I have taken the liberty to write comments/corrections on some of the parts i consider to be most fallacious and misleading (opinions...), to see if we can start a discussion.
I'll only go through one episode. Just to give you an idea of what i mean. The parts in italic are quoted from the Theory. You can skip this and go straight to the conclusion if you want.
SPOILER: Show
Episode 09: Once Again They Must Work Together
"Asuka soon becomes Shinji's classmate. It is at once apparent that she has gained respect for Shinji, greeting him with a cheery "Guten Morgen!", while stomping disdainfully on a locker full of love letters from her other male classmates."
- The writer immediately proceeds to associate Asuka greeting Shinji in german, to her being respectful (disregarding the fact that shortly after, she calls him an idiot) and seemingly implying that her rejection of the various love letters has something to do with the boy(?). In the sequence in question the two instances are separate, with no correlation between them.
"Hikari, who already recognizes Shinji and Asuka as a couple blames Shinji"
- Why would anyone state this? Is it an attempt to mislead the reader? In the actual scene nothing suggests that this would be the case.
"On the evening before the second battle with Israfel Misato does not come home, leaving the children alone for the first time. Asuka then puts her increasing infatuation with Shinji to the test, pointing out that they are all alone. This hint goes completely over the socially inept Shinji's head. Misinterpreting his lack of response as a deliberate rejection, she angrily moves into Misato's room for the night, but not without bending forward giving him an impressive look at her cleavage.""
- First off; there is no infatuation to speak of, at this point in the series, nor would it ever make sense to refer to Asuka's feelings for Shinji (at any point) with such a definition.
After "pointing out that they are all alone" she immediately proceeds to grab her futon and bring it to Misato's room, with the clear intention to be on her own. She doesn't even give Shinji the time to come up with a "response" of any kind. There is no misinterpretation on Asuka's part here (no perceived rejection). The only misinterpretation comes from Shinji failing to understand Asuka's loneliness (which she has no conscious intention to reveal).
"She also calls the bedroom door the "Wall of Jerico", warning him to stay out. The audience realizes that the Walls of Jerico fell down; Shinji doesn't figure out this hint either."
- The "Walls of Jericho" are not down (not in Asuka's reference), they are still up and very strong; that is the point. In fact, she refers to them specifically as the "Impenetrable Walls of Jericho", threatening Shinji, to keep him from entering the room. She wants him out, not because she doesn't need his company, but because she refuses to show herself as weak.
"In a flashback in Ep. 22 we find out this leaves her alone and dejected."
- Indeed, we find out, in ep. 22, that Asuka was lonely and in need of company (Shinji's), but, in line with her personality, she couldn't accept the idea of relying on others (which, funnily enough, is also expressed in ep. 22); as such, instead of simply sleeping with Shinji, as she was supposed to do (and arguably had been doing for the whole week), she goes to Misato's room as soon as she receives confirmation that she isn't coming back, to maintain her independant facade.
"Despite this misunderstanding, the battle is a success, the Angel defeated. At this point the almost kiss comes to light, revealing that he is interested in her after all. She reacts with (feigned?) anger."
- First logical fallacy. The writer pointed out, in the previous paragraph, that Asuka had felt rejected by Shinji (strongly implying a romantic connotation to the scene) and brought up the mindrape in ep. 22 as the "proof" of the interpretation. Yet, now, he is saying that Asuka feels like Shinji is interested in her (after finding out about the kiss).
The question is: Why would Asuka even bring up the Wall of Jericho scene in the mindrape (ep.22)?
If the point is that Asuka feels romantically rejected, shouldn't she disregard the moment in question, knowing that Shinji tried to kiss her?
The answer is simple. Asuka does not feel rejected by Shinji, nor is the help she seeks meant to be only romantic. The issue she has with him is that he is unable to understand her and help her (being dense, passive), as such, even if she is aware of his interest in her, that doesn't bring her any comfort. It just frustrates her.
"Asuka soon becomes Shinji's classmate. It is at once apparent that she has gained respect for Shinji, greeting him with a cheery "Guten Morgen!", while stomping disdainfully on a locker full of love letters from her other male classmates."
- The writer immediately proceeds to associate Asuka greeting Shinji in german, to her being respectful (disregarding the fact that shortly after, she calls him an idiot) and seemingly implying that her rejection of the various love letters has something to do with the boy(?). In the sequence in question the two instances are separate, with no correlation between them.
"Hikari, who already recognizes Shinji and Asuka as a couple blames Shinji"
- Why would anyone state this? Is it an attempt to mislead the reader? In the actual scene nothing suggests that this would be the case.
"On the evening before the second battle with Israfel Misato does not come home, leaving the children alone for the first time. Asuka then puts her increasing infatuation with Shinji to the test, pointing out that they are all alone. This hint goes completely over the socially inept Shinji's head. Misinterpreting his lack of response as a deliberate rejection, she angrily moves into Misato's room for the night, but not without bending forward giving him an impressive look at her cleavage.""
- First off; there is no infatuation to speak of, at this point in the series, nor would it ever make sense to refer to Asuka's feelings for Shinji (at any point) with such a definition.
After "pointing out that they are all alone" she immediately proceeds to grab her futon and bring it to Misato's room, with the clear intention to be on her own. She doesn't even give Shinji the time to come up with a "response" of any kind. There is no misinterpretation on Asuka's part here (no perceived rejection). The only misinterpretation comes from Shinji failing to understand Asuka's loneliness (which she has no conscious intention to reveal).
"She also calls the bedroom door the "Wall of Jerico", warning him to stay out. The audience realizes that the Walls of Jerico fell down; Shinji doesn't figure out this hint either."
- The "Walls of Jericho" are not down (not in Asuka's reference), they are still up and very strong; that is the point. In fact, she refers to them specifically as the "Impenetrable Walls of Jericho", threatening Shinji, to keep him from entering the room. She wants him out, not because she doesn't need his company, but because she refuses to show herself as weak.
"In a flashback in Ep. 22 we find out this leaves her alone and dejected."
- Indeed, we find out, in ep. 22, that Asuka was lonely and in need of company (Shinji's), but, in line with her personality, she couldn't accept the idea of relying on others (which, funnily enough, is also expressed in ep. 22); as such, instead of simply sleeping with Shinji, as she was supposed to do (and arguably had been doing for the whole week), she goes to Misato's room as soon as she receives confirmation that she isn't coming back, to maintain her independant facade.
"Despite this misunderstanding, the battle is a success, the Angel defeated. At this point the almost kiss comes to light, revealing that he is interested in her after all. She reacts with (feigned?) anger."
- First logical fallacy. The writer pointed out, in the previous paragraph, that Asuka had felt rejected by Shinji (strongly implying a romantic connotation to the scene) and brought up the mindrape in ep. 22 as the "proof" of the interpretation. Yet, now, he is saying that Asuka feels like Shinji is interested in her (after finding out about the kiss).
The question is: Why would Asuka even bring up the Wall of Jericho scene in the mindrape (ep.22)?
If the point is that Asuka feels romantically rejected, shouldn't she disregard the moment in question, knowing that Shinji tried to kiss her?
The answer is simple. Asuka does not feel rejected by Shinji, nor is the help she seeks meant to be only romantic. The issue she has with him is that he is unable to understand her and help her (being dense, passive), as such, even if she is aware of his interest in her, that doesn't bring her any comfort. It just frustrates her.
To summarize:
- The writer seems to write under the assumption that Asuka is actively and consciously seeking Shinji's romantic attention (not even help/company in general), as opposed to being very conflicted about it. (Though she definitely likes to be "looked at")
- He/she identifies the source of her conflict in "Asuka feeling rejected", instead of "Asuka struggling to accept the thought of relying on/opening up to Shinji".
- He/she doesn't seem to realize that Asuka is aware of Shinji's inability to understand her, and that is what she takes issue with (especially in ep. 22).
- He/she disregards the importance being the best pilot has for Asuka, stating that her anger after losing to Shinji (ep.16) was in truth related to their kiss (ignoring the obvious foreshadowing of ep.12).
- He/she seems to deliberately understate the importance of Kaji for Asuka (despite the numerous scenes related to them added in the dc), to artificially increase Shinji's. Whereas, in the story, it is Shinji who fails to prove himself a "worthy" replacement for her ex-guardian.
- He/she seems to consider Asuka somewhat limited mentally, when it comes to understanding others. In the series she is shown to be, at times, a surprisingly good judge of character. She may not be empathic but she is perceptive.
So, combining some of the points together, the right(?) conclusion concerning Asuka's relationship with Shinji is:
Asuka is aware of Shinji's interest in her. She knows about his inability to understand her on his own. She is in need of help from Shinji. She can only receive Shinji's help if he is able to understand her. She refuses to explain herself to him. (as such)She remains alone and helpless.
In a more normal way:
Asuka does not feel rejected by Shinji, nor is the love she seeks from him meant to be only romantic. The issue she has with him is that he is unable to understand her and help her (he is dense, passive), as such, even if she is aware of his interest in her, that doesn't bring her any comfort. It just frustrates her (ep.22 arael).
Third time:
It is never about Asuka feeling rejected by Shinji (that's Kaji), it is always about her not feeling understood. (no, it's not the same thing)
Asuka to Hikari (ep. 18): "Actually, he's the most dense of them all. And he's an idiot to boot. He doesn't know how to relate to people."
Asuka to Shinji (EoE): "So, here I come. You don't understand anything! Don't come near me."
"You don't understand. Idiot! Do you think you really understand what I'm thinking? Do you think you can help me? This is your egotistic nature! You don't understand."
The "here i come" is referencing the kiss (ep. 15), further clarifying the correct interpretation of the scene (and by extension their relationship).
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Sorry for the length (as usual) and please let me know what's your opinion on the subject.
P.S. I wouldn't mind helping out with the wiki, in general, if possible.
