Why does Haruko hit Naota over the head with her guitar?
Kazuya Tsurumaki: Naota is trying to be a normal adult and she belts him to make him rethink his decision. Why does Evangelion end violently, and somewhat unhappily? KT: People are accustomed to sweet, contrived, happy endings. We wanted to broaden the genre, and show people an ugly, unhappy ending. Why is the character of Shinji portrayed as he is? KT: Shinji was modeled on director Hideki Anno. Shinji was summoned by his father to ride a robot, Anno was summoned by Gainax to direct an animation. Working on Nadia [Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water, one of Anno and Tsurumaki’s earlier projects] he wondered if he still wanted to work like this. He thought that working on Eva could help him to change. Is there any particular reason why so many Gainax series feature very anxious, unhappy young male protagonists with no parents? KT: Yes, the directors at Gainax are all basically weak, insecure, bitter, young men. So are many anime fans. Many Japanese families, including my own, have workahol
