So what did Asuka see in Kaji?

[Sachi]

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and perhaps Asuka had a crush on Kaji because she was a 13-year-old girl.

Yes. However, if you take what we do know about Asuka (e.g, parental issues, loneliness, etc), and later use what is already known to explain something else she does, such as her infatuation with Kaji, it becomes more than a cigar and an insight to her character.

[Sailor Star Dust]

But Asuka's crush on Kaji DOES have a lot to do with her character outlook/development and such.

(And actually, Eva-01 being purple has payoff of sorts in 26' with Yui's shirt changing from pink to purple. Though I understand you mean mundane examples of digging too deep into NGE.)

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and perhaps Asuka had a crush on Kaji because she was a 13-year-old girl.

That's not strictly true in this case. There is in fact a little more depth to Asuka's infatuation with Kaji. Perhaps not as much as some have suggested, but the crush is more than a simple one—though the complications are mostly from Asuka's end.

[Mr. Tines]

Since nobody has yet made the obvious response

One thing that's been on my mind is that Asuka's inexplicably attracted to Kaji. Why? He's around twice her age and is a total playboy, so why did Asuka like him???

Because he's around twice her age and is a total playboy (or "man of the world", if you prefer).

[SaltyJoe]

I always thought that Asuka saw a lot of what she wanted to be in Kaji: mature, independent, always in control (everytime Kaji speaks, he leads the conversation), just plain cool.

So, being accepted (i.e.: goinked) by a man of such stature as Kaji would mean that her ideal of a cool, independent adult treats her as an equal, and thus, she would feel like that she is actually his equal.

So i think she viewed Kaji mainly as a prized trophy: the ultimate key to adulthood.

Her "Look at me!" and "Hold me!" issues were more generalized, and not really specific to Kaji.

[SenorSquiid]

I always thought that Asuka saw a lot of what she wanted to be in Kaji: mature, independent, always in control (everytime Kaji speaks, he leads the conversation), just plain cool.

So, being accepted (i.e.: goinked) by a man of such stature as Kaji would mean that her ideal of a cool, independent adult treats her as an equal, and thus, she would feel like that she is actually his equal.

So i think she viewed Kaji mainly as a prized trophy: the ultimate key to adulthood.

Her "Look at me!" and "Hold me!" issues were more generalized, and not really specific to Kaji.

Pretty much this. Kaji is Asuka's way of feeling like an adult, but I think he's also kind of an anchor to her, that even if she can't have him now maybe he'll change his mind when she's 18 (And he probably would have, at least for a few evenings. i mean, he's Kaji.) but then Kaji is a dead and Asuka is a sad, and she totally loses it.

I suppose in a sense Asuka was seeking Kaji's recognition by piloting Eva the same way Shinji was looking for validation from Gendo.

tl;dr Daddy Issues

[Eva Yojimbo]

This is a dangerous road to walk. Soon you'll be saying things like "Sure on the surface EVA-01's purple paint job may seem mundane, but dig a little deeper and you'll get some insight into Yui's character." Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar,

There is probably a thread on this somewhere, but I've always thought there is more to NGE's color schemes than meets the eye; especially as it relates to Anno's overarching dualism theme and the idea of being caught in the middle between extremes. Shinji's choice in the series ultimately comes down to Rei and Asuka; Childhood/adulthood, collectivism/individuality, dependence/independence, Blue/Red. If you mix Blue and Red you get Purple; so it does seem to reinforce the idea of Shinji being stuck in between opposing poles of existence.

Also, on the whole "a cigar is just a cigar" idea, interpretation requires three things; evidence, a conclusion, and a logical argument to link the former to the latter. Pretty much all major interpretations on NGE have a healthy amount of both; even those that are disputed. And oftentimes there is much too much evidence to pass something off as mere coincidence. The red/blue juxtaposed color scheme pops up all over NGE; way too much for it to be mere coincidence.

[Reichu]

There is probably a thread on this somewhere

I couldn't help but remember this one. (Thanks to Seele 00 for finding it.)

[Eva Yojimbo]

I couldn't help but remember this one. (Thanks to Seele 00 for finding it.)

Ah, yes; that thread was when I was waddling around in my fanwanking pampers. My color symbolism theories have a lot more meat to them now.

