Evangelion Mythos and the Plot You Thought the Show Forgot! Anime Is Lit Podcast! Twitter: @animeislitpod! What this panel will be...
. Part 1.0! • Adam and Lilith! • Human Instrumentality! • The Impacts! • Q&A! . Part 2.0! • Symbols! • Tracking Shinji’s journey! • The psychological/thematic thread of the story and how it connects to the external narrative! • Q&A! . Part 1.0 + 2.0! • Extras! What this panel will not be...
. Exclusively memes! No need for bibles...
What’s included: A Lot.! What it means: Not much.! Religious symbolism
Assistant Director Kazuya Tsurumaki on religious symbolism in NGE:! “Because Christianity is an uncommon religion in Japan we thought it would be mysterious. None of the staff who worked on Eva are Christians. There is no actual Christian meaning to the show, we just thought the visual symbols of Christianity look cool...”! http://web.archive.org/web/20020622231224/http://www.akadot.com/article/ article-tsurumaki2.html!
Anno:! “I am not familiar with many things in Christianity, and I have no intention of approaching it or criticizing it either.”! http://www.gwern.net/docs/eva/1997-animeland-may-hideakianno-interview- english! Lilith! Adam!
. Seed of Humanity! . Seed of the Angels! . DNA -> Unit-01! . DNA -> All other EVAs! . Kept in Terminal Dogma! . Kept in Gendo’s Suitcase! . Soul -> Rei! . Soul -> Kaworu! . Bleeds LCL! . Everyone mistakes Lilith for Adam ! • Confusing af! <&''&7-2
45$#-2 ?-+(/5$@-(#'&(6 . Initiated by the First Ancestral Race! . Beginning of life on Earth ~5 Billion years ago! • Results from the 2 Seeds of Life landing on Earth! . Adam arrives (“White Moon”)! • With Lance of Longinus (on/off switch)! • And Dead Sea Scrolls (instruction manual)! . Lilith crash-lands on earth (“Black Moon”)! • No lance (not subdued).! • Subdues Adam, becomes dominant Seed of Life. ! • Creates life on Earth/humanity.! Which Soul is Where?
. Lilith’s soul -> Rei! . Adam’s soul -> Kaworu! Lance of Longinus
. On/Off Switch for Seeds of Life! . Really cool fork! . Lilith & Adam each had one! • Lilith’s is lost, so humanity was born! • Adam’s was with him ! . They pierce AT Fields! Human Instrumentality
. Driving the plot of the show! • Goal of Seele and of Gendo/NERV for different reasons! . Breaking down of barriers between human consciousnesses (AT Fields)! . “Final stage of human evolution”! • Return to “primordial soup” (LCL)! • Collective consciousness! • Lots of folding chairs! . Result of Third Impact! Gehirn • Proto-NERV, formed after Second Impact! • Built MAGI System and EVAs under “Adam Revival Project”! • Under UN jurisdiction, backed by Seele! • Gendo, Yui, and Ritsuko’s ! mother were all research! scientists there! NERV • Gehirn turned into NERV the day after Naoko strangled Rei and killed herself.! • Under UN jurisdiction, authorized to build EVAs and fight Angels! • Pawn of Seele via Gendo!
That’s a fig leaf, not a maple leaf (Excessive religious symbolism, not Canada) Seele
• “Religious organization”! • Discovered Dead Sea Scrolls!
• Funded Katsuragi Expedition that uncovered Adam & Initiated 2nd Impact!
• Seele’s goal is Instrumentality ! • “Final Evolution of Humanity” for humans to become like gods! • Gendo operates under them, but with his own goal of Instrumentality thru Unit-01! Central Dogma and Terminal Dogma
. The basement where they keep the Secrets! . They built the geofront in Lilith’s black moon egg! . Adam lies dormant under the South Pole! . Uncovered by Katsuragi Expedition (Seele/UN)! • Contact Experiment by removing the Lance and fusing human (Lilin) DNA with Adam! • Adam awakens, nearly destroys all life.! o Wipes out 1/3 of Earth’s population! • Stopped with Lance of Longinus, reverts to Egg (Adembryo)! . Seele’s cover story is a meteorite. Records of the Contact Experiment are secret.! • Good one, Seele.! EVAs
Unit 00! Unit 01! Unit 02! Rei’s soul ????! Shinji’s mom’s soul! Part of Asuka’s mom’s soul! Made from Lilith, not Adam! Extra Human! <&''&7-2
45$#-2 ?-+(/5$@-(#'&(6 Kaworu
. 17th angel in a human body ! . Born at 2nd impact, has Adam’s soul, Vintage White-Haired Anime Boy™! . Sent by Seele to cause the third impact and HI! . Intended to fuse with Adam to destroy humanity and reclaim earth for the angels, but found Lilith in the basement instead! . Planned for Human Instrumentality! . Initiated by Gendo fusing Adam with Rei -> Lilith!
