"As for Misato's bangs, well, I just stuck Usagi-chan’s bangs on her. It started as a joke. But now having the voice actor, Mitsuishi-san and all, it’s no longer a joke."
- Sadamoto Yoshiyuki, Evangelion Renewal Bonus Disc commentary
sailor moon supers, dir. ikuhara kunihiko (1995) neon genesis evangelion, dir. hideaki anno (1995)
recurring visual imagery: up close + interception evangelion 2.22: you can (not) advance, dir. hideaki anno (2009) evangelion 3.0+1.0: thrice upon a time, dir. hideaki anno (2021)
recurring visual imagery: many a small bird drive away a hawk end of evangelion, dir. hideaki anno (1997) evangelion 3.0+1.0: thrice upon a time, dir. hideaki anno (2021)
Episode 9′s elevator scene is an act of industrial espionage.
We have a long panning shot of confidential papers marked TOP SECRET in red ink strewn across the floor. The camera pans further to reveal Kaji kissing Misato from behind as Misato clutches more confidential files. Kaji then awkwardly moves his hand to wrestle the confidential files out of Misato’s grasp. When Misato steps outside the elevator, Kaji—slowly and with painstaking deliberation—plucks the files one by one off the floor, probably gauging the level of access Misato enjoys within NERV’s informational hierarchy.
Sex becomes a proxy for espionage and information-seeking just as it does in Episode 20 (cycles!), when Misato sleeps with Kaji to extort information about the Human Instrumentality Project. Privileged information physically exchanges hands, represented by the pill, just as it does above with loose leaf files. Early in the show, however, Kaji has a cover to maintain, and NERV employees to alienate, affront, deceive, and offend.
Sharing high-definition covers I made for my Evangelion playlists, including the leading mix Oedipal, available on Soundcloud here.
recurring visual imagery: father + son end of evangelion, dir. hideaki anno (1997)
solaris, dir. andrei tarkovsky (1972) neon genesis evangelion, dir. hideaki anno (1995)
space runaway ideon, dir. yoshiyuki tomino (1982) end of evangelion, dir. hideaki anno (1997)
I changed my mind about Eva’s infamous episode Magma Diver. Came to the belated realization Misato’s unconsciously emulating her father here.
The Angel lay dormant, with Misato scavenging for a sample just like Dr. Katsuragi scavenged for a sample of Adam during the Katsuragi Expedition. In the beginning of Episode 21, Gendo and Kiel snidely chastise Dr. Katsuragi and his team for irrationally pursuing research in their subconscious desire to “dominate” nature and soothe their wounded egos. Here, Misato irrationally demands more and more of NERV’s expedition team, at Asuka and Unit-02′s immense peril. We also have inverted atmospherics: extreme cold (Antartica) vs extreme hot (volcano at Mount Asama), and the threat of Impact looming precariously.
misato, ritsuko, kaji: faceless
misato, ritsuko, kaji: desk space
sophocles, elektra, tr. anne carson misato and kaji, ep 25, dir. hideaki anno
recurring visual imagery: doorknob closeup (as asuka's dad cheats on her mom) + doorknob closeup (as shinji sexually assaults asuka)
neon genesis evangelion, dir. hideaki anno (1995) end of evangelion, dir. hideaki anno (1997)
misato, ritsuko, kaji: death scene + knowing smile
This is an unambiguous rape reference.
On top of being an absentee father, serial manipulator, and child sexual abuser, Gendo is also an incorrigible rapist.
Ritsuko and Gendo had an ongoing affair, hinted as early as Episode 5. Before the above exchange, Ritsuko laments she is no longer happy when they make love. But she pivots, mentioning a specific, isolated incident where—instead of making love like they usually do—Gendo “had his way” with her body instead.
Compounding her wounds from the rape, Gendo pawns Ritsuko off to SEELE. We don’t know what manner of degradation and suffering SEELE subjected her to, but the Committee members assured her: Gendo nominated her thinking she’d be “strong” enough to stand naked before SEELE and take whatever torture they’d planned for her.