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A thread on Neon Genesis Evangelion, and why AT field is the greatest concept ever conceived in anime (for me)...
There are very few and specific people who are compatible with Eva, and there's a reason for that. Think about the people who are generally compatible with Eva. The most compatible are Shinji and Asuka. Rei is somewhat compatible but we know that Rei had a hard time piloting it.
People like that macho dude from Shinji's school couldn't handle Eva. Do you know the reason? It's because their AT field levels are too low. And what exactly are AT fields?
It's just a barrier, right? But what is so special about the barriers?
It's just a barrier, right? But what is so special about the barriers?
Why do some people have such strong barriers but some don't? Why is Shinji the one who can pilot Eva 01? This is a question that's also relevant in FLCL. Why is Naota the one who can summon the Pirate King? Why is Naota the one Haruko tried to manipulate?
Because Shinji and Naota are similar in a sense. Both of them are insecure, both of them try to exclude themselves from the society, both of them lack the feelings of belonging.
AT field is exactly that. It is a barrier. Shinji and Asuka's AT fields are strong and are compatible with Eva because they try to form a barrier between themselves and the world. They reject any and all human connections and keep themselves bottled up from everyone around them.
AT fields are more strong the more lonely and unsociable you are, and the more insecurities you have. It is slightly different in Naota's case. The big horns of Naota is all the stress he has bottled up inside him, because of similar reasons as Shinji.
So because of his immense stress caused by his insecurities, he can let them all out in forms of mechs. So when his horns explode as mechs, it's him letting his stress out all at once.
Back to Eva. The show doesn't completely reject the benefits of AT fields. Yes it does reject it in some way and tells people to socialize but it also embraces the idea of AT fields, because without them, there would be no individuality.
The lack of AT fields would just lead to instrumentality, like it did when Shinji went berserk after merging with Rei. AT fields, while harmful when excessive, are also necessary to some extent, as you wouldn't be yourself if there was nothing to distinguish yourself from others.
But you also shouldn't ostracize yourself from the world, because that's where you live in.
This is a concept that makes me realize that this is something I face in my daily life. I've tried to ostracize myself before. From my friends, from my family. And Evangelion was a reminder to myself to change as a human being, to better myself.
And this is why AT field is the greatest concept ever conceived in anime...! (to me)
