Episode:06 Rei II
Aired November 8, Heisei 7 (1995)

Script: Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Masayuki / Director: Hiroyuki Ishido / Chief Animator: Nobuhiro Hosoi / Assistant Character Designer: Rei Yumeno

This is the climax in the early part of the series, depicting NERV bringing all of its forces to bear in “Operation Yashima” to annihilate the Fifth Angel. Using lots of captions to create a war movie feel or a documentary feel is one of Hideaki Anno’s fortes, which hasn’t been seen since Aim for the Top! The bold idea of gathering all the electrical power of Japan for the operation is also very GAINAX. With regards to the depiction of the mecha, their sheer mass and level of intricate detail are awe inspiring. This is also the first time Unit-00 is participating in an operation, making it full of highlights.

The existence of the AT field, which drastically reduces the effectiveness of normal weaponry, is what makes the Angels seem well nigh invincible, but the Eva have the ability to neutralize those AT fields. In point of fact, in the fights against the Third and Fourth Angels, Unit-01 secured victories against them by carrying out close quarter physical combat. However, the Fifth Angel has a particle beam that makes approaching it impossible, which rules out neutralizing the AT field. Thus, a strategy was laid out to destroy it by sniping it from super-long range, outside of its firing range. This is “Operation Yashima.” Instead of neutralizing the AT Field, the plan is to use a positron cannon with enormous output gathering all the electrical power of Japan to pierce through it.

The name “Operation Yashima” is a reference to when Yoichi Nasuno shoots the fan with his bow from atop his horse on the beach in the “Battle at Yashima” in the first year of Bunji (1185). That’s Chief of Operations Katsuragi for you, quite the intellectual. In addition, “Yashima” written differently is also the old name for Japan. Thus, the name also contains a reference to the operation gathering electrical power from all of Japan.

The SSDF Laboratory where Misato requisitioned the prototype self-propelled positron cannon is actually short for Strategic Self-Defence Force Technology Laboratory. The Strategic Self-Defence Force is an organisation directly under the Ministry of Defense, which was formed in 2003 when the Chinese and Vietnamese had a military confrontation over the Nansa Islands. It is JSSDF for short, and this acronym can also be found on the positron rifle, which was remodelled off the self-propelled positron cannon.

There were many versions of the ending song, “Fly Me To The Moon,” while the show was on air, but for this release, there is a different version being used for every episode. For Episodes Five and Six, they are “Rei #5” Version and “Rei #6” Version for both the on-air and this release. The singer is Megumi Hayashibara, the voice actress of Rei Ayanami.

EPISODE:07 A Human Work
Aired November 15, Heisei 7 (1995)

Script: Yoji Enoto, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Keiichi Sugiyama, Hideaki Anno / Director: Keiichi Sugiyama
Assistant Director: Masahiko Otsuka / Chief Animator: Shunji Suzuki / Assistant Character Designer: Mitsumu Wogi

This episode has the conflict between NERV and the government in the background and depicts the heroic actions of Shinji and Misato as they try to stop the rampaging giant humanoid decisive weapon, the J.A. (Jet Alone). Through it is not flashy, the story is involved, and the animation is meticulous. Its level of finish is high. You can also enjoy the Kihachi Okamoto-esque camerawork that Director Anno excels at. The drama of communication between Shinji and Misato also hits a plateau. The segment From Episode One to this episode can be thought of as the “Prologue Arc” of the series.

Misato is normally slovenly, but here, she gallantly stops the J.A. without any regard for her own life. Shinji is disappointed by the enormous difference between these two sides of her, but at the end, he learns that the reason she shows that defenseless side of her to him is because that’s how much she trusts him. Back-to-back with that is revealed the ironic truth that the J.A. going out of control and the miracle that Misato and the others brought about were all plotted by Gendo, but the way Shinji begins to walk forward when he understands that his relationship with Misato has become closer is refreshing enough to even erase the sense of upset.

At the beginning and end of the episode, the image displayed on the floor and ceiling of Gendo’s office is a chart called the Systema Sephirotica. This is a chart symbolic of the Kabbalistic arts, which became the basis of alchemy, mysticism, astrology, and other such fields, and it explains the creation of the world. The same chart appears in the opening sequence.

Also, in this episode, Ritsuko’s dialogue reveals that the Second Impact occurred when the First Angel exploded 15 years ago. Make note of the fact that Misato turns away while Ritsuko explains this. The notes in the textbook in this scene also explain that the First Impact is what is also called the Giant Impact, which happened 4 billion years ago when an asteroid struck Earth. In other words, it is called the Second Impact because it is the first enormous impact since the Giant Impact.

