Early Access - Neon Genesis Evangelion | Episode 22 "At Least, Be Human" Reaction & Review
Added 2023-09-16 12:23:09 +0000 UTCComments
"At least, be human" / "Don't be": A way-too-long gushing review of one of my favorite episodes of anything. (2) THE FLASHING WORDS: I've failed to keep this comment concise, and analyzing every word would be overkill. So here's a list I swiped from a reactor: https://pastebin.com/1kJCBkmm in case anyone is curious. I'm glad the seizure-inducing sequences in this episode didn't have a Porygon incident, where the harm it caused to children caused Asuka to become a nationally hated character in Japan. Like Episode 20's Rei-Shinji escalator scene, this episode has an iconic reused footage for me, and it's Asuka letting go of Kaji as she smells the lavender perfume. Both following harsh cuts to silence may explain their memorableness. Asuka's look of hurt contextualized in this episode is one of many heartbreaking moments. For me, it imbues that scene from Episode 15 with this existentially shattering feeling (a metaphor later literalized by the breaking glass effect played over and over during the "No, this isn't me!" sequence). Kaji keeps walking as she drifts backwards, left and forgotten. I've always felt that there's something crushing about Misato lamenting that Asuka and Shinji living together has reached its limit. Demonstrates how far we've come from the early-middle section of Eva where it's all silly slice-of-life antics. Ritsuko's "Asuka" line delivery in the synch test is so uncharacteristically authoritative. One of the many moments that makes me want to learn Japanese so I can appreciate the tonal cadence of anime lines more The voice of Asuka's mother gives me chills when it shifts from soft, warm and maternal to stone-cold when asking who Asuka is. Haunting. Grey little Asuka reaching out to ask if she's lonely may have been the Angel. Just like in Episode 16 Little Shinji in the striped shirt might've been the Angel he was absorbed by. And, as you've seen, the Angel in the LCL in Episode 23 also asks Rei if she's lonely. CONTRADICTIONS: This part is very subjective and nebulous, but I'll try my best to describe it. I think Asuka's messed-up psyche and sense of self is conveyed really well with the way that Shinji and Kaji are layered as objects of desire and validation for her (more like perspectives to which SHE can be an object of desire). My take is her "Why are you there?" is a manifestation of a subconscious fear she still has that drives her hatred toward Shinji, that he is a threat to her relationship with Kaji. We see in her first episode that she gets jealous when Kaji shows him attention. In Eva, romantic interests seem to be drawn from the individual's needs and how the other person fulfils them, as opposed to a more conventional approach and one you even alluded to a couple times, that Asuka and Shinji have grown to care each other because of their shared experiences. To me she needs Shinji as a more accessible substitute to Kaji, the ultimate validation, but he threats to invalidate her at the same time. It's like the psychological wires get crossed and cause her to not even know what she wants. She's trapped within a dark sea of contradictions: she hates Rei because she's competition for Shinji, but also because she reminds her of herself that she's trying to run from; she hates Misato because she's competition for Kaji, yet tries to emulate her, yet sees adult relationships as gross; she likes Shinji but she hates him because he doesn't like her and he's possibly competition for Kaji; she hates her mom, yet longs for her; she hates her dad but wishes he didn't abandon her; she asserts that everyone is stupid/immature/pathetic/messy, yet she hates herself and wishes everyone would accept her. She wants to be seen as an adult, yet she wants to be loved as a child; she wants to be seen for who she is, yet she hates being seen for who she is. It's no surprise an Angel untangling all of this trauma wouldn't be this cathartic productive thing, but rather something extremely destructive that leaves her in a more vulnerable and irritable state than ever before -- she's lived so much of her life obstructing these contradictions with an ego that she waters every day through her actions. ASUKA'S INTERNAL UGLINESS: Leading up to this episode, I was almost giddy with anticipation, but it was honestly really tough to swallow in context. My instinct is to avert my gaze from Asuka's turmoil whereas Shinji's "psychological unfolding" almost comforting at times. Why? There's a poetic sweetness to the melancholia of his suffering, as weird as it is to say, whereas Asuka's is harsh and abrasive. In my teen years, I was so depressed that I didn't want to not be depressed. It felt good to give up and embrace the loneliness, because I knew who I was, even if I was nobody. Sure, Shinji's loneliness and desire for human connection is still there and it hurts when he isolates himself, but for Asuka isolation is quite literally not an option because her whole identity relies on what others think of her. In those years when I was depressed, my sense of self was eroded gradually over the years, a very painful process that caused issues I'm still dealing with, but the depression served as a numbing agent for the pain. When I watch Asuka and put myself in her shoes, there is no numbness; just constant, constant anguish. It feels raw; the pain is blisteringly hot, like a million bandaids ripped off a fresh wound all at once. Her contradictions stab at her like a field of thorns she has to walk through every day, and it's suffocating. Lastly, I find your alarmed reaction to Asuka's nudity fascinating. Knowing Japan, maybe there were bad intentions, but it's no different than shots of Shinji naked, and VERY different from previous sexualized frames of Asuka. There's something in the back of my mind that wonders why sexualized female nudity from the male gaze is deemed acceptable while a neutral wide shot of Asuka after taking a bath is subject to more scrutiny. Referring to my mini-thesis on Episode 20's encapsulation of Eva's approach to gendered gaze, if anything I find the shot of Asuka explicitly desexualized. As for how 'necessary' it is, I don't think it's any less or more necessary than 'nein' flashed on the screen for barely a second, or two characters standing silently for 53 seconds.
