How Will Rei be Treated in the Next Film?

Discussion of the new series of Evangelion movies ( "Evangelion Shin Gekijōban", meaning "Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition"). The final instalment made its debut in Japan on March 8, 2021.

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Postby Seoul Gamer » Mon Jun 22, 2015 2:48 pm

View Original PostLightDragonman wrote:I guess the reason I'm concerned is because, given the comments made by Anno that pretty much says he doesn't care for her character, and is happy that others like Asuka are growing in popularity over her, he's not gonna do anything with her, or treat her poorly, because he feels no attachment to her.

Not to mention the fact that he hates that she has fans who don't find her creepy, or take her the way he intended.


In my opinion, Rei II is doomed. She'll show up for an Instrumentality sequence or something to that effect, but we won't see a peep out of her until the very last minute.

Rei Q, on the other hand, is destined for great things. I don't think Shinji will have much to do with her, though, so make of that what you will.

As mentioned already, the mere fact that Shinji and Rei II had any kind of relationship at all in Rebuild is an improvement over the original series. I'm disappointed that she didn't get a longer run too, but the whole death-and-rebirth thing seems to be an unavoidable part of Rei's character.

Personally, I'd go read some fanfiction of the original series if you want them to have a satisfying ending. Or just write your own. : P
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Postby Shinoyami65 » Mon Jun 22, 2015 4:00 pm

Until You Come to Me seemed to imply that Rei Q will die, possibly of the same AT Field degeneration that plagued Rei in EoE. But then again, the relation of that short to canon is tenuous at best, non-existent at worst, so there is still hope for her survival.
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Postby Sailor Star Dust » Mon Jun 22, 2015 8:13 pm

Hm, could be a twist(?) that 3.0 Rei dies while Rei-2 survives, though I dunno how I'd feel about that.
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Postby Gendo'sPapa » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:22 am

I'm still holding out hope that if Final does have Mass Produced Eva's that they'll ALL be piloted by Rei Clones so each time Asuka/Mari heroically takes one down in Unit 08+02 the fans are at odds because that's a Rei dying.

Either way I think Rei the character will be a huge presence in the final movie. Will she have a happy ending is probably all up to the viewer's interpretation.

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Postby Ispellnogood » Thu Jun 25, 2015 10:57 am

I guess the reason I'm concerned is because, given the comments made by Anno that pretty much says he doesn't care for her character, and is happy that others like Asuka are growing in popularity over her, he's not gonna do anything with her, or treat her poorly, because he feels no attachment to her.

Not to mention the fact that he hates that she has fans who don't find her creepy, or take her the way he intended.



I don't think Anno doesn't care for Rei's character, look at the series she has heaps of substance in there. That scene where she blows up unit 00 and sees gendo's face has meaning and care involved.
I think what Anno hates is Rei X Shinji, mainly becuse of what Shinji represents. That's when she becomes a doll.

Rei's character now completly represents "Running away from reality" The doll/ the waifu. Giving any substance to her would be the same as giving substance to otaku's fantasies. It just won't happen. There may be a goodbye scene, but it will something along the lines of her simply blinking away as if she was never there in the first place. Or Shinji and Rei's final meeting will simply be a "Will you face reality, or will you come to me and run away again?" open question kind of ending.


Even hoping that ReiII and Shinji will have a Romantic tragic loss ending, will probably be too much to hope for. As that would imply that Rei II and what she represents was something in the first place.

I don't think ReiQ will have much to do with Shinji, she'll probably go on to do her own thing, maybe hook up with someone or just die off.

Strangely though I don't think Asuka much more of a character than Rei. Asuka character seems to mostly be "Someone who looks down on Shinji/Otaku with disgust."

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Postby Shoujo Kakumei Asuka » Fri Jun 26, 2015 3:06 pm

View Original PostIspellnogood wrote:Strangely though I don't think Asuka much more of a character than Rei. Asuka character seems to mostly be "Someone who looks down on Shinji/Otaku with disgust."


I don't want to agree with this, but I think you're right. To tell the truth, with the exception of Shinji himself, I don't think that anyone in the new movies is very complicated at all. This singular focus has been one of the reasons why I don't honestly like the new series as much as the original.

And yeah I would say that it's Shinji who he doesn't care for.

Rei's been focused on more this time around than in the original, so she'll likely have an important role in the last movie as well.
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Postby Lennik » Fri Jun 26, 2015 6:23 pm

View Original PostShoujo Kakumei Asuka wrote:And yeah I would say that it's Shinji who he doesn't care for.


