Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance is a 2009 Japanese animated science fiction film written and directed by Hideaki Anno. The film follows the story Shinji Ikari using a giant robot called a Evangelion fighting against creatures known as angels. The film deviates from the original series using new plot and characters from the show. Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance is about the importance of the bonds and connection people have and the good and bad that comes with this.
Evangelion 2.0 starts with the character Mari in her Eva fighting the angel that broke free witch explodes in the form of a cross as she is ejected into the red ocean. This red ocean comes from the books of revelations as well as an act known as the breaking of vessels where the world was once connected and broke apart as the angels are like biblical judgement. Shinji and Gendo then visit Yui’s grave. Gendo says to forget something’s but not everything and by visiting Yui’s gave he reminds himself of this. He demonstrates the importance of keeping your memories inside as Yui’s grave is fake and there’s no pictures. Shinji then tries to connect to his dad on an emotional level saying it was good to see him. this relates to the hedgehog’s dilemma. Gendo struggles to show Shinji love as he rejects love to avoid pain, likewise Shinji hates his father for abandoning him but desperately wants to be loved which is why he connects to his father by piloting the Eva. This links in with Arthur Schopenhauer’s idea of life is suffering because of the struggle to connect and be an individual as people will be better off together as being an individual is hard. This also links into the idea of ambivalence which is how people love and hate each other as Shinji hates his dad but reaches out to connect to him. This fractured relationship between Shinji and Gendo relates a Kierkegaard in how people actual are and who they want to be as they want to connect to each other but can’t. Gendo disconnects as he wants people to be one and destroy personhood to avoid the pain of being with others. Gendo struggles with the pain of having a self as he can’t relate to others and function in society. Gendo uses science to get rid of pain but destroy humanity in the process. Gendo believes that existential problems will be solved with logic as Gendo feels the pain of loss of his wife and wants to destroy humanity, so he won’t feel. Misato tries to connect Shinji with his dad, but Shinji doesn’t want to connect as it brings him pain. This again links to the hedgehog’s dilemma and Shinji and Gendo want to connect but though a fear of rejection and pian they can’t. when the angels attack the names of the angel’s links to Jewish mysticism and the Kabala. These names are based on names from the Zohar, the Almud, and the Book of Enoch. These names are also written in El Theosophy in having el at the end of their names tires these names to the divine.
The film the introduces Auska who takes out an angel which explodes in the form of a cross, as Auska is presented as a very loud brash full of herself and not a nice person. The character of Auska her Eva to find meaning in life, like Shinji she fears being alone and pilots her Eva to draw people towards her and expand her world. Auska instead of running away aggressively asserters herself into life. Auska either takes command of the situation or pushes people away, whilst Shinji and rei don’t want to have the pain of individuality Auska goes on the attack. The McGuffin in the film is called the key to nebuchadnezzar a Babylonian king from the bible, as Shinji and Auska can’t get along because they are at the opposite ends of the hedgehog’s dilemma as Rei dingy apartment reflects her melancholic personality. Auska uses a glove puppet as her mother to say she can only count on herself. This again relates to the hedgehog’s dilemma as Auska rejects everyone to not feel pain but desperately wants the walms of others. The reason she pilots her Eva is to find meaning in life as she secretly fears being alone and pilots her Eva to raw people towards herself and expand her world. Shinji tries to reach out to his father, but he doesn’t replay as Gendo struggles to show Shinji love as he doesn’t know how to be a father and rejects love to not feel pain. The hedgehog’s dilemma is shown as Shinji is seemly alone but has Toji and Kensuke as Rei has no one. When Kawuro calls Gendo father it deconstrues that he is an angel like Shinji’s own personal angel, as Shinji and Rei connect to each other as she cannot live outside of her tank as she is a clone built for a purpose, as Auska has a dog-eat-dog philosophy but cannot go up against Rei’s selfless exterior. In a post third impact world these is no original sin were man sets foot as both order and chaos dictate the human heart, which demonstrates the reunification of everything to destroy human suffering. In the second impact Adam almost destroyed the world. Miasto survived as her dad put her in a container and gave her his cross. Miasto joined Nerv because her father was a scientist there consumed by his work, she hates him, but he saved her life and as a result has survivor’s guilt. This demonstrates the idea of ambivalence in how Misato hates her dad, but he saves her life. This also demonstrates the hedgehog’s dilemma as Misato wants the love of her father but since she didn’t receive it, she rejects others. Auska wants to work by herself as she hates intimacy, she hates being upstaged as the three of them must work together to defeat the angel. Shinji also feels clam in his Eva as it smells like his mum and Ayanami. This demonstrates ambivalence as Shinji and Auska passionately hate and love each other. This also demonstrates the hedgehog’s dilemma as both Shinji and Auska want intimacy but fear it in different ways. This also demonstrates to the oral stage as both Shinji and Auska are detached form their mother and it affects them in different ways. This relates to all the children in Eva being motherless as Shinji’s and Auska’s mums’ souls are in there Eva’s. The Eva’s bound their mums sold to their pilots as they are morning their mums lost soul and the intimacy of that, both have a fear of pain as the fear intimacy and close themselves from others.
