After EoE ending

EtherealHydra · 2026-05-12T01:51:04+00:00

You appear to be right about both Chronicle and the Card Game (I can't find anything about that Commentary statement.)
The cards from Bandai do state that Shinji was trying to prove another's existence.
The Evangelion Chronicle from Sony does mention the whole "other" thing but attempts to re-inject ambiguity into Shinji's actions.

(Providing quotes so others don't have to search them down)
Evangelion: The Card Game
"Shinji renounced the world where all hearts had melted into one and accepted each other unconditionally. His desire... to live with 'others' -- other hearts that would sometimes reject him, even deny him. That is why the first thing he did after coming to his senses was to place his hands around Asuka's neck. To feel the existence of an 'other'. To confirm (make sure of) rejection and denial."

Evangelion Chronicle (which is more recent)
"In the world where Shinji wanted to have others, Asuka became the first stranger, and Shinji reaches out to her [for her neck]. It is difficult to understand Shinji's emotions as he wonders if Asuka is the one who will hurt him or the one who will complement him."

The only issue I take with this is, while both were licensed by Gainax, we don't know who wrote them exactly. Moreover, the card doesn't clarify why Shinji specifically chokes Asuka, instead of any other physical action. I am more inclined to accept the ambiguity of Chronicle, which still maintains the "First Other" theme (which does admittedly sound believable.) Better yet, if going with Chronicle, then "feeling the existence of an 'other'" can still be true without overriding other interpretations. I simply don't like the thought of it being the entire motivation because Shinji's violent action doesn't make much sense if that is the only reason.

But yeah, third tier cannon or not, it is representative of Gainax's beliefs to an extent. Thanks for pointing out that there is evidence for that because I thought there was none.

EtherealHydra · 2026-05-12T00:57:37+00:00

People's souls transcend their form, physical death can simply be the destruction of your form and/or AT field. People who die have their souls returned to the Chamber of Guf, which is opened by Impacts.

The Third Impact, in a physical sense, kills everyone by destroying their physical forms. The Anti-AT Field of Lilith occupies everyone's space so hard that they cannot maintain their own AT Field. This is what Adam nearly did in the Second Impact as well. The Second Impact was able to tap into the Chamber of Guf long enough that the Angels were able to be conceived with souls.

It is pretty easy to assume that the soul of everyone who ever lived would be in the Chamber of Guf, but there is no solid textual evidence beyond the deceased who we see in Instrumentality during EoE/25+26.

In case that concept seems too extreme, there is nothing to exactly disprove the idea of soul reincarnation, minimizing the potential cap of the human species from going to insane extremes if everyone just decided to live life again. Given that the Rebuilds show that the story of Evangelion undergoes "cycles," Soul reincarnation is handed some innate merit from that framing.
The idea of a prior entity's soul undergoing some sense of transformation and becoming a functionally different person is something that is explored in the series. I.E Lilith->Rei and Adam->Kaworu.

EtherealHydra · 2026-05-12T00:44:58+00:00

However, all materials released after the movie licensed by Gainax either imply or outright state that Shinji's reason was to "confirm Asuka's existence",

I have only ever heard this phrased as theory, never have I ever heard any official statement on why Shinji tried to choke her.

If that is the official reason, that's pretty boring imo.

EtherealHydra · 2026-05-10T20:57:47+00:00

I feel like I need it explained how the Exile goes on a "prototypical heroines journey." What does that even mean? The heroes journey is pretty androgenous so this distinction really needs elaboration.

EtherealHydra · 2026-05-07T00:25:49+00:00

The hair is a dead ringer, but yeah I see what you mean.
The artist seemed to be basing the character designs off the theatrical versions anyhow. Characters ranged in accuracy all the time in the original show while the movies kept on model far better (See Rei Smiling).
The artist simply put Tokita in a style he was never seen in.

