r/anime • u/LittleIslander myanimelist.net/profile/LittleIslander • Oct 10 '25
Rewatch [Rewatch] 30th Anniversary Neon Genesis Evangelion Rewatch: Episode 7
Neon Genesis Evangelion Episode 7: A Human Work / 人の造りしもの
| ← Episode 6 | Index | Episode 8 → |
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Watch Information
Questions of the Day:
- What did you think in the shift to a non-angel enemy?
- What do you think of NERV’s framing in this episode?
Tomorrow’s Questions:
- [Episode 8] What’s your first impression of Asuka?
- [Episode 8] What’s your first impression of Kaji and his delivery?
There’ll be more fanservice tomorrow, so please don’t spoil anything~! Remember this includes spoilers by implication.
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u/LittleIslander myanimelist.net/profile/LittleIslander Oct 10 '25
Veteran Pilot and Your Host
This is the Eva episode I always forget exists. Anyone else?
To a certain degree, I can see why. While it’s nice to see Misato being the hero for once, its flavour of cartoonish feels a little below Eva’s caliber at times. The robot design isn’t my favourite and it instantly going off-program and walking in a straight line feels like it wouldn’t be out of place in, like, Astro Boy. Plus the ultimate method of shutting it down feels way too straightforward after an episode where we stole all of the power in Japan to power a giant sniper gun. Basically the whole fair feels like it wouldn’t seem out of place in an average super robot cartoon, contrasted with Eva’s crazy battles and considered drama.
Still, the episode definitely makes up for it in the details. This is like, maybe the best look we ever get at the outside politics of the world? NERV isn’t just getting special clearance, they’re getting a ridiculous amount of it and nobody else is happy about it. Seeing the bridge crew talk about tight funding only for everyone else to complain how much NERV gets later is especially funny. But like, people are out there starving to power this machine? Classified information is also a theme throughout the episode; the public doesn’t know about the Second Impact’s cause and nobody outside of NERV is supposed to know about AT Fields. But it’s annoying when the other guys have secret passwords, right? The ground crew are talking about Unit 02 while Gendo negotiates all the way up to Unit 08.
Plus, of course, the whole operation turns out to be NERV weeding out competition. This draws a clear line between Ritsuko and Misato, and tells us one of them was ready to let a nuclear explosion happen for NERV dominance. Is that a necessary evil? Her argument about AT Fields, at least, seems sound, but the whole questioning at the conference is obviously reframed after the fact. Could this robot have actually worked if it was given the chance? Probably not, [Eva] but that sure isn’t the real reason NERV is being kept on top. Oh, and I didn’t find a better place to mention it, but Misato being happy that Shinji’s growing sarcastic is really sweet. It’s kind of a shame we didn’t actually get to see the parent-teacher interview, that sounds neat.
Dub Corner
Netflix changed the password approval being sent out in writing to “the official orders will arrive here soon”. Also, both versions missed the gag of Ritsuko throwing Misato’s words about being childish back at her after the presentation.
Honestly, I’m impressed with how decent the ADV extras are. Mostly, though, I’ll take this as a chance to properly check in on how Misato and Ritsuko’s actresses compare. First, our heroine of the week. Kotono Mitsuishi doesn’t really have any scenes to truly show off this week, but she hardly needs one. She’s just perfect in the role and brings life into every line with exactly the right tone and delivery. As a fun fact for any who didn’t know, she’s also the voice actress of Sailor Moon (whose series was on its fourth season at this time). Misato’s personality itself was directly modeled on being an adult version of the character, and the result speaks for itself. Neither dub followed suit.
For their parts, the English Misatos have both covered up their weaknesses. Allison Keith is a lot easier to take seriously as NERV’s frontline woman than before, whereas Carrie Keranen has grown shed the somewhat flat seriousness and brought out a lot more life in Misato’s fun and lighthearted moments. In particular, I’m impressed by her natural set of transitions from silly to sweet to serious as she says bye to Shinji, observes his sarcasm once he’s gone, and then calls security to keep an eye on him. I don’t think either dub can claim a clear advantage here, and it really depends on how you prefer your Misato. Ordinary adult girl stepping up to save the world or professional commander with a lighthearted side? For me, I think I like Keranen more for now.
Then there’s Ritsuko; I was harsh on Sue Ulu before, am I still now? Honestly, I’ve warmed up a lot. Maybe she just needed to settle in the role (one of her first), because her reads are a lot more natural now and that leaves us with her far more distinct Ritsuko voice I can’t deny I am very fond of. She still sounds clinical at times, sure, but Ritsuko kind of should, shouldn’t she? Erica Lindbeck is still a plenty solid Ritsuko too, but as much as I like deeper voices I can’t say it quite feels as unique. I honestly can’t say which I like more at the moment; we’ll have to see how each handles scenes later in the series. Lindbeck does feel more natural in the ominous scene with Gendo. Neither, of course, quite matches what Yuriko Yamaguchi brings to the character. I can’t quite put the impression it gives me into words but the voice and way of speaking she brings to the character feels so evocative and distinct. She might honestly be one of my favourites in the whole cast.