#jpt1311

"End of Evangelion"

End of Evangelion is one of the bleakest films I have ever watched, which is saying something coming from someone with a Letterboxd the length of the Nile. After hours upon hours of bearing witness to the evolution of countless characters, plot twists, and the veritable loop-de-loops that the story takes you on, to know that this is how it all shook out left me borderline catatonic. EoE, in my eyes, is comprised of three parts: Shinji’s recognition of his futility within the grand scheme of his wider existence in the world, the maturation (or lack thereof) of his relationship with Asuka, and finally, the Human Instrumentality Project (H.I.P.) and the Third Impact’s clear relation to Christianity and Christendom as a whole.

Over the course of the film, we watch as Shinji, who previously has been little else but an instrument of his father’s will and a reluctant participant in the whole of NERV’s works, struggles to reconcile himself with the very things that he has been doing, as well as form meaningful relationships. Everyone who once looked kindly upon Shinji met their demise, leaving him completely and utterly alone, resulting in Shinji adopting a rather self-flagellating worldview. Misato, his former mentor and elder-sister figure, gives her life saving Shinji, protecting him from harm, closing out the pair’s narrative loop where she rescued Shinji from certain death in episode 1 of the original series. Misato also advances herself sexually onto Shinji mere moments before her death, promising that she will sleep with him if he returns to her alive and in one piece—an obvious extension of Misato’s compulsion to use her femininity to communicate things she is incapable of saying verbally—and sends off the character with a bang, albeit with the implication that her death was less than final.

It’s impossible to discuss Evangelion without making mention of that hospital scene—but first, we need context. Shinji and Asuka have always been at odds, first as roommates, then rivals, and finally as emotionally stunted lovers who dance around one another in a manner that results in the pair regarding one another through a lens where each perceives the other as running counter to their own existence, contradictory on the grounds of differing beliefs and behaviors. When we are first introduced to Asuka, we see her as a child prodigy, a true genius who was all but made for the EVA program. We witness Asuka thrive in her role as a pilot, standing on the cutting edge of the program and serving as the basis against which her fellow pilot, Shinji, is measured. The pair are obviously attracted to one another, but their psychological issues prevent them from truly sharing their feelings with one another—Shinji, with his timidness and sexual ineptitudes, fails to pick up on Asuka’s pursuit(s) of him, effectively shunning her by consistently passing by any opportunity to engage with Asuka in any manner outside the surface level, if even that. Asuka’s headstrong nature and conception(s) of what Shinji ought to be as the “strong male” to her “strong female’, coupled with Shinji’s own deficiencies, make for a relationship that suffers a great many twists and turns, eventually culminating in the infamous hospital scene where Shinji kisses Asuka while she is in a coma and even pleasures himself to her naked body, which is implied to be a common occurrence.

Both Shinji and Asuka, on separate occasions, ask the other to be their devoted, romantic partner, and on both occasions, the other refuses. Asuka implores Shinji to surrender himself to her in his entirety, a request he refuses out of a lack of self-esteem and the belief that nobody truly loves him in any way that matters, and Shinji begs Asuka to be his better half, to be with her forever—a request that she denies despite desiring him anyway. Asuka and Shinji’s relationship is the final thing that the viewer sees in terms of the overarching story of Evangelion, with Shinji attempting to choke the life from Asuka whilst in tears after the Third Impact, only to give up once the latter caresses his cheek before spitting nigh-venomously in his direction, alone in an ocean of red. The two are the perfect illustration of what havoc toxic love, genuine as it might be, can wreak when exhibited by two deeply traumatized individuals.

As for the Third Impact itself, it has overt similarities to the Biblical concept of The Second Coming, or the Rapture. The liberation of souls from physical form to unite with a singular entity, within which they will be complete and want for nothing, rationalized as the natural progression of humanity—its destiny truly—is likely the basis upon which the Third Impact and the H.I.P. are predicated, not to mention the wealth of cross motifs to be found across the length and breadth of the anime, chief among them being Misato’s pendant, which we see Shinji journey on with, and the cross-shaped beams that erupt forth when the entire occurrence is at hand and the souls of Evangelion’s world are being harvested. Shinji, as close to a messianic figure as Evangelion ever gets, falters in the face of absolute power, condemning himself and the entire world to death on the back of his sense of inferiority and belief that the human race is beyond saving—only to then about-face and champion individuality, determined to bring about change, only to succeed and realize the damage is done; the world is barren and forever unchanged.

EoE wraps with the realization that Gendo Ikari, through bringing about the Third Impact, technically won—and now, his son, alongside his Madonna, must go forth and remake the world in his image—a Neo(n) Genesis.

Hey everyone! 🌟

Watching "The End of Evangelion" was an emotionally intense experience. Having seen parts of the anime series, I was both excited and apprehensive to see how the film would wrap up the story that had captivated me from the start.

