Commentary: Episode #02

[Incisivis [ANF]]

I'm not dead!

I've just been really, really busy with other things.

Note: Hey, Reichu, if you want to know my specific location in Canada, it's Manitoba, Canada. Any other info on my future amibitons I'd be happy to supply. And since you've been listing others' favorite characters, you might want to mention something about me being such a Shinji-phile, if you feel so inclined.

Teh Commentary:

Episode 2 is one of my favorites. I tend to prefer the second half of NGE, but there's enough to entertain me in the first half. I also like to think of the more solemn moments as tying the first half of the series with the second, so that there's not the sense of a total change.

032-041: I love the use of silence in these shots. Very effective. (all right, there are the cicadias, but we can forget about that....)

036: I like Reichu's idea. I really had no idea what to say about the scene.

060-066: Another good use of silence, and the "communication breakdown" mentioned above.

076: I find Misato's portrayal for most of the first few episodes interesting, because it seems to define her as quirky, optimistic, and free-spirited, but with glimpses of something more. I'm wondering if that portrayal is one of the many reasons fans tend to "go easier" on the female characters; with Shinji the story plunges right into depression and issues, but with Asuka and Misato there's some hint-dropping with a more "positive" image, before it gets going. Even Rei's weirdness could be attributed to being "mysterious" instead of being simply unbalanced.

105 Awww...lookit dat. I'd hate to be lumped in with the goofy and coddling breed of Shinji fangirl, but sometimes Shinji just has a kind of sad-puppy cuteness in the early episodes.

117: This shot always amuses me, for some reason. I think it's Shinji's expression.

135: Adding "except me", when it seems to contradict the changes ADV made to the script later (though I still say that's also a matter of what you're prepared to interpret, as much as what's directly said), might have been done because the Greenfield and others thought Misato really was joking at this point. It's an easy mistake to make, I think.

Look at it this way: many non-EVA fans think Shinji is simply "getting lucky" by living with Misato, and so do Touji and Kensuke, echoing that presumption that an older woman paying attention to a younger man is perceived as "flattering" to the man, or at least harmlessly comic. It probably has to do with the views on men and women and age differences, which I won't get into here.

144-155: *just laughs*

156: "I wonder if I've been a little TOO cheery? Maybe I'm the one who's transparent." I had ideas for the miswritten line, but since it was a miswrite, I immediately discarded them (yes, I do things like that). But the original line is another of those "hints" that Misato is something different than what she appears to be, implying that her cheerful demeanor is a facade, and a monitored one at that. I enjoy how the characters' outer selves show cracks right from the start.

157: Ah. These last scenes are some of my favorites in ep 2. I like how the mood changes so quickly.

171-173: Interseting that Misato's scenes in the last part of ep 2 are the ones that aren't entirely melancholy. But still...

175: "Am I the same as Ritsuko?" Interesting quote. Friends will think bad things of each other behind their backs, but the solemn nature of the scene, and the lack of humanity Ritsuko seems to displays at times, means this scene deserves a second look. Someone once

suggested to me that Ritsuko and Misato aren't really friends at all; they share surface interaction, but when it comes to support and sharing, and all the other things we'd hope exist in adult friendships, there's nothing to go on.

176: "...I don't feel happy." More signs of Misato's hidden self.

268: The short sequence of EVA-01 charging was parodied in the Invader Zim episode "Hamstergeddon" (#9B)

Caps:

1

2

3

4

If the connection looks dubious (I know it did to me, at first), the audio commentary said it was an NGE ref, and this is the only time the series uses speed lines. No one specified which scene IZ parodied, but the episode 2 sequence seems the most likely.

333: I love the way Megumi Ogata screams in this shot. Positively chilling.

335: The slow, shocked way Shinji turns over and starts to curl up after the flashback. For some reason, it really communicates a sense of trauma.

Originally posted on: 08-Oct-2004, 19:04 GMT

[Hexon.Arq [ANF]]

What do you mean? They aren't stashed away again until Shamshel shows up.

What I mean is that earlier in this very episode (during the cleanup), it almost appeared that everything was out on the surface. Here, what buildings are apparent (those that do not retract) seem to be very tiny, almost house-sized; the city seeems almost completely flat. It makes me wonder about how big the city must be for its scale to dwarf what structures we saw previously. It could just be my lack of aggressive observation, but the city seems to change appearance a lot; towering where convenient and desolate likewise.

