On this episodes it's all about the definitive blue haired waifu, Rei Ayanami. Steven feels he doesn't have a lot of info to decide what is Rei's deal. Is James being presumptive? The gender politics are strong in this one.
Skip intro/synopsis @ 9:17
045: Neon Genesis Evangelion vol. 3
Chapters 13 to 19
By Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Translation by Adapted to English by Lillian Olsen, Fred Burke + Carl Gustav Horn
Topics:
- Is there such a thing as a story without a goal?
- Joseph Campbell and the monomyth.
- Rei Ayanami .
- Stoicism and "Resting Bitch Face"
- The action scene/Angel battle being a plot device to get Rei and Shinji closer.
Synopsis + first impression:
On his return to base, Shinji befriends Toji and Kensuke Aida, it becomes the first time that Misato sees Shinji smile. Rei doesn't give much of a welcome to Shinji and Misato tells him that Rei never smiles and treats everyone the same. The exception is that Rei adores Shinji's father, Gendo Ikari.
Ritsuko Akagi comments on Misato's and Shinji's relationship, she congratulates Misato on passing the rite of passage which is Shinji's rebellion towards his guardian. Ritsuko was always confident that Shinji would return to Misato and pilot the Eva. Not long after this, Shinji notices that his dad has scars on the palm of his hands, which he acquired by saving Rei from a malfunctioning Eva. The Unit-00 which somehow tried to reject her. Shinji can't help but wonder if his father would ever do the same for him.
The next day Shinji is sent on an errand to go to Rei's home and drop off her new security pass. Shinji finds the doorbell broken and the door already unlocked. As he makes his way inside, he finds that Rei has kept broken spectacles that belong to his dad. Rei appears out of the shower. She is more concerned that Shinji is touching Gendo's glasses then him seeing her naked. Rei is cold and reticent in her demeanour and Shinji is embarrassed through their meeting. It becomes clear to Shinji that Rei is more loyal to piloting Eva than Shinji is, but also that Rei lives a lonely life and has given it solely to Gendo Ikari.
Soon another Angel attacks the city, Shinji is almost killed by its laser and it forms a drill in order to attack the underground base, calculations are made and they have less than a day to kill the angel before it succeeds. Rei watches Shinji recover like a mother at a bedside vigil, she even notices him cry as he dreams about and calls out to his own dead mother.
When Shinji recovers, he is ordered to use a prototype positron rifle whilst Rei uses a shield in order to protect him. It becomes their first time battling together. Shinji realises that if he misses the shot, the time it takes to recharge the rifle means Rei's shield would be destroyed before he can fire back. Shinji misses the first shot but thanks to Rei's sacrifice and her promise to protect Shinji, they manage to fire a second time and defeat the angel. Shinji runs out to Rei's Eva; he opens her pod door and looks into the cockpit as his dad did before him. Shinji sees that Rei is okay and begins to cry. Rei asks him why he is always sad; Shinji says he is not sad but that he's happy she is alive and tells her that its okay to show emotion when you're happy. For the first time we see Rei smile.
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