Ritsuko was a very ok person in the flashback, even gave 1st Rei a friendly hi. She and Misato are indeed very good friends. It's really sad to see what did she turn out to be in the end.

Naoko wasn't a very good mother due to her work, but she is a much better parent than Gendo.

Sure Gendo is a jerk but both Naoko and Ritsuko knew he still got Yui in his heart, and Ritsuko knew clearly about him using Naoko. He also cared Rei more then Ritusko for sure. Why did she still throw herself in such crazy love?

Till the end she could have shot him first but didn't do so.

The cause of her twisted personality around the end of the show is that she became codependent on Gendo. She loved Gendo, but he didn't love her back. But for why she threw herself into such a crazy love, I think it's because she felt lonely. After all, she had no time to date because she was always working.

But the reason she didn't shoot him at the end is because she still loved him.

I don't get it, what makes Gendo attractive?

She knew Gendo and her mother having the relationship and it didn't end well, She knew Gendo was jerk and why did she still put herself in?

There are a couple of things she did find attractive, the first one being the intellectual connection they shared. Since the death of her mother (who I personally think was the smartest person in Gehirn and overall the whole series), she had no one to share ideas with so she felt lonely. After the death of her mother, she was emotionally vulnerable and Gendo took advantage of that by fulfilling her desire for acceptance.

In the series, she starts feeling less and less in love with Gendo, and the tipping point I believe is when he saves Rei from the EVA.

I don't think Naoko is smart other than her science career, she got into the affair knowing Gendo didn't forget Yui, and it's easy to see him not love her.

Then she got enraged by 1st Rei and killed her, which she felt remorse herself.

Ritsuko saw Naoko and Gendo having the affair, she should know that he's not a reliable person.

Naoko is smart in her scientific career, but emotionally she is not. The reason she got into that relationship with him was because she liked him for a long time and the disappearance of Yui was just what she needed to get with him.

We can also assume she had low self esteem since she killed a child who was saying stuff about her she heard.

But for why Ritsuko still got into an affair with him even though she knew he was a bad person, it’s because she was emotionally in a bad place, and that even for just a moment she could forget about that with Gendo.

Hard to say, as she's a pretty psychologically opaque character. We even get more insight into Gendo's psychology, as Ritsuko is dead before EoE's Third Impact gives us hints at character's desires, and because she doesn't have a dedicated inner monologue segment in EoTV. We can piece together only so much.

Something I think takes more of a backseat, but really shouldn't when one analyzes Ritsuko, is the fact that she was directly involved in all the shady background machinations. The extent is, again, opaque, but she seemingly has a lot of free-reign, and thus culpability.

I think it's pretty revealing that her breakdown moment involves Rei, and involves the guilty and regretful divulging of secrets to Misato and Shinji, who she's been seriously and pathologically lying to about every plot beat. Her relationship with every character is warped, but the most warped one is probably Rei. What she's done is inhumane abuse and for a long time, not without psychological repercussions for herself for her actions.

In short, she's twisted because she's been doing twisted things for quite a while, and who knows what kind of buffers and pressure this built.

The more interesting question to me is how much did she herself know? Did she understand that, ultimately, she was second fiddle to Gendo's motivations re: Yui? What did she think were the end goals, here?

Axx°N N. wrote:Hard to say, as she's a pretty psychologically opaque character. We even get more insight into Gendo's psychology, as Ritsuko is dead before EoE's Third Impact gives us hints at character's desires, and because she doesn't have a dedicated inner monologue segment in EoTV. We can piece together only so much.

Something I think takes more of a backseat, but really shouldn't when one analyzes Ritsuko, is the fact that she was directly involved in all the shady background machinations. The extent is, again, opaque, but she seemingly has a lot of free-reign, and thus culpability.

I think it's pretty revealing that her breakdown moment involves Rei, and involves the guilty and regretful divulging of secrets to Misato and Shinji, who she's been seriously and pathologically lying to about every plot beat. Her relationship with every character is warped, but the most warped one is probably Rei. What she's done is inhumane abuse and for a long time, not without psychological repercussions for herself for her actions.

In short, she's twisted because she's been doing twisted things for quite a while, and who knows what kind of buffers and pressure this built.

The more interesting question to me is how much did she herself know? Did she understand that, ultimately, she was second fiddle to Gendo's motivations re: Yui? What did she think were the end goals, here?

