“The End of Evangelion,” the 1997 movie follow-up to the “Neon Genesis Evangelion” TV anime, has no shortage of graphic and disturbing imagery. Notably, mecha pilot Rei spends half the movie naked, giant, and slowly melting as she kills the entire planet — but “half the movie” doesn’t count as a scene, so if we must single out a single short sequence of nudity as the most upsetting in the film, we’re going to go with the opening scene.
At the start of the film, Asuka is comatose in the hospital. Shinji, traumatized over killing Kaworu in Episode 24 of the TV series, is visiting her and desperately pleading for her to wake up. Shinji shakes Asuka so hard that her breasts are exposed. After a series of cutaways to the ceiling, Asuka’s vital monitors, her IV drip, and the locked door, we’re subjected to the image of Shinji’s hand in which it’s clear that he’s pleasured himself. The more literal Netflix translation has Shinji follow up masturbating to his comatose co-worker by saying, “I’m the lowest of the low,” while the Manga Entertainment release uses the blunter localization of “I’m so f***ed up.” The hospital sequence sets the scene for a “f***ed up” film that’s going to put both its characters and its audience through the wringer.
