You know, looking back, I really have to question what sanity I have left, considering I have spent my weekend doing homework and binging on Madoka Magica and NGE. No wonder I'm so depressed.
Continuing on similarities between NGE and MM, why do such brutal series love to fool us with cutesy and catchy opening themes and then punch us in the dick with metal gauntlets? If I've learned anything, (which I probably haven't), it's that Deconstruction takes a lot of hate. A little creativity and a lot of hate.''
Anyway, moving on. Shinji is once again in the cockpit, this time reviewing and practicing the basics of piloting. Having watched Rebuild before the actual series, it is interesting to note the small differences. The VR looks much more fleshed out instead of the bare skeleton look Rebuild had going and more importantly, Shinji is a s about as good at shooting as I am at Co D: Black Ops. Which is to say, terrible.
Oh yeah, and he's not practicing inside a giant brain. Y'know, considering they're basically plugging the Eva into a game of laser tag, the brain might've been a better choice as far as resource expenditure goes.
Maya says she's surprised Shinji got in again. Ritsuko poses a hypothesis, guessing that following orders without question is basically how Shinji's gotten through life up until now.
Here's another thing that hasn't changed! Zombie Shinji. "Center in on the target and pull the trigger". Yet another phrase that's begging to make its way to a TF 2 soundboard.
Hours later, Misato sleeps soundly after returning from the night shift. Shinji wakes her up and she talks to him for a minute before heading back to bed. Shinji takes out the trash and heads to school, and the phone rings, waking Misato up again. Let the woman get some sleep! It's Ritsuko on the other end, asking her how Shinji's been getting along. Misato simply tells her Shinji hasn't changed. She gave him a cellphone, thinking he'd be needing it, but he hasn't used it, nor has he received any calls.
"I don't think he has any friends." Thank you Captain Obvious.
"I don't think Shinji's the type who makes friends easily." Again, obvious. Ritsuko launches into her lecture about the Hedgehog's Dilemma, something I'm going to assume anyone reading this is familiar with. If not, Google it.
Misato simply replies that learning to deal with pain is a part of growing up. B Ack in the classroom, I begin to realize again how much this reeks of Anno's hatred. Kensuke, you are not ten. Build models if you want, keep a camera if you want, DO NOT MAKE PEW PEW SOUNDS AS YOU WAVE YOUR MODEL PLANE IN THE AIR.
The classroom is pretty much empty save for Toji, Kensuke, Hikari, Rei and of course Shinji. Kensuke remarks that they must have all transferred or evacuated after the incident with the Angel the other day. There had to be injuries and/or fatalities, especially after the detonation over the mountain. Toji's sister was almost crushed to death in the attack and Toji's carried the responsibility of keeping her company since their parents and grandparents are all busy working.
Toji remarks that the destruction was all the pilot's fault. Dude, he's piloting an eighty meter tall giant robot in the middle of downtown Tokyo-3. That alone would've wrecked shit up, not to mention he was fighting a giant that could fire lasers. Kensuke points out the odd coincidence that Shinji transferred in right after the Eva incident.
Class starts and the history of Second Impact is explained, except replacing "freaky devil spawn marking the landing spot for future abominations" with "an asteroid crashing into Antarctica". Well, to be fair, that probably was what they were told.
Shinji receives an email from one of his classmates asking him if he was the pilot. He answers yes and immediately everyone jumps out of their seats. The teacher meanwhile, keeps lecturing. Class lets out, Shinji having revealed a lot more classified information than he should have. And then Toji punches him. Oh yay.
He says that he doesn't really have a reason. Other than projecting your own anger unto an object you can blame for your sister's injuries, you mean? Shinji protests, saying he didn't want to pilot it. This has the exact opposite effect intended and just makes Toji even more mad. He lifts Shinji up by the collar and punches him in the face again.
Rei approaches him after Toji leaves, informing him another Angel has landed. She runs on ahead, while Shinji lies there still confused. At NERV HQ, things proceed as usual, with Tokyo 3 descending underground and the civilians being hushed into shelters. Misato merely complains that the first one gave them fifteen years. This one gave them three weeks.
Kensuke whines about the news black out, saying it isn't fair to censor such a major event. So what does one do? A sane person would wait in disappointment. Kensuke decides to get Toji to jimmy the lock and go up to the surface.
BLOODY BRILLIANT!
As more taxpayer dollars are wasted on the Fourth Angel (whose design reeks of genitalia), the order to dispatch an Eva is received. Misato snorts, simply responding they would've mobilized anyway. And mobilize it does! The entry plug corkscrews into the Eva's spinal column and Shinji wonders why he's doing this again, even though his father isn't even watching. To be entirely fair, I'd probably be thinking the same thing.
Up above ground, Kensuke and Toji watch as Shinji begins the fight. Another notable and disappointing difference. The original had no giant gatling gun. BOOOOOOOOOO!
Shinji loses the Angel in the dust kicked up by his rifle and it whips his shit for it. Misato sends up a spare rifle to replace the one the Angel trashed, but he freaks and leaves it. He runs to no avail, as the Angel whips the umbilical cord right in two, separating the unit from its power supply. FIVE MINUTES REMAINING CAN YOU DO EEEEEEET?
The Fourth grabs him by the ankle and whips him into the mountain and right on top of Kensuke and Toji. L Ady Luck is shining on them, and his fingers land in just the right way as not to squash them. That comes later Toji...
The Angel tries to finish the job but Shinji catches the whips with his hands to save them. He ejects the entry plug (which Ritsuko is none too happy about for some unexplained reason) and they jump into the sweet taste of LCL.
NUM NUM NUM
He whips the Angel back, revealing the Eva's burnt hands underneath the melted armor. With a minute on the clock, you'd expect him to take Misato's orders and retreat. But...
"I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away..."
YOU ARE TAKING THAT COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTEXT SHINJI MAH BOI
Like a madman with a fire lit under his ass, Shinji takes out his knife AND STABS THE BITCH IN THE HEART UNTIL IT DIES FROM IT. The Eva deactivates just as the Angel dies and we fade away form the sunset. Wasn't it day a minute ago?
Three days later, Toji is agonizing over how to apologize to Shinji, who hasn't been to school for three days. Kensuke suggests calling him and gives him his phone number. But on that rainy day, as on so many others, nobody picks up Shinji's phone.
That's episode three. I've slowed my schedule to one a week so hopefully I'll be able ot keep on top of things this time. Any and all criticism is appreciated!
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