Is there a deeper reason we pick our ships?

[Gob Hobblin]

^

I understand that, but I don't know if anybody is getting what my original question was: of the ships that you prefer in Eva, do you think there's something about that which is reflective of yourself? It doesn't have to be a serious ship for it to be indicative of a value or thought you hold about yourself. The main reason I think this kind of thinking applies to Evangelion so well is simply because all of the characters are such good pocket representations of particular bundles of virtues, vices, and key developmental points.

[NemZ]

I ship Shinji/Rei (with Kaworu too if he can stop dying for a little while, geez!) because they just seem to bring out the best in each other all the time. And yeah, maybe there's squick involved, but I want them to face that and decide to stick together anyway, not conveniently sidestep the issue like so many bad fanfics choose to do. Relationships must earn a happy ending by overcoming adversity, not through endless clouds of waff!

Does this say something deeper about me though? I don't know. I guess I'm the typical romantic idealist turned cynic through disapointment with the world I'm stuck in, but that's nothing special. There's probably more room for introspection in the reasons why I don't like Asuka or EoE!Shinji then there is in this pairing.

[Gob Hobblin]

It is interesting you should say that: considering the 'Token Misanthrope' tag, and the occasional bouts of grumpiness, you tend to be more even keeled and...constructive?...than most people on the thread. So, it really makes sense that you would choose the pairing that brings out the best in characters. Maybe it indicates an ingrained sense of optimism?



Hell, there probably is something deeper reflected in this preferred pairing. See, this is why I like Evangelion: even the ships make you think!

[The Polyethylene Man]

I ship Shinji/Rei (with Kaworu too if he can stop dying for a little while, geez!) because they just seem to bring out the best in each other all the time. And yeah, maybe there's squick involved, but I want them to face that and decide to stick together anyway, not conveniently sidestep the issue like so many bad fanfics choose to do. Relationships must earn a happy ending by overcoming adversity, not through endless clouds of.

I get along better with my mother then I do any other female on earth, and we're really similar. Should I go after that?

[NemZ]

Depends...are you German?

It would be a massive derail to go into it here, but I'll just briefly say it's a false assumption that Rei and Shinji's relationship is just a mother/son one. There's a lot more to a person then their genetic heritage, and with Rei we don't even know what percentage of her is Yui in the first place. Rei is very much her own person, not just Yui-2... or even Lilith-2, for that matter.

[Kendrix]

It sure often happens that someone likes a character, and, as a result, wants the character to get what they want, without further thinking of wether that's really the best for them.

Asuka goes through a lot of shit; In an ideal world, she's get loads of well-deserved hugs.
But that's no justification to grab another character and make them your self-insert so you can watch them hug her; The other character in question will have circumstances of their own.

This exists. In bad fanfics. But with this sort of discussion, we have to get dangerous that we don't slide into "You only have an opinion you disagree with because you secretly want to fuck your grandma" territorry; One can have an opinion for many reasons. The ship appeals to your personal taste dynamics wise (in that you know the others are there but just like this better), you think that is geninely what the narrative suggests, interpretation-wise, or, screw the narrative, you think that the personalities fit best from an indepently psychologic/analytic perspective.


That said, I strongly believe that the point of Rei is that she is her own person, regardless of whatever molds the big machine of the plan wants to scqueeze her into, and how so few of what she has is really her own; As her VA said, the beauty of Rei is not in the "purity" of her expression, but the truth that she has feelings.

That is what separates her from the Sabeths, Lolitas and Iocastas of this world who just exist to point out some man's flaws as an opaque blob of 'otherness' that you're only drawn to because of your faults; Rei has a voice, and she sure wants to make it clear to Gendo that she is not an extension of his for him to project his dreams into.

I find that deeply beautiful, enlightening and inspiring, and I can't claim to be impartial or unbiased here, but the very thing that makes me think that, as far as I can tell/If I interpreted this correctly, she is NOT Yui, or Lillith fitted with a remote whose imput she happens to ignore.
Romance is not required for this in the slightest; But with that interpretation as a base, the options look different.

In the end, Shinji influences Rei's journeys the way all the characters influence Shinji's, or any two characters ever influence each other, why plots even have people interact: To challenge each other's preestablished worldview in some way, to get some new imput to process, a little poke that - no, doesn't draw the conclusion FOR you, but just leads you to search for them.
If I were to assume that all sighs of romantic interest are all in my head, I'd interpret Shinji as an "Only friend" type of character for Rei, the sort that a future villain or somehow incontrollably supernatural character often has, and beyond that, as someone with a shared suffering/ similaries that draw them together and make this friendship, just judging from what I actually see in the episodes and not assuming that a fact none of them knew about would magically induce something specific.
It's not mutually exclusive, either; (in that, having shippy thoughts about some ppl doesn't equate reducing their entire interactions to "X wants to fuck Y badly, insert cliched twu wuv ramble here") relationships can have multiple layers/aspects to them.

