Rei and Kaworu's Heart Shadows

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Rei and Kaworu's Heart Shadows

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Postby Ari » Wed Apr 15, 2015 12:03 am

I am probably not the first one to notice, but Rei and Kaworu's shadows are pretty clearly heart-shaped in the post-instrumentality scene in the End of Evangelion. What significance does it have?

Image[/img]

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Postby Ray » Wed Apr 15, 2015 12:08 am

They were the only ones who ever loved Shinji unconditionally?

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Postby Sailor Star Dust » Wed Apr 15, 2015 12:21 am

If it means anything (not just a weird animation quirk), I'd honestly agree with that. Though I think Asuka and Misato cared for Shinji too, both had their own motivates for doing so. It wasn't unconditional.
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Postby Sachi » Wed Apr 15, 2015 4:18 am

What about Yui?
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Postby AuraTwilight » Wed Apr 15, 2015 2:12 pm

Both of them are basically divine personifications of unconditional love for all living things, Yui can suck it.
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Postby UrsusArctos » Wed Apr 15, 2015 4:00 pm

OOC, what shape is Shinji's shadow? It's hard to see with that subtitle.
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Postby Lavinius » Wed Apr 15, 2015 4:04 pm

I entered this topic hoping, against my expectation, to find something cute and complimentary to the gods, and I was surprised to find my hope realized. Thank you.

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Postby Ultrahuntr » Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:07 pm

View Original PostSachi wrote:What about Yui?


No one said she doesn't love him unconditionally, but she's just not in this scene. ;)

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Postby Ray » Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:09 pm

View Original PostSachi wrote:What about Yui?


Yui is a giant purple Lovecraftian demon who abandoned her own son! She doesn't count!

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Postby Ultrahuntr » Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:44 pm

View Original PostRay wrote:Yui is a giant purple Lovecraftian demon who abandoned her own son! She doesn't count!


Given how awful Gendo was to Shinji, I can't even begin to agree with this. Yui at least gave up her body so she could eventually protect him from the struggles she knew he'd have to face in the future, even if she wasn't able to be there emotionally.

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Postby Sailor Star Dust » Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:48 pm

Rewatch the flashback scene in Episode 21 (Director's Cut) coupled with the end of that flashback featured in EoE. Flows together nicely and shows Yui's intent* was two-fold: Third Impact on her terms (not Seele's) since it's inevitable, and Eva becoming a testament to humanity. Life, not death like Seele's wishes.

*Whether or not she was fully sane being stuck in the Eva/becoming Eva-01 for after so many years is another argument for another thread.
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Postby Shoujo Kakumei Asuka » Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:48 pm

This part still seems so disconnected with the last scene of the movie. I mean, I know this was deliberate, but still...

I'd agree on this meaning for Rei and Kaworu's shadow here. The heart shaped shadows are both emblematic of unconditional love shown to Shinji.
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Postby Ultrahuntr » Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:15 pm

View Original PostSailor Star Dust wrote:Rewatch the flashback scene in Episode 21 (Director's Cut) coupled with the end of that flashback featured in EoE. Flows together nicely and shows Yui's intent* was two-fold: Third Impact on her terms (not Seele's) since it's inevitable, and Eva becoming a testament to humanity. Life, not death like Seele's wishes.

*Whether or not she was fully sane being stuck in the Eva/becoming Eva-01 for after so many years is another argument for another thread.


I should've clarified that I didn't mean that was her only purpose and reason for giving up her body, but all's well.

All in all, this does seem like a fitting interpretation of the shadows. Intentional or not, it fits pretty nicely .

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Postby Dream » Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:17 pm

View Original PostLavinius wrote:I entered this topic hoping, against my expectation, to find something cute and complimentary to the gods, and I was surprised to find my hope realized. Thank you.


Agreed.

View Original PostSailor Star Dust wrote:If it means anything (not just a weird animation quirk), I'd honestly agree with that. Though I think Asuka and Misato cared for Shinji too, both had their own motivates for doing so. It wasn't unconditional.


That is true, given that Rei/Kaworu were to certain degree cartoon embodiment of platonic ideal it follows that their love for and relationship with Shinji is fundamentally different and "purer" than inherently flawed inter-human relationship of the series.

Honestly, i find something painfully ironic yet sublimely beautiful about the fact the only people to have shown Shinji absolute, pure love weren't even human.
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Postby Reichu » Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:00 pm

View Original PostDream wrote:Honestly, i find something painfully ironic yet sublimely beautiful about the fact the only people to have shown Shinji absolute, pure love weren't even human.

They are human. They've just been around a bit longer than most.
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Postby Sailor Star Dust » Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:36 pm

View Original PostDream wrote:Honestly, i find something painfully ironic yet sublimely beautiful about the fact the only people to have shown Shinji absolute, pure love weren't even human.


Reichu's technicalities aside, I totally agree with you! At least the potential's always there, post-3I (for Misato/Asuka, etc). :)

UrsusArctos: I don't have a clear image on hand, but I remember Shinji's shadow looking more normal for sure (a slight shadow cast either underneath or behind him).
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Postby Reichu » Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:39 pm

View Original PostSailor Star Dust wrote:Reichu's technicalities aside

I'm not sure "technicality" is quite the word for it.

Episode 25 wrote:TEXT:
Why did you kill him?

Shinji:
Because Kaworu was... He was an Angel!

TEXT:
Even though he was also human?

Shinji:
No! An Angel! He was our enemy!

TEXT:
Even though he was human, like you?

Shinji:
No! No! You're wrong!

Rei:
Even though he was a person, just like me?
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Postby Sailor Star Dust » Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:43 pm

Oh! I just meant in the sense that they're human, but their original forms were aliens (part of the FAR), etc.
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Postby AuraTwilight » Fri Apr 17, 2015 12:12 am

They're human, but they're fundamentally disconnected from the Human Experience that the homo sapien is familiar with and which a work of fiction can discuss and analyze. They're 'alien' in a philosophical sense regardless of how technically human they are.
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Postby Reichu » Fri Apr 17, 2015 12:23 am

View Original PostAuraTwilight wrote:They're human, but they're fundamentally disconnected from the Human Experience that the homo sapien is familiar with and which a work of fiction can discuss and analyze. They're 'alien' in a philosophical sense regardless of how technically human they are.

Aside from you writing Homo sapiens as "homo sapien", I can agree with this. :tongue:
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