[girl who's watching the red beach for the millionth time] there really is something to asuka using her wounded arm to comfort shinji, i think. (you could question whether she's actually wounded wounded given the logistical hurdle her bandages pose, but that's stupid, and i just don't even want to have to think about shikinami as evidence either. we all know she has a gnarly scar and is missing an eye, okay ? okay.) presumably asuka's right-handed (she always fights right-handed in eva and i couldn't find a clip of her, like, writing or anything) so it makes sense that she'd be using her dominant hand but if you pull back a level it is really interesting that she is touching shinji with the wounded part of her body in this "proof/reconciliation of the other" scene. it's really interesting. considering that basically no matter what i think comforting shinji like that has to hurt, emotionally; doing so with her wounded arm becomes some sort of localization of hurt, and that's charming.