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samasmith23 · 1 year ago

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Evangelion: You Can (Not) Marathon — (Part 7)

Neon Genesis Evangelion, “Episode 7: That Which is Manmade/A HUMAN WORK”

Continuing my Evangelion re-watch marathon with NGE, "Episode 7: That Which is Manmade/A HUMAN WORK"! For my thoughts on the previous episode, click the link to the post below:

I’ve gotta be honest... I always remembered this being my personal least favorite episode in the entire series. While it’s NOT a bad episode by any stretch of the imagination, since it still contains a lot of incredibly entertaining action and character beats, it always felt the most filler-y due to now detached the plot feels from the overarching Angel attacks and NERV versus SEELE storylines. Honestly, this episode left less of a lasting impression on me than even Episode 14, (of which the first half is a literal clip show) or the fan-maligned Episode 10 (I actually really love that episode and feel the amount of hate it gets is heavily unwarranted).

With all of that out of the way however, let's dig in!

Something interesting to note about Gendo’s office in this opening scene. The Sefirot, or “Tree of Life” pattern (which is an important religious symbol within Kabbalhaism, or Jewish mysticism) present on both the floor and ceiling here was completely absent in the previous episode when Misato received approval for Operation Yashima. I initially would have guessed that the absence of the Sefirot pattern was simply because of the scene in Episode 6 taking place at daytime instead of night like the current scene is, but in a later episode the Sefirot pattern is present during the daytime lighting as well. So it seems like a legitimate animation goof there! Whoops!

Secondly, many other fans have pointed out that the shadow formed by the silhouette formed by Gendo sitting at his desk heavily resembles that of a Star of David, leading to many fans pondering exactly what meaning this usage of religious symbolism is meant to convey, especially since Anno and other members of EVA’s staff have publicly denied there being any real depth behind all the religious iconography lifted from Christian, Judaic, Kabbalist, Buddhist Hindu & Shintoistic folklore outside of aesthetic purposes to distinguish the series from other mecha-anime at the time.

Except, I personally do feel that there is legitimate meaning to be derived from the symbols utilized in scenes like this one.

For instance, the silhouette of Gendo’s desk is placed directly above the Sephirah on the Tree of Life known as “Keter,” which within the context of the Kabbalah specifically refers to Hebrew term for “crown.” Additionally, the hexagram shape of the Star of David is meant to represent divine creation through the unification of both the contrasting elements of fire & water as well as the masculine & feminine powers. This imagery is supported by Margaret Starbird in her article “The Archetypal Mandala of the Star of David” for the blog The Book of Threes, wherein the author states: “The mandala of the hexagram, also known as the ‘Star of David’ is much older than Judaism, older even than history! As an archetypal symbol for the sacred union of the opposite energies, it is the ‘yin-yang’ of western civilization. Formed by the intertwining of the ‘fire’ and ‘water’ triangles (the male ‘blade’ and the female ‘chalice’) this symbiol represents the masculine and feminine principles in perfect union, the ‘sacred marriage’ or ‘hieros gamous’ of the ancient world. [And] in India the symbol represents the ‘cosmic dance’ of Shiva and Shakti, and the Jewish Kaballah suggests that the Ark of the Covenant contains, in addition to the tables of the Ten Commandments, ‘a regular hexagram representing a man and woman in intimate embrace.’”

The gendered symbolism of the hexagram becomes significantly more evident as the show progresses, particualrly in-relation to the both the logo of Gendo's employeers, SEELE, as well as the mask worn by humanity's progenitor Lilith. Both share the exact same single inverted-triangle design, signifying the feminine without the presence of the masculine.

This not only serves to convey humanity's state of incompleteness as percieved by both SEELE and the Angels (who are the descendants of Lilith's male counterpart Adam), but it is also reflective of both the patriarchal gender roles that are deeply interwoven into the Kabbalistic creation (i.e. Eve being born from Adam's rib instead of the same soil that God constructed both Adam & his first wife Lilith from, as well as Lilith being banished from the Garden of Eden and forever cursed to live as the "Mother of All Demons" after she refused to be sexually submissive to Adam).

