The Angel mercilessly whips the Evas with its fluid yet sharp sheet-metal arms and when Eva-01 turns the tide of battle we are simultaneously inclined to whoop with joy and shudder in horror. Particularly in the final battle, Evangelion is at its absolute best, tapping into our emotional investment in these characters (Shinji's horrified reactions to Asuka's and Rei's defeats are a one-two punch in the gut) while wowing us with visceral animation and effects. That said, it does not skimp on the action. As with the previous entry, "Introjection" offers a battle whose impact is gauged not by the pyrotechnics but the all-too-evident human cost. Rei's fate is much harsher and more ambiguous as her kamikaze mission to destroy the Angel along with herself does not result in the Angel's destruction.but may very well result in her own. Asuka's Eva is dismembered and while she remains alive, she has never seemed more traumatized by the experience of battle (though there will be worse to come). His fellow pilots suffer horribly in his stead. This time we are constantly reminded of his irresponsibility, encouraged to scold rather than applaud his escape. On the other hand, or perhaps because of his vulnerability earlier in the show, Shinji seemed more sympathetic the last time he went AWOL. This time we know it's far too late for that, however adamently he asserts his disgust with his father. Although we knew it must be otherwise, on an instinctive level it seemed like he really might leave it all behind. And yet somehow, as I noted at the time, Shinji's resistance seemed more final, more poignant in that earlier episode. By comparison, episode 19 is positively apocalyptic: Shinji's commitment is confirmed by the massive head of Eva-02 burning in a field, both dwarfing his figure and amplifying his importance. No battle brought him back into the fold and his decisions to go and stay were framed by the quiet, meditative storyline in which he retreated into the countryside and contemplated his own insignificance as a person (if not as an Eva pilot). In many ways, the stakes seemed lower that time.
#NEON GENESIS EVANGELION EPISODE 19 SERIES#
Many episodes ago, early in the series when Shinji seemed overwhelmed and intimidated by his responsibilities, he "retired" from piloting.
Shinji's flight from, and return to, his duty is about inner commitment rather than external struggles. If the show is barely trying to convince us with its physicality, that's because it has its sights set on a more fundamental phenomenon. Somehow he arrives inside the Geofront just in time to save his superiors (or "superiors" - never have they seemed more dependent on him) and promptly crashes through the wall inside his Eva, to attack the Angel as it stomps its way through NERV headquarters. Shinji is running all over the surface of Tokyo-3, from shelter to shelter, happening to run across Kaji watering his watermelons as the battle flares up in the background. Geographically, the episode is fairly scattershot. If recentĮpisodes of Evangelion have alternated between the psychological and the action-packed, "Introjection" fuses them as masterfully as the series has ever done. Ikari tells us grimly at the episode's end,Īs the awakened Eva-01 roars into the night. It's an amazingly visceral moment for Neon Genesis Evangelion. Flesh emerges from the "binds" of the Eva suit, a new arm materializes where one was torn off, teeth jut out of the locked maw, and the Eva becomes not a robot but a savage animal, seizing its enemy, tearing it apart, and devouring its essence. The battery runs out, and the Eva itself takes over.rendering the "berserker" escape of episode 2 mild in comparison. The pilot's rage fuels an aggressive and effective plan to get the Angel outside and pound it into submission. Ikari's response is extremely personal, and most likely accurate: "It's rejecting me." Only when Shinji returns does Eva-01 activate. Rei can't get it going, and neither can the dummy plug. More surprise is in store.when another Angel attacks, and Shinji is gone (he's "quit" once again), the Eva refuses to activate. It's a low moment for the young pilot, suggesting that even when he's in the cockpit of his giant puppet, he isn't truly pulling the strings. We begin with Shinji furious at his father for overpowering him in the Eva. The episode, followed by a conversation with fellow bloggers Bob Clark and Murderous Ink. This series is an episode guide to the Japanese anime television show Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995 Meanwhile, here is Wednesday's regularly scheduled entry. My video on Neon Genesis Evangelion and Twin Peaks, due on Monday, has still not been released.
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