kuribo-04 wrote:Anno is credited as author though.
Anno is credited as the “Original Author,” while is almost like saying “Based on the material written by...”
As for the theory TM_BountHunter posted, regardless of whether or not Anno was going to have more occur after the kids wander off in the red desert, I think it’s fair to say that Q stands now as complete as it’s going to stand. Ogata's input was sound. If we the audience are as invested in Shinji as the filmmakers would have us be, then it only makes sense that if the actress has had enough that the rest of the audience might have also had enough. Actually going into that long walk after all that’s happened would have felt very awkward and long in the tooth at that point anyway. The movie felt as though it was going to end that that point as it was presented to us, so why not just have it end right there anyway? There’s already going to be another movie anyway where the filmmakers ca elaborate on anything hey wish to at this point.
Also, we’ll never be 100% certain of just how much Megumi Ogata left on the recording table until Q’s CRC is actually released. It could have just been a couple of lines here and there that would have lead up to the exact same ending that is in the movie now, but simply didn’t feel appropriate given the emotional state of the character at that point in the film’s narrative.
As of the NGE references in this short, I feel as though this is more of the director for
this particular short film relating to the viewers his experience on the various Eva projects he’s been involved with thus far. Sure, it’s official Eva text. But official text doesn’t always equate with official canonical connections. Also, one of the four Asukas looks very similar to the depiction of the character used on an NGE trading card way back in the 90’s. Unless Shinji is remembering the existence of this Eva trading card in some meta sort of way, then it’s safer to assume that this is just the director telling us of his experience of and feelings towards Eva.