tom
2023-10-02 00:45:54 +0000 UTC"At least, be human" / "Don't be": A way-too-long gushing review of one of my favorite episodes of anything. (1) There's something unsettling about this episode's unique runtime and lack of the opening song. All for an episodic character study, almost a half-hour (barring a couple expository scenes*) of a pure deep dive into the psyche of Asuka Langley Soryu. The opening shot of the moon in the grey sky retroactively gives me chills and immediately immerses me. The emotional crescendo of Child-Asuka tearfully pleading to be acknowledged with the grey palette and low frame rate breaks my heart every time. The final scene, Asuka hugging her knees behind physical and emotional barriers, put there by adults who she can't fight against leaves me dejected, terrified and unsatisfied all at the same time. And the tonal dissonance of the ending theme still leaves me in awe (though my first experience was sadly Netflix's repeat track that's slowed down for this episode, completely missing the point). In "Don't be", an episode title still shrouded in mystery for me, the facade of Asuka's ego is finally broken as her character is plunged into the Eva-tinged psychological despair with the rest of the cast. What I mean by this is, more than simply her energetic disposition, Asuka is narratively the odd one out -- she's not there from the beginning, she's a foreigner, and is overlooked by the characters around her. She has a loud presence on the surface, but fades into neglect. No one has time for Asuka, but this episode does. (Fun fact: Anno has stated Asuka is his favorite character. However, she's not very popular in Japan) *[EOE ROT-13 SPOILERS: V nyfb sbhaq vg xvaq bs vagrerfgvat gung gurer'f gjb AREI/FRRYR yber/zrpunavpf rkcbfvgbel fprarf gung unir abguvat gb qb jvgu Nfhxn, bar ng gur fgneg naq bar ng gur raq... OHG va Raq bs Rin, gurl xvaq bs qb pbaarpg gb ure. Gur svefg fprar vf nobhg gur Rin Frevrf (Znff-cebqhprq Rin), naq gur frpbaq bar vf nobhg gur Fcrne bs Ybatvahf (Znl abg or gur fnzr bar gung cvreprf Havg-02, ohg fgvyy vagrerfgvat abarguryrff gung obgu pbaprcgf pbzr vagb cynl va Nfhxn'f svany onggyr)] The rare track used in the hospital and funeral scenes conveys a sense of impending doom, fitting for the "no way out" feeling of Asuka's psyche (more on that later); you instantly recognized the weight behind Asuka's mother not recognizing her. In stark contrast, yet equally grand and apocalyptic, the Hallelujah Chorus needle drop suddenly declaring the Angel's attack has disturbed me since my first watch. The washed out sound effects, leaving us with the devilish Unit-02 contorting under the psychological attack -- blood-red, tortured by angelic light; a subversive juxtaposition of roles. We know about Asuka's defeat in the Geofront three episodes ago, but what's underrated is the month that passed by while Shinji was in his Eva. She spent a month isolated, physically unharmed while everyone worried about the other two pilots. We saw the state of her room just three days after Shinji was absorbed. She still had almost a whole month stewing in her humiliation after that. [On an unrelated note, Episode 20's aftermath is such a contrast to Episode 16. No Misato hugging Shinji, no Asuka and Rei worrying about him after he wakes up -- almost pessimistically saying "Eh, you