[Itorbeh]

I think several people over all have hit thel nail on the head.

There would be several reasons why Asuka is attracted to Kaji, some of them stem from each other as well.

Asuka has a LOT of depth to her character that I LOVE to explore for the cocktail of personality it inspires.

Here we go:

As far as her character traits are concerned throughout most of the series she's trying very hard to prove her abilities, show she is not only competent but the best and thus worthy of praise and of course she fights fiercely to be as independent as possible.

The largest portion of all of this ties into her mother issues where she felt her worth was measured and ignored for dolls (which is why the insult she gave to Rei about being a doll was actually quite personal and severe) Because of this low sense of worth and how used to fighting for her mothers attentions, affection but most importantly approval (over the dolls) when she interacts with others whether by habit or by choice she can't help but fight very hard for their approval and satisfaction/pride or adoration in the efforts she puts in.

Unfortunately because of the pain inflicted on her by her mother not giving her attention and not approving of her as a child Asuka also in my opinion opted to try as hard as possible to move away from being a child, in her mind I believe she viewed her childhood as a competition with dolls (inanimate objects) whereas adults she noticed never had this problem.

I believe it also ties into her independence in the sense that by removing herself from peers especially she could remove herself from both the pain of her memories and the fear of again being compared as being less than special (remember that was one of her pleas to her mother, that she was special over the dolls).

In that sense, her feelings for Kaji over, say Gendo differ in the relationships they share with the people around them. Misato is an adult, independent and in charge and Kaji shows her affection. Misato on the other hand see's Asuka as a child and while very capable still needs to be treated as a child/young adult. It's almost retaliation in the sense that Asuka wanting to be seen as more than a child attempts to prove it through the one thing that Asuka cannot say she can compete with Misato which is being the object of Kaji's affection.

It would be the next step for her in becoming less the child the thought her mother despised enough to shun of affection (thus in her mind preferring dolls over her own daughter).

I believe the same qualities she despises in herself are the ones she actively despises in Shinji, in many ways Shinji does fail which is some thing Asuka is afraid of doing and so she despises most of all how little Shinji cares about what others think of him which only makes her hate him more.

I believe the difference between Gendo's affection towards Rei and Kaji's affection for Misato is that Rei is still treated and referred to as a child and so the only question on Asuka's mind is why is Rei so liked by Gendo? as a child she must simply be his favorite and in a sense perhaps even looks down on Gendo for not seeing that she is better than Rei at certain things.

Misato is refered to and treated as a woman and that is why Kaji's affection is sought so much by Asuka.

There are a few other great notions that I agree with as well but this is the most important one I feel for Asuka's personality.

[carla]

back when i first watched the series, i thought it was daddy issues. then i realized that, while her father may have played a part in it, she's no misato-- it never felt to me like Asuka was trying to "sleep with her father" like Misato was. sure, Asuka didn't have a father figure either, so in a sense she would be looking to hook up with an older, wiser man who was interesting, worldly and cared for her... if that was the only problem she had, i would say "sure, that's absolutely it." but i always got the feeling her mommy issues FAR overshadowed whatever daddy issues she might have had.

on the other hand, she did catch her father having sex with the one who would become her stepmother once (or more, can't remember), and she knows her father practically dumped her off in NERV's hands. to a seven-year-old's mind, a father considering sex more important than taking care of his daughter could equate to the breach between childhood and adulthood. basically, Asuka thinks sex is the ultimate expression of leaving childhood behind and growing up. and since she wanted, as a reaction to her mother's suicide, to become special, and independent, and adult, then surely landing a hot guy and getting lots of sex would be the ultimate proof that she was no longer a child. she was grown-up. she was different from all other eva pilots. she was a woman.

enter Kaji, who's a remarkably hot guy, humors her pushiness, and clearly has a lot of experience in the bedroom. why would she not want him?

also, i always felt that maybe part of what attracted her to Kaji was that he was not what you'd call a safe choice? she was going for sexuality as the ultimate proof of maturity, but did she love him? hedgehog's dilemma and all that. so maybe part of Kaji's appeal was that he wasn't likely to return her affection? you know, the whole "falling for guys who are unavailable" thing. she knew it wasn't ever going to happen, so she was comfortable enough in letting him in, because it would never be deep enough for him to hurt her. (in that sense, what really hurt her, as seen in the mind rape, was not the fact that he didn't love her-- but the fact that he thought of her as a child).

just my two cents.

