Misato's relationship with Shinji in 3.0

[cyharding]

I'd have to agree with the above poster. I don't think Misato hates Shinji, or else she would have blown him up when she had the chance the first time. The bomb collar appears to be an operational necessity for a worst case scenerio. She probably sees him as a danger to both himself and all of humanity and wanted to be prepared for those instances such as when Nerv tries to capture him. If things went differently and both Nerv and Seele were defeated, she might have let him go to live his life.

[Bagheera]

Finally, someone with some perspective! All the Misato hate was getting old.

[Mr. Tines]

Just like on the beach in EoE as explained by the Carddass cards, here we have another instance where a character reaches for lethal force as the first option, when that's just plain doing it wrong.

Given that the eventual operation of the collar sounds like it's using some funky angelic nano-magitech, something that incapacitates (sedates, causes excruciating agony, paralyses) should surely have been within reach, and given a much lower activation threshold.

[Misato's toyboy]

Fascinating & unique. Rebuild has rapidly overtaken the tired old EoE-centric manga of Sadamoto for fresh uniqueness.

Let's not forget that in EoE TV, Misato was prepared (with kissass Hyuga's compliance), to self-destruct NERV if need be - all personnel within. Shinji's BR collar is just a lower scale aspect of Misato's original final solution if all else fails. She might even end up with a collar herself in 4...

Blowing up Shinji in the middle of an Eva, to kill the Eva, seems a failsafe measure.

Shinji is still considered to be a kid. Adults have often used children as military tools, with little, simplified or no explanation. Rebuild 3 is still true to that approach. Question is, is Misato now any better a person than Gendou?

[Kendrix]

If they wanted to keep Shinji they should have tried not to alienate him so much, that's why he went over to Gendo in the first place. I still don't think Shinji's responsible fir 3I and 4I, the poor kid doesn't know about all the world-ending shit, he was trying to save Rei when he caused 3I and the world when he caused 4I.

^This.
Don't gloss over the fact that he tried to atone.

[Bagheera]

^This.
Don't gloss over the fact that he tried to atone.

And don't you gloss over the fact that everyone told him "no, don't do that, STOP DOING THAT", up to and including his bff Kaworu, and he did it anyway. Don't let your desire to defend the character blind you to the reality of his actions.

[Mr. Tines]

Fascinating & unique. Rebuild has rapidly overtaken the tired old EoE-centric manga of Sadamoto for fresh uniqueness.

Sadamoto also confirmed for perfect self-discipline in not letting any of this leak into the manga.

[Misato's toyboy]

The fat evangelion hasn't sung yet.

[Seele00TextOnly]

...

[Kendrix]

^Why'd you show us this again...?
Yes, I see why, but that makes the shift, and how freakin SUDDEN it comes more painful, makes it sink in more (honestly, even the "Shinji-just-wanted-his-realdoll-and-schould-rot-in-dante's-ninth-hell"- camp didn't expect the repercussions to be THAT much of a gut punch)

Freakin Misato. Misato of all people. Yes, she was sometimes harsh to him, but always the for-your-own-good-kind of harsh, within reasonable margins, and aware that she was walking a fine line between wanting to be his friend/support and his parent/someone who tells him when he's doing stuff wrong.

She was, despite her flaws, always a source of warmth and - well, of all sudden it's really creepy that she's narrating the previews.

[StratoSakuya...AF]

I'd have to agree with the above poster. I don't think Misato hates Shinji, or else she would have blown him up when she had the chance the first time. The bomb collar appears to be an operational necessity for a worst case scenerio. She probably sees him as a danger to both himself and all of humanity and wanted to be prepared for those instances such as when Nerv tries to capture him. If things went differently and both Nerv and Seele were defeated, she might have let him go to live his life.

If so, why not go with the typical non-lethal tasser collar?

[Jayfive]

Holy moly, im just listening to an audio rip. I dont speak more than a few words of Japanese and even with no visuals you can hear Misato's utter contempt for Shinji when she finally talks to him.

[bobbyfischer's ghost]

when she finally talks to him.

No more "Shinji Kun", now it's"Ikari Shinji Kun", man I love cold Misato.

It's really refreshing.

[Darkwing]

I think Misato handled Shinji poorly. She should have acted more like Kawrou. Don't blame Shinji and treat him like a monster. But at the same time if he says it isn't responsible because he didn't know, Kawrou tells him "Still you caused this."

