| "Hedgehog's Dilemma" | |
|---|---|
| Neon Genesis Evangelion episode | |
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Hedgehog%27s_Dilemma.jpg) The freeze frame of Misato Katsuragi and Shinji Ikari at the end of the episode, which was praised by Forbes Lauren Orsini | |
| Episode no. | Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Tsuyoshi Kaga |
| Written by | Akio Satsukawa |
| Original air date | October 25, 1995 |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
"Hedgehog's Dilemma", also known by the Japanese title "Rain, After Running Away",[a] is the fourth episode of the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, which was created by Gainax. The episode, written by Akio Satsukawa and directed by Tsuyoshi Kaga, was first broadcast on TV Tokyo on October 25, 1995. The series is set fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm named Second Impact, and is mostly set in the futuristic, fortified city Tokyo-3. The episode's protagonist is Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy who is recruited by his father Gendo to the organization Nerv to pilot a giant bio-machine mecha named Evangelion into combat with beings called Angels. In the episode, Shinji is overcome by the stress of being an Evangelion pilot and runs away from home. After wandering around Tokyo-3, he must choose between quitting and staying at Nerv.
Production of "Hedgehog's Dilemma" took place after the fifth and sixth episodes were made, and the content varied from the staff's original ideas. It is the only episode in which Neon Genesis Evangelion director Hideaki Anno is not credited with direction or screenplay. The episode's title references the namesake concept proposed by German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, variously called the "hedgehog's" or the "porcupine's dilemma". The episode scored a 5.8% rating of audience share on Japanese TV and was generally well-received by critics. The episode received appreciation for focusing on the psychological description of the characters. Critics also appreciated the philosophical themes and directorial choices of "Hedgehog's Dilemma", such as the representation of natural landscapes and the use of still images.
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