Have you ever had a change of heart for a character?

[DevRei17]

Basically what I mean is there a character in Evangelion you essentially didn't like (for whatever reason) that you later changed your mind about?

I bring this up because recently I have a change of heart in the character of Asuka. As some of you may recall, I haven't been that fond of the character (you know I'm talking about Gasmask.) However, rewatching the series recently I realized I may have been wrong about her. While she certainly is bitchy, she's no where near as bad as I remembered. This was my fourth complete viewing of the series, so why Asuka's 'clicking' for me now I'll never know... Maybe I wasn't in an Asuka-like mood the other three times...?

Anyway, here's to you Asuka. While I still certainly like Rei and Misato better, your now at a close third.

[TehDonutKing]

Asuka became one of my favourites, despite my initial apathy towards her.

Ritsuko went from apathy, to hatred, to sympathy.

[InstrumentalityOne]

Shinji in chronological order

Moron>Mental wreck>Sad guy>Me.

[Mr. Tines]

For Asuka, there were a couple of points where I thought "couldn't the red-headed stereotype have just fried in that volcano?" -- and then in episode 16 she just clicked with me and became the main character as far as I was concerned.

Meanwhile, Shinji went from harmless nebbish with his heart in the right place (TV) to become an oik and a cad and i diskard him (EoE).

[AngelNo13Bardiel]

Asuka for me, as well.

In order of relevance:
Ep08 = "Geez, what a bitch."
Ep09 = "Hmm...more going on there than I figured."
Ep15 = "Yeah, Definitely more going on there than first let on."
Ep22 (especially the DC version)= "Okay, now I feel bad about that first impression."
EoE = "Well...you have my sympathy now."

[Eva Yojimbo]

I wouldn't say a "change of heart" so much. I mean, as series/movies progress and I get to understand characters better I may change how I assess them, but that rarely has to do with how I feel about them.

[Guyver Spawn]

Does have to be Human characters because Shamshel grew on me over time since he used to be my least favorite Angel?

[Eva Yojimbo]

Shamshel grew on me over time since he used to be my least favorite Angel?

Admit it, you just love giant purple penises with electrified pubes.

[BeoX2]

Admit it, you just love giant purple penises with electrified pubes.

You caught me.

I never really had one, although I've come to respect Shinji a FRACTION of a bit more.

[Eva Yojimbo]

I never really had one, although I've come to respect Shinji a FRACTION of a bit more.

Am I in any way responsible for that fraction?

[Bomby von Bombsville]

I never liked Asuka until I saw the mind-rape sequence. Then I understood her.

[soul.assassin]

Back when I watched the series for the first time, and Asuka came onboard, instantly I acquired a dislike for her, for initially I gotten used to the Shinji x Rei (rather sugary) relationship.

However, after reading Higher Learning did I became fond of Asuka, understood her strengths and weaknesses, and her vital role in the saga.

[BeoX2]

Am I in any way responsible for that fraction?

Almost entirely.

[Gamer137]

I'm going to stray away from the obvious Asuka option. But she grew on em faster then what it appears for others.

I was actually annoyed the first times seeing Hikari. Overly school focused teachers pet. But she drops it around episode fifteen, which was nice.

Sadly the rest of the cast end the way they begin but in different ways. Toji's first appearance was understandable for a middle schooler, though I would expect someone older to understand shit happens in military situation. Ritsuko may have turned evilish in the second half, but it was still understandable and I felt more pity then hate. I still hated Gendo though in the end.

[xark]

The first time I watched Eva, I had really mixed feelings for Asuka - my attitude towards her kept bouncing between love and hate. As I kept watching, I figured out it was because she reminded me too much of all the things I dislike about myself So after that I started to relate to her, she's my favorite character now. But I never completely hated her like a lot of you seem to have haha

I absolutely despised Rei. It took rewatching multiple times to start to warm up to her character but tbh I still don't like her too much except for in EoE

[carla]

wow, Asuka, how you shook people. job well done, as far as i'm concerned.

in my case, i would have to say kaworu. upon first watching, i thought he was really, really annoying, i thought he felt out-of-place and his interaction with Shinji was entirely unbelievable. for the longest time when i rewatched, i would stop at episode 23. eventually i did rewatch, and it wasn't until then (and probably until i encountered the online fandom) that i started seeing him in a better light. right now i still think he's... weird. i wouldn't say i love him, but he doesn't bother me. and i can see how important he was, and that he can be a fun character even in his... weirdness.

Rei might be another case. i never hated her, but i could never get her, you know? i felt like everything i knew about her, i could understand in a purely academic way, but i never actually empathized. it wasn't until rebuild that i actually found myself liking her.

