>>4098920>Yeah, but none of that is ever reciprocatedI mean, I was pretty sure that the whole point of their scene in the end is that the goodwill both had towards each other is reciprocated in the end. At least, that's what I thought it was meant to be, symbolically.
Cause I mean Asuka goes in thinking she's just died, only to be saved by Shinji, who risks his life for her and her chance to be happy. None of that would've been possible without her contributions, both good and bad.
>It just feels like the ultimate destiny for Asuka’s character, not just for the new movies but the franchise as a whole, was to act as something for Shinji to shed off in order to move forward and be free.That just sounds like a pessimistic reading of the entire thing. I don't think they'd make a major character, one that just gave her life to try to save the world, have negative connotations like that. I saw it more as Shinji breaking Asuka and the other pilots free from the chains of their fates that they've been locked into. If anything, he's the one setting them free. Because remember, these would've been his last actions alive; he wasn't doing any of that for himself, he was giving his loved ones the best possible shot at being happy. The don't think the pilots were ever meant to be presented as obstacles to Shinji, but rather they were the finish line; the goal was for Shinji and the others to change themselves so they could grow as people and have fairer relationships.
And besides, I hold the view that Shinji ends up meeting the other pilots once again in the new world.
