Neon Genesis Evangelion: A Man's Battle / Introjection First Watch
July 16, 2019 9:17 PM - Season 1, Episode 19 - Subscribe
Shinji, furious at his father for the orders given in the previous battle, resigns from NERV. But as an Angel lays waste to the Geo-Front and the other Evangelions, he begins to reconsider his hasty decision.
Fly Me To The Moon -Episode 19 version
Read more about it (Note: possible spoilers)
TV Tropes recap
EvaGeeks episode page
Fly Me To The Moon -Episode 19 version
Read more about it (Note: possible spoilers)
TV Tropes recap
EvaGeeks episode page
OH MAN THIS ONE
I didn't remember how human that hand looks. Freaky.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 11:37 PM on July 16, 2019
I didn't remember how human that hand looks. Freaky.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 11:37 PM on July 16, 2019
So, yeah, at this point is becomes REALLY obvious for anyone who's seen both shows that that Attack on Titan is just Evangelion if Anno read Mein Kampf instead of the DSM-IV.
But anyway, holy shit was this an episode. I'm so with Shinji when he finally walks away from his asshole dad. "That is my intention as well" is some cold ass shit to say when you're peacing out of a really fucked up relationship and the other person tries to emotionally blackmail you into staying. I'm so proud of him.
Because NGE is the definition of a crapsack world, though, of course he immediately needs to go back on it in order to save all of his friends and, oh yeah, all of humanity NBD.
posted by tobascodagama at 8:37 AM on July 17, 2019 [11 favorites]
But anyway, holy shit was this an episode. I'm so with Shinji when he finally walks away from his asshole dad. "That is my intention as well" is some cold ass shit to say when you're peacing out of a really fucked up relationship and the other person tries to emotionally blackmail you into staying. I'm so proud of him.
Because NGE is the definition of a crapsack world, though, of course he immediately needs to go back on it in order to save all of his friends and, oh yeah, all of humanity NBD.
posted by tobascodagama at 8:37 AM on July 17, 2019 [11 favorites]
At least Unit 01 is also telling Gendo to stuff it. But yeah, this episode.
posted by rodlymight at 10:07 AM on July 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by rodlymight at 10:07 AM on July 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
Something something if you fight monsters you become a monster
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 10:41 AM on July 17, 2019
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 10:41 AM on July 17, 2019
Oh, yeah, the fact that Unit 01 can just decide it doesn't want to sync with Rei or the Dummy Plug any more is wild. Just in general, because it shows a lot more agency than had previously been attributed to the Evas, but also the way it's specifically backing up Shinji here, or at least mirroring the way he feels about being ordered around by Gendo.
posted by tobascodagama at 10:42 AM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by tobascodagama at 10:42 AM on July 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Also it's not really specific to this episode but the nutbar random Christian imagery get gets better and better. I think this episode was the first one where I twiged on to Adam (in the basement?) vs "Eve"angelions.
Also I have only seen a handful of Attack on Titan episodes, but yeah, I had no idea how much of a rip-off/copy/homage it was, especially with the turn in this episode.
posted by GuyZero at 10:51 AM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Also I have only seen a handful of Attack on Titan episodes, but yeah, I had no idea how much of a rip-off/copy/homage it was, especially with the turn in this episode.
posted by GuyZero at 10:51 AM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Unit-01 is different than the other Evas but I've not quite figured out what it is yet.
I've never seen Attack on Titan, recommended or no?
This episode also reminded me of something J. Michael Straczynski used to talk about with Babylon 5. Some episodes where what he called WHAM episodes, where the episode contains something that's pivotal to the big picture, and it hits you upside the head. Early seasons had one or two WHAM moments, later had them all the time.
This episode is one gigantic WHAM in the noggin. Literally, in Eva-02's case.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 11:51 AM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I've never seen Attack on Titan, recommended or no?
This episode also reminded me of something J. Michael Straczynski used to talk about with Babylon 5. Some episodes where what he called WHAM episodes, where the episode contains something that's pivotal to the big picture, and it hits you upside the head. Early seasons had one or two WHAM moments, later had them all the time.
This episode is one gigantic WHAM in the noggin. Literally, in Eva-02's case.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 11:51 AM on July 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Strong recommend for Attack on Titan, as long as you're okay with body horror and extreme melodrama. It also benefits from a relative lack of fanservice and creepy sexualization.
posted by Uncle Ira at 1:28 PM on July 17, 2019
posted by Uncle Ira at 1:28 PM on July 17, 2019
I find Eva a frustratingly uneven ride overall, but that beat of (paraphrased) "That was never armor. It was restraints" as 01 really cuts loose...that's a moment that stuck with me ever since seeing the series the first time on initial NA DVD release, and hits just as hard when rewatching it now.
posted by Drastic at 1:34 PM on July 17, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by Drastic at 1:34 PM on July 17, 2019 [6 favorites]
I'm debating how much of my AoT thoughts and feelings to share here. I thought there was a series of Fanfare threads on AoT, which I would have deferred to, but on checking there's only a single episode up.
