EVA Ending (MAJOR SPOILER WARNING)

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AtomicWeezleman
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Post by AtomicWeezleman » Thu Jul 03, 2003 4:15 pm

*Liriel* wrote:thats a nice ending dwchang but thats 1 theory [about shinji finding his answers and coming back] in many VERY MANY
heres another[this is the one i like, but many refuse to consider it 4 sum reason :? ]
shinji desides to stay in the LCL, while in the LCL everone is in there perfect world and that part at the end is shinji's world
i can point out a few things that could support this:1st rei [as in death] appears in front of the eva the same as she does for everone B4 they die[sorta] 2nd how did shinji get down from 220,000+miles in the sky 3rd asuka she seems to be a mix of the woman in his life asukas body/ misatos out fit [its the sute she weres under the red jacket]and reis personality

now im NOT say im rite im just passing another opinion but... it does make u think :D
really??? surely at the end, asukas wearing a plug suit simalar to the first one we see Rei wearing (armless suit), Misatos jacket aint there....... sorry dude, im looking at the scene right now, and there me no jacket........the only thing that asuka has from misato is the eyes ..... and its pointless to say the eyes are that color cos of the light.......cos if the light changed the hue of her eyes, how come the bandages didnt change color????

end of bitching
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Post by dwchang » Thu Jul 03, 2003 4:40 pm

*Liriel* wrote:thats a nice ending dwchang but thats 1 theory [about shinji finding his answers and coming back] in many VERY MANY
heres another
I don't mean to sound like an ass here, but...there is a right answer to all this. If Shinji chose to stay in his perfect world, the entire ending of Evangelion would not exist. The fact he conquers his problems and realizes his self-worth is the entire point of the show. For him to accept a false reality and remain in the LCL would ultimately say that we as humans cannot overcome our problems.

I think the biggest points of evidence are:

1) The speech at the end of Episode 26 where Shinji blatantly states he is worth something and the symbollic glass shattering. People congratulate him because he has discovered himself. If he were to stay in the world...the episode would've ended with them in the classroom in his perfect little world. It doesn't...we come back to the scenes where he is sitting by himself...introspective.

2) When Shinji blatantly rejects the false reality by saying "this is one of the possible realities?" This of course leads to the speech above.

3) When Evangelion 01 bursts out of Rei/Lilith and all the LCL comes out of her neck and back to earth. Shinji comes out of the LCL and on a desolate earth with Asuka.

4) Yui explicitely states that everyone has the choice to come back to Earth if they choose. Just as Shinji did. I believe this is near the end where Eva01 is floating in space. If this were not true, why did the LCL come back to Earth? It should've remained in Lilith as one happy little entity (remember when that ball she was holding was being absorbed?)

I don't think you can really argue against these points since they are all in the show and blatantly said. I am not using my opinion or my interpretation and only using the show/movie and what is explicitely said. I suggest watching them again because it's all there. There isn't that much to really speculate about this show.

Again, I apologize if I sound like an ass, but I get kind of annoyed when people say Eva is just "fucked-up" or argue with things that are in the show. I guess it's upsetting because the true purpose and meaning of Eva is quite uplifting and more annoying since most of these things are explicitely in the show. Given, I wont deny some of the ambiguity. It took me a couple times to "get it" al.

Also, it makes sense when you think about the state the director/creator (Hideaki Anno) was in prior to making it. This is apparently the "answer" he found and Shinji is really just him.
*Liriel* wrote:i can point out a few things that could support this:1st rei [as in death] appears in front of the eva the same as she does for everone B4 they die[sorta]
Shinji was at the center of Instrumentality (as I stated in my previous explanation). Fuyuski even blatantly states that it's "all up to Ikari's son." Rei/Lilith rejected Gendo (when he had his hand in there) and chose Shinji instead...again this is in the movie.

So yeah, Shinji basically decided the fate of man and thus decided they could choose for themselves to stay in their perfect worlds or come back after they figured it out..as he did. And no one died, they became LCL. No AT fields, thus no physical forms. We are happy as one being.
*Liriel* wrote:2nd how did shinji get down from 220,000+miles in the sky
Trivial. Regardless, Shinji comes out of the ocean of LCL. This would imply he was part of the LCL and one lifeform that Instrumentality produced (i.e. burst out of Rei's neck). He came out because he chose to live his life with an AT field and the knowledge of his self-worth. He'd rather try and live life with this than live in a false reality. This is the entire point of the show...his discovery of this and living his life.

I'd also suggest taking a look at the Red Cross Book.

As it says in the description, this is a book that was sold for 800 Yen at theaters while the End of Evangelion was playing and is straight from Gainax (the creators). You can't get much more correct then that yes?