Therefore, an individual can interpret the hexagram-shape of the silhouette of Gendo’s desk in-conjunction with its placement towards the "Keter" sephriah on Tree of Life diagram symbolizing a "complete" unification with God through the elevation humanity to Adam Kadmon, a Kabbalhistic figure that according to Medium writer James William Hollibush, refers to, "the 'primordial man' or the 'celestial man.' Adam Kadmon is said to be the first emanation of God, and he is the archetype of all humanity."

In large measure, these theological symbols are indicative of both SEELE's overarching plan of evolving both Lilith and humanity as a whole to a similar plane of god-like existence comparable to that of Adam and the Angels, as well as Gendo’s personal god-complex and selfish desire to initiate his own version of Human Instrumentality that is separate from SEELE's vision in order to reunite with the soul of his dead wife Yui.

Plus, the hexagramic dichotomy between the masculine and feminine is heavily reflective of Shinji’s struggles and failures to connect with and respect the women in his life as part of his psychosexual Oedipus complex. As the series progresses, both Shinji & his father Gendo will function as avatars for the "original sin" in the EVA universe. That "original sin" being misogyny, or man's distrust & mistreatment of women that originated with the conflict between Adam & Lilith (which again parallels Kabbalistic folklore).

Lol! While I stated earlier that this episode was the least memorable for me, I’ve never forgotten the image of Shinji & Pen Pen respectively simultaneously eating their toast and fish for breakfast while arching their heads backward! It’s such an iconic image in my head!

Sigh… Misato here is totally me when first waking up in the morning… well… with the exception of drinking beer for breakfast since I personally don’t drink at all (alcohol just tastes terrible IMO)! Also, in the ADV dub Misato called her beverage “sake” when that’s clearly a Yebisu Beer can… lol!

The contrast between how Shinji perceives Misato and how his classmates Toji & Kensuke perceive her is incredibly interesting. While Shinji views Misato as a lazy slob due to him living under her roof and witnessing just how messy and unprofessional her home life is, Toji & Kensuke instead view Misato as this smoking hot babe who acts like a composed government agent. This dichotomy is likely an intentional act on Misato’s part, as she presents herself the exact opposite way in her professional life and in public than how she actually lives in her own private quarters.

It’s this element of Misato’s character which makes her relatable to many fans despite her flaws, since she heavily reflects a kind of realistic contrast between how people behave and present themselves in public and private settings. Just how much of our true selves do we feel comfortable sharing with the rest of the world? How much are we willing to open the walls of our hearts and souls to others? Which parts of ourselves to we express in public are genuinely reflective of who we truly are as a person, or just a facade to shield our own private insecurities from the rest of the world?

Oh boy! Some important info drops in this scene where Shinji’s testing EVA Unit-01’s cooling systems! In addition to remembering Unit-01’s creepy v*gina-eyeball from Episode 2 and questioning just what exactly is an Evangelion, Shinji comments on how the LCL liquid in the Entry-Plug smells like blood but is comforting, which is reflective of the Freudian symbolism of returning to the mother’s womb that’s fully on display with the EVAs. Also, Ritsuko briefly mentions the shipment of EVA Unit-02 from Germany, as well as NERV HQ receiving severe defense budget cuts, foreshadowing both the appearance of a certain red-haired pilot in the very next episode, as well as SEELE and the JSSFD’s invasion of NERV in The End of Evangelion!

Even more important info drops! Geez… I guess this episode isn’t as much of a filler episode as I originally remembered it to be now that I think of it…

So in addition to Gendo discussing the Human Instrumentality Committee’s plans to construct Evangelion Units-06 & 08 overseas (foreshadowing the Mass-Production Evangelions we later see in The End of Evangelion), Ritsuko partially reveals to Shinji the truth behind Second Impact 15-years earlier. Namely that contrary to publicly available information, the Second Impact was caused not by a meteorite colliding with Antarctica, but rather by a research expedition team uncovering the frozen remains of the 1st Angel, only for said-Angel reawaken and cause a near-apocalyptic explosion that obliterated the entire southern continent and wiped out half of the Earth’s population. Additionally, Ritsuko elaborates that the purpose of the Evangelions is to prevent a potential Third Impact which would fully eradicate humanity, now that the Angels have returned.

