| Neon Genesis Evangelion Vol. 1 Stage 1: Angel Attack "I've never had any cherished dreams or ambitions...So far, in the first 14 years of my life, things always happen as they happen. And things will probably continue in the same way. That's why I never really cared whether I...died." -Ikari Shinji The year is 2015 A.D., and Ikari Shinji, a meloncholic youth of 14, has been summed to Tokyo 3 by his long estranged father, Gendo, who is in command of Nerv, a top secret organization dedicated to protecting the existance of humanity from a most fearful preditor, monstrous beings code-named "Angels." But for what purpose has Shinji been called? Shinji arrives to a deserted city- the inhibants all having been evacuated due to the first of a long series of Angel attacks. U.N. military action is useless against these creatures, and in a dead city, Shinji finds himself stranded, both physically and mentally. He wonders what his father could possibly want of him after 10 years... Cruise missile whistle overhead as Shinji tries to walk the last leg of his journey and he comes face to face with the Angel, and Rei Ayanami, the enigmatic pilot of unit01. In the midst of the destruction, Misato Katsuragi appears in her beloved sportscar, ready to speed both herself and Shinji to the safety of HQ. (Unforfunately for her, the car, and her favorite outfit get trashed after the car was flipped over by an explosion.) Again, Ayanami comes to the rescue, and the two beat a hasty retreat. In the end, the Angel was too much for the already wounded Ayanami, and she too withdraws into the safety of HQ. A rather ineffective N� mine is detonated, and in light of its failure to destroy the target, command authority is transfered to Gendo Ikari. As they enter the geofront, Nerv's secret base of operations, Misato and Shinji skirt over the bad relationship Shinji and his father have, and a generalized, and somewhat candy-coated, defination of what Nerv does is given. (Even Shinji can't help but laugh- 'the admable job of defending humanity.') The scene shifts to Rei Ayanami, who, badly injured, is in no condtion to battle. Gendo reveals that another pilot has arrived, as Shinji thinks to himself that his summoning couldn't be for a reunion. |