At eight o'clock Sunday night, the second episode of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' aired right on schedule.
The opening viewership rating: 10.22%.
The beginning of Episode 2… hmm. It returned to the type of school-life storyline Great Zhou viewers had already come to associate with Jing Yu.
"Jing Yu, the old troll, really loves middle school stories! Nine out of ten of his dramas have school settings."
"He can't help it—he's following market demand. Most of his fans are students."
"Or maybe his heart just never grew old, and he wants to stay a student forever."
"But he really looks natural playing a student!"
"When I was in high school, he was playing a middle schooler. I thought he was about my age. Now that I've graduated from college, he's still playing a middle schooler. I feel like he's my junior… being a celebrity must be nice."
"It depends on physical condition. Some actors look thirteen when they're thirty-four; some look like uncles in their twenties."
"But Ayanami Rei is wonderful! Even if the plot is cliché—transfer the protagonist into Ayanami Rei's class—I still love it."
"Xia Yining playing the cold beauty type is amazing. Just sitting there zoning out, she gives off such a 'don't come near me' aura through the screen."
While everyone was happily joking about the school scenes, the story took a sudden turn.
Ikari Shinji's identity as an EVA pilot was exposed, and naturally, most of his classmates regarded him as a hero—he was the one who defeated the Angel, after all.
But there were one or two students who hated him. Because Shinji fought too intensely when defeating the Angel, their sister was injured during the evacuation.
So after class, the "class boss" went up and beat Shinji.
First of all, never mind whether the plot makes sense.
A pilot—one of fewer than ten people in the whole world capable of piloting an EVA—gets beaten up by a school bully?
Ridiculous. Even a regular fighter pilot wouldn't be beaten up without the attacker being arrested within half an hour. No one would let a strategic-level asset get assaulted by civilians.
But dramas always need some unrealistic elements. If everything were realistic, it would be boring. Writers often must sacrifice logic for pacing. Long foreshadowing loses the viewer's patience; short foreshadowing must push the plot somewhere.
Even a masterpiece like 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' from Jing Yu's past life uses blunt narrative devices to shape its characters.
So this scene absolutely enraged the audience.
Shinji risked his life to protect the city, and because he moved too roughly and someone's sister got injured, they beat him up?
Just this tiny plot point ignited a fire in almost every viewer's heart.
After that, viewers began to feel that Shinji's passive behavior and poor decision-making were less annoying—
because if they were him, they'd give up too.
His mother was dead; he had no friends; his only living relative was a father who seemed to only want to use him.
Was this world worth Shinji risking his life to save?
"Dad isn't even watching me… why should I pilot this thing? Only to be hated?"
Shinji stared blankly inside Unit-01's cockpit.
The scene of being beaten played through his mind.
He piloted Unit-01 only to earn his father's approval. But his father didn't care—he summoned him only because he was useful. No special treatment, not even a kind word.
The class bully who sneaked out during evacuation to watch the EVA fight… and of course, he and his friend got into danger.
At the critical moment, Shinji still saved them.
And due to overwhelming combat stress, he fell into a hysterical state.
His screams in the cockpit, the despair brought by the Angel, and the fact that he didn't let his resentment make him abandon the two classmates who beat him—
Just like Episode 1, the battle with the Angel wasn't the focal point. Episode 2 still focused on depicting Shinji's personality and daily life.
But after watching Episode 2…
Viewers began feeling a heavy atmosphere.
This… didn't seem like the fun action show they thought they were getting.
Episode 1 could still be explained as Shinji "adjusting to new life."
But in Episode 2, even though he didn't want to fight, he still drifted with the current and piloted the EVA.
To be honest, the plot was slightly depressing.
The special effects were still flawless—the battle against the Fourth Angel was visually overwhelming, skyscrapers reduced to dust with a snap.
But in the second half—
Shinji, unable to take the combat pressure anymore, ran away from home.
The classmates he saved wanted to apologize to him, but couldn't find him.
The entire latter half again focused on Shinji's character.
Fighting for people who hated him wouldn't make him happy.
As the only person capable of piloting Unit-01, leaving was understandable…
But running away meant abandoning the entire city. That burden was transmitted clearly through the drama.
Viewers thought piloting Unit-01 must feel epic—like controlling a giant robot toy.
But from Episode 1 to Episode 2, the show emphasized one truth:
Fighting means people die.
Shinji finally chose to leave the base—leave Unit-01.
And even then, his father didn't care at all, thinking only of experiments.
His attitude toward his own son was:
"If you're useful, come. If you're unwilling, get out."
Even after fighting desperately twice to protect the city, not a single person from the base came to send him off—
except the two classmates who once beat him, but whom he later saved.
The viewers didn't even know how to complain anymore.
Sure, Shinji was a bit frustrating, but… weren't these people a little too cold?
The oppressive mood rose again.
He was just an ordinary middle schooler—
suddenly forced to pilot Unit-01, suddenly forced to save the world, suddenly forced to grow up.
He wanted to run away but was crushed by guilt.
Running away meant dumping responsibility on others—
like Ayanami Rei, the girl wrapped in bandages who still had to fight despite her injuries.
At the end of Episode 2, Shinji didn't get on the train.
And then, unexpectedly, Katsuragi Misato—the older-sister figure who took care of him at the base—appeared to bring him back.
Standing across the train platform, they exchanged looks.
"I'm home."
"Welcome home."
The ending theme played.
Many viewers were confused.
But others understood.
"Why didn't he leave?! These people are so cold, and he still risks his life for them?"
"Didn't you see his two classmates come to send him off? They bullied him at first, but they were grateful after he saved them. That's why he stayed. He didn't expect Misato to come, though."
"This show isn't as straightforward as Jing Yu's previous works. A lot of things need interpretation."
"I feel like Shinji's personality is too inconsistent. He decides to leave, then doesn't get on the train, then suddenly says, 'I'm home.' Gross."
"You're uncomfortable because he's just like us—ordinary people. You're seeing your own weakness reflected, so you hate him. But most people, placed in his situation, would react exactly like he does."
"You don't get it? He realized his mission and responsibility. Confused, then more confused, maybe still confused—but he knows he's the only one who can pilot Unit-01. If he leaves, he's a coward."
"Being an EVA pilot seems awful. No benefits for fighting, constant misunderstanding. Leave, and people call you a coward… sigh."
"Jing Yu's acting is too good. He's so handsome, yet he made me start to dislike him."
"I think what really made him stay was the two classmates. Fighting won't earn his father's love, but at least those two recognized him. Shinji is just a kid craving acknowledgment."
"Honestly, I felt uncomfortable watching this. Too much empathy. I'm also introverted—seeing Shinji misunderstood by everyone hurt a lot."
Episode 2 of 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' had an average rating of 10.36%, about the same as Episode 1.
The battles were still spectacular, but after this episode, viewers no longer focused on the action—
The center of discussion was Ikari Shinji.
Fans were split. Some thought he was weak; others believed he was merely human.
But one thing was undeniable:
He was unforgettable.
Not a character you forget after watching.
Even though Episode 2's reception was polarized, the ratings didn't lie.
The overall score increased—from 9.5 to 9.6.