Nice bit of visual contrast to the first breakfast scene with Misato now presenting herself in a much more serious and professional manner in her own apartment as she prepares to attend an important conference meeting being held at the ruins of “old” Tokyo!

Now this is very interesting! A private Japanese industrial corporation has actually developed its own version of the Evangelion known as “Jet Alone,” which overcompensates for the EVA Units limited battery supply without an umbilical cable by retrofitting a literal nuclear reactor onto its back!

What I find so fascinating about this scene at the conference is the back-and-forth exchange between Ritsuko and the company’s executive as both of them raise equally valid arguments: while Ritsuko points out the very obvious safety risk of attaching a nuclear reactor to a giant robot designed to engage in hand-to-hand combat, the executive points out how NERV’s budgetary spending on the previous EVA vs. Angel fights has resulted in the depletion o financial and food resources of entire nations (plus the machines being operated by fallible human pilots).

However, the executive can’t help but undermine his position by making misogynistic remarks by comparing EVA Unit-01’s berserker rampage back in Episode 2 to a “hysterical woman.” Yeesh! While this does serve as an unintentional double entendre considering that Unit-01 possesses the soul of Shinji’s dead mother Yui Ikari, that executive’s sexism was completely uncalled for and I can’t help but share Ritsuko’s frustration and offense to the executive’s remarks here (especially given her own tragic background with her late mother).

Lol! Misato’s such a hypocrite! As much as she previously criticized Ritsuko and the executive’s back-&-forth arguments as being “childish,” Misato’s acting pretty dang childish herself by kicking a locker in frustration while cursing up a storm about how much she wants to kick said-executive’s ass! Also, I can’t help but agree with Ritsuko’s takeaway that the executive is, “Just a show-off begging for praise and adulation, petty and not worthy of attention,” given how he resorted to juvenile sexism in order dismiss NERV’s efficiency, severely undermining any reasonable arguments he might have had. Also also, her burning the Jet Alone plans is simultaneously a nice touch whilst also highlighting her own juvenile hypocrisy! She and Misato truly are alike despite being so different, Lol!

And of course something goes horribly wrong during Jet Alone’s activation test, as the mecha refuses to accept any computer commands and begins walking aimlessly as it’s nuclear rods and cooling vents begin to overhear, transforming this robot into a literal walking nuclear meltdown!

Also, while I can’t help but laugh at Misato’s snarky jab of, “It looks like this robot is as badly behaved as the idiot who built it,” since it does serve the sexist executive right, I simultaneously feel dirty for laughing since said-sexist executive’s failure is at risk of causing a nuclear fallout, which isn’t a laughing matter at all…

Also also, Ritsuko seems strangely unmoved by the seriousness of this situation. Suspicious?

Misato’s response to the statement that it would take, "An act of God," to stop Jet Alone’s forward momentum before it inevitably melts down is very intriguing: “Acts of men are better than acts of God.”

While this line serves as a lead-in to Misato planning to utilize the Evangelions to stop Jet Alone, Allison Keith delivers said-line with such strong conviction that I can’t help but wonder if this is also meant to further foreshadow Misato’s traumatic past with the Angels during Second Impact, just like the uncomfortable look she gives in the earlier scene when Ritsuko is explaining the events of Second Impact to Shinji?

Also, nice bit of extra detail there with the dirt on Misato’s dress, face, and hair there! Kudos to the animator’s over at Gainax!

Lol! Not only is the company President golfing during a time of serious crisis, but his voice acting in the ADV dub makes him sound suspiciously like George W. Bush. So the president of the company which produced Jet Alone is essentially two infamously terrible U.S. Republican presidents merged together (i.e. Trump and Bush Jr.)!

