Richard Qunt wrote:

> From watching Evangelion, it becomes apparent to me that Rei displays
> personality traits and appearance characteristic of both the goth and punk
> movements.

It seems to me that goth and punk are two very different things. See the
great bands of the *real* punk movement of the late 70s.

> Her passive-aggressive demeanor, the fashionable apathy she shows towards
> others and her obsession with death (specifically her own) remind me very
> strongly of the 'teen goth ethos'. Her pale white skin and red eyes also
> remind me of the white makeup and 'demonic' contact lenses commonly worn
> by goths in clubs (or at least the ones I've been to).

I wouldn't think of her as apathetic, nor fashionable. And she certainly
can't choose her own natural unnaturalness. And she doesn't strike me as
the sort to go to clubs.

> OTOH, Rei's 'I don't care what you think of me' attitude and desire to
> march to the beat of her own drum is pure punk attitude, IMO. Her
> idiosyncratic dress-sense (school uniform is no longer about conforming to
> the standard and destruction of individuality when you wear it ALL the
> time - it then becomes a statement), frank sexuality and wild,
> brightly-colored, slightly androgynous hair somewhat support this
> assertion.

Let's replace the name 'Rei' in this paragraph with Avril Lavigne. It then
makes at least some sense, if you're into really poor Canadian pop music.

In any case, how much is Rei seen outside of school/work in the series?

> I'm not sure if anyone will agree with me here, but I find myself
> wondering if Anno/GAINAX purposefully intended this for Rei's character in
> the beginning - before the whole Yui/cloning/soul of Lilith thing was even
> thought of.

The signs are there from ep 1 that the entire series had been very well
planned-out, so I don't think that's a possibility. I assume Sadamoto had a
rough script before he began character design.

> I'd be interested to hear your opinions on this matter, especially those
> of any goths, punks or avid fans of Reichan who might be reading this.

None of the three (unless you count being a Talking Heads fan as punk).
Sorry.

-- 
Drinian: http://slashdot.org/~sailracer6/journal/