So what happened to Asuka...

[Ornette]

What drove her to slash her wrists out in the ruins...

Wait, she did that?!

http://evageeks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1553&postorder=asc&start=6 courtesy of Mr. Tines from the previous page of this thread

[BobBQ]

In the scene where she sits in a bathtub and reflects on her perceived lack of worth, it looks as if one of her wrists is bleeding.

It could, however, be merely an artistic thing of no relation.

[Sailor Star Dust]

Asuka's wrists are indeed bleeding. She tried to kill herself, thinking that without piloting Eva, she was useless.

[Timstuff]

We've been over this before-- her wrists are not bandaged in EoE, and if she'd made a suicide attempt, then they would be. But there's not even a hint of a wound, so I don't think she necessarily did. She's in a corroded cast-iron bathtub, and those things tend to get rusty when exposed to the elements. I think what you see in there is rust, not blood. If we're to assume that that's blood, then whoever drew that sequence knew very little about the physics of blood in water, and whoever animated EoE had a bad sense of continuity.

I hold to my theory that Asuka had simply gone insane and lost the will to live, but was incapable of suicide, so she simply went there to wait for death to take her. She had probably been laying out there for a couple days, which would explain why she looked so weak when we find her. But there are too many inconsistancies for me to believe that that was blood in the tub.

[Mundane]

If the bathtub was filled (suppose it's not the best term for this situation, but I'm lazy) with blood, wouldn't a little above her ankles and forearm be spattered (also not the best term) with blood?

[Ornette]

I see a bandage...

If the bathtub was filled (suppose it's not the best term for this situation, but I'm lazy) with blood, wouldn't a little above her ankles and forearm be spattered (also not the best term) with blood?

It's presumably filled with water.

Taking a look at that scene again:
Lost your purpose to live: check
Said that you wanted to die: check
Lots of sharp broken glass on the floor: check
Clothes folded neatly: check
Reddish looking water in the tub: check

It seems pretty obvious to me, the only thing missing is us actually seeing her slash her wrists. I admit that Anno is purposely doing this so that we have to do a little interpretation, so... If she wasn't going to die by slashing her wrists, was she trying to die of starvation? If she wasn't trying to kill herself, what was she doing naked in a tub? I doubt it's to bathe. If she went insane, there's nothing besides this scene to indicate it, whereas her worthlessness has been played upon for the last few episodes. Slashing her wrists seems to be the best explaination to fit the bill. Also note: that the clothes folded neatly image is used again in EoE when Rei realizes she's going to cease existing and goes to Nerv to bathe in the LCL, her school uniform is neatly folded next to the LCL container.

[Timstuff]

Notice that the "bandage" is only around her left wrist, and the so-called "blood" in the bathtub is near her right wrist. Also, the so-called "bandage" is actually holding in an IV tube.

Lack of scars or bandages around wrists
The alleged "blood" was clearly streaked on the bottom of the tub, not floating in the water
The bathtub was quite possibly just rusty from being exposed to the elements as it was, which would result in rust (which happens to be red).

Asuka had lost the will to live, and she was most certainly in the process of dying. But I do not believe that she "assisted" herself. It looks a lot more likely that she was simply dying of her own depression, and was possibly malnurished and/or dehydrated, which would be contributing to the process.

[Mr. Tines]

Time has elapsed between the bathtub incident and Shinji's visit to the hospital. A shallow "cross the street" cut for a slow Roman-style exit could well have healed enough to no longer need to be dressed.

Rust is orange to brown in colour; the streaks in the water are blood red.

[Faußtin]

Hmmm... seeing the pictures and reading the posts, I think that she did try to help herself to death. I've been wondering if we are given a chance to blink upon at least one of her wrists, since there should be scars if she did cut herself. Since we don't see her wrists in detail, so we can't really see the scar(s). It could have healed by then. And if that cut wasn't too deep, or just a mere scratch, then it should heal easily. If someone could take a look at that part and see if there is a closer view at her wrist(s), that would help a lot.

[Timstuff]

If she were desperate enough to die that she'd cut her wrists, I doubt she'd stop at just a small scatch if death was her intention. And if she'd cut her wrists, I think we'd see at least some kind of scarring or bandaging on them in EoE.

