Is Rei poor?

[Kaworu-chan]

I know it sounds kind of dumb but I'm wondering if Rei is of low income. I mean come on! She lives in a run-down apartment, wears the same clothes everyday (her uniform) and I don't think she has that much food either. So please, anyone give me an opinion on this?

[Mr. Tines]

NERV spend all their budget on Evangelion repairs, not on salaries -- Misato is a high ranking officer, and still has trouble making her car payments.

[Ironfoot]

Interesting thing to think about is if Shinji's apartment would've looked similar to Rei's had he not gone with Misato.

[J_Faulkner]

I think you've just unearthed a really poignant issue that actually reveals a hidden message which nobody - to my knowledge - has ever thought of.

Presumably, Gendo is the guardian of Rei, so he would be financing her existence through some arrangement with NERV.

But, devastating, Gendo treats Rei like a caged animal. No wonder that she wallows in utter filth, probably wearing a pungent smell every day.

However, let us think who Gendo's actual biological offspring is. That's right - it's Shinji! If Gendo treats Rei in squalid conditions, it is likely that he has also raised Shinji in a filthy environment full of germs and viruses.

Or how about this: the squalid conditions of Rei Ayanami is symbolic for the psychological impoverishment under which Gendo has brought up Shinji. Now shall we see the symbolic meaning of Shinji Ikari falling on top of a naked Rei fresh from the shower! This is actually a foreshadowing of the end of the EoE: Shinji enters his personal mind/past, symbolically represented by Rei's apartment, and then attempts to achieve self-realization through a hieros-gamos event. However, the time is not yet right ... because Rei (the mother aspect of Shinji's mind) has yet to develop into a powerful god-concept.

[GasmaskAvenger]

if you look at it that way, then there is more than meets the eye in Gendo & Rei's relationship


like I previously theorized, one of the reasons why Rei is the way she is could be that some of the pills she's required to take supress her emotions (ala THX-1138) so she wouldn't turn on him


I might obviously be wrong, but it never hurts to theorize

[Sailor Star Dust]

Rei probably lives where she does because she simply doesn't care about her personal well-being or safety considering she could always "be replaced".

Gendo just needs Rei for his own purposes, Section 2 is always keeping an eye on the pilots, and if Rei really cared about her living environment, she probably could have lived in a spare pilot room at Nerv or something.

[skikes]

....

Umm....

...I don't even know how to answer this. Is this a serious question?

Right uh... It's never stated whether or not eva pilots have a salary, Though i can only assume they do... and that its considerable. Given the fact they are all 14 its likely this is put into a trust fund.
Commander Ikari is her guardian and im sure he is of significant wealth.

Rei is a person necessity... If something is of only trivial value it means very little to her. Fashion, decor, these things aren't important. Her home is a reflection of her mind. Also in Japan your school uniform is worn with pride, on many occasions, not just for school... so this isn't that unusual.

I'm sure Rei's living conditions have very little to do with Gendo. Im quite sure this is how Rei wants to live. They live apart as so not to complicate things. And i'm sure if Rei wanted to live in better surroundings Gendo would be more than willing to make it happen.

[Sachi]

I you're going to analyze Rei's living space, you're also going to want to consider the lab she was born in: Shinji comments on it being just like Rei's apartment.

In my opinion, she just doesn't care about how she lives and leaves her place in a wreck. When Shinji goes to Rei's apartment with Toji, he begins picking up garbage; it doesn't require money to pick up a few pieces of paper, so obviously Rei doesn't feel the need to. That said, she also wouldn't feel the need to vacuum, sweep, scrub or any of that fun stuff we so love to do in Spring. Imagine the horror her bathroom must be. Her living condition is a result of her not putting any effort into keeping it tidy, thus leaving it a wreck.

[Lucretius]

What Sachi says. Rei doesn't care about luxuries or cleanliness.

SPOILER: Show

And Rebuild implies she doesn't need to eat.

[tomrule123]

NERV spend all their budget on Evangelion repairs, not on salaries -- Misato is a high ranking officer, and still has trouble making her car payments.

Good one. 33 loan payments? Oh, boy. Not trying to compare this to another show, but she's like Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop)...ok, maybe not...

[Butterscotch]

But, devastating, Gendo treats Rei like a caged animal.

I think he treats her more like a prostitute. Only comes to her when he wants or needs comfort. Only wants her around as she reminds him of his dead wife, she is there for comfort. Then when he doesn't want her, she is dumped in the appartment living in an environment which is similar to a drug addicted low sense in self prostitute. They seem to have a prostitute and pimp like relationship or master and slave me thinks.

Rei probably lives where she does because she simply doesn't care about her personal well-being or safety considering she could always "be replaced".

I agree as she does have no sense of existence or self. Sure I remember someone or there has been debate that she is suppose to have schizoid personality disorder and when someone has that they are prone to living in messy conditions due to lack of motivation and hygiene is not an issue.

About Rei always wearing the school uniform wouldn't that be just because she is an anime/cartoon character and usually cartoon/anime characters always wear the same clothes, sure look at the Simpsons.

[skikes]

About Rei always wearing the school uniform wouldn't that be just because she is an anime/cartoon character and usually cartoon/anime characters always wear the same clothes, sure look at the Simpsons.

Thats true... but all of the other characters are seen wearing various different outfits except for Rei who is only ever seen in uniforms.

School uniform
School Gym outfit
School Bathing suit
Plugsuit
and... her birthday suit.

These are the only things Rei is ever seen wearing throughout the entirety of NGE.

[Sachi]

These are the only things Rei is ever seen wearing throughout the entirety of NGE.

This is because she doesn't feel the need to buy casual clothes. The only clothes she really needs to wear are that required by her school and the plug suit.

[Butterscotch]

Thats true... but all of the other characters are seen wearing various different outfits except for Rei who is only ever seen in uniforms.

School uniform
School Gym outfit
School Bathing suit
Plugsuit
and... her birthday suit.

These are the only things Rei is ever seen wearing throughout the entirety of NGE.

Ah yes I see.

This is because she doesn't feel the need to buy casual clothes. The only clothes she really needs to wear are that required by her school and the plug suit.

It is like she only wears clothes that she is ordered to or our a necessity eg unforms, or she just doesn't have the motivation to do shopping.

I forgot to mention that maybe Rei lives in poor living conditions because she is not human and maybe never learned about house keeping. She was never thought how to live as an actual human.

[skikes]

These are the only things Rei is ever seen wearing throughout the entirety of NGE.

This is because she doesn't feel the need to buy casual clothes. The only clothes she really needs to wear are that required by her school and the plug suit.

i know, i said that afew posts ago

[child of Lilith]

Rei apartment is a mess because she just doesn’t care. If she wanted something better I’m sure Gendo would be more then willing to let her move someplace else, but to Rei any place will do. It is shone again and again during the series how little Rei cares for pretty much anything, so it should come as no surprise that such a hovel would be exceptable to her.

[child of Lilith]

I forgot to mention that maybe Rei lives in poor living conditions because she is not human and maybe never learned about house keeping. She was never thought how to live as an actual human.

Your forgetting about the cleaning Rei does at school. Rei may be ignorant/indifferent to many social norms, but she’s not an idiot.

[chaosakita]

I forgot to mention that maybe Rei lives in poor living conditions because she is not human and maybe never learned about house keeping. She was never thought how to live as an actual human.

Tons of regular humans have dirty houses, but they're still human. It's rather normal to not care about your living conditions.

[Synapsid]

NERV spend all their budget on Evangelion repairs, not on salaries -- Misato is a high ranking officer, and still has trouble making her car payments.

I'm not sure, I though it was more of a way to subtly show her inability to handle her life or trait for snatching things for a short term comfort.

Rei does sort of seem to live in a partly self imposed state of deprivation though.

Tons of regular humans have dirty houses, but they're still human. It's rather normal to not care about your living conditions.

It seems Shinji does: he hated the mess in Misato's, and ended up cleaning Rei's room

[MatrixRefugee]

Add to this, Rei has the soul of Lilith kluged into a clone body; said soul might just not be fully conscious of average human living standards and thus luxuries might be quite foreign to her.