Neon Genesis Evangelion 23 Reaction

2 thoughts on "Neon Genesis Evangelion 23 Reaction"

1. Ahhhh yes, 3 insanely intelligent women falling head over heels for Gendo… WHY indeed?? I bet Fuyutsuki has been left scratching his head this whole time LMAO
   Oh well, the ever so logical scientist-to-her-core Ritsuko did comment on how “men and women aren’t logical” in episode 21. I’ve seen similar relationships happen IRL so… guess it’s not too far of a stretch! It was also heavily implied that Ritsuko went off to see a mystery man after Shinji was rescued from Unit 01’s entry plug and Misato drove off to get the capsule from Kaji. Anno’s definitely been drip-feeding us that sneaky bastard genius lol

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   1. Also, I gotta say Ritsuko is one of my fav NGE characters that I wish Anno had the time to flush out a bit more. Her relationship with both her mom and Gendo is such a complicated and nuanced one – such a fascinating study on the human psyche!
      On first viewing, I immediately saw some parallels between Ritsuko and Misato, in the sense that she sought in Gendo a twisted form of a father figure like what Misato saw in Kaji. After all, it is shown (and then heavily implied) in episode 21 that at least a big chunk of her childhood and/or adolescence (she was wearing either a junior or senior high school uniform in that flashback scene when Fuyutsuki was first taken to the underground lab where Naoko worked) was spent in Gendo’s presence. Naoko also mentions she raised Ritsuko as a single mother in that same episode if I remember correctly.
      But after re-watching this show way too many times as an adult, I can see a bit deeper into why Ritsuko would willingly choose to go down the same path as her mom, even though a part of her logical scientist mind knows all too well the consequences of pursuing such a hollow and fruitless relationship.
      There’s likely some jealousy towards her mom and even a sense of revenge, because we can deduce from Naoko’s own admission (and Ritsuko mentioning not knowing how to feel about Naoko as a mother while actually resenting her as a woman in the microcomputer Angel episode) that she in many ways prioritized her relationship with Gendo over caring for her own daughter.
      There’s probably also some ego thrown into the mix – Ritsuko saw what Gendo’s betrayal did to her mom and definitely knows deep down that Gendo’s heart is still with Yui, but she went along with Gendo’s manipulation anyway, perhaps thinking/hoping that she wouldn’t be as “foolish” and naive as her mom, and would actually get something out of her relationship with Gendo instead of just being used then abandoned like her mom was? Almost as a way to prove to herself that she’s better/smarter than her mom?
      Of course as a scientist, she probably also did genuinely want to continue her mom’s legacy in research, and what better way to do that than to willfully take the bait from the man who started this whole nonsense… LOL
      Anyway, gotta luuuuuuv how flawed and layered all the characters are in this show! Also, episode 21 is still my absolute favourite, packed full of so many missable details and hints about both the story and the characters that would take multiple re-watches to fully piece together. Never a dull moment with NGE!

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