Introduction: My interpretations & Moving from Reddit
Hi, all! My name's Lea, and am IN LOVE with Neon Genesis Evangelion, or Evangelion in general. I have been a fan for around 4-5 years now. I am a fan of the NGE series and the EoE movie. I also collect Eva stuff when I have the money. I used to answer and give interpretations on Reddit on the Evangelion subreddit. You might see familiar responses from my account (u/lemonaeminte).
I decided to move here and give interpretations. I mostly write realizations and if not, I rant about things in relation to Eva. I might do reviews over time, but I am not too keen on the rebuilds (I might have to rewatch it) and on the manga (I'm still reading it!). I usually use the EvaGeeks wikipedia, and if not, other interviews, other headcannons or interpretations of fans, or Wikipedia in general.
To archive my comments on previous reddit posts, I'll also add them to this post.
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Post 1:
My response:
If you want most of your answers questioned, you can read this and the comments written at the end of the page: https://wiki.evageeks.org/Theory_and_Analysis:Final_Scene_in_End_of_Evangelion
No, I don’t think they can repopulate the Earth— they’re too young and traumatized to even emotionally understand each other, or themselves, let alone create a family, which might stem from their parental traumas. If you remember what Rei said, people can come back as long as they can find themselves (in LCL); it’s practically their choice to come back with all their willpower. That’s probably the most ideal way of repopulating Earth.
He hasn’t really overcome his mental problems. He has accepted that he wants to live, but he doesn’t know how. I think the general concept of all the potential EoE endings (including this one) is that Shinji has to put up with the consequences of living, hence he agrees that it’s okay when Rei said that humans would have to hurt each other again when they exist individually. He accepts that, but he still hasn’t fully understood other people. He thinks that he’ll keep being betrayed and what not. But he likes to live because he thinks it’s worth it to interact or see other people. He chokes Asuka as a form of confirmation that everything wasn’t in his head, or probably, he just felt so much guilt and shame from literally, making Asuka suffer in many ways. Or he just feels some sort of resentment towards her, since Asuka denied her right from the start. He cries after Asuka touches him, and I think that’s his way of realizing that he can’t kill or do anything about other people, and he just has to put up with it.
Asuka knows everything. She implies that Shinji has done it so many times and is aware of the hospital scene. Why? That’s the purpose of instrumentality. You have to merge everyone and for everyone to merge, they would have to accept every single memory, experience, and feeling to complement each other. So yeah, she knows. Like what the others said in this thread, she says disgusting primarily because she knows Shinji has so many fantasies about her, or other women in his life in general.
I did mention that anybody can come back from LCL as long as they have the will to. I remember someone reading somewhere that post-second impact world was still habitable and it doesn’t exclude post-third impact world being inhabitable either. Humans adapted post-second impact despite literally crushing a part of Earth. People could still go to Antarctica where Adam was last awakened. I guess the concept of (nuclear) radiation doesn’t really exist there, perhaps the climate change would be a challenge. I guess everybody, even those who died before third impact can come back by that logic?
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Post 2:
My response:
Rei said that you wouldn’t know where one person begins or ends when in instrumentality. You are united but at what cost? You have no idea what’s happening because everything is happening all at the same time. There are no distinguishable features; you lose yourself, all individuality, and literally— your initial purpose in living was a lost cause. In essence, the instrumentality aims to be benign or have good intentions, but when instrumentality is probably completed, you would cease to remember who you are and the joy in recognizing others’ identity fades. I think that’s why Shinji rejected it. Being different and seeing others’ differences is better than being a one big blob of essentially, perfection, which doesn’t really exist. I don’t know what that would be like.
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I didn't include other answers from other posts, as they were mostly answered for fun, and nothing too related to the lore itself.
I also have drafted previous interpretations, and most of them have been sent to my partner, so I'll retrieve them if I can still recover them.
That's all for now, thanks!
