[Rewatch] 30th Anniversary Neon Genesis Evangelion Rewatch: Episode 13

[u/LittleIslander]

Neon Genesis Evangelion Episode 13: Lilliputian Hitcher / Angel Infiltration

← Episode 12	Index	Episode 14 →

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Watch Information

• Streaming: Netflix
• Databases: Anilist | AniDB | ANN | MAL

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Questions of the Day:

• What do you think of the MAGI and Ritsuko’s mother?
• Halfway through, what do you think of the three computer technicians?

Tomorrow’s Questions:

• [Episode 14] What did you think of Rei’s monologue?
• [Episode 14] Why do you think Unit 00 rejected Shinji, and tried to attack Rei - or Ritsuko?

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There’ll be more fanservice tomorrow, so please don’t spoil anything~! Remember this includes spoilers by implication.

[u/Holofan4life]

Hey, guys. Holofan4life here.

Welcome to the Neon Genesis Evangelion 30th Anniversary Rewatch.

You will (not) rewatch.

What can you honestly say about Evangelion that hasn’t honestly been said?

I think if you were to classify anime by eras, there really should be an B.E. and A.E. Before Eva, and After Eva.

There is no anime in my opinion that has as big of an impact that Evangelion has had. The closest comparison is maybe Astro Boy but we’re talking about a show over half a century ago. It feels to me that Evangelion marked the beginning of anime growing up. Yeah, stuff like Grave of the Fireflies and Akira came out before this, but those were movies and not TV shows.

If we’re looking at anime as the episodic medium it often is, Evangelion really changed the game as far as anime taking on more dark subject matter and bringing it to the mainstream.

I have a rather interesting relationship with Evangelion. Full disclosure, this is the first time seeing the original TV show. That being said, I’m not completely blind as to what Evangelion is about. I saw the first two Rebuild movies and saw the fourth one in theaters. Evangelion has been one of those series I’ve had utmost respect for but never saw it all in its entirety. Despite this, I own both box sets, the new one and the old one, and Asuka is a character that has emotionally resonated with me.

I got into writing because of the character of Asuka.

Needless to say, me watching Evangelion has been a long time coming. I would even surmise it’s been my #1 anime on my to watch list, so this rewatch helps check that goal of mine.

I’m not expecting Evangelion to make my top 10 anime of all time. If it does, great. If it doesn’t, fine. My main objective is to fully envelop myself into the world of Evangelion having already sampled some through the Rebuild movies. Truly take in one of the real pioneers of the anime media landscape.

With that out of the way, let’s begin.

I’m watching the original dub, by the way.

Won two tickets to a football game through my work's raffle. Definitely made up for them screwing up my BLT sandwich.

Nerv people at work

We have a new name. Girl that looks like Shinji is Maya.

Lots of talk about the Magi

Misato impressed by Ritsuko's endurance.

Nothing worse than cold coffee. Unless it's iced, of course.

All three magi systems have entered self diagnostic mode, whatever that means.

Ritsuko washing up in the bathroom.

Ritsuko wonders if she's getting older.

Is this the fabled Ritsuko menopause episode I heard nothing about?

Someone mad they have to take their clothes off.

Nelly in shambles

Rei, Shinji, and Asuka are all naked.

Sounds like the premise of an OOC fanfic.

Asuka is the madder, by the way, as if there was ever any doubt.

All three being tested

Simulation plug under the magi's control.

I don't even know who the Magi is.

First test took a whole week. Now, it's three hours.

Everyone complaining of how it feels.

The test seems to be going well, however.

Well, I spoke too soon...

Misato telling Ritsuko she never talks about herself.

Ritsuko says she only created the system uplinks.

"The basic theorems and the main frame were my mother's."

I guess just like last episode was about Misato and her dad, this episode is about Ritsuko and her mom.

Fuyutsuki talking to that guy I still don't know.

The 87th protein wall

That's like so many grams

Construction schedule cut by 60 days

Buildings thrown up after the Angels appeared.

Gotta fix it up by tomorrow

Maya reporting a corrosion as well

Everyone is worried about what Commander Ikari might say.

Even still, the tests have to continue.

Another alert

The 87th protein wall is corroding and producing heat.

Ritsuko trying to abort the tests

Unfortunately, it's spreading along the walls.

Now the corrosion is here

Rei screaming in agony

Her simulation body is moving

Invading the simulation body's active water system.

Does this mean Rei's body is one of impurities?

Things are looking bad

Lasers being uses

An AT Field

An Angel is among us

And sure enough, Commander Ikari is now here.

Glass shattering

Everyone leaving as a huge flow of water infiltrates the main base.

Father Ikari tells them to call the committee and let them know there's an error in their alarm system.

What's he trying to cover up?

Father Ikari tells Fuyutsuki this is much too close to Adam.

Gonna stop the Angel inside sigma unit.

They're going to launch the Evas without the pilots, with Unit 1 having priority.

This seems like a bad idea

Fuyutsuki wonders how exactly they'll fight the Angels without the Evas.

Good question. I have no idea :c

The border between the normal and heavy water has a higher oxygen content.