104 - Are those Converse?

107 - Would this mean that most of the staff are living underground?

111 - Is there anything she doesn't like?

118 - That's a band name if I ever heard one.

119 - Just for the record, what kind of machine is that supposed to be? Is it a custom lair, or some kind of weird freezer someone really makes?

122B - Thrilled... for Shinji.

123 - I absolutely love the brief quotation of this music from the Eva Symphony album. I wish there had been a full performance. We could easily have settled for a single performance of Pachelbel's Canon.

124 - Damn kids and their reasonable diets.

127 - I find that I have trouble distinguishing drunk Misato from the one who's just trying hard to be friendly.

130 - Ah... another kind of heart thingy. <3

132 - Well, "rock, paper scissors" seems to come up a lot on this side of the planet as well. We're probably just so used to it that we don't really notice anymore. It's Japanese cousin's prevalence may simply equal that of the western Coin Toss. "Pon" is simply the Japanese equivalent of "pop", so I doubt it has any significance beyond that of our "kai, bai, bo".

133 - She has to be. She's a tactician.

135 - I think she may be trying to act Shinji's age rather than her own. This part of her life was marred, as we will see, and this particular means of quelling her loneliness may be born as a form of compansation to herself for this loss of age as well as an attempt to evoke the kind of spirit that a boy of is age "ought" to have. Her character evolution would be viewable as almost absurdly drastic if this weren't a good-natured facade.

140 - At this point, I would be extremely annoyed by Misato, as hot as she is. He's probably thinking, "What did I get myself into... or rather, what did she get me into?" Her attractiveness is probably the only thing other than his subdued nature that is keeping him from bolting for the door.

141 - Do Japanese typically wave the western "no no" when citing... whatever that is?

143 - It's probably for commical effect that he is so thin. If he were as well-developed as he appears later on, this scene wouldn't be as funny. There'd be more hooting than laughing... none from me, of course.

146 - Why was she sitting there watching that curtain?

150 - Perhaps the experiment was to develop a pengin-shaped kiling machine?

151 - That's nicer than my room.

152 - He doesn't seem very impressed.

155 - I did enjoy this joke the first time I saw it, but I have to say this is one of the most overrated moments of the series. "Oh, I hope they put the toothpicks thing in the movie!" Pfft!

156 - I always found the ADV translation to be really funny. Of course, what Misato is actually thinking does put the scene in a much more helpful light.

161 - Of course, the Termination Plug didn't do much in Episode #01.

Originally posted on: 09-Oct-2004, 01:09 GMT

[Reichu [ANF]]

I'm not dead!

I've just been really, really busy with other things.

I'm glad you haven't forgotten about us!

Note: Hey, Reichu, if you want to know my specific location in Canada, it's Manitoba, Canada. Any other info on my future amibitons I'd be happy to supply. And since you've been listing others' favorite characters, you might want to mention something about me being such a Shinji-phile, if you feel so inclined.

I thought I just mentioned Gendo and Rei in connection with tv33's "profile"
(admittedly, due to lack of inspiration... don't worry, he already chewed me out for it). Though I suppose your Shinjiphilia is of significant notoriety that it's worth mentioning. If you could share your "lot in life", that would be good. You probably told me in one of our e-mails a while back, but that would require some digging...

Your stuff is, as always, tight as an Eva's arse (not THAT kind of "tight", you perverts! although, yeah, they're probably tight that way, too...), so there's not much I have to add.

It probably has to do with the views on men and women and age differences, which I won't get into here.

Are you going to later on?

156: "I wonder if I've been a little TOO cheery? Maybe I'm the one who's transparent." I had ideas for the miswritten line, but since it was a miswrite, I immediately discarded them (yes, I do things like that). But the original line...

By 'original', do you mean the original translation or the "proper" translation (of the original Japanese)?

175: "Am I the same as Ritsuko?" Interesting quote. Friends will think bad things of each other behind their backs, but the solemn nature of the scene, and the lack of humanity Ritsuko seems to displays at times, means this scene deserves a second look. Someone once suggested to me that Ritsuko and Misato aren't really friends at all; they share surface interaction, but when it comes to support and sharing, and all the other things we'd hope exist in adult friendships, there's nothing to go on.