(/me already sees The Black Monarch coming in here and saying it can't be right since it says that Rei "appears to have no emotion."...I'm willing to even bet on that as his reply).

Let me point out a few key lines that support the "truth:"

"The big theme in Evangelion is the "heart of people"...The relationship with others, the meaning of the existence of self, what is the self...."

"The heart of Shinji.... In Ep.25 (AIR) and Ep.26 (True Heart to You), the drama of main characters, actions, solutions to the mysteries etc are all contained. Also this is done in an experimental way, which strives to follow the TV series in bringing up the real issue of "people's heart"."

"[A.T. Field]Abbreviation of "ABSOLUTE TERROR FIELD".
A physical barrier of absolute field put out by the Angels and EVA's. It boasts enormous defensive power, and it is able to greatly reduce the power of all attacking weapons. The ability of EVA to neutralize the A.T.Field of the Angels is one major reason why EVA was considered as the only weapon against the Angels. However, the same A.T.Field does not exist only in the Angels or EVA's. Human also possesses this field. With this A.T.Field, human is able to keep seperate from each other, and to stay in seperate physical forms. Nagisa Kaworu explained A.T.Field as "a barrier of heart that everybody has"

This is in reference to my early explanation about how Instrumentality got rid of our AT fields so we could be together as one...be happy. Since the AT field holds our physical forms, instrumentality made us turn into LCL.

"[Human Complementation Plan] (JINRUI HOKAN KEIKAKU)
A plan to induce artificial evolution for human, who had reached an impasse in becoming a colony of worthless, to become a total single-form organism. It was under the direction of SEELE, and the secret agency NERV was the implementation organisation. However, the expectations of SEELE seems to be different from the objective of NERV (which means the objective of Gendou and Fuyutsuki).

EVA was in fact not planned as a weapon. It was built with the aim to realise this plan. More specifically, it seems that the plan is to artificially start the Third Impact, thus erasing all human, and after human shed their physical form, they will then evolute into a new stage."

Instrumentality...where we are all happy in our perfect worlds. The point to the entire show and SEELE's goal with defeating the Angels and starting Third Impact.
Daio Kaji wrote:i never really knew what Seele's true purpose was
Yes SEELE's entire purpose (in defeating the angels and producing the Evas) was to bring about third Impact and ultimately Instrumentality. This perfect existence with AT fields where we can hurt each other and not truly be close (Hedgehog's Dilemna).
Savia wrote:A couple of points (well, mainly just the one) bother me. There is no evidence whatsoever for Keel being the 'Wandering Jew', who was doomed to live forever. Sure he has a wyrd metal spine, but this implies little more than that he is the head of several very 'high-tech', advanced commmittees and societies. I don't have anything against the possibility of him being this figure, but without some more substantial evidence, I think there's not much to back it up.
Well I ultimately agree that there is no real proof. I was just stating an interesting theory based on a few interesting things in the show like that skeleton.

Don't get me wrong, even if it's not true, it has no bearing on the story or anything else I stated. Thus why I included it under "interesting tidbits."

Here is something to further my theory though (from the RCB):

"Keel Lorentz
The chairman of the Committee of Human Complementation, also the director of SEELE. His body is totally machine from backbone down."

Regardless, you must admit it's a cool theory.
-Daniel
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Might as well add a bit here...

Post by markedman247 » Sat Jul 05, 2003 2:45 am

I know i started a similiar discussion after my first (and only viewing) of NGE. I have actually come to grips on how f'd up it is and after you do the mental editing of both EoE and 25/26, they do seem to fit into place. However, I can't seem to see that Asuka (EoE) was a combination of all of the women in Shinji's life. I don't really see it.

I picture it this way:
During the fight in EoE, she actually snaps out of her funk. She takes out a bit of her agression only to be devoured by the Mass Produced Evas. (Still a hard core and probably the most unexpected moment in the film for me... i knew about everything else from the videos) Now, we know that Asuka "died" but obviously every person who "died" before intstrumentality had their souls put into the LCL (or the Guff, right?) Ok, my terminology might be skewed here...working without my Discs here. Asuka, going through here moments during instrumentality, comes to grips with her life. And she re-emerges but in her MIND she was hurt from the assault and thus her form is that of a bandaged woman. She's seen Rei numerous times (in her disposable bodies) in her bandages so this image forms her new appearance.

Now, this is the one thing I find funny (almost perverse) is that throughout all of the "coping" done in the LCL, Shinji awakens and finds Asuka beside him. The first thing he does is attempt to choke her. Yep, Shinji learned his lesson. Life is great. He has a purpose. And now, its time to choke out a woman that kinda hurt him as much as anyone. He may have loved her but that wasn't love. The crying showed love... in that... "Oh lord, did not I learn anything?" sorta way.

