WiC Watches: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Episodes 8 and 9: “Asuka Strikes!” and “Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!”

First up, “Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!” is easily the best title of any episode of Evangelion yet, so even if it was a total drag, we’re already coming out ahead.

Happily, it’s not. Neither of these episodes are. In fact, these are the first episodes of the show I would call unambiguously fun, thanks to creative action scenes and the contributions of new character Asuka Langley Sohryu, who shows up at the top of Episode 8 and dominates every moment she’s onscreen from there on out.

Asuka is brash, rude, and utterly confident in her ability to pilot her Evangelion — Unit 02 — better than Shinji can pilot Unit 01. After a suite of episodes with Shinji only reluctantly piloting his Eva and Rei doing it out of an unthinking sense of obligation, it’s refreshing to see someone pilot a giant killer robot because they want to, so they can prove they’re the best at it.

Asuka is a bit of a jerk, but she gives the show a shot of energy. In “Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!” she and Shinji have to synchronize their piloting so they can attack an Angel in tandem, which leads to a really fun montage of the two of them brushing their teeth in unison, listening to music, dancing, and so on. Shinji seems to pick up some of Asuka’s competitiveness, which is exactly what a good new character is supposed to do: push established characters into new places so they can discover new things about themselves. Hell, with her huge personality, Asuka might even break through to Rei.

The action scenes also help kick these episodes up a notch. The sight of an Eva hopscotching between battleships at sea is pretty metal no matter who’s piloting it.

Of course, Asuka brings more than just a sense of fun — she has some baggage that’s hinted at in Episode 9, something I’m sure we’ll learn more about in coming episodes. She’s desperate to prove herself an excellent Eva pilot, but this covers up for an insecurity that goes pretty deep, if her whispered plea of “Mommy” in her sleep is any indication. I’m glad she’s around to stir the pot, but this wouldn’t be Evangelion if she didn’t have some tall psychological hurdles to clear.

I can’t conclude without talking about the creepy way the show frames Asuka and other female characters in these episodes, and really in the series as a whole. In Episode 8, Asuka slaps Toji after he stares up her skirt, which could probably be written off as a bit of off-color teen comedy if it wasn’t paired with a later, leering shot of her breasts when she and Shinji are alone in Misato’s apartment. Asuka is 14, so this is distasteful at best.

Also odd: new character Koji, an ex-boyfriend of Misato’s, sexually assaulting her in an elevator, asking her whether he should heed her verbal commands for him to stop when her lips tell a different story. It’s uncomfortable, and can charitably be written off as a relic of the times that wouldn’t fly today, but it doesn’t make it any less hard to watch.