This suggestion fits in quite well with what Anno himself has said about Misato: "...a 29-year-old woman who lives life so lightly as to barely allow the possibility of a human touch. She protects herself by having only surface-level relationships, and running away."

176: "...I don't feel happy." More signs of Misato's hidden self.

I also find this interesting, in that Misato has literally devoted her life to "avenging her father", yet, now that her vengeance is being achieved (by overseeing the slaughter of the Angels), she feels no satisfaction from it.

268: The short sequence of EVA-01 charging was parodied in the Invader Zim episode "Hamstergeddon" (#9B)

... "Dude, this is pretty f***ed up right here."

333: I love the way Megumi Ogata screams in this shot. Positively chilling.

And she has a rather disturbing talent for it, as well! One wonders how the woman avoided permanent vocal cord damage.

335: The slow, shocked way Shinji turns over and starts to curl up after the flashback. For some reason, it really communicates a sense of trauma.

You captured my thoughts about that shot exactly... I wasn't sure how to verbalize them.

What I mean is that earlier in this very episode (during the cleanup), it almost appeared that everything was out on the surface. Here, what buildings are apparent (those that do not retract) seem to be very tiny, almost house-sized; the city seeems almost completely flat. It makes me wonder about how big the city must be for its scale to dwarf what structures we saw previously. It could just be my lack of aggressive observation, but the city seems to change appearance a lot; towering where convenient and desolate likewise.

There is a possibility that the "tiny buildings" we see in the panoramic shot are actually Eva-sized, with the ceiling buildings being significantly taller. I speculate on the matter back here... but nobody let me know if I was persuasive at all. :glares at thewayneiac:

Originally posted on: 09-Oct-2004, 01:31 GMT

[Hexon.Arq [ANF]]

If that's Eva sized, then those are some pretty damn big streets.

Originally posted on: 09-Oct-2004, 01:55 GMT

[Reichu [ANF]]

If that's Eva sized, then those are some pretty damn big streets.

Looking at episode #03, where the fight takes place, once again, in a Tokyo-3 sans ceiling buildings, it seems that the tallest are slightly taller than an Eva, but most are below waist height. (This seems to be again confirmed by looking at my screenshots of EVA-00 in episode #22, assuming the ceiling buildings were retracted before the Evas were sortied.) Again, I need to view #16 again to see if my hypothesis about the "building-climbing" incident holds any water...

Interesting that you should mention the streets. A production drawing of Tokyo-3 designates one of the streets going through the middle of the city as a "six-lane highway", which might explain why they are so big.

Originally posted on: 09-Oct-2004, 02:30 GMT

[Hexon.Arq [ANF]]

The buildings in Episode 16 are definitely taller than the Evas, or at least the same height, as the Evas appear to be squatting most of the time. Which, of course, brings up the question of how those buildings made the return from the Dirac Sea, but we'll save that one.

Originally posted on: 09-Oct-2004, 18:33 GMT

[HeWhoPostsStuff [ANF]]

I have a few other bits of nonsense to add, if you want 'em...

200: Nah, a regular ol' banana peel can disorient absolutely ANYthing in an animated world. In fact, seeing as NGE takes place within just such a world, I wonder why Nerv didn't pick up on this...forget all the useless gun emplacements and mines, if you really want to stop the Angels, put out banana peels and marbles. And forget N2 bombs, drop anvils! The image of Sachiel pulling out and opening up one of those tiny little umbrellas right before he gets hit would alone be worth the effort, methinks.

001: Perhaps gray or blue symbolizes "discomfort" or something like that in Japanese culture...I know that in Kabuki theater (and possibly Noh or other types as well, I don't know for sure) certain colors are supposed to represent certain characteristics or emotions in many cases. In any event, most people would likely find a hospital or trauma unit a rather uncomfortable place to be under most any circumstances, not unlike being trapped in a bad dream or unpleasant memory...

013: I wonder how well "Bully!" would translate into Japanese...

018: Apparently not enough to do the show the way they intended, in any case.

021B: I think what they're basically saying is "Can you bust up the next Angel without causing quite so much property damage that we hafta deal with?"

039: Interesting that the script specifically alludes to a "coffin" here...don't know how many viewers would have made that connection themselves, I hafta say I didn't...dont ya love it when the creators deliberately foreshadow stuff and give you pretty much no clue that they're even doing it?

