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 Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:21 pm
Shinji Ikari, the courageous kid or the fearful wimp? That is what this thread is dedicated to. My opinion on the matter can best be brought to light through a brief character analysis I did of him back on the Evangelion Fan Hangout Thread. So, without further ado...here it is: Ashram_VII Character development...Shinji is a shining example of this age old concept. From the moment we meet him, he is a character that is eternally struggling with the question...Who am I? Thrown into a world not of his choosing to quickly and ridiculed by his father for a reason he could not even begin to grasp. One of the chosen, but never wanting to be chosen. His growth, his acceptance for what he is, everything about him is struggle. A struggle that we all, in some way or another, must face. Shinji is not a "wuss" or a "sucky" character...if anything he is a real character. Faced with the things he faces, at the age he faces them, and with the reactions of those around him...it is only natural for him to react the way he did. The fate of his way of life was being threatened, and whether he like it or not...he was the one who could stop it. I believe Shinji to be a brave soul, because he DID get into the EVAs when he needed to, he DID choose to take Rei's place, even though he knew nothing of what he was supposed to do, he DID try to be the son to his father, who faced a situation that demanded so much of his time. Maybe I'll write more later...but this is all that comes to mind. I'll post more about Shinji's father...for he was another character who I had a great interest in. Now that I have given you my thoughts, what do you think about Shinji? Post your thoughts, debate others' thoughts, or comment on others' thoughts! The field is wide open!
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:29 pm
Yes, i believe most of it, except for the fact that i still think he wasnt as courageous as he should have been. I felt like he was only stable because of his relationship to asuka, as well as his usefullness to NERV. He seemed fine, er....more alright and mentally stable when he was close to her. When that relationship fell apart, so did he. So....im basing most of Shinjis downfall on his dependancy on others. Specifically his dependancy on others, to be "useful" to them.
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:44 pm
He did very well for someone as young and unsure as him.
I mean, sure he did have his little setbacks... and a really huge one that I can think of but will not mention.......... or forgive him for, but ya.
He came thru in the end for the most part. It could have been worse, he could have left humanity for dead. But he chose to live with others again, and face the chance of being hurt once more.
So that's brave enough for me.
That, and he's just a kid. I don't blame him for being scared, confused, or unsure.
He had a pretty rough past, and he had it hard while he was piloting as well.
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:46 pm
I have very mixed feelings about the kid that I find difficult to put into words.
While I admire him for actually facing the Angels in the first place.. I don't believe that his reasons for fighting the Angels were very noble at all. I never got the feeling that he was fighting for the survival of mankind. I got the feeling that he got into the Evangelion only for himself thus making me perceive him as a very selfish young boy at times as he seemingly did this to make others accept and praise him as to prove his own self worth. Did he actually care about the survival of the human race as a whole.. or only the survival of himself?
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:53 pm
Kyandai I have very mixed feelings about the kid that I find difficult to put into words. While I admire him for actually facing the Angels in the first place.. I don't believe that his reasons for fighting the Angels were very noble at all. I never got the feeling that he was fighting for the survival of mankind. I got the feeling that he got into the Evangelion only for himself thus making me perceive him as a very selfish young boy at times as he seemingly did this to make others accept and praise him as to prove his own self worth. Did he actually care about the survival of the human race as a whole.. or only the survival of himself? Its really difficult to say that....he cared about being usefull to others, for the self-appraisal... a pretty selfish reason...he cared about other sappreciating him.... and if piloting the evas did that... But also there were some instances where he piloted the evas for the sake of others, such as for rei when she ran into the angel, im not quite sure which one....but it was the one that breached Nerv HQ, with an n2 mine. Every other time was for the sake of his own approval from others....except for perhaps the last time he piloted, which im not quite sure why he did......
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:03 pm
Everything can be perceived as selfish tho.
Without other people around, he coudlnt get any praise. So you dont know if he WAS fighting so that they could live, or just because he wanted some attention.
I've learned this thru years of mistrust, there is never any 'real' selfless intent most times. Even the most noble effort can be self beneficial.