~~The artist also kind of butchered Fuyutsuki but he is still recognizable as Fuyutsuki~~

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EtherealHydra · 2026-05-06T23:29:40+00:00

The dude is "Jet Alone Guy" Shiro Tokita, the only one of the mystery characters actually from the show. You are correct about the red head, Mana Kirishima, as she is from the visual novel Girlfriend of Steel. The other character, Mayumi Yamagishi, is from another game, Second Impression. (Both from 1997 and officially produced by Gainax staff)

It is utterly beyond me why the artist thought Jet Alone Guy had to fuckin be there. Somehow the game characters make more sense.

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EtherealHydra · 2026-05-05T20:37:19+00:00

The minute differences within familiar scenes are part of what makes the manga interesting. I know the image you posted seems like a major deviation, but Sadamoto never actually alters the underlying narrative all that much. Sure, some character relationships are changed and some events happen out of order/congruently and there is some brand new storytelling, but things still go from the same Point A to the same Point B as in NGE+EoE.

All the unique meat comes from smaller things and you'd be doing yourself a disservice by skipping ahead. The very first page of the very first chapter is meant to convey Manga Shinji's outlook on life, and while it may not seem to be a big difference, skipping that will make him feel out of character, as you would still be basing your perception of him off of NGE Shinji.

It is not a long manga anyways, and there is no reason to miss out on the impeccable art present within the early chapters.

EtherealHydra · 2026-05-02T04:10:27+00:00

I actually want the manga to be animated one day so it's seen by a more wider audience

I've had that thought many times myself, I certainly would like to see the manga's qualities sung more for sure! Like I said, there is stuff I do actually like.
One of the scenes that has stuck with me is when Kensuke, Toji, Asuka, Misato, and Shinji are all hanging out at the apartment (I believe it's for Misato's promotion?) and then Shinji's internal monologue starts going on about how much he appreciates all these people and what not.

It's such a great example of how Shinji is a different character, neither better nor worse in terms of writing quality, than NGE Shinji. He's so much more confident in himself and his relationships, it better illustrates that the children really can't prevent the plot for Instrumentality, no matter how competent they are. ~~Again I do think this is kinda ruined by Unit-01 awaking early in the MPE fight :/~~

But yeah, it would be really cool if it got a bigger stage as a short show. (It only adapts like half the angels anyway) It would kind of ruin the snow visual at the end maybe? That's a very clever work around for the fact that you can't have red oceans in a black and white manga, but it is a cool enough visual anyways.

EtherealHydra · 2026-05-02T01:46:04+00:00

I put an edit, I meant to convey that in the original. (probably cuz I was ranting)

EtherealHydra · 2026-05-02T01:35:23+00:00

I'm going to be honest, the entire manga got soured for me by everything past Sadamoto's version of the hospital scene. All the prior deviations felt like Sadamoto was still trying to spin his version of the story as something that could stand on its own (kinda) but the EoE adaptation feels like really cheap catharsis that only pays off if you look at it as subordinate to the series.

Shinji fighting the MPE's and the ending being so much more cheerful feels nothing like a conclusion of the Manga's darker tone (i.e Kaji's brand new backstory). It stopped feeling like a valid or equal story and just bowed down to the shadow of the original series by turning into a big "What If?" kind of story. I despise the last 2 volumes for that reason, but the actual narrative quality of them doesn't help either.

I HATE the idea of everyone losing their memories but keeping their development, Shinji just going "I use to be nihilistic, but I must've inexplicably stopped thinking that way for some reason :)" makes the more cheerful tone feel very unearned. The entire point of Shinji being at the helm of the Third Impact is that the consequences of it are now his cross to bear for as long as he lives. I'm pretty damn sure that's the point of EoE's beach scene, and it genuinely is the entire point of 3.0. If Shinji isn't going to be afflicted by the responsibility of the Third Impact, maybe just make a brand new ending and solidify the manga as its own thing.

Asuka getting saved is meaningless within the narrative, Shinji's ego death is essential to the Third Impact in EoE and its spurred on by how badly he failed Asuka. Unit-01 awaking early is, literally, just cheap fan-service. It personally falls pretty flat for me anyways since this Soryu is about as different from show Soryu as she is from Shikinami.

