[EVA] 1.01 - Misato is OK! *Spoilers*

[once at ix.netcom.com]

-----Original Message-----
>From: Sailor Star Dust <aino.senshi at gmail.com>
>Sent: Jun 1, 2008 5:52 PM
>To: "The english-language evangelion mailing list." <evangelion at eva.onegeek.org>, aino.senshi at gmail.com
>Subject: Re: [EVA] 1.01 - Misato is OK! *Spoilers*
>
>>Realistically (that terrible word ^_^) how  is Shinji supposed to
>necessarily absorb the full significance of  what Misato is telling him and
>showing him on such short notice?  Isn't it just one more bit of weirdness
>they pile onto him?
>
>I think the point of that scene/Misato showing Shinji Lilith is meant to
>make him realize that he ISN'T alone in his fighting; because everybody is
>believing in themselves and each other, he needs to do the same. Of course,
>making Shinji realize the severity of the situation is important too.
>

It's *meant* to make him realize these things, but again, telling and showing someone things, and that someone internalizing the lesson and growing and learning because of it, are two different things. Misato of all people should know; her own reaction when she was Shinji's age to being suddenly exposed to Angel-wrought destruction was to go catatonic for a year. Nobody asked her to go straight from that to becoming a soldier; it took her years.

I don't fault her necessarily, because she's pretty much the only grown-up at NERV who's trying to help Shinji. But she just underscores a major gap in NERV's planning (if you consider it rationally)--the indifference, negligence really, towards Shinji's psychological health. This is no mere detail; it creates problems with his tactical discipline at NERV, and almost costs them all their lives. 

It's not as if Eva pilot training seems to require Gendo to be an equal-opportunity asshole; look at how he treats Rei--or consider that the kids in Shinji's class, all pilot candidates, are presented as a relatively normal mix compared to the first three Children. Toji, for example, has had trauma in his family, but there is no suggestion that he's as emotionally imbalanced as Rei, Asuka or Shinji--therefore it doesn't seem to be a requirement to be an actual pilot (the fact things go wrong with Unit-03 isn't his fault).

Putting aside the fact that he abandoned his son just as an ordinary father, if there was ever any possibility he might need Shinji for his plan--that is, as an Eva pilot--you think he would have made some provision, either direct or indirect, for Shinji's emotional health as he grew up. A dad who doesn't have much time for his child because he's too into his job is one thing, but Gendo went out of his way to alienate Shinji. Hasn't he ever heard of an au pair?

--C.