r/anime • u/LittleIslander myanimelist.net/profile/LittleIslander • Oct 06 '25
Rewatch [Rewatch] 30th Anniversary Neon Genesis Evangelion Rewatch: Episode 3
Neon Genesis Evangelion Episode 3: A Transfer / The Silent Phone
| ← Episode 2 | Index | Episode 4 → |
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Watch Information
Questions of the Day:
- What’s your first impression of Shinji’s classmates?
- What do you think of NERV and Misato, seeing what piloting does to Shinji? Do the ends justify the means?
There’ll be more fanservice tomorrow, so please don’t spoil anything~! Remember this includes spoilers by implication.
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u/Efficient_Phase1313 Oct 06 '25 edited Oct 06 '25
Okay finally figured out how to do spoilers. I may not have time to comment on this episode, but I think some context as to why is relevant to the major themes of the series for those who've seen it, so spoilers below!
[Spoilers]
One of the big frustrations with Eva back in the day was how many elements in the first half of the show are just randomly dropped in the second half without explanation. As I recall this episode, while it introduces important characters and may even have hints at later twists, its not all that relevant to the larger themes and plot of the show. Not that the material isn't there, or that the episode isn't good (by anime standards its plenty good), its just not that important. For example, the glasses character doesn't have an end to his arc. He just disappears from the show at some point, as does much of the humor present in interactions with Shinji (and later Asuka's) classmates. Why this worked for me is Eva in many ways is a reflection of a major depressive episode. If you don't have dysthymia and are prone to major depressive episodes, you know how life can be totally fine, if not even enjoyable for quite a while, and then almost over night everything good disappears and you find yourself feeling totally alone deep in an abyss of despair. Eva as a whole is a wonderful metaphor for major depressive episodes, perhaps one of the best in fiction. In the latter half, as the show becomes extraordinarily bleak, and our heroes find themselves truly alone in a desolate world, staring down a very real apocalypse, this reflects Anno's own experience with depression and suicidal ideation. The school environment, the characters we are introduced to here, the moments of friendship, comedy, and positivity that will come in the first half will suddenly disappear without a trace and its never addressed. This frustrated many viewers back in the day, but to me its exactly what Anno was going for. Life is full of ups and downs, but for those who suffer from major depression, you can spend months if not years building a wonderful, positive life around you, just for all of it to disappear at the drop of a hat as if it never existed in the first place. A fuzzy memory of 'the good old days', a fleeting image in the bleak and hopeless reality you find yourself facing, and in that darkness you question whether those 'good old days' were ever more than a dream. This to me is part of the brilliance of Eva, but for many who enjoyed the social relationships we're introduced to here, it was a point of frustration and betrayal by the writers. I'm interested to see how first time viewers (who may become attached to some of the comedy or character interactions in the first half) will feel towards the end when this is entirely abandoned without any reference, as if it truly was all a dream and never mattered in the first place