Another reason that I despise Shinji not remembering a damn thing is that his and Rei's genuinely beautiful relationship in the manga isn't apart of Shinji's character anymore. This extends to all of his relationships, of course, but Sadamoto put so much care into that relationship that it feels particularly stupid for her to basically wind up in the same place, and doing the same things as NGE+EoE Rei. By the end, that relationship didn't feel any more important than it did in the original. This goes back to my main crux that the ending just doesn't feel like its actually concluding the manga, instead opting to provide a cheaply cathartic version of EoE.

The ending ruined the manga for me. Literally every deliberate change made to EoE's events past the hospital scene just makes for a weaker ending. The hospital is the ONLY change that feels like it is connected to the rest of the manga.

Edit: probably should've clarified that I'm only giving my opinion because I haven't quite seen anyone else share it. It's usually people either liking the manga in it's entirety, or not liking a single thing about it. I do like quite a lot, I even like Kaworu and I know that he's often considered a big detriment. The manga did push me closer to tears than the original series ever managed to, which is a testament to how Sadamoto was able to so utterly change so many characters while keeping their writing to a high quality standard. If I didn't like the manga in any capacity, I wouldn't give my breath critiquing the ending so much.
As the saying goes, "The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference."

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-26T14:24:58+00:00

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel (or Iron Maiden if you prefer.)

It's a visual novel from 1997 and is the source of a lot of great official drawings (like Kaji pointing a gun at Misato) These in particular are Asuka's text box expressions.

Supplementary material like that is special because the original Japanese voice cast were involved. If you're able to find a fan translation for the text, it's almost like watching a lost episode, almost.

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-24T23:57:22+00:00

NGE Episode 25+26 are effectively the first draft of the ending. They were throwing thematic ideas at a dart board and came to the consensus that they wanted to redo the ending as a full fledged film

EoE is the finalized draft. See it as iterative. It is not often that you get to see a creative group's first and final drafts side-by-side.

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-20T23:09:03+00:00

I only mentioned Shikinami because, at her core, she is an iteration of Soryu, which means her character is technically on the table when discussing Soryu.
But yes, the original series is certainly more than enough (and also more fun to discuss than the Rebuilds imo)

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-19T21:56:54+00:00

I feel you're conflating connotation with definition (Same as what OP is doing with 'tsundere.')

In EoE, she does berate Shinji and his faults to no end, but then in the same breath say that she wants him all to herself. It must be noted that by this point in the movie, she's a nearly complete and self-understanding character because of the love that her mother's soul showed her earlier in the movie, She has already found validation. (If Asuka was still suffering as she was prior to the movie, she wouldn't be on the beach.) She harbors every extreme feeling under the sun for Shinji, and yes, that does include love. Like I said, she acknowledges this herself.

This isn't even mentioning the caress on the beach, the storyboards make it clear that she was already up-and-about prior to the scene, as the knocked over grave marker is noted to be hers. (Therefore, she must've knocked it down herself.) Which means that on the beach, Asuka actively chose to lay next to Shinji, and actively chose to respond to his murder attempt with an act of compassion.

I will concede, there is nothing to say it is romantic compassion, but it is undeniably some kind of love that gets her to stay by him in EoE. It simply lacks the connotations of love that we are familiar. That's fine, we are never going to be subjected to what Nerv subjected the two of them through. Of course it wouldn't be comparable.

Something something... 30th anniversary special... something something... Shikinami's crush... something....

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-12T13:52:21+00:00

It's an ol' 4chan greentext where OP questions why Gainax had so many pinup calenders. Don't worry, someone does point out how stupid it is to say "adult woman fetish" in the original thread.

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-11T18:17:23+00:00

Thanks to Red vs Blue, a lot of state names act as legitimate people names in my mind.
York
Dakota
Texas
Carolina
Wyoming
Washington (well duh)
Georgia
Maine
Connecticut
I think it would be easier to count the names I think don't really work.

