Why Is Shinji Often Loathed and Regarded Pathetic?
Who is not familiar with Evangelion? An old anime hailed as legendary by some. Evangelion is known for its melancholic, dreary, and desolate backdrop. It exudes an aura of desperation potrayed through quiet, sometimes excruciating, uncomfortable scenes, pitiful internal monologues, and snapshots of the psychological turmoil of each character.
Probing deep into the community of this series, we perennially encounter perceptions and views that base their disrelish or aggravation towards Shinji. This is due to his character and behavior being deemed "flawed" when dealing with his relentless psychological struggles. But is this genuinely the case?
Why Is Shinji Hated?
Indeed—this is true. We do not fathom why people can detest Shinji. In fact, if his character is examined using a psychological approach—Shinji's existence aims to present an implied illustration of the complexity of the human psyche. Perhaps people with a tendency towards Avoidant Personality Disorder (AVPD) can feel "related" to Shinji. Here are some AVPD symptoms that reside within him.
Shinji's presence as the central character can be said to usher in a major shift in the anime world. Evangelion provides an exotic main protagonist. Usually, we find heroic characters who are immersed with pride and optimism in saving the world. A hero figure driven by ambition and wrapped in steadfast ideals.
Conversely, in Evangelion, Shinji is portrayed as the opposite—moody, pathetic, self-loathed, self-pity, and other negative stigmas. He is forced to become a hero by his neglectful father figure. Without any motivation or drive to hold on to. He is vacant, merely drifting by external demands.
Even so, through Shinji, we can witness the "hedgehog's dilemma" phenomenon. An analogy used by Freud and Schopenhauer. The hedgehog's dilemma illuminates the need and the downside of human intimacy. The hedgehog's dilemma suggests that poignant situations exist in a close relationship—even though there is a stark bond between them. That bond cannot exist without mutual harm.
This can be analogized that intimacy is like fire. Fire can burn the human body to ashes, but on the other hand, it can dispel the chill and warm a person. That is a simple explanation of the "hedgehog's dilemma."
The phrase "love hurts" aligns with Shinji. Shinji's early memories are veiled in overwhelming feelings of abandonment. His past is filled with memories of a mother who failed to shelter him and a father who forsoke him. This ignites social anxiety and dejected feelings.
This also relates to the attachment theory model in modern psychology. The severance of Shinji's bond from his mother seems to have upended the course of his life. On the other hand, Shinji's relationship with his father illustrates an insecure attachment. Gendo—immersed in the Eva project and seemingly more indifferent to his grand ambitions than to Shinji—sparks anxiety, distance, and insecurity in their relationship. This is depicted by Shinji's helplessness to understand his father's feelings or his own feelings towards him.
The neglectful and absent father figure in Shinji's development is a manifestation of suffocating loneliness. Shinji strives to seek approval, validation, and affection from his father. However, he eternally faces rejection and humiliation. The shallow connection and feelings of being abandoned plunge Shinji into a cycle of self-demand and self-doubt.
He constantly doubts his worth and place in the world. Trapping him in a cycle of alienation and emotional anguish.
Furthermore, Shinji's ego constructs itself based on assumptions, feelings of rejection, and separation. Although he may consciously yearn for connection, Shinji's ego only knows how to broadcast the wounds of his childhood neglect. Thus, the result is predictable: isolation and the erosion of self-esteem.
The Aversion Towards Shinji Must Stop
There may be many biases that can be concluded as to why someone might loathe Shinji. For example, they might fail to scrutinize Shinji's personality more closely. They block the doorway to Shinji's self. They cannot connect with his character. There is a barrier that lies between themselves and Shinji's character. A barrier they unconsciously erect themselves.
Shinji is a failed figure they wish to avoid in this life. So, they harbor hatred towards Shinji to anesthetize their own minds. Consider Shinji the ugly shadow in the mirror's reflection they try to obliterate.
This phenomenon is somewhat similar to psychological projection. Carl Jung proclaimed that there is a dark side lurking within our psyche. Called the "Shadow"—comprising various aspects we actively deny that we possess.
Because we do not want to acknowledge these various aspects within ourselves, we might suppress and restrain them. However, these aspects can emerge as projections onto others. We feel disturbed by the traits of others because we actually possess them but do not wish to admit it.
The public may not like Shinji because they do not like parts of themselves that they encounter in his depiction. Those parts are too embarrassing, burdensome, and considered painful to embrace.
Shinji can be said to symbolize anxiety and clinical depression. People who imprison these aspects only feel annoyed by him. He has a dark past and a "thorny" family. He easily sinks into despair when faced with difficult conditions. Moreover, he harbors self-loathing. It is imaginable that many viewers do not like Shinji, who constantly pities himself.
Additionally, people who dislike Shinji simply do not want to empathize with this character. Some people cannot appreciate or like someone who does not "do the right thing" according to certain values.
Acceptance of Pain Is the Path to Happiness
From this case, I am curious—whether Evangelion is a manifestation of Hideaki Anno's critique of Japanese society in viewing mental health. It also reflects how the suffering of those with mental disorders is perceived.
Japan is a society known for its conservatism regarding mental health. In Japan, people with mental disorders are considered deviant, weak, outside the norm. Their existence itself is a hindrance that bars them from becoming full members of society. Due to a strong collectivist culture. This old-fashioned mindset has ruled for hundreds of years. Partly due to a lack of understanding of what mental illness is.
In Evangelion, we understand that one of the fundamental roots of agony and pain for each character is their refusal to embrace their vulnerability. Not the vulnerability and fragility itself. Emotions and ego that are always completely dismissed are one of the hidden messages of Evangelion.
Evangelion might convey that true happiness comes when we genuinely embrace our fragile side rather than trying to eliminate it.
June 2024
