Asuka may be the Shiori of NGE (in terms of demeanor, that is.  She's kinda similar to Nanami too in that department), except for the bazillion fanboys Asuka has and Shiori probably doesn't have.   Though Asuka has probably almost as many haters as raving fanboys.

I'll say that I am something of a fan of Asuka's and have a few (like 3) figures on my shelf to prove it.

It sounds cliché with it being brought up so much recently about Shiori, but Asuka has her reasons for acting the way she does, too.  She was neglected as a child and saw her mother hang herself, and part of why she's in everyone's face is that she doesn't know any other way to get them to pay attention to her.

But yeah, Emiemi has a point that each character in NGE has their own history in much the same way that everyone in SKU does.  Not saying that the series themselves are similar (though they are in some ways, to a point), but Asuka, Shinji, Misato, and Gendou can be analyzed at as many levels as Shiori, Nanami, Juri, and Akio.

Last edited by Imaginary Bad Bug (07-25-2007 04:07:57 PM)

Imaginary Bad Bug wrote:

I'll say that I am something of a fan of Asuka's and have a few (like 3) figures on my shelf to prove it.

I have an entire pictures folder of Asuka on my computer

But in all seriousness, the thing that gets me about Asuka is that if I actually knew her I'd want to smack her clear across the face, but as a fictional character she kicks so much ass.  And to be fair, I'd slap the face of pretty much all of Evangelion's cast already.

So i just watched this today.

I am seriously confused. Boyfriend says EVA is all about symbolism and i should like it since i like Utena and all that, but i dunno -- first movie... i just didn't get it.

I saw some of the show as a kid, but never watched it in full. I asked him if i should watch the show or watch the movie and he said the movies were better. Pulled it up and didn't really see any character development and felt like i was forced to just accept everyone for who they were. I know the movie is intended to be how *it should be* but, i feel like without watching the show you just lose a lot...?

I'm going to sleep on it and revisit how I feel in the morning but so far I am totally lost and just feel like i'm missing something. What's the big deal? Is it just nostalgia? Or is it one of those things where you have to get through mroe of it before you think you want to plow on through and love it?

Hope my post doesnt offend anyone, i'm just genuinely curious what is the draw. I love symbolism and digging in and understanding it, but a lot of that just felt super super super abstract.

SEND HALP.

Here's HALP.

Do not watch the movies until you have seen the TV series.

I cannot stress this enough.

Watching the Rebuild films and trying to understand the Evangelion world is like trying to watch the Utena film without seeing the tv series first.

I don't really have any love for EoE, either. I think the tv ending, regardless of it not being the long term plan, is the best ending. It's probably, really, some of the best serial tv ever. Any followup you do is going to look pedestrian beside it. And, the followups do look pedestrian beside it.

I don't think it's a betrayal, I just think it's more boring by comparison

I'm glad it has fans, and it totally does, I just find it a letdown after the tv show and ending. There's some good action sequences, and Asuka's Eva (and therefore, neurologically, her) being chewed up by horrible monsters is distressing in the best ways. But, overall, it just seems a lot of pretty visuals and not as much heart or novelty. It's not even as good as the (second) Ideon movie, which it and Eva in general owe a lot to. Guns, guns, masturbation over messed up woman, heroic death of woman, guns, guns, messed up woman, Shinji does something, messed up woman, guns, guns, weirdness sets in, messed up women, Maya sees Ristuko that's cute, trippy visuals, Shinji something, messed up women, beachside post-trauma, chokelove, credits.

It never comes together as anything that moves me, or moves me along. Even as a visual feast, it's not enough for me. Or, at least, it's not to my tastes.

I can understand why people would find EoE to be a letdown or too great a different an approach but I found it able to move me in ways that to this day still make me take pause. I appreciate its brutal committment to remaining ever so grim through and through and while it is more narrative than the Lain-esque series' ending, it has enough mind screw of the truly disturbing kind.

I need to rewatch it one of these days.[EoE gave Asuka a perfect stage, for once an Eva character manages to break through their issues and make an epic stand (then again, Shinji did have some self-reaffirming moments in the series proper, they were just not on such a grand scale) and fights those mass produced Eva units with all she has...only to be horribly, horrible defeated. That was probably the one moment in the whole movie that stands out to me, I already loved Asuka but her battle made me truly appreciate her.]

As for Rebuild...I am still trying to wrap my head against those horrible chins. Petty, I know, but there you have it.

Last edited by Nocturnalux (10-11-2015 08:07:41 PM)

This is inspiring me to give Rebuild another chance, and EoE maybe. I liked the pre-End movie, it was a cute reference to Ideon's two movies (at the same time, I thin, that the Nadesico short was parodying it) and it had good flow. I may not have been entirely fair with Rebuild and I don't think I even saw the third one. Is it finishing?

purplepolecat wrote:

The fourth and final movie is in production, but there's no release date yet.

I was on the EoE wikipedia page, and the first line of the plot synposis is:
"Shinji Ikari, the teenage pilot of a giant Evangelion cyborg, is distraught over the death of his friend Kaworu Nagisa. He visits fellow pilot Asuka Langley Soryu in a hospital and masturbates to her comatose body."



Seeing it described in such a matter-of-fact tone makes it worse somehow. It's an unpleasant scene, and serves as a warning we're not in TV-land any more, and anything goes. I know a few people who either stopped the movie, or just mentally disengaged themselves at that point. Shinji could certainly give Saionji a lesson in shame-fapping.

I think that's one of the maybe five moments in the movie I think are actually pretty good. Because, seriously, especially at that time, how much Asuka porn was out there? "Fuck you, and you, and you. And, especially, fuck you. Yes, you." That moment should have hurt some feelings in the audience.

wow! i have to be honest! i wasn't expecting this response. Also learned some things about this show o____o and the origin of a meme. So thanks!

I'm likely going to start watching the show before finishing the movies. I dunno, not going to force it!

I'm about halfway through Mawaru Penguindrum and adding this onto it seems a bit daunting. (jury is still out on MP )