Asuka: What was Anno thinking?

[Bagheera]

Really, I have no problem thinking of Asuka as nothing more than a spoiled, prideful girl who's keen on piloting Eva because of the status it affords her. I can totally see one of the Children adopting such an attitude in short order. I mean, hey, why not? It's pretty much the typical expected response for a self-absorbed kid with family troubles. An average kid should react that way. But there's a problem with that approach in Asuka's case: it doesn't match up with her backstory at all.

We're told Asuka has a college degree, and a bit of math tells us she got it when she was twelve. That's damn impressive. I mean, serious prodigy impressive -- some one who does that isn't just smart, she's fucking brilliant. How many people manage such a feat? One in a billion? Maybe more than that, but not by much. So that's a big deal, and we're never given reason to doubt her word on the subject. And yet, despite this impressive feat she never once displays above-average intelligence over the course of the series. Indeed, more often than not her arrogance and pride lead to her making sub-par decisions.

Complicating matters is the fact that we're told Asuka was selected as an Eva pilot right before Kyoko killed herself. That means she's been syncing with Unit 02 for close to ten years. Ten years. Let's leave aside the fact that that should wipe away most of the uncertainty regarding Eva operation that we see in the show. The more important ramification for our purposes here is that she never has even an inkling that her mother is the heart and soul of her Eva. Stupid Shinji figured out something was up after a few weeks, and not just because of Yui -- he felt something in Unit 00 as well. If he can do it why can't she?

And then we get to her general personality and aptitudes. She never once demonstrates any noteworthy talents or interests over the course of the show. Music? Nope. Athletics? Nada. Scholarship? Please. Apart from video games and fashion magazines she does . . . pretty much nothing. Where's the genius intellect and the accomplished Eva pilot? Why isn't she studying battle footage, doing extra sync tests, wiping the floor with the rest of the school when it comes to extracurricular activities?

This doesn't make any sense. How is it that Asuka has a backstory that doesn't match up in the slightest with observed behavior? Why did Anno tell us she's so talented and experienced and then portray her as a talentless hack? It's not like such concerns didn't occur to him -- we see Rei reading advanced biology texts, and in German no less. She seems to have a clue or three about Eva, too (which is expected given what she is, but that just makes the disconnect with Asuka all the more glaring). Since Asuka fills a similar supporting role why not give her similar treatment? Why bother giving her all that fancy background if Anno wasn't going to bother using it? Why not just make her an arrogant, spoiled brat with maybe a couple months' more experience than Shinji and no special education to speak of and leave it at that?

In short, why the disconnect?

[symbv]

She never once demonstrates any noteworthy talents or interests over the course of the show. Music? Nope. Athletics? Nada. Scholarship? Please. Apart from video games and fashion magazines she does . . . pretty much nothing. Where's the genius intellect and the accomplished Eva pilot? Why isn't she studying battle footage, doing extra sync tests, wiping the floor with the rest of the school when it comes to extracurricular activities?

Yeah I always wonder... How come she was called a genius? I believed her to have graduated from college, but in the show I really did not see how intelligent she is :) Later I concluded that it is just one moe trait put on this budding moe prototype And of course it gave her a bit more solid reason to call Shinji "Baka Shinji" Although I am sure in exams in school she should be top of the class (no, all the classes of the year; oh no, all the classes of the same year across Neo-Tokyo III). And that made me suspect that she still went to school because in reality she wanted to be with Shinji (my LAS trigger has been switched on once again )

[Final Messenger]

Although I am sure in exams in school she should be top of the class (no, all the classes of the year; oh no, all the classes of the same year across Neo-Tokyo III). And that made me suspect that she still went to school because in reality she wanted to be with Shinji (my LAS trigger has been switched on once again )

As I recall Asuka said (episode 10 pool scene) that she was not getting good grades because she could not read the questions in Japanese or something along those lines.

although your why she went to school theory I would love to agree too

[symbv]

As I recall Asuka said (episode 10 pool scene) that she was not getting good grades because she could not read the questions in Japanese or something along those lines.

