ChrisTamv wrote:Just the fact that there are heavy romantic implications between Shinji and Kworu in 3.0 and not only is evidence that the Rebuilds aren't pushing some supposed anti-gay agenda like the user I replied to was suggesting. That's all I'm saying.

I can't name an openly gay character in Rebuild.
I can however name a gay character from NGE that had their sexuality entirely removed in the Rebuild. And that's what I wrote, the is no space dedicated to gay characters in the Rebuild universe.

Unless you count an eternal being having a savior complex for Shinji as gay representation, which I personally don't.
Still, they gave fujoshi their fanservice in 3.0, no one can deny that.

Re: Shinzo Abe's breeding propaganda. Shin is a movie that explores the family dynamics entirely from a strongly conservative pov, that's it.

That said, I won't continue this discussion. Just thinking about all this reminded me why I hate this movie so much, it's infuriatingly heteronormative and hyperfocused on the nuclear family to the point of harming its own characters.

Unless you count an eternal being having a savior complex for Shinji as gay representation, which I personally don't.

So you're referring to Maya then? I mean, if something so secondary made such a difference for you then you'll be happy to hear that not much has changed compared to NGE in this regard. Maya's feelings towards Ritsuko are still unrequited, in fact they're more overt than normal in the last movie. She literally calls her "XO Senpai" every time she refers to her.

Re: Shinzo Abe's breeding propaganda. Shin is a movie that explores the family dynamics entirely from a strongly conservative pov, that's it.

That said, I won't continue this discussion. Just thinking about all this reminded me why I hate this movie so much, it's infuriatingly heteronormative and hyperfocused on the nuclear family to the point of harming its own characters.

NGE isn't much less "heteronormative" than the Rebuilds, and the Rebuilds' relatively larger focus on this aspect doesn't damage the characters. It's not even explored from such a conservative lens, as for example pretty much every single nuclear family presented the parents are presented as anything but an authority and are confronted multiple times for their negligence and faults.

I agree with Chris, that's an incredibly cynical and reductive take; also patently wrong, given the attention that Shin gives to Kensuke and Asuka just normally living together without any implication of romantic involvement.
Also the entirety of Mari's character

In regards to Shinji and Mari, I've said it before and I'll say it again. They're not just standing next to each other... They're flirting. Mari is doing what she always does and Shinji is moving along withit, breaking out of his reactive role as a character and becoming a more active person. That's the reality right there. That doesn't mean they're madly in love or anything, but there is indeed some tension between them, something I can't say about Asuka and KenKen, for example.

Kendrix wrote:ppl will see "girl & boy standing next to each other" and instantly think couple - they also did it in EoE but at least in that case Shinji and Asuka were actually portrayed to have some degree of sexual tension between them.

Hell no. What people did was acknowledge that their relationship, however turbulent it was, is important to the movie's plot and Shinji's progression as a character. This is obvious, as not only does the film begin and end with this dynamic, but it is very important during the climax of the story (Asuka's death and instrumentalization) and the mental state Shinji is in during its first half as well.
So they were never just “standing next to each other.” There is real movie material behind their relationship. And yet, most people don't say that they will be happy together or that they are even a couple. They just acknowledge that their bond is important to the film.