[CJD]

I ship Asuka and Shinji because seeing them together makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Also because I self insert Shinji so seeing Asuka with him makes me feel like she's with me.

[Glor]

I get along better with my mother then I do any other female on earth, and we're really similar. Should I go after that?

You probably already are...

I mean, boys will generally seek out a female that is similar to their mother in mannerisms or appearance, or both. Same with girls and their fathers. Dat Freud.

Addressing Hob Gobblin's OP - this is a really interesting topic. I've never really given it much thought. The first time I watched the series I immediately stuck Shinji and Asuka together. Because right away we're introduced to Rei and her weirdness... she's just... so unlike most girls, it feels odd to throw her and Shinji together. Thus, when Asuka is thrown into the mix - a female character that is more girlish and has a more evident love/hate relationship, caused me to ship them right away. I mean, right off the bat Shinji and Asuka seem to have some chemistry.

I don't know, maybe I attribute more to Asuka because myself and my mother have a very rocky relationship at times. I also tend to identify very much with Shinji in the show. My mother is probably the best friend I have in the whole world, but we are at each others throats as much as we are at peace.

Hilariously enough, I've found with my current relationship and with previous ones, I've been drawn towards tsundere-esque personalities. That is to say, very forceful and demanding female personalities.

As far as Asuka and Shinji creating a "whole person"... I think that's the whole point behind the relationship between a male and a female. We are each a piece of a whole, with our own strengths and weaknesses that, when combined, complement one another. Uuuh, to clarify, take John Milton's portrayal of Adam and Eve's relationship.

So, in conclusion, I suppose I'm hilariously biased because of Freudian reasons compared to everyone else in this thread.

Also, somewhat drunk, so not sure if I'm making sense or just rambling. Much sorry.

[Gob Hobblin]

Interesting post, Glor! I have more to say on it, but not at the moment, because the dog demands a walk. I wanted you to know it makes me ponder! Deep pondering thoughts.

[Mr. Tines]

Most of the time I can see the obvious couple, and fall on the spectrum of "meh, get on with the plot" to general support (the strongest being to wonder if there were ever any ferretfags who weren't just trolling) -- though the way things turned out, there was fortunately never any need to pick sides in Aaeruf/Neveril vs Aaeru/Neverilf.

In respect of NGE, what Guy Nacks said. The series having abandoned the obvious and correct romance a quarter of the way through its run, the remainder was pretty much free of anything bar plausible awkward experimentation involving nearest convenient victims, so I came out of it without a ship.

It was only after after seeing EoE and its unforeshadowed otaku pandering subtext of "the impossibly hot and out of my league girl has really been after my D all the time!" that I lurched hard over into anti-shipping, and I know the reasons why -- Asuka reminded me painfully of my teen self, Shinji-like girls with no self-confidence just drive me up the wall; and the couple is the wrong way around for it to be held together by the "but at least I get to dip my wick on a regular basis" motive of desperation.

[pwhodges]

Quite simply, I don't do shipping, beyond observing what's there in the work concerned. But I do often identify very strongly with specific characters, and I guess that you might learn something about me from that. But I'm not sure what, as they tend to have something of the tragic about them, whereas my life (I cannot deny) has been one of privilege, with as little tragedy as you can imagine.

[Bagheera]

So...upon reflection, does anybody else see this in the reason they pair certain characters? That somewhere, their instinctive 'like' for a certain couple might be because that merging of personality traits indicates something they see reflected in themselves?

The characters are facets of Anno, so that's not particularly surprising; those two are core elements of who he is, more so than the other characters, which is probably why things played out as they did.

But yes, I like those two as a pair for similar reasons, and don't find them as interesting when they're with anyone else. The hedgehogs' dilemma is what makes it really work for me. Also, because they're ordinary humans, theirs is one of the few pairings in the show that could actually work. Leaving aside the fact that they're dead by the end of the movie, Rei and Kaworu are both deity figures. Yes, they're human, but even so, we call Kaworu Gay Bishonen Jesus for a reason. Imagine being at your absolute lowest in life, and Jesus, the actual guy, shows up and tells you he loves you and thinks you're wonderful. And so you get through your rough patch and get on with your life. Are you now going to hook up with Jesus? He's freakin' Jesus, man. How would that even work? And Rei and Kaworu are the same way: leave aside the issues with genetics, Adam's lineage, the FAR, and all that rot, those two are operating on a whole 'nother level from the ordinary folk in the show. That's something I just can't ignore. In another setting, where Rei and Kaworu are normal people? Sure, why not? Heck, even ReiQ in Q might have some prospects. But as of EoE I'm not seeing a way to make it work.

