How Much Does The Meta-Commentary Matter in Rebuild?

[LightDragonman]

This is a little bit of an expansion of my thoughts regarding how Rei was treated in the Rebuild saga, but it also applies to other aspects.

In discussing the movies' treatment of Rei, and how her rescue was framed as in the third film, it seems that the common consensus around here is that it was made to have Shinji unknowingly kill billions in his attempt to save her mainly in order to push the characters to their absolute limit. Ignoring how brushing off billions of people dead feels extremely tasteless, essentially, what I'm to take away from the whole situation is simply that it is meant to test Shinji and explore the topic of guilt and all that. Plus, it's to see how the characters crack when placed in the most extreme circumstances.

Thing is, that ignores the clear meta-commentary. Remember, Rei is meant to be a symbol for the stereotypical submissive waifu that otaku idolize, alongside a symbol for escapism. Since Anno hates those, it only makes sense that he hates Rei as well, and the meta-commentary proves it. And I quote.

And one of Eva's original core messages was "Human relationships are hard, they hurt and you have to open yourself up to that hurt or you never get any of the good parts". Rei is not human, Rei can never be human. She is picking your 2D incest waifu over a 3d woman. When Shinji picks Rei over the rest of humanity he is making a bad decision. And then when we see the effects later, Rei is just mass produced any way. She's still an alien, she's still a clone. His attachment to the fake doomed the real. And Eva has always said picking a bad reality is better than picking a comfortable falsehood.

So by framing Shinji's action in saving Rei as causing billions to die, unknowingly or not, it is obvious that the meta-reason for it all is that one has to reject harmful escapism, less you wall yourself off from reality and harm others in the process.

I see all you guys go to such great lengths to try and explain why the third and fourth movie are what they are in regards to not just Rei, but a many of the choices made in regards to narrative, when the simplest explanation simply goes back to the meta reasons and meta-commentary. You can post such lengthy posts trying to detail otherwise, but it is far more likely that the simple meta reasons for such story choices are what Anno intended.

Heck, all the the responses I've gotten in regards to said treatment of characters like Rei almost never take into account the meta-commentary, instead side-stepping the issue in favor of things like "geode character exploration" or "placing the characters in the most extreme circumstances". Which honestly feels like both a cop-out and extreme coping.

With this in mind, how much do the meta reasons and meta-commentary about harmful escapism and Anno's views on things like otaku waifus matter when it comes to understanding the reasoning behind the story choices and the like? I mean, I've already made it clear how I think it explains the actions regarding how Rei was treated in the latter two Rebuild films, and is something I simply can't see any other way.

[Weird_ocean]

I read the interview with Anno and Tsurumaki, where they talked about why they decided to essentially kill Rei in 2.0. It was mainly pushed by Tsurumaki, because in NGE Rei III was never given time to develop, compared to Rei 2. And so Rei Q was supposed to fill Rei III shoes in Rebuild.

They initially planned to kill Rei II like in the show, but producer thought it would be too dark for the audience, and they replace it with Shinji's botched save mission. Essentially soft kill, that looks like saving, not to upset the audience.

Every other speculation about the meta-meaning of her character is essentially headcanon. Rebuild is not anti-escapist. EOE was. That's in the past. The sole existence of Rebuild movies is the antithesis of of the anti-escapist idea. More movies means more EVA fans, means more escapism. I think Anno is smart enough to understand that, and not to care about how many otakus his products will manifest. And later EVA releases and announcements solidify that sentiment.

Rei's death in the village, is a pretty obvious drama farming. "Blue girl goes boom, audience cry, dramatic effect achieved."

Only character that was presented as anti-escapist was Rei. From quiet and timid bookworm, she is the only one who reached out to people around her, in both 2.0 and 3.0+1.0. Asuka and Mari stayed within confines of their hobbies of reading, piloting and games. Misato and Wille were preoccupied with the war. Shinji was depressed and incapsulated in the shell of his guilt, which you may or may not consider a type of escapism. And mainly Rei helped him to escape it. Rei represents connection to the outside world, and lord for the life of me I can't understand how she can represent escapism in Rebuild.

The general meta-narative of 3.0+1.0 Anno was exhausted after 3.0. Miyazaki and Shinji Higuchi helped him out by casting him in The Wind Rises and Shin Godzilla. (Kensuke represents them) It brought him back to creative space and gave him strength to continue. That's what the village sequence is all about.

Another part is ending EVA. Minus-space is a metaphor for Anno's mind, his imagination, and he is expelling these characters from there, after 30 years of working on it. That's why Shinji is pushing everyone from out of the Minus-space. The end.

[The_Max]

And one of Eva's original core messages was "Human relationships are hard, they hurt and you have to open yourself up to that hurt or you never get any of the good parts". Rei is not human, Rei can never be human. She is picking your 2D incest waifu over a 3d woman. When Shinji picks Rei over the rest of humanity he is making a bad decision. And then when we see the effects later, Rei is just mass produced any way. She's still an alien, she's still a clone. His attachment to the fake doomed the real. And Eva has always said picking a bad reality is better than picking a comfortable falsehood.

I dont know what is the origin of that quote but in 3.0+1.0 Asuka says the only part still growing in her body is her hair and Mari says that is the proof she is human. Later, we can see the long-haired Rei inside Eva-01

[Asunji_Yuko]

They initially planned to kill Rei II like in the show, but producer thought it would be too dark for the audience, and they replace it with Shinji's botched save mission. Essentially soft kill, that looks like saving, not to upset the audience.

First forcing Mari in and now this. Was it that Otsuki clown? Killing her would have been way better not to mention more clear than "oh I saved her but she's gone now and no one knows where she is." Producers ruin movies more often than they help them and they really have no business in the creative process.

[LightDragonman]

Reading these posts does give me a bit of context.

But all that said, it is the decision they made to have Shinji saving Rei cause the death of billions, alongside framing it as him choosing to be in an escapist fantasy while the world burns, that still gives me pause on how Anno views Rei from a meta point of view.

They initially planned to kill Rei II like in the show, but producer thought it would be too dark for the audience, and they replace it with Shinji's botched save mission. Essentially soft kill, that looks like saving, not to upset the audience.

That just makes things worse, as that just said Shinji was in the wrong for attempting to save her, as again, billions died because of it. And given how Rei being saved was the producer’s idea, that only adds to my feelings that meta-wise, Anno despises her.

Him framing Shinji trying to save her as a mistake that caused billions to die, when he should’ve just killed her and been done with it, now sounds like Anno flipping the bird both at the producer for having him change the outcome, and at the audience for daring to want her to be saved as well.

To quote:

He almost ended the world to save one person. How many people died so he could save her. Was that worth it?

It was not worth it at all. Shinji’s motivation here is to “save” Rei. No matter the cost.. the cost being the destruction of all life and starting the third impact early. It’s a super selfish reason.

Because even if he does save her, in what world would she even live in

When billions of lives are ended as a result of his actions, trying to argue for a different viewpoint other than the meta one results in a lot of far reaching to try and say that Shinji’s action wasn’t meant to be seen as anything other than the worst one he could’ve made.