So in the end, he actually did give humanity the choice of what to do, and at that point, he wasnt thinking of attention, he was more focused on the fact that others would be around to hurt him. But he gave them that decision none the less.
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:09 pm
Kaze no Hyuga Kyandai I have very mixed feelings about the kid that I find difficult to put into words. While I admire him for actually facing the Angels in the first place.. I don't believe that his reasons for fighting the Angels were very noble at all. I never got the feeling that he was fighting for the survival of mankind. I got the feeling that he got into the Evangelion only for himself thus making me perceive him as a very selfish young boy at times as he seemingly did this to make others accept and praise him as to prove his own self worth. Did he actually care about the survival of the human race as a whole.. or only the survival of himself? Its really difficult to say that....he cared about being usefull to others, for the self-appraisal... a pretty selfish reason...he cared about others appreciating him.... and if piloting the evas did that... But also there were some instances where he piloted the evas for the sake of others, such as for rei when she ran into the angel, im not quite sure which one....but it was the one that breached Nerv HQ, with an n2 mine. Every other time was for the sake of his own approval from others....except for perhaps the last time he piloted, which im not quite sure why he did...... I tend to disagree with Shinji being selfish, myself. Generally speaking, most selfish people (it appears) are arrogant and puffed up. Shinji is neither... Now that I actually have the series (yay!) I can dwelve a little deeper into the various characters. (something I am looking forward to emmensely!(sp?) twisted )
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 11:08 pm
Sir Langley Everything can be perceived as selfish tho. Without other people around, he coudlnt get any praise. So you dont know if he WAS fighting so that they could live, or just because he wanted some attention. I've learned this thru years of mistrust, there is never any 'real' selfless intent most times. Even the most noble effort can be self beneficial. So in the end, he actually did give humanity the choice of what to do, and at that point, he wasnt thinking of attention, he was more focused on the fact that others would be around to hurt him. But he gave them that decision none the less. I like his self-sacrifice attribute. He gives little regard for his own life, as long as he gets some sort of recognition. Even when he faces down certain death (i.e. versus Zeruel), he only mentions that if Unit-01 doesn't move, everyone will be killed, not just himself. It shows up again, as Langley said, when he decides the fate of mankind. He gives them the option to return, even though his mother tells him that the souls have the ability to return if they want to. So, once more Shinji risks being alone for who knows how long until someone shows up. This is probably why he can't seem to accept that Asuka is there so quickly after the rupture of the Lilith's egg.
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Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2004 2:27 pm
I have never given up on him as a character though my respect has declined on some occasions *coughbeatthemeatcough* gonk
I still like Shinji but I will never ever forgive him for that. I respect him however for never giving up even when he terrified. The fact that he still hasn't done anything rash is proof enough of his courage.
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Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2004 4:38 pm
Yes, that is understandable. I think something like what Shinji did to a comatose Asuka was needed to show exactly how deep in the hole of utter despair Shinji was in. I mean, to go even deeper, he would probably have to kill someone. Oh, wait...he already did sweatdrop
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Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2004 6:45 pm
Shinji's a good dude, give him more credit. When he finally does something he goes at it big time. Eva-03 for example. He wouldn't attack it, even after being ordered to, because he didn't want to hurt the pilot, and he didn't even know who was in there. Shinji is actually a nice kid when he's at school and when he helps out around Misato's apartment and all. He's a bit recessive, but there's no problem with that because it isn't excessive and it's better than some of the alternatives. But NERV ******** him up. If you base your judgement on him on the extremes of the situation that he can't handle, of course you won't think much of him.
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 1:52 pm
Shinji did the best job that any one else could have ever done. but thats jsut my opinion.
Edit: the reason that i think shinji did the best job that anyone could of done is because, he got the job done when others couldent and always made a decsion which he thought was best.
thats not my full reason but im feeling lazy.
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 1:54 pm
Sojiro. S Shinji did the best job that any one else could have ever done. but thats jsut my opinion. opinions are great and all, but tell us why
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