Why is Misato so poor?

[AWinters]

In episodes 12 it's referenced that she's too poor to comfortably afford a meal out.
High class restaurants apparently exist in this universe, so there must be people who can afford to use them and Misato has one of the most important jobs in the world!
By this time, Shinji has been living with her for quite a while, which suggests that not only is Gendo severely under paying her, but he's not even paying her child maintenance for housing and feeding his kid that's currently of important use to him.

Meanwhile he runs his errands in a military grade helicopter and has an office the size of a football pitch!

Misato investigates NERV and never calls into question just how much she's being ripped off?
Every time an Eva gets damaged, does he dock it off her wages or something?!

[Zoop]

You didn't even mention her car, which must be the most prominent example of her poverty.
Talking about how many payments she has left on the car, and it getting wrecked by an angel attack seems to be her own problem.
No company car? No company insurance?

I can imagine that no normal insurance agency is going to cover damage by angels, but surely Nerv itself has solutions to keep their personel mobile?

Or is that car more of a personal affect of her (a collectors item)? She has the same car in Rebuild, you'd think it would be a slightly more modern car...

[BernardoCairo]

Why? Because it's funny XD
These guys are living in hell. So, in a way... No, it makes as much sense as Pen Pen.

[orcot]

and add the same time, theirs Rei situation.

It would also be stated that the NERV school doesn't have "special" protection or a agent on site that has a car to move the pilots to safety, their work or home. (if they did the episode with the spider angel matarael ep 11 would have been significantly different).
Rei likewise would have benefitted given her home neighberhood her latetime work or the fact that she's significantly crippled and would have needed daytime care for at least a significant portion of the series. that said her overall cleanliness put her at risk for salmonella (food stuff) and general cleanliness infections (investation of lice/Bed bugs anything you can get from unwashed bloodsoaked clothes and bed sheets, lung infections from fungus etc,not to mention getting mugged from her neighberhood)

then theirs the lack of hand to hand combat training or any form of militairy training or even drill or ongoing psychological evaluations. Given all of their classmates are candidate pilots they should spend a significant portion of their time in the gym and shooting range

I'm not sure what it "added" to the story really to make the characters poor

[AWinters]

So, what we're saying is that NERV is a complete Mickey Mouse operation?
Dear god...

To be fair about her car, it is a rare collector's classic.
Although, Evangelion is most likely the reason that Misato's model of Alpine is the only one that costs as much as a new car.
I'd assume she chose it as an enthusiast, due to the Alpine magazines and posters in her bedroom.

[Zoop]

But if Shinji runs away to stroll around town, sleep on the street and all, apparently theres an entire squad of agents tailing him, he just had to say the word and they brought him back to base.

On the part of Gendo running errands in a military grade helicopter, that contrast is even more apparent in Rebuild 2, beginning of the movie where Shinji visits Yui's grave together with Gendo, and Gendo leaves (with Rei) in one of those fancy VTOLs, while Shinji has to get back to base with Misato and her poor car. When the angel appeared for Asuka's debut, Rei was ready to intercept it (though Asuka obviously wrecked the angel before Rei had any chance to do anything), and Shinji was too late to the party (and the poor car gets beat up even more). A prime example why transportation and Misato's car are actual issues ...

I guess the show just wanted to adhere to the anime-trope of "normal" students fighting monsters in robots, because otherwise it would have been so much more logical to house the pilots on the base itself. Time and room for training, minimum response times in case of angel attacks, protection for the pilots, medical care for Rei, etc. But maybe it has to do with that Shinji is expected to have a certain mindset for Instrumentality, triggering the hedgehog dillema and whatnot, but even if that's the case, at least someone in-universe should be wondering about the weird housing and transportation situations and why the hell Rei lives so far away, alone, in a really rundown apartment in Depression-Town.


If taken at face value, then yes, it pretty much is a Mickey Mouse operation :p

[AWinters]

It's sounding more and more like Gendo was dabbling in embezzlement to the extent that NERV staff were suffering bad pay and poor conditions.