» Shown in EoE, takes place during NGE ep 25 & 26!
. All of humanity returns to Lilith & becomes Souls in LCL™ primordial soup! . Meanwhile Shinji is offered the choice to continue HI or return to being human! Q&A SECOND HALF Buckle up! What is this show trying to do?
. The physical plot supports the psychological narrative! • The themes and motifs in the show (should) guide the viewers understanding of the internal struggles of the characters! • (Whether the show is completely successful in this is up for debate)! . Themes:! • Heavy existentialism! • Defining reality (subjective meaning)! • Defining self! • Connection to others! • Emotional attachments (especially parental)! • Loneliness, fear of abandonment! • Intimacy ! The psychological narrative
. Tension between internal and external! • If the angels invade central dogma, humanity will be destroyed! • If Shinji allows his internal psychological space to be invaded, he runs the risk of destruction (pain, destruction of self)! . Human Instrumentality! • Blending of internal and external! • Breaking down physical and psychological barriers! • The psychological plot blends with the physical just as Human Instrumentality breaks down the barrier between physical and mental realities! Barriers . Barriers cause suffering, provide protection! • Emotional barriers between characters! . Sleeping arrangements! • Represents breaking down barriers, invading intimate spaces! . AT Fields! Absolute Territory Terror Fields
. Literal boundaries between souls! • Everybody’s got one!! • Even angels’ve got ‘em!! . Links the external and psychological “battles” thematically! The shore
. Bridging barriers, gradual shift! . Kaworu! • His name means beach! • He’s fusion of Lilith and Adam! . The end of End of Evangelion! • The aftermath of a world ! without boundaries ! Trains
. Trains of thought!! . Dissociation, ! self-examination ! . It’s a pause in the action! • Characters can’t act while ! they’re on the train! . Honestly, who doesn’t dissociate when they’re on a train, amirite??! Shinji’s Psychological Journey
. Early in the show, what Shinji wishes for is something like Human Instrumentality! • No one understands him and he can’t connect with others! . He goes back and forth between seeing the value in trying to understand others and being hurt when the tries to connect! • Just like he waffles on piloting Eva! • The physical battles mirror his relational ones of advance/ withdrawl! . Episode 20 - Shinji melts into LCL/won’t come back! • The closest he comes to giving up completely! • He comes back after remembering Yui/hearing Misato! o The hope of being loved unconditionally! Shinji’s Journey 2.0
. Shinji uses others to try and define his sense of self! • This results in a fractured and painful identity! • He waits for instructions; tries to prefer nothing, yet craves validation! . In the last 2 eps he realizes he must define/love himself ! • He accepts that no one can understand his truest self, nor he theirs! • But he can come close, and it’s worth trying ! Shinji gets the choice...
. God lets a 14-year-old boy decide what to do with humanity. Twice.! . He chooses the struggle of loneliness over complete loss of self! . Reverses human instrumentality ! . Yui: “If you have a will to live, anywhere can be heaven. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to be happy.”! Episode 4
. Mini version of the whole show! . Shinji wanders and self-examines! . Last-minute decision to not get on the train! Yui’s vs Gendo’s goals
. A better humanity! . To reunite with Yui . Understanding and through Unit 01! unity! . Forget everyone else! . In EoE, Yui wins out through Rei!
Both are looking for a shortcut out of human loneliness and isolation! . Shinji rejects both and chooses to stay sad and human! In defense of Kaworu . Integral to Shinji’s breakdown and eventual decision and the entire goshdarn show! . Through meeting Shinji, Kaworu understands human connection and suffering! . Points out Shinji’s inherent ! value! . Kaworu as a wish-fulfillment of every type of love Shinji was looking for.! • Parental, platonic, romantic, divine! Kaworuwu . Offered Shinji the Choice! . Not just for the Fujos! Connections of Other Characters
. Misato! • Pen-Pen! . Ritsuko! • Naoko! . Gendo! • Taking the “Ikari” name! • Obsession, loss of self! Q&A [TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF CARD] @animeislitpod! [email protected]!
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