CJD wrote:I find it more likely that he just found a rusty nail and used that.

Even with a rusted nail (which you would expect to be found in a part-burned post, any galvanizing burned off and the iron itself oxidising), it takes a while for rust to wash off it onto what you've hung on it.

CJD wrote:People often bring up the rusty nail as evidence that a long period of time passed, and Shinji has lost it (he knows he can kill), but, personally, I'm not convinced of that. I find it more likely that he just found a rusty nail and used that.

I am defintely with you on this. I do not buy the Long Passage of Time interpretation at the end of EoE. In fact I am not sure that is rust we are talking about. Who knows what kind of chemical reactions could have taken place during 3rd Impact? From how the film rolls and the editing, it seems to me relatively short time had passed before Shinji found Asuka. Hence his action could be explained by his memory carried over by his encounter with "Asuka" in his mind during the 3rd Impact. In short, he was still upset with Asuka and, not really able to tell reality from hallucination (the quantum Rei does not help), he continued doing what he did with Asuka earlier.

One interpretation I read is that Shinji really intended to kill Asuka, as an act of mercy, to save her from having to try to survive in the barren post-impact world because he himself held no hope about surviving. Asuka's caress surprised him and got him hope again.

Note: The question of why Shinji strangled Asuka at the end never had a settled interpretation. The same applies to Asuka's last word.

Also, I have not checked Japanese blogs of what they think of the Passage of Time at the end of EoE. I guess I should give it a try -- at least to see if there is a consensus opinion about this.

Answer: to fuck with the fandom.

symbv wrote:I am defintely with you on this. I do not buy the Long Passage of Time interpretation at the end of EoE. In fact I am not sure that is rust we are talking about. Who knows what kind of chemical reactions could have taken place during 3rd Impact? From how the film rolls and the editing, it seems to me relatively short time had passed before Shinji found Asuka. Hence his action could be explained by his memory carried over by his encounter with "Asuka" in his mind during the 3rd Impact. In short, he was still upset with Asuka and, not really able to tell reality from hallucination (the quantum Rei does not help), he continued doing what he did with Asuka earlier.

Yeah, that's pretty much my idea of the scene too... Shinji is still angry with her (at her?). And thus strangles her. But then she caresses him, which makes him stop, because she gives him love for the first time since they met. So it is a little bit of a happy ending, concerning the relationship between Asuka and Shinji.

Mr. Tines wrote:Even with a rusted nail (which you would expect to be found in a part-burned post, any galvanizing burned off and the iron itself oxidising), it takes a while for rust to wash off it onto what you've hung on it.

Assuming you're referring to the droopage below the hole, I'm not entirely convinced that's "rust washing off onto it". My thinking is this: The nail was already rusty for god knows what reason. When Shinji picks it up, it's wet. That drooping is just wet, dirty, water/lcl/grime.

I dunno. You raise a good point, but I think the other answers are much more likely, and too much thought is being put into it when we start talking about the time it takes for "Rust to wash off" onto something.

Oh boy, this again...

Options include:
1) a stint of psychopathic madness
2) picking up where he left off in instrumentality
3) wants to prove that this is real/dream/instrumentality
4) mercy killing before she sees how bad it really is
5) preemptive murder before she can justifiably do the same
6) do you see anything else around here to eat?

NemZ wrote:Options include:
1) a stint of psychopathic madness
2) picking up where he left off in instrumentality
3) wants to prove that this is real/dream/instrumentality
4) mercy killing before she sees how bad it really is
5) preemptive murder before she can justifiably do the same
6) do you see anything else around here to eat?

7) granting Asuka's wish of "I'd rather die than be with you."

He went mad.

Someone wrote:He went mad.

Says the guy with the Dexter-Avatar who loves to tell people that Pen Pen has been cooked! :)

symbv wrote:In fact I am not sure that is rust we are talking about.

