Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is a 2021 anime film written and directed by Hideko Anno. The film focuses of Shinji adrift with no will to live as he tries to gain hope as the final stages of the human instrumentality project come under way as Willie make a last stand against the final impact. Evangelion 4.0 is a film about atoning for your sins, becoming and adult and moving on by yourself becoming your own person.
The film starts with Mari using Willie’s eva’s to destroy nerv’s eva’s. The eva’s are like a bug colony made by nerv that attack willie as Mari attacks them a mock angel made by nerv attacks willie and Mari’s eva. Mari manages to destroy there eva’s as they have a system to restore places from the near third impact as Nerv caused a battle between man and God. Shinji walks though the near third impact world hanging his head in shame like a zombie as Auska moves forward guiding them down as Rei follows like a child as the destruction is shown. Sickness unto death is shown with Shinji as he is a state of despair linking to Schopenhauer’s believe that life is suffering due to Shinji fair to connect with anyone. Shinji’s mood links to the Kierkegaard idea of people are fractured between who they are and what they need cot be, Shinji has done a lot wrong but wants to do better. Shinji’s identity is based on the people around him and now with the weight of what he has done on his shoulders he can’t do anything. Shinji due to his actions wants to runway, to minimise his existence as Shinji wishes not to exist. Shinji can’t exist in society as he knows what his done and crawls inside his deair as he can’t accept himself.
Shinji is in a state of despair hanging his head in shame as Auska scolds him. Auska is angry as she’s the opposite of Shinji as instead of running away she forcefully asserts herself, going on the attack Auska can either take command of the situation or push people away. Shinji awakens to find an adult Toji showing that Shinji is literally and symbolically still a child, the fact that Toji is nice to him, and Rei has a childlike innocence to her demonstrates Shinji’s sickness unto death as he can’t cope with the weight of what he has done. The near third impact brought people closer together, this demonstrates collective subjectivity as the people around a course can form bonds and achieve great things. As if people have the faith to omit to an idea can make people immortal by being better. Shinji meets Auska in a state of shock looking at her naked form this he has despair a sickness unto death as he sees her neck which triggers his PTSD of Kawuru. Shinji doesn’t want to live. But he can’t bring himself to die as again he has a sickness unto death a despair, Shinji can’t accept the idea of people linking him to the hedgehog’s dilemma as Shinji is afraid of people due to what his done. Rei on the other hand is a child and must be told everything with no link to humanity, as with a framing section Rei learns to farm. Rei questions her existence as she is alive without orders from Nerv. Rei starts to find her soul her link to the world as she is an innocent child discovering everything for the first time. Auska force feeds Shinji asserting her own doamcne in a act of otguh love. Shinji is like a chidl he fears rejection otugh the hegdoggs dilemma he odnst wht to do anything and evythign is his faliut. In a very weird way Auxsak cares for him.
Shinji walks to the end of the road overlooking a cliff. This demonstrates the themes of suicide and depression in the film linking to the idea that life is suffering. Shinji wants to not exist and can’t be in society. Shinji’s own issues makes it so he can’t be with anyone showing the hedgehogs dilemma as he wants intimacy but fears it and closing himself of from the world as he can’t accept himself. Shinji goes to the previous Nerv facility as Auska doesn’t want Shinji to die selfishly. Shinji has a sickness unto death a despair as he wants to reach out to people due to the damage his caused and wants death. Rei on the other hand realises she can name herself. Rei can find her own soul her own individuality her own emotions and is learning. Rei tries to relate to Shinji with the books, as rei learns to say thank you, she learns what it means to have a soul and creates a persona. Auska states her loneliness though her doll, a knock at the door makes Rei grab her gun as Auska says Rei’s feelings are not real who says it doesn’t matter. Auska makes Rei take rations to Shinji who gives him back his cassette player in an act of human kindness witch he knocks away when she leaves him food. This demonstrates the hedgehog’s dilemma Rei wants to bond with Shinji who rejects it die to his past sins he is in a state of despair as he believes he has caused so much pain. Shinji cries as he eats the food. This shows that Shinji needs people and must connect to humanity. This links to will and representation as Shinji cannot connect with others which causes his suffering. Shinji is fractured between being a living corpse and both wanting to die and do better as desire everything Shinji still has a small amount of faith in himself and humanity.