Honestly, I don't see where you get this. If he didn't care for Shinji, he wouldn't make him the center of the series, wouldn't develop him the way he has, wouldn't make him go through such tragedy, and wouldn't have Asuka drag him out of the entry plug at the end of 3.0. I really don't get this sentiment at all that Anno doesn't care about these characters.

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Postby Ray » Fri Jun 26, 2015 6:40 pm

Personally? I don't think we'll see Rei again in Final, at least not in any real meaningful way. The fact she's dead, Shinji is just going to have to accept. If he doesn't accept that, then he's not getting out of Final alive.

If she does appear, it'll be as it pertains to Shinji's acceptance of reality.

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Postby Ispellnogood » Sat Jun 27, 2015 4:24 am

I don't want to agree with this, but I think you're right.


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Honestly, I don't see where you get this. If he didn't care for Shinji, he wouldn't make him the center of the series, wouldn't develop him the way he has, wouldn't make him go through such tragedy, and wouldn't have Asuka drag him out of the entry plug at the end of 3.0. I really don't get this sentiment at all that Anno doesn't care about these characters.


Shinji is the MC in a Tough Love, Otaku Critic anime. Otaku's tend to escape reality through the Main Character in anime. If he did care for Shinji, he wouldn't develop him the way he has, wouldn't make him do all those wretched things in EoE, he wouldn't make him the cause of such tragedy, and the "Shinji should be shot" crowd wouldn't even exist. Really the only thing that's prevented people from dismissing EoE-SHinji and Q-Shinji as a character bashing is that he's the MC. If he wasn't the MC there would be no disbute that there's spite involved in the way Shinji is portrayed. The worst thing is when people go "look at how wretched and sucky that MC is. Since it's the MC, that means it has to be the director bearing his pain-filled artistic soul."





Personally? I don't think we'll see Rei again in Final, at least not in any real meaningful way.



She'll probably be there, doing her own thing. She may have some scenes about her moving on, or something with Rei/Yui and Gendo. But anything regarding Rei and Shinji will probably be just a dream.


The fact she's dead, Shinji is just going to have to accept.


Strangely Shinji seems to have accepted that quite quickly in 3.0. That's why he moved on to Kaworu, until the collar of Shinji's Sin ended that direction.


If he doesn't accept that, then he's not getting out of Final alive.


Since he just had his asshole irresversibly destroyed by another bent over a barrel style anal raping, Shinji's probably questioning wether life is even worth living.

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Postby pwhodges » Sat Jun 27, 2015 4:46 am

View Original PostIspellnogood wrote:Shinji is the MC in a Tough Love, Otaku Critic anime. Otaku's tend to escape reality through the Main Character in anime. If he did care for Shinji, he wouldn't develop him the way he has,

The point of tough love is that it deals with imperfections while retaining love - if Anno didn't care for Shinji, why would he go to so much effort to give him a way back from the depths to which he goes?

If loving a character means that everything must be all nice and Waffy, then you end up with Ah! My Goddess - which is an OK guilty pleasure, but hardly deep. (Of course, Anno can go that way too, as shown by Kare Kano.)
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Postby The Cruel » Sat Jun 27, 2015 9:12 am

View Original PostAuraTwilight wrote:So what you're saying is...Giant Naked Asuka? I think a lot of people can get behind that.


What I try to say here is that the tension between Shinji and Asuka was high enough to initiate instrumentality. She was dissapointed at him and her anger pushed Shinji to let 3I happen. Rei on the other hand was actually very neutral despite confronting him with uneasy questions and answers. She just did what was good for Shinji.

For Rebuild it might be different but not less sorrowful. Of course I don't want to see him choke her again, but something 'll happen what could shock us all when they confront each other. And then they reveal what they truly feel to another, in a pathetic way. And even here Rei wont be forgotten and 'll definitely do something.
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Postby Lennik » Mon Jun 29, 2015 6:57 pm

View Original PostIspellnogood wrote:If he did care for Shinji, he wouldn't develop him the way he has, wouldn't make him do all those wretched things in EoE, he wouldn't make him the cause of such tragedy,


So if an author is writing a tragedy, he or she doesn't care about the protagonist?

View Original PostIspellnogood wrote: and the "Shinji should be shot" crowd wouldn't even exist.


This is terrible reasoning. You can't reliably make an assessment of an author's feelings towards his characters based solely on the sentiments of fans, who are never the most rational people in the world.

