Just when it seems like a nice groove has been found in
the lives of Shinji, Rei, Asuka and NERV, the rug is slowly pulled from under
them. The faces behind NERV itself come
forward and reveal to Gendo the final endgame they put NERV in place to enact. It’s not just about surviving the Angels
anymore, it’s about surviving the one thing NERV was trusted to protect. And by the end of Episode 15, things will
never be the same.
Now we are getting into it. The War against the Angels is well underway
now and Team NERV is working just fine against them. Shinji, Asuka and Rei may not be BFF’s but
despite Shinji’s whining, Asuka’s arrogance and Rei’s distance, they’re all
proving to be a very effective fighting unit.
Same can be said for their NERV back up.
Misato, Ritsuko, and even the cold and calculating Gendo manage to get
involved in the action. The blackout
plot of Episode 11 is a stand out story, throwing everyone into total darkness
and a city of lack of power yet managing to come out on top and even stop an
attacking Angel.
In fact Episodes 11-13 are all outstanding for their
separate yet equally desperate scenarios that involve them thinking outside the
box and even outside the Evangelion’s to take down Angel’s that drip acid, dive
bomb from the sky over an unknown location or even digitize themselves to
attack NERV directly (how do you stop an Angel without an Eva…EP13 has one
solution lol.) It’s episodes like these
that give one hope that NERV can actually pull off the impossible and prevent
the Angels from destroying the world…that is when there aren’t scenes
indicating bigger and darker things are ahead, as showcased in a recap episode
which has Gendo speaking with the powers above him about the consistent Angel
attacks and their effect on “the schedule”.
This set of episodes also starts delving into the deeper
histories of the main cast and the organization they work for. Misato gets a whole episode dedicated to her
backstory, revealing she witnessed the apocalyptic Second Impact first hand
after her father sacrificed himself to protect her from the initial blast. Her hatred for the Angels runs deep and even
though she opens up to Shinji about her past, it’s hard to tell how far she
will push him to satisfy her own personal vendetta. But this more so something to be addressed in
the realm of Gendo Ikari, whose mysterious backers are finally given a name
(SEELE) and shows that he has a strange penchant for watching Rei float around
in a test tube naked…weird. However,
Gendo has an endgame, one not even his right hand Fuyutsuki knows. And while we cannot see it, it is apparent
the pieces on his chess board are moving exactly where Mr. Ikari wants them
too.
We get to see a bit more of Kaji outside of his flirting
with Misato mode and get some insight to his “true mission.” Is he a double agent playing both sides? While that may not be the case, Kaji does
know more than he lets on. And while he
does go back to Misato flirt mode later on, he does reveal that despite
everything that has happened between them in the past, he still loves her
deeply and is there for her when Misato breaks down over her own insecurities
and failures. And what better way is
there to show someone you care than to show them NERV’s ultimate secret…THE
FIRST ANGEL, captured and nailed to a cross in their basement with a mysterious
lance stuck in its chest. Helluva way to
end this fantastic set of episodes.
Secrets start to become uncovered. Teamwork begins to get better (even resulting
in the most awkward kiss of Shinji’s life from Asuka lol). Romance still blooms and the end of the world
has more factors added in for good measure.
But now that we know what’s setup in NERV’s basement, is it safe to say
we may not be entirely rooting for the good guys anymore?
We…will…see…
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