In fact this only prompts the question of whether Japanese is too difficult for a genius like Asuka

[Final Messenger]

In fact this only prompts the question of whether Japanese is too difficult for a genius like Asuka

You know I wonder if Eva was not a anime I wonder how heavy of a German accent Asuka would have and I also wonder on how badly she would butcher the language by speaking it (butcher as in saying the wrong words terrible grammar and the super heavy accent)

[CJD]

And yet, despite this impressive feat she never once displays above-average intelligence over the course of the series.

I suppose this is a valid criticism. All I'd say is that we're never given the chance to see, really. It's not like someone pulls out a calc problem and hands it to her.

Indeed, more often than not her arrogance and pride lead to her making sub-par decisions.

Intelligence and arrogance aren't mutually exclusive. Also, when judging Asuka's decision making, lets remember that she's still a teenage girl. No matter how smart she is, she lacks the life experiences and, contrary to her belief, maturity to make adult decisions.

The more important ramification for our purposes here is that she never has even an inkling that her mother is the heart and soul of her Eva. Stupid Shinji figured out something was up after a few weeks, and not just because of Yui -- he felt something in Unit 00 as well. If he can do it why can't she?

Few things, here. First, wasn't his feeling in 00 that it reminded him of his mother? That's not necessarily "feeling something in Unit 00". Unless, of course, I'm misremembering it, or you're referring to something else.

If we write off that, we're left with a few possibilities. We've discussed the idea of to which extent Kyoko's soul exists in 02 before, whether it's her full soul, a split soul containing two personalities, or only half her soul, and I think that's relevant again. Indeed, it's very possible that, should the answer be anything but "Full and Healed Soul", Kyoko lacked the strength or ability to make contact with Asuka.

Another thing is, Shinji's a lot...calmer, I guess would be the word, than Asuka. We know Asuka's just as prideful in the Eva as she is out of it, so no doubt she's not going to listen to that little nudging feeling she has. We also know Asuka has a preconceived notion of the nature of Eva (That it's just a tool), and being prideful, she's much less likely to admit she was wrong, even to herself.

And then we get to her general personality and aptitudes. She never once demonstrates any noteworthy talents or interests over the course of the show. Music? Nope. Athletics? Nada. Scholarship? Please. Apart from video games and fashion magazines she does . . . pretty much nothing. Where's the genius intellect and the accomplished Eva pilot? Why isn't she studying battle footage, doing extra sync tests, wiping the floor with the rest of the school when it comes to extracurricular activities?

Whoa there nelly, being a genius doesn't necessitate any of those things. Now, I'm sure when people think of "genius", all that stuff comes to mind, but that isn't the case. It's a generalization, one that's not relevant.

Hell, I'd actually say Asuka's portrayal is probably more realistic.

[Brainman]

I think it has to do with the moe approach to characters, wherein your ass is supposed to fill in those gaps. There was a thread not to long ago talking about that. But basically, if you think Asuka as a super genius means she would be a connoisseur of classical music, then just imagine that being the case. I guess. Maybe if Shinji responded with anything other than "well I play cello because my teacher told me to, I'm totally self deprecating in an unattractive way, lol" she would have gone into a big monologue about Chopin and Mozart. Who knows.

Perhaps also with a male dominated anime sub culture, having a female costar who literally is in every way much smarter and better than the central character would be a big no-no. And anyway, how are you supposed to -pretend to- white knight and mother hen a character who's totally intimidating to you? (echoing fart)

However, I will say that it does put stress on my suspension of disbelief. You'd think someone who is a child prodigy and super genius would be significantly more perceptive than a character like Asuka. Like out of all the Eva characters, Asuka seems to be the most limited in terms of analyzing anything. Really, what did she major in, Charging Ahead and Being Evasive About Everything All the Time? That's not to say that super genius' don't have problems. Probably quite the contrary in most cases. But at the same time, the way in which Asuka deals with things in Eva isn't very sophisticated.

It would have been interesting if we got to actually see some of her smarts come into the story line a bit more. Just kind of a hollow plot point otherwise. When I conduct thought experiments and ask myself character deepening questions like "what is Asuka's favorite book?" my internal response is automatically "I don't think she's much of a reader." And obviously, this is a source of dissonance for me given what we're told about her.