If Anno didn't care about Shinji, Shinji wouldn't have ended the original series coming to terms with himself.

View Original PostIspellnogood wrote:Since he just had his asshole irresversibly destroyed by another bent over a barrel style anal raping, Shinji's probably questioning wether life is even worth living.


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Postby Ray » Tue Jun 30, 2015 8:03 pm

Playing devils advocate. . . for a minute.

View Original PostLennik wrote:So if an author is writing a tragedy, he or she doesn't care about the protagonist?


Sometimes. Sometimes not. The author does care about the protagonist, as far as the audiences reaction to his suffering. The point of tragedy is to inform the audience about the reality of the harsh world, and tell us the audience to identify the flaws in ourselves as we identify them in the main character, and have them fail so we realize how to avoid making those same tragic errors in our life.

Or, if the character is suffering disproportionately to his crimes, or for no reason at all. We should recognize we aren't exempt from the cold cruel hand of fate, and we should recognize our place in the universe.

Captain Ahab didn't recognize his flaws, and tried to fight fate, he died trying and failing to kill the thing that ruined his life.

Shinji needs to recognize his place in the universe and make peace with that. Even if that place in the universe isn't a good one. Even Oedipus made peace with the horror and tragedy he brought upon his family, even though he was still a "Persona Non Grata".

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Postby Ispellnogood » Wed Jul 01, 2015 9:06 am

a way back from the depths to which he goes?


We are still waiting for that to actually happen. That's probably the reason Evangelion just won't fade away. Unsatisfaction.

If loving a character means that everything must be all nice and Waffy, then you end up with Ah! My Goddess - which is an OK guilty pleasure, but hardly deep. (Of course, Anno can go that way too, as shown by Kare Kano.)



An otaku cuckold is an OK guilty pleasure, but that too is hardy deep.

Misery alone doesn't make it deep.

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Re: How Will Rei be Treated in the Next Film?

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Postby LightDragonman » Mon Apr 25, 2016 3:10 am

Wow, this is an old topic, but I might as well reply.

Rei's character now completly represents "Running away from reality" The doll/ the waifu. Giving any substance to her would be the same as giving substance to otaku's fantasies. It just won't happen. There may be a goodbye scene, but it will something along the lines of her simply blinking away as if she was never there in the first place. Or Shinji and Rei's final meeting will simply be a "Will you face reality, or will you come to me and run away again?" open question kind of ending.

Even hoping that ReiII and Shinji will have a Romantic tragic loss ending, will probably be too much to hope for. As that would imply that Rei II and what she represents was something in the first place.


Can I just say how utterly insulting that would be if true? The reason I liked her and Shinji's relationship in Rebuild was because I liked seeing their interactions with each other, and how they slowly but surely opened up to not just each other, but also to those around them thanks to their interactions. Unlike so many other stories, their relationship happened slowly and involved not so much obvious ship tease, but acts of kindness and things that I find much more realistic than in stories that make romance the focus of the narrative. Him going to such great lengths to save Rei at the end was a natural progression I felt, and while he did nearly cause the end of the world, he didn't know about it, and when one is in the heat of the moment, with someone close in serious danger, I highly doubt you're gonna be thinking about what might happen.

Yet apparently, despite all that, nothing will come out of this relationship. Rei II will get a bridge dropped on her, with Shinji rejecting her and her blinking out of existence just like that. All those heartwarming moments between them? Worthless. Why? Because Anno doesn't view these sorts of relationships as simply being two people bonding together in a harsh situation or time, and growing feelings for each other as a result. No, he only sees it as "running away from reality because you can't face it, and would rather just be with someone so you can be coddled from the harshness of the real world".

I'm sorry, but if that's what he's saying through them, then that is unbelievably infuriating to me. Being attracted to each other like Shinji and Rei were in 2.22 I feel is far more than that. You and that other person opened up to each other because you both found similarities with another, grew over the course of many interactions and meetings, opened up to not just each other, but through others as a result, and as a result, grew to care for each other. Which again, I feel is simply realistic. Yet Anno is saying that relationships like that are nothing more than the "delusions of otaku". I can't put into words how insulting I find that statement.
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Re: How Will Rei be Treated in the Next Film?

