Friend's Thoughts on Eva *Spoilers*

[Shinn Asuka]

My friend on Zophar, IceNine0, wrote this.

Ok, so here we go. I'm aware of the backstory behind End of Eva's creation, but not sure of the details. Some people say Anno was satisfied with the series' ending and was pressured into making the movies whilst others say he was planning to make them all along. I personally believe the former, considering the radical shift of view between eps 25+26 and End of Eva.

As I understand it -

Big Theme of Evangelion -

An individual person is alone, tormented, isolated and fearful. He/she can never truly understand anyone else and no one can understand him/her.

Moral of 25 + 26:

However, if one tries hard enough to love oneself, breaks through the barriers of communication and learns to care for and try to understand others, he'll achieve as true of happiness as possible. This happens automatically during third impact and Shinji is saved.

End of Evangelion:

Humans are masochistic, live for selfish gain, and take a perverse pleasure in dealing and receiving pain. When all of humanity is merged together, Shinji can't cope and it feels "all wrong". Everyone still hates him and he still fears everyone else. No one will ever understand each other. In the end, Shinji chooses to sacrifice everything to be with the person who hates him the most, Asuka. It all fits in with the first text in End of Eva - "that's why it'd be good if everyone dies"

I almost feel that EoE is a savage backlash by Anno against his fans for the pain and betrayal they caused him. The dark, vicious twists put on all the characters and the pessimistic ending are evidence of that.

Now, going out on a limb, I believe Shinji and Asuka's characters in EoE to be symbolic of those psychotic Eva fans' relation to Evangelion the series.

Think of the scene where Shinji wanks off over Asuka in the sick room (Yeah, EoE is messed up). Forsaking everyone else in his life, he tries to awaken an unconscious Asuka on life support (the Evangelion series) saying that she's "the only one who can help him" (like those crazy fans who sent Anno death threats). After Shinji savagely shakes her, Asuka's gown falls open, revealing her naked body (the dark, painful messed uppedness of EoE, all that's left for Anno to express), and then Shinji masturbates over her, takes a perverse, self-destructive pleasure in the act and says "Man, I'm fucked up." He's equivalently naive and insane to those fans who rejected the hope of the original series (even committed suicide over it).

Those are my two cents, anyway. EoE was way cool, but I prefer to think of original 25 and 26 as Anno's intended ending.

[Vance]

Woah, talk about a small world. IceNine0 is my brother.

We watched EoE together with a couple of friends, and talked about it for a long while after. I have to admit, I agree with his thoughts on all points. In the original ending, Anno truly went out on a limb. He completely cast off the shackles of the series and, in a true heart to heart talk, simply discussed with the audience what it is to be rejected, alone, and scared, and why we don't have to be that way.

Everyone who counted on anime as their drug to escape these painful emotions was slapped in the face. What do you do when the crutch you rely on the most tells you to stand on your own? Otakus the world over felt betrayed, and rebelled brutally to this wake up call. They don't want their drugs to tell them what's right, they just want them to do what they're supposed to. Anno's reply to this reaction, End of Evangelion, was him effectively saying "I tried to help you, but you are all a lost cause." He gave them what they wanted, a big fight scene, gorgeous artwork, innuendo, all of it. However, for Shinji, the allegorical escapist, there was no redemption.

[kakoi_sugoi_yama]

I enjoyed the series and the Movies very much. Although I thought Shinji experienced so much un-needed torment, but that is what made it a fun watch. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

That is great it turns out that is your brother. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[OptimisticOx]

I dont know how true this is if at all, but I heard that the creator of eva, had severe depression sometime in the middle of eva, and that could have possibly contributed to the depressing ending.

(he's your brother?.... now I'm scared :mrgreen: )

[Shinn Asuka]

Woah, talk about a small world. IceNine0 is my brother.

Seriously? 8O

[Vance]

Yeah, seriously =) I used to bum around Zophar and Elazul's under this name because IceNine0 and Endoran talked me into it (my brother and my close friend.) I got in a bad real life relationship with ladenmind, so I decided to stop.

Of course, the ladenmind part is confidential mind you :wink:

Pretty weird.

[yakumo]

l seriously have to watch Eva again, EofE was such a mindfuck, Shinji doing the dirty deed with Asuaka :oops:

[OptimisticOx]

yeah, that kind of caught me off gaurd weatdrop: ... well anyway, I liked the movies but not nearly as much as the series. :mrgreen: