Below is the original script for my video discussing Neon Genesis Evangelion’s editing and presentation throughout the first half of its third act, titled “The Infinite Games Within Evangelion’s Evolution,” at the time of recording. This was a sequel to my previous video on the subject, “Understanding Asuka in Evangelion’s Second Act“

How Evangelion Evolves | Part I

Evolution is the name of the game in Evangelion. Everything is subject to change, and that’s especially true for people, our favorite series’ main focus. Having fully established our colorful cast of characters over the course of two acts, Eva’s third inning looks to properly start our voyage across the sea of change, and I’m beyond excited to crack open this—whoa, what is…what’s this, where in the…oh! Okay…

[I don’t know where this is coming from, honestly, it just…it just kinda showed up…hello?]

“The surprise success of Anno’s television show and later films heralded a coming-out for a medium long derided as kid stuff, but it also represented a great coming-out for the otaku themselves, long disparaged as overgrown children, and even at one point as criminals, by society at large. To average observers, their moment in the sun might have seemed to come out of nowhere, but of course that wasn’t the case at all. […] perhaps most of all it was the realization of a long-forgotten dream from the beginning of the eighties. A dream in which society recognized anime as more than kid stuff, as a new form of expression for young people everywhere. Long forgotten, that is, to everyone save the otaku themselves.”

So reads chapter seven of Matt Alt’s captivating novel, Pure Invention, a guided tour along the history of Japan’s pop culture, which, of course, wouldn’t be complete without Evangelion. Throughout the chapter dedicated to anime, Alt highlights the absolute bizarreness of the show, from demented ad campaigns to Shinji’s subversion of typical action protagonist tropes—let’s be real though, you and I already know this stuff. In fact, we’re four videos and two acts deep in this series, and I can’t help but feel that makes me the Evangelion guy…not the worst thing to be known for.

Yeah, that’s cool; anyway, just read through that, again, briefly, and it’s really funny, Alt’s comments on the series, because he specifically calls out Shinji’s tape deck as an SDAT, not a Walkman—I was right, you were wrong, so you can all suck it—!

Opening

Well now, with that nonsense out of the way, Act III of Evangelion stands out as the leg of the journey where things really kick off. After ten episodes of introductions and setup, episodes eleven through fifteen take a hard look at the evolving interpersonal dynamics of our established cast. While some episodes focus hard on a single character—such as Misato and Ritsuko—often the whole cast is on display, what we know of the individuals driving the evolving relationships.

And nowhere is that evolution more apparent than the day Tokyo-3 stood still.

Episode 11: The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still

Right out the gate, Episode 11 has something special going for it: a minute factoid buried in the footnotes of the Wikipedia page that becomes glaringly obvious once you see it:

This episode was animated by Studio Ghibli.

Why that’s not front and center whenever you look it up, I don’t know, but Gainax thanked and honored the studio’s involvement by including the name of Ghibli producer Nozomu Takahashi in Fuyutsuki’s paper. Also he’s the campaigning candidate with the truck. Now that is what I call character.

And what better way to break down relationships than with a cold opening focused on our supporting cast? This is the first time we see NERV personnel outside Central Dogma—a nice little grounding for the series—and I can’t help but love this shot of the train lights in a row, like Rei’s iconic shot. Speaking of, Unit-00 is operational, and we finally see it in person as Ritsuko performs an extended test, one Fuyutsuki expected to go well, and whose immediate cut to dilemma would be comedic if not so serious. As Ritsuko begins the test again, you can’t help but wonder at the reversal of everyday monotony in the series. At this point, doing laundry at the mat somehow feels more exciting than repeatedly rebooting a massive mech, highlighting the alien lifestyles of our cast.

The start of the elevator gag with Katsuragi and Kaji is delightful, and then we get one of the most pivotal scenes of the series.