067: When she thinks (according to the script) "He's running away," she's obviously referring to Shinji, but methinks she might as well also be referring to his father, seeing as he's doing much the same thing.

070: I think this is the first time we see Shinji smile since he's woken up...I suppose that the prospect of staying alone, as he has been, gives him its own kind of comfort, in knowing that at least something in his life is consistent, if not pleasant.

091: Maybe that's why Shinji's so impressed with this display..."Wow! Even physics has nothing on you guys!"

114: Starting here, and in a few sections afterwards, I think you've spelled "Refrigerator" incorrectly, though the common abbreviation "fridge" is usually rendered with the "d" intact, in my experience anyways.

133: While the anime just kind of suggests that Shinji has bad luck in this scenario, in the manga Misato tosses the "rock-paper-scissors" method of chore-dividing at him very abruptly and aggressively, apparently with the intention of catching him off guard before he even knows what's going on (and, conveniently, end up with fewer days of chores to do). As such it put a bit more of a devious, opportunistic spin on Misato than the anime does...

140: This seems like an odd place to put the "camera" for this shot, with the plant obscuring a sizable chunk of the action...I'm at a loss to think of why they might have done that.

159: I wonder what this wonky b/w pattern thingy is supposed to be...it looks kinda like a lunar surface shot...

162: I tend to think that Ritsuko is implying "While you were there, you DID stop to see your son, didn't you?" Which, of course, he had no intention of doing.

244: But then they couldn't reinforce the "hexagon" motif as effectively, heh heh.

256: It almost seems as if this was a deliberate coloring choice on Gainax's part, as opposed to the random bit of "tie dye" that it looks to be at first...purple skin, green eyes...sound like anyone we know?

285: Not quite his "ultimate" attack...if Pokemon has taught us anything, one's strongest attack always involves, shall we say, sacrifice on one's own part. But he's getting to it.

287: Or used the "Bide" TM sometime beforehand.

301: I STILL say the stuff on the right side looks like some kind of internal circulatory structure, dag nab it!

307: "Vol-torb!" (Alright, alright, I'm done with the Pokemon references. For now.)

333: ...Then again, the wonky coloring here doesn't seem to correlate with much of anything, unlike in 256.

Flame on, the suit's ready.

Originally posted on: 10-Oct-2004, 19:06 GMT

[Soluzar [ANF]]

200: Nah, a regular ol' banana peel can disorient absolutely ANYthing in an animated world. In fact, seeing as NGE takes place within just such a world, I wonder why Nerv didn't pick up on this...forget all the useless gun emplacements and mines, if you really want to stop the Angels, put out banana peels and marbles. And forget N2 bombs, drop anvils! The image of Sachiel pulling out and opening up one of those tiny little umbrellas right before he gets hit would alone be worth the effort, methinks.

Awwww, Stuffman, why aren't you working in Anime, that would just be so funny. I love Wile E Coyote. Now I'll be seeing those old cartoons in my head with Angels and Evas taking on Road-Runner and Wile E's places.

Originally posted on: 10-Oct-2004, 19:12 GMT

[HeWhoPostsStuff [ANF]]

Awwww, Stuffman, why aren't you working in Anime, that would just be so funny.

I think that if I ever did get myself into the anime business Reichu would personally see to it that I was exterminated for the sake of good taste before I could do too much damage. And in all honesty I can't think of a way to argue with her on it, seeing as her efforts would be pretty much justified.

Originally posted on: 10-Oct-2004, 19:45 GMT

[Reichu [ANF]]

I have a few other bits of nonsense to add, if you want 'em...

But of course! On a side note, Stuffman, what the heck happened to your avatar? It looks like some kind of possessed yellow toaster!

200: Nah, a regular ol' banana peel can disorient absolutely ANYthing in an animated world. In fact, seeing as NGE takes place within just such a world, I wonder why Nerv didn't pick up on this...forget all the useless gun emplacements and mines, if you really want to stop the Angels, put out banana peels and marbles. And forget N2 bombs, drop anvils! The image of Sachiel pulling out and opening up one of those tiny little umbrellas right before he gets hit would alone be worth the effort, methinks.

What are you trying to do, give me more demented ideas for Flash animations (whenever I take that class)?

