[EVA] False Birthdates

[Michael Wignall]

"Ebj" <ebj.nerv at flashnet.it> wrote in message
news:006b01c0fbd6$66d9d960$59c3acd9 at Ebj...
> > Sure he had a choice. He showed that in Kare-Kano.
> > I also think it showed in the last two episodes.
> > Putting money and time issues aside, he made
> > the ending he wanted to make.
>
> We're not talking about the same thing. He
> obviously had some creative freedom when
> he was doing his job with the series. But he
> did have his share of problems with PTAs,
> for example. He made the ending he wanted
> to make, but it took him to use alternate paths.
> Maybe he even managed to have a say whether
> to make a sequel to Eva or not, but I doubt tha
> same stands for music, games and so on...
> and besides, even if he had it, I doubt he'd
> vetoe them.

Your original question was as to if I thought
the main motivation behind Eva was to
make money. I said perhaps; making money
is a motivation for almost everything that
is done in Today's society. I was making the
distinction between Eva as a whole and this
CD by saying that the entire premise behind
the CD (in my opinion of course), and what it
is called is a money making one, pitched from
a marketing viewpoint. Eva might have been
created to make money (and boy did it ever),
but it was also Anno's story. The motivation
behind this CD (to me) doesn't seem to be
an effort to celebrate Rei's birthday, though
they purport it to be such, but rather simply
a money making venture. That was the
comparison I was attempting to make.

> > Yeah sorry. Since analogies are just people's
> <snip>
> > imply that it was more appropriate in any way to you.
>
> Hmph. Just to clear things out, what points support
> such analogy, between a disc of old songs you feel
> cheated about because it's called "recently recorded"
> (I assume it is not so recently instead?) and an album
> like the Birthday?

Well you made the analogy of a "best of collection",
which is what the Birthday of Rei CD is in a way,
however the distinction is in the title, it isn't just
_any_ "Best Of" CD it is one to celebrate Rei's
birthday (which hasn't happened, you can't have
a birthday without being born) and thus the title
is misleading. Just like a "New Releases of Elvis"
CD that only contains "best of" Elvis tracks would
be misleading.


> > Of course I do! But not just the year, I also object
> <snip>
> > choice in it at all).
>
> Well, disregard the request above. I believe
> we've reached the point of infructuosity
> of the discussion.

Infructuosity? Do you mean by any chance anfractuosity?
I get your meaning though, we are beginning to go
around in circles.

> > If you don't then that is fine. I am only attempting
> > to explain why it is, in my opinion, a farce. You
> > asked, I answered.
>
> On the Internet, it is difficult to remember that
> such outbursts in discussion lists are intended
> as expressions of personal opinions by the
> authors themselves. It's not the usual trend.

Of course I wasn't attempting to suggest that
I _know_ that the CD was titled the way it
was for purely marketing reasons with a
complete disregard for the issues involved. ^^
That is just what I believe. It is my opinion.
How is it not the usual trend?

> > There has been mystery about her _birth_ and when
> <snip>
> > born and celebrate her "birth".
>
> I believe this clears out that they don't reason
> the way you do (secondarily, I don't either).

Obviously not. Or rather they might reason the
way I do, deduce that having a Rei's birthday CD
isn't factually as good as a Shinji or Asuka one,
but let their marketing instincts override this and
produce it anyway.^^ We don't know. However
I maintain that it was most probably released
as a marketing ploy; hence my regarding it as
a farce. We don't know that real reasons, but that
is what I think is most likely.

> > Don't you think that is more than a little odd though?
> <snip>
> >about when Rei really was born.
>
> When I first came to know about the disc and the
> reasons for the choice of the date, my first thoughts
> were of interest for the decision to clear up a matter
> related to some of the misteries surrounding Rei,
> and also that it confirmed the tight bond between
> Hayashibara and Rei; I then thought that it could've
> been a trend of discs dedicated to birthdaysm but
> was unfortunately wrong. If I understand correctly,
> even disregarding the year, and assuming that march
> 30th is the only relevant part, you think it is weird
> to celebrate her birthday? I can't agree, I mean,
> it's a sign of affection, on a fan's part.

