Evangelion 3.33: You Can (Not) Redo
It's been a difficult week for me.
Now, before this becomes the too-personal power hour on all things Evangelion, allow me to explain the contextual emotions I went into this film with. I had put off watching Evangelion 3.33: You Can (Not) Redo for some time even though I had pre-ordered it. This was due to the fact that I didn't think 1.11 or 2.22 were all that revolutionary or interesting, apart from the artwork. Then, a few days ago, I came across some information on an old friend that crushed me. There's no other word for it. It was as though I was being stabbed continuously. Spending the rest of the day sobbing, wallowing would have been easy. But I figured, I have this DVD, let's watch it.
There's something so incredibly genuine, emotionally, about 3.33's core that it helped me work through my feelings. And while the pain is still there, I have an understanding that the pain will always exist - the only thing I can do is move forward. My disappointment in 1.11 and 2.22 only made the good within 3.33 seem that much more impressive. As I said, there is an emotion that this film touches on, as the original Evangelion series did, that resonated with me so spectacularly.
3.33 is not a perfect film and I did have my problems with some of the changes, but I can't deny the fact that it has helped me in some way. In emotion and thematic elements, 3.33 has far more depth than 1.11 or 2.22 ever had.
3.33 continues fourteen years after Shinji set off the Third Impact by trying to save Rei, waking up on a ship that is led by Misato Katsuragi and other cast-off NERV staff. They are now operating under a group called Wille, utilizing both Asuka and Mari as their pilots of EVA Units 02 and 05. The human race, other than a few pockets of civilization, has been exterminated. The world that Shinji once knew is now an abandoned shell of itself, transforming into a red world that contains no life. And though fourteen years have passed, neither Shinji or Asuka show any signs of aging. For that matter, the once bubbly, personable Misato has had Shinji affixed with a DSS choker, which will detonate if he begins to have a strong emotion while in an EVA unit.
But the only thing Shinji cares about is whether he saved Rei. She is, of course, unfindable. After having fused with Unit 01, Ritsuko tells Shinji that Rei is essentially non-existent. And everyone blames him for the Third Impact - both Misato and Asuka, familiar faces from a previous life, treat Shinji coldly. Once he hears Rei's voice and a familiar EVA unit appears on Wille's ship the Wunder, Shinji is quick to return to the past, to his father, to NERV.
As William Faulkner once said, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." The remnants left of NERV headquarters are eerie, taken over by nature. And it's at this point that 3.33 takes on a very Tarkovskyan tone, as the film focuses on fog fading in and out, the glint of sunlight on a piano. The feeling of emptiness in a building that once housed perpetual activity. Only Shinji's father Gendo and Kozo Fuyutsuki inhabit this NERV. The Rei that Shinji thought he had found is merely an uncanny doll, with no memory of their relationship. And there is a strange new pilot within the building who is only heard through his piano playing.
Having seen the original show, I knew where this was all going. The new pilot is Kaworu Nagisa, doomed to befriend Shinji and beg to be killed. The Rei is simply another Rei, perhaps Rei II or Rei III. And Gendo's intentions are to unite with his missing wife, Yui, while SEELE wishes to start the Fourth Impact and the Human Instrumentality Project by implanting Kaworu in NERV. Things are different this time around, though. And if I am to applaud 3.33 for one thing, it's finally having the guts to sever with the tempo of the original show and perform its own composition, at its own pace.
The pace is important in this film. While 1.11 and 2.22 felt imbalanced at times, 3.33 has quite a lot of thrilling action scenes intermixed with very slow, reflective moments. The slow moments were my personal favorites, spending far too much time with Shinji and Kaworu as they explore the abandoned world, as Shinji broods about nature. It's reminiscent of the episode when Shinji runs away for the first time - there's something very liberating about Shinji's escape to nature, but in 3.33, nature only stands as a reminder that he matters not in this new world - this is a sentiment that consoles Shinji. Long conversations abound in this film, but I enjoyed those as well, particularly Fuyutsuki's conversation with Shinji and Gendo's speech with SEELE. The film is also done with explicitly telling you anything - one horrific scene has Shinji realize that his shirt is a bit too big for him, only to read the name that's on it.