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Postby Reichu » Mon Apr 25, 2016 4:25 am

Daddy was mean to him, so Shinji abandoned Rei to a REAL trustworthy battle partner (enjoy fighting alongside that dummy system, Rei; if you're lucky, it won't rip YOUR guts out!) and whatever Angels might come. Then, lo and behold, to absolutely no one's surprise, someone he supposedly cared about ended up getting hurt again, only this time much worse than Asuka! (Being, you know, digested by a monster and technically dead and all.) Way to go, Shinji! Great work. This is truly the stuff of timeless, utterly transcendental relationships. Oh well, I bet if you just try hard enough, you can fix your lame mistakes with dark magic. Go get your binky back from that mean ol' Angel! It's not like you spitefully left it in a dumpster for the taking or anything...

Rei absolutely needs to stay dead, otherwise these films are little more than the kind of wish-fulfillment, utterly self indulgent, zero consequence wankery you'll have no problem finding in countless other animoos. And if you walked into this film series expecting that it wouldn't have some kind of axe to grind, wouldn't be criticizing anyone or anything, you're possibly a bigger idiot than Impact-kun, since you don't really have any excuse for not knowing what you were getting yourself into.
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Re: How Will Rei be Treated in the Next Film?

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Postby ElMariachi » Mon Apr 25, 2016 5:42 am

View Original PostReichu wrote:Daddy was mean to him, so Shinji abandoned Rei to a REAL trustworthy battle partner (enjoy fighting alongside that dummy system, Rei; if you're lucky, it won't rip YOUR guts out!) and whatever Angels might come. Then, lo and behold, to absolutely no one's surprise, someone he supposedly cared about ended up getting hurt again, only this time much worse than Asuka! (Being, you know, digested by a monster and technically dead and all.) Way to go, Shinji! Great work. This is truly the stuff of timeless, utterly transcendental relationships. Oh well, I bet if you just try hard enough, you can fix your lame mistakes with dark magic. Go get your binky back from that mean ol' Angel! It's not like you spitefully left it in a dumpster for the taking or anything...

At this point you're accusing Shinji of not being a precog, how was he supposed to know that Yui would throw a temper tantrum at not having her son in the cockpit and refuse to even activate, even though Zeruel was rampaging through everything and digesting her "daughter"?

As for his reaction of resigning, maybe it was in the spur of the moment? Yes, but that's the kind of things you should expect from a teenager.
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Postby BlueBasilisk » Mon Apr 25, 2016 6:02 am

^And they didn't arrange for Unit 01 to run on the Dummy System with no backup until after Shinji had already left. Strange that they never tried to use Rei when they fielded that possibility in 1.0.
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Postby Reichu » Mon Apr 25, 2016 6:25 am

View Original PostElMariachi wrote:At this point you're accusing Shinji of not being a precog (snip)

Not remotely.

Shinji abandoned Rei to whatever might come, with regard for no one but himself. We're given no indication that he even said good-bye. He was throwing a selfish tantrum and the price was paid. Him being a stupid teenager is ultimately immaterial to the matter of consequences. They will happen, in some form or another, regardless of who you are. The universe doesn't give two shits how much it hurts. We're just fragile organisms who have to adapt to our environments and circumstances to survive. Pain and suffering are among the most potent mechanisms for learning and growing.

What happens to people who try to avoid suffering and misfortune? Well, among the target audience, there don't seem to be any shortage of individuals who are just hiding in their rooms all days, their most intimate relationships with virtual people who will never tell them all the things they need to hear most. In the film itself, we have Gendo, our big bad, who can't deal with loss and so is merrily steamrolling everyone else's lives and bending the world to his will so he can make himself feel better. Yeah, losing someone you care about sucks. But the loss does not in any way negate the importance of the relationship, and coping with it is just part of being alive. (Go revisit the Kaji & Shinji scenes at the ocean conservation place and at the garden patch. I dare you...)

To circle back to Dragonman's post: I wouldn't say that Rei herself represents escapism, but the whole notion of bringing her back from the dead sure as hell does. Shinji's inability to accept reality resulted in him becoming wholly blind to it, and, ultimately, escaping it altogether: his "rescue" of Rei just sinks them both into a fuzzy white limbo, leaving the rest of the world to burn. LDM wonders "what's the point if Rei stays dead?". I wonder "what's the point if she magically comes back?".
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Re: How Will Rei be Treated in the Next Film?

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Postby Signer » Mon Apr 25, 2016 11:15 am

I would say, that we already have a movie about consequences, but "3.0+1.0"... Still, why put her in 01 in the first place and not kill right away (at least not make Fuyutsuki say, that she is not completely dead)? And in this universe with artificial gods, even if Rei was dead, not doing anything is not acceptance of reality - it just not caring enough.
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