusion in the intro show up as early as #04. “Blood Type” is another item of interest — but, again, all in good time …
	077a	Misato getting up.	Reichu: Notice the similarity between this and C-081: Both Misato and Shinji bring their faces up and look skywards. But does it mean anything? If nothing else, it reflects the fact that Shinji and Misato are the two central protagonists — as indicated by Anno in his famous statement here — and counterparts on many levels. FYI, for some reason, this cut was spread over 077 and 078 in the storyboards.
	077b	Misato, Kaji, and Ritsuko in their younger days.	Mr. Tines: The context in which this image is shown in episode #21 suggests this represents a photograph — which of course represents something captured of the past.
	080	Kono sora o daite kagayaku (Embrace the heavens and shine) “Director: Hideaki Anno” Telop ~ EVA-01 spreading her arms, with Shinji overlapping on top.	Reichu: Hey, where did those kanji come from!? If you've seen NGE exclusively via ADV's pre-Platinum releases, you've also been deprived of seeing Anno's credit in the OP as it was intended. Rather than try to replicate the neat way that EVA-01 “cuts into” the kanji (with them showing through the black on her arms), ADV simply painted the kanji out and displayed Anno's English credit in a far more mundane manner. Pity. This is only one small reason I'm a big fan of leaving the OP and ED sequences of anime intact in domestic releases. Purists — go fig. Gundampilotspaz: I find this cut interesting. It shows Shinji and EVA-01 combined as one being at first, but then it seems that Shinji is being expelled by the Eva, since he is moving forward and she is stationary. Reichu: EVA-01 continues to float away, while Shinji falls to Earth below … Foreshadowing the end of #26′, perhaps? MDWigs: This sequence is similar to 010 stylistically, and it could also be seen as a continuation of 017 (without the wings). Reichu: It's worth noting that the frenetic, abstract moving backgrounds characteristic of anime — and displayed in these two cuts — is a convention seldom employed in NGE. Similar anime visual clichés are refreshingly rare, in fact. On a pointless side note, the idea of Shinji having the same torso-leg proportions as an Eva disturbs me. ::p
	081	Shounen yo shinwa ni nare (Young boy, become a legend) Shinji turning around. His face is serious.	HeWhoPostsStuff: And at long last the “official” art for Shinji … though they hafta animate him a bit to get him to the desired pose.
	082	Shinji shouting (in profile).	Reichu: Either someone's performing the Heimlich Manuever on Shinji, or he's doing his annoying “Dekiru wakenai yo!” (“I can't do it!”) routine.
	083	Shinji escaping from lights.	Shin-Seiki: This alludes to similar shots that occur in episodes #01 and #19. Keisuke-kun: It looks like Shinji was caught doing something naughty and they turned two spotlights on him… Reichu: Knowing Shinji, that somehow wouldn't surprise me. But, seriously, I do wonder about this shot. I still think there's something we're (or I'm, anyway) missing.
	084	Shinji smiling without a care in the world.	Reichu: Words cannot even begin to describe how asinine Shinji looks in this shot. The sparkly things in the background make it that much worse. Dr. Nick: Come on, this is a rare and precious moment. How many times do we see Shinji in a state of genuine happiness during the series? Let the poor sod have his couple of frames of the good life, dammit!
	085	Enigmatic characters (angelic script), a closeup of a page from the Dead Sea Scrolls possessed by Seele.	Reichu: Piece of parchment, clearly worn and beat-up, with enigmatic characters written on it: This here, folks, is a piece of the elusive “Secret” Dead Sea Scrolls. (This had been a pet theory of mine for a while, before I was finally able to confirm it with Eva tomo no kai.) Interesting how the storyboard refers to this as “angelic script” (tenshi no moji). There is a real Angelic Script, or Celestial Alphabet, created by angelologists by modifying the Hebrew alphabet. The style of the characters here is very similar, but they don't correspond to any of the “real” letters. Some of them look vaguely kanji-like , but that observation is ultimately irrelevant, methinks. It's worth considering that, just maybe, this "angelic script" was severed from the Hebrew alphabet for a very, very deliberate reason...

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