[Seele00TextOnly]

...

[TheLobe]

I always found the stuff about adulthood interesting because it centred around a) Misato and Kaji's "we were just kids" ideas b) Asuka and Kaji's "I'm a big girl now" "No your not" relationship and c) Shinji and Misato's "That was a grown up kiss" stuff. Between them they talk a lot about adulthood and both Shinji and Asuka have a older sexual figure to look up to.

[carla]

So to contradict you in a sense while agreeing, I say that he was indeed a safe choice. She could allow herself to explore and more importantly express feelings for him. If it wouldn't have been illegal and sick for the two of them to actually have a relationship, then she would have kept her affections for him as obscured in mixed messages as she did with Shinji.

no, we're totally in agreement here. that was exactly what i was trying to say when i mentioned Kaji being a "safe choice." couldn't have put it better. *tips off hat*

[tehprognoob]

Yep. Whatever you just said. By the way, Carla, LUV dat avatar, lolz.

[PSBlows]

good god you guys overanalyze everything.

Asuka likes Kaji because he is a "playboy". is "twice her age", intelligent, and is the "tall, dark and handsome" type.

that should be pretty obvious.

[SaikiEva]

Asuka likes Kaji because he is a "playboy". is "twice her age", intelligent, and is the "tall, dark and handsome" type.

And why does that make him the target of her desire?

I'd say it's because of her highly narcissistic tendencies.

She views everyone as an extension of her own self, and expects them to live up to her expectations. This explains why she "is not interested in little children." Attachment to any person lower than herself is unacceptable to her.

Kaji is different, however. Kaji is an adult. Kaji is independent. Kaji is confident. Kaji is successful. He is what she wishes to be. He's actually above herself in the ladder. This makes him a safe target for the displacement of her sexual impulses.

On a side note, this could also explain her interest in Shinji. If we ignore Kaji, he'd possibly be the closest person to Asuka herself in the ladder, due to the fact that he is an Eva pilot. He's still under her, so she's still resistant, but he is probably the most suitable person of the rest.

There's also the idea that Asuka has not yet resolved her Electra complex and is still fixated in the phallic phase of her psychosexual development. That's what I originally thought, but it would have been way more likely if Kaji had become Asuka's guardian at some point. She could have started to look at him as some sort of father figure anyway, so let's not disregard that yet.

Also, it is quite clear that Asuka identifies with Kaji, and unconsciously models her own self image to be similar to his, but that alone doesn't explain her unhealthy interest in him.

[Mr. Tines]

On a side note, this could also explain her interest in Shinji. If we ignore Kaji, he'd possibly be the closest person to Asuka herself in the ladder, due to the fact that he is an Eva pilot.

Yes -- and most of their interactions can be explained in terms of the mismatch between an idealized male peer and the slightly bewildered reality. The same status consciousness also explains the failure of the date that the Horakis set her up with.

As the scenario is set up with Shinji as a more than usually ineffectual harem lead, she doesn't get to interact with any other men who she might plausibly set her sights on.

[Lavinius]

I had always assumed that Asuka's interest in Kaji was merely a playful crush and not really genuine or serious, but looking back at it it seems that she truly did think she had a chance with him. Why? I would certainly understand that she would think that she was worthy of Kaji, but that she would think that he possibly would actually reciprocate is very strange. One could dismiss this as "she thinks that she can be treated as an adult by performing well" but I can't see why she would think that she could change his mind. I guess it shows that Asuka is a little crazy...
How did she fall for Kaji anyway? For the most part, it seems highly unlikely that she would actually fall in love with him under normal circumstances. And yet she understands social mores, so it's not as if she has been misled about the culture by being in company with adults.
What do you think?
Also, what exactly did Asuka see in Shinji anyway? Was it just that he was a competitor who must kneel before her? Or did she actually, for some reason, like him?

[Chuckman]

He was in the area, he's cool and mysterious, he's into Misato who Asuka models herself on, he tolerates her bullshit and she interprets his figurative pats on the head as romantic interest, and she subconsciously knows he's a safe target.

The relationships between women and father-authority figures is pretty prominent in the series.