Introjection

A Man's Battle

Kaji has his greatest lines this episode. His conversation with Shinji changed everything for Shinji.

Kaji knows enough about the words written on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He knows about Second Impact, Adam, and what will cause Third Impact. Shinji chose to run away, but he’s become too involved. To watch Asuka be defeated in battle. To watch Rei be defeated in battle. Kaji tells Shinji, “There is something only you can do.” Shinji has a purpose, a purpose he rejected. He has a purpose, and he cannot reject it.

The Angel took down Asuka and Rei simply enough, but with Shinji it actively went for the plug, it went for the pilot. The Angel must know its life is in danger, and the only answer is to destroy the soul of its opponent, the pilot.

Ritsuko asks if “she’s awakened”. This goes back to the idea of Eva Unit 01 having Shinji’s mother’s personality inside. And what is this about the “taking the S2 Engine into herself”? With a human-like arm regenerated, and ape-like movements, the question of the nature of an Evangelion is once again brought into question: Is Evangelion man-made? Is it part Angel? Is it related to Adam, or the second Angel? If the Eva is a leaving creature, what is its soul? What is Shinji to the Eva? What becomes of Shinji?

At one time, Eva Unit 01 went berserk with Shinji inside. This time, it’s Shinji who controlled Eva Unit 01 in a berserk fashion. What becomes of Shinji now?

Neon Genesis Evangelion started out telling a story. Then it let its characters be known. Now the two are meshing together. More than two thirds of the way through the series, everything is moving along nicely.