And as I've clearly pointed out, the red in the tub does not behave like blood at all. Blood would be floating in the water and would tint all of it red, not smear along the bottom in large streaks. However, that is exactly the manner in which rust would appear. Also, if the "red" is coming from her wrists, that would not explain why it's streeked between her lower legs, unless... Ugh, I'm not even gonna touch that one.

[Mr. Tines]

The hospital scene is the only time we might see such a wound, and that's not really the focus of what's happening; given the other inconsistencies in animation between series and film (and simply different team) that's the sort of thing that could easily go astray.

I have no problem with the idea of blood oozing out and being drawn into streaks by slow movement of the water (anime physics, God, catgirls); the generally para-suicidal context (and a culture where suicide as expiation of shame has a strong historical influence) is enough for me to read this as the intent of the scene. Certainly no need to infer that it's 28 days since episode 22, for sure.

It's not as if she's the only failed suicide in the series.

[BLACKANGEL32076]

If she didn't want to live, then why would she caress Shinji's face?

"There's a good muppet. Adieu."

which reminds Shinji too much of



"There's a good boy. Adieu."

There's nothing to suggest that Asuka's will to live had left her again after her battle with the harpies or third impact. If she wanted to die, she would have let Shinji choke her, instead of pleading for her life.

Her last statement in Complementation

Asuka (voice):
But, if I have to be with you, I'd rather die!

Her just lying there, inert, unresisting, was just letting Shinji choke her.

My take on this scene is that she did want to live but was too weak to do anything about it. In the end, she knew she was being choked of her past transgrtions against Shinji, who was choking her. My take on the face caressing scene was Asuka's way of saying "I'm sorry." I think also think at some level Shinji figured this out and snaped out of his post-3rd Impact induced knee-jerk reaction to seeing Asuka for the first time since the Impact. His crying at that point was a kind of emotional catharsis after everything that had happened up until then.

On a side note, Asuka's "I feel sick" statement was triggered by the memory of Shinji's little "visit" when she was in the hospital and is, to me anyway, proof that Shinji, like Asuka, was still going on 3rd Impact motivated mindset.

...but that's just my two-cents.

[Faußtin]

@Mr. Tines, Timstuff
Maybe, the two together? Maybe the rust causes the blood to behave differently. Well... Is there anyone who might check it out? I don't have any rusty stuff that could hold water... we've just disposed of the garbage we've been keeping for years. I know that this is absurd, but there is no other way we might find out. Or at least I can't think of anything else.

@BLACKANGEL

I think the same, and perhaps wrote that a page or two before. You're not alone with that idea.

[Timstuff]

My grandpa more or less collects scrap for a hobby (for reasons he won't explain), and I've seen a fair share of corroded bathroom fixtures in my time. I can say with confidence that the red in the bottom of the tub looks a heckuvalot more like rust than blood.

Also, to see how blood more or less bahaves in water, all you have to do is put a drop of flood color into a cup of water. It mosly just floats around before it dissolve, because it's neutrally boyant with water. It doesn't sink to the bottom and smear it up, and that wouldn't explain why the streaks are directional in that scene.

And BTW, the floor is covered wiht broken tiles, not glass. Not that that really has anything to do with this, but if Asuka did slit her wrists it probably wasn't with a piece of rubble.

[Mundane]

My grandpa more or less collects scrap for a hobby (for reasons he won't explain), and I've seen a fair share of corroded bathroom fixtures in my time. I can say with confidence that the red in the bottom of the tub looks a heckuvalot more like rust than blood.

Also, to see how blood more or less bahaves in water, all you have to do is put a drop of flood color into a cup of water. It mosly just floats around before it dissolve, because it's neutrally boyant with water. It doesn't sink to the bottom and smear it up, and that wouldn't explain why the streaks are directional in that scene.

And BTW, the floor is covered wiht broken tiles, not glass. Not that that really has anything to do with this, but if Asuka did slit her wrists it probably wasn't with a piece of rubble.

AND THAT'S THE GAME!

Would've posted Jim Carrey saying it, but I can't find it :(.