Shinji calls Gendo about an academic opportunity: nothing important in actuality, but the subtext of their dialogue, given their relationship, is unique. At first glance, Shinji is hopelessly nervous and Gendo is impatiently dismissive, and while that’s…I mean it’s true, the fact Gendo not only picked up the phone but stays on the line after Shinji reveals his seemingly inconsequential matter shows that Gendo is willing to carve out some time for his son. Shinji’s wide eyes reveal he’s surprised Gendo even picked up, and as he explains the situation, we get this fantastic shot of his right hand twitching, fingers half-curling into an almost fist during their discussion.

This is another of my favorite motifs: Shinji’s right hand as an indicator of his confidence. This becomes way more important later, but for now, his waning resolve as shown in his uncommitted flexing is enough to let us know he’s not in control of this conversation.

That’s when the line goes down, the power goes out, and we’re treated to a masterful nearly six-minute sequence across six scenes as the entirety of our cast deduces the situation they’re in. While the series has displayed competent if not inspiring editing since Episode 1, this is the first sequence that really struck me as masterful. I mean, here: this is a visual layout of every scene and the cross-cutting between locations. There are 18 scene transitions in total, all but 5 of which are parallel cuts, ensuring we as the audience can follow along a linear terminological path across all six scenes. I cannot stress enough how ahead of the curve this is: hardly any anime are this conscious of style, even most films barely hazarding to cross-cut over more than three scenes. It’s impressively mature to say the least.

Anyway, after our mid credits, we see the Eighth Angel, Material…Mattel…Matarael—this, it’s this word—on the city outskirts. NERV runs a dummy restoration protocol to subvert whoever took out the power, and while I at first thought the attack was orchestrated by generic anti-NERV personnel, after some digging, the most likely theory I’ve seen is that the attack was actually carried out by SEELE. We’ll get to them later, but it makes sense they’d sabotage NERV to further their personal agenda, as they previously cut NERV’s defense budget, indicating this attack was premeditated. To go one step further, it’s most likely that Kaji himself carried out the sabotage on their behalf, as we see him running to the elevator and playing dumb to distance himself from suspicion. And, you know, getting stuck in the elevator with Misato is a pretty fantastic side benefit.

Back to the present, the Children are making their way through NERV’s mechanical guts when they learn of the incoming Angel and Rei takes the lead in her own way (against Asuka’s wishes) to get them all to HQ ASAP. When the trio reaches a split and the girls want to take different paths, Asuka asks Shinji for his opinion, and his glance between the two of them infers he’s not just thinking about directions when he can’t decide. Also calling special attention to this shot of the two between Asuka’s arms, her grip literally around the others’ necks as her dominance constricts them. Seeing Shinji visually torn between opposite sides of the screen and extremes of the spectrum is another great reinforcement of how he feels.

Hyuga alerts the others to the Angel, Gendo goes to manually prep the Evas, and the fact that Fuyutski brings up the absence of the pilots but Gendo doesn’t answer him reminds me of Ritsuko and Misato from Episode 6, of Misato’s fervent belief that Shinji will pilot regardless of his condition. I don’t think it’s hard to argue Gendo holds a similar belief with Shinji and Rei, if not Asuka as well: that they’ll do everything in their power to be by the Evas’ sides when they’re needed.

During their rendezvous, Asuka does her thing and prods Ayanami on her special status as Gendo’s favorite of the bunch. Now here, Rei gives not just typically clever responses, but hints at some truly insightful dynamics when you deconstruct her words. Namely, she says she’s well aware of not being treated better, which to me reeks of her either being acutely aware of her subhuman status, or having seen Gendo hold someone in higher esteem than her. Or both. More than a few people interpret this as Rei implying Gendo does in fact have favorites, but she’s not it: Shinji is. Rewatching this scene a number of times, I’m hesitant to interpret things that way, but I want to, and I can certainly see the argument for it.

In the next scene, Ritsuko says the pilots should be along any moment, and the sentiment is juxtaposed with an obvious obstruction the Children must circumnavigate. Here, Asuka says she believes Rei thinks she’s better than others, and this sentiment is juxtaposed with Gendo manually pitching in to prep the Evas. Of course, you’d imagine any superiority complex Rei’s adopted would’ve been due to Gendo’s influence, but here the commander is clearly unafraid to get his hands dirty, to do the hard work, and you’ve almost got to admire him. More than any time before, this episode certainly puts into doubt Gendo’s character: is he as awful as we’ve previously seen through Shinji’s eyes, or does he have a number of admirable qualities worth consideration?

The answer is yes.

And we get this sweet little sequence where Shinji sees that side of his father and wonders, along with the audience, if he’s not so bad. The sliver of pride in Ritsuko’s voice is also undeniable, I will add.

The hydraulics are severed like broken veins, and the Evas free themselves as Gendo himself, for the first time ever, commands them to launch. In a twist of irony, the Evangelions are forced to crawl through vents and shafts in the same manner the pilots did earlier, and the threat of Matarail’s…Matriel’s…Matrael’s—dang it, I’m just calling it Matt!—The threat of Matt’s acid sends them spiraling down until Shinji reaches out and breaks their fall, literally supporting his team as they regroup.

What occurs next deserves close inspection, as Asuka, having spent the entirety of the episode flaunting her superiority, finally proves her adeptness at leadership when establishing the battle plan. In the lineup, she insists on putting herself in the most dangerous Defensive position as payback to Shinji for saving her during the magma dive. This time, she’ll take the brunt of the corrosive liquid. A move that actually pries distress from Shinji, who doesn’t want to she her in another hazardous position.

A hint that maybe he’s falling for her? Huh? Hmm?

For real though, Rei’s verbal acceptance and the close-up of Shinji choosing to trust Asuka shows the two willing to put their faith in her, regardless of how they otherwise feel. Asuka announces “Go,” or “March,” or…or “Charge” depending on the dub you’re watching—doesn’t matter, they do the thing.

The takeout sequence is superb. Legendary for a reason, it’s executed and edited to perfection, the action distilled into 23 tight shots, each carrying a single emotional beat to communicate and emphasize every aspect of the plan. Thrusters, land, brace, ask, retrieve, receive, aim, call out, avoid, fire, and more and more until Shinji unleashes a barrage of rounds turning Matt into a very spindly slice of Swiss cheese. The scene is the definition of effective, not a frame of extraneous detail as the Children annihilate the threat. In the following shot, look closely and you can see Shinji discard the rifle to catch Asuka with both hands. The two of them aren’t just even; all three are now a team, having overcome not just the Angel, but one another.

In a different shaft, Misato and Kaji face problems of a different sort as NERV finally restores power, and the two are caught in a scandalous position (not too dissimilar from Asuka falling on Shinji) as Maya calls the two “indecent.” Again, unless you watched the ADV where she calls them “sex fiends” I kid you not, somebody actually recorded that line.

The episode caps itself off with some self-indulgent philosophy as the Children, still in plug suits, lounge at the city’s edge as Tokyo-3 relights itself. In an original draft, Shigeru was poised to play his signature guitar on the hilltop beside the Children, but the idea was scrapped. Because that’s creepy.

The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still is not only unique in premise, what with working around the power outage, but manages to cram in heaps of character detail without sacrificing pace. Asuka and Gendo in particular have a lot revealed about them, Asuka’s true leadership and strategic capabilities evident during the sortie, and Gendo’s humanness, his flaws and compassion, however slight, shown in his struggle coping with heat, his faith in Rei and Shinji’s abilities, and the first hints that he’s beginning to patch the relationship up with his son, even if he doesn’t yet realize it.

The progression is tangible; even if just a few episodes before, it felt as if these changes required nothing less than a miracle.

Episode 12: She said, ‘Don’t make others suffer for your personal hatred.’

Episode 12, The Value of Miracles—another brilliant title—is another brilliant episode. Beginning with a flashback to the Second Impact, we’re finally given the answer to what prompted Misato’s standoffish demeanor in Episode 7. Even with only eighteen shots, the hellscape of Antarctica is fully realized, from the melting skin of Doctor Katsuragi to the fact that—and I realized this only on recent viewing—the entry plug-like escape pod Misato survives in is the only functional remnant of its kind, as we see the scattered ruins of others littered around Misato’s dying father. Couple that with the firsthand experience of seeing Adam awaken, and honestly, it’s a miracle Misato ever became a functional human being.

