[EVA] Why strip Ritsuko? [was Parental Figures]

[Ray Miller]

>>> rjn at beeb.net 08/09/06 12:49 PM >>>
> The Ritsuko bit was Gainax bad taste IMO. Would Rei have had to
strip
had she gone, I wonder. <

I believe they may have, depending on what they expected to accomplish
had she been presented to them. In Ritsuko's case, I took it simply as
Seele's specific way of 'softening her up' to make her more pliant to
their demands of her, or an acid-test of her character to determine how
best to utilize her for their plans. I mean, they supposedly aren't
above doing away with someone if it suits their needs [re: Yui's
comments to Fuyutsuki], killing a third of the planet's population [2I],
starving a nation to fund an Eva project, ending human civilization,
etc, etc. While the scene certainly has its base appeal to viewers,
stripping Ritsuko - much like the 3rd-degree-with-electrocution
Fuyutsuki received - serves to illustrate Seele's rather enthusiastic
lack of basic humanity in the pursuit of their concerns, I think.

[Alternately, the agents might have just nabbed her out of the shower
and hurried her to Seele as-is, 'lest they miss their deadline... ("No,
No, No! This isn't Sandy Claws! Take her right back, immediately!")]

- Ray