The Nature of Kaji

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The Nature of Kaji

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Postby Director Black » Fri Sep 23, 2016 10:26 pm

One of the characters that I surprisingly don't see enough analysis on is Kaji. I never paid enough attention to him as I did for others, but I'd figured I'd give some thought into him.

One thing I noticed is Kaji's reaction during the (Awkward) sex scene with Misato at the end of Episode 20, he simply says that he's "Honored" to be loved by Misato. He says the same thing when Asuka tries to come onto him in the beginning of Episode 22.

I also noticed how we never really know what his motivations are. He's a triple agent for both SEELE, Nerv and himself and he brushes off his life-threatening work like it's life before 2I. It makes wonder what his true (To use the term loosely) nature is.
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Re: The Nature of Kaji

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Postby Reichu » Sat Sep 24, 2016 5:03 am

Here's a really great analysis about Kaji that everyone should read:
http://qmisato.tumblr.com/post/88618003609/
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Re: The Nature of Kaji

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Postby BlueBasilisk » Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:28 am

QMisato has some amazing insight! Unfortunately, I had to quit following their blog after this:

qmisato  SPOILER: Show
people really underestimate how darksided nge’s fandom is

on one hand you have the pretentious evageeks-type neckbeards who have systematically asphyxiated even the slightest insinuation of gay text/subtext by deliberately mistranslating the show’s subtitles and supplementary material, withholding key interviews, and recontextualizing the narrative to make it more agreeable to their tastes while parading around as ‘experts’ (evageeks/4chan) or whatever; all of this being exacerbated by their misogyny, by their ableism, by their homophobia and sexualization of the eva girls


I particularly liked the one about Asuka's yellow shirt possibly being Misato's.

Back to Kaji, I think he is a lot like Misato, and that's why the two of them keep attracting and repelling each other. On the outside they seem like they're moderately well adjusted, but when put under pressure or left in the dark, we see that they're just as unsettled as everyone else. Perhaps Kaji feels like Misato does, like he uses people to make himself feel better, so when Misato does genuinely love him he really is honored but doesn't exactly know how to handle it.

Kaji doesn't seem like a person who has a lot of regard for his own well-being either. Like Director Black said, he takes on a lot of dangerous and life-threatening tasks with a very cavalier attitude, and when he's finally cornered by Seele's goon, he doesn't even try to fight back and save himself. He just accepts his death as an inevitability. He entrusts Misato with the truth about Nerv, Seele and the Second Impact, so I think he's ultimately on the side of humanity and their continued existence. Playing triple agent puts him in a position to find that "truth" and to see who is really working for the benefit of humanity, but on the other hand, his shady dealings allow Gendo to pursue his own plans and by the time Misato figures out what Kaji was trying to tell her, it's too late to make a difference.

There's a scene from the manga that's stuck in my mind. I forget the context of the scene, but Kaji is having a talk with Shinji and tells him that they're both horrible people who don't deserved to be loved. Anime Kaji might feel that way about himself internally, but I've always thought that it was wildly out of character for him to say that to someone like Shinji.
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Re: The Nature of Kaji

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Postby Director Black » Sat Sep 24, 2016 10:03 am

View Original PostBlueBasilisk wrote:There's a scene from the manga that's stuck in my mind. I forget the context of the scene, but Kaji is having a talk with Shinji and tells him that they're both horrible people who don't deserved to be loved. Anime Kaji might feel that way about himself internally, but I've always thought that it was wildly out of character for him to say that to someone like Shinji.


I really wish I could get my hands on the Manga.

But seriously, it continues the trend of NGE characters who put on a persona. Asuka with her brash attitude, Ritsuko with her calm presence, and Misato when trying to fulfill the mother role to Shinji. It may not have been out of character, since in the series, every character has a certain breaking point in the series. He accepts his fate of getting shot because he's done his part.

One scene I want to talk about in particular is when Kaji and Misato walk back home in Episode 15. It gives a greater depth to how Kaji views his Misato. He probably knew he was going to get shot with the stuff he was doing undercover, and his faith in Misato to fulfill the mission got him through. Like Misato said as she was crying at Kaji's phone message in episode 21, he was always a fool, one who knew the danger but pushed ahead anyway. Why?

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Re: The Nature of Kaji

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Postby StrokeMeGoat » Sat Sep 24, 2016 12:45 pm

View Original PostReichu wrote:Here's a really great analysis about Kaji that everyone should read:
http://qmisato.tumblr.com/post/88618003609/

Thanks, that article was an insightful read!

View Original PostBlueBasilisk wrote:QMisato has some amazing insight! Unfortunately, I had to quit following their blog after this:

qmisato  SPOILER: Show
people really underestimate how darksided nge’s fandom is

on one hand you have the pretentious evageeks-type neckbeards who have systematically asphyxiated even the slightest insinuation of gay text/subtext by deliberately mistranslating the show’s subtitles and supplementary material, withholding key interviews, and recontextualizing the narrative to make it more agreeable to their tastes while parading around as ‘experts’ (evageeks/4chan) or whatever; all of this being exacerbated by their misogyny, by their ableism, by their homophobia and sexualization of the eva girls


I didn't see that quote in particular, but I don't actually blame the person for making those statements. As polarizing as the show is, there is an equally polarizing fan base. Between people who won't accept any real criticism of the show, to people who truly insist that their fanwanks are entirely true and insist on them quite a lot. Normally generalizations of that type are prejudiced enough for me to at least grow leery of that person's opinion(s) (although that doesn't mean they don't have anything worth while to contribute, just that I take it with a grain of salt), but when you take into account what I said about just how polarizing some of the fanbase can be (especially when some people despise the idea of obsessing over rampant speculation, which this site is nearly dedicated to, and I find quite entertaining as a pastime myself), I think I can give the comment a pass. I certainly agree with what they said about 4chan, so I can't be a hypocrite, you know? I think if you were to talk to the person him/herself, they would judge you on an individual basis. I could be wrong, but a single offhand comment isn't enough for me.