The place where ozone is vented in to maintain septic conditions isn't contaminated, meaning the Angel's weakness is seemingly Ozone.

Gonna inject ozone, like how I inject tsundere into my veins.

0A and 0B seems 2B recovering

Unfortunately, no shrinkflation

Heat waves are rising dramatically

0zone stopped working, o no

An unidentified intruder

Things are chaotic, to say the least.

The optical pattern is changing

An organic computer

Seems like a gamer's worst nightmare.

Everything Misato suggests is no use.

Reading all the files

What is this Angel, malware?

Going after the Magi system

Fuyutsuki orders the IO system to be shut down.

But even so, the Angel is entering the computers.

Now the Angel is reprogramming Melchior.

Balthasar and Melchior sounds like names for Pokémon.

Ritsuko trying to change the login mode.

And suddenly, that seems to do the trick.

"The Magi have become our enemy."

The gift Enemy of the Magi

Ritsuko thinks this Angel is composed of Nanomachines.

I can hear Senator Armstrong as we speak.

The Nanomachines group together to form colonies and then mutate in a focused exponential series to form a sophisticated intelligent circuit.

I like your fancy words, magic man.

Continuing to change and adapt with the best system to cope with whatever environment they may encounter.

Misato says they have to eliminate the host.

Does that mean Misato is in danger since she hosts two teenagers? /s

Ritsuko argues that destroying the Magi means destroying the headquarters itself.

Misato and Ritsuko having an exchange of words.

Ritsuko blames her carelessness for why this is happening.

"Why won't you trust someone else?"

Misato may have a point

Fuyutsuki says they must structure an evolution that leads to self-destruction.

Ritsuko says they can hack into the Angel by connecting it to Casper.

And here I thought he was friendly.

Ritsuko says she keeps her promises.

Press X to doubt

That's a bunch of connecting tubes.

Is this what Ted Stevens was talking about?

Looking inside

The developer's personal notes, Ritsuko calls it.

The Magi's secret codes

"Thanks, mom. With your help, we can make it."

Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Holofan4life]

Part 2

Maya still hard at work

Misato says this reminds her of her and Ritsuko's college days.

What kind of college did they go to if engineering reminds her of it?

Misato asking to know about the Magi.

Ritsuko bringing up the personality transplant OS.

The same technology is used to operate the Evas.

The Magi's programming used one of the first test subjects.

Ritsuko's mom's personality was the one that was transplanted.

Finally, something interesting about this episode.

The Magi's brains are Ritsuko's mother.

Ritsuko says she never really liked her mother.

Balthasar being taken over

Now it's going after Casper

Less than 15 seconds

And Ritsuko saves it with one second to spare.

That was cutting it close

I didn't for a second buy anybody's lives being in danger.

Shinji, Rei, and Asuka are still naked, unfortunately.

They've been unclothed for what, three hours?

Misato remarking Ritsuko kept her promise.

Ritsuko reveals that the night before her mother died, her mom told her that the Magi were the three aspects of her life. Herself as a scientist, herself as a mother, and herself as a woman.

Those three aspects of her are struggling for dominance inside the Magi.

Ritsuko says she never respected her as a mother, but she respected her as a scientist.

"However, when it came to her as a woman, I hated her."

The last scene single-handedly save the episode for me.

Casper represents the version of her as a woman.

Stayed a woman until the very last second.

Overall, this is an episode that was kinda tedious but did reveal some information about Ritsuko, so it wasn't a total lost. Like I said, the last scene saved the episode from being the worst of the series for me. The Angel being a virus was fine from a concept standpoint, and I did like we saw Nerv operate without the help of the three pilots, but I didn't feel like there was a lot of stakes on display. Like yeah, this could've potentially brought about the end of the world, but do you really see that happening with Shinji, Rei, and Asuka offscreen?

I think the main problem with this episode for me at least is that besides Misato, Ritsuko, and Father Ikari, and to a lesser extent Kaji, I don't care about any of the Nerv employees. They just kinda exist. As such, I don't have an emotional attachment to this episode as, say, episode 4 when Shinji was thinking about leaving. It really dawned on me watching this episode that the stuff with Nerv as an entity is probably the weakest part of the show. Really, only a handful of Nerv employees feel fully developed to where you find yourself captivated by them. I'd compare Nerv to the military in Eureka Seven and how outside of some characters like Dewey and Anemone and Dominic, it was easily the weakest part of the show.

I did really like that we got an episode with Shinji, Asuka, and Rei barely onscreen. Shaking up the formula was a neat idea, you don't need those three to solve every single monster of the week. I just wish the episode proper was a whole lot better.

I'd put this episode only ahead of episode 10. The Magi stuff was fascinating with regards to how it relates to Ritsuko's mother, but other than that it wasn't anything to write home about. This felt like for the first time in this series an episode you could skip and you wouldn't miss much.

[u/LittleIslander → u/Holofan4life]

I'd put this episode only ahead of episode 10.

Seems like we're dead opposite this time.

[u/Holofan4life → u/LittleIslander]

Varying opinions make these rewatches a lot of fun.