Richard Qunt <r.c.qunt@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bg21fr$1p8$1@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...
> I have been watching Evangelion recently and asking myself this question.
> What point is there to Asuka even being in the series at all, except as a
> love interest for Shinji and a foil for Rei?
>
one of the best positions I've heard is that Auska is presented as Shingi's
balence or oposite. They've both suffered from parental loss and neglect,
but have moved in very different directions. She's invessed all her self
worth in being a pilot while Shingi became passive without self worth. She's
Shingi's foil, not Rei's

> All she ever seems to do is stand there whining and bitching and
> occasionally getting badly beaten in her Eva. I cannot think of a single
> time when she ever actually does anything useful or helpful. It seems like
> she was only added so that Gainax would have another bishoujo besides Rei
> and Misato to sell toys and posters of.

Usefull? At least her failures were not for lack of trying. Shingi was
pretty useless most of the time too. Half the time his Eva bailed him out.
Lets be honest, if you were preparing for a battle to save the human race
would you let ANY of these pychological trainwrecks be involved?