The angel attacks shinji by piercing the Eva’s hands like Christ showing Shinji is a messiah like character. Auska wants to define her individuality though her Eva, she pilots her Eva to find meaning in life she fears being alone and pilots her Eva to draw people towards her and expand her world. Shinji, Auska and Rei all work together to defeat the angel which disproves the hedgehog’s dilemma as the blood flows into the seas like the book of revelations. When Gendo thanks Shinji it shows ambivalence as Shinji hates his dad but wants his praise. This again shows the hedgehogs dilemma as both Shinji and Gendo fear intimacy but want to each out to each other. Auska is annoyed that she can’t do everything herself as she pilots her Eva to find meaning in life. Auska is annoyed that she cannot do it by herself as she fears being alone and pilots her Eva to draw people towards her and expand her world, however she also gets annoyed by being by herself as she sleeps next to Shinji. Auska pilots her Eva for herself and Shinji pilots his Eva because he wants his dad to praise him this again demonstrates the hedgehog’s dilemma as they both want intimacy but fear connection. Rei thinks about saying thank you to Shinji. This again shows the hedgehogs dilemma as she fears intimacy but wants to reach out which shows the suffering of reality being human and that connection as Rei’s story is about find a self. Rei is in her tank as her and Gendo talks as he enjoys meals and she wants to learn more about humanity, Gendo instantly rejects the offer but accepts it as she sees Yui in Rei. This links to the hedgehog’s dilemma as Gendo struggles to shows Shinji love and rejects him to make sure both don’t have pain. Mari than lands of Shinji a character that is a criticism of otaku culture. Kaji jokingly hits of Shinji as they both work on the fields as they see the good and bad in life as Shinji wants to avoid pain but has no enjoyment as pain creates caring. This shows the hedgehogs dilemma as Shinji wants connection but fears pain. This links into the struggle to be an individual as pain of suffering relates to human inability to connect with each other. People in the film battel between who they want to be and who they are as though the pain of having a self they can’t relate others in society. Rei seems more human than Shinji, Rei is melancholic and has no soul no mum, she doesn’t know what she misses showing a deep sadness which relates to the hedgehog’s dilemma as she can’t connect to people. In relation to this Auska learns to cook as she’s jealous of Shinji and Rei but will never admit it showing the hedgehogs dilemma as people in the film want connections but fear it. Gendo from his perspective struggles to show Shinji love as he doesn’t know how to be a father and rejects love to not feel pain. This demonstrates humanities struggles to connect with each other showcasing the suffering of individuality as we would be better off together as the struggle to connect is suffering. Interaction is also shown as Shinji and Gendo takes of characteristics of each other. Shinji and Gendo’s pain links to Kieerkegaard as people battle between who they are and who they want to be. Unit 4 then destroys the angel in a cross showing biblical punishment, they then hoist Eva unit 4 up on a cross as their faith in within the Eva’s and the children that pilot them. the human instrumentality project relates to tikkun ha-olam with means restoring the world to put everything back together as one creating a whole world and destroying the barriers of individualism. In a scene with Auska and Rei in the lift Rei says the Eva’s reflect the human soul and that they are dependent on the Eva Auska needs her Eva and Rei is bound to hers as Auska says Rei is a doll. This relates to the hedgehog’s dilemma as Auska and Rei at are at apposing diametric to each other and can’t relate. This also demonstrates the suffering in humanity is because of connections as apposed to Auska Rei is melancholic witch Auska can’t affect. This also shows ambivalence people passionately love and hate each other as they both want to connect and can’t. This also shows Eros and Thanatos showing the drive to life and the death drive as Auska has the drive to life and Rei has a death drive. This demonstrates a Kierkegaard idea of who we are and what we need to be as the characters have an internal battle with each other.
