Is Shinji moe: Yes/No? (Please keep it on topic.)

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Postby rhfxz1s » Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:37 pm

I guess he could fit the criteria for male moe, though as a straight male it's kind of hard for me to say, since I usually only feel that way towards female characters.

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Postby Kendrix » Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:35 pm

You guys gotta learn to respect TEH Shinji - Honestly, he should be up there with his father, Guts, Uchiha Itachi and Kamina - well, maybe not Kamina, but at least Simon. He's probably more badass than 90% of the ppl reading this thread, myself included.
I'm so sick and tired of the Emo/Vagina jokes, so I am going to overreact now. Please bear with my outburst, it has pictures:
SPOILER: Show


Shinji is not a whimp - He is a memetic badass! Your reactions to him should be limited to "Teh epicness!", "The manliness!" or "Did he just really...?!", and, if you're female or gay, "Awwwww!" and "I'll be in my bunk!"

Now, I will cement my claim with pictures of Shinji with his standart expression in battle: Cool/stoic/Determined. Yes, he looks like that for 85% of his battle screen time, and the other 15%, something unpredictable and nightmarish has happened. Please forgive him for being 14. I can prove his innate coolness with pics from the entire series and all his battles, but to prove just how epic he is, let's use pics from the first Rebuild movie, i.e, his time as a complete noob. Yes, he gets even cooler after this! MUCH cooler. Don't provoke me, I just found out how to use screenshot maker program.

Here, have some of the incredibly hot, unstoppable menace that is Ikari Shinji:
[spoiler] "What? I came for a family reunion, and you bastards want me to go and fight monsters? Just like that? Hello, I'm an ordinary 14 year old kid! Do I look like Clark Kent? Is this a bad Godzilla movie? Forget it. DO NOT WANT. XP ...Wait? You will make the injured pretty girl do it?"
Image
"You'll get to know me, bitches". And look! Those sexy eyes!

---

Image
This fearsome warrior has only just learned how to fly the thing he's in.

---

"I must'n run away"
Image
...So he won't run away.

---

The so-called whimp, after being thrown a few kilometers:
Image
"Don't fuck with me, you oversized dildo"

---

Image
Yeah, totally a pathetic, whiny mess that doesn't get anything done and freaks out at the slighthest provocation.

---

Proof that berserking runs in the family:
Image
I dare you to call him a whimp again.

---

Shinji the vaginal reference, after being fried by a laser the second time that day. His heart stopped the first time.
Image
The tears just make it MORE badass.

---

Teh Sexy:
Image
I'll be in my bunk.

---

Also, this wonderful young man is not only, as proven above, sexy and badass, he's also an excellent musician, an expert cook, a very thoughtful, sensitive person, and very nice and kindhearted.
Image
Oh, and he has a pretty smile.
He is also true to himself - his creator said in an interview that Shinji never did anything he didn't want to do. Isn't that badass?

...Almost too good to be true? No, this is all the truth! The only problem is, the poor thing doesn't know how badass he is! He thinks he's a coward (I don't know how on earth he got that idea) and therefore, he is a bit angsty and shy, you know, since he's such a good person, he doesn't want his alleged suckyness to hurt others. You see, his Daddy didn't tell him how cool he is and he lost his Mommy! But fragile looking boys are sexy, aren't they? Yessss....



If that didn't convince you that Shinji Ikari is absolutely NO whimp, well, this is unfortunate. *pats Shinji after you meanies made him sad*
But you know what? Half of Tokyo 3 disagrees with you! And I think the ppl who know Shinji in person are in a better position to judge him, aren't they? Look, this is what the resident hotties of Neo Tokyo 3 think:

SPOILER: Show

At first, let's meet Miss Rei Ayanami II, who is, as of the second of the "Rebuild of Evangelion" movies, which are basically about how badass Shinji Ikari is (They're a tetralogy because 1 movie just isn't enough to squeeze all of Shinji's badass into it), his current girlfriend.
She is one of the most lusted-after figures in anime.
Let's slook at her reaction to Ikari Shinji being badass in front of her and also saving her life:
Image
Rei: "Ikari-kun *.*"

---

Next, let's ask the also very well-known Asuka Langley Soryu (or, Shikinami in the New movies), who has the honor of living in the same house as the super badass Ikari Shinji.
She is also the most popular girl at her school, also universally recognized as smexy and known for taking no shit from no one and only accepting the best from herself and others. In other words, she's not easy to impress.
But look at her face after she witnessed the badass of Shinji Ikari, after he saved her life (yes, he does that a lot):
Image
Asuka: "Baka-Shinji *.*"
Note that she usually doesn't agree with Rei very often.

