[EVA] Evangelion's easy-to-understand, complementary ending

[Dorian Gray]

On first viewing, I interpreted the TV ending as an acceptance of
Instrumentality (once I went back and rewatched select things a few times to
work out WTH was going on), in a way reminiscent of Nineteen Eighty-Four and
other Orwellian tricks.


>    Misato: If you know yourself, you can be kind to others.
>    Shinji: I hate myself. But, I might be able to love myself. I
> might be allowed to stay here. Yes. I am nothing but I. I am I. I wish
> to be I. I want to stay here! I can stay here!
>

I interpreted this as an implication that he has a 'duty' to accept. That he
'wants to', and 'can', stay 'here', refers to his remaining in the world of
Instrumentality. '...able to love myself' gives the whole scene overtones of
'He had won the battle over himself. He loved Big Brother.'


>    People: Congratulations!
>    Shinji: Thank you!
>

Under this interpretation, the 'Congratulations' are not congratulations in
rejecting instrumentality, but congratulations in rejecting and obliterating
the self in accepting Instrumentality. Thus why everyone's around him,
welcoming him into the mass of humanity to which he now conforms (comparing
to Orwell, this would be accepting the Party).


>    Thank you, my father. Good bye, my mother. And to the all the
> children, Congratulations!
>

This was actually the most disturbing thing to see. While accepting
Instrumentality, he actually thanks his father for bringing about the
circumstances whereby he in many respects no longer exists. He no longer
needs his mother, for humanity is one and the hurt of the world is gone.


> - Constantly SEELE is presented as evil, without exception. Why would
> an ending giving them everything they want be presented as so positive


Are we ever told how 3I was initiated in the TV ending? i.e. whether it was
Seele's, Gendo's or Rei's initiation? I can't recall, off the top of my
head, and I'm too lazy to pull out the DVDs.


> - why would everyone go 'Congratulations!' for giving those
> mass-murdering monsters exactly what they want, even if later they
> might not get it?
>

Instrumentality is shaped by the one in control. Seele and Gendo both
intended on completing Instrumentality, which would imply that anyone
standing in their way during Instrumentality would be broken down and forced
to accept it, regardless of what they themselves may have wanted.


> - How are there dead people at the congratulations? EoE explains that
> Misato & Kaji etc are there as images in Shinji's mind, helping him
> work through his issues. But at the congratulations scene, *all the
> issues should be resolved!* It makes no sense for them to be there.
>

You're assuming that the issues have been resolved. If the purpose was to
bring Shinji to a point where he accepts Instrumentality, screwing with his
mind by having dead people there would make sense.

This is, ultimately, just one of many interpretations, and I personally
don't take much of a stand either way on whether the endings are the same or
different (as I said at the start, this was my interpretation when I first
watched the series a decade ago).