Part of what makes this film so exciting is the animation. Once again, top notch, but also with many different types of animation utilized. I was happy to read that the animators used rotoscoping for the movement of Shinji and Kaworu's hands on the piano. Rotoscoping is usually looked down upon due to the fact that it was used abundantly in the 70's and 80's as a cheap form of animation. They would film actors and then draw over the film. However, I happen to love those old Ralph Bakshi films and rotoscoping is kind of nostalgic for me. It can appear jarring, but 3.33 integrates the rotoscoping so well, you'd hardly notice it.
What 3.33 excels at though is being able to tie in the plot elements of 2.22 that it makes me appreciate those changes more. My mantra throughout 1.11 and 2.22 have been that they made me appreciate the decisions made in the original series. But by 3.33, everything starts to make more sense. I didn't care for the Rei of Rebuild, but she's necessary to build a juxtaposition with Rei Q, the Rei who Shinji meets and realizes immediately is not his Rei. In fact, so dismayed is Shinji with this unaffected creature that he refuses to refer to her as "Rei" and instead uses a general "her" or "the other pilot." It's interesting that Shinji would vest humanity onto the original Rei and then take it away from another simply because he realizes she isn't his. But again, 3.33 is fascinated with the past and how we allow it to construct our very own reality.
Even Mari has finally come into her own by 3.33, an enjoyable comedic distraction as she constantly refers to Asuka as "princess." Asuka, in return, calls Mari "four-eyes." And I really enjoyed the changes seen in Misato and Ritsuko, that they've changed places in some ways. Misato now the embittered captain who doesn't even acknowledge Shinji for most of the film, as she has cut herself off from the past. Ritsuko more personable, as she's the only one who explains to Shinji what has been going on - that Shinji caused the Third Impact and is being held accountable for it.
Throughout my experience with Evangelion, one thing has not changed: I love Asuka. And here, in her Shikinami variation, she is finally allowed to shine. Asuka's appearance in 3.33 is perhaps the first notion that things have drastically changed. She's sporting an eye-patch, for one. She's also remained fourteen years old while everyone else around her has aged appropriately. And, as we are shown when she "greets" Shinji, she's very bitter about the whole Third Impact thing. However, there's still that child deep within her, as she berates Shinji and now calls him "Gaki Shinji" rather than "Baka Shinji" (gaki = brat, baka = stupid) but still looks for him near the end of the film. Still insists he come with her even if he's in an emotional mess and can barely get up. There's far more to the 3.33 Asuka than there ever was to the 2.22 Asuka.
Asuka reveals that she, and everyone else who has had contact with an Evangelion, stops aging. Chronologically, Asuka, Shinji, Mari, and Kaworu should be in their late twenties. Instead, they're stuck as teenagers. And while this may be nothing to many of the young characters in this franchise (Shinji's been unconscious for those fourteen years), this is important to take into consideration with Asuka's character, beyond 3.33. In the original show, Asuka was afraid of maturation. It was one of her great anxieties that one Angel exploited, leading her into a catatonic state. Throughout the Rebuild films, it has seemed apparent that Asuka would rather be older than younger.
Like Odin, perhaps she willingly gave up an eye for knowledge. There's something to respect in that change.
Shinji has remained largely unchanged. His reaction, upon returning to a world that hates him, is understandable. Misato and Asuka's reactions, along with hearing Rei's voice, push him to return to NERV, with the intention of reclaiming the past. But all he can find there are ghosts of the past. Part of me believes that the only people who are inhabiting NERV throughout this film are Shinji, Gendo, and Fuyutsuki. Kaworu and Rei Q, wearing the exact same plugsuit as Shinji, may very well be parts of his psyche. This makes NERV seem even more lonesome, even more haunted.
