I think him being an Angel removes any sexual aspect to it, as he was too "pure" for such sinful and simple desires. That might be me reading too much into the Angel thing as a whole, but I think to shackle him with something so simple as just homolust is almost too humanizing of such an otherworldly being.
In a way doing so is reminiscent of Gendo's failure to understand Rei and how far above his control she had grown, making it a really wild case of audiences emulating in universe character's failures.
which is clearly evocative of displacement-induced anomie and wouldn't appear in a straightforward mecha show
I do think a lot of the pieces were already in place from the outset, because as you said its all being set up from almost moment one. But I think the way it unfolded and the brutality and extremity of it in the latter half wasn't fully set from the outset.
In the same way a lot of the most famous shots like the long tension before killing Kaworu or the elevator were brought about by literal money issues, I feel the series without Anno's breakdown and the company's issues would have continued along a path it was already set on but landed a lot differently.
Rebuild proves that in many ways.
To that point Anno infamously said he had no idea what he was doing with Rei
You don't even need his words for that. Almost every Rei we see is subtly or even overtly different from the last. I remember reading a speculation a long time ago that every single one we see was a new clone, though its been so long I can't remember if that violates lore or not.
Either way, Reifags are literally obsessed with an empty slate and this is why they are the biggest losers. Asuka always winning, 30 years on.
I think him being an Angel removes any sexual aspect to it, as he was too "pure" for such sinful and simple desires. That might be me reading too much into the Angel thing as a whole, but I think to shackle him with something so simple as just homolust is almost too humanizing of such an otherworldly being.
In a way doing so is reminiscent of Gendo's failure to understand Rei and how far above his control she had grown, making it a really wild case of audiences emulating in universe character's failures.
That's an interesting angle. I guess it depends on how much you view the Angels as alternate visions of humanity, but even so.
You could say Rei-III's disobedience is more of an expression of her latent bond with Shinji, which was only obscured, not erased, by the cloning process.
In the same way a lot of the most famous shots like the long tension before killing Kaworu or the elevator were brought about by literal money issues, I feel the series without Anno's breakdown and the company's issues would have continued along a path it was already set on but landed a lot differently.
The elevator scene does prove this happened to a certain extent. I can't draw any conclusions from Rebuild, though. Too many confounding factors after the reception of Evangelion and EoE.
Either way, Reifags are literally obsessed with an empty slate and this is why they are the biggest losers. Asuka always winning, 30 years on.
Asuka is indeed the best girl for Shinji. I'll admit that much. She definitely edges the popularity contest at this point. Rei as a true blank slate, though, is a Rebuild trash plotline created to indulge the agricultural lobby.
I guess it depends on how much you view the Angels as alternate visions of humanity, but even so.
We don't have much to go on to understand who/what they are beyond Kaworu and Arael's mind rape apparently being him groping at Asuka's mind to try and learn/understand humans.
I think they are less alternative and closer to something like Yokai. Creatures that exist in the same realm as us, but their motives and minds are unknownable to us beyond "its good/bad" and "how to avoid/stop it." But unlike most Yokai they aren't going to just kill one person, but the entire world.
Though I'm really reaching the end of my memory on specific details at this point, so I might be off on something parts beyond my vague recollection and memory of reactions. Its been a few years and a lot of other anime in the meantime.
I think him being an Angel removes any sexual aspect to it, as he was too "pure" for such sinful and simple desires. That might be me reading too much into the Angel thing as a whole, but I think to shackle him with something so simple as just homolust is almost too humanizing of such an otherworldly being.
In a way doing so is reminiscent of Gendo's failure to understand Rei and how far above his control she had grown, making it a really wild case of audiences emulating in universe character's failures.
I do think a lot of the pieces were already in place from the outset, because as you said its all being set up from almost moment one. But I think the way it unfolded and the brutality and extremity of it in the latter half wasn't fully set from the outset.
In the same way a lot of the most famous shots like the long tension before killing Kaworu or the elevator were brought about by literal money issues, I feel the series without Anno's breakdown and the company's issues would have continued along a path it was already set on but landed a lot differently.
Rebuild proves that in many ways.
You don't even need his words for that. Almost every Rei we see is subtly or even overtly different from the last. I remember reading a speculation a long time ago that every single one we see was a new clone, though its been so long I can't remember if that violates lore or not.
Either way, Reifags are literally obsessed with an empty slate and this is why they are the biggest losers. Asuka always winning, 30 years on.
That's an interesting angle. I guess it depends on how much you view the Angels as alternate visions of humanity, but even so.
You could say Rei-III's disobedience is more of an expression of her latent bond with Shinji, which was only obscured, not erased, by the cloning process.
The elevator scene does prove this happened to a certain extent. I can't draw any conclusions from Rebuild, though. Too many confounding factors after the reception of Evangelion and EoE.
Asuka is indeed the best girl for Shinji. I'll admit that much. She definitely edges the popularity contest at this point. Rei as a true blank slate, though, is a Rebuild trash plotline created to indulge the agricultural lobby.
We don't have much to go on to understand who/what they are beyond Kaworu and Arael's mind rape apparently being him groping at Asuka's mind to try and learn/understand humans.
I think they are less alternative and closer to something like Yokai. Creatures that exist in the same realm as us, but their motives and minds are unknownable to us beyond "its good/bad" and "how to avoid/stop it." But unlike most Yokai they aren't going to just kill one person, but the entire world.
Though I'm really reaching the end of my memory on specific details at this point, so I might be off on something parts beyond my vague recollection and memory of reactions. Its been a few years and a lot of other anime in the meantime.