001: Perhaps gray or blue symbolizes "discomfort" or something like that in Japanese culture...I know that in Kabuki theater (and possibly Noh or other types as well, I don't know for sure) certain colors are supposed to represent certain characteristics or emotions in many cases.

This might be an interesting thing to do research on. Since you aren't (as far as I know) selling your soul to a theatre production this semester, you must have ample free time. ;)

013: I wonder how well "Bully!" would translate into Japanese...

BARI-! They apparently already have their own word for it, ijimekko.

021B: I think what they're basically saying is "Can you bust up the next Angel without causing quite so much property damage that we hafta deal with?"

That's pretty much the way I interpreted the line, too.

039: Interesting that the script specifically alludes to a "coffin" here...don't know how many viewers would have made that connection themselves, I hafta say I didn't...dont ya love it when the creators deliberately foreshadow stuff and give you pretty much no clue that they're even doing it? :P

Foreshadowing Rei 2's later demise, you mean? It seems far too early in the series for that. Maybe that has something to do with why C-039 didn't make it.

114: Starting here, and in a few sections afterwards, I think you've spelled "Refrigerator" incorrectly, though the common abbreviation "fridge" is usually rendered with the "d" intact, in my experience anyways.

Heh heh, thanks for the pointer. For all of my language snobbery, I do make silly mistakes here and there. ;)

140: This seems like an odd place to put the "camera" for this shot, with the plant obscuring a sizable chunk of the action...I'm at a loss to think of why they might have done that.

For the same reason as the fluorescent light in C-120, of course!

159: I wonder what this wonky b/w pattern thingy is supposed to be...it looks kinda like a lunar surface shot...

That's actually rather interesting, considering the flashbacks are Rei-related. AHHHH ANNO'S MESSING WITH OUR MINDS AGAIN!!!

256: It almost seems as if this was a deliberate coloring choice on Gainax's part, as opposed to the random bit of "tie dye" that it looks to be at first...purple skin, green eyes...sound like anyone we know?

Not sure what you're getting at... Yui-sama's skin is chocolate-brown, not purple (although it looks kind of purplish in certain lighting situations). And Shinji's coloration here is more like fuschia than purple, IMO. (On my monitor, anyhow.)

285: Not quite his "ultimate" attack...if Pokemon has taught us anything, one's strongest attack always involves, shall we say, sacrifice on one's own part. But he's getting to it.

Well, okay, bad wording on my part. ;)

287: Or used the "Bide" TM sometime beforehand.

:groan:

301: I STILL say the stuff on the right side looks like some kind of internal circulatory structure, dag nab it! :P

Hey, mate, I haven't gotten around to incorporating your last batch of comments from before! I might have intended to include it... or not... Guess I'll have to give in this time just so you be quiet. ;)

I think that if I ever did get myself into the anime business Reichu would personally see to it that I was exterminated for the sake of good taste before I could do too much damage. And in all honesty I can't think of a way to argue with her on it, seeing as her efforts would be pretty much justified.

Considering the level of "good taste" most anime exhibits these days, you'd probably be doing the industry a favor!

We need to catch up on AIM sometime, Stuffman! (Probably my bad for barely going on anymore, for fear of being assaulted by five people the moment I login...)

Originally posted on: 10-Oct-2004, 19:46 GMT

[HeWhoPostsStuff [ANF]]

But of course! On a side note, Stuffman, what the heck happened to your avatar? It looks like some kind of possessed yellow toaster!

Heh heh, he's actually the "Creator" robot from Radiant Silvergun (y'know, that hideously expensive game for the Saturn?)...I think I mentioned him to you once, to the effect of saying "For a game whose actual action is so intense and dramatic in nature, it figured that it has to have one of the stupidest-looking robots (and really out-of-place anime characters) in history to go along with it." In any case, I immediately thought of him when the "Dimensional Bucket" phrase (or was it "Temporal Bucket?") came up during that dinner at the Chester Diner before you headed off to college...as vital to the plot as he is (sadly enough), all things considered, just a really tacky-looking bucket o' bolts, heh heh.

What are you trying to do, give me more demented ideas for Flash animations (whenever I take that class)?

Heh heh, you probably already had a full semester's worth of projects in that regard from me before the commentary even started.

This might be an interesting thing to do research on. Since you aren't (as far as I know) selling your soul to a theatre production this semester, you must have ample free time.