---

Next is his nice, encouraging guardian, Major Misato Katsuragi who does her best to suceed where Shinji's Daddy failed i.e. to tell him he's badass. This is one of her attempts:
Image
Misato: "Shin-chan *.*"
In case you couldn't tell by the pictures, she is also very hot and has the likes of james-bond-wannabe Ryoji Kaji (basically Jack Harkness, but heterosexual) and the loveable geek Makoto Hyuuga lusting after her.

---

Next, let's meet the much-discussed Mari Illustrious Makinami, who has been called a female Kamina. Don't be fooled by her moe-ish looks, she is a very deadly, unstoppable warrior who lives by the principle of "Nothing Ventured, nothing gained". She also has delicious E-Cup boobs, and usually prefers working alone since not many can't handle her aura of badassitude. She is cool enough to hijack an 80 meter high Mecha, usualy travels by parachute, and kills reality defying monsters FR FUN when her extreme sports bore her. She is also the lovechild of Chuck Norris and Amelia Pond. (Sorry, Rory)
This is her reaction to seeing the wonder that is Shinji Ikari:
Image
Mari: "Puppy-kun *.*"
When Mari first laid eyes on Shinji Ikari, she noticed something very agreeable about his scent. She couldn't work out what it was tough - at least, untill she saw Shinji in Action:
Image
Mari: "Oh, right! It was the scent of badass!"

Note that these four ladies can be trusted to know a badass when they see one since they...

[spoiler]...have plenty....
Image
...of experience....
Image
...in that field...
Image
...themselves.
Image


---

NOw, let's move on to the next member of Shinji's fanclub, the resident memetic sexgod of Tokyo 3: Kaworu Nagisa! Yes, Shinji is so sexy and badass that even the guys want him! It's no wonder tough, since Shinji and Kaworu share so many interests, like Music and Philosophy. They are both rather deep people.
This is how a cool, intellectual person like Kaworu reacts to Shinji:
Image
Kaworu: "Shinji-kun *.*"

---

Those above are by far not the only ones who think Shinji is the hottest thing on earth: Let's see what Mana Kirishima, a cool mecha pilot, (actual mecha, not biologic thingie that pretty much moves by itself) thinks of him:
Image
Mana: "Shinji Ikari is so hot! I NEED him to become my boyfriend!"

---

And there's more - let's see the reaction of Mayumi Yamagishi, another pretty girl with an excellent singing voice that makes most boys go AWW, who got her life saved by the super badass Shinji Ikari. Twice. (Yes. He REALLY does that a lot)
Image
Mayumi: *singing* "Jibun no utsukushisa mada shiranai..."
(taken from "Beautiful world". "You still haven't realized your own beauty.

---

Is there no one who can resist Shinji Ikari? Apparently not. Even the icy, unfeeling Rei Ayanami the Third finds him hot - Even hotter than the infamous Uberpimp!
Image
Rei III: "I can't. Another Ikari is hotter than you."

---

These are only a few of Shinji's countless fangirls, some of which can be seen here:
Image
Image
In case you couldn't tell, the owners of these pretty legs are shouting "Ikari-kun".
Also, Shinji could have any of them whenever he wanted, but the one he's interested in is the pale, lonely, sickly-looking one in the corner.
See what a good-natured, non-superficial person he is?

---

But all these might be biased right? They're members of his harem, after all. So let's get a neutral opinion, that of Hikari Horaki, another much-lusted after pretty girl:
Image
Hikari: "Ikari-kun seems to be a sensitive guy."
Hikari is the one on the right btw. The cutie on the left is Asuka - she might be acting like she hears this for the first time, but as evidenced by the above pic, she is simply in denial because the effect Teh Shinji has on her heart and body is just too much for her to bear. Mommy issues. Tey are not uncommon in Tokyo 3. In fact, so not uncommon that those meanies will call you a Mary Sue without them.

---

What the fuck...?!
Image
I think we all agree that Shinji is too hot for his own good.

---

So, to get a truly neutral opinion concerning his badassitude from someone who can't possibly have the hots for him, let's see how his father reacts to Shinji being badass.
Image
If even FREAKIN GENDO IKARI shows a reaction like this, how did ANYONE EVER get the idea that Shinji is a whimp?
Can anyone explain that to me?

[/spoiler]

Now, you probably have a few questions.
I will gladly answer them.

a) How can Shinji possibly be so hot?

