Asuka's role in 3.0 & Beyond

[nervshatter]

I'm disappointed noone invoked the Curve of Eva on this.

If some people are gonna claim same body = same permenant raging hormones, might as well extend it to feelings too.

Well like I said earlier I don't deny that she might still have feelings for him, also from what very little we saw of her in Q nothing suggest that she actually matured 14 yrs mentally, so the curse of Eva might extend to her mentality as well.

[Lennik]

Same body for 14 years = Same brain for 14 years.

It's certainly true that Asuka has gotten her act together and no longer has the "I don't need any help from anyone" mentality, but that change happened in 2.0. I don't know why people insist that she's now mentally 14 years older than Shinji. The body and brain simply do not work in complete separation that way.

[pwhodges]

But nor is there a Curse of Eva in real life - so the writers get to make it work the way they want.

[Bagheera]

But nor is there a Curse of Eva in real life - so the writers get to make it work the way they want.

Also, fourteen years of experience is fourteen years of experience. It's kind of silly to assume that wouldn't have any effect on a person.

[ElMariachi]

Also, fourteen years of experience is fourteen years of experience. It's kind of silly to assume that wouldn't have any effect on a person.

It depends what kind of experiences Asuka had during this past 14 years : if it was 14 years of only battles and staying on stand by waiting for the next battle because she and Mari are the only EVA pilots lefts in WILLE, while living apart from the rest of the crew, then I don't think she had the occasion to mature that much.
Maturing comes with interactions with others, you you're kept in an isolated environment, you become socially retarded, Rei being an extreme case.

[TheFriskyIan]

Maturing comes with interactions with others, you you're kept in an isolated environment, you become socially retarded, Rei being an extreme case.

I'm sure she interacted with others. She doesn't seem to give Mari the cold shoulder, even relying on her to get a job done (Going after Shinji in Eva 13). It would be folly to say she spent 14 years being icy cold to everyone but Misato.

[airman4]

Shinji is kinda 28 years old no?
Even if he was in coma , he grew up

It's just he didnt "lived" those 14 years
So he grew up without actual getting any experience

Asuka and mary are ladies ,while him is a adult/child

Anyway he will learn , he have no fuckin choice.

[TheFriskyIan]

Shinji is kinda 28 years old no?
Even if he was in coma , he grew up

It's just he didnt "lived" those 14 years
So he grew up without actual getting any experience.

He was in Limbo for 14 years, he wasn't even really in human form. According to Ritsuko when talking to Misato, the LCL reconstructed him, so technically he wasn't even in human form so he could still be considered 14 in every aspect.

[ElMariachi]

I'm sure she interacted with others. She doesn't seem to give Mari the cold shoulder, even relying on her to get a job done (Going after Shinji in Eva 13). It would be folly to say she spent 14 years being icy cold to everyone but Misato.

Oh yes she interacts with Mari, Misato and probably Ritsuko on a daily basis, but what would be interesting to know is if Asuka interacted as well with the rest of the crew, or did her "curse of EVA" made her feel like being on another world than them?

[TheFriskyIan]

Oh yes she interacts with Mari, Misato and probably Misato on a daily basis, but what would be interesting to know is if Asuka interacted as well with the rest of the crew, or did her "curse of EVA" made her feel like being on another world than them?

I doubt her not aging would alienate her from others at Wille. If anything, her Hidden Sharingan would be the one thing that would drive people away and that's only under the notion if they know about it. Mari doesn't seem to care about the not aging, but then again you don't see her interacting with anyone at Wille other than Asuka at all. She says one word to Misato in the whole movie I think. But if Misato and Asuka can get along fine, I doubt the rest of Wille would treat her differently or vice versa.

EDIT: This....This feels weird. This discussion I'm having about Asuka. Maybe I should lie down....

[Monk Ed]

EDIT: This....This feels weird. This discussion I'm having about Asuka. Maybe I should lie down....

Uh, why?

[TheFriskyIan]

Uh, why?

I'm not being a dick or saying anything negative, that's why.

[ElMariachi]

Then tell me : you have Asuka as your avatar if you hate her that much?

[TheFriskyIan]

Then tell me : you have Asuka as your avatar if you hate her that much?

I never said I hated her.

I was gonna type this up to quote FFF4 in the film reaction thread, but I figured it was more suited here.