On a side note, after visiting Animazement and hearing the American voice actress for Asuka (Tiffany Grant) was how much control Gainax had on the American release... They had arguments over "Child" vs "Children" as in "So, Third Child..." The point is... at the end.. the last words uttered (EoE) was "I feel bad/sick" in japanese but in English its "How Disgusting.." HUGE difference since the source was Asuka. Seeing Shinji cry and then hearing "How Disgusting" kinda makes you wonder if everything that happened was for the best and no one learned, evolved, found happiness, etc. It was all for not. The odd thing is that Gainax gave the ok to this translation. Sorry, I thought that was interesting.

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Post by Savia » Sat Jul 05, 2003 3:59 am

dwchang, I agree that the Chairman Keel theory is interesting, I just don't want anybody getting the worng impression and reading it as fact (as most of the rest of what you have written here is).

Markedman, excellent post, it all looks fine to me. I particularly like what you've said about why Asuka is bandaged in the final scene.

By the way, I was always mystified why noone ever asked what Gendo 'said' to Ritsuko before shooting her. It may be trivial, even unimportant, but damn it's annoying. My bet would be "Ritsuko, I am your father." :wink: Even though it doesn't fit the timeline, Ritsuko does call him a liar after... :P
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Post by markedman247 » Sat Jul 05, 2003 4:39 pm

By the way, I was always mystified why noone ever asked what Gendo 'said' to Ritsuko before shooting her. It may be trivial, even unimportant, but damn it's annoying. My bet would be "Ritsuko, I am your father." Even though it doesn't fit the timeline, Ritsuko does call him a liar after...
I have heard that same suggestion as well.
here's a few more:
1)I did love you
2)Look out behind you...
3)You mom was better than you...
4)I did it for you...
5)I loved your mom...

Some of them are plausable, and some are just for fun...

Still have my theory (and a shirt supposedly in the works) that Pen Pen shot Kaiji... because none suspects the penguin (shifty eyes)

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Post by OmniStrata » Sat Jul 05, 2003 5:18 pm

Ok, I haven't even read through this whole thread, but from what I can see, my hate is very justified...

How can I [not you, ME] possibly enjoy a series where the director practically says "fuck you" to his audience. He recieved hate-mails and death threats [and then shows them! what nerve!] and still keeps going? I heard he killed himself already. Till I hear otherwise, I can only say, damn, what loss of great potential...

The ending has everyone killed. Why should I give a fuck of character development, relationships started etc. etc. No, I'm not a [must be happy ending] type of anime viewer, but the ending MUST have some point to it. Apparently, from what I see here, Anno just says, "fuck you" and like rips his own series to pieces.

People are using the "holy biblical" references to make this anime Controversial... There's hentai! Why's that not considered the "C" word? Cause it's not holy? [MJ, where's that vid!!??]

Evangelion was SOO going to be my number one anime. It's startup and presentation was nothing short of epic. It's character design was unique and it was produced by a well renowned company: Gainax. Had awesome music and the characters where all lovable and serious. Especially Misato. She seemed the most real out of all the characters.

But in the end [a fitting phrase I might add...] it was all for shits. they all die. So why bother? Why care about something that starts up, then falls flat on its face? I'm fine for it since Evangelion has...

a: no chance for a sequel HAH HAH...
b: unlike amvs, Eva can't be affected by people who want to help...

Saikano is much the same. AWESOME start up and continuity. Both Eva and Saikano had a PLOT that was nothing short of legendary. I'll give it that, but a bad ending is like 90% of my opinion for an anime. When you're done, was it worth it?

One word for me: NO...

:cry:
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"That is a mistake many of my enemies make. They think before they act. I act before I think!" - Vortigern from Merlin ('98)
"I AM REBORN!" - Dark Schneider Bastard!! OAV

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Post by Milliardo » Sat Jul 05, 2003 10:44 pm

OmniStrata wrote:How can I [not you, ME] possibly enjoy a series where the director practically says "fuck you" to his audience. He recieved hate-mails and death threats [and then shows them! what nerve!] and still keeps going? I heard he killed himself already. Till I hear otherwise, I can only say, damn, what loss of great potential...

The ending has everyone killed. Why should I give a fuck of character development, relationships started etc. etc. No, I'm not a [must be happy ending] type of anime viewer, but the ending MUST have some point to it. Apparently, from what I see here, Anno just says, "fuck you" and like rips his own series to pieces.
I can see where you're comming from. However, after reading this entire thread a new possibility occured to me. As dwchang said, episode 26 related only Shinji's thoughts, but everyone was going through a similar process, struggling to make the same decision. If Shinji made the choice to leave the LCL, maybe everyone else did as well. If shinji survived, perhaps everyone else did. I know that EoE shows Shinji and Asuka in a desolate place with no one else around, but that could just be the setting, like some remote island or something. The fact that Asuka is there though may actually lend some creedance to the idea that everyone else survived. Unless Liriel is in some way correct in that Asuka is just a representaion of different people Shinji knew, but I don't really see that.