Fading match cut that finally explains the scar we saw in Episode 10, and the storm Misato finds herself in now, while tremendously more natural, nevertheless reminds her of that fateful day.

Also apparently Misato skateboards.

Cue title card, a bit of plot, and we see during the harmonics test that Misato’s still prioritizing Shinji’s wellbeing over NERV’s. In the car ride home, as Shinji admits his worry over Asuka’s temperament, Misato gently hits him with the hard truth that he’s not responsible for others’ emotions: another prospect that blindsides him. Unlike Episode 2, however, the eclipsing light and lingering hold on Misato’s silhouette causes you to wonder if she’s only talking about Shinji.

Later, the gang throws a celebration for Misato’s promotion, the sign on the front door facetiously reading “Congratulations on your Promotion;” “Celebration here;” and “All seats reserved.”

Within, typical antics ensue, but the camera favors Shinji, himself maintaining a façade of indifference to mask his social anxiety—a mask Misato at this point sees right through. Taking time away from the celebration to focus on Shinji’s needs not only reinforces her growing concern and emotional tether but stands in stark contrast to Gendo’s flippant behavior of last episode.

The choice of camera angles continues to baffle common sense as it sits behind them, focused on their backs, like an eavesdropper, only venturing to show facial close ups as emotions become apparent. Here, Shinji asks Misato why she joined NERV—a variation on the question he asked Rei about why she pilots her Eva: both instances of him searching the motivations of others to better understand why he made the same choice.

Kaji and Ritsuko arrive, bringing news of Gendo’s excursion to Antarctica, and we come full circle while seeing the remains of the continent and the relic they dredged up there. Post philosophic schpeel, the next Angel, Sahaquiel, arrives in Earth’s orbit, and oh boy he’s a doozy.

Arguably the most dangerous Angel to this point, and Katsuragi is entirely responsible for dealing with it, an objective not entirely unpersonal for her.

Cue the second title card, and we’re treated to the famous miracles debate where the Children bolster their bravery by refusing to write their Wills, and that might just be the darkest and most metal response I can imagine. As they’re loading up for the mission, Shinji now asks Asuka why she pilots, and she concedes it’s for vanity. When the question’s turned on him, however, Shinji admits he’s unsure, baseless, which Asuka correctly sees as absurd, since—holy Eva that’s a shot.

Immediately after, on the precipice of the mission’s start, Shinji recalls Misato’s answer to his inquiry on her joining NERV. Standing at the cliff where she first exhorted him, she explains to Shinji how she feels the pressure of her father’s legacy to kill the Angels, an emotional drive and paternal struggle all too similar to his own conflict with Gendo.

In his seminal work Finite and Infinite Games, author James P. Carse outlines, among other things, the ever-present audience of a parent to a child, and how a child will always feel beholden to the opinions of their parents regardless of the parents’ existence. Despite Gendo’s absence and Doctor Katusragi’s death, Shinji and Misato are clearly in the throes of this dynamic, both struggling to manage and fulfill their fathers’ desires and balance it with their own initiatives. Shinji’s interprets Misato’s story as parallel to his own, both of them trying desperately to beat the invisible game of expectation and in doing so win freedom from expectation itself. And since winning a game requires playing it, Shinji reinforces his steadfast stance: I must not run away.

Instead, he and the others sprint towards danger, varying camera angles letting us know which Eva is approaching from where, and keeping Shinji moving in from right of frame, reaffirming that he’s taking the initiative in this battle. The sequence leading up to Sahaquiel’s impact is brilliant as per usual: I especially love this parallel four shot sequence depicting each Eva following up the action of the previous one, much like last episode’s blackout sequence.