IMO, the first season was pretty good, second season had some good moments but mostly went nowhere, and then the third season reframes the whole prior narrative in a way that creates some pretty distasteful parallels. (I think that Polygon article actually misses some key Japan-specific context that makes the story less about Nazi Germany -- despite the fact that the majority culture depicted is very clearly German-inspired -- than about creating an apologia for the post-Meiji imperialist expansion. And even from the very first season its heroes regularly repeat talking points that Japanese right-wingers use to argue that the JSDF should be turned into a "real" military.)
But even if you set that stuff aside, the third season is chock-ass full of "Aha! You thought you killed me, but you didn't know that I had the power to move my consciousness into different parts of my body, which was never mentioned by anyone even as a theoretical possibility until just now!" lazy plotting. IMO, if you want to engage with the show, just watch the first season and forget the rest exists.
Back to NGE, though.
This episode is one gigantic WHAM in the noggin. Literally, in Eva-02's case.
And I think I can say without spoiling anything that it's pretty much all whams from here on out. Episodes 8-12 are the closest thing this show had to filler.
posted by tobascodagama at 1:42 PM on July 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
IMO, the first season was pretty good, second season had some good moments but mostly went nowhere, and then the third season reframes the whole prior narrative in a way that creates some pretty distasteful parallels. (I think that Polygon article actually misses some key Japan-specific context that makes the story less about Nazi Germany -- despite the fact that the majority culture depicted is very clearly German-inspired -- than about creating an apologia for the post-Meiji imperialist expansion. And even from the very first season its heroes regularly repeat talking points that Japanese right-wingers use to argue that the JSDF should be turned into a "real" military.)
But even if you set that stuff aside, the third season is chock-ass full of "Aha! You thought you killed me, but you didn't know that I had the power to move my consciousness into different parts of my body, which was never mentioned by anyone even as a theoretical possibility until just now!" lazy plotting. IMO, if you want to engage with the show, just watch the first season and forget the rest exists.
Back to NGE, though.
This episode is one gigantic WHAM in the noggin. Literally, in Eva-02's case.
And I think I can say without spoiling anything that it's pretty much all whams from here on out. Episodes 8-12 are the closest thing this show had to filler.
posted by tobascodagama at 1:42 PM on July 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
I find Eva a frustratingly uneven ride overall, but that beat of (paraphrased) "That was never armor. It was restraints" as 01 really cuts loose...that's a moment that stuck with me ever since seeing the series the first time on initial NA DVD release, and hits just as hard when rewatching it now.
It's the best sort of "wham" moment -- set up since literally the first fight scene in the show, but still hits with the impact of a freight train.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:13 AM on July 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
It's the best sort of "wham" moment -- set up since literally the first fight scene in the show, but still hits with the impact of a freight train.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:13 AM on July 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Oh hai
[EVA 01 looking up, mid-meal]
Yeah, I clearly don't remember a significant part of this show, despite watching it weekly in my college anime club*. Which is fun to view this through mostly-fresh eyes.
* That was only what, oh ... 15-ish years ago? Huh, it has been a while.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:13 AM on July 18, 2019 [3 favorites]
[EVA 01 looking up, mid-meal]
Yeah, I clearly don't remember a significant part of this show, despite watching it weekly in my college anime club*. Which is fun to view this through mostly-fresh eyes.
* That was only what, oh ... 15-ish years ago? Huh, it has been a while.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:13 AM on July 18, 2019 [3 favorites]
I finally binged out on this show after renting a few of the videos and not being too taken with it way back in the dark ages, and this is the episode where I thought it suddenly took a left turn into something very strange, after having been a competently-made but pretty bog-standard coming of age / giant mecha story. EVA-01's giant baby arm and the way it starts to eat the angel definitely seem like they've dropped in from a stranger, David-Lynchier show.
posted by whir at 10:53 PM on July 21, 2019
posted by whir at 10:53 PM on July 21, 2019
Yeah, I saw a lot of these things coming in a kinda conceptual way, but that's very different from watching it happen. What I love about Evangelion is it always delivers on its foreshadowing in a way that makes you regret guessing what was going to happen. It's delightfully unsatisfying.
That's right, Eva-01 is some kind of living thing with its own autonomy and ideas about things, which is why now it is devouring an angel like a damn baboon and you don't even care because WHAT IS UP WITH ITS ARM???
Man, Eva. You weird.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 11:34 PM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
That's right, Eva-01 is some kind of living thing with its own autonomy and ideas about things, which is why now it is devouring an angel like a damn baboon and you don't even care because WHAT IS UP WITH ITS ARM???
Man, Eva. You weird.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 11:34 PM on July 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
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Asuka dual-wielding rocket launchers was one of the coolest damn things ever, by the way.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 9:28 PM on July 16, 2019