The name of J.A comes from the robot, Jet Jaguar, which appeared in the special effects film Gozilla vs Megalon (1973). Jet Jaguar was a robot whose design was chosen from submissions from the public, and when it was initially announced, its name was Red Alone. Jet Alone is a name made by combining Red Alone and Jet Jaguar. It is truly a geeky GAINAX-like name.

EPISODE:08 Asuka Strikes!
Aried November 22, Heisei 7 (1995)

Script: Yoji Enokido, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Shinji Higuchi / Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki / Assistant Director: Masahiko Otsuka / Chief Animator: Takeshi Honda / Assistant Character Designers: Mahiro Maeda, Mitsumu Wogi

This episode depicts the actions of Eva Unit-02 and its pilot, Asuka Langley Sohryu. Starting here, the series charges into the second part, the “Action Arc,” which depicts battles with various Angels in standalone episodes. The spirited character of Asuka ushers in a new phase of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Apparently, Asuka’s character became solidified in Director Anno’s mind when he came up with the lines “This is my Chance!” and “What are you, stupid?!”

The storyboards for Episode Eight and the following Episode Nine were done by Shinji Higuchi, known for such things as his work on the Heisei Gamera series. The Chief Animator is Takeshi Honda, who also worked on Episode Three. Tense action, catchy characters, fun expressions and visuals make for plenty for the eye to see. Asuka’s energetic character, Higuchi’s storyboards, and Honda’s animation work together to create the series’ foremost amusing episode. There are also a lot of comical depictions, and in that sense, it is a unique episode in Evangelion. Shinji Higuchi has been involved in various projects at GAINAX since its establishment and has worked on such shows as Wings of Honneamise, Aim for the Top!, and Nadia: Secret of Blue Water. Episodes Eight and Nine were apparently referred to as the “island arc” among the staff members due to its feel being similar to the “island arc” (episode 23 and onwards) in Nadia which he directed.

The U.N. naval fleet appears in this episode, giving it a heavy military feel. The U.N. naval fleet’s flagship is Over The Rainbow, and the fleet consists of ships and craft from both the Eastern and Western camps. Its main force consists of formerly American naval ships, and each has been given a codename from among Shakespeare’s plays, such as Othello, Titus Andronicus, Cymbeline, and Tempest.

The contents of the trunk that Kaji is carrying looks like a human embryo and Gendo calls this “the first man, Adam.” In Episode Seven in the SSTO conversation, they were talking about the “revised budget for the sample collection,” but that sample is probably this Adam. Adam’s existence is one of the greatest mysteries in this show. Could it be related to the Adam that appears in the Old Testament? The name of Adam’s wife in the Old Testament is Eva.

EPISODE:09 Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!
Aired November 29, Heisei 7 (1995)

Script: Aiko Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Shinji Higuchi / Director: Seiji Mizushima / Chief Animator: Shinya Hasegawa / Assistant Character Designers: Mahiro Maeda, Mistumu Wogi

This episode depicts Shinji and Asuka's cooperative Angel counterattack operation with a most lighthearted touch. Following Episode Eight, "Asuka Arrives in Japan," this is another amusing episode that fully exhibits Shinji Higuchi's distinctively cheerful quality. The is also a plot development where Shinji ends up spending a night alone with Asuka and almost kisses her, giving it a youth drama feel as well.

Each of the 5 episodes from Episode Eight to Twelve is designated as having a plot where "the characters become as one to defeat the angel." In Episode Eight, Shinji and Asuka work together to fight the Angel, but this story is the developmental form of that idea. With their perfect unison, they defeat the Angel.

The elegant and yet cheerful fight scene in the second half of the episode is the ultimate high point. The beauty of it lies in the fact that the 62 seconds of combat in the show is actually depicted in approximately 62 seconds. In this scene, various methods such as split-screen are used to produce a flashy presentation that is truly benefitting a robot anime, but depictions of this sort in this show can only be seen in Episode Nine.

Episode Nine is also the episode where Asuka's character gets filled in. At the beginning in the scene where she talks to Rei at school, she is standing on the edge of the flower bed, but this is because in Director Anno's plans regarding her, one of the things was "she is a girl who endeavors to stand at a higher spot compared to the person she is addressing when greeting people." In Episode Eight, she also addresses Shinji from the top of the elevator.

