[EVA] The Moon & Preliminary Plot

[Peter Svensson]

>How is this retroactive? The MP Evas were anticipated before the "retcons"; 
>they were just put by the wayside in EoTV, like so much else.. (And they 
>are also absent in the Proposal.)

The words "EVA Series" are mentioned. We only find out what that means 
later.

>If there proof that this is the case, or is this just speculation?

There is plenty of proof. Rewatch the series and tell your mind to forget 
anything not mentioned in outside sources. You'll find that there is no 
evidence in the TV series that hints at Rei being an avatar of Lillith. The 
TV ending does not mention that at all. Episode 23 reveals that there is 
something Angelic about Rei, and that she is a clone. Episode 24 reveals 
that she has a powerful AT field. She is never connected to Adam or Lillith 
once in the TV series. (That isn't hard to do, given that Lillith is only 
revealed in episode 24, and Adam makes very few appearences.)

When the TV series ended in Japan, Rei's true nature was unknown. The 
information that she was the Avatar of Lillith came after the fact.

>Also, how would a clone of Yui being an "Angel" fit into the pre-EoE 
>narrative?

Rei Ayanami, 18th Angel. Just like Kaworu. Kaworu wasn't Adam's avatar in TV 
24. Watch the original episode and tell me that they meant for Kaworu to be 
Adam. The dialogue doesn't work. That's why the Directors Cut episode had 
such clunky scenes to make it sort of work. Kaworu refers to himself as one 
born of Adam, not Adam himself. He talks about himself like he's just 
another angel, he acts like just another angel.

>Also, if this is just a "retcon", why would they associate Rei with the 
>Moon from the get-go? As mentioned, the First Impact business is embedded 
>early on and Lilith's mask is spotted with craters (= Moon motif).

Rei is associated with the Moon because she's Angelic, and the Angels come 
from the moon. First Impact isn't connected to Rei in the TV series, and Rei 
is only thus connected to Lillith secondhand.

>After the Case of Rei Ayanami (wherein Rei 1 acts a harbinger of the 
>uncomfortable truth) Gendo approaches Rei in a scene directly paralleled in 
>EoE, and he says that she has existed for "this day". Given EoTV's nature, 
>what's going on here is hardly explicated, but the presence of this scene 
>(and the various other indications that Gendo needs her for something) 
>seems to contradict the idea that Rei is "nothing special".

Yes, Rei is something special. But the TV series managed to be so vague 
about what that something was that I suspect they didn't know what it meant 
until EoE when they had to come up with something. Let's put it this way, we 
didn't learn WHAT Rei was until Episode 26'. They managed to drag out the 
mystery until then.

>Also, I don't see why they would give Rei an ATF exceeding all others in 
>its badassitude if she lacked any special qualifications. And Rei's musings 
>(after Kaworu says "You're the same as me") don't make much sense if she is 
>'Angelic' (whatever that term denotes) and nothing more.

Kaworu wasn't the avatar of Adam in TV 24. His being such was revealed after 
the fact. It's a clumsy retcon. Why would Also, Kaworu's antecedent in the 
preliminary plot was just another angel.

>>In the narrative established in the TV series, it would make as much sense 
>>as anything.
>
>How so?

We don't get any information in the TV series that would contradict a "The 
Angels were born on the moon!" theory. We just got that they were composed 
of a special hand-wavey material that mimics human DNA, and are born of Adam 
and wish to reunite with him but get confused by Lillith.

Basically, I'm arguing that Gainax was making up a good chunk of the EVA 
mythos as they went along and had to later backtrack to make their final 
ideas work. Hence the director's cut footage to PreForeShadow EoE. If they 
had known that Rei was going to be Lillith, or that Kaworu was going to be 
Adam the dialogue in the original TV episodes would have reflected it.

Peter Svensson

_________________________________________________________________
Get a FREE Web site, company branded e-mail and more from Microsoft Office 
Live! http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/mcrssaub0050001411mrt/direct/01/