Rei has feelings for Shinji and wants him to get closer to her dad, as the film has the human instrumentality project. The Eva on the cross shows that this is sacrifice for humanity, as it then shows that Auska has certain feelings towards others showing the hedgehogs dilemma in that she wants to connect but fears connection. Auska rejects people and other as she feels she finds happiness in being alone however she starts to enjoy being around others to a degree. Auska gets absorbed in the Eva it erupts like an angel as the Eva becomes like an angel. Shinji’s job is to stop the Eva which has angel DNA in it. Auska is in the angel and Shinji doesn’t fight it as a result as Gendo switches control over to the dummy system as the Eva attacks and eats the angel. This highlights the fear of losing oneself and losing control and individualism. Misato is injured but alive. Shinji is angry as he wants to destroy HQ as he was used to hurt Auska and smashes the base, Gendo cuts off the Eva which causes him to faint. This demonstrates the hedgehog’s dilemma as Shinji has a connection to her, but Gendo doesn’t Shinji also has a sickness unto death a despair. Shinji is on a train carriage with Rei as he listens to his cassette player to block out noise, but people can’t get in, it’s like rei’s Gendo glasses. Shinji talk about the world being cruel and that he gets hurt by the angels by a dad that doesn’t love him, however Shinji never tried to understand his father and ran away from the pain. This links to the hedgehog’s dilemma as Gendo struggles to find Shinji love but fears the pain. This will and representation as these people has suffering in life. This also demonstrates ambivalence as Shinji hates his dad but gets in the Eva to hear praise from him, he runs away but he comes back. This links to Kierkegaard as his fractured physic is shown between who we were and how we want to be need vs necessity. Shinji paradoxically wants to do his job and run away from his experience. Shinji wants to minimise his existence he wishes not to be. Shinji cannot exist in society and instead retreats as Shinji can’t accept himself.
Nerv decides not to kill Auska as they see her as useful. Shinji is fired by Gendo with the setting showing the physical distance between them as Shinji runs away and Gendo says hard work is what is needed for dream as people must be adults. This demonstrates that people are not logical, and logic has reduced humanity. Gendo uses science to destroy pain and rationality as that will save humanity as he believes existential problems will be solved by logic. Shinji then throws his cassette player and earphones as he is done with that part of his life. Misato tells Shinji he will be monitored and tries to reach out to his friends. Misato says humanity doesn’t mean too much to her as she says she joined because of her dad and did it to please her father as Misato explains that Rei wanted to bridge the gap between the two. This relates to the hedgehog’s dilemma as Shinji doesn’t want to feel pain and run away but still wants to feel to connection form others. This relates to Arthur Schopenhauer in that life is suffering as Shinji has suffering. Shinji running away relates to ambivalence as he hates his father but runs back to feel the connection to others. This relates to Kierkegaard Misato wants to help Shinji and do her job Shinji wants to run away but wants the validation from others. Shinji must connect and disconnect form his own identity as his identity is based on the people around him and not his own, he wants order and not chaos. This relates to the hedgehog’s dilemma a people want intimacy, but the pain hurts and these people fear intimacy and therefore they close themselves from others as Shinji can’t accept themselves. The angels attack them as they are righteous judging humanity as the crosses explode, as the Eva unit 1 rejects the dummy system because of the soul. Mari removes the protective shell from the Eva as it connects it is angel form as it becomes a righteous battle of judgment and sacrifice. Rei is attacking the angel, so Shinji doesn’t have to again showing the connections people have with each other disproving the hedgehog’s dilemma. Shinji comes back to the Eva base as Mari crashes though Shinji’s shelter, as he releases his responsibility to others and his connections to others is what drives his existence as Eva rejects the dummy plug because of the Freudians mother. Shinji pilots the Eva to form connections with one another as he needs the connection and love form others to survive as Shinji fights the angel but loses power. Shinji wills the Eva into existence witch links to the Freudian soul of Shinji’s mother. From this Shinji believes in himself and the people around him how though collective subjectivity people around a course can form bonds and achieve great things as people need to have the faith to commit to an idea and become metaphorically immortal as from this Shinji disproves the hedgehog’s dilemma. The Eva has a halo around it as Shinji is a Christ like figure as Misato wills Shinji to do it as she is a mother figure to him. Shinji must achieve his dream, as Rei believes she can be replaced Shinji believes she can’t, Rei tries to remove her identity as she is her own person. Eva unit 1 and is merging everything together incrementally as Shinji is the trigger of it all changing reality though sheer will. Shinji rescues Rei from Unit 0 and in return creates incrementality as the connections between people like Shinji and Rei is what drives and informs humanity disproving the hedgehog’s dilemma and creating a third impact that almost destroys humanity.
Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance is a film that showcases the importance of the bonds people have with each other and how though these connections people can change the world.