True she had been doing a lot for Gendo, but why? Gendo is not a good lover, nor is he a good leader(leaving NERV to die and fulfilling his own plan).

She also showed kindness towards 1st Rei, sad to see her went down. 2nd Rei never did anything bad to her, nor did she try to get Gendo. It's just so wrong to hate her than Gendo.

Still she was not beyond redemption at least for a while, but she went down and down, and chose the path of destruction.

She grew up without a father figure, and if I remember correctly, she stated in NGE that while she respected Naoko as a scientist, she felt abandoned by her as a motherly figure. That in itself is enough trauma to develope an unhealthy affection for people with an avoidant attachment style, like Gendo.

She is an attractive woman, so I’m sure she had more than enough other romantic options, but he was in closest proximity to her and in a twisted way the only remaining tie to her family. She also valued her rationale and scientific mind more than her emotions because imo she believed this would save her from sharing the same fate as Naoko. Being ambitious / becoming the top scientist in Nerv was a perfect way to rationalise her desire to be close to Gendo. (= „I am here because I am the best in my field, therefore he needs me for my intellectual capabilities. It’s not because I‘m desperately attached to him emotionally“)

Desire makes you stupid as hell, even if you have a 200 IQ.

Sertraline wrote:She grew up without a father figure, and if I remember correctly, she stated in NGE that while she respected Naoko as a scientist, she felt abandoned by her as a motherly figure. That in itself is enough trauma to develope an unhealthy affection for people with an avoidant attachment style, like Gendo.

She is an attractive woman, so I’m sure she had more than enough other romantic options, but he was in closest proximity to her and in a twisted way the only remaining tie to her family. She also valued her rationale and scientific mind more than her emotions because imo she believed this would save her from sharing the same fate as Naoko. Being ambitious / becoming the top scientist in Nerv was a perfect way to rationalise her desire to be close to Gendo. (= „I am here because I am the best in my field, therefore he needs me for my intellectual capabilities. It’s not because I‘m desperately attached to him emotionally“)

Desire makes you stupid as hell, even if you have a 200 IQ.

It's just like Asuka with her mother and Shinji. It's like poetry, sort of...they rhyme, and it's stylistically designed to be that way.

...I just hope Shinji treats Asuka better.

Asunji_Yuko wrote:
It's just like Asuka with her mother and Shinji. It's like poetry, sort of...they rhyme, and it's stylistically designed to be that way.

...I just hope Shinji treats Asuka better.

Do you think that Asuka would be like Ritsuko when she grows up, or more like Misato?

C.T.1290 wrote:

Asunji_Yuko#944051 wrote:
It's just like Asuka with her mother and Shinji. It's like poetry, sort of...they rhyme, and it's stylistically designed to be that way.

...I just hope Shinji treats Asuka better.

Do you think that Asuka would be like Ritsuko when she grows up, or more like Misato?

It's so hard to say.

She is fiery like Misato...but leans more towards pessimism like Ritsuko. I'd say she also has more science smarts like Ritsuko too.

She would probably be a unique combination of the two. Take how Shikinami was, put on glasses and a lab coat, make her mellow out a little, and you probably have an adult Asuka Sohryu.

C.T.1290 wrote:Do you think that Asuka would be like Ritsuko when she grows up, or more like Misato?

Asuka would be like she already herself is. Her personality is unique and special. I can't imagine her behaving like Ritsuko or Misato because each of them had different personal circumstances.

On a basic level jealousy can often make people ugly or cruel;
Her dad wasn't in the picture, her mother neglected her... (we also hear Naoko speculate that the lack of father figure led Ritsuko to be shy around guys - Ritsuko also mentions being uncomfortable with Kaji's aggressiveness when Misato first introduced them)

And you get the sense that Ritsuko tried to distinguish herself from Naoko, dying her hair, presenting herself differently, stating that she doesn't care about her & only cares about her life's work for scientific reasons - she was very much ruled by her passions, trying to steal a coworker's husband, killing a child in a jealous rage (I wonder if she ever hit Ritsuko...), & Ritsuko tries to be the opposite of that, she seems like someone who represses passion.
Compared to Misato who is led by her feelings & impulses Ritsuko comes off responsible & left brained
It seems her dating life & personal life were relatively stale cause she was mostly focussed on her career.
She only really has her cats and even those she seems to barely have tme for, seeing as she left them with her grandma by the end of the series.
On the one hand her dedication to her work is quite genuine & I think on some level she really wanted to do good with it, but on the other we're told that she too feels kinda lonely, in ep 15 she says shes boring & there's nothing interesting to say about her etc.

