The Eva-Pilot Quartet

[CJD]

I'm not convinced it's why either, but if it is I'd imagine it's because it's a scene straight out of a playground. Staring is rude, which is why we tend to not do it unless we're so enamored with the person of our attention that we forget our manners. It's similar to how someone who's nervous will stumble over their words when asking a girl out, people will laugh (maybe even the girl, but if you're lucky she'll think it's cute).

[Dream]

It's similar to how someone who's nervous will stumble over their words when asking a girl out, people will laugh (maybe even the girl, but if you're lucky she'll think it's cute).

Or she punches you.

[CJD]

Or she punches you.

I doubt you'd get punched for being nervous, that would require some sitcom levels of coincidence. The worst that's gonna happen is she'll make fun of you and walk away.

[Literary Eagle]

Hmm... well, Shinji says "Good morning" to Rei, but Rei doesn't say anything in reply. Maybe that's the reason why Asuka is laughing at him?

[Kendrix]

I always took that as a generic "mean alpha girl snicker" and found it haunting/genius to include it like this...
I remember being deeply impressed by this.
and they're supposed to be reacting to her, she doesn't reply and Asuka thinks "Hihi, that empty doll is no threat at all."
that sound of girls snivkering at the one girl who does not know to behave as it is expected of her followed me into my nightmares at the time I first watched the show - It's still one of the sounds I hate the most in the world... gilrs nickering like they're superior.
I thought that the snicker was more directed at Rei since she just entered, so they were supposed to be reacting to her, primarily.

...but it could also be seen the other way (Asuka making fun of Shinji's crush on Rei/attempts to be nice to her), it just never occurred to me.

It's still amazing how much that scene manages to say, especially the fascinated ways that Shinji observes as Rei plays, taking in every detail of her, the focus on her lower face/mouth as she silently plays the violin.


...but some of the impact was lost on me because I laughed at loud when I saw that Asuka was playing the second violin.
You see, in German, the phrase "Playing the second violin" is synonomous to "being second banana", and since Asuka has a complex about being second best...
I feel bad for laughing, but I couldn't stop myself.
Sorry, Asuka. :(



BTW, random question: If Mari played an instrument, what would it be? An ridiculously large contrabass to crash the quartet?
I expect the exchange, to capture Mari's meaning as a character as well as possible/as with the other children and allude to many motifs of teh Rebuilds, would go like this:

Mari: Heloooo!
Asuka: Who invited you?
Mari: I just decided I'd drop in. Don't be like that, Princess!
Shinji: Uhm... I don't think there's any part for a contrabass in the part that we're playing.
Kaworu: Then we'll just have to improvise. Trying something new can only benefit us.
Mari: *in singsong* Let's gooo!

A harpsichord would underline the Kaworu parallel, but I don't see her with something this... sophisticated. Maybe she just sings?

---

Generally, Death gets too little love.
It's more than just any recap, i always fouund it to be avery artistic movie in ways it couldn't be if we didn't know the scenes, it's a bit like the second time viewing experience. the way it's all arranged... Yeah.

Also, I don't knoe who exact said that the hero's journey always/often contains "Death, descent to the underworld, and then their rebirth".
Possibly a reference?
The developement of the story and its characters is more parabolic, but at the very end, there is that kind of S-curve.
Asuka rising from the lake.
Misato rising from her filthy room and the depression that followed Kaji's death to kick ass.
Rei showing remaining attachment to Shinji and defying Gendo in the end.
Shinji rejecting instrumentality.

And there's the endless can of worms of "in how far is that applicable to Rebuild"...

Short Q related musing  SPOILER: Show

I just hope there will be a "Rebirth" for Rebuild Shinji.

[pwhodges]

You see, in German, the phrase "Playing the second violin" is synonomous to "being second banana",

Same in English, though normally expressed as "playing second fiddle".

BTW, random question: If Mari played an instrument, what would it be?

I see her noodling on an Alto Saxophone in a jazz club. Though that wouldn't fit with the quartet at all

[Kendrix]

I see her noodling on an Alto Saxophone in a jazz club. Though that wouldn't fit with the quartet at all

Now that you say it... That totally works.
Don't worry about Mari fitting in - She's not supposed to LOL

[K40s]

I was checking to see the scene again, and the whole scene seems to be distributed all across the movie, at least it is in the first working video I found on youtube...

Also right after they are recapping Kaworu's death there is a screen with Japanese writing on it and according to this video's subtitles it says "18 months before", so the quartet occured 18 months before Kaworu's death?

Maybe in the English-subbed version they didn't translate that screen?

[Sachi]

so the quartet occured 18 months before Kaworu's death?

Rather, if we were to interpret the movie as a recap using the quartet as a narrative tool, we can rationalize that this scene exists out of canon and away from the reality of the show. Given the earlier analysis of each instrument being representative of each characters role in the show (ie, Shinji plays the cello and represents the much of the rhythm and foundation of the series), this scene becomes a bit of a warm-up for the characters to get into their respective parts, and the recap is the rehearsal before the grand finale: EoE. Both EoTV and EoE use stage imagery at points, and the series is heavily concerned in being a character study, so the quartet is another nice plot device to get to know who our characters really are, which is mostly what Death is really for. As for the "18 months" screen shot, I imagine it to be symbolic of a time before the pilot episode, before the series was really a series and when these characters were still being formed and defined.