get one absorbed-into-the-quantum-realm situation where people will care, Shinji, and that's it!".] DOLLS AND PUPPETS: You partially observed this, but the words this episode are contextually one and the same. Doll is the literal translation, but puppet is the contextualized one. "Ningyou", due to Shinto connotations in Japan, relates to a concept of dolls which are a blank slate that get gradually imparted with humanity by the child they're given to; they inherently lack a soul. When Asuka calls Rei, the Eva and even herself a "puppet", for Japanese viewers this brings to mind the image of a doll, rather than a typical puppet on strings for Western viewers, tying it more into everything going on with Asuka's mother. VISUAL SIGNIFICANCE: • Asuka mirrors Kaji's posture: I've noticed she uses both femininity and masculinity to appear mature • Child Asuka at the funeral is a sad sight, but her little angry face is so hard to take seriously that I can't help but find it funny/cute. Like in AOT when we see Eren unable to sleep at night because he's so angry at the titans • The flashing lights in the shot of the NERV pyramid being repaired • Shinji through the gap in the train visible in one-off frames • Although the shot of Misato's figure in the synch test is rather exaggerated, I love the way the chair and Ritsuko frame her in the center • In the brief closeup in the bath scene, I think Asuka was grabbing her stomach not her breasts; she was likely talking about the cramp pains in that scene too • I love the repeated opening door sequence with the switching backgrounds each time that have this 90s dark-space-psychedelic aesthetic (?) to it
tom
2023-10-02 00:37:53 +0000 UTCHas there been any update? Because I'm kinda tired of paying for something I don't even know if I'm getting it. Is it too much to ask for a time period you can expect a reaction?
Soul Nibbler
2023-09-27 02:05:18 +0000 UTCI'm working on my write-up, but I checked out the on-air version and was surprised how much of the stuff was new. ROT1 - No spoilers, but hidden just in case Im wants to personally watch the OA version before hearing anything about if. If you're replying with spoilers make sure to disclaim that Hmsdqdrshmfkx, zklnrs zkk ne sgd rstee qdkzshmf sn Zrtjz, cnkkr zmc lnsgdqr hr sgdqd. Sgd vgnkd dkduzsnq rbdmd hr sgdqd, zmc ozqsr ne hs vdqd qdzmhlzsdc vghbg rgnvr gnv hlonqszms Zmmn sgntfgs hs vzr. Ats khsdqzkkx dudqxsghmf vhsg Rghmih zmc Jzih, zr vdkk zr sgd "Knnj zs ld" lnshe hr Chqdbsnq'r Bts lzsdqhzk. Zmc sgd rbdmd vhsg gdq mnshbhmf Qdh zmc Rghmih snfdsgdq. Sgd azsg rbdmd, snn. Sgd bnllnm sgqdzc gdqd rddlr sn ad Zrtjz'r rdwtzkhsx vzr vgzs vzr fhudm enbtr. Hs'r pthsd izqqhmf vgdm xnt vzsbg sgd NZ udqrhnm adbztrd hs'r z edv rgnqs rbdmdr zants Zrtjz'r lnsgdq, gdq bqxhmf / vzmshmf sn ad aqzud, zmc sgdm hs HLLDCHZSDKX btsr sn sgd oqdrdms zesdq "H chcm's vzms sn qdldladq sgdrd sghmfr". Sgd orxbgnknfhbzk zsszbj eddkr lnqd khjd hs qdlhmcr gdq ne sgd rstee vhsg gdq lnsgdq, zmc sgd ezbs sgzs rgd hrm's rsqnmf zr rgd sghmjr rgd hr, sgdm hs dmcr. Vhsg gnv ltbg vzr zccdc, H vnmcdq he sghr hr itrs Zmmn eddkhmf khjd lnqd mddcdc sn ad rzhc zants Zrtjz, nq he gd okzmmdc sgdrd rbdmdr eqnl sgd adfhmmhmf ats jmdv gd bntkcm's ehs hs hm z 22-lhmtsd shldrkns rn cdbhcdc sn deehbhdmskx bts zm dmshqd rtardbshnm en aqduhsx, sgdm ehkkdc hs hm kzsdq.
