Stray thoughts and observations

[splendid_solitude]

1. Sexuality and Mari

In short, what Asuka wants isn’t a person of a particular gender, but rather someone to "save" her.

She’s been forced to fight her entire life and even took it upon herself to refuse help from anyone. So in her inner fantasy life, she wants nothing more then for a person to take her hand and take away a bit of her burden. Thus her whole shtick in 3.33 is she feel betrayed by Shinji because he couldn’t live up to the role she wanted him to. If anything, it would make sense for her to reach out to Mari to fill that role.

And, as we see in 3.33, she’s ok with Mari helping her, which is amazing, since it is something of  a huge deal for Asuka to be able to let anyone that close to her. We can’t say anything for sure yet, but she is comfortable with Mari in a way that she isn’t with other people.

It is also very likely that Mari somehow has picked up on all of this. Near the end of 3.33 she clearly yells at Shinji to “At least save the Princess!”. Wether this is a reflection of wishing for Asuka to be able to resolve her feelings for Shinji, or a sub-textual voicing of the fact that she can’t save Asuka herself, it still speaks volumes of Mari’s ability to read and understand Asuka as a person.

2. Asuka's damaged eye

In short, I believe Asuka's eye was damaged either the actual fight between Bardial and unit-01 or the contamination that took place when the Angel first made contact with her. Either way, the fact that her eye occasionally glows with Angel Sealing Hex Glyphs seems to support the fact that it is has something to do with the Angels.

3. Journal Header
The line up on the top of the journal is the name of an unused song from End of Evangelion that is thought by many to reflect on Shinji and Asuka's doomed relationship. Lyrics below:

What was it she did to break your heart 
Betray your heart and everything 
Kiss you with a kiss that wasn't true 
It wasn't you at all 
Hide behind a painted smile, did you know that 
You would live a lie or two 
Pull the very ground from under you 
And leave you nowhere else to run 

You can sail the seven seas and find 
Love is a place you'll never see 
Passing you like a summer breeze 
You feel life has no other reason to be 
You can wait a million years and find 
That heaven's too far away from you 
Love's just a thing others do 
What is love 
Till it comes home to you 

Did she promise you the world and did that 
Girl just throw your love away 
Leave you like a lonely solitaire 
With just despair for company 
Do you think you'd find revenge so sweet 
Make it so you hearts will never beat 
Squeeze the very last and dying breath from 
Everything you've ever dreamed 

You can sail the seven seas and find 
Love is a place you'll never see 
Passing you like a summer breeze 
You feel life has no other reason to be 
You can wait a million years and find 
That heaven's too far away from you 
Love's just a thing others do 
What is love 
Till it comes home to you