"The End of Evangelion" serves as an alternate ending to the iconic anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion". The film follows the aftermath of the cataclysmic events leading up to the final battle against the SEELE and the mass-produced Evangelions. As NERV headquarters comes under brutal attack, Shinji struggles with his inner demons and the devastating consequences of the choices he and his fellow pilots must make. Ultimately, the film explores themes of human connection, existential angst and the search for self-worth, encapsulating the complex and emotional journey that defines the Evangelion series.

Furthermore, the film takes a deep dive into the psyche of the main characters, especially Shinji. It provides a visceral, unflinching look at human vulnerability and the search for meaning amidst chaos. I appreciated how it expanded on existential themes and offered a more complete and less ambiguous ending than the series finale. The animation quality and soundtrack were top-notch, perfectly capturing the apocalyptic mood and emotional gravity of the plot.

So, I just finished my consumption of our Name, Hetalia: Axis Powers, and Sensōron, and I have to say, that besides Our Name, I found these to be subpar at best in terms of content. However, In relation to their discussions of nationalism, or rather how they exemplify such ideologies, I found them to be perfect. Oh, also, I just have to say, Our Name has got to have some of the best animation of any anime that I have watched, really wish that such high quality was the norm.

Starting with the most extreme of these pieces of media, I found Sensōron to be horrid. As a far right, neo-nationalist talk piece, this manga was nothing more than a smoldering hunk of nonsense. Through the entirety of the manga, the author is trying to bolster nationalist sentiments through a wide variety of ways, but the most prevalent of them is the same tactic used by far-right groups all over the world, calling everything that does not appeal to your agenda fake. And in Sensōron, the main target for this was Japan’s imperial past, particularly some of its many war crimes, that it has still not apologized properly for. The reason why such things are covered up by such groups is because it makes Japan look bad, and when the goal is to bolster nationalism, you get rid of what makes your country look bad. What’s most notable is that the main tactic used by the author is to demonize anyone and anything that opposes his goals or ambitions, by mocking them outright.

I also liked how Our Name commented on nationalism, because it took a very different approach. It instead tried to appeal to a shared sense of community to bolster national pride. Because of the idea that you will feel more nationalist sentiments if you can actually know and feel connected to your fellow countrymen. And in Japan, this idealized community is the rural village, and thus, this anime calls upon this trope and connects the viewer to it. And this as a whole, makes the viewer feel a connection to the village and thus want to be part of it, the desire to be part of a society with shared values and ideals is the nationalism fostered by this anime. This also contrasts with the nationalist views seen in Hetalia: Axis Powers, because in this anime, the nationalism it fosters is more akin to Sensōron, as it relies on a falsified history to make a narrative where Japan is shown in the best light.

I watch to get my mind off my real life. Pretty mundane, sometimes dreadful, other times depressing, it seems like bad things happen more than good ones. And to add to the hurt, I feel like I have to fight for the good ones, which can get pretty exhausting. Movies, animations, anime, and other media like manga, gives me a break in all this tiredness.

To be fair, when I compare my tiredness to other people and their responses, I feel utterly immature in my decisions. I know in my mind that problems are problems and I mustn't compare, but whenever I see the hardships of other people, my problems just feels a world smaller. This in a way motivates me, but it also devastates me because these problems that feels so real to me, could, may or may not be large in their sense of problems. However, ultimately, every goes about and lives their daily lives. But I digress.

What I meant to say is that anime, in Japan, has become a trope for people to get their minds of their everyday hardships in work and other areas. An increase in the number of isekai animations reflect this tendency. Truck-kun, while unthreatening in its name, is actually a depressing idea about suicide, whatever the reason it might be. Its the idea that after suicide the characters are reborn in another life away from the current problems.

And I think Spirited away and A Place Further than the Universe kind of, in a way, reflect this idea by narrating and proposing a new unorthodox experience to the audience.

For Spirited Away, the story starts with Chihiro's family moving to the countryside, into a bigger house, which is a dream for many who don't have the resources or courage to take that decision and implement it to their lives. Chihiro is then taken to the spirit world to explore the new world/environment, meet new creatures, create relationships with new people, and experience not-so-normal conditions. These factors of exploration stimulate the imagination of the audience as if they were exploring themselves.

In parallel, this trope is similarly observed in the anime A Place Further Than the Universe, where a couple of seemingly normal Highschool girls decide to adventure to Antarctica of all places. While everyone has their own reasons, it is still petty unorthodox of a choice to make for a place to travel to. And in the eyes of the viewers, it probably is a great imaginative escape adventure from their everyday problems. It is great, because, first and foremost, they haven't experienced the artic, and second, no experience whatsoever makes the anime more relatable, since they do not know what it feels like. This in turn creates a believable story that they can imagine being in.