SPOILER: Show
It's the wonders of genetics.
Look here: This is Shinji's Mommy:
Image
and this is his Daddy:
Image
And this is Shinji:
Image
From his Mommy he got:
- Cute shape of the eyes
- nice loving smile
- lots and lots of talents
- those lovely parted bangs
- cute rounded cheeks
- fragile, elegant body shape
- intelligence
- his complete DO NOT WANT attitude
- his apeshit-y fighthing style

From his daddy, he got:
- intriguing blue eyes
- cool dark brown hair
- any part of his hot face that isn't passed down from his mommy
- more intelligence
- cute, troubled personality
- apparently, very chick-attracting pheromones
- the will to tear open the sky and shatter the earth for his loved ones
- Shinji's skin tone is somewhat in between those of his parents.


b) How can Shinji possibly be so badass?
SPOILER: Show
Simple math.
Look here:
This:
Image
plus THIS:
Image
equals THIS:
Image
[/spoiler]

c) Is Shinji moe?
Sometimes.
I think none of the characters in EVA are 2-dimensional enough to fit into a cliché like that, but since most here seem to disagree, I'd say that he can be moe in certain situations, but he also has other appealing things about him.

...Sorry. Someone HAD to do this. Just to counter all the haters.
Last edited by Kendrix on Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:16 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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Postby Dark_Firestar » Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:41 pm

For the right price he will be what ever you want him to be. lol. I would have to say moe.

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Postby child of Lilith » Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:18 pm

You sure put a lot of effort into that, Kendrix. It was an interesting read.
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Postby Sailor Star Dust » Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:20 pm

Kendrix: You are my new favorite person with that post of yours. :clap: Excellent job! :nod:
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Postby Kendrix » Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:21 pm

View Original Postchild of Lilith wrote:You sure put a lot of effort into that, Kendrix. It was an interesting read.


Uh, thanks...?
I wanted to try harvesting the rice

I wanted to hold Tsubame more

I wanted to stay together forever with the boy I like

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Postby child of Lilith » Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:24 pm

Don't worry Kendrix, what I said was meant as a complement.
"Let the right one in. Let the old dreams die. Let the wrong ones go. They cannot do, what you want them to do."- Morrissey, Let the Right One Slip In

"Happy people can be so cruel"- Claudia, Silent Hill 3

"everlasting, true love, I am yours"- Rule of Rose

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Postby rhfxz1s » Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:28 pm

Kendrix, I am lol'ing quite a bit at that epic wall of text. Nice job.

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Postby Tankred » Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:56 pm

What you did Kendrix is... this is... GLORIOUS!

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Postby symbv » Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:01 pm

Reading this thread seems to me that most people here don't know what they are talking about. I guess MOE definition is still confusing people.

If Shinji is any moe, the most obvious moe trigger is ショタ萌え Shota-Moe. A moe that is for a feminine kind of boy that would not look out of place even if you dress him in girl clothes. As the hubando article said, Shinji can cook, can play cello, speak and walk softly most of the time. This is where he will be viewed with moe feeling.

Like Asuka, some may want to claim Shinji has a broken/damaged mind moe. This is fine but I want to say that this is not where the usual MOE feeling comes from for most anime fans here in Japan. That is a kind of more advanced type of moe attribute.
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Postby Born of Lilith » Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:42 pm

What makes one "feel" moe is subjective, but yeah, Shinji fits the criteria, no question. That is, until he loses his mind (particularly in EoE). At that point I'd be too scared of getting my head ripped off to give him any huggles.
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Postby TehDonutKing » Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:37 pm

View Original PostKendrix wrote:Stuff

I think I love you....

Anyway, Shinji is definitely moe.
/hj

I said and did some dumb and hurtful things in my time here when i was younger. If i ever hurt you, i'm sorry. If you see any of this while reading old threads, i'm learning and trying to improve. Donut redemption arc in progress.

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Postby The Abhorrent » Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:37 pm

Could Shinji be considered a moe character?
A trickier question than it looks.

First, a few details:
  • Evangelion pre-dates the the concept of "moe" by a few years, and it's usually Rei who is given credit for being one of the leading precursors to the concept (and a far better example, but that goes without saying. Any possibility of a character in NGE being moe is only applicable in retrospect.
  • Moe is moreso associated with the audience's reaction to a character, rather than being linked to a specific set of traits.
  • The aforementioned reaction varies (cuteness, trying to be protective of the character, etc.), but could probably be summarized as "D'awww....."

Based on this criteria, I wouldn't say Shinji is a moe character. Sympathetic, yes; but not really moe. However, the moe reaction does vary from person to. What doesn't get the moe reaction out of me might get it out of someone else. For me, Shinji doesn't quite fit the concept.
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Postby symbv » Thu Mar 31, 2011 4:07 am

View Original PostThe Abhorrent wrote:Based on this criteria, I wouldn't say Shinji is a moe character. Sympathetic, yes; but not really moe. However, the moe reaction does vary from person to. What doesn't get the moe reaction out of me might get it out of someone else. For me, Shinji doesn't quite fit the concept.