[BleedingCandy]

Well, it's not really a change of heart since I don't particularly dislike someone/anyone, it's just.. Asuka was my least favorite back then.

However, watching her progress and development from time to time (episode by episode), and reading quite much things regarding herself, I've grown to like her even more.

She's my 3rd favorite character, after Shinji that is.

But I do have a character that I first liked and now she's one of my least favorite, that is.. Misato.

[Zenithfleet]

Gendo.

There were hints of it beforehand, but his final scene in EoE turned him totally inside out for me. Suddenly instead of 'magnificent evil bastard' he was 'Shinji in thirty years'. Only he never had Toji, Kensuke, Rei, Misato, mum, Mr Zebra Ball or apocalyptic therapy to help him while there was still time. Brr.

[Kendrix]

I didn't have that many 'changes of heart' with Evangalion-Characters because they all provide at least some intelectual enjoyment as instresting Concepts/deconstructions of certain real-life types of people in our sucess-oriented Relationship.
I do see a bit of Asuka in certain people I met in real life - and I tend to dislike this kind of people, wether they're real or just lines on a screen, still I can value her on an intellectual level, and I understand why she absolutely HAS to be in there, but if she was real, I'd slap her across the face and nothing she did in the Anime or EoE redeemed her before the emotional part of me.
In Rebuild, se started out as ambitious and unlikeable as ever, but deveoped in a different direction - I was aware that she could have become something else if she had realized her errors, but I never expected her to be capable of genuine kindness. I only stopped disliking her just before she got trashed (I bet that bastard Anno planned that T~T) because she became I truly independant Personwhich I could respect. However, this made be hate her pre-elevator-scene/original-series-self a lot more because now I know that she COULD HAVE improved/become a better person if she only had tried
It was similar with Gendo with the distinction that I never disliked him. i just changed my... interpretation of him after EoE.
In the series, I was like "Cool, how original, a villain with no redeeming characteristics where those little Sighns that he might be a Jerk with a heart of Gold turned out to be Shinji's misinterpretations, he's an evil Jerk with a heart of jerk. Woo, Anno, great villain!"
After EoE, I reached the conclusion that he's just bitter and tired of the world, but that didn't make me like him more or less. He's not on my top 3 list, but I still think he's a coool, unique character.


Now where I really had a change of heart was Shinji.
I allways thought of him as a 'good Idea', or 'Concept': "let's put a guy with a non-heroic personality into a classic go-and-save-teh-world setting and see what happens", a 'guy with issues'
I didn't dislike him as a Person and I did feel relieved when good stuff happened to him, went 'WOW!' at the few archievements he made and wanted him to get (one of) the girl(s),but I wasn't really a big fan of him, I just thought 'He sux for a reason and that's why he's cool'.
But Rebuild has made me see him in a different light. I was so impressed
when he actively used Shogoki's godlike powers and saved Rei. But then I thought: WHY am I impressed? Lots of anime protagonists save their potential love intrests or friends under high risks
The anwer I found was: Because Shinji has to overcome more than just the "Bad Guys", but also his own fears... And that made me appreciate him in his entirity, and even his few acomplishments in the original much more.
Why I never thought he was an 'Useless EMO whip' or anything like that, I would say that I am something of a Shinji fan now. I have also realized for the first time that he has other characteristics than 'no self esteem'. He's actually quite nice once he comes out of his Shell (as Touji noted in ep. 17), and muses and thinks a lot about the world and the people surounding him and has a lot of talents...It's just that he can never bring himself to act, to make that thoughs and wishes of him into reality, because he doesn't think he can change anything... there's somre cuteness/purity about him, of course, nothing of that is left by EoE, but then again, at that point, everyone he ever cared about had either died or sunk into dispair in VERY fast sucession... his best friend injured, his hopes of reconciling with his dad utterly crushed,his mother/big sister figure geting all depressed without him being able to do anything, love intrest #1 mindraped (without him being able to do anything again) and losing her will to live party because he overshadowed her on the battlefield, constantly shouting how much she hates him, love intrest #2 killed in an attempt to save him, then he's told she survived, and then it turns out that she DID die and was replaced by a clone that doesn't show all too much intrest in him, his other friends moved away, and then, a nice boy comes out of nowhere and becomes his new BF just for poor Shinji to have to kill him... oh, and he never got to tell him that he liked him, too.
After events like thse, A LOT of people wouldn't care if the world is about to end...[/spoiler]

[Gamer137]

After events like thse, A LOT of people wouldn't care if the world is about to end...[/spoiler]

Makes ya wonder why Eva haters call Shinji a giant unlikable pussy. His reactions to all the problems hes facing, plus the fact hes only fourteen, is completely understandable.

BTW, you like writing essays don't you? :P