[Allemann]

We're told Asuka has a college degree, and a bit of math tells us she got it when she was twelve. That's damn impressive. I mean, serious prodigy impressive -- some one who does that isn't just smart, she's fucking brilliant. How many people manage such a feat? One in a billion? Maybe more than that, but not by much. So that's a big deal, and we're never given reason to doubt her word on the subject. And yet, despite this impressive feat she never once displays above-average intelligence over the course of the series. Indeed, more often than not her arrogance and pride lead to her making sub-par decisions.

Absolutely! Gendo, Fuyutsuki, Ritsuko, Seele members have higher cognitive abilities than she. Arguably, even Misato: she might goof off often, but during work she's serious and capable.

Complicating matters is the fact that we're told Asuka was selected as an Eva pilot right before Kyoko killed herself. That means she's been syncing with Unit 02 for close to ten years. Ten years.

What baffles me is how quickly Shinji gets better in piloting Eva. She has ten years of experience, for goodness sake. No one can surpass her in that short amount of time.

In short, why the disconnect?

Parsimony advises that bad writing is the preferred answer. Let us speculate, however. To make her story perhaps more tragic and her downfall more painful to the viewers? A very successful and talented girl has actually deep problems.

[Bagheera]

Few things, here. First, wasn't his feeling in 00 that it reminded him of his mother? That's not necessarily "feeling something in Unit 00". Unless, of course, I'm misremembering it, or you're referring to something else.

Chibi Rei.

If we write off that,

We can't, sorry.

Hell, I'd actually say Asuka's portrayal is probably more realistic.

No, it's really not. Look up a few child graduates and get back to me.

Parsimony advises that bad writing is the preferred answer. Let us speculate, however. To make her story perhaps more tragic and her downfall more painful to the viewers? A very successful and talented girl has actually deep problems.

I'm not sure the parsimony angle works, since Anno is clearly aware of the issue given his treatment of Rei.

For the other, that only works if she actually appears to be successful and talented. Since she never actually does anything on her own it kinda rings hollow. I mean, hell, even Sadamoto gave her a solid victory on her own, even if it was off-panel. And then there's Shikinami . . .

[Chuckman]

There isn't much to support it in the text, but I've always had the impression that her university degree was essentially given to her and all of the achievements she brags about were deliberately set up to stroke her ego to help her pilot. It reinforces her self loathing which prompts her to subconsciously snuggle up to mommy, thereby improving her synchronization with the Eva.

[CJD]

Chibi Rei.

Perhaps you could refer me to which episode this is, or which approximate episode?

We can't, sorry.

Either way, my third point still stands.

No, it's really not. Look up a few child graduates and get back to me.

Who no doubt most had strong parental guidance pushing them, from a young age, to reach their potential, something Asuka lacked.

You're comparing Asuka to what a "normal" genius is like, when Asuka is anything but normal. I agree, the show does a bad job of showcasing her alleged intelligence. But, that's because it doesn't showcase it at all, not because she isn't an A+ Student who spends all her free time working. You're question

Why isn't she studying battle footage, doing extra sync tests, wiping the floor with the rest of the school when it comes to extracurricular activities?

Can be answered quite easily: She's a teenager, and she lacks guidance.

[the_seventh_child]

This doesn't make any sense. How is it that Asuka has a backstory that doesn't match up in the slightest with observed behavior? Why did Anno tell us she's so talented and experienced and then portray her as a talentless hack? It's not like such concerns didn't occur to him -- we see Rei reading advanced biology texts, and in German no less. She seems to have a clue or three about Eva, too (which is expected given what she is, but that just makes the disconnect with Asuka all the more glaring). Since Asuka fills a similar supporting role why not give her similar treatment? Why bother giving her all that fancy background if Anno wasn't going to bother using it? Why not just make her an arrogant, spoiled brat with maybe a couple months' more experience than Shinji and no special education to speak of and leave it at that?

In short, why the disconnect?