Yet again Ritsuko seems to be taking the Jet Alone crisis unusually calmly… definitely suspicious…

Also, I’m curious as to what the significance behind the shut-down password to Jet Alone’s nuclear reactor being “Hope” is.

Also also, dang does Misato look great in that futuristic radiation suit!

Aww… while Shinji might not pilot the EVA for selfless altruistic reasons, and while he might berate Misato for her lazy and unhygienic lifestyle at home, he does legitimately care for her safety when she announces her intention to deactivate Jet Alone’s reactor from the inside!

And Misato gives a more sincere peace-sign to Shinji here than the one she previously gave to his class during the parent-teacher day scene earlier!

This entire chase sequence between Unit-01 and Jet Alone is FREAKING epic, although I can’t help but chuckle at how funny Jet Alone’s arms look when they move as Shinji struggles to prevent it from walking towards a populated area!

Lol! Misato pulls a George Lucas by stating, “I have a bad feeling about this,” when she opens the reactor! And Shinji also adds some humor to the scene with Spike Spencer’s line delivery of, “Stop running you bastard!” Double lol!

Dang! The sequence of Misato desperately struggling to manually push the control rods back into place upon realizing that the fail-safe password and program was deliberately sabatoged, along with a Shinji struggling to contain the increasing radiation heat leaks as Jet Alone is about to enter nuclear meltdown before suddenly shutting down operations was absolutely intense! And yeah it’s obvious that Ritsuko was involved with the sabatoge given her earlier suspicious reactions to the crisis as well as her thinking to herself that Misato was a “crazy fool” to try and play the hero and stop Jet Alone on her own. This is explicitly confirmed when Ristuko is later meeting with Gendo in his office to inform him that aside from Misato’s intervention, that their plan worked.

This goes to show that NERV is not exactly the benevolent peacekeeping organization that Shinji and even Misato believe it to be, as Gendo & Ritsuko we’re willing to risk a literal nuclear meltdown (presumably they would have stopped the meltdown at the last minute even if Misato hadn’t interfered, but still!) simply as a means of reinforcing NERV’s position of power by sabotaging any and all competition from foreign parties in their defense of humanity against the Angels. These events, combined with the covering up of the true events of the Second Impact to the general public, as well as the seedy mass production of future EVA units, definitely indicates that there is something incredibly shady occurring beneath the surface with NERV. That there’s far more to this organization’s agenda than simply defeating the Angels…

Huh… Kensuke just provided a level of meaningful insight to Shinji that I never would have expected to have heard from him. Even though Shinji expresses continued annoyance and embarrassment at Misato’s messy home-life (the exact same behavior she previously demonstrated at the start of the episode), Kensuke states that it simply means that Misato considers Shinji a part of her family because she’s willing to show him a side of her life that she’s unwilling to show anyone else.

That’s actually a really profound observation on Kensuke’s part! It harkens back to my previous analysis about Misato hiding specific characteristics of her personality in public and in the workplace, only expressing her true feelings in private and in the presence of those she legitimately cares for. In this regard, Misato truly does view herself as a surrogate mother figure to Shinji despite her shortcomings, and this only serves to strengthen the bond she and Shinji share as a found family, further providing meaning to both of their existences.

What a neat note to end the episode on!

So that was NGE, "Episode 7: That Which is Manmade/A HUMAN WORK," and overall it was actually a lot better than I remember it being! While still probably not one of my personal favorites from the series, this episode was incredibly important in regards to further fleshing out Shinji & Misato’s relationship as well as beginning to expose the shady corruption underlying NERV as an organization, as well as providing some important information and foreshadowing concerning Second Impact, EVA Unit-02 and its ginger-haired pilot, and the Mass-Production Evangelions! So definitely NOT a filler episode like I previously wrote it off as!

Next time will be Episode 8, meaning that it’s finally time to meet the Second Child... Asuka Langley Soryu!

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