Asuka says, "This is the wall of Jericho, never to fall!" of the sliding door that separates the two rooms, but the "Wall of Jericho" is a reference to the Western film It Happened One Night (1934, America). In the movie, a rich runaway girl and an unemployed newspaper reporter end up spending a night in the same room, and they put a blanket as a divider, calling it the "Wall of Jericho." Incidentally, the original "Wall of Jericho" is a castle wall that appears in the Bible. Also, she says, "It is proper that boys and girls sleep apart after the age of seven," but the correct proverb is "it is proper that the boys and girls sit apart after the age of seven." This is a saying in the ancient Chinese Confucian text of The Book of Rites, and the seat refers to a straw mat. In ancient China, sitting on the same mat meant that the two were husband and wife. Is it the genius girl's pride that leads her to want to use difficult sayings, even though she's not supposed to be used to Japanese yet?

The Chief Animator is Shinya Hasegawa, known for his work on the Sailor Moon series and Revolutionary Girl Utena. In terms of the visuals, his unique touch is very apparent and the finished product is catchy, with its colorful characters and punchy action. They key animation team is also most luxurious. The first battle between the Eva and the Seventh Angel was done by Fumitomo Kizaki, known for such things as designing the characters in Shadow Skill. The "6 days of training" with its brilliant action matching the music was done by Masayuki. The first half of the "62 second decisive battle" was done by Keisuke Watabe, know for his work on such things as Crest of the Stars. The second half was done by Yutaka Nakamura, who made the fans roar at the characters in Cowboy Bebop. The helter-skelter exchange between Shinji and Asuka after defeating the Angel was done by Nobutoshi Ogura. The section of key animation that Shinya Hasagawa drew was the scene where Shinji almost kisses Asuka. The ampleness of her bosom is impressive.

At the beginning, Hyuga compares the data on the Seventh Angel and says, "Pattern blue, confirmed as an Angel," and at the time, the screen displays "BLOOD TYPE: BLUE." In the scene before that, with the data on the Sixth Angel that Ritsuko had analyzed, it also has "6th ANGEL pattern: BLOOD TYPE: BLUE." This indicates that it is an Angel. The term "BLOOD TYPE: BLUE" comes from a sci-fi film directed by Kihachi Okamoto called Blue Christmas (1978, Japan).

Episode: 10 Magma Diver
Aired December 6, Heisei 7 (1995)

Script: Akio Satsukawa, Hideaki Anno / Storyboards: Tsuyoshi Kaga, Hideaki Anno / Directors: Tsuyoshi Kaga, Hiroyuki Ishido / Chief Animator: Satoshi Shigeta / Assistant Character Designers: Seiji Kio, Mitsumu Wogi

Continuing on from Episodes Eight and Nine, this episode also centers around Asuka's actions. For the first time, NERV takes an active approach towards an Angel and tries to capture it in a pupal state. In the second part, the "Action Arc," that started with Episode Eight, the key focus of the plots is in just what kind of situation they must fight the Angel, and in this episode, the fight is in magma. The operation itself is carried out by Asuka alone, but Shinji is there to provide support and ends up risking himself to save Asuka. As a result, in the fight in the following Episode Eleven, Asuka volunteers for a dangerous offensive role to repay this debt. The story progresses from depiction of normal life, discovering the Angel, forming a plan, and then carrying out the operation, but this kind of traditional story development is unusual for Eva. Also, several new mysteries are presented in this episode: Kaji's inexplicable behavior, Misato and Asuka's past, and others.

During combat, Asuka and the others remember the thermal expansion that they had talked about in the pool scene and form a plan to defeat the Eighth Angel. Planting a plot device in the depiction of daily life in the first half of the episode, and then using it as a hint to turn the tide of battle in the second half is a classic robot anime theme plot. The key here is having a character who remembers something useful for the battle to say "I know! Let's... !"

There is also a scene depicting the three operators taking a break between work. Maya Ibuki is reading a romance novel. Makoto Hyuga is reading a comic magazine. Shigeru Aoba has a music magazine next to him as he mimics playing a guitar. Aoba's hobby is to play the guitar, and in Episode Eleven, he can be seen coming to work with a guitar case containing an electric guitar. This was never realized, but there was an idea of having him play his guitar and singing nearby Shinji and the others in the final scene on the hill.

The model that the Eighth Angel was based on was the Anomalocaris, the largest carnivore of the Cambrian Period. The Anomalocaris was taken up on the NHK Special Life - A Long Journey of 4 Billion Years (1994, Japan), and at the time the show aired, the creature was a hot topic.