Even still, the anime is only an attempt to illistrate what goes on inside our own minds. The character development was not for nothing even if everyone died because it represented in part the development we all go through. And yes, eventually we all die too. Hopefully that doesn't mean our own develoment is a waste.

Anyway, just a few thoughts.

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Post by OmniStrata » Sun Jul 06, 2003 1:00 am

It's a good thing I didn't direct it, I'd have turned the ending into a hentai rape...

:lol:
"Strength lies in action. Let the weak react to me..." - Kamahl, Pit Fighter from Magic: the Gathering
"That is a mistake many of my enemies make. They think before they act. I act before I think!" - Vortigern from Merlin ('98)
"I AM REBORN!" - Dark Schneider Bastard!! OAV

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My intention...

Post by markedman247 » Sun Jul 06, 2003 4:02 am

Wasn't to poke fun at the show. I can see that this is one of those shows that mean a lot to people and to others its just horrible because of the ending. I do poke fun of it. Its an easy show for it. After all, one of my friend's said to me "OK, so the world and humanity is supposed to be saved by a whiney, self-hating kid. We are so screwed."

However, I had to actually look for a few answers in all the posts and such. Dwchang has done an excellent job defending and trying point out alot of the ambiguities of this show. Of course, some of this is still "you take what you put in" type of show. Go in with a skeptical mind and you won't really see answers just more questions and cynicism. I can tolerate a show that is, on the surface, a mech show with aliens and the world's fate in the hands of an unlikely pilot. I can also enjoy the fact that its deeper (like Ogres, its got layers) than a whole slew of anime. There will always be contention on this show. No matter how many attempts at convincing how good this anime is, it will only fall on deaf ears (or here, blind eyes).

Needless to say, I am still a bit skeptical about the show. There are several points that are always gonna be there for debate and I can't always see the POV of every poster.

I really did hate Evangelion. Still consider it a bit of a "haughty" anime. But, I have actually grown to accept it. I see it as something that could keep discourse going for a very long time. Remember its almost, if not, ten years old (you can correct me on this). How many shows can you say actually give reason and conversation about the events in the show 10 years after their making? Other than the continuous discussions about "Sasami and her age" or "Ranma and Akane (I still hear this) sex life." I enjoy reading these discussions. As much as there are facts that completely reinforce alot of things in the show about the LCL, the Sea of Drac, the Spear of Longinus, etc. There will always be questions for debate.

As for the contriversial nature of this show, remember religion is arguably the number one reason for wars, violence, and intolerance. Whenever you open a religion to interpretation in any form of media, the contraversy begins. I have seen "Angel Sanctuary" and feel that its (IMHO) more contraversial than NGE. Though, NGE has more visual imagery and allusions to the Kabala and other religious trappings. Its a very fragile pathway to walk. Doing it with mechs was an ingenious idea but once you know the names of the angels, how they fit into the whole plan, and the plan by Man to try to attempt to evolve by his own hand and not through the will of a devine figure, it will step on a few toes. On one hand, man has free will but when free will tries to prove that God (or other Diety as per your belief) doesn't exist and that "ascension" can only be attained by man and man alone. Not that NGE shows that is how things should be, but Gendo tried and failed.

I am sorry if this comes across as a rambling. I am not a person qualified to point out religion vs fantasy portrayal. Feel free to add, correct, or modify what I say. I look forward to pointing my friends to this discussion when they ask "WTF" at the end as I, and countless, others did.

As with the Matrix, no one can be completely told about NGE. They must experience it for themselves. Hatred or enlightenment. Answers or questions. As long as it makes you think, that's the point of it all. If it didn't, it wouldn't be the beloved or reviled classic that it is.

On a lighter note (Yes, this is an AMV proposition), has anyone done a video to NGE with Tool's Parabol/Parabola?
The lyrics: "This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality.
Embrace this moment. Remember. we are eternal.
all this pain is an illusion."
They kinda feel like they reflect parts of NGE. Sorry to bring this up if it has. I don't think I have seen it mentioned but I am relatively new.

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Post by MrScribble » Sun Jul 06, 2003 3:28 pm

markedman247 wrote:
Still have my theory (and a shirt supposedly in the works) that Pen Pen shot Kaiji... because none suspects the penguin (shifty eyes)

Markedman247
Wait... Kaji got shot?

I thought Kaji shot someone else for being late. :?
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