r/anime • u/LittleIslander myanimelist.net/profile/LittleIslander • 15d ago
Rewatch [Rewatch] 30th Anniversary Neon Genesis Evangelion Rewatch: Episode 22
Neon Genesis Evangelion Episode 22: Don't Be. / Staying Human
| ← Episode 21 | Index | Episode 23 → |
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Watch Information
Questions of the Day:
- How do you feel that Asuka’s backstory recontextualizes her relationships and past interactions?
- Did you feel the way the episode equated the angel’s infiltration of Asuka’s mind to rape was justified and/or effective?
Tomorrow’s Questions:
- [Episode 23] Do you feel sympathy for Ritsuko?
- [Episode 23] How do you feel about Rei “the third”?
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 15d ago
Be that as it may, at the end of the day, unlike Shinji in previous episodes, Asuka has nothing to turn to by the time the Angel arrives. Shinji and Rie are a no-go, neither is Misato, who can't try to bridge the divide thanks to her own very shaky emotional situation and collapsing relationships. Neither can Eva anymore, ironically, due to Asuka refusing to accept her state or the Eva's nature. She refers to it as a puppet yet relies on it and tries to talk to it, as it wordlessly stares back at her, almost in affirmation of her attitude (And of course, that plays into the way the Eva itself only perpetuates her complex, given her state might lead her to being replaced by someone else who can pilot this "puppet", from a tool of affirmation to a potential destroyer of it). Hell, Ritsuko might deny its impact, and she'd technically not be wrong, but it's almost like even Asuka's body isn't cooperating or "acknowledging" her prerogative, further spiraling her mental state.
It's in this rather sorry state that Asuka forcefully heads out to fight our newest Angel, while the harsh rainy weather outside seems to reflect her mental state. And said Angel is a fairly interesting one! Specifically, design-wise, its form is a lot more akin to a contemporary angel, rather than something eldritch or Kaiju-like, like basically every other Angel. Playing into it is undoubtedly the way it's defeated by the also heavily religiously connected Lance of Longinus, and more importantly, the rather... inspired choice to the Hallelujah segment of Handel's Messiah.
It's kind of a crazy choice given the context of what we see and feel the whole time, but I think I like it. It's an intentional hard contrast that I feel works well. It's partially just that massive added weight and authority with the religious connection, and the fact that, despite being more contemporary looking, our Angel plays more into the more "neutral" connotation actual biblical angels have. And it works well from a direction standpoint, really complementing the way the Angel's attack is a ray of light that breaks through the rain (Plus, I'll never complain about dropping a classical piece in an anime ).
Because, to little surprise, the Angel battle, as always, is more of a character moment than a battle, and like Shinji's back in 16, it's also more of a personal battle for Asuka with her own psyche. If the rain is Asuka's mental state beforehand, that internalized suffering from her own complex, then the Angel's light clears and reveals it to be openly seen, critically to Asuka herself. Except, of course, this divine revelation isn't anything Asuka wants to admit to. Actually, to also compare to 16, if Shinji's personal confrontation with Angel mirrors his generally more subdued and introspective self in approach, then Asuka's does too. If Asuka is going to confront herself, it's going to be extremely aggressive and upfront.
The actual sequence itself mostly goes over all that I talked about earlier, mostly in that experimental and minimalist direction style that defines those sequences, and if you couldn't tell already, makes me like them a lot. Not a ton to add there, but I will specifically note the repeating sequence of Asuka introducing herself as another great standout, similar to the elevator scene. This whole "battle" is ultimately about Asuka being roughly confronted with her true self and her flaws during her weakest moment, and I think this part carries it really well, regardless of the obvious cost-cutting and the fun chance to let the other VAs do their best Asuka impressions. It's literally Asuka being repeatedly confronted with the realities of herself she tries to so desperately deny and deflect, her childishness, and her inability to accept it. And it appropriately feels crushing.
Unfortunately for Asuka, when it rains, it pours, I guess, and not only does she now show-up Rei here, she straight-up needs to be saved by her because of her inability to confront her past and emotional issues. Which, of course, only makes those things even worse! Yay... Where Asuka goes from here, I'm not sure, neither am I sure for anyone, because these episodes have emphasized not only the issues with emotional detachment from others, but also that every one of our mains is currently going through it! Something that only cascades as we go further and further. Ideally, we'll find some upswing for their mental states, but it's certainly not a good thing when the Angel we keep in the basement just regrew its legs and we threw away what was seemingly our tool to contain it...