[orcot]

also in episode 18 or 19 Rei cut's up a plug suit to use as a tank top (afther Shinji has been pacified afther his mental breakdown with his fight with bardiel), giving that they are smartware suits (include electronics) and essentialy spacesuits that tank top probably costs between 12 to 22 million dollars (as compared to a actual space suit), Rei also likes to fondle her/gendo's smart glasses in view of people, her key card giving her acces to NERV headquarters and does not require a pincode just a swipe and her briefcase contain emergency protocols that are even for her in emergencies only. in a universe where NERV endured a cyber attack to gain internal intiligence Rei could be prancing around with over 10 million in clothes and millions/billions worth of acces codes on her person.

The security for her would costs more then housing her in a walledoff officer neighberhood.

[AWinters]

That was an entertaining read, bravo! XD

Let's hope it was a defective plug suit or a failed prototype that she was given to use as she pleased.

Though I am amused at the thought of Ritsuko turning around and letting out an involuntary whimper upon seeing what Rei did to her plug suit. XD
"Actually, Commander, that's Rei III, not Rei II. There was a... plug suit incident and I may have lost my temper".

[EvaChero]

In a world where an impact may have destroyed a few food chains.....a steak may cost a months salary......I think I'll take the Ramen.....

[AWinters]

In a world where an impact may have destroyed a few food chains.....a steak may cost a months salary......I think I'll take the Ramen.....

This was my first thought, but the very existence of steak houses implies that enough people use them to keep them in business.
Misato has the front line position of command over the world's most advanced weapons, working for the U.N funded organisation that the future of the human race rests upon.
Then there's the absence of child maintenance for raising her boss's son.

No matter what angle I look at it from, I can't find any justification for how little Misato gets paid.
Misato and Ritsuko even had a conversation about how neither of them could afford a dress!
Ritsuko is possibly the world's leading computer scientist.
Her technology is used in Government, which means that NERV are possibly distributing her computers for profit and not even giving her a cut of it. Now I'm more confused about why Ritsuko is so broke!

Her and Gendo must have been going back to her place so she wouldn't see what he's been spending her potential wages on.

[EvaChero]

You're correct, it doesn't really make sense....I would expect a lack of supply rather than a lack of funds for characters in charge of the most important facility in the world

[Nuclear Lunchbox]

For Japan, Misato's apartment is pretty big. From what we can see in the show, we know it has at least three rooms (one for Shinji, one for Misato, one for Asuka) along with an LDK area (Living, Dining, and Kitchen) and a bathroom w/separate toilet annex. This would be called a 3LDK apartment in Japan, and at least until the Children arrive, Misato is living there alone. Most people in their late 20s are living in a 1LDK or even a 1DK. Misato's apartment is at least 2.5x the size of your average living space.

That, plus the car, plus her alcohol habit... Misato's apparent poverty may be entirely of her own making.

[orcot]

For Japan, Misato's apartment is pretty big. From what we can see in the show, we know it has at least three rooms (one for Shinji, one for Misato, one for Asuka) along with an LDK area (Living, Dining, and Kitchen) and a bathroom w/separate toilet annex. This would be called a 3LDK apartment in Japan, and at least until the Children arrive, Misato is living there alone. Most people in their late 20s are living in a 1LDK or even a 1DK. Misato's apartment is at least 2.5x the size of your average living space.

That, plus the car, plus her alcohol habit... Misato's apparent poverty may be entirely of her own making.

Yeah but half the world population died and tokyo 3 is a relativly green neighberhood so people perhaps can afford to have more space, anyway she doesn't seem to be rich

[Zoop]

I was kinda under the impression that appartment block was pretty much empty. At least don't ever see any neighbours about.
After Sachiels attack and Shinji and Misato are shopping for beer and snacks, there are some women discussing the attack and how many people already have left town.
So I figured most of Tokyo3 is a ghost town, also supported by the opening scene when Misato had to pick up Shinji and we are presented with several shots on how desolate the place is.
I think only the "fortress" part of tokyo3, the stuff that can retract underground and all, as if those are the only populated places. Those seem to be the only places Shinji visited during his running-away phase, and those places seem to be booming. But slightly outside the center (mainly where Rei lives) it all seems empty.
Makes Rei's Depression Town even worse, she should easily get one of Misato's adjecent appartments.

So agreed with orcot, I dont think Misato's appartment size is an indication of anything.

