Character of the Month: Shinji Ikari

 Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!  Sunday is here and I know what you’re probably thinking, why am I doing Character of the Month a full week early?  Well, let’s just say I overlooked the fact that there’s more than four Sundays in the month of September.  Still, this seemed to work in my favor because that gives me a chance to talk about something that I probably know better than to talk about, but I’ll get to that next week.  For now, let’s talk about This is (Not) an Evangelion Event’s Character of the Month, Shinji Ikari!

To give a backstory to Shinji is almost redundant.  We all know it.  This famous mentally scarred fifteen year old gets called in by his estranged father to find that he is being commissioned to pilot a giant robot called an Evangelion Unit in order to fight a series of giant extraterrestrial beings known as Angels.  In both the original series and the Rebuild films, we watch as this decision to take on such a heavy burden affects him as the story progresses.  And although both series and film adaptions end on different notes, they all end with Shinji turning out more messed up than before.

Now I know what you’re thinking.  Why pick Shinji?  He’s notoriously known for being whiny and self-absorbed as he tries and fails to deal with his mental struggles.  I certainly won’t deny that because it’s true.  I find Shinji’s introspection just as tedious and interruptive as the next person.  But here’s the thing, that was the Shinji we got in the original series.  In Rebuild, Shinji is still just as reluctant and self-absorbed as in the series, but he starts to change significantly by the second film.  In fact, by the end of the second film, he actually grows a bit of a backbone; he shows some effort and willpower and actually tries to fight sometimes without any regard to the consequences.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Shinji goes from a moody angsty teen to just a teen.  And a lot of that came through in the third film; he acts very childish and naïve but also shows a strong will that moves him forward in carrying out the mission he’s given-even though it inevitably causes another Impact.  This personality change alone really showed that Anno recognized that Shinji was a very weak character and needed to be improved on.  And as you all will recall, this was what got Shinji put on my “Top Ten Things Rebuild Got Right” countdown.  I’ll admit, Kaworu was a candidate for the title for similar reasons, but Shinji is the main character of the franchise and therefore gets the most attention.  But I think Rebuild went the extra mile and made him tolerable and even likable and sympathetic.  Love him or hate him, Shinji was one of the biggest improvements for Evangelion’s overall story, and him getting this title was certainly long overdue.  So stop whining and get in the robot, Shinji Ikari, cause you’re Hanime on Anime’s Character of the Month of September!

There will be no Talkative Thursday this week or review next Sunday.  However, next Sunday, I will be doing a special post concerning a hotly debated topic that’s been causing uproar in the anime community lately.  Granted, I said earlier that I know better than to contribute to this kind of cancerous area, but I still think it’s worthwhile to put my thoughts out there while I have a break from reviews.  Plus, this also gives me a head start to watch some shows and movies for my annual round of horror and supernatural reviews coming up.  Still, review or not, stay tuned for more!

-Hanime on Anime