At first we're probably supposed to think she's more mature, put-together & functional in contrast to Misato's "childishness", but then one of those ppl who acts independent & rational, but is actually somewhat submissive & clinging. it's not so rare; It's not easy to have to be tough, after all.
I think what she wanted from Gendo is sort of a strong leader figure, the masculine support that was missing from her childhood, so to speak.

It's pretty common that ppl try to get what they didn't get from their parents from a partner, but then just throw themselves on someone who's emotionally unavailable, bad news or just likely to trigger their issues. Or you just see something in them that isn't there.

Gendo might be mistaken for a "commanding masculine preference" from a distance, but he really isn't. He's totally Yui's bottom and I can imagine that he played the role of the top only stiffly and half-assedly. No wonder the Sex sucked (at least according to that one episode 24 draft) He's essentially prostituting himself to her in exchange for her loyalty, because he needs the top scientist at NERV to work for him, not SEELE. I think he was mostly opportunistic here, he doesn't really have enough insight into people to be the manipulator mastermind some ppl make him out to be.
That's why he didn't see the betrayal coming. (Or Rei's, for that matter.)
Likely she threw herself on him & he went along with her because hey, free pawn.

Since Ritsuko is lowkey uncomfortable with guys initiating or showing interest (granted, Kaji isn't the best example since very aggro bordering on inappropiate, poor Maya was probably feeling legit harassed in ep 17 - ranted in that scene he was probably trying to get Misato's attention but also self-destructively fuck things up with her. - but she & Naoko say the thing about Ritsuko being uncomfortable with guys like it's been a general problem), that predisposes her to end with someone she has to chase.
It's one of those classic patters where ppl tolerate something because it confirms their presupposition.

We also see that in Shinji being drawn to somebody who puts him down (Asuka), because he puts himself down so it feels like honesty or closeness, whereas actually being treated well is unfamiliar & scary. He's actually more drawn to her at the end of the series when his more positive bonds have all broken down or he can't face them due to complicated ambiguity (especially Misato & Rei) because being told he sucks is familiar. ("that's easy & it doesn't hurt!") but of course Asuka doesn't appreciate being used for comfort even if shes essentially guilty of the same. See all the shots of Asuka judgingly looking down at him, just like how Gendo is often framed. She's even someone who puts her work above everything, just like his parents.
Of course Asuka is also drawn to guys she sees as disloyal, because she thinks that's just how men are, because her father was disloyal.
Or maybe it's more correct to say that she isn't repelled by disloyalty. She doesn't like it & isn't drawn or attracted to it, she suffers it & vocally dislikes it. She just doesn't know an alternative.

Ritsuko meanwhile has no template at all for how guys are supposed to be, so on some level a guy who's totally emotionally absent & basically no man at all is non-threatening. What he also isn't, however, is comforting or fulfilling or worth all the things she did & endured for him.

I think another important clue is in her dialogue with Maya in ep 14 where she tells her how once you've dirtied your hands, your scruples are going to go away.

I think she's speaking from experience there, where the thing between Gendo & her started similarly - she admirer a more experienced mentor who showed her the ropes but then lead her to doing ethically questionable things & squash her conscience to please him, but in the end she didn't like the person this made of her. It may also be how she came to be so deeply cynical.

Note how just before she goes rogue in ep 23, we see her looking at a pic of herself when she was younger, when she was innocent & hadn't done all those ugly things yet. Before Gendo corrupted her, so to speak.

I think that as part of her thing about being cynical and above silly optimism & emotionally, she told herself she was sort of ok with the relationship being clandestine & only physical. ("at least your body is needed") but what ultimately caused her to snap (aside from general malaise, loneliness, self-hate, her cat dying etc)

What really brings things to a boil can be gleaned in their dialogue in ep 24:

"Disappointed"?!

You never had any hopes
or expectations for me in the first place!

You wanted nothing from me!
Nothing! Not a thing!

It's not even "you only wanted to fuck me", but "you didn't want anything". She wasn't really needed, not even as a blowup doll (which would already be sad enough), she was kinda interchangeable. (which probably dawned on her when she was sent her to be interrogated by SEELE, "wow, im the replacement of the replacement")