(Dubbed) Episode 2 works a lot more on character development -- specifically, Shinji. The overall mood is dark, introspective and I thought emotionally manipulative. We're supposed to feel sorry for Shinji, as he's caught up in events that he seems to have no control over, but subtlety seems to be beyond the grasp of the writers. The means by which the outcome of EVA-01's first battle with the Angel is revealed is somewhat unconventional -- and very typical Hideaki Anno (he used the exact same flashback/exposition technique in GunBuster, when Noriko was in the bath, recounting her meeting with Coach Ota. This time though, Shinji's made it out of the bath and onto the bed before all the flashbacks start...) Again, the translations at some points are a bit awkward -- for example, when Shinji first enters Misato's apartment -- but give the folks at AD Vision some credit; they tried to change the dialogue in the English dub just enough so that it didn't feel too much out of place, without losing the original intent. Had the acting been better, they might have even been able to pull it off... - AN

(Subtitled version) Surprise! The Japanese dialog takes some of the mystery out of what's being said and done. That's when you realise that perhaps the English dialog translations might be too literal. Situations like this made me re-think my preconceptions with respect to the accuracy of translating from one language to another. In a real-time show, a translation which captures every nuance of what is said is really impossible. Sometimes, they'll translate the dialog as closely as possible, and still fit the time frames allotted. While this may be a little easier in the subtitled situation rather than the dubbed situation, you might still get the same end result -- in the case of Evangelion, you end up with some occasionally awkward dialog that leaves you asking, "huh?" The scene when Shiji first enters Misato's apartment makes perfect sense when you hear in Japanese. - AN

We get another glimpse at the Eva 00 pilot Rei and have no idea who she is, but undoubtedly we'll find out later. The idea of covering up the whole attack by the Angel by NERV seems a little unrealistic but I suppose if everyone was hidden away in the shelters... While this episode was not as painful to watch as episode 1, and it certainly seems to have a story concept behind everything, the painful voice acting hasn't helped things. Hopefully we'll see where things go with the subtitled version. - JYN

(Subtitled Version) A time for reflection and settling in for Ikari Shinji, this episode goes through his battle with the Angel and also his settling in to his new home in Tokyo-3. Once again the story here is fairly weak but the voice acting is decent. I have to admit I still can't believe that the Eva unit is connected to an external power source. Watching this extremely loooooonnnngg power cord tethered to Eva-01 neatly keeping out of the way was... different. But definitely not different in a good way. Someone has definitely taken a vacation when it came to practicality. While it will make for a way to manipulate the story from time to time (hey! what happens when we cut this thing?!) the practical application of such a thing is near zero. In reality I would see that thing constantly getting unplugged, cut, caught, restricting movement... how long is that thing anyways?! The one saving grace about this episode was the little bit of humour that they tossed in when Shinji first met his other room-mate Pen-Pen. Looks like they had a bit of fun with that bit at least. - JYN