This new Shinji has also become an insomniac and there is a scene in which he drifts through NERV in a haze that felt a little too familiar. Psychologically, he is at his most unsound. Emotionally, he is at his wit's end. Not only has he caused the Third Impact and killed off most of humanity (let's not get into the fact that the Angel he was fighting would have taken out a large chunk of humanity), he didn't save Rei. For that matter, his mother Yui, who he has always held as an opposite to Gendo's indifference and cruelty, was at the heart of the Human Instrumentality Project. The Rei that he knew was simply a clone of his mother.
It's interesting that many label the Rebuild films as Hideaki Anno "after depression." I think that both the series and the films are by someone who has obviously been dealing with these problems. No better is this exemplified than in the consequences of Shinji's actions, which lead to the Third Impact and Kaworu's death: he's doing the right thing and yet it always ends in failure. Wanting to save Rei is the right thing to do for Shinji. Taking the Spear of Longinus and Cassius to revert the changes of the Third Impact is the right thing to do for Shinji, though erasing the past is impossible. And yet, doing what is right for him leads to the suffering of others and them deeming him a failure. It's this "burden of living" again, told differently.
What Shinji does have is the slightest intimation of hope, from a co-pilot.
The Kaworu of Neon Genesis Evangelion was a character shrouded in ambivalence - was he genuine in his interactions with Shinji? He had a very limited amount of time, but was vastly important in that he was the only friend to be found within NERV. Never mind the fact that he was from SEELE and also an Angel. And while Kaworu approached Shinji with curiosity, it seemed to be Shinji who brought in any sliver of sexuality into the relationship. Shinji and Kaworu's relationship has changed drastically in 3.33. All ambivalence is taken out of Kaworu. And I strangely kind of appreciate this. 3.33 is capable of taking all the ambivalence out of these two characters and yet retains its complexity. That probably sounds like an oxymoron, but it's not.
This Kaworu is genuine. He will bring Shinji happiness. If only briefly. He's the only friend to be found within NERV. He even takes Shinji's burdens off of his shoulder momentarily. The DSS choker, which means imminent death for Shinji, is taken on by Kaworu. This leads to an expected end when Shinji makes a mistake - the worst part is that both Shinji and Kaworu see it coming a mile away. Actually, Kaworu saw it coming far earlier and tried to warn Shinji, but humans never listen. Especially ones named Asuka (maybe if you hadn't attacked Shinji immediately, he would have listened!).
The role that has been vested on Kaworu has always been that of a guide. Always a Demian to Shinji's Emil Sinclair. Like Demian, Kaworu becomes Shinji's guide into the creative as he teaches our protagonist how to play the piano - this is yet another obtusely disguised version of synchronicity. It is Kaworu who leads Shinji down into a crater that emits drifting fog and vapors like the Omphalos, the navel of the world, to hear the past. In a way, I think that this is a more mature version of Kaworu. In the show, Kaworu was a guide to Shinji's id, leading him down into Terminal Dogma while also being one to spark both the Eros and Thanatos drive in Shinji. But in 3.33, Kaworu guides Shinji to so much more than those dated Freudian concepts. Creativity, love, hope. If this sounds Christ-like, it gets even worse(/better?) when Kaworu takes on Shinji's burden of the DSS choker. Remember, Shinji. Kaworu Nagisa died for your sins.
There's something that has always stuck with me from Albert Camus' The Plague - that we only feel love if we can envision the future. Being capable of love means being able to fantasize about the future. Shinji, stuck in the past, feels no love from his former friends. But Kaworu gives him the future hope of setting everything back as it was. And with that, grows to love Kaworu as a friend. I don't think I'm wrong in saying that what Shinji is searching for in Kaworu is what he'd like to find in Gendo - in this way, perhaps Kaworu is as much of a reversed reflection of Gendo as Rei is of Yui. If anything, Kaworu is certainly Shinji's animus. And when Shinji decides not to listen to Kaworu, it's as if Dante didn't listen to Virgil and wound up lost in the underworld. Is this man's first sin? Not listening to an otherworldly being? Or not listening to his visceral instincts?
