"Rogue Noir" <Rogue@Noir.com> wrote in message news:<K8G3b.7125$3n4.1401@newssvr29.news.prodigy.com>...
> I have to say that the ending was overwhelming and sad but satisfying in a
> way..  I nearly cried when Asuka met her end (near death) in the final
> battle (I thought she was gone for good the first time watching it,
> considering Shinji's anticipation and hope for her in the beginning of End
> of Eva.)
> 
> I understand that very end has been analyzed to death and most
> interpretations are either a repeat or too far fetched.  However, I believe
> in a more simplistic explaination for the scene of Shinji choking Asuka, who
> is bandaged and badly beaten.  Through the series, the subtle romance
> between those two is often suppressed by their immaturity and unwillingness
> to compromise when conflict arises.  Shinji didn't realize how much he loved
> Asuka until she was comatose as the final battle was approaching; Asuka
> didn't realize how much Shinji loved her until the ending where they are
> reunited, though Shinji's feeling's were so strong causing him to want to
> choke her (but if you look closely, his hands aren't applying any pressure.)
> Asuka says "I feel sick" as an honest message to Shinji of how she feels
> (who wouldn't feel sick after nearly dying and almost the rest of humanity
> around you perishing.)  What follows the ending is purely the audience's
> imagination but I firmly believe 1) Shinji and Asuka are the "Adam" and
> "Eve" and they've finally accepted each other.  2)  A very difficult road
> lies ahead for both of them.  3) Humanity descended from Shinji and Asuka
> will continue to be blanketed by darkness and despair, just like before.
> 
> On an unrelated side note, when watching the TV series, I was a little
> disappointed after Kaji was shot b/c I kept anticipating Asuka's reaction to
> it, considering he was her closest friend but it never showed Asuka's grief
> and mourning.  In episode 22 or 23, Misato almost gave it away when she said
> "Never Again" to Asuka questioning if Kaji was calling her and Asuka seemed
> puzzled.
Umm... the old Adam and Eve Scenario.  There is simply no reason to
think that Shinji and Asuka are the only ones to come back. 
Everything that is said, shown, or hinted at or implied, without
exception, indicates that everyone can (and, in my view, will) come
back.  I've never understood why, after hearing Rei, Kaworu, and Yui
make at least a half dozen direct, unambiguous references to the idea
of people coming back, that, when someone sees two individuals (Shinji
and Asuka) lying alone on a beach, suddenly everything that Rei and
Yui just said about people returning to their human forms, and all
living things having the heart to go on living, suddenly doesn't count
for anything, i.e. everyone else is dead.
Two points: 1) We only see what is going on one beach; I don't think
there is any reason to suppose that there is anything special or
privileged about that particular beach; people might be coming at
other places all over the world.  2) It is a subtle point that a lot
of people miss, but it looks like Shinji is alone on that beach for an
indefinite, but substantial length of time, before Asuka comes back. 
The key clue is the grave markers, i.e. the posts that we see sticking
out of the ground, one of which has Misato's cross nailed to it. 
Someone put up those posts, and that someone was, of course, Shinji.  
A reasonable scenario to explain their presence, would be that Shinji
came back to the real world thinking that he would meet the the others
("Still... I want to meet them again, because I believe my feelings at
that time were real.").   Enough time elapsed without anyone else
coming back, that he eventually gave in to despair, and put up the
grave markers. Note also, that there is a streak of rust on Misato's
cross; another indication that substantial time has gone by.  (Here is
a link that describes the alternate, i.e. first draft, endings, in
which it was made clear that the posts were grave markers with the
names of the various characters, including Asuka; it showed her come
up to her maker and kick it over!
http://www.angelfire.com/anime4/mdwigs/livesequence.html
(Scroll down to get to the part about the alternate endings)
From this we can conclude two things: one, what Rei said about people
returning to human form, 'by imagining themselves in their own heart',
is for real;  Asuka showing up proves that, and two, coming back isn't
easy, it seems to take a long time.  I think that it is entirely
likely, that Misato and the others will come back in due course,
whether that means the the next  week, the next month, or the next
five minutes;  the point is that they CAN come back...