[Archer]

Hell, why doesn’t Rei live at NERV HQ? For such a valuable asset who apparently needs an array of medication to keep her body from falling apart, you’d think they’d want to keep her somewhere they can monitor 24/7. I doubt she’s in any real danger as her apartment certainly has NERV agents watching from afar at all times, but surely it’s cheaper to just keep a bed for her at HQ.

As for Misato’s apartment, my dumb fan-theory is that it’s actually Gendo’s apartment that he’s letting her stay in (he himself probably just lives at NERV HQ full-time). This is based on the complete non-evidence that in the Ep 26 AU sequence Shinji’s family apparently lives in that same apartment, and that as pointed out it’s clearly a family-sized apartment that should be way out of Misato’s price range and needs as a single woman.

[AWinters]

Hell, why doesn’t Rei live at NERV HQ? For such a valuable asset who apparently needs an array of medication to keep her body from falling apart, you’d think they’d want to keep her somewhere they can monitor 24/7. I doubt she’s in any real danger as her apartment certainly has NERV agents watching from afar at all times, but surely it’s cheaper to just keep a bed for her at HQ.

The only reason I can come up with is that Rei possibly requested that she could have a place where she could be free from surveillance in her private time.
Maybe this also meant away from all NERV personnel and it may be the only neighbourhood they could find where no personnel lived.

Ep 26 AU sequence Shinji’s family apparently lives in that same apartment

Wait.. that's the same apartment? I can't recognise it from the angle it was shot at.

At this point I imagine Gendo is living in a penthouse. XD

[orcot]

Hell, why doesn’t Rei live at NERV HQ? For such a valuable asset who apparently needs an array of medication to keep her body from falling apart, you’d think they’d want to keep her somewhere they can monitor 24/7. I doubt she’s in any real danger as her apartment certainly has NERV agents watching from afar at all times, but surely it’s cheaper to just keep a bed for her at HQ.

As for Misato’s apartment, my dumb fan-theory is that it’s actually Gendo’s apartment that he’s letting her stay in (he himself probably just lives at NERV HQ full-time). This is based on the complete non-evidence that in the Ep 26 AU sequence Shinji’s family apparently lives in that same apartment, and that as pointed out it’s clearly a family-sized apartment that should be way out of Misato’s price range and needs as a single woman.

The fridge would be weird for Gendo (Misato has a fridge with a mini appartment for penpen), that said in a personal "rebuild" of evangelion I would defenitly start with Shinji ringing to his old family house.
Rei's living conditions are criminal (and expensive if she actualy get's security let's say 2 people 24/7 means 6 people doing 8 hour shifts, but this doesn't include the weekends so a additional 4 doing 12 hours shifts for a total of 10 however those 10 can get sick and take a holiday so those 10 men become 12 wich needs a administrative person to deal with budgets deliveries etc those 12 need to eat and use the bathroom so they need a appartment, a cleaning lady and food deliveries, none fulltime but it all adds up in short housing Rei probably cost the rent of 3 appartments 2 parking spots 12 fulltime security forces and 3 part time forces.

Rei keeping her frontdoor unlocked would also be hell on the security

The only reason I can come up with is that Rei possibly requested that she could have a place where she could be free from surveillance in her private time.
Maybe this also meant away from all NERV personnel and it may be the only neighbourhood they could find where no personnel lived.

Rei should live in a orphanage/dormitory it places Rei amongst "humanity" and offers a "mass storage" place for human beings wich would fit Rei. That said Rei's room is to iconic to remove I would change Rei's old room into a little mess hall where the pilots could "relax" before entering a eva

[AWinters]

Rei should live in a orphanage/dormitory it places Rei amongst "humanity" and offers a "mass storage" place for human beings wich would fit Rei. That said Rei's room is to iconic to remove I would change Rei's old room into a little mess hall where the pilots could "relax" before entering a eva

Maybe it wasn't just NERV personnel.
Maybe she asked for freedom to leave her place of work, to be out of reach of surveillance and away from people in general.
That would mean they'd have to find an entire apartment complex with no people in it.
Do security ever visit her? I don't recall off the top of my head. Perhaps part of her request was that she would be placed where nobody in NERV knows where she is and nobody at school knows who she is.

I think that being in hiding would be the only reasonable explanation for living in a potentially abandoned building far away from HQ, the city and civilisation.

[Mr. Tines]

Time to repost the apartment floor plans, I think

Misato


Rei


The thumbnails are obviously to different scales.