Zuggy wrote:She abandons Gendo and goes to Shinji...
Her entire development throughout NGE has led up to that decision. As far as what happens to her, what about those shots of her in her room before leaving to go to Gendo and the broken glasses? There's more wonderful, nuanced Rei for ya.
Zuggy wrote: nothing else really jumps out at me when thinking about what happened in E.O.E.
Well THERE'S your problem![/Jamie Hyneman]
Zuggy wrote:I can't think of any times when her character shone through, no, she was just standing around naked. I can't think of any times when she resembled the Rei III in the TV series who was far more afflicted.
Like usual a lot is revealed through very little. We see her mentally suffering over the impending decision in ep. 25, then we see her decision in EoE:
"I'm not your doll... because I'm not you... Ikari is calling me... I'm home"
is really all we get from Rei in EoE. That's the totality of what her character has lead up to. And, as it should be, Rei returns her origins (just like all the characters).
Zuggy wrote:Asuka was an interesting character, but then in E.O.E. she gets turned into this 1-dimensional killing machine.
I think you're conveniently missing all the scenes between her and Shinji in P3II and Instrumentality. Again, the series has lead up to her broken psyche we see in EoE. And her actions and words in the final scene say more than a whole film full of dialogue could.
Zuggy wrote:She comes back from her comatose state with some help from her mother and kills lots of people as well as fights with the MP Evangelions, who then kill and eat her. From this I can only guess the entire point of her being in the series was to become reunited with her mother and give Shinji enough time to get into EVA-01 before getting killed off - which any fan of Asuka will tell you isn't true.
As said above, this criticism isn't fair. For one, I don't think it's possible to treat EoE as anything but the end of the series. Let's say, for instance, that EoE had been the original ep. for 25 and 26. Nobody would be complaining about the changed characters because everyone would recognize it was merely a continuation of what had built up to there. It seems a bit silly that you're wanting what came in the middle of the series to occur at the end. The end is the payoff of what's been built up. Any more build-up would be needlessly excessive. I mean, hell, we got 45 minutes of exposition in 25/26. EoE is the narrative conclusion, anything other than a visual and sensual one would've killed it.
Zuggy wrote:Misato drags Shinji around and is immediately killed off, and gets a really cheesy and cliched last line.
Misato, like the rest of them, got explored in 25/26. EoE is the physical end to her character and not much more.
Zuggy wrote:Ritsuko gets a cheesy death too
lolwut? How is her death cheesy? She finally decides to take her revenge and, in a rather brilliant move, the relationship between her, Gendo, and her mother comes to a head.
Zuggy wrote:it's as-if Anno didn't know what to do with either of them.
I think he knew they were all going to die from the get-go. I mean, NGE being very much inspired by Ideon and all. I just don't get the problem you have with their deaths. How else would you have Misato die? She dies protecting and sacrificing for Shinji. That's why her cross becomes such an important symbol for both her and Shinji (again, conveniently tying a much more complex relationship through a simple yet effective symbol). For Ritsuko again we bring this complex relationship between her, her mother, and Gendo to a close with a simple act of attempted revenge, failure, betrayal, and a deliciously ambiguous (though brilliant, IMO) hushed line. What more could you possibly want?
Zuggy wrote:Compare these to Kaji's death in the TV series, which was far more interesting and has actual repercussions for Misato and Shinji.
I can't see anything more significant about Kaji's death than that of Ritsuko or Misato in EoE.
Zuggy wrote:Misato's death makes Shinji cry and he bears her cross while in EVA-01, but I got no clear idea as to how it really affected him or what the point of it was.
The cross is a symbol of sacrifice. Shinji immediately just feels sad for Misato's death (he obviously cared for her), but while in the Eva the cross becomes a reminder of that sacrifice. He can't completely convince himself he is worthless and no one cares for him because he looks at the cross and realizes someone was willing to give their life for him. The same is true for Rei, whom gives him the final decision and attempts to mediate the whole process for him.
That's the ultimate irony: Here is this character who's surrounded by people willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for him, yet he's to blind to realize it. That's the significance of Misato's and Rei's "deaths" in EoE.
Zuggy wrote:There is no episode in the TV series that is like E.O.E., that is, where the characters are moved around in a very contrived way.
Lol, you're JOKING right? Please tell me you're joking. The series being an allegory, first off, pretty much deems that these are contrived characters meant to get a point across. And due to that contrived nature they end up in contrived circumstances where they are but merely pieces on a board. Here's some examples, and let's see if you disagree:
Ep. 16, Shinji is swallowed by an Angel. Everyone's attempt to do anything for him are useless. Shinji resigns himself to death. But a literal "Deus ex Machina" occurs and he's "saved".
Ep. 18, Shinji refuses to kill Toji only to be thwarted by a greater power he has no control over and he sits in NGE screaming helplessly (gee, where else do we see this?).
Ep. 19, Asuka's actions are completely useless against Zeruel, as well as Rei's. Everything they do has no effect. Even Shinji, in perhaps his bravest act, attempts to save everyone, and NGE runs out of power. Helpless again. This is the second obvious "Deus ex Machina".
Ep. 20, Shinji is absorbed into Eva, the attempts to get him back fail, and it's only through Yui's will that Shinji is reborn.
Do I really have to go on or have you got the point?
Zuggy wrote:and this is about where your post becomes unreadable.
It seems to me your only complaint is one of an extreme personal bias about what you want NGE to be rather than what it is and was intended to be.
I mean, feel free to dislike EoE Zuggy. I just don't think it's a legitimate complaint other than on a very subjective level.