The film shows that society has continued and flourished due to everyone working together which disproves the hedgehog’s dilemma. People must have faith as though collective subjectivity people can form bonds and achieve great things if they have the faith to commit to an idea which disproves the hedgehog’s dilemma. The characters also state that worrying about Shinji all the time won’t do him any good as Shinji must solve problems by himself and defeat the hedgehog’s dilemma. Shinji hates himself and wants nothing as he doesn’t understand why people are kind as he can’t accept human kindness. This demonstrates the hedgehog’s dilemma as people give Shinji warmth but due to fear and not understanding things he rejects it in fear, as Shinji ultimately falls into a state of despair. Shinji wants to not exist and rejects the world and wants to not exist. Shinji cannot accept himself and fears people so closing himself off to the world. Shinji however does manage to form some connection with Auska, as the connections people form can create great things and though faith, they can commit to an idea greater than themselves with goes against the hedgehog’s dilemma. The film shows that people must work together to rom bonds and connections as people rally around a sense of humanity which gives people hope. This community is shown with Misato who nullifies the core that has Wonders who are aimless Eva’s that are sealed with the pillars.
Shinji goes fishing with kensuke. Shinji says he can’t fish as he doesn’t catch anything, but they tired and that’s important. Rei slowly learns what it is to be human learning that life is full of ups and downs as Shinji wants to give her a name. It is reviled that Rei is dying because she’s a clone and can only live inside Nerv and has a limited life span. Shinji does manage to grow a bit of a connection with people like Toji. Everyone he knew is now an adult, but Shinji is still a child as the film demonstrates that people must help others for society to flourish and that Shinji must make amends. Kensuke’s father died as Shinji states its too hard and too late for his dad, as this happens Rei smiles and changes clothes, she finds new emotions as she learns what it means to be human. They go to a lab that is recreating the world, as he meets Misato and Kaji’s son as Misato can’t be a mother and projects him as the head of Willie as Kaji sacrifices himself to stop the near third impact. Shinji is not the only one hurting. This demonstrates collective subjectivity as people need to connect with each other and drive towards something better.
Rei is a part of Lilith and is dying, she is crying and lonely. Rei has created a soul for himself as she is becoming an identical, as she is becoming human and shows gratitude for others. Shinji meets Rei as she becomes human sating that she liked Shinji and she dies with a cross being sown indicating that shown is part of liltih as she just wanted to lean rot be human. The hedgehog’s dilemma is the focus of the series as Kensusuke films Auska who gets embarrassed as Shinji goes with her. Tojis sister slaps Shinji for piloting the Eva which is a understandable response giving the state of everything, as is Shinji in a blast chamber Shinji wants to go with them as Misato allowed him to live and Auska hands her Toji’s letters. Madori who had all the members of her family killed however will not forgive Shinji his actions, as Mari has a connection with Auska disproving the hedgehog’s dilemma. The line from Auska that Shinji doesn’t need a lover he needs a mother is at the heart of Shinji core issues. This links to the oral stage as Shinji was wended to soon and wishes to be with his mother Shinji is morning his mums lost soul. Misato still has feelings for Kaji as there is a room in the ship like Noah’s Arc. Kaji wanted animals and seeds to survive as Misato is following in her mother’s footsteps showing the hedgehogs dilemma as Misato has a lot of unresolved baggage from her past. The black moon that crashes into earth and restore the world at the fourth impact take place. The Ayanami series are pure souls with no direction to be used by Adam for the human instrumentality project as Rei says she did not go through with it as Shinji and Gendo have the same suffering.
The film stats there is no point of redemption unless you have a will to atone for your sins as showing the hedgehogs dilemma Misato hates Shinji but is glad to see him. The main characters bodies don’t change but they still age as the yare humans still. This shows that all the characters have been given biblical punishment they are still human. With the vessels of the Adam they are ready for the reactivation of unit 13 witch will go according to zealot’s scenario. This links to the idea that everything was connected btu broke apart and that the world. Must reconnect though a prosses known as tikkun ha-olam to restore the world back together as one.