Shinji makes first contact, his A.T. field confident and powerful enough to blow the surrounding terrain away as he faces the Angel not fearfully, not jealously, but defiantly, expectantly, having finally reached a point of courage wherein his anxiety and mission are completely under control. In fact, before the others get to him, Shinji nearly expels Sahaquiel entirely on his own, until the mounting pressure and incurred damage finally prompt Rei and Asuka to coordinate a successful termination. Sidenote, this is the only time ever we see Unit-00’s prog knife.

Post-op, Gendo congratulates Misato on her handling, and Shinji on his execution. It is, of course, the first positive comment Gendo has made about his son, and his pride is no secret here: another step taken towards mending their relationship. I want to call special attention to this shot, framed through Gendo’s monitor to see Shinji’s expression to heighten the sense of connection: since they’re not in the same room, we can’t have a traditional over-the-shoulder reaction, so Anno gives us the next best thing.

Aboard the same monorail Shinji took to escape the city in solitude back in Episode 4, he’s now riding with his adoptive family into Tokyo-3 to secure a victory meal. Never one to squander a moment, even this final scene of the episode reveals a staggering development in, of all people, Asuka: having been given the power to choose any restaurant she wanted, she instead opts to dine at a ramen cart. Cheap enough to spare Misato, who she knows loves ramen, and with an accommodating menu for the sake of Rei, who orders seaweed ramen—

“Garlic ramen without the pork, please.”

…Or that, yeah. Apparently the script said seaweed ramen, and the inclusion of “garlic ramen” was adlibbed.

Anyway, the choice of venue is Asuka’s first genuine expression of selflessness, proof that, whether she admits it or not, she’s as desperate for a family—a connection—as everyone else. And she’s willing to kill her ego for it.

Still, I can’t help but laugh at her order: a ramen bowl with shark fin, perfect for the redheaded deep sea fishing enthusiast.

Sidenote, everyone’s body language in this shot is amazing: Rei is twisted up and closed off, Asuka’s as domineering as usual, and Shinji and Misato share the same pose.

While eating, Shinji is finally able to answer the question he’s already asked the three of them: why they do what they do. Gendo’s approval, his praise and recognition, sustains Shinji in a way he finally understands on an emotional level. Even though he defeated Sahaquiel believing all he needed was freedom from his father’s expectations, finally fulfilling those expectations proves to be an ambrosia he dreams of drinking more of.

Asuka sees through the folly in this, of seeking another’s opinion as sustenance (even if she’s addicted to it in her own way with Kaji); but that doesn’t matter to Shinji, as his expression betrays: this change is a welcome comfort, and he’s finally content…if only for now.

Thank you all so much for watching! This video was a long time coming, I know. Thank you for—wait up, that’s…that’s it? I’m only covering two episodes?

Yes indeed, this script again ended up being twice as long as usual, so get ready for Act III part II coming soon to theatres and DVD. I will not make you wait another two months; I promise. There is at this point so much to cover that I don’t want to leave out, I might just switch to covering episodes individually, but we’ll see.

Anyway, a very special thank you to all the people who directly supported the making of this video, and to Matt Alt and James Carse for authoring such fantastic books for me to reference. If you’d like to pick up a copy of either of their works, and I highly recommend you do, links are down in the description, as per usual.

Also make sure to grab the Evangelion merch we’ve got on Etsy! Those limited-edition Unit-00 stickers will not get restocked, so be sure to grab ‘em now.

Also, seeing as we’re covering Evangelion and it is September now, which is mental health awareness month, I want to remind all of you to take breaks, get some sunshine, drink lots of water, and take care of yourselves. What happens to you is not necessarily your fault, but how you deal with it is, and remember: I’m not a licensed therapist, but everything will be okay.

Very sorry again this video took so long to release. I was admittedly a little burned out by the convention last month, which did go well, for those of you wondering, but I needed a small creative break. Now I’m back on my usual track, next video is already recorded and in the editing room, and I’m excited to get more out to you guys and gals soon. Thank you all for your continued support, and seriously, go check out those books I mentioned, they’re amazing.

Until then, I’ve been Jiro, you’ve been amazing, and I wish you all only the best.

God bless you.