Did 1st Rei's memory pass to the others?

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Did 1st Rei's memory pass to the others?

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Postby Slowpokeking » Thu Mar 25, 2021 12:42 pm

1st Rei was a sharp and funny little girl. Did her memory pass to the 2nd Rei or cause anything?

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Re: Did 1st Rei's memory pass to the others?

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Postby Kendrix » Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:50 pm

Unclear.

They might not have had the tech figured out yet. In any case they only seem to remember up until the last backup so the next Rei wouldn't know exactly how she dies. At the same time there's some spiritual carryover of sorts. (with the crying etc.)

Clearly Naoko's whole "You can be replaced" line became lodged in Rei's subconscious.

She would've really internalized the idea that there was another one before her who was treated exactly the same etc.


I've seen one FF take where Rei I was raised from a baby (so created not too long after the failed salvage of Yui) but then the 2nd one was the first to be "programmed" which would've been a limited substitute for actually raising a toddler. Like she could talk, walk & wipe her butt but might've been missing the implicit/emotional learning.

Or you could posit some "copy of a copy" effect where you get something more wan & distant with every transfer.

But even without assuming something like that, realizing you're no 2 (and maybe some carryover trauma from being murdered) weighty, crushing realization that would change someone's outlook & change them from 'mischievous child' to 'gloomy pessimistic (but also kind) teen', even if the memory backups were already figured out.
Even if she had grown up normally I don't see Rei I growing into an embodiment of sunshine & Rainbows in that environment.

In any case Rei II clearly knows that she existed (hence why she's represented in her mindscape in ep 24)

Also, as we're told in ep 25 they're only really considered 'the same' "simply because the others call us Ayanami Rei" so it's not surprising that they'f be different. They're probably more similar than identical twins (real life clones) because of the shared 'programming' and whatever sharing Lilliths's soul does, but, it's not surprising of they're different in some ways.

This is something that's remarkably different between the anime & manga.
Manga!Rei I acts just like the second one - she's pretty subdued/ unexpressive & the reason she tells Naoko is explicitly cause she feels sorry for her.
The anime one isn't super expressive but still within the range for a normal child- she smiles when being lead around at NERV or introduced to Ritsuko & smirks at Naoko. She doesn't seem as inhibited.
She probably represents some natural state before ppl are tamed by society or shaped by harsh experiences.
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Re: Did 1st Rei's memory pass to the others?

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Postby Archer » Thu Mar 25, 2021 6:16 pm

IMO? To the same degree that Yui “is” Eva-01.

What I mean by that is, sure Eva-01 contains her soul, but I don’t think she’s literally still conscious in there controlling it’s actions. It’s more like a shadow of her personality, strong emotions and connections and instinct that remain, but without any of the same memories.

So yeah, in that sense I don’t think Rei “has” the specific memories of her past iterations buried in her mind, but she does have hints of past feelings that get built up and left behind.

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Re: Did 1st Rei's memory pass to the others?

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Postby Kendrix » Thu Mar 25, 2021 6:34 pm

I'm pretty sure Yui does have her memories - Shinji sees some of them while he's absorbed.
And she has a very specific plan that she wants to carry out.

But different rules probably apply for "godlike" beings like EVA 01
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Re: Did 1st Rei's memory pass to the others?

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Postby baldur » Thu Mar 25, 2021 8:49 pm

"sharp and funny" certainly is one way to describe Rei I lmao

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Re: Did 1st Rei's memory pass to the others?

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Postby Slowpokeking » Thu Mar 25, 2021 8:59 pm

View Original Postbaldur wrote:"sharp and funny" certainly is one way to describe Rei I lmao

I bet if Gendo insult Naoko directly she would not have gone mad.

But those words came from a young girl who was Yui's half clone, wow.

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Re: Did 1st Rei's memory pass to the others?

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Postby Berserker » Fri Mar 26, 2021 2:27 am

Archer wrote:To the same degree that Yui “is” Eva-01.

Note that Yui's contact experiment resulted in total amalgamation/merger/whatever you wanna call it with Eva 1, more precisely with its core, as in physical, mental and spiritual way. That obviously includes her brain, which by far we take as the storehouse and processor, so to speak, of one's consciousness, memory, personality and so on.
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Re: Did 1st Rei's memory pass to the others?

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Postby Kendrix » Fri Mar 26, 2021 7:33 am

I mean the visuals illustrate Naoko's thought process pretty straightforwardly - the way Rei I's face fades to Yui's (she felt she was being mocked by her rival), cut to that shot of a very blushy passionate Naoko kissing while Gendo sits there with his eyes open sort enduring it - and then of course, that shot of Rei's lifeless little hands.
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Re: Did 1st Rei's memory pass to the others?

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Postby ASW_Canuck » Sat Mar 27, 2021 6:18 pm

Denis Villeneuve would definitely concur with you on that point, look at how Ryan Gosling's portrayal of Agent K in BR2049 changes after he finds out that all his childhood memories are just illegal copies of somebody else's.

Perhaps Gendo knowing that popping another Rei out of the LCL fishbowl doesn't produce an exact mental duplicate is why he's so frantic when it looks like Rei II might die. His plans for Instrumentality require not only her physical body, but her having a dependant and suicidal personality that will willing go along with those plans, because they're the only way she can obtain the permanent death that she desires. He's been grooming Rei II for that purpose, and is (rightly...) afraid that a new Rei won't have the personality characteristics that his plans require.

View Original PostKendrix wrote:But even without assuming something like that, realizing you're no 2 (and maybe some carryover trauma from being murdered) weighty, crushing realization that would change someone's outlook & change them from 'mischievous child' to 'gloomy pessimistic (but also kind) teen', even if the memory backups were already figured out.


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