[MANGA] [NGE] Asuka's stepmother?

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[NGE] Asuka's stepmother?

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Postby Reichu » Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:00 pm

I just got my hands on volume 9 of the manga, FINALLY... And I'm trying to figure out what the deal is with Asuka's domestic situation.

In the anime, Kyoko and her husband (name of Langley, presumably) were married and Asuka may well have been born the 'old-fashioned way'. Kyoko goes nutzoid and is hospitalized for an undetermined period of time, during which Langley gets a little too close to Kyoko's doctor. Someone Kyoko, even in her deranged state, catches wind of this, and takes the next possible opportunity to hang herself. The lady-doctor subsequently becomes Asuka's stepmother. Until moving to Tokyo-3, Asuka presumably lives with her father and stepmother (when not at college or whatever), even though she hates them both.

In the manga, Kyoko was married but unable to conceive; he had a child by a mistress, and Kyoko and he were divorced. (This is provided as the impetus for suicide, apparently...) Kyoko subsequently had Asuka by way of purchased "elite" sperm and raised her as a single mother, it would seem. At her funeral, though, there is a woman with glasses holding Asuka's hand. (In the corresponding scene from the anime, Asuka is holding Langley's hand, according to the script.) Associated with her is a girl, older than Asuka, whom Kyoko identifies as a child that Asuka must not lose to. The older woman says to Asuka:

Asuka, you needn't worry. We've all discussed the matter, and it's been decided that I will look after you. You're a bright girl, Asuka, so you'll get along fine at your aunt's house.

Who is this woman? And who is the older girl? (And who is the man who appears with them, for that matter?) Bochan_bird refers to them as "stepmother" and "stepmother's daughter", and Stage 56 makes reference to a stepmother as well -- but if Asuka's father was just some sperm Kyoko picked up, how can she HAVE a stepmother? Am I the only one who's confused?
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Re: ...Stepmother?

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Postby Hunter21 » Mon Jan 03, 2005 6:53 pm

Reichu wrote:Am I the only one who's confused?

No, when I read that I had questions as well.

Who is this woman? And who is the older girl? (And who is the man who appears with them, for that matter?) Bochan_bird refers to them as "stepmother" and "stepmother's daughter", and Stage 56 makes reference to a stepmother as well

I understood this part the same way Bochan_bird did. The man is Kyoko's ex along with his new wife and new daughter. This is why Kyoko tells Asuka she must be better than the stepdaughter, i.e. out of spite that he cheated on her and had a kid with this woman and not her. I guess the 'step' part may be more along the lines of a weird legal aspect than biological aspect. At least this is the way it is floating around in my head at this time. If someone has a better explanation feel free to give it.
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Postby Otaprince » Mon Jan 03, 2005 7:03 pm

agreed about who the woman and girl are--

as for "stepmother" and "stepdaughter," i don't think those words appear anywhere in the comic-- Bochan Bird's translations use those terms in his descriptions of the pictures, but they are not direct translations, and Bochan is probably just mistaken.

what's interesting about this addition by Sadamoto is that Asuka's mom first planted the seed that's one of Asuka's most prominent traits: the need to be better than her peers.

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Postby Reichu » Mon Jan 03, 2005 9:36 pm

"Stepmother" is mentioned in stage 56, as I said in my first post. ;)

So where the heck does an "aunt" come into play? "...you'll get along fine at your aunt's house." Conceivably, obasan is just referring to a middle-aged woman here and not an aunt specifically; but is obasan the sort of thing the stepmother would call herself?

On an aside, I'm amused by the fact that Sadamoto gives us Ritsuko strangling Rei 2 and Kyoko strangling Asuka, but no Naoko strangling Rei 1. Bah! Heresy!! And how the heck did Asuka just manage to wander into the room of a designated nutjob? That's about as believable, if not less so, as Shinji getting into Asuka's hospital room, locking it, and absolutely no one noticing as he waxed the turtle.
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Postby Otaprince » Mon Jan 03, 2005 9:50 pm

the only place "stepmother" is mentioned in Act 56 is when Shinji thinks, "it must be her stepmother" [on the phone]. Shinji presumably doesn't know much about Asuka's family situation, let alone the revelation in Volume 9 that Asuka's mom was artificially inseminated. Case closed on "stepmother."

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Postby Reichu » Tue Jan 04, 2005 12:33 am

Why would Shinji even think that Asuka had a "stepmother"? She tells him flat-out that her father was just some "elite sperm" her mom picked up a a high-end bank.
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Postby Otaprince » Tue Jan 04, 2005 12:38 am

what act was that in?

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Postby Reichu » Tue Jan 04, 2005 8:14 am

Otaprince wrote:what act was that in?


The fifth stage of volume four.
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Postby Carl Horn » Tue Jan 04, 2005 11:54 pm

Reichu wrote:"Stepmother" is mentioned in stage 56, as I said in my first post. ;)

So where the heck does an "aunt" come into play? "...you'll get along fine at your aunt's house." Conceivably, obasan is just referring to a middle-aged woman here and not an aunt specifically; but is obasan the sort of thing the stepmother would call herself?