Heh, actually, though I'm not in a production this time around, I AM serving as an officer for the local honor society, which eats up some more time...I'll look into colors in Japanese theater if I have time though, seeing as one or two of my classes touched on it briefly in semesters past...

For the same reason as the fluorescent light in C-120, of course!

I was always under the impression that the light served as a "conveniently-placed atmospheric censor device," much like the lamp in Rei's room in a later ep...not sure what the plant would be "blocking out" here...

Not sure what you're getting at... Yui-sama's skin is chocolate-brown, not purple (although it looks kind of purplish in certain lighting situations). And Shinji's coloration here is more like fuschia than purple, IMO. (On my monitor, anyhow.)

Well, I suppose I was thinking of the Eva's armor color instead of its actual skin in this case...still, as I noted later on, it's probably just coincidence, since similar occurrences of acid-induced coloring don't seem to have the same type of correlation.

We need to catch up on AIM sometime, Stuffman! (Probably my bad for barely going on anymore, for fear of being assaulted by five people the moment I login...)

Heh, I'm not on all that much these days either, truth be told, but fear not, we'll catch each other one of these days. And if all else fails there's always email or PM. Just make sure you don't let this project overshadow the more important stuff you're doing. We'll still be here once you're done.

Originally posted on: 10-Oct-2004, 19:58 GMT

[Mr. Tines [ANF]]

205: are those random glints from a surface, or the inner energy showing through gaps in a valve-like structure that folds back to deploy the clearly telescopic (part1 scene 2 shot 040, and here later in 228) lance?

230: At this point one might still be thinking hydraulic fluid under pressure (and you'd need it for a system like that). But with later data, that no longer washes.

085-098: (scene 4) Look - the sun actually sets! (Flip between the two large screen shots in browser tabs to watch it.)

One of my pet niggles is about sunsets where the sun doesn't set (see ep. 24).

The sun crosses its own width in 2 minutes, so with the zoom in on the disk like we have, we should see noticeable movement either horizontally or vertically, over the duration of the typical Eva sunset scene.

122A/B: The thumbnails are giving "File not Found" errors

149: Am I the only one who thinks that PenPen's backpack looks *just like* the plug-suit back-pack?

273: the linked large image is missing (02_C273_big.jpg). The link checker at http://validator.w3.org/checklink
suggests that this is the only one on that page. It just would be the first one I tried to enlarge.

328: There are only a limited number of easily distinguishable orifice shapes in a surface - a slot, maybe 3 or 4 lines radiating from a centre (and I can't think of examples in any biological context), and many or zero (which look much the same).

Originally posted on: 11-Oct-2004, 08:38 GMT

[Reichu [ANF]]

I think I mentioned him to you once, to the effect of saying "For a game whose actual action is so intense and dramatic in nature, it figured that it has to have one of the stupidest-looking robots (and really out-of-place anime characters) in history to go along with it." In any case, I immediately thought of him when the "Dimensional Bucket" phrase (or was it "Temporal Bucket?") came up during that dinner at the Chester Diner before you headed off to college...as vital to the plot as he is (sadly enough), all things considered, just a really tacky-looking bucket o' bolts, heh heh.

My memory fails me yet again! ARRGHHHh!

Heh heh, you probably already had a full semester's worth of projects in that regard from me before the commentary even started.

I thought it was just "Secret Agent Samm"? You never DID write the lyrics to that thing... ;;p

I'll look into colors in Japanese theater if I have time though, seeing as one or two of my classes touched on it briefly in semesters past...

You better! You don't want your comments to be in ugly courier font, now do you?

I was always under the impression that the light served as a "conveniently-placed atmospheric censor device," much like the lamp in Rei's room in a later ep...not sure what the plant would be "blocking out" here...

Well, yeah, it keeps fanboys from getting a really good view of Misato's "pantsu", but Anno does like to do this "big things in foreground" more often that you'd think.

Just make sure you don't let this project overshadow the more important stuff you're doing. We'll still be here once you're done.

I cannae help it! When I try to divert my attentions to the important things, Sammael shows up and whispers poison into my ear:

"My Child, why are you studying for a history exam? That's only one grade. A trifle... A grain of sand in the beach of life -- no, even less than that! The commentary... that will be the eternal proof that you existed. You will be remembered by the countless generations of geeks to come, even after your corpse has been eaten by maggots and microorganisms and your entire body of artwork and writings has been burnt to ashes for its sheer perversity."

