It's easy to miss, but is there something deeper behind Hikari's words here? "...Whatever you want...", "...I won't say anything...". I'm concerned over nuances in the translation, but as it stands you'd have to admit that the words are fairly suspect. But is Hikari really giving Asuka "carte blanche" to have her way with her? It seems more than a little incredulous upon first inspection.
But, Yuri shipping aside, I think this is something that does need to be seriously looked at. For one reason in particular; the scene was redone in the new production (Director's) cuts. For comparison.
OA shots
NPC Shots
And here's a wide shot, which I believe is the same in both versions.
As has been noted before, if a scene was added or touched up in the NPC episodes, then it's usually a string hint that there is a link to something in End of Evangelion. But if so where's the link here? I see candidates in;
The hospital scene.
Asuka's posture is similar, as is her disheveled hair. There is no analogue for Hikari, but there is a definite sexual message in this scene. But are they connected?
Another, weak, candidate is the beach scene, but really I'm just looking for an analogue to Hikari's stare.
Aside from EoE scenes, there is another potential partner for the sleepover scene in episode #23'. Namely during Misato's faux pax. Here we certainly have a character offering themselves sexually (Misato), and there is some similarity in the shots of Shinji and Asuka when compared side by side.
But are these potential matches in and of themselves conclusive? I think there needs to be a good argument, or further evidence before a solid connection could be made here. Not least of which is Hikari's implied homosexuality, which it is safe to say does not get any Maya/Ritsuko treatment.
Personally, I am still dubious of any sexual allusions or offerings in Hikari's speech. But yet her words in just about any other mouth would imply just that. And most importantly of all, the scene was retouched in the NPC episodes, a fact which cannot be easily dismissed. I think this needs to be looked at in depth, so I hope we can have a good long debate as to what is going on here and what Hikari's choice of words really means.