[Sailor Star Dust]

My take on this scene is that she did want to live but was too weak to do anything about it. In the end, she knew she was being choked of her past transgrtions against Shinji, who was choking her. My take on the face caressing scene was Asuka's way of saying "I'm sorry." I think also think at some level Shinji figured this out and snaped out of his post-3rd Impact induced knee-jerk reaction to seeing Asuka for the first time since the Impact. His crying at that point was a kind of emotional catharsis after everything that had happened up until then.

On a side note, Asuka's "I feel sick" statement was triggered by the memory of Shinji's little "visit" when she was in the hospital and is, to me anyway, proof that Shinji, like Asuka, was still going on 3rd Impact motivated mindset.

...but that's just my two-cents.

That's exactly how I feel, too, though I also see kimochi warui (I feel sick/digusting/etc) as meaning Asuka feels sick not only from being one with everything and everyone in the LCL no umi, but also because of all the "lovely" things surrounding the two. Crucuifed Eva Series (the bastards which killed her earlier), creepy Lilith-Rei's head (Rei is the girl she "hated even more" than "Misato and stupid Shinji") and the blood-red like sea which contains the rest of humanity. And since Asuka seemed to "feel disgusting/sick" with having to be in the same space as Misato and Shinji due to her depression/angry (see DC 22), I'm sure that would go along with the rest of humanity, too.
Basically, I can see how "Mangle's" translation of "How disgusting" would work, I just see it as being directed towards her surroundings, not Shinji. If that were the case, why would she caress his cheek to begin with? (Espeically considering how she'd try probably try to fight back instead of letting herself die, so there must be a reason she did that.)

I think also think at some level Shinji figured this out and snaped out of his post-3rd Impact induced knee-jerk reaction to seeing Asuka for the first time since the Impact. His crying at that point was a kind of emotional catharsis after everything that had happened up until then.

There is also the fact that the caress was similar to the one Yui gave him only moments(? I think?) before.

[Timstuff]

There is an official explanation to the "How disgusting" line. Anno basically asked the VA for Asuka what she would say if she was sleeping, and found out that someone was in her room, and could have raped her, but decided to masturbate over her instead. And her answer was "kimochi warui", or "How disgusting". So, the line is in context to Shinji masturbating over her.

I think that there is a little more to it though. I think Asuka was also disgusted because like it or not, Shinji was the boy that she loved, even though he was weak little "master debator" who didn't even come close to meeting the standard that Asuka felt she deserved. If she was going to to get anywhere in life, she was going to have to accept him for who he was, and after having a day like hers, you'd probably be dissapointed too.

[AuthenticM]

There is an official explanation to the "How disgusting" line. Anno basically asked the VA for Asuka what she would say if she was sleeping, and found out that someone was in her room, and could have raped her, but decided to masturbate over her instead. And her answer was "kimochi warui", or "How disgusting". So, the line is in context to Shinji masturbating over her.

Exactly.

I just see it as being directed towards her surroundings, not Shinji.

Before saying that final line, she looked at him in astonishment, implying that it was directed at him.

[Mr. Tines]

There is also the fact that the caress was similar to the one Yui gave him only moments(? I think?) before.

Correct. Hence the screenies I posted early in this thread

I think Asuka was also disgusted because like it or not, Shinji was the boy that she loved, even though he was weak little "master debator" who didn't even come close to meeting the standard that Asuka felt she deserved.

I don't see the evidence for the love - the only time she shows anything that recognises Shinji as himself is while he is playing the 'cello - and we know how sour that went in short order, as she realised that he was doing it for all the wrong reasons. The rest of the time he is merely the last man standing (after cutting out the obviously unworthy, such as the mundanes at school) when she has a craving for physical affection.

[AuthenticM]

I don't see the evidence for the love - the only time she shows anything that recognises Shinji as himself is while he is playing the 'cello - and we know how sour that went in short order, as she realised that he was doing it for all the wrong reasons. The rest of the time he is merely the last man standing (after cutting out the obviously unworthy, such as the mundanes at school) when she has a craving for physical affection.

In the DC episode 22, during her mind-rape when she has flashbacks of Kaji, she sees Shinji smiling and instantly yelled: "What the hell are you doing here?! You won't even hold me!!!" If she didn't have feelings towards Shinji, she would never have said this.