While Asuka definitely acts more mature and level headed now, there were still moments when she showed up in the final battle that left a bad taste in my mouth. When attacking Shinji instead of trying to tell him the outcome of what he might cause she just goes on to bark at him in a form "Just sit in a corner and never do anything again." While it's true that there was a reason for saying that, she could've handled lecturing him much better. It's also almost hypocritical of her when she claims he's a horrible person for hitting her Eva, when she was violently assaulting his only moments earlier telling him to go down quietly. However this only bugged me slightly and didn't really retract from the fact she was much better in 3.0 than in 2.0 where she's so much more able to communicate with others. Even in the final scene when she's lecturing Shinji, it was about how he didn't come to help her showing that she was expecting his help instead of pretending she didn't need it.

[jlachman381]

I feel like going through an angel infection and the Near Third Impact/actual Third Impact would change anyone.

Also, in her initial reaction to seeing Shinji again, she commented on the buildup of sadness and anger.
「怒りと悲しみの累積」(ikari to kanashimi no ruiseki)

I don't see any reason why we shouldn't believe she has memories from these last 14 years, and I think it's reasonable to assume that our memories shape our character.

[ElMariachi]

On a side note, but after loking again at the "coffin" where Asuka is under heavy life support in 2.0, I saw all the bandages she was sporting.

After seeing that, it wouldn't surprise me if under her plugsuit Asuka sports a lot of scars across her body.
That would explain why she's always wearing her plugsuit, even when off-duty(when she visited Shinji in the quarantine interrogation room), why she seems to prefers high-collared and concealing clothes(her sweat-shirt, something Soryu or Shikinami in 2.0 would never wear)

That could also be her personal source of "pent-up anger and grief" against Shinji, the glowing eye isn't his fault, but if she's covered by scars then it would be Shinji's fault for not trying anything against Bardiel, giving Gendo a perfect opportunity to test the Dummy System that maimed her.
Of course there is also the whole N3I deal, but judging from her behavior in 3.0 she seems more angry against him for his selfish and immature behavior than anything else, and refusing to do anything against Bardiel, not even trying to plan something to save Asuka, because he didn't wanted to risk to harm her was childish, at least from her point of view.

Maybe FINAL will have a scene that parallel the one in 2.0 where Shinji accidentally see Asuka naked, except that this time it will be pure fan disservice once we saw all the scars she sports. Or maybe if Anno wants to make some hope back, Shinji will try to flatter her by saying that he still think that she's beautiful, which will be a moment of heartwarming... then funny once Asuka remembers that he's seeing her naked and drop a Megaton kick on his face!
Now if only Mari is on the vicinity to then troll her that scene could be pure comedic gold!

[TMBounty_Hunter]

why she seems to prefers high-collared and concealing clothes(her sweat-shirt, something Soryu or Shikinami in 2.0 would never wear)

Or maybe given that the Wunder is hiding in a frozen wasteland the temperature isn't really as comfortable as old Nerv command center. Only skin exposure we get is Sumire's clevage, Sakura's ankles and Shinji's very light specimen clothing (although the latter two could potentially be explained by them being mostly in the medical area which could have better environmental control systems). Everyone else also seems to be dressed pretty cozy. The bridge bunny miniskirts are gone. Wille uniform look pretty heavy duty. Misato has a sweater and is wearing long pants for once under that heavy captain outfit. Ritsuko traded the labcoat for a heavy winter coat.

Fanservice would be nice and no doubt some people would love to add the scar fetish on top of the eyepatch, but it could just be the ice sheets and blizzard outside keeping the ship without a working engine cooler than what's comfy.

[ElMariachi]

... yeah, there is that too, how could I have forgotten the "hidden in the ice floe" part?!
But then Misato ordering that Shinji is brought to her in the Command Bridge(which was then immersed in the Arctic water) in his specimen robe would be really dickish!

Still I find it odd that Asuka is still wearing her plugsuit although she's off duty and got the time to grab her sweat and cat-eared cap, unless she's required to wore it constantly to be ready in case of emergency... that would suck for her!

[Stillborn]

... yeah, there is that too, how could I have forgotten the "hidden in the ice floe" part?!
But then Misato ordering that Shinji is brought to her in the Command Bridge(which was then immersed in the Arctic water) in his specimen robe would be really dickish!

Sakura was there as well in her rather light clothing, so it maybe wasn't that cold there.

Still I find it odd that Asuka is still wearing her plugsuit although she's off duty and got the time to grab her sweat and cat-eared cap, unless she's required to wore it constantly to be ready in case of emergency... that would suck for her!

Maybe it's not required but maybe it's just comfortable wear and convinient. She no longer tries to impress others with her dresses, so she may just not bother with changing.

[Warren Peace]

I like it in that it underlines who is a pilot at that moment and who isn't. It's another dividing line between Shinji and Asuka. Also, had she been wearing something like, say, the "field trip" street clothes from 2.0, her appearance would have been less imposing.