History Headscratchers / Neongenesisevangelion

** Researchers argue as to how valid the Flynn effect is. Several claim that it's simply a matter of comprehension and people are learning how to easily get high scores on outdated IQ tests that often challenges comprehension more than intellect. One particularly noteworthy support for this claim is that people like DaVinci (who are supposed to have genius intellects) would fail our modern IQ test because he never learned the method to take it properly. Others claim it is valid but the 20 point progression seems implausible and that it must be increasing at a slower rate.

* This may be something that's left to be revealed in the manga, whenever the next volume comes out, but what's up with Shinji's breathing issues in volume 10? Is Kowaru covered in allergens? Did he catch the same bug Asuka had in volume 9 that caused her to faint? Did he suddenly acquire asthma for no reason? I mean, it seems to disappear in vol. 11 when they made such a big deal of it, like it was going to foreshadow something important!

** Am I the only one who doesn't like the idea of a GenderFlip? One of the things I liked was that it was the guy who was timid and insecure while the girls were the stoic and aggressive ones. Can people just not handle an anime hero who isn't RatedMForManly?

*** See, what bugs me, though, is that according to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, Adam was the First Angel and Lilith was the second, with the third being the first one battled in the series. If Lilith is expressly ''not'' an Angel, then how can humanity be number eighteen?

** Well, Kaworu stopped Third Impact in the Rebuild, so it's likely any Angel...and especially Kaworu, who is ALWAYS the Last Angel anyway, would of been able to stop Instrumentality if they started it. Or at least interfere so it doesn't go as planned.

* Is there any particular reason why Shinji rarely leaves a shadow on other surfaces? In most of the scenes, Shinji seems to be missing the the purpose of dropping shadows. Most notable is the scene in episode 2 or 3 where Shinji takes out the trash, and doesn't throw a shadow on the ground. Is there some hidden meaning to this, or is it just the animators being lazy (though everyone else leaves shadows).

** Well, on the simplest level, an AT Field is probably a bit like a bulletproof vest - it can deflect quick impacts but can be "wrestled" apart by a struggling Eva, cut apart with a prog knife, or "drilled" through by the the Lance of Longinus. A strong enough impact can break through (like the proton beam) but it takes a lot more energy to do so. The Eva-wielded guns can do damage once the AT Field is negated, but I don't recall them ever being used to attack the Field itself.

*** Constant pressure. A nuke is like getting hit with a hammer, while a volcano is like getting hit with a small hammer, every second for however long you are in the volcano. An Eva just jumping in for a dip, no problem, but for extended operations at extreme depth, you can see why it would be needed.

** A simpler idea might be that most manga heroes, mech pilots in particular, are hot blooded and rather abrasive until they meet their kind hearted love interest who helps them become a better person by vowing to protect their delicate other half. Here, we see the protagonist as the delicate half, whose kindness and overall lack of some of the more negative hot-blooded hero traits are what attract the hot blooded girl, who isn't really hot blooded, but pretends to be as a shield to protect herself from being hurt.

** The Third Impact and Instrumentality seemed inevitable at this point. Someone would trigger it. The variables here were who, why, and how, so Rei/Lillith takes matters into her own hands, eschewing the self serving versions of the event that Gendo and SEELE wanted to create in order to create a scenario where people could come back if they wished. It's also possible that in this case, life not necessarily a beating heart so much as it is autonomy, a soul, and the ability to make choices, which would fit with Rei's arc of finding herself and becoming her own person. The version of Instrumentality she initiates gives people choice, therefore giving them the right to life.

* Okay, love can make one stupid and crazy and all, but how did Gendo foresee Yui doing anything but violently rejecting him after he sleeps with both Dr.s Akagi, abandons their (meaning HER) son, and then does all sorts of things that make him miserable? If Yui resurrected she would reject Gendo in the most brutal lecture ever. And then Gendo would have nowhere to turn to.

** [[spoiler: It is also possible that anyone who died just before Third Impact also had their soul taken, allowing for Misato and ritsuko to be part of the instumentality shown in 25 and 26]]

** Mix Hideaki Anno making the ahow as a way of working through his issues with Springtime for Hitler.

* Why did Misato um-and-ah so much over telling shinji that Toji was Eva-03's pilot? Would shinji really have reacted that badly? He would have been a bit incredulous to start with, but I don't think he would have gotten upset.

** Aside from non-canon merchandise, the fanservice of Rei and Asuka is actually pretty tame compared to ''Gunbuster'' (which, admittedly, didn't air on TV) as well as a lot of other anime.

** Its illegal to show "indecent material" in Japan without censorship, a law that has been applied even to pornography. The "Barby doll" technique is one way to get around that, especially for something that is shown to a general audience. Its just censorship - they can't show a crotch with all the stuff it *should* have without the risk of a large fine.