Instead of directly creating a narrative that reflects the theme of the story, they instead take a turn by incorporating the everyday lives of the audience. And I think this is a spectacular touch as it gives another level of empathy the viewers can grasp.

Economically speaking, it also is the answer, the product, to the demand that the audience so craved: Something new for their mundane lives. However, not only does it answer, it also prompts the audience to reflect their lives and how they are living it. At first, Kaonashi chases something that he cannot get no matter what he offers or tries, Chihiro. He violently gives everything with no avail. Ultimately, however, he finds his calling which he is most satisfied with now that his directional idea of life that dictated his actions into buying his way changed to that of a more servitude way of living--it ultimately gave him the satisfaction he needs which was not fulfilled through other means.

Movies directed by Miyazaki Hayao often have these kinds of mini stories within, a story-ception. And I think this is why his works are legendary, not only do they provide entertainment, but they also ask the audience the important questions in life, like the fables of Aesop or Jesus.

I love this. I love Neon Genesis evangelion so much. I first watched it 2019, I was 12 years old. Evangelion would go on to be one of the most impactful pieces of art I have ever experienced. I begged everyone I knew to watch it. The first vinyl I ever bought was Evangelion Finally. Evangelion spoke to me like it has for so countless other viewers. Its super exciting to read everyone else in this class's reaction to Evangelion, first time viewers and re-watchers alike. I honestly really appreciate the blog post structure for our discussions, I feel like I get a lot of fresh point of views and ideas that way.

I really appreciated rewatching Eva for this class with the themes of masculinity, and especially queer masculinity in mind. Of course, I had always understood on some level that Shinji represented queer masculinity but I only ever really thought about it in context to his relationship with Kaworu that happens in like one episode near the end. Of course, I also understood Shinji as a subversion of the typical male protagonist and the masculine qualities which one was supposed to embody. But, through this module I feel I got a way more in depth view and understanding of Shinji's masculinity, and the way in which it is shown throughout the show and End of Evangelion. Shinji is notoriously a character who grinds a lot of viewers gears. His passivity and weak-willed nature gets under the skin of many viewers. I honestly never felt annoyed with Shinji's behavior. ( I don't say this to excuse his behavior) I appreciate this depiction of masculinity, through the lens of this weak willed boy and his relationship to the women in his life. For me, one of the most interesting aspects of Evangelion is its relationship to women, both through Shinji and the show itself. Like a week or two ago we were talking about the sexual imagery that often appears in anime and what it says about those who consume this content. The readings and lectures both ended up saying that the fans never act on the sexuality which is portrayed through anime and its separate from them as people. And like, I get it, I don't want to be the content morality police or some puritan but there is a part of me that wants to discuss what it means to show women in this way. Evangelion simultaneously gives us these complex nuanced women, with nuanced relationships to sex and their own gender while at the same time giving us "fanservice". Is this fanservice a commentary on anime and Shinji? is it supposed to be through Shinji's eyes or a commentary on how young girls are used in anime? and, even if it is is there not still an aspect of it which reduces the girls in someway, an aspect of it that is enjoyed and consumed by fans? Look at Asuka and Rei, who have become the center of heated internet debates about who is the "better girl" as in the better girl to be a partner to the male viewer, who Shinji may serve as a self insert to. I found the reading of Shinji's masturbation scene the the professor puts forward really interesting, and something you only get with reading the entire series through queer masculinity. I am genuinely thankful to have gone through this module and get this new view on one of my all time favorite things. I don't just want to repeat the readings from prof but I really appreciate the queer aspect of Shinji, personally speaking. I appreciated growing up as a queer teenager and even more now.

This anime was one of the few animes that I was actually familiar with before this class, and from the looks of what I had heard and seen from it, I was really looking forward to it. I really enjoyed this anime, especially the artstyle. I also really liked the story and thought the many characters and "protagonists" and plotlines near the beginning made the story really interesting. The following are my thoughts and analysis on the anime. How the anime relates to the readings:

While again, there are no readings for this module, I still saw many parallels between the anime and themes explored in other readings and animes. The first main connection I saw to our other readings and animes was the testing done on Tetsuo and the no child left behind theme. I specifically thought of the anime Shin Sekai Yori from that module and how it showcased children as the victims of eugenics and government oppression. Parallels can be drawn between the children of Shin Sekai Yori and the "psychic" children who are tested on in Akira. In both cases, the government is violating the rights of children in the name of helping preserve, save, or improve humanity. I also saw lots of negative depictions of the military, policing bodies, and the government in general. These themes were very broadly used in this anime and I just thought that it is a recurring theme in some of our more darker animes, especial those such as Psycho-Pass who also display dystopias. How this anime relates to Japan and globally:

The themes from the "No child left behind" module that are present in Akira seem to mostly relate to Japan and America as those are the countries that have experienced the public paranoia over children being dangerous, though the same principles regarding children being viewed as dangerous and being persecuted as a result can apply to many other situations as well. I also think the extremely violent nature of the characters in this anime is somehow supposed to be a critique of violence by highlighting the immorality and regrettable nature of the character's action, though I am unsure and this could simply be a stylistic choice. Nonetheless, this possible critique applies to people of all countries as everyone has the capacity to act like the characters in Akira. How this anime relates to my life personally: The themes that most relate to my life are those from the "No Child Left Behind" module. In my experience in public schools in America, there is a definite fear of children and students that have affected the schools I attended. My middle school had staff trained to handle violent students, extensive student surveillance, and even armed police on campus (though that is also to protect from outside threats to the school). There were even police who came to my school to inform us that we were being surveilled online to see if there is any potential threat. This lies in parallel with the themes of No child left behind where the government surveilles and does what they please with students in the name of the greater good. I chose this image as it depicts the child testing done by the government. I chose this image as opposed to a picture of Tetsuo transforming into a monster as I saw that as more of the product of the government's actions and I wanted to show the process of how the government and society handles children.

Spirited Away is what I believe to be one of the most well-known films in the history of Japanese animation, due to its colorful atmosphere, lovable characters, and its message of the power of love. However, I believe there is much more to Spirited Away than meets the eye. Beyond its heartwarming story and beautiful animation, the film delves into serious topics like the dangers of consumerism and the loss of individuality in capitalist societies, acting as a critique of the functionality of our society as it stands today. 

The transformation of Chihiro's parents into pigs serves as a metaphor for how consumerism corrupts people, turning them into unrecognizable creatures consumed by greed. Her parent's constant want for food, as pigs, highlights how materialism can leave us empty, constantly searching for fulfillment. As pigs, Chihiro's parents are put into pens with others who have fallen prey to their greed, each pig looks the same and only has one desire, which is to continue consuming, lacking any individuality they once had. This metaphor highlights how consumerism can trap people in a cycle of endless consumption, leading to a loss of identity and humanity. 

Similarly, Yubaba's bathhouse represents a capitalist society where workers lose their identities, symbolized by the stripping of their names. The soot sprites, for example, exist solely to fuel the furnace, reduced to mere objects that sustain the bathhouse's operations and Yubaba's profits. In Yubaba's eyes, no one holds any true value as an individual; their worth is defined only by their usefullness. This mindset is exemplified later in the film when she discards Haku in his injured and disheveled state, deeming him useless and a burden because he can no longer serve her purpose. Yubaba’s bathhouse and leadership showcase the films larger critique on the dehumanizing nature of capitalism and its harmful effects on us as individuals with hopes and dreams. 

alright I have to start this by being sentimental first. This is the last post we're all gonna be making you guys :( personally I'm sad as this has been like my favorite class ever. It has been so amazing getting to hear from all of you and I've been exposed to so many beautiful pieces of media. This class is forever something I will bring up in any conversation and has made an actual impact on me. I know it is unlikely we will run into each other in the future considering the amount of you that are computer science or engineering majors but I hope my Hetalia blog post made a lasting enough impact in your brain that you may remember me, thanks for putting up with my takes and just being a really fun group of people ❤ (I won't be taking the exam with y'all so Wednesday will be the last time I see you all and I will be sad about it because I'm emotional)

okay now on to the actual show!

I have seen bits and pieces of this show but I've never sat down and watched the whole thing, and I still haven't cause I only had enough time to watch the assigned episodes.

This show has a lot of the same themes of shows that we watched previously. A few that I noticed are Psycho-Pass and Eden of the East. This show and Psycho-pass share the similar theme of "if you tell someone they are something they are bound to become it". Within this show, these kids have been seemingly abandoned by the education system. Every person at this school seems to hate class-E for no apparent reason. They are viewed as violent, dumb, and worthless by every other class and even the educators. They are being set up to fail, and their fate has been set for them at 14.

In regards to Eden of the East, this show also shares the similarity of kinda pinning the responsibility of saving the world on other people (also many of the shows we watch rely on children to save the world like Sailor Moon, Gundam, Evangelion). Despite literally having no faith in Class-E to do anything successfully, they put the fate of the entire planet in their hands. If these kids cannot kill their teacher every single person will die, and yet people still don't seem to be rooting for them.

They also have to work considerably harder to do satisfactorily on exams, as their education in the past has been lacking since no teacher ever gave them a real chance. With everyone against them, they still managed to rank themselves at the same level as Class-A, proving their ability despite what others may believe they are capable of.

Overall I think this was a pretty good watch and I will likely get around to finishing it.