| "Ambivalence" | |
|---|---|
| Neon Genesis Evangelion episode | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Evangelion_Ambivalence.png) Eva-03 possessed by Angel Bardiel with the Sun behind it. Writer Virginie Nebbia noted how "Ambivalence" uses directional techniques used by Ultraman director Akio Jissoji, particularly the use of scenes illuminated by the read of the sunset. | |
| Episode no. | Episode 18 |
| Directed by | Tensai Okamura |
| Written by | Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi |
| Original air date | January 31, 1996 |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
"Ambivalence"[a] is the eighteenth episode of the Japanese anime television series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which was created by Gainax. Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi wrote the episode, which animator Tensai Okamura directed. The series' protagonist is Shinji Ikari, a teenage boy whose father Gendo recruited him to the special military organization Nerv to pilot a gigantic, bio-mechanical mecha named Evangelion into combat with beings called Angels. In the course of the episode, new pilot Toji Suzuhara get into Eva-03. During the activation experiment, however, Eva-03 goes out of control, possessed by the Angel Bardiel. Shinji, aboard his Eva-01, refuses to fight against 03, coming into conflict with his father.
"Ambivalence" was produced by Production I.G., among others, and Shinji Higuchi conceived it as a diptych along with the previous episode, "Fourth Child", drawing particular inspiration from the Ultraman franchise. Critics have compared the episode's writing to Anno's personal experience and the direction to the works of Sergei Eisenstein, Jean-Luc Godard, and especially Akio Jissoji. The conflict between Gendo and Shinji has been compared in particular to the dilemma of the Carneades table. The episode contains cultural references to earlier anime, including Dear Brother, and its title is a quote to Eugen Bleuler's concept of the same name.
"Ambivalence" was first broadcast on January 31, 1996, and drew a 9.6 percent audience share on Japanese television. The episode during its first airing attracted criticism because of the violence of the confrontation against Bardiel. Critics welcomed the script, direction, and battle scenes, considering it one of the best episodes in the series.
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