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Postby BlueBasilisk » Sat Sep 24, 2016 1:30 pm

It was from a different post on the blog. It's here if you'd like to read more of it. I don't disagree with the overall sentiment (especially about 4chan) but I thought it pretty hypocritical to start a post about bad fandom behavior by slinging insults over differing interpretations. I don't want to derail this nice thread about Kaji so it might be better to discuss it further over in this thread if you want.

I just thought of something. We never really see what Kaji does outside of his work. He goes out with Misato a couple times and babysits the kids once, but his mundane doings are always linked to Misato's in some way. Does he even have a life outside his role as triple spy? That's probably why he reminds Misato of her father; he's caught up in his work to the exclusion of other people. I feel like I'm really slow on picking up on this one. :lol:
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Re: The Nature of Kaji

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Postby Director Black » Sat Sep 24, 2016 2:17 pm

View Original PostBlueBasilisk wrote:We never really see what Kaji does outside of his work. He goes out with Misato a couple times and babysits the kids once, but his mundane doings are always linked to Misato's in some way. Does he even have a life outside his role as triple spy?


He does have a garden where he grows melons, which is kind of foretelling in a way considering that he's doing something peaceful as shit starts getting worse (The climax of Episode 19 in particular).
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Re: The Nature of Kaji

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Postby zlink64 » Sat Sep 24, 2016 3:13 pm

View Original PostReichu wrote:Here's a really great analysis about Kaji that everyone should read:
http://qmisato.tumblr.com/post/88618003609/


Been wanting something like this for a while now. Very nice. Adding to favorites. TY!!!!

LMAO@:
qmisato SPOILER:
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people really underestimate how darksided nge’s fandom is

on one hand you have the pretentious evageeks-type neckbeards who have systematically asphyxiated even the slightest insinuation of gay text/subtext by deliberately mistranslating the show’s subtitles and supplementary material, withholding key interviews, and recontextualizing the narrative to make it more agreeable to their tastes while parading around as ‘experts’ (evageeks/4chan) or whatever; all of this being exacerbated by their misogyny, by their ableism, by their homophobia and sexualization of the eva girls

...Geeks are always taking shit too seriously. Hazards of getting invested I guess. At any rate the quality of her post out weights this imo...but still lol.
hmmm
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Postby BlueBasilisk » Sat Sep 24, 2016 4:32 pm

View Original PostDirector Black wrote:He does have a garden where he grows melons, which is kind of foretelling in a way considering that he's doing something peaceful as shit starts getting worse (The climax of Episode 19 in particular).


Now how did I forget about the melons? Good lord. :lol: But you're right. The end of the world is barreling down on them and he's mulling around in his fruit patch thinking about Misato's boobs and offering advice to Shinji.

The analysis Reichu linked is very impressive! It's really kind of mind-blowing that there's so much content to be gleaned from an episode that's usually regarded as filler. It's also kind of surprising that I've never seen those points brought up before. :tongue:
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Re: The Nature of Kaji

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Postby Reichu » Sat Sep 24, 2016 4:46 pm

View Original Postzlink64 wrote:Been wanting something like this for a while now. Very nice. Adding to favorites. TY!!!!

No problem. I share that post every chance I get, since it taught me a thing or two, which is a very nice feeling at my heightened "been there, heard that" stage of geekdom veteranitis.

I've seen the post that BlueBasilisk linked before. I occasionally search the webs to see what people are saying about both the site and me, as both a skin-thickening exercise and as a way of steeling my resolve to "be the better person" who resorts to broad spectrum generalizations as little as humanly possible. Finding such a thing on the tumblr of someone whose work I respected was disappointing, to say the least. Perhaps if I had a tumblr account already, I might attempt some sort of outreach, but... ehhhh. (EDIT: Somehow I typed this without seeing BB's suggestion about moving the conversation. As staff, I should probably be the one to take initiative. Uhhh... uhhhhhhh... LOOK, A PONY!)

Back @Director Black, I've done some Kaji analysis in the past, but this was in the context of attempting to demonstrate a four-way link between Misato, Kaji, Dr. Katsuragi, and Kaworu. At the time, my thread was laughed into the ground. It was structured pretty badly, so I guess I can't blame people too much... (I will blame a lot of them for being jerks, though.) Maybe one of these days, I'll try again.
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Re: The Nature of Kaji

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Postby Director Black » Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:47 pm

View Original PostReichu wrote:@Director Black, I've done some Kaji analysis in the past, but this was in the context of attempting to demonstrate a four-way link between Misato, Kaji, Dr. Katsuragi, and Kaworu. At the time, my thread was laughed into the ground. It was structured pretty badly


I have a similar plan to make an entire YouTube series of the 26 episode and EoE review-style with my thoughts and analysis on it. Of course, that'll be when I actually get to film college and get off my lazy ass to learn how to edit...
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Re: The Nature of Kaji

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Postby Director Black » Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:56 pm

View Original PostBlueBasilisk wrote:The analysis Reichu linked is very impressive!


I remember coming across a Tumblr user named Ritsumaya who did major analysis on the themes (The Hedgehog's Dilemma) and the three female leads. It went into so much detail. She even made some good points on why she views Shinji as sexist (I respectfully disagree, with part of me doing that 'cause he's my favorite character ever written).

Sadly, for whatever reason, the blog disappeared and is now a work-in-progress. A shitty template remains of it.

Thankfully, an archive website revived her Misato and Rei Analyses, both of which I highly recommend.
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...after all, I am Alive, So I'll Always Have the Chance to Be Happy.


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