Episode 26' Cut 461B

朽ちた木切れに錆びたクギで止められているミサトのペンダント
Misato’s pendant being held in place by a rusted nail in a rotten piece of wood.

One must remember that AT Fields, or personal barriers, are gone at this point as well, or at least very weak as a result of Third Impact. Shinji had a waek barrier to protect himself from Asuka, so he chokes her. In that scene, we the barriers being rebuilt through her touching his cheek and finally insulting him, just like Shinji asked her to do in the beginning of the film.

朽ちた木切れに錆びたクギで止められているミサトのペンダント
Misato’s pendant being held in place by a rusted nail in a rotten piece of wood.

Yet this does not proof that there passed a lot of time. How long does it take in such an area to rust and rot? Nobody knows.
Also, who says, that Shinji nailed Misato's cross onto this wood pillar?

robersora wrote:Also, who says, that Shinji nailed Misato's cross onto this wood pillar?

Well, considering that Asuka is in a state of couchlock and Rei..well, she's basically a huge troll head, doubt the cross got in there by itself; who's getting the biscuit, yep that's Shinji.

Reichu wrote:Episode 26' Cut 461B

朽ちた木切れに錆びたクギで止められているミサトのペンダント
Misato’s pendant being held in place by a rusted nail in a rotten piece of wood.

And, in particular, the grey streak washed onto the cross from where it has been hung.

Reichu wrote:Episode 26' Cut 461B

朽ちた木切れに錆びたクギで止められているミサトのペンダント
Misato’s pendant being held in place by a rusted nail in a rotten piece of wood.

Where does that text appear?

Besides, what I said also means we do not know whether those rust is the natural rust, which means it took the usual long time for the rust to come up and wash down to leave a trace in a 3I/post-3I environment.

Also, what robersora said.
I also do not think one can say that it must be Shinji who hung the cross onto the nail.

symbv wrote:Where does that text appear?

Storyboard/script (hence the reference to cut number). If you want to see the whole thing, I provided a link in the core/soul thread.

I also do not think one can say that it must be Shinji who hung the cross onto the nail.

Shinji left Eva-01's entry plug wearing the cross; it was in his possession. It's simplest to say that Shinji took it off and made a crude memorial to Misato than, say, someone else doing it...

Mr. Tines wrote:And, in particular, the grey streak washed onto the cross from where it has been hung.

That's certainly what the artwork seems to depict...

I still do not think long time has passed, but I see it more from the angle of film language. I will see if I can find out what fans in Japan may think about this (though IIRC I have not encountered any mention of that in the blogs I have seen so far, perhaps it is too obvious to them that they just don't bother mentioning it).

I think it's a very confusing scene. The cross and the grave markers indicate some time has passed, but the way it's shot and the reactions of the characters suggest otherwise (though even there things are confusing; Shinji's wide-eyed stare suggests madness born of isolation, but the strangulation suggests a holdover from P3II; reconciling the two is very difficult). I don't think there's a way to completely reconcile it (the fact that it's not a settled matter even in Japan seems to support this notion; if the intended audience can't grok it despite being privy to all the subtle nuances of their language and such I don't think we have a chance in hell).

That said, mercy-killing-caress-hope-"oh god, he's so disgusting" might be the best stab at compromise we'll manage.

Bagheera wrote:the fact that it's not a settled matter even in Japan seems to support this notion; if the intended audience can't grok it despite being privy to all the subtle nuances of their language and such I don't think we have a chance in hell

No no... it is more like "there is no need to discuss it" than "not settled". It is just that I never ever read any discussion about time passed at the end of EoE in Japanese sites. If anything it seems to indicate that either the fans missed it together, or they noticed but none thought there was anything to discuss.

On the other hand, why Shinji strangled Asuka at the end got a lot of discussions in Japan.

Sachi wrote:7) granting Asuka's wish of "I'd rather die than be with you."

Nah, being stuck with him is part of #4.