tom
2023-09-17 12:40:36 +0000 UTCThe part you mentioned about how Asuka happily lets the adults exploit her is one of the saddest parts of her character to me. She's so hell bent on proving that she's an adult and not some child that she'll take anything thrown at her if she thinks it'll get her to that goal. Her trauma and insecurities run so deep, embodied in I believe Ep16 when Ritsuko says "If Rei and Shinji found out about the Eva, they would never forgive us". Asuka is left out of the equation, despite it on the surface seeming to make more sense for she and Shinji to be the ones they ought to be concerned with, seeing as Rei's morals and humanity are up for questioning. This could be because of the connections/similarities between Unit 00-01 making Unit-02 an outlier, or it could be because Gendo doesn't seem to acknowledge Asuka's existence. But I honestly think it's because if Asuka knew, the first thing she would think of is "I'll show how cool and grown-up I am by being okay with it and keeping the secret". She could know all of the lore of the show and it wouldn't make her goals budge one bit, because it all comes back to her childhood. Everything is so deeply ingrained in her and she just wants to be valued.
tom
2023-09-17 07:05:43 +0000 UTCAnd to add on this, in the original airing of the episode, Ritsuko's reflection could be seen on the floor, as it was reused from Episode 13. This was removed in the Director's Cut and shows that the bathroom scene (maybe this is the whole reason Anno thought of the period aspect in the first place) was reused from that episode to cut corners.
tom
2023-09-17 01:04:52 +0000 UTCStart to end, packed with iconic scenes, this one. Perhaps most iconic, that elevator scene. Somehow, in an episode which deals with some pretty uncomfortable stuff, that somehow winds up being the most uncomfortable scene to sit through for me. Felt like I was physically shrinking in my chair when I was watching it for the first time. Asuka by her nature divides opinion, but personally, I think she's a great character. Her character just makes a lot of sense to me; all of her contradictions feel very real, the logic that she applies to her actions does feel like something that someone in her position could see as reasonable.
A Toilet Duck
2023-09-16 22:24:11 +0000 UTCAsuka is probably my favorite character in this entire show, she feels the most real to me. There’s just so much going on internally and you feel so bad for her at this point (and that’s assuming you didn’t already since the show didn’t give you a clear reason to, but some can understand her anyway, like Im). There’s so much unresolved pain and trauma being exploited by the adults around her, and she’s (somewhat) aware of this but allows it to happen anyway, just to try and prove she can be an adult. Like, this girl has been trying to get this grown man to sleep with her because of her own insecurities about being young and therefore “weak”. It’s just depressing. Man, I really wish all the therapists didn’t die in the 2nd Impact 😔 (joking… but fr get these kids some help ASAP)
Chelle
2023-09-16 21:16:21 +0000 UTCYou're right about hearing the other cast members repeating Asuka's lines. They are, in order of appearance, Misato, Rei, Maya, Ritsuko, and Hikari (class Rep). And regarding your comment at the end, Ritsuko and Misato are in the same bathroom during episode 12, right before the second title screen.
Joseph Scrocco
2023-09-16 20:44:06 +0000 UTCI've felt that way since he said he'd be watching EVA. But at the same time I'm not ready for it to be over.
Ryan
2023-09-16 17:46:27 +0000 UTCThis is a great episode but one of the episodes that is kinda hard for me to watch Asuka is really hurting and reaching a very low point, is very hard to see. There are many unresolved issues and she can't ignore them anymore and clearly she feels alienated and worthless, the one thing she pride herself was being a pilot and now she is having trouble doing that. ah so much to say but you already said so and in a much better way anyway. Is just sad to see her like that and Shinji does want to help but she pushes him away and well he isn't the best with people either I love Misato but I do think she could do more for Asuka, it may be just because Shinji is easier to get along with but there is a difference between how involved she is with both...I mean..I don't think she would cry demanding Asuka to be brought back if she had been in Shinji's position, she would care of course but, not the same and I think Asuka knows that I think Kaji handled her quite well, he shuts her down but not in a way that would make her feel talked down, yeah she takes it badly but I think any other way it would have been worse Episode 22 - Bossa Techno (Off) (80-seconds)
Olga
2023-09-16 15:19:52 +0000 UTCEOE can't come fast enough...
Mati D.
2023-09-16 14:18:20 +0000 UTCThank you for review. 16:48 His name is Makoto Hyuga, and another long-hair guy is Shigeru Aoba.
jijy
2023-09-16 13:31:22 +0000 UTCLet’s goooo!! Appreciate how hard you work around the clock to get these out man 🙏 anyone who complains about upload schedules getting pushed back should look at the times that these videos go live…the quality you deliver on every video is great and so genuinely appreciated. It’s been so fun experiencing my favourite series again with you 🙌
edamammy
2023-09-16 12:25:59 +0000 UTC