As for Shikinami and Mari, nope, nothing deeper there. Hot Yuri action needs no explanation. Though I am curious as to why I give Mari a pass, since megane normally does nothing for me.

I ship Shinji/Rei (with Kaworu too if he can stop dying for a little while, geez!) because they just seem to bring out the best in each other all the time.

Of course they bring out the best in one another! That's how it tends to work when parents love their children.

[Nuclear Lunchbox]

I do admit, shipping characters does become a lot easier when I feel some sort of affection for them myself. I'm not sure if that's just an obvious outcome or something, but definitely true.

[Rei IV]

Well, I dig the LRS ship simply because I think they look cute together. There isn't any in-depth reason on my half. It's simply a case of aesthetics and how both "compliment" each other, IMHO. I must admit, though, there really wouldn't be THAT much of a difference between their current relationship and if they were to become a couple. LRS was always platonic and given Rei's nature and personality, sure she'd let her AT Field down, if ever slightly, but we wouldn't see that much deviation unlike what we normally get in crappy fan-fiction where's she completely lobotomized and really is Shinji's doll/puppet, at his beck and call. All with dash of Asuka bashing too.

[ChamucaRobota]

This sounds like if you were making a psychological research.

I'm also a Shinji x Asuka shipper due to many reasons, one of them is because among all of the other options this is the one that is human and real, which implies an easy conection with the viewer (to me, this relationship is an allegory of love), besides I really think that Anno created Asuka not just as a contrast to his main character, but because, as someone pointed earlier, she complements Shinji.

Are they a reflection of myself? Possibly, Shinji is a LOT like me, Asuka maybe not so much because I'd never take such a pushy/bitchy attitude like she, however, I fully understand her feelings, especially her frustration and incapability to transmit her true emotions. Is my subconscious choosing that ship because somehow I'm seeing myself in them and I want them to be happy together? I think so.

And well, yes I would say that our ships have a deeper reason, nevertheless I can't figure out one for the diehard Kawoshin shippers. So if there's any of them around here, I'll be very curious to know their causes.

[Gob Hobblin]

It feels like it could be a psychological study, right?

It was just one of those things where I realized that it said something interesting about me considering who I preferred to ship, and it went deeper than I realized when I picked at it. Having looked at some other posters, it seems like it's...not a universal truth, but it is amusingly close to the mark. Even those that say they picked their ships for surface reasons are still reflecting something deep of themselves in who they pick and why.

It's a fun thought experiment, when you get down to it!

[ChamucaRobota]

Even those that say they picked their ships for surface reasons are still reflecting something deep of themselves in who they pick and why.

It's a fun thought experiment, when you get down to it!

Those are exactly my thoughts

And, indeed, very fun experiment, sir. I'll keep my eye on it.

[kuribo-04]

Wait... I need a reason for picking Asuka?

Asuka is teh waifu.

[EvangelionGodMode]

Yea i shipped Asuka/Shinji over Rei/Shinji, bc you see the pain they go through and as a viewer i was able to relate to not being able to say or express my feelings, even more so when i was a 14 year old boy. Thats also why i like Asuka more than Rei, bc she was a more believable and relateable character who had way more faults. I could relate to how Asuka tried so hard at somethings and still failed to achieve her goal. I think thats why a lot of us EvaGeeks pick Neon Genesis Evangelion over other anime and any show really, because of how we are able to relate to the show. Thats why a person who struggles with personal problems in there life like Eva over say One Piece, bc with Eva we are able to relate and feel like we are part of the experience and we prefer this type of experience instead of a watching to be entertained experience like ive said before in a show like one piece or even Naruto.

[Darkwing]

I ship Shinji/Rei sadly. And I will explain later why I consider that sad.

I suspect it is in part because the first two episodes I saw of Eva were 5&6. So lots of Shinji and Rei interaction for my first impression of Eva. The other thing is probably their both being so introverted. I just feel like it would be nice if they were to help each other out of their shells.

Now the sad part is no matter how many versions of Eva we get, no matter how much it looks like they are building the Shinji/Rei ship, they will always sink it in the end. Not Rebuild with the first two movies being like the Shinji/Rei shippers dream. Nor the manga with their relationship bieng more major, and Asuka still wanting to see Kaji most when tanged. But no matter how much I know I'll be dissappointed, I just can't seem to not want the ship to happen. Thus I am sad.