Well, in the first battle she was really impressive (in b4 they all got trolled from that Angel) so she's not exactly a talentless hack; sure, she does tend to jump on the gun quickly and be all like 'imma pwn u' but that doesn't mean she wouldn't have been able to graduate early from college. Just because she's arrogant and a huge show-off does not take away her intelligence.
Not all early-graduates spend their time ruminating on the ponderous philosophies of the world.

In a nutshell, I guess she doesn't care much about anything in her Tokyo-life, as her only aim is to be able to pilot the Eva and excel on that. /and hit on Kaji and be all feelings-repressed about Shinji too, but that is another discussion.

[SaltyJoe]

In short, why the disconnect?

Well, my guess is that the idea behind the elements of Asuka's backstory you brought up is to portray someone who has done basically nothing in her life besides putting her back into getting good grades in tests, and, what's more, doesn't really care about anything else beyond that, since she is completely and utterly consumed by the idea of proving her valor to the world, and the only way she knows how to do so is to produce the results expected of her in ways she was told to do in a well monitored, controlled environment (i.e.: school, Eva training). I guess there is a comment on the Japanese education system in there somewhere, ironically delivered through a gaijin character, but i don't want to act like i researched the subject.

Of course, this justification only works if one takes into consideration the following point: the characters in Eva aren't real people, nor they are particularly three dimensional fictional ones, for that matter. No one on the show ever does anything that isn't connected to the plot of the given episode or to the overaching plot of the show, or to a rather vague set of broader points the author was trying to make, using the characters as paintbrushes.

Now in my view, this doesn't make the characters bad or the show any weaker, but i think you are expecting something the show never really bothered to do.

And, i can't say it would be honest of me if i didn't say that i see a few shades of

Perhaps also with a male dominated anime sub culture, having a female costar who literally is in every way much smarter and better than the central character would be a big no-no.

this in the issue being discussed, but that's for another thread.

[arkiel]

Piloting.
We don't really know how long she's been training to be a pilot. We don't know when she first synched with Unit Two's core. Shit, considering the Test Type was only successfully activated during the 3rd Angel, its possible Unit Two, the Production Type, wasn't properly completed or even begun until sometime after the Test Type's activation proving the concept.

We know her synch rate is higher than Shinji's (like, 80% or something at the start?), but that doesn't = more experience with actually piloting Eva. She seems to be able to translate combat training into actual Eva motion better than him (or at least, combat training that requires more fine control -- cutting an Angel in half with a spear vs. center-target-pull-the-switch), but there isn't much evidence with regard to her experience actually piloting an Eva.

Genius.
A canon explanation for her lack of smarts is that all those smarts are being engaged in cultural/linguistic matriculation. This is supported in-canon inasmuch as she takes to Japan much more rapidly than a foreigner should, and experiences none of the culture-shock involved. Her complaint about Japanese rooms not having any locks suggests she did not have extensive or especially realistic training about this beforehand.

My guess is that Anno is not a genius, and no one on Gainax staff was a genius, and they didn't have a handy gaijin reference to model Asuka's behavior off of, so it was basically too much trouble to write a character that was supposed to be smarter than them.

[symbv]

My guess is that Anno is not a genius, and no one on Gainax staff was a genius, and they didn't have a handy gaijin reference to model Asuka's behavior off of, so it was basically too much trouble to write a character that was supposed to be smarter than them.

THIS. What I should have written but did not (opted for a slightly tongue-in-cheek post instead). Just want to second this as I think it is the most likely explanation.

[Viking]

I agree with symbv, Japanese is too difficult to learn, even for a genius like Asuka ( something that make me think about how buggy the plot of Fast & Furious 3 is ).

Seriously speaking, I believe Asuka really IS smart, but I think she's unable to react in the right way during real combat operations ( and, btw, how many combat simulations have been done by the pilots? I can remember only one ).
She's like a fighter pilot that for ten years have done nothing more than flying and doing standard combat exercises ( and enlarging her ego* ). That's absolutely not enough and that's why in real world there are things like the Fighter Weapons School and Red Flag exercises.

She lacks a lot of self-control and discipline ( even if she's 14 ), not to mention the fact that, at least in the serie, she has never been alone in a combat environment.

What I really like of NME's Shikinami is that, even for only a minute or two, we can see HER, and not only HER EGO like in the ep. 08-23 of the serie.