In Japan, Shinji can definitely be considered at least ショタ萌え Shota-Moe (among other possible moe attributes). Your concept of moe may not be what we understand the term in Japan, though I agree that the moe concept would necessarily be applied in retrospect regarding any NGE character.
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Postby toe mash » Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:38 am

1. If you are asking of Shinji is moe or not you do not know what moe means anyway

2. If I'd have to pick Id Shinji is DEFINITELY NOT a "moe character" because first and foremost in order for a character to be moe it has to be very likable, and Shinji is anything but for the vast majority of people that have watched NGE. Yeah yeah, all of us here like him nowadays, but if during your first watch of NGE you thought "dawww I just wanna be his friend" you're either really weird or a liar.

3.
View Original PostKendrix wrote:Teh Sexy:
Image

More like "emo" amirite?

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Postby symbv » Thu Mar 31, 2011 9:57 am

View Original Posttoe mash wrote:2. If I'd have to pick Id Shinji is DEFINITELY NOT a "moe character" because first and foremost in order for a character to be moe it has to be very likable, and Shinji is anything but for the vast majority of people that have watched NGE. Yeah yeah, all of us here like him nowadays, but if during your first watch of NGE you thought "dawww I just wanna be his friend" you're either really weird or a liar.


Say who??? I watched NGE back in 1995 when it was first run on TV and I cheered for Shinji all along. And I was not alone. Perhaps in the west his kind of character is less tolerated.
I never thought I would come back to Evangelion after EoE,
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Postby Tankred » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:00 am

I never thought of Shinji as moe, just a character that takes some time to understand. Never really hated him.

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Postby Xard » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:02 am

View Original Postsymbv wrote:Say who??? I watched NGE back in 1995 when it was first run on TV and I cheered for Shinji all along. And I was not alone. Perhaps in the west his kind of character is less tolerated.


This sounds kinda sweet :)

From larger perspective (such as you have, I mean you even saw Gundam when it first aired :gasp: ) I'm pretty sure Shinji's meekness didn't come off all that strange or appalling...Tomino had been writing such characters for ages after all

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Postby symbv » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:18 am

View Original PostXard wrote: From larger perspective (such as you have, I mean you even saw Gundam when it first aired :gasp: ) I'm pretty sure Shinji's meekness didn't come off all that strange or appalling...Tomino had been writing such characters for ages after all


Long history of anime watching may have helped, but one thing I notice from reading all this discussion about whether a character is moe or not is that in the west people seem to evaluate a character's moe-ness from an overall perspective of the character. In Japan (and the Far East region) people are more likely to compartmentalize the various moe trait / trigger and form their view of the character moe-ness based on the trait. It seems that it is something that is considered difficult to do or understand by many western fans. This is yet another reason why the opinion on whether Asuka or Shinji is moe diverges so much between what I read in this forum and what I know the general view here in Japan (on top of how the west may tolerate certain personal character to different extent)
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Postby Kendrix » Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:42 am

View Original Postsymbv wrote:Long history of anime watching may have helped, but one thing I notice from reading all this discussion about whether a character is moe or not is that in the west people seem to evaluate a character's moe-ness from an overall perspective of the character. In Japan (and the Far East region) people are more likely to compartmentalize the various moe trait / trigger and form their view of the character moe-ness based on the trait. It seems that it is something that is considered difficult to do or understand by many western fans. This is yet another reason why the opinion on whether Asuka or Shinji is moe diverges so much between what I read in this forum and what I know the general view here in Japan (on top of how the west may tolerate certain personal character to different extent)



Well, I never lived In Japan and I'm not an expert - I do know that experts also have own opinions, tough.

But if him fitting the "meek girly guy" criteria is the only way for him to be moe, then he isn't - I'll let the fetishists who like to draw him as a girl have their fun, but I don't think what you are discribing fits with the character I see in canon - he always had this "half-way rebellious"/"don't-really-wanna-go-don't-really-wanna-stay" thing about him, he even gets a bit snarky during the action arc.
Whenever you label him as cute and submissive, some of the edgier parts of his character sting you, he's a bit more realistic like that.

And @ toe mash:
Ppl have started calling anyone who ever had his hair in a slightly asymetric way an emo, even if it was for a split second. this pic has him with clenched teeth, giving whatever is in front of him a killer stare, even if you can tell by the context of this scene that he must be terrified as shit, but he just swallows that down. (Until shamshel packs out her laser whips, but hey, he had a really bad day and it's his first proper battle)
What else must he do for you not to consider him Emo?
Anyone who'd deserve to be called Emo would start whining here and tell Misato to get someone else for the job. He was hit twice for being the pilot of that thing and he still got into it. He even tries to save the ass of the guy who punched him.
This is respectable.

Oh, and thanks for all the compliments^^
I wanted to try harvesting the rice

I wanted to hold Tsubame more

I wanted to stay together forever with the boy I like


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