subject: Online Watch Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (not) Advance Movie 2011 Part 3 [print this page] Misato seems less guarded than she used toMisato seems less guarded than she used to. Asuka, who graces us with her presence for the first time, doesn't bother pretending to like other people, and regresses into an antisocial pout from the get-go. Rei, less dead-eyed than before, expresses frustration with the medical hamster tunnel that she lives in. Gendo is slightly less icy towards his son, revealing a bit more of how he's used his work as a coping mechanism after the loss of his wife, and has never really recovered.
And Shinji himself has turned into a remarkably proactive, thoughtful young man. Misato can't cook, so he takes it upon himself to cook for the entire household, going so far as to make bento for his entire new extended family (even Rei). He stands up to his father when he's angry. He doesn't even want to run away. He's not scared of the girl(s) that try to bully him. He's closer with Toji and Kensuke (the former of whom is remarkably cooler than before). His kindness is reciprocated; Rei goes to great pains to try to melt the ice between him and his father, and hopes to make him a nice meal as well. Asuka, desperate to make a connection, follows suit.
But once the SDAT hits track 27, we come completely off the rails in this second feature-length installment of Rebuild of Evangelion, the reboot of the mecha series that has inspired never-ending discussion and flame wars between its adoring fans and its firey detractors ever since its release 14 years ago. From this point on, we are deeply in uncharted waters; the rules and ways that dominated the Evangelion we know are gone for good. It seems possible -- probable, even -- that the first installment, which was almost entirely a shot-by-shot remake of the original first few episodes, was a foil meant to lull us into complacency so that this film might shock us that much more when it clubs us in the knees and drags us out back to wail on us for a while.