* everyone remember in ep. 08 when she said that something else grew up.

Bye

[Bagheera]

As a general comment: given Anno's fondness for Asuka, and his penchant for planning things out (even if he does so at the last minute), I think most of the "lol scriptfail" explanations being offered don't carry much weight. We know the staff can handle smart people (Rei), we know they aren't particularly threatened by smart (Rei, Ritsuko, Yui), competent (Misato, Ritsuko, Yui), or Aggressive (Asuka, Yui) women, and we know they aren't concerned with offending viewer sensabilities (lol Eva). We also know that they (usually) paid a fair amount of attention to detail, to the point where the notion they overlooked something like this seems unlikely.

I'm looking for an explanation of intent here, or to see if perhaps we've overlooked something. Nothing we've seen here really addresses that.

@Chuckman: I've always wondered if that wasn't the case myself. Simply piloting Eva has to be considered a big deal, perhaps enough to warrant an honorary degree. I'm not sure it's enough to address all of it, though (particularly since she notes graduating, not just receiving a degree).

@Arkiel, Symbv: Guys, Rei. Also Yui.

@BFG: Yes, exactly so. But see above.

Edit: A further wrinkle is her performance in EoE. Why does Kyoko never contact her before now, when it's obvious she could do it? It probably should have been easier before the mindrape. Where was this breathtaking display of competence earlier in the show? Is it really just she's never had a chance to adequately display her skills, or is there something more going on?

[bobbyfischer's ghost]

funny that you bring up the German biology textbook example for Rei, while Asuka doesn't even have a good enough grasp of Japanese to slid by in a middle school class . All of this boils to a general mishandling of Asuka's character, she acts in my opinion more like a shot of adrenalin to keep the show going and to get Shinji's blood flowing. As far as Asuka's education is concerned, she might as well have an honorary degree for all the intelligence she shows.

[symbv]

@Arkiel, Symbv: Guys, Rei. Also Yui.

They are not gaijin though... :p <-- that is for the language part.
As for the fighting skills or general academic intelligence, I will stay with my thinking in my first post, even though it is a bit tongue-in-cheek. Anno being fond of Asuka does not necessarily mean he will remember to cover every hole watchers can come up with. Perhaps it is quite easy to come to portrayal of Yui as genius as the story calls for scene about it but in Asuka's case there are so many things to cover that exposition of her genius is not considered mandatory and thus at the end ignored? Think about it. When is the last time this was raised in this forum? So perhaps it is something that looks glaring only once you starts to drill deep into it. I noticed it when I went through the series even at the first time, but I just let it pass. I wonder how many fans who watched the show in real time then had similar experience as mine.

[CJD]

Why does Kyoko never contact her before now, when it's obvious she could do it?

Who's to say she hasn't tried? Again, Asuka's not the kind of person to listen to that nudging feeling, in this case Kyoko trying to contact her. For all we know Kyoko was trying to contact her, but Asuka never listened.

Another possibility is that it took an extreme amount of willpower for Kyoko to contact her. Similar to how people allegedly gain inhuman amounts of strength when their children are in danger (I don't even know if this is true, to be honest, but fiction would have us believe it.), it very well may be that Kyoko used an unnatural amount of willpower to contact Asuka, willpower fueled by the seriousness of their situation.

Where was this breathtaking display of competence earlier in the show? Is it really just she's never had a chance to adequately display her skills, or is there something more going on?

You're referring to the fight with the harpies right? Well, aren't we told that Asuka's synch ratio went up dramatically after contact with Kyoko? Also, the harpies are rather straight forward enemies. Compared to the angels, who offer differing types of attacks, movements, and sizes, it's understandable that Asuka would do better against a humanoid form, something she's familiar with. No giant death lasers, no spewing acid, no hydra-like twins...

Perhaps it is quite easy to come to portrayal of Yui as genius as the story calls for scene about it but in Asuka's case there are so many things to cover that exposition of her genius is not considered mandatory and thus at the end ignored?

I also think this is a good point. Asuka's intelligence is a secondary character trait. It's not important to the plot beyond the fact that it exists.