I think it is weird to celebrate her birthday when
she hasn't been born yet, yes. I am planning a birthday
party for December 4 this year for Asuka, however
we will be celebrating her actual birth. I didn't even
think to do it last year. Neither would I have had
a Second Impact party in 1999 (I'm afraid I didn't
watch Space: 1999 (too young), so wouldn't be
inclined to pay homage to that). Are you trying
to suggest that the people chose this to be the
title/topic of the CD because they wanted, as
fans, to show affection to Rei? These are
marketing people! I did some marketing subjects
at university and it is ruthless!

> > I have discussed this before elsewhere. Though
> <snip>
> > like us (Eva Otaku of the 3rd degree) pay it much
>
> Speak for yourself. Me and the "otaku" word
> have nothing in common, thank you.

I'm sorry, I just tag that identifier onto anyone
who is willing to argue topics such as these with
me. I don't think it is a bad thing. You must admit
though that your "normal" Eva fan probably wouldn't
care less about such a topic. Though I am generalising
again, that is never good, I apologise again.

> > heed, it doesn't really affect much on a global Eva
> <snip>
> > the whole show, but it is still there.
>
> Ok. So, as an example by this line of thought,
> even supposing you were a die-hard trek fan,
> you wouldn't celebrate Kirk's birthday, or any
> such occasion, because he's not even born yet?
> Just asking, nothing more.

Ha! Good point! However you are missing the
obvious difference between Eva and Star Trek
(or maybe you didn't miss it and just hoped I
wouldn't spot it ^^). The dates in Eva are
"reachable" to us, the dates in the Star Trek
universe are not. Wait another couple of years
and Rei will be "born" in the Eva Universe, you
would have to wait hundreds/thousands (I don't
really know how far ahead of us they are) of years
until one of the Star Trek characters is born. The
dates in Eva are more immediate, more real. If Rei
was born 100 years in the future then maybe I could
understand it, but her _actual_ birthday is only a
few years away, I don't see why they couldn't
have waited, _especially_ seeing that it is obviously
making some people thing that she was actually
born this year.

> > Correct, and I shall keep condemning them as I do
> > this. I don't claim to _understand_ Eva, but at
> > least I try.
>
> Be a crusader if you will.

If all it takes to be a crusader is to bring up
topics such as this in newsgroups/ML and
to continue to attempt to set mislead Eva fans
straight then so be it. I rejoice in it, I think I
am doing good (and don't say that the Christian
Crusaders thought the same thing and look what
they did ^^)

> > Absolutely, I totally agree. But some things are
> <snip>
> > they made is wrong. That is frustrating.
>
> I agree. I just came across a shameless site that
> boasted "Gainax approved" and used hentai
> sponsors for support, not to mention that it had
> copyrighted material to download, wrong names
> for the songs, and a story that was so irrational
> that I couldn't help but laugh hard (kinda reminds
> me of The Rossman's). Maybe now I see your
> point a bit more, perhaps you think that there's
> enough of this stuff without the original authors
> helping out...still, it was an immediate step for
> me to discard the year, as it clashed with the rest
> of the info on Rei. Hey, somebody had even
> given me another date for Rei last year, they had
> found it inside the bandai Eva-00 model. Go figure.

Ha yeah, it was an immediate step to drop the year
for you, but it wont be the same with a lot of other
people. My "crusade" as you call it originally started
when I saw the overwhelming prevalence of sites
such as you described, which were "backed up"
by information obtained from those dreaded ADV
Eva video covers. It just seems to be laziness
and their part and something small can spread
and get really out of control. Something someone
will tout as fact on a popular newsgroup you will find
popping up on an obscure forum. Some of these things
don't die, I mean some of the places I hang are still
getting new messages every week asking about the
"new" Eva Reprise movie ^^

> > There is a difference between being upset and
> <snip>
> > that.
>
> I believe that sooner or later the show itself
> will prove them wrong. Then again, there's
> still Rei+Shinji fanfics around, so maybe it's
> not that easy, but I believe I could worry of
> world peace before I decide to fix this kind
> of problems...

Well I don't lose any sleep over it ^_^ I just do
what I can, I have my stock reply that I post
whenever someone asks a question about it,
and I enjoy discussions like this about it. I
don't see it as wasteful.

--
Michael Wignall
"Tomorrow's just an excuse away..."