Neon Genesis Evangelion: A Transfer   First Watch 
June 29, 2019 11:51 AM - Season 1, Episode 3 - Subscribe

Shinji transfers into a new school within Tokyo-3, catching the fascination of his classmates - and igniting the ire of one student whose sister was injured in the EVA's last battle. Meanwhile, a second Angel makes its way into the city.

The original title for this episode translates as "The Phone That Never Rings"

The Waypoint podcast folks discuss the first 7 episodes. (Including this one, obviously)
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit (9 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
One bit from the Waypoint podcast:
Patrick: I will say that one of my favorite sequences right in that little introduction bit is the way it presents a bit of exposition, of world-building about the second impact on what we know of it so far. Which is brilliantly just panning over this classroom of students bored out of their fucking mind as the teacher is revealing, fundamental (what at least we know what the time in that episode) truths about what happened. Which is that there was a meteor that immediately melted the ice caps and whoops, like the world went into a bad place, 50% of the population died, all economies like just crumbled, and everyone's just giggling and like sharing notes.

It was just like a really interesting way to convey something that's really true, right? Like I think they're all sorts of things in class that lots of us like "We're being told about horrible atrocities and you're more worried about if like that person around the corner has a crush on you," as it goes over your head. Now granted, this is something that happened 15 years ago, it's not like learning about the Civil War or something that is so far removed that like your emotional context.
Their teacher has clearly checked out, not even acknowledging that the entire class is communicating through Google Docs or the Eva-universe equivalent. (Probably has more knobs...)
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 1:45 PM on June 29, 2019 [4 favorites]


I can see how this show on the surface is a power fantasy for adolescent boys. What does it mean when a forty-year-old childless guy identifies and projects onto Gendo?
posted by infinitewindow at 12:07 PM on June 30, 2019 [1 favorite]


Red Thoughts recaps:

Hey, a new kid.
Am I supposed to tell anyone I am the giant robot pilot? Not sure. Guess it’s ok. I AM ROBOT BOY
Fuck you robot boy for saving our lives.
*BOY GETS BEATEN BY STRANGERS*
*A TERRIFYING MONSTER APPEARS*
Kill the monster, boy. No, not like that. Do it gooder. Hey, it’s your abusers. Let them in, don’t worry about the monster currently killing you.
*BOY HAS SCREAMING SOBBING NERVOUS BREAKDOWN WHILE STABBING TO DEATH A LITERAL ANGEL FROM HEAVEN*
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 11:03 PM on June 30, 2019 [3 favorites]


Shinji, you have a minute of power left, get your classmates to safety!

Nope, clearly the best course of action is take out my viberoknife and stab the thing while screaming like a banshee.

Is it Unit 01 going berserk or is it the pilot? Is there a difference? Somebody get that boy to a special talking doctor.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 12:55 PM on July 1, 2019 [2 favorites]


There sure doesn't seem to be a difference. His first time in the Eva, he was unconscious when it went berserk. But this time he was fully awake and aware when it went berserk. Same result both times, more or less.
posted by tobascodagama at 1:32 PM on July 1, 2019 [1 favorite]


"So this vibroknife... it just looks like a knife. What makes it vibrate?"
"The agonized screaming of the pilot."
"Wait really? That seems-"
"We make sure to have his middle school bullies ride shotgun so he's sufficiently traumatized."
"Is that strategically-"
"Works every time."
"How do you get a pilot to actually-"
"Long term interval training of emotional abuse and neglect."
"Huh."
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 1:42 PM on July 1, 2019 [10 favorites]


to be fair it starts vibrating as soon as they unsheathe it. if there's unconscious rage coursing their heads that remains to be shown.
posted by numaner at 10:36 AM on July 2, 2019 [1 favorite]


The zoned out training scene from the beginning of the episode was paired so well with the traumatic reality of fighting a monster with electro-whip arms that slice through buildings was particularly great. Not so much flipping "teen boy in a mech kills giant alien monsters" tropes as it kind of makes them more real. Training scenarios will never match reality, particularly when people are unclear on what kind of horrors await with the next Angel.

Also, I really like the brutal EVA unit designs, contrary to the design of other giant fighting robots, from Gigantor on. Which is more monstrous (looking), the Angels or the mecha designed to defeat them?
posted by filthy light thief at 3:08 PM on July 8, 2019 [1 favorite]


Another tidbit from the EVA Geeks wiki for this episode (beware spoilers):
The "Weather Girl" who talks on TV in the background during the opening scene in Misato's apartment is named "Natsuko Shinohara" (reporting from Matsuzaki on the Izu peninsula). Apparently, it is a popular activity there to go scuba-diving in the ruins of towns submerged after Second Impact. She says that the forecast temperature is "high of 30 degrees, 2 above the average". That's 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and the "average" temperature would be 82.4 degrees, in the now perpetually-summer weather of Japan.
So for Japan, besides this particular apocalypse drowning of many of the coastal cities (which provides new scuba diving opportunities, though I imagine you could swim past some grim scenes), the post-second impact world (EVA Geeks wiki) version of Japan is just constantly ... warm. Thus the ever-present cicadas -- this isn't set in summer, it's always summer.

But a mild summer, compared to current-day record-setting heat that killed dozens (Washington Post, July 2018). After 200 people died in its worst flood in decades, spurred by up to 70 inches of rain, 10 people died and 2,605 people were hospitalized in the sweltering conditions in one day, the Japan Times wrote, when the temperature climbed as high as 105.3 degrees (40.7 Celsius), the highest in five years and 0.5 degrees (0.3 Celsius) off the national record.

In short, humanity is now in the process of having a different, and arguably worse, impact to the planet than the second impact and the Angels that followed.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:37 PM on July 9, 2019 [5 favorites]


« Older Documentary Now!: 52nd season ...   |  Neon Genesis Evangelion: Hedge... Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments

poster