Misato's hand fades in.
The Sephirotic Tree fades in and out.
Reichu: Hands. Anno loves hands. I'm not sure if it would be considered a ‘director's trademark’, but it is hard to ignore the number of times they are focused upon in various shots. There are also numerous instances where certain types of hand shots are used to make thematic connections through repetition. We'll point these out as we encounter them.
Dr. Nick: Is there any kind of historical or mythological connection between the Tree of Life and Sephirotic System? If nothing else, they kinda look the same. I remember reading a thread about this issue ages ago somewhere, but I have no recollection whatsoever what was actually said in it…
GandalfsWhisper: The Tree of Life (at least the version used in eva) as well as the Sephirotic system are both Kabbalistic ideas.
Dr. Nick: Speaking of the Sephirotic System, I've read a certain theory, whose author believed that each of the system's ten circles (or whatever they're called) represents one of the series' main characters and his / her psychological characteristics (or something like that). I personally think that's over-interpreting things
Jinpun: I would be very wary about advocating this sort of interpretation; I am sure I have seen a similar theory somewhere else, but the characters were assigned to totally different circles. Also, if Rei belongs to any specific circle on the Sephirotic Tree, it would be Malkuth, as we'll see in episode #25′.
