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Shinji's social life/orientation

Shinji could almost be considered autistic. The only one who his buds before Kaworu were Toji and Kensuke. However, Kaworu was the only truly caring person he knew. I personally believe Kaworu loved in both a brotherly and homosexual way. However, I don't buy that Kaworu/Shinji crap. To me, Shinji did indeed love him but in a brotherly way. We've seen evidence he's got an attraction to Asuka:spoiler["thermal expansion" scene at the end of "Magma Diver"; when he attempted kiss her sleeping But his infamous scene gives indication he didn't do it for sexual purposes]. He was looking for a way to handle the crap he's gone through.

Shinji could almost be considered autistic. The only one who his buds before Kaworu were Toji and Kensuke.

Ctimene's Lover wrote:

Shinji could almost be considered autistic. The only one who his buds before Kaworu were Toji and Kensuke.

Autism is actually a neurological disorder; Shinji's condition is purely psychological. Autistic people aren't withdrawn because of any psychological or emotional issues, but because, for lack of a better term, their brains are wired differently. Autistic people aren't really "shy" or "withdrawn" in the way that you or I would be, it's that they respond to interactive and communicative stimuli in a completely different way. I do have an autistic younger brother, so I have quite a bit of firsthand experience. There's also more to autism than the communicative/interactive side of it, but I'll try and keep this post on the short side and not derail the topic too much.

There are many different levels of Autism. I'm classified as "High-Functioning"; but even that has levels in it. I'd be considered on the top. You wouldn't know I had it unless I told ya.

You can say I lucked out.

I never though of Shinji as Autistic. I just thought he lacked family figures (cold father, dead mother, no siblings); and since he had no way of learning from his family on how to act socially he tends to be shy and soft-spoken.

Osaka from "Azumanga Daioh!" -- on the other hand -- is a different story. She tends to have the symptoms of Autism; but since she is a woman she would be a lot worse off than she is in the show (women with Autism, which are very rare, tend to be a lot more aggressive, unsociable, and -- quite frankly -- psychotic). Perhaps she just has ADD (while Tomo is ADHD).

Kaoru dose not love Shinji in a homosexual way. When he says he loves Shinji, he is stating that he loves all of humanity, as in the way God has undying love for mankind. *snip*

When he says he loves Shinji, he is stating that he loves all of humanity, as in the way God has undying love for mankind.

I don't care what anybody says about angels and gender, Kaoru was one very gay cat. Shinji was just a shy, depressed, and emotionally weak little boy with a massive inferiority complex and very little real world experience from which to draw upon. Kaoru was the perfect match for Shinji. As we saw, by being just another boy he could get closer to Shinji than most any girl could and Shinji was far too inexperienced to easily see the difference between a close friendship and a casual romance. Thus he didn't resist as you might expect him to and his deep-rooted desire for compassion virtually ensured he would reciprocate eventually, no matter what the terms. Haven't you ever known anyone who settled down with the very first person who ever showed them any kind of love? I think that's part of what Shinji was going through. He might not have been homosexual, but he was so blinded by desire for love that I think he would have put up with almost any type of relationship that came his way.

Epinephrine wrote:

When he says he loves Shinji, he is stating that he loves all of humanity, as in the way God has undying love for mankind.

I kind of assumed that the gay aspect was perhaps also intended to add additional weight to their relationship in the sense that it could be seen as going against God's wishes depending on how far they took it.

It's hard to say if Kaworu had sexual feelings for him: I think that as an Angel Kaworu didn't really understand sexuality, so his love was more "pure."

I kind of assumed that the gay aspect was perhaps also intended to add additional weight to their relationship in the sense that it could be seen as going against God's wishes depending on how far they took it.

Do the Japanese suffer from the insanity that is American Evangelical Gay-Hating (In God's Name!?) as well? Do they also perceive Christianity as anti-gay as to use that as a theme in such a show as Evangelion?

From Leviticus 18:22: "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination". Unfortunately, very little wiggle room there for gays and the people who love them or are sympathetic towards them. Alot of moderate denominations are struggling with an official stand on homosexuality.