We know that when she was four or so, she was struggling to be a good little girl and cultivating the beginnings of her Daddy Complex.
Episode 25 wrote:Misato:
I have to be a good girl.
TEXT:
"Why?"
Misato:
Because my dad's not around.
I have to help my mom and be a good girl.
But I don't want to become like my mom,
because she's always crying when my dad isn't here.
No crying, no being spoiled.
That's why I have to be a good girl.
And I'm going to do my best so my dad won't hate me.
By the time of the divorce, whenever that was, Misato had apparently abandoned her "good little girl" image to some extent, since she recounts to Shinji that she "laughed" at Daddy when he reacted to the news.
Episode 12 wrote:Misato:
My father was a man who lived for his research,
for his dreams, to the exclusion of all else.
I could never forgive him for that. I even hated him.
Misato:
He never took care of me, my mother or the family.
His friends always said he was very sensitive and delicate.
But the truth was that he was just a weak person
running away from reality, the reality called his family.
He was like a kid.
I readily agreed with my mother when she decided to divorce him,
because she was always crying.
It seemed to have come as a shock to him,
but at the time, I laughed at him because I felt he'd brought it on himself.
For my own purposes, I assume that Misato is 12 when the divorce happens. So, sometime between the ages of 4 and 12, Misato has essentially given up on her dad and doesn't feel like she has to be "good" for him anymore, since her efforts clearly didn't result in the reliable father figure she wanted. She's "sided" with Mom and is probably supporting her every way she can, but no longer has any reservations about expressing her disdain for Dad. "Yeah, get rid of that trash. We don't need him. Excuse me while I go laugh in his face."
Writing Misato as a preteen-going-on-teen has been quite difficult. The relationship with her dad is obviously complicated. Even though she grows to "hate" him, the underlying need for his love and affirmation never goes away (like with Shinji and Gendo). It's difficult to decide exactly how hostile to make her toward Dad. I'm trying to veer toward her being relatively aloof for now, with the repressed hostility breaking free at the divorce proceedings. I harbor sick fantasies of having Misato lay some very harsh language onto him at various points, as well, but I'm not sure how realistic that would actually be...
Also, considering the whole thing with Kaji later -- and that weird self-admission in HIP that she wants her dad to watch her bone a guy she's only boning because he reminds her of Daddy (good grief!) -- it seems hard to discount that there might be some repressed sexual confusion taking place. ("I hate him! But I also can't help but think about him when I touch myself!") This is an incredibly awkward thing to approach in writing and I'm still wringing my hands over how I want to do it. Even if Misato is repressing it, those weird urges are going to have some influence on her behavior, right?
Perhaps most importantly... There is more to Misato than her daddy complex. She has a life outside of domestic drama! She's still a (pre)teen with (pre)teen concerns and interests. What would they be? How typical a Japanese adolescent girl should she be? What sort of music would she be into? Does she like cars already? (I'm veering toward "yes".) Play any video games? What kind of TV shows does she like? Hobbies and interests in general? What sorts of after-school activities is she participating in? What are her strongest subjects in school? Does she show any interest in the opposite sex (her Dad aside)? Even if most of the details don't make it into the story, it's good to have them well-contemplated.
I'd love to know people's thoughts on this, since I'm willing to bet there are angles I haven't considered.
Thanks, all!