16 years ago today (March 13 1996,) episode 24 of Neon Genesis Evangelion—The Beginning of the End, or “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”—aired for the first time in Japan as 最後のシ者 (Saigo no Shishya). In English, this translates to ‘The Final Messenger.’
There was a lot of information revealed in this episode. We find Asuka in appalling conditions after her mental breakdown, the final pieces to the true nature of Rei, and the ‘forbidden knowledge’ delivered to us by the final angel Tabris, disguised as NERV’s newest pilot Kaworu Nagisa.
At the peak of Shinji’s loneliness, he becomes close to the new pilot, and they share a mutual interest in each other. Just when he thinks he has finally made a true friend, Kaworu initiates an attack against NERV to reach Adam, whom he discovers is actually Lilith. He gives Shinji two options: To let the third impact happen, or to grant his final wish to die at the hands of his friend.
After the deed is done, Shinji is left even more isolated than before. ‘The beginning of the end’ indeed… not merely to the series, or even to the world itself—this episode marks the beginning of the end to Shinji’s grasp on any kind of hope left in this world. The more he reaches out, the more he is denied. The more he lets people in, the more painful it is when they inevitably leave him.
Aside from the hints at a more-than-friendly relationship between the two, the real mystery to Kaworu’s relationship with Shinji is whether or not those emotions were a weapon to sever Shinji’s A.T field fabricated as a finishing blow, or if he was truly redeemed through Shinji and decided that the lilin should be the ones to inherit the earth.
Tabris XX
Today, I got in Tabrismacbeths’s gift to me that I bought by myself but is still somehow from him because of reasons—the Tabris XX figure, AKA GirlWoru, TrapWoru, Kaworin!!
She comes with two sets of hands (neutral and holding for the weaponry) and her stand is the encased Adam-embryo.
The box was amazing, the tape on it was cautionary biohazard tape for the Angel Sample, and it came with a lovely image of Tabris XX. (The glare from the computer screen disabled me from getting a good close image.)
Inside the box is an all-Japanese pamphlet on the information about the 17th Angel.
Inside the pamphlet also has images of the unpainted figurine and design sketches, as well as design images of Kaworu (Where my finger is, they are illustrated in dark blue which my webcam cannot pick up) and pictures from the episode he was featured in. This figurine series (Rei ‘contaminated’ by all the angels, resulting in ‘gijinka’-like humanized angels) was created Wave Company for the 10th anniversary of the television series of Evangelion.
As for the fact that she is only in a shirt, what is to be seen underneath that shirt…
…..
…That is information classified to buyers only.
Shinji-kun in the cold
“I can’t stand reading sad KaworuxShinji fanfics” I whisper as I write a ridiculously long fanfic about the destiny of unhappiness for Kaworu that lies ahead no matter what he does or doesn’t do.
Page 8 of the Kaworu Nagisa Raising Project is up!
This is the last angsty page for a while, because angels and cats are COMING UP
Flattery is currently getting Kaworu nowhere, but stay tuned
And as always, feel free to leave me a little fan-service in the comments or rate-box (Did you notice I colored Shinji’s shirt wrong in the last few pages? Auugh!!)
Rei, Mana and Asuka
I am glad that Gainax didn’t go with the original concept for Kaworu Nagisa, and give him an ‘angel form.’
I thought that one of the many reasons that Kaworu was so powerful a character to the story was because he WAS a human. A human body, with the soul of Adam. Without his A.T. Field, he would be difficult to defeat.
However, it was because he had a human body that Shinji was able to kill him so easily. A human body, and a humans (often disturbing) power of choice.
Even in the classic ReTake doujinshi, when Shinji killed him without a second thought to protect Asuka, he felt the taste of human blood in his mouth, and it terrified him.
If Kaworu had an ‘angel form,’ he would not have looked like a human to the very end. And a human, to most of the (decent) people at NERV like Shinji Ikari, or Maya Ibuki, is a taboo thing to kill.
Even though an angel must be killed, killing something who both looks and acts like a human is an act that, no matter what Shinji’s ‘feelings’ toward Kaworu, would be something that would eat him up inside.
Something that took human form knowing full well that it would have to be killed by the one it was closest to is a cruel thing, indeed.
The impact Shinji left on Kaworu was to understand humans, and feel changed and grateful for the short time he had because of that time together.
However, for Shinji, whether or not this was Kaworu’s intention, that time together that was cut so horrifically short was the catalyst for the beginning of the end.
Neon Gender Evangelion
AKA “everything is better with yuri”
Nipples.
Leetul Rei butts and leetul Mari pantsu.
Kaworu no
