[EVA] Did Shinji rape unconscious Asuka?

[Carl Gustav Horn]

> And at
> that point, Shinji is groping desperately for some amount of comfort,

That's not all he's desperately groping for. I always thought the  
scene was also a commentary about the fans, and of course, Anno  
commenting on himself. I imagine, in fact, his director's commentary  
would go like this:

"This film will be an unprecedented voyage into artistic and  
psychological symbolism...but first, let's take a moment to beat off  
over (literally, over) one of the characters, like you've been doing  
all along. I mean, as a filmmaker, I'd just like to acknowledge  
what's been happening. Pretty nice, isn't she? I'll bet you wouldn't  
have been nearly as interested in Asuka and her suffering if she was  
plain instead of pretty. Probably would have given Rei, Misato, and  
Ritsuko's problems a pass, too. See, I offer something for both mind  
and body. Whoops, you--I mean, Shinji--are finished already. Don't  
worry, you'll rise again. Somehow I just know it. Say, ever wonder  
what the definition of an otaku is? It's right there between your  
fingers. And if you're offended by that, you can just go back to  
doing it on a higher, mental level, with some lengthy posts on  
theory. We now begin our feature presentation."