There is no more surefire way to make someone an enemy than to treat them as though they already are. Here's what Misato does. She slaps a bomb on the neck of someone who loves and trusts her. She treats some one who has at this point 14 years of culture shock, and more PSTD than a platoon of Vietnam vets like something off the bottom of a shoe. She makes it sound like his being there is only an unfourtunate side affect of getting Unit-01. The root of all Shinji's issues is the desire to be needed and not hated. Whoops. From what I've heard Sakura is the only person who doesn't treat Shinji like a monster. Just looking for a reason to blow his head off. Yeah, great way to avoid alienating him so he doesn't do something stupid. Shinji Gets a lot of flak for bieng weak or stupid, but honestly, most would have gone suicidal, insane, or catatnic from the Shit he has to deal with. Shinji is stuck in his worst nightmare, but he can't wake up. When Rei shows up and tells him that his father sent her, off course he goes with her. If Rei's alive, what else is she lying about?

What Misato should have done. Keep Shinji in confinement. Have him see a Therepist. Gradually break things to him as he progresses. Lie to him. Tell him he lost the ability to pilot. Tell him that the coller is a medical device, that he will die if he takes it off. That it keeps his body from dissolving after bieng in the Eva for so long. Don't let him avoid responsibility, but don't treat him like the devil. Build trust so that when Rei shows up, he hesitates and doesn't go with her.

Misato is the closest thing to a parent Shinji had. She was his superior officer. And maybe she's treating Shinji so badly because she feels she failed him. That his actions are the resualt of her faliure. That if she had raised him better, or trained him better, he wouldn't have caused 3rd impact. So rather than let this out, and face this, she instead projects her anger of her percived faliure out onto the symbol of the faliure. Shinji.

Now here's a theory as to why the don't dare kill Shinji. What is WILLE's new power source? Unit-01. What's in Unit-01? Shinji's mom. Possibly Rei as well. How Does Yui react to threats against Shinji? Violently. What do you suppose would happen to WILLE if they killed Shinji, and their new power source found out? It's not Gendo getting bit in half this time.

You know I bet that in the next movie, at some point Misato is going to have to get Shinji to pilot Unit-01 again.

[cyharding]

If so, why not go with the typical non-lethal tasser collar?

To answer this question, I would have to use as an example from Sadamoto's manga, particularly that version of Kawrou (in)famously killing the cat. When Shinji asked why he did it, Kawrou replied that if he did nothing, that cat would have starved to death regardless that that him killing it was the kinder option. I believe that this could be the reasoning Misato used when she had the bomb put on Shinji. If he was in a situation where he could hurt himself or put the rest of humanity in danger, even if he didn't mean to do it, killing him might be the kinder option.

[CyberXIII]

Between slapping an explosive leash on him and more or less treating him like Gendo did, I can't help but wonder if Misato is TRYING to get Shinji to cause another disaster. She's not as maladjusted as Gendo, so I know she doesn't have that excuse.

When will people learn that treating the "monster" that can destroy you in a second like crap is a terrible idea? If Shinji blew up half the world, why would you give him reason to do so again?

Or worse, give him reason to backstab you during your self-righteous crusade against your former employers? Really, I can't even call it betrayal because clearly nobody gave two shits about him besides being able to drive a war machine. For there to be betrayal, first there has to be trust...and nobody trusted him.

[Seele00TextOnly]

...

[CyberXIII]

All I'm saying is that whether she meant to or not, Misato drove him into Gendo's hands. The real question is why they bothered to salvage him from Eva-01 in the first place....

[StratoSakuya...AF]

Between slapping an explosive leash on him and more or less treating him like Gendo did, I can't help but wonder if Misato is TRYING to get Shinji to cause another disaster. She's not as maladjusted as Gendo, so I know she doesn't have that excuse.

When will people learn that treating the "monster" that can destroy you in a second like crap is a terrible idea? If Shinji blew up half the world, why would you give him reason to do so again?

Or worse, give him reason to backstab you during your self-righteous crusade against your former employers? Really, I can't even call it betrayal because clearly nobody gave two shits about him besides being able to drive a war machine. For there to be betrayal, first there has to be trust...and nobody trusted him.

In that case, throwing him into a cell with a sedative would've been better.

[CyberXIII]

Honestly it would have been kinder (and smarter) to leave him in space and sort this mess out without him. Or just shoot him and remove him from the game entirely...