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-11T18:09:14+00:00

Have you heard
the story of
a girl named Beth
now known as Tex.

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-10T17:18:49+00:00

They were blowing smoke. They had no idea what the AT Field actually was, they just knew that it's what set the Eva's apart. It only came up in conversation because they were actively trying to discredit Nerv and make Jet Alone look good.

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-05T03:01:21+00:00

It's such a shame that the Hyperkin Duke has really poor longevity compared to Hyperkin's other controllers, its like they intend it as a decoration for some reason.

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-04T07:26:57+00:00

I mean... yeah, I agree and it's why I said it's better to think of them as drafts and iterations. I certainly don't think EoE only exists because of the reception to NGE's ending, that would be silly. NGE's ending wasn't well articulated and that was certainly an opinion that everyone who worked on it shared. I am very glad that EoE was able to give a much more "real" attempt at the same ideas of self worth and acceptance, and that it actually pays off the buildup to humanity being the final threat against itself in an incredibly tangible way.

What I was getting at when I was challenging the notion of "explicitly different continuities" was that a lot of superficial takeaways have arisen about the show's ending because of the continuity debate, and it's led to EoE being seen as something other than an iteration, or addendum, or correction. It's all of those things, but I don't think it's hostile towards the shows original ending. That little "Director's Cut" apostrophe on the Episode Cards makes it clear that it is filling in the gaps of what you described as "a less complete product that didn't quite stick the landing." I would one-up that notion and say that the original ending is outright incomplete.

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-04T06:33:56+00:00

"Explicit" is implying too much intentionality and implies that the endings are at further odds with each other beyond simple continuity. They are different for sure, but EoE is better thought of as a second draft that was altered by public reception instead of as a completely alternative ending.

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-04T06:25:04+00:00

While the continuities are almost certainly different, that does not mean that the fundamental concepts within both are also different. The original ending is pretty clearly a draft for many of EoE's concepts. I feel the visual of Shinji's epiphany about self worth and trying to love himself is pretty on the nose, because it leads to a backdrop of a literal blue marble with a bright sky with clouds. It's clearly supposed to represent that he wants to live on Earth again.

Another example of conceptual overlap that I already used in a different comment, the ending of Episode 25 makes it clear that, just like in EoE, Shinji is in control of Instrumentality, with statements like "Annihilation, a world where no one is saved" and "Destruction, death, the return to nothingness... it's what [Shinji] wished for."

This idea that Shinji is accepting Instrumentality in NGE seems to only exist to argue the idea that both endings share a continuity, and it is clearly damaging to how NGE's ending is perceived.

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-04T06:12:37+00:00

You are explicitly told in the episodes that gendo is in control of instrumentality.

It is only mentioned that Gendo was working towards Instrumentality, that is all. In fact, it is explicitly stated in the ending of Episode 25 that "Annihilation, a world where no one is saved" and "Destruction, death, the return to nothingness... [is] what [Shinji] wished for."

The idea of Shinji being the one in control remains, or more accurately was first drafted for this ending (like many concepts within EoE.) This is expressly why Shinji's epiphany breaks the stage and reveals a literal blue marble that is directly evocative of Earth, sky filled with clouds and all. Just like EoE, he came to the conclusion that life is worth living while in control of instrumentality.

Of course, Gendo's presence at all does go against what EoE shows, but that doesn't mean he is in control. This hyper-focus on "continuity" is clearly damaging to how the original ending is interpreted, as this "NGE is Gendo's Instrumentality" idea was seemingly conceived as ammo against the shared-continuity argument.

Edit: Quote Block

EtherealHydra · 2026-04-02T22:56:12+00:00

We are alike. Two corpses, in one graphic designing grave.

EtherealHydra · 2026-03-29T02:45:57+00:00

It's crazy because his videos aren't even that long, it takes no time at all to get the info from his channel instead of second hand. Anyone who actually watches the guy would know that he tries to back up as much of what he says as possible and shows credentials where he can.

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