On an aside, I'm amused by the fact that Sadamoto gives us Ritsuko strangling Rei 2 and Kyoko strangling Asuka, but no Naoko strangling Rei 1. Bah! Heresy!! And how the heck did Asuka just manage to wander into the room of a designated nutjob? That's about as believable, if not less so, as Shinji getting into Asuka's hospital room, locking it, and absolutely no one noticing as he waxed the turtle.


Well, there is no evidence Kyoko was regarded as violent; perhaps the medical staff thought if Asuka tried to interact with her, it would help her to recover from her delusions. As for Shinji, he presumably has the same security clearance as Asuka, and Rei came to visit Shinji (a naked Shinji!) when he was in the hospital. The pilots had been encouraged to interact socially, and in the case of Shinji and Asuka they had even been ordered to live together. Hikari never even became an active pilot, but got to visit Toji after his involvement in some events that were sensitive, to put it mildly. I'm sure no one suspected that Shinji would commit a "dishonorable discharge."

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Postby Reichu » Wed Jan 05, 2005 7:51 am

Still, I find it a bit hard to believe that no one was keeping on eye on things via security camera, at the very least! The second Shinji began pushing Asuka's comatose body around, buzzers should have gone off. :P
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Postby Dave » Wed Jan 05, 2005 9:11 pm

The security staff was kind of busy preparing for the end of the world. :wink:
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Postby DatDude » Wed Jan 05, 2005 9:35 pm

and they wanted to get all the action on tape :roll:
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Postby Reichu » Wed Jan 05, 2005 10:54 pm

Dave wrote:The security staff was kind of busy preparing for the end of the world. :wink:


Yeah, but Shinji's wank-tastic adventure happened during the calm before the storm. Strictly speaking, the security staff didn't have much else to do besides sit around and drink coffee.
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Postby Hexon.Arq » Thu Jan 06, 2005 12:47 am

Enough with the jack off puns; you're gonna make me spit my milk... er, out of my mouth.

Concerning the absence of Rei I's Bogus Journey, I have the creeping feeling that Sadamoto is just about to incorporate it now that we have finally met Armisael. Big Rei moment = big Rei divulgence/possible divergence, unless of course he intends to go so far as to say that Rei I wasn't really killed and is instead locked up in the NERV Executive Washroom, but I don't think such a big point would be trifled with.

Of course, that is Kaworu showing off some fancy footwork in Eva-02... :?


"...so you'll get along fine at your aunt's house. "


Where did you say you got this line?

As for calling the woman "stepmother", I would only be able to make a judgment on the designation had I also been the product of artificial insemination. I can't really imagine a child born of random jizz regarding their "father" in the economical sense as anything but, well, their father.

Is there a reason this has to be hard to swallow?

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Postby bp32 » Thu Jan 06, 2005 8:58 am

Hexon.Arq wrote:Is there a reason this has to be hard to swallow?


I thought you wanted to get off of this subject :)
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Postby Reichu » Thu Jan 06, 2005 1:30 pm

Hexon.Arq wrote:Enough with the jack off puns; you're gonna make me spit my milk... er, out of my mouth.


I thought you were a female anyway? (Or you're just messing with me on that front.)

Concerning the absence of Rei I's Bogus Journey, I have the creeping feeling that Sadamoto is just about to incorporate it now that we have finally met Armisael. Big Rei moment = big Rei divulgence/possible divergence


Rei already had her big moment with Armisael. It was in Stage 64. No Nao-chan. And we know it happened in Sadamoto's version, because he has Ritsuko throttle Rei and then think "I'm the same as her."

Where did you say you got this line?


Bird's translation of... some stage in volume 9. Stage 60.

I can't really imagine a child born of random jizz regarding their "father" in the economical sense as anything but, well, their father.


Well, it's not like Kyoko's ex had ANYTHING to do with Asuka. They got divorced and Kyoko conceived Asuka afterwards, raising her presumably without any help. Why would the wife of Kyoko's ex be regarded as Asuka's stepmother?
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Postby Hexon.Arq » Thu Jan 06, 2005 3:42 pm

Rei already had her big moment with Armisael. It was in Stage 64. No Nao-chan. And we know it happened in Sadamoto's version, because he has Ritsuko throttle Rei and then think "I'm the same as her."


Stage 64? That's not in Volume 9. Have you gotten your hands on something else? Is Bochan jumping ahead of the game?

They got divorced and Kyoko conceived Asuka afterwards, raising her presumably without any help.


Eeeewwwwhhh, I see. Hmm... my memory had provided me with the impression that she had had Asuka before the divorce. Welp, one could always insinuate that the man talking in the background is relating things slightly out of order...

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Postby Reichu » Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:30 pm

Hexon.Arq wrote:Stage 64? That's not in Volume 9. Have you gotten your hands on something else? Is Bochan jumping ahead of the game?


http://evageeks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=483
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Postby Hexon.Arq » Fri Jan 07, 2005 12:15 am

*reads*

Hmm... Ha, told ya!

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Postby thewayneiac » Wed Feb 09, 2005 10:29 pm

It looks to me like Sadamoto realizes he wrote himself into a corner with this test tube baby business, and is desperately trying to bring back some of Asuka's motivation in this convoluted fashion,
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