"For a hairy devil commonly thought of as the root of all sin and the true mastermind behind both the Microsoft Corporation and the Bush Administration, you're right. Screw time management! Let's par-tay!"

Of course, Sammael is always amused when I go crying to the counselors later. But nevermind that.

And now, back on-topic... Mr. Tines' contributions!

205: are those random glints from a surface, or the inner energy showing through gaps in a valve-like structure that folds back to deploy the clearly telescopic (part1 scene 2 shot 040, and here later in 228) lance?

That's more or less the issue I was pondering... You seem to put the matter a bit more succinctly than I, though.

230: At this point one might still be thinking hydraulic fluid under pressure (and you'd need it for a system like that). But with later data, that no longer washes.

"No longer washes"? Is that kind of like the idiomatic "no longer holds water"?

One of my pet niggles is about sunsets where the sun doesn't set (see ep. 24).

"Niggles"? That's a new one to me.

Are you referring to the sunset in the scene where Shinji and Kaworu meet?

122A/B: The thumbnails are giving "File not Found" errors

:grumble grumble: Thanks for pointing that out. It happens.

149: Am I the only one who thinks that PenPen's backpack looks *just like* the plug-suit back-pack?

I never really thought of comparing the two before... Interesting. Any speculation about exactly what Pen^2's 'backpack' is for, anyway?

328: There are only a limited number of easily distinguishable orifice shapes in a surface - a slot, maybe 3 or 4 lines radiating from a centre (and I can't think of examples in any biological context), and many or zero (which look much the same).

Are you implying that it looks more like a "generic orifice" than a vagina specifically? You have quite a few years on me, so please bear with me when I lag behind.

Originally posted on: 10-Oct-2004, 23:19 GMT

[Gundampilotspaz [ANF]]

181 - A simple question that has underlieing meaning on top of underlieing meaning. Shinji seems to ask himself why he is in the city. But thoughout the series this question gets asked again and again in the context of "Why do I exsist" . This could be a begining to that mindset when he begins to believe he is not welcome anywhere. The question never is solved, it can't be. Because living is the act of tring to answer this question.

341 - Shinji lies in bed at the end of this episdoe confused beyound reason. He doesn't remember what he did exactly when the Eva went Berserk, no one has mentioned the Eva to him this entire episode. And then Misato says one sentence to him, one sentence of praise, that doesn't really say that she is proud of him, but says that he should be proud of himself. Something he doesn't know how to do.

What also must be amounting toward the confusion of Shinji is that no one has mentioned to him what happened the night before. He may believe that it didn't really happen. There is only twice in the episode where this is confronted. The first time is in the store show in cut 079, and then the rising of the city in 098. He is confused about what happened, he is with a strange woman, in more ways then one, and his personality really doesn't allow for openess. He won't ask. He lets things develop with Misato is what appears to be a kind home envirerment, then when he is alone his shell begins to show. This is building toward the first breaking of that shell in episode 4.

Originally posted on: 11-Oct-2004, 15:45 GMT

[Mr. Tines [ANF]]

"No longer washes"? Is that kind of like the idiomatic "no longer holds water"?

Indeed.

"Niggles"? That's a new one to me.

A Niggle = A minor annoyance.

Sorry, it's all more - possibly a little archaic - UK dialect.

Are you referring to the sunset in the scene where Shinji and Kaworu meet?

That's the most obvious, but not the only, instance of sunset scenes that last long enough for the Sun to obviously lack animation. There's one where Gendou and Fuyutsuki are in a train, and the sun is also fixed against the horizon.

Are you implying that it looks more like a "generic orifice" than a vagina specifically? You have quite a few years on me, so please bear with me when I lag behind.

In short, yes.

I'm sorry - I possibly start two or three steps beyond where I should when I'm rambling like this.

I was wondering whether this may be a case of "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar", as, after all, there are only a few possible choices for the geometry (pore, mouth, possibly the few-pointed star like Sachiel's palm may be).

The mainly horizontal alignment of the feature, and the symmetry about a line perpendicular to the length of the slot are what one would expect of an eye. This contrasts with the key geometric cues of the vulva, which are a vertical alignment and an asymmetry about the perpendicular axis.

