Let’s run through what literally happens in “End of Evangelion” — Shinji, granted divine power while in a mental breakdown, chooses “Human Instrumentality,” where all the souls become one. “Neon Genesis Evangelion” often referenced the Freudian concept of the “Hedgehog’s Dilemma” (the closer people get, the more they risk hurting each other). Instrumentality is the solution to that dilemma; you can’t misunderstand someone if you can share their thoughts. Shinji realizes this painless existence is no answer at all and rejects it, returning to life and leaving others the option to do the same.
“The End of Evangelion” is a violent and disturbing movie, and it sometimes feels like Anno is telling his audience to get a life. Still, though, I get annoyed when people emphasize “End of Evangelion” as sicko s**t as if that’s all there is to it, or like it’s a project of Anno’s spite. It’s a movie about how someone could be pushed to the point that they’d want the whole world to vanish and that demands empathy. Writing for Mubi, critic Willow Maclay described the film’s narrative as, “an apocalypse as metaphor for surviving a suicide attempt.”
The lynchpin moment is Shinji’s last conversation with Misato Katsuragi, his surrogate mother figure. Shinji, depressed, despairs to Misato: “All I ever do is hurt people. So I’d rather do nothing at all!” So Misato tells him all about how she’s continued to make mistakes and hurt others time and time again in a cycle of only slow improvement. Living comes with regret and you can’t evade that.
That’s the crux of Shinji’s decision to leave Instrumentality. He’s warned that he’ll be hurt again and admits that himself, too, but he’s finally ok with that; seeing his friends again is worth it even if there’ll be pain down the road.
