[EVA] Gender analysis in the series, vis a vis Asuka and Misato

[Peter Svensson]

> Meanwhile.....14 years on, it's still "that show that no one understands"; pause to think that maybe the constant waves of divergent, misinterpretting fanfic had a role to play in that?

No. Because people who just watch the series, and never even touch the fanfic or know anything about EVA fandom have the same response. People don't say it because of fanfic, they say it because the series can be difficult to understand for many people. Occam's razor. The simplest solution to the problem of "why do people think Evangelion is confusing" isn't "Because they've been deluded by fanworks!" but "Because it can be!"

> I don't walk into a convention panel on "Eva" then expect the panelist to rant about their own fanfic for an hour (i.e. Sean McCoy), I explain a theonering.net-style, theforce.net-style, Star Trek-style "panel explaining the series"

Evangelion is a 26 episode TV series by Studio Gainax. There's an episode where Asuka and Shinji have to play DDR to beat twin aliens. There's room for all sorts of approaches to Evangelion panels at conventions, from the silly and off-kilter to the serious and theory-driven. 

EVA is a complicated show that has fans who just like the giant robots and sexy girls, and fans who are into the psychological depth of the show. Discussion of the series should deal with the complex and intricate nature of the show, which was designed for a mass audience. Just as EVA wasn't just designed for an audience of intellectuals with degrees in Psychology, or just for people who want to see EXPLOSIONS, discussion of EVA should be wide ranged to cover both the fans who want in-depth analysis of the complexities of the series mythology and those who just thought the show was cool and wished that Shinji kicked more ass.

Saying that there's only one way that EVA fandom should function misses the point of how Gainax made the show in the first place.

Peter Svensson