| "Rei I" | |
|---|---|
| Neon Genesis Evangelion episode | |
 The scene of Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami arguing on the escalator. The image lasts more than thirty seconds and has been analyzed by anime critics. | |
| Episode no. | Episode 5 |
| Directed by | Keiichi Sugiyama |
| Written by | Hideaki Anno, Akio Satsukawa |
| Original air date | November 1, 1995 |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
"Rei I", also known by the Japanese title "Rei, Beyond the Heart",[a] is the fifth episode of the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, which was created by Gainax. "Rei I" was written by Hideaki Anno and Akio Satsukawa, and directed by Keiichi Sugiyama. It was first broadcast on TV Tokyo on November 1, 1995. The series is set fifteen years after a worldwide cataclysm named Second Impact, mostly in the futuristic, fortified city called Tokyo-3. The episode's protagonist is Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy who is recruited by his father Gendo into the organization Nerv to pilot a giant bio-machine mecha named Evangelion to combat certain beings called Angels. In the episode, Shinji tries, but fails, to connect with Rei Ayanami, a fellow pilot, who is close to his distant and cold father Gendo.
When it was first broadcast, "Rei I" scored a 7.2% rating of audience share on Japanese TV. The episode won popularity polls and was praised by critics, who appreciated the introduction of Rei's character and her mysteriousness. Scientific concepts are mentioned in the installment, which contains cultural references to DNA, nitrogenous bases and wave-particle duality. "Rei I" contains references to earlier fictional works as well, such as The Andromeda Strain and Sailor Moon. The laconic attitude of Rei's character has also been linked by critics to the Japanese socio-cultural situation, in particular with the generation born in the seventies and with a martyr complex. Critics analyzed Rei's home as well, comparing it to buildings of postwar Japan. Merchandise based on the episode has also been released by Gainax.
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