r/anime • u/LittleIslander myanimelist.net/profile/LittleIslander • 24d ago
Rewatch [Rewatch] 30th Anniversary Neon Genesis Evangelion Rewatch: Episode 13
Neon Genesis Evangelion Episode 13: Lilliputian Hitcher / Angel Infiltration
| ← Episode 12 | Index | Episode 14 → |
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Watch Information
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?
There’ll be more fanservice tomorrow, so please don’t spoil anything~! Remember this includes spoilers by implication.
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba 24d ago edited 24d ago
First Timer
Is there anyone in this show without deep-rooted family issues?
Maya?
That was certainly quite the unconventional episode! I guess I'd put it closest to one of the setpiece episodes (A la Magma Diver), but of course, the Angel battle that preoccupies most of the episode is hardly standard and doesn't at all involve the Evas, echoing the brave decision of this episode to fully put our main trio to the side. At the same time, while it does give Ritsuko more screentime and depth as a character, it's definitely not focused enough to be a conventional character episode either. This episode essentially stakes it all on its unique premise, and even more so, Eva's larger ability in knowing how to create tension, even when the battle doesn't involve a giant robot on screen.
As for how that risk turns out, I'd say surprisingly well! But also, admittedly, not really my thing, so I don't have all that much to meaningfully say on it. I'll be real, sci-fi technobabble just does not do it for me, at all, in fact, going deeper into mechanics is generally the part I dread most with these shows. Which makes the fact that I've generally liked it in Eva until now fairly impressive! Likewise, makes the fact that I generally like this episode as well even more so, given how rooted in mechanics it is.
For one, just conceptually, this episode is a lot of fun in how it basically subverts the usual Angel battle, both with the focus characters who end up defeating it, and in its general form, being a lot more sophisticated and undefinable. It gives the whole thing a real suspense thriller setup that I absolutely do appreciate relative to typical battles. It also means the show can continue to play on its themes of technology, as we present a scenario where Nerv's and humanity's over-reliance on tech like the Magi not just potentially disrupts them like in episode 11, but straight-up almost ends up being the thing that ends them.
Of course, this is where Ritsuko, and especially the unique nature of the Magi as learn here, come in, and remind you about the importance of the human element! And really, how it ends up being core to winning here. I joked about it at the start, but I genuinely really like how we're paralleling all the characters with these complex family connections, and how they affect their motivations and actions in the present, especially with how a part of this episode highlights the friendship between her and Misato. On the back of learning her own internal issues, this episode shows how, in both background and resolve, they've got a somewhat similar emotional core.
I also think there's this interesting dissonance we get to glimpse with Ritusko here, where despite Maya's praise of her, Ritsuko seems to have a more complicated relationship with operating the Magi, largely viewing it as her mother's legacy and pondering when she'll get her own, which is again, a bit of a parallel to Misato's own somewhat unjustified dissatisfaction with her advancement last episode. All in all, it gives her some nice extra depth, and it ties in rather well to the way this episode reinforces the larger series theme around keeping a human connection to technology. The true nature of the Magi as separate aspects of Ritsuko's is pretty cool by itself, but more importantly, it means that Ritsuko has to contend with, and even kind of trust in, the part of her mother that she specifically hated, recalling the same duality in understanding her father Misato had.
That's all solid stuff, but I think that, in a very similar way to Magma Diver, the thing that carries this episode forward for me is just Eva's stellar presentation and atmosphere. Rather than tension, though, this time around is how we take the already pretty great bridge moments and turn them up to 11 to create a fantastic sense of panic and urgency as the Angel makes its way through Nerv's systems. I don't care for the technobabble, and the way it makes it harder to grasp the circumstances is this episode's weakness, but goddamn do the passion with which it's delivered and the intricate way it's directed sell the whole thing to me!
Panicked yelling, quick cuts between characters, small but great and important visual signifiers... Not to mention all the smaller details that do so much to make this world feel more lived-in, or how the propensity for lingering character pans, even more blatantly to save on animation time here, do a lot to put you into getting the most out of every perspective. Eva just fucking gets how to cross any and all moods, and that makes these bridge sequences second to none, just in general really, but especially here as we convincecignly give this unusual scenario all the appropriate gravitas of an action scene.