How SHINJI Saved Himself in Evangelion's 20th Episode

Comments · 461

• SP

  @SpammytheHedgehog · 2 years ago

  So that's why Kaji had to die. Because he was messing with Pen Pen's girl.

  275

• AT

  @ate_my_wheaties · 2 years ago

  I can’t believe I never made the connection between Shinji recognizing the smell of his mom and Misato. It seems so so obvious in hindsight. It’s a small thing on its own, but stuff like this is one reason I love this series. Can’t wait for more!

  158

• AM

  @amadeus5889 · 2 years ago (edited)

  “Sit down, son. Mommy needs to talk to you.”<br><br>Something I’m noticing, watching your videos, is how halting and inconstant Shinji’s forward progression is. If this show is, in at least one sense, a metaphor for growing up and accepting the hardships of life, it’s telling that Shinji has revelation after revelation, only to regress in a different but tangentially related way in connection to the previous struggle he went through. Kinda like what kids do every day! I see many kids in my line of work who take two steps forward, one step back, one step forward, two steps back, three steps forward. But it’s telling which of them commit to positive change, because with rare exception, even with full effort exerted, they all stumble.<br><br>Two thoughts about the staging and structure of the show at this point. One, the confrontation Shinji has with his image of Gendo in the plug is his Act IV “recognition and reversal” moment. In Aristotle’s “Poetics,” he points to a moment in classical theater when a character recognizes an essential, incontrovertible truth, which is sometimes (but not always) followed by a role reversal, either in the intentions and actions of the protagonist, or in the perception by the protagonist of those around them. Shinji’s recognition of his repressed memories is the trigger. Gotta love how drama has universal connecting threads through space and time, whether it’s Hellenic Greece or 1990s Japan.<br><br>Two, these introspective sequences in liminal space while curled up inside Unit 01 remind me a lot of Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty. He created a novel new definition of “theatre” as a deliberate, stirring act which activates our senses to the full, separate from the colloquial “let’s go see a show” definition. Likewise, he coined a new definition of “cruelty” as the agitation that stirs us to a transgressive stance against the status quo. Artaud achieved this performative space by assaulting the audience with sound and light and language, in a way that made the barrier between audience and stage disappear, and all participants had the opportunity to confront themselves, as individuals and as a collective. Pretty spot on for what Shinji goes through several times over the course of the show<br><br>Excellent video, as always. I hope my long responses don’t come across as me “well, actually”ing your insights. Your videos are a take on the show I haven’t yet seen, and it stimulates some deep reflection, which I appreciate a lot.<br><br>Also, was not expecting to see your animated butt today. Certainly got my attention, though.

  132

• PE

  @pedroamares8464 · 2 years ago

  Nice catch: &quot;Yui is interacting directly with the viewers, a fourth-wall break usually reserved for comedy, instead twisted into an unurving display of awareness. We are going to look inside her, but not before she looks inside us.&quot;

  42

• PD

  @PDocDanny · 2 years ago (edited)

  This show is frustrating. Probably because of all the back and forth between progress and regression. How many times does Shinji have to be rebirthed already?! It sucks but I would be lying if I said it isn’t exactly how it goes in real life. So the answer to “how many times is he gonna have to be reborn” is however many times it takes. It’s actually rather comforting to know rebirth is something that gets to happen over and over again. It’s a bit of hope to hold onto in the darkest moments of life. <br><br>Also I can see why this vid took a while to release. Being trapped in the Eva will do that to you. In seriousness, thank you for giving this series the time it deserves. <br><br>From ME, with love.

  106

• PR

  @Prich319 · 1 year ago

  I see Unit 1 found a gig in Mouthwashing playing Curly.

  15

• IU

  @iug5672 · 2 years ago

  The beach signifying the divide between Shinji&apos;s world and the real world makes even more sense when the sandbox scene occurs. No water, just sand, and Shinji pretending to be in the real world

  50

• SP

  @SpammytheHedgehog · 2 years ago

  You have no idea how long I&apos;ve waited for this.

  70

• SP

  @SpammytheHedgehog · 2 years ago (edited)

  Yui&apos;s smell is what saved Shinji.

  33

• LA

  @laurenwasinger9436 · 1 year ago

  As a mom, this series breaks my heart because I can’t stop thinking that they are just kids. 14 is so young and they are being forced to mature in ways most adults can’t handle. It almost seems to hint at how parental neglect can force a child to act beyond their capacity at a detriment to their own mental health.

  13

• AN

  @AndrewDasilvaPLT · 2 years ago

  You are a fucking savage at interpreting story.

  23

• PD

  @PDocDanny · 2 years ago

  I think one of the most common underlying themes of Eva is that you can always bounce back from mistakes. You just gotta deal with them first.

  34