Analyzing "Neon Genesis Evangelion" Eps. 1&2 [Digi and Idylia's Evacast pt. 1]
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- Part one of a podcast in which myself and my friend Idylia discuss Neon Genesis Evangelion on an episode-to-episode basis. 19:10 is where Episode 2 starts.
Go read Idylia's fanfiction. He's crazy legit: www.fimfiction....
If you like my stuff, mayhaps support me on patreon: / digibrony
I agree about Eva being one of the few anime series that can be described as cinematic. That's something that isn't discussed much, but for me is a big reason why the series and film are so engaging is the cinematography..
One of my favorite thoughts is to approach Misato as a grown up version of Shinji. She also hates her father and is enlisted in the war against the angels for complicated reasons.
I also like to point out to critics that despite his mantra "I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away." When he's in the shit, Shinji never actually runs away. I mean, the total population of people who have fought an angel is Three, and the one with the most confirmed kills: Shinji.
Despite his father's insistence that he can be replaced, the Eva system overwhelmingly replies. "No, you can't replace Shinji."
One needs to watch Evangelion 3 times over for it to sink in. Then another 2 times to make sense.
+Server Brony The realest comment.
Gainax sure loves their bildungsroman. Coming-of-age story of all types and flavors and tone: NGE, FLCL, Gunbuster, Gunbuster2, Wings of Honneamise, Nadia, Abenobashi, Gurren Lagann,.. and its spiritual progeny Trigger continues the tradition with Kill la Kill.
42:50 is now *super* interesting to me now that you have put out a series over very thoughtful vlogs. The vlogs, I assume, are not rehearsed, planned out or overly scripted, so it's fascinating how natural your vlogs feel. It's still train-of-thought, but I don't feel that they need cutting or re-editing in any way, which is really something since many would just stutter and pace around the same point. Heck, when writing this comment I stopped halfway and re-wrote the whole thing again.
Loved listening to this, fantastic commentary guys!
Fly me to the moon was written by Bob Howard in 1954 (don't know for sure) :P
Original title was 'In other words'
Sorry for the delay on my part, I've been tired all day 'cause I was running on 4-5 hours of sleep but here it goes!
*Episode 1:* Whenever people complain about Shinji being too much of a "pussy" or a "whiny little bitch" for not wanting to pilot the robot, or being too emotional, two things come to mind. The first thing is the term "hindsight-bias", which is basically what you described already.
The second thing I think of is 'wow some of y'all are sexist pricks' and what I mean by that is the whole- y'know- looking down on people for being more emotional (which is traditionally viewed as feminine 'cause of the whole 'lol guys don't have feelings!!' bs) while also spewing words like "pussy" and "bitch". It's like they're basically telling him "Hey, quit acting like a girl!!" (which is weird because boys have emotions too??!?!)
Also the viewers who keep pressuring Shinji to have sex with anything that moves like manly Shinji??? like "man if I was him all dem chicks would be pregnant lmao" IT'S LIKE DUDE THAT'S BOTH HINDSIGHT BIAS AND SEXIST and also a little wish fulfillment
idk maybe people who have these types of issues with Shinji also had issues with their own parents constantly telling them to "man up" or "get over it" and stuff.
*Episode 2:* I think the color-coded villains are sort of left over from the fact that Evangelion was originally supposed to air at a day-time TV, shonen-y sort of time slot. Not quite Saturday Morning cartoon material, (or was it?) but it was something that kids were supposed to see. That isn't to say that Japanese kids can't handle what Eva became, but I do know it got moved to a later time slot as things got heavier and more intense, so maybe there's something to that. (Maybe that's why they got replaced by giant rectangles?)
Also *HIGH FIVE FOR MISATO* oh MY gOD!!! She's my favorite character in this whole show oh my gosh I love her!!! Written so good I can't even *rolls around in feels*
Real talk, when I was 14 I felt more like Shinji, but now that I'm older I feel more like Misato- ESPECIALLY when I'm watching this show because, