Rei & Asuka = Yin & Yang

[Cetacious]

I consider this as the clearest and most important part of EVA. Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu are the incarnations of the cosmic forces of Thaoism. Rei is the Yin: Calmed, passive, silent, cold. Asuka is the Yang: Impatient, active, boaster, hot.

Warning: EoE spoiler Ahead!
In EoE the whole thing becomes explicit. Rei is Lilith, in whom all humanity will become one and get into Nirvana state.
Remember the scene where Shinji and her are floating in LCL. LCL is like water, which, in elemental theory also stands for Yang. Shinji is floating under Rei, thus showing that this scene rather refers to pasivity. In the final scene, Shinji is lying on Asuka and they are outside the LCL, thus demonstrating the opposite.
During instrumentality, Shinji is given the choice between to become eternally passive or to remain active; between Yin and Yang; between Rei and Asuka.
This also explains why there are so many Asuka people and Rei people who can’t stand each other. I myself feel the Yin to be stronger in me, but we should all search for the middle way, or we’ll end up like Shinji.

This t-shirt may also illustrate the implied comparison.

I think that's a really great observation, and it's probably very valid.

[Ikari_Asuka_Langley]

I'm a yang girl myself... but an excellent observation on your part on this... I'm at constant odds with my rei-fan friends... we tend to do nothing but fight... it's great Oh btw I have that same shirt only it's a cute little tank top... oh and another thing... so you think that the fact that everything was red at the end plays into this as well?

[Cetacious]

Shure I do!

[Morgoth]

First of all, I mostly agree with that comparison, but:

Originally posted by Cetacious
Rei is the Yin: Calmed, passive, silent, cold.

Yes, she surely appears this way throughout the most part of the series, but then again she spoils Gendo´s plan just because she feels that Shinji needs her. And remember Rei II: She said her soul longed for Shinji and killed herself to save him. Cold ? I don´t think so.

Originally posted by Cetacious

LCL is like water, which, in elemental theory also stands for Yang.

But...isn´t it blood actually ? Sounds more like an element of life to me.

Originally posted by Cetacious

...but we should all search for the middle way, or we’ll end up like Shinji.

I don´t know that much about Taoism ( that is, almost nothing ) but I somehow thought that the opposite between Yin and Yang is eternal, so Shinji just can´t totally reject Yin=Rei, yet he does just that.

Okay, I´m not just gone critize but offer a slightly different interpretation ( so others have more to critize ) .
I´d say Rei and Asuka are metaphors for Death and Life itself. It´s not much of a difference to the Yin&Yang comparison ( as you said, Rei -> Nirvana, Asuka -> Life with all its Ups and Downs ), but I don´t think there is a middle way to chose from. Shinji only had the choice between life and death ( not the "grim reaper" kind of death, but still death ) and he made the right decision.

[Ikari_Asuka_Langley]

Originally posted by Morgoth
I´d say Rei and Asuka are metaphors for Death and Life itself. It´s not much of a difference to the Yin&Yang comparison ( as you said, Rei -> Nirvana, Asuka -> Life with all its Ups and Downs ), but I don´t think there is a middle way to chose from. Shinji only had the choice between life and death ( not the "grim reaper" kind of death, but still death ) and he made the right decision.

But then with this quite valid point brought up you have to take these points into consideration:

1.) would you be happy with nirvana? I mean sure eternal world peace and euphoria sounds good in principal... but if you could live with nothing but happiness and happy thoughts do you reaolize how incredibly boring and well... all and all miserable that would be. Personally I love to argue.. I love to scream... I love to yell and make life miserable for some people in general... I get a rush out of it really. Dealing with ups and downs make life worth living... But then again I guess that is why I identify with Asuka so much... because I thrive on the tumultuous. And yet at the same time I do enjoy moments of peace as well.... part of being human I suppose

2.) Um... ok so I guess I summed it all up on one point... oh well *shrugs*

[Morgoth]

"Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a f*cking big television. Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electric tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends... Choose your future. Choose life."
-Trainspotting

Hmm, maybe you´ve missed my point with the last sentence. When I said "...he made the right decision.." I meant Shinji chosing Asuka over Rei, chosing life instead of death that is.

Concerning Nirvana, well, you would normally only get there after several reincarnations so you might be tired of argueing and struggling around with life. Who is to say if you wouldn´t want to rest after a dozen lifes ?
But, considering human nature, ...yeah, one would probably grow tired of peace and perfection quite fast .

Start with a quote, end with a quote:
"Why is there this desire for life ? We can not win this game. Life is troublesome work and painful grief, until age brakes us down, the fire perishes and the game is lost. Life is hard. The newborn draws its first breath with a cry of pain and the old man dies in agony; the days in between are filled with worry and sorrow. And yet man fights to the last moment, clinging to life even as we stumble into the open arms of death. Death is benevolent. Only life, the worries of life hurt us. But we love life and hate death. It is a mystery." Jack London

[20eva]

Also, Rei represents more of a mother relationship with Shinji in more ways than one. Asuka seems to be more like his equal-she doesn't want to mother him, she wants him to be a more independent person. So, the EoE shows that Shinji grew up, and learned from the experience.

[Ikari_Asuka_Langley]

I understood I just felt like ranting about nirvana

Yes I think it is prevalent in the 2001 calendar pic of shinji, asuka and rei... it has nudity in it though so i won't post a link... but rei is holding his head in her lap like that of a mother while asuka has her body wrapped around him like that of a lover... I think it was excellent symbolizm on that part ^_^

[20eva]

Whaattttt? You have this on your calendar??? You mean you have to look at that every day? Well, anyway, that's an interesting conception.

[Ikari_Asuka_Langley]

Yeah it's January and Febuary so I have to cut it out and hang it like a poster now that the dates have changed but it's a gorgious picture... Asuka and rei look like renaissance style angles... quite beautiful actually although me being a girl my family thinks it's odd but at the same time me being a pseudo-artist they don't question it... but I think aside form the obvious symoblism there you can also delve into oedepus complex issues... *hides*

[20eva]

Ah, well I thought as a girl it might be a little weird to look at a picture like that. I know this is off the subject, but the calender's artwork is by different artists right? Is it just different interpretations of Evangelion? Is that the theme?

[Cetacious]

Well, first of all Asuka and Rei are of course not 100% Yin and Yang. The only way for a being to be absolutely Yin would be the simple not existing. And a 100% Yang being would be always racing selfdestructing and rebearing itself. They are, as I said, not the cosmic forces themselves but humanized incarnations.
You first say LCL to be a symbol of life, but then you say Rei stands for death. There is very much more LCL in the Rei scene than in the Asuka scene, so I think you kinda contradicted yourself there.
Now, as for Shinji to have chosen life:
A sea of LCL/BLOOD. Cuccified EVAs with their heads chopped off. The broken face of Lilith. Red sky. Shinji trying to kill a wounded Asuka. "Disgusting!". Life? Not exactly.

[Morgoth]

Originally posted by Cetacious

You first say LCL to be a symbol of life, but then you say Rei stands for death. There is very much more LCL in the Rei scene than in the Asuka scene, so I think you kinda contradicted yourself there.

Actually I was just being picky about LCL not being like water and didn´t really thought of it as a symbol of life. But then again, depending on your point of view, blood can be a symbol of life as well as of death ( hey, there is LCL when Shinji is with Rei and there is LCL when he is with Asuka ): You can not live without blood -> Life; but it is not such a good sign if it is spilled all over the place -> Death.
But yes, LCL probably has a stronger connection to Rei than to Asuka since it reflects her ambiguity, being the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega (...getting biblical here... ): You come from nothing ( Rei [LCL]), you go back to nothing.

Originally posted by Cetacious

Now, as for Shinji to have chosen life:
A sea of LCL/BLOOD. Cuccified EVAs with their heads chopped off. The broken face of Lilith. Red sky. Shinji trying to kill a wounded Asuka. "Disgusting!". Life? Not exactly.

But he isn´t dead. That is usually considered a sufficient proof for life . Sure, it´s not exactly an "...and they lived happily ever after..."-ending, but I´d say that´s one message of NGE: "Yes, life sucks most of the time but it´s still worthwhile and there will be brighter moments, so just make the best of it."

As I said, Yin&Yang <> Life&Death, it´s not really a contradiction, just a slight twist in perspective.

[Ikari_Asuka_Langley]

Originally posted by Morgoth

But he isn´t dead. That is usually considered a sufficient proof for life . Sure, it´s not exactly an "...and they lived happily ever after..."-ending, but I´d say that´s one message of NGE: "Yes, life sucks most of the time but it´s still worthwhile and there will be brighter moments, so just make the best of it."
.

Well said! *applauds*

I have another question though pertaining this in a small manor... why is Rei the incarnation of Lilith... i.e. the one represented as the defiant spirtit towards Adam... even though Rei is so very subservient... while As said in the legend because Lilith rejected Adam and chose to lay with Satan, God was displeased and demanded she return to Adam... and until she did he would kill multitudes of her children... BUT... she never did so God created the docile and subservient Eve for Adam... which supposedly would be represented by Asuka right? But Asuka is anything but docile and subservient right?