Originally posted on: 11-Oct-2004, 19:45 GMT

[Reichu [ANF]]

A Niggle = A minor annoyance.

Sorry, it's all more - possibly a little archaic - UK dialect.

Fine with me. I love irritating other Americans by using various Anglicisms.

I was wondering whether this may be a case of "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar", as, after all, there are only a few possible choices for the geometry (pore, mouth, possibly the few-pointed star like Sachiel's palm may be).

The mainly horizontal alignment of the feature, and the symmetry about a line perpendicular to the length of the slot are what one would expect of an eye. This contrasts with the key geometric cues of the vulva, which are a vertical alignment and an asymmetry about the perpendicular axis.

Hmm, in that case, what would your assessment be of EVA-02's big, pink, fleshy eye sockets in EoE? Sure, they're not "anatomically accurate" if they're meant to be "faux-vulvae" of sorts, but there is a resemblance there that I can't ignore, much as I would like to. Even if you put the eye socket stuff aside, there are at least two instances in EoE that really, really stretch the whole "cigar is just a cigar" bit; IMO, Anno is definitely using "subliminal female genitalia" to mess with our minds.

The first is when EVA-01's core swells and emerges, splitting the material that normally covers it. They seem to have decided to use a "birthing" visual metaphor here; they even bothered giving EVA-01 two additional "nucleolae", which serve no purpose other than to emphasize the 'feminine imagery'. In the actual animation, there is, of course, a generous "LCL splatter" when it happens.

The other one, quite a bit more (in)famous, is when GNR (our acronym for "Giant Naked Rei") sprouts a third eye to take in the Tree of Life.



I'd like to hear your take on these incidences, at any rate. "Is an eye socket... always an eye socket?"

Originally posted on: 12-Oct-2004, 01:24 GMT

[Hexon.Arq [ANF]]

117 - One minor detail always bugged me, is that a string hanging down from the light fixture? I've never seen one like that.

240B - An Eva that spewed red silly string from its head would have been a hell of a thing to market based on this scene. Of course, if they don't already make that, it's only a matter of time.

018 - Does NERV really need to print their own cups? How much did that cost?

278 - "Hey, it's just cellophane!"

294 - If there's no hole for it, put it on rollers.

301 - Maybe the light is equivalent to a dilated pupil. Ever sit on a cat and beat on it with a blunt object? Looks like the inverse of this.

304 - If Misao didn't say that, some people would probably ask, "Whoa, what blew up?" Did you know Sachi could self-destruct? Maybe Eva blew on the core and made it really hot, you don't know.

343 - Aw, is that all he gets for his trouble?

Originally posted on: 12-Oct-2004, 05:05 GMT

[Reichu [ANF]]

117 - One minor detail always bugged me, is that a string hanging down from the light fixture? I've never seen one like that.

You've never used a string to turn a light on and off?

240B - An Eva that spewed red silly string from its head would have been a hell of a thing to market based on this scene. Of course, if they don't already make that, it's only a matter of time.

Oh, dear gawd, there are two of them...

018 - Does NERV really need to print their own cups? How much did that cost?

They've got their own mugs, too!

301 - Maybe the light is equivalent to a dilated pupil. Ever sit on a cat and beat on it with a blunt object? Looks like the inverse of this.

... ... ...

Say what?!?

343 - Aw, is that all he gets for his trouble?

He gets to live with a "hot babe". What more could he want?

Originally posted on: 12-Oct-2004, 05:33 GMT

[Mr. Tines [ANF]]

I'd like to hear your take on these incidences, at any rate. "Is an eye socket... always an eye socket?"

The GNR case is the one that I remember clearly noting at the time as being not just a "third eye"; it and the 01-core image have the clear vertical main axis.

Originally posted on: 12-Oct-2004, 18:19 GMT

[Reichu [ANF]]

The GNR case is the one that I remember clearly noting at the time as being not just a "third eye"; it and the 01-core image have the clear vertical main axis.

Well, personally, I don't think the possession of a "vertical main axis" should be the sole determinant for whether or not Anno is messing with our minds. Turn EVA-02's eye sockets 90 degrees, and, well, there you go. Of all the eye sockets I've seen, the Evas' are the only ones that look like they were pulled out of an uncensored H-doujin.

Originally posted on: 12-Oct-2004, 23:29 GMT