Misato looks at the picture of Shinji and her. Son Kaji as she has flashbacks of her telling Shinji to do it as she has the burdens of responsibility. Everyone works together to stop Nerv as their comrades died when they rebelled against Nerv as the arm bands a blue for the non-impact sea, it symbolises them working together as well as the band Kaji gave Misato. People use their faith in each other and a collective to combat despair they have faith in their beliefs in one another and reject pure logic in favour of emotion, as Auska and Mari work together witch also disproves the hedgehog’s dilemma. Shinji realises he couldn’t make up his mind as Auska’s had a crush on him, but times have changed and Auska is doll. This again shows the hedgehogs dilemma Auska did care for him but due to her fear of others and well as Shinji’s fears it could have never happened. This also demonstrates will and representation as its human struggle to connect to each other which as created this mess. Through ambivalence all the characters in Eva passionately love and hate each other. The characters in Eva are in a battle between who they are and who they want to be. Shinji’s identity is based on the people around him he wishes for order and not chaos, so he minimises his existence and wishes to not exist as he both wants to run away and wants to connection to others. This is different form Rei who has forgone individuality and Auska who aggressively asserts her individuality. The idea of human intimacy courses problems is shown with Shinji. This is all shown with the hedgehog’s dilemma Shinji wants love but fears pain and can’t accept himself, Rei has no concept of others at first and Auska attacks the world to assert herself. Shinji has a flashback with Kawuru as Shinji removed from the shackles of the past needs a place for himself.
Willie will target Nerv and destroy the Eva’s then Vonder will trigger the rights of doom and bring an end to everything as this is biblical battle against God to reclaim the garden of Eden. The crew ejects the seed storage units to give Vonder more power as they crash though the field that rejects life that has original sin all life must be blessed to access this point, so they use Kajis anti Eva system as they dive in but get damaged. A dog fight between the two ships happens as the Nerv ship can slay god’s as they break the LCLC containment field as the Eva initiate a battle between man and God as the Eva ships fight. Nervi is under the black moon as the human instrumentality project is designed to combine haven and earth. The facility has a AT field. This barrier stops Shinji connecting with his dad as Gendo wants to separate the body and the mind as the struggle of having a self is painful as he wishes to use unit 13 as a sort of perverse ark. He masses production Eva’s are like demons as this is a biblical between heaven and hell, as Mari and Auska fight the mass production Eva’s as this is a biblical battle between man god to reclaim their home, as Auska has faith in Mari disproving the hedgehog’s dilemma as they fight with each other as a duo. Eva unit thirteen is on a cross as a biblical sacrifice for mankind. The Eva’s are gods built by man as Auska tries to kill the Eva which is Jesus on the cross but can’t penetrate the AT field because of her fears. The gates of hell open with wings of light as the fourth impact starts but what is happening is not part of Zealots/Nervs plan with the black moon. This links to the breaking of vessels as everything was connected but the broke apart recreating the world as this shows tikkun ha-olam to restore the world and put everything back together as one.
The nerv ship pieces the Vonder as unit thirteen of the cross is a sacrifice to give humanity hope. Shinji’s AT field will be so strong Auska can’t get though, as Auska uses the angel DNA she fused with the nerv to fight nerv. Auska becomes an angel herself to break unit 1’s AT field, however unit 1 destroys the demonised unit 2 and awakens. The eva has the dual entry plug system of Shinji and Kawuru as Auska goes into her psyche as instrumentality is forced on her as Auska wants to reject instrumentality but can’t. The final Eva dissolves as everything infects the Eva breaching the ship. A new spear is created like the spear in Lilith like in Christ. This demonstrates a biblical restoration and re-joining nth world though the human instrumentality project. This biblical reaction links to the breaking of vessels and the world of Eva broke apart and wants to be recreated. The Eva francize wants Tikkun Ha-Olam to restore the world and put everything back together. Shinji finally realises he must face his dad as the whole film is about the hedgehog’s dilemma as Shinji and Gendo hate each other due to their fear of connections and need to breakthrough though to each other which is the main point of Eva. Ritsuko shoots Gendo but he puts his brain back inside his head. Using the key of nebuchadnezzar he abandoned his humanity as he will define the gods though the sacrifice of angels. The sacrifice of humans is necessary as they were evolved for this prose, though Lilith humanity will be merged into one using the evas. This is a purification process, the firth impact made people, the second impact purified the oceans, the third impact purified the earth, the fourth impact purified souls the fourth impact will purify everything. Misato’s father created the human instrumentality project as though the fruit of knowledge then G3endo will create the fruit of life and all of us will survive. The film shows people creating gods the create a new Eden for humans to overcome god and become gods. This link to the breaking of vessels as in the world of Eva everything was broke apart and Gendo wants to put the pieces back together. This relates to tikkun ha-olam as Gendo wants to restore the world. The plan is to creates a universal system to destroy the barriers of individualism.
Shinji confronts his father as he turns away into unit thirteen becoming a sort of God and the initiator of instrumentality as everything corrodes and becomes one. Shinji decides to pilot Eva unit 1 as he learnt about the earth form Kaji and wants to take half the burden off Misato and fight Gendo as she gives him back his collar as two girls wants to kill Shinji believing he will destroy the world. Misato takes a bullet for Shinji linking to her Freudian mother as Shinji wants to protect her son. She states that if Shinji handed of piloted the Eva back then the angel would have destroyed the world as she is grateful for Shinji despite what happened as Shinji is a sort of messiah figure in the franchise. Since Misato still has custody of Shinji and as his legal guardian, she takes reasonability and intrusts everything too Shinji linking to the Freudian mother as Shinji finally has a mother figure, as Shinji is both the destroyer and saviour of humanity as Shinji is a messiah like figure. Miasto and Shinji are given closer with her quote “the only thing a son can do fro his father is pat him on the shoulder or kill him” that Kaji said to him linking to the hedgehog’s dilemma as the connections of people is necessary for survival. Shinji gives Misato closer in his son who says he met him he was nice, and he liked him as they say goodbye witch again links to the Freudian mother as Misato helps Shinji as her sort of son.
Shinji must defeat unit 13 from becoming internalised as Auska and Rei are in there. This disproves the hedgehog’s dilemma as Shinji believes in himself and the people around him. Shinji finds Rei as they confront each other as Shinji frees Rei as he strangles Gendo as unit 1 reactivated his sync rate which is infinite. Shinji fights with the spears of hope whilst Gendo fights with the spear of despair, as Gendo needs the two spears one for instrumentality and one for his wish. They are both two of the six spears of God that Gendo and Yui found, as Shinji and Gendo go to their memoirs as the instrumentality connects to their minds. The Shinji Gendo fight is matched as they go though Shinji’s memories. The artificiality of the world is shown as it shows the world as a set. The film shows that fighting is pointless as hope and despair are equal emotions and fighting problems away won’t achieve anything. Shinji gets beaten as violence and fear are not how conflict will be resolved as Gendo wishes for instrumentality as Misato has faith in Shinji and creates a new spear with the ship, as they connect though the hedgehog’s dilemma. People must combat despair by having faith by believing in something. people aren’t logical and logical won’t save humanity. Gendo destroy humanity, as existential problems won’t be solved with logic as despair connect be solved with reason but though faith. Shinji and Gendo are in a constant battle as life means taking a leap of faith to create freedom where you must take a risk to break though despair and live life.
Shinji believes in himself and the people around him which shows collective subjectivity as people can form bonds and archive great things, as when people have the faith to commit to an idea, they become immortal by commuting to something greater than themselves. Gendo shows Shinji black Lilith as an imaginary Eva that exists in fantasy and reality as the spear of hope and despair are triggers for this. Everyone will become one though instrumentality. Gendo is recreate the world to create his wish like Shinji tried to do as Rei’s face is shown to be Lilith and Eva imaginary. All the souls of instrumentality come into one destroying pain, suffering and the human connection. Hope is a good and bad thing, as both Gendo and Futiski have done bad. They both want instrumentality, but Futiski helps Mari as he just wanted Yui’s wish to come true and is joined in instrumentality. Mari kills the Eva’s in instrumentality to protect Shinji as Misato stays behind to make sure activation of the ship’s detonation happens. Misato reverts to her old self to help make the ship into a spear for Shinji as the instrumentality of everything happens. Gendo wants instrumentality so everyone in the world would be at peace as one signal conciseness to be with his wife, however he still can’t find Yui only Rei. Shinji connects with Gendo as he has a AT field as he is sacred of Shinji or rather connection, as Shinji gives Gendo his tape player. Shinji talks to Gendo on the train saying that he was just like Shinji he used headphones to cut him off from the world giving him complete indifference however when he met Yui he didn’t need headphones.
Rei who is part of Yui is shown instead. Gendo never knew his own parents love and dint like the fakeness of the world in which is faulty in its speech if you take something on face value it doesn’t work out. He didn’t like the way people are faulty and irrational, he didn’t like the way people hide the truth in their speech and had a fear forming bonds with people. Gendo never felt lonely, he didn’t like being with people, he wanted to be alone, he liked knowledge as well as the piano for its accuracy, he liked the fact that nothing is off in music and that no one could get hurt with loneliness. Yui showed Gendo the enjoyment of living and accepted him, and he could not conceive of the idea of being without her after her death. He could not bear Yui’s death as he just wanted to be with her, he wants to see her because he can’t accept her weakness.
Shinji disproves the hedgehog’s dilemma as at first there fighting is identical until Shinji breaks the cycle though dialogue as Gendo has pain for losing his wife and destroys humanities self, so he won’t feel and from their own problems they connect closer with each other. Misato fulfils her role as a mother figure by suffocating herself as he uses the spear of hope forged by Lilith, again with Misato fulfilling her role as a mother by letting Mari go and sacrificing herself for both her real son Ryoji and her surrogate mother Shinji. Shinji was given a new spear before Gendo could be wich Yui, Shinji accepts, and thanks Misato as Shinji is now an adult. Gendo didn’t believe he was good enough for Shinji and believed he was his punishment. Gendo believed that by pushing him away he was doing what was best for Shinji, Gendo realises that connections to other people is what matters disproving the hedgehog’s dilemma. Shinji accepts himself as she knows wants to help others. Auska rejects everyone as being around other living people is painful. She as she wants to control the doll which symbolises herself. As she pilots her Eva to live her worth is her eva. She wants to praise from people for the strength as she wants to not be the doll as her personality is the front for herself. Kensuke acting as a sort of parent figure being ok with her. It is shows that Shinji and Auska liked each other but that time has gone as by giving Auska closer he saves her.
Shinji is shown by Kawuru that everything is a loop as they are from the book of life. Kawuru wants Shinji to have happiness with his father, as Shinji realises, he must be with others and help them, as he closes the loop with is the circular narrative. Kawuru is guiding humans and angels’ fate and becomes human. The many versions of everyone shows that the story is on a loop and Shinji breaks the loop. Shinji states to Rei that she must find her own place in the world with eva shown as a set. The projection of evangelion playing in the background shows Shinji is symbolically going to create a world without Eva’s creating a new world as Shinji befriends Rei. Shinji creates a world without Eva, as he sees his mum for the first and last time who was protecting him but know he has become an adult. Gendo sacrifices himself in Shinji’s place so him and Yui can be together as Shinji can live in a world. without Eva’s as all the Eva’s can be destroyed. Shinji becomes a rough drawing showing the Evangelion world is over and something new will now be created. The film ends with Mari finding Shinji as the film flashes forward as they have both become adults. Rei and Kawuru are shown to be there then leave as God is no longer needed. Flirting with Mari Shinji is now an adult as Mari unlocks his collar as he is freed from this sin as they run out into the real world as Hideaki Anno has left Evangelion behind.
Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time is a film about becoming an adult. It is about atoning for your own sins and moving on becoming your own individual person.