There is a point of contention in Kaworu and Shinji's relationship, but it isn't bothering me as much as it should. It's different - I can respect different. I feel as though Shinji choosing to kill Kaworu in the show was an incredibly important decision for his character and his development. Perhaps this is more familiar to me, as it all rings very Judeo-Christian. The change in 3.33 feels more in line with Buddhism, that every action has a consequence. It's Shinji's actions that lead to the consequence of Kaworu's death. On some level, I like this change, but on another, I feel like I preferred the older version. Kaworu's death boils down to the fact that something essential in Shinji has died.
I have to say, I really enjoyed Rei Q's presence. She greets Shinji by telling him that she will do what she is ordered to do, a being without autonomy. But rather than feel sympathy for another Rei with little to no autonomy, Shinji reacts harshly to a familiar situation: by refusing to acknowledge Rei Q's humanity. Rei Q spends the entirety of the film doing what she has been ordered to do, even as Shinji leaves books at her abode, willing her to be his Rei. He imposes the past upon Rei. Exactly as Gendo has. Whereas the similarities between Shinji and Gendo could only be seen in End of Evangelion, it's quite apparent in the Rebuild films that both Shinji and Gendo are capable of sacrificing the world for one individual. If there has always been a certain amount of maturity in the Evangelion franchise, it's in the theme of learning not to blame the world. The world is not responsible for your problems, your suffering. Everyone is to blame. Including yourself. And here, Shinji has to learn to take on the responsibility that he caused the Third Impact. He has to learn to take responsibility for his burden.
The burden of living is then vested upon Rei Q by Asuka, ironic considering that she was the only one who viewed the original Rei as a "doll." "Do what you want to do," Asuka tells Rei Q when she ponders her next orders. And Rei Q does exactly that, by ejecting from Unit 09.
Kaworu's place in Shinji's psyche as his animus leaves Rei as his anima. And it's interesting, considering that a man's relationship with his anima often dictates how he treats women. When Shinji has a decent relationship with Rei in 2.22, he refuses to fight with Unit 03, knowing that Asuka is still inside it. When Shinji can't even bring himself to refer to Rei Q with a name, he hits Asuka's Unit while she's down.
Rei has always symbolized Shinji's mother Yui. Or rather, she's always been a reflection. The Rei of 2.22 reflects the mother Shinji thought he had while the indifferent Rei Q of 3.33 reflects the mother Shinji may have truly had. Wish-fulfillment is sought in Kaworu and the past Rei, for his ideal mother and father. Perhaps they are representations of what Shinji sees as the ideal person. But these are fantasies. They are not reality. Asuka brings him back down to Earth, both metaphorically and literally in the beginning of the film, telling Shinji that he can't run away from reality. He can't, and the world will punish him severely as a reminder.
Near the end, Kaworu, upon realizing that he is soon to die, tells Shinji, "In time, we rewrite who we are." "Rewrite" is an amusing word for Anno to use. He is rewriting the Evangelion series with the Rebuild films. Even Fuyutsuki echoes this sentiment, "Breaking apart the world is a trivial matter. Rebuilding it, however, is not so easy." This is in reference to Shinji having caused the Third Impact. Kaworu gives Shinji the hope that all can be reverted. Fuyutsuki seems to think otherwise, that effort should be paid to rebuilding the world rather than resetting time. What Shinji has to learn is that you can't erase the past. You can rewrite it. Certainly. You can rebuild it, frame it with perspective and emotion to create our individual reality.
We're always rewriting the past, insisting that certain historical figures were virtuous while others were villainous. It fulfills our need to hear a good story, a story we want to hear. Stories allow others to push their perspectives onto us and, if they're an especially good story-teller, we believe them. In 3.33, the past has been obfuscated, by fog, by lies, by the exceedingly decent con-men of NERV and SEELE.
It's only by clearing the air, by learning what Yui was trying to do and what Shinji has repressed from himself, that he can move forward into the future. And this is why I can't wait for Evangelion: Final to come out - because Anno has reminded me that he is a good story-teller with 3.33 and I need to see how this plays out.
The pain of loss will always be there. The pain of existing, this burden of life. But perhaps, Shinji, you and I can move forward. There might be hope for that.
(Special note: it took me three days, on and off, to finish this post. Coincidence?)