Mari as The Archetypal Hero

[Tumbling Down]

I'm not really a fan of mecha or anything action-heavy. However, I was pondering Mari's role in Rebuild today, trying to figure out why she's so much less compelling than the other pilots, and it occurred to me that she's (maybe?) supposed to be an example of the kind of hero that's everywhere in these kinds of stories but isn't exactly common in real life. She enjoys piloting the Eva just because she enjoys piloting the Eva. She's not trying to prove anything or compensate for past trauma. She also show little genuine cowardice or anger. She treats piloting the Eva like a video game.

I'm only very lightly familiar with this genre so there's a decent chance I'm wrong, but it fits in with Anno's comment that Mari was supposed to "destroy Eva."

[Sailor Star Dust]

Just a headsup, it was Maaya Sakamoto who said this, which was something of a mistranslation anyway: http://forum.evageeks.org/post/362212/Mari-Discussion-Speculation-Version-222/?#362212

Mari = Alien element is extremely intentional, of course, whether or not there's anything deeper going on with her.

[Dream]

Actually got this from somewhere in EGF (though can't remember where) but supposedly when Mayaa Sakamoto asked Hideaki Anno for some kind of "key" or "hint" for a proper performance of Mari's role, he said something to her that was translated as "father of the Showa era". I think it was more father from that period than father of the period proper.

Overall, from Mari i always got this sense of a person who has no deep personal issues or any troubles accepting herself, or of someone who came to terms with her own demons and place in the world a long time ago. Thanks to this "simplicity" -though it would be deceitful to call it such- of character she can be pretty honest and content with who she is and what she thinks. There also seems to be in her a self-sufficiency so enormous that not even Third Impact can put a dent on her inner peace.

The way i see, the role she plays in the story is somewhat analogous to a simple/relatively normal person like your neighbor or a delivery man. She doesn't have any painful tragedy or deep-seated issues, she just lives a good life.

[Adaminator1]

It's pretty clear to me that Mari's had "The Curse of the Eva" for much longer than anyone else. Makes me wonder if she was a part of early experimentation and suffered it as a side effect. She's not cocky or arrogant, I really just get the sense she's lived long enough to work out her issues and come to peace with her place in the world. Probably after going through an immense amount of pain and hurt. Which is going to make it all the more satisfying when Anno breaks her in 3.0+1.0 like the masochists we are

Could still be wrong, though.

[Reichu]

It's pretty clear to me that Mari's had "The Curse of the Eva" for much longer than anyone else.

The sortie in Eva-05 at the start of the second movie was apparently her first time in an Eva.

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

Something I noticed while re-watching Jo and Ha yesterday was that all of the naturally born (?) pilots in that Ha have a moment while piloting their respective Evas where they risk “not returning to humanity.” Mari does it to initiate Beast Mode, Shinji does it when Unit 01 becomes a god, and Asuka reached that point during the Angel infestation of Unit 03. I often wonder if that had something to do with the Curse of Eva. (Rei doesn’t need to have the Curse of Eva in order to maintain age appearance because she’s a clone, and even if Rei Q matured naturally by growing up during the 14-year gap, she’d still be about 14 years old.)

Though, without further evidence as to what causes this effect, they could simply be infected by piloting the darned things to begin with.

[Jornophelanthas]

(Rei doesn’t need to have the Curse of Eva in order to maintain age appearance because she’s a clone, and even if Rei Q matured naturally by growing up during the 14-year gap, she’d still be about 14 years old.)

I think Rei being swallowed by the 10th Angel and encapsulated into its core, and subsequently being absorbed into Unit-01's core may count as a moment of "going in too deep" for her as well.

While this does not apply the "Curse of Eva" to her (since she never emerges from Unit-01 again), I believe what is the more important theme is that all the pilots pass a "point of no return", in which they are pulled in too far.

If you look at it like this, then the odd one out is not Rei, but Kaworu. Unless we suppose that he has been in "too deep" since before we first saw him at the end of Rebuild 1.0.

[Sailor Star Dust]

I often wonder if that had something to do with the Curse of Eva.

That's what a lot of us figure, yep, unless FINAL throws us some other reason! Though, the 1.11 flashback to Eva-00's berserk mode implied Rei wouldn't retain her humanity, too.

Kaworu would be the odd one out with no Curse placed on him, which, at this point, could be any number of reasons.

[UrsusArctos]

Kaworu would be the odd one out with no Curse placed on him, which, at this point, could be any number of reasons.

He pretty much calls himself the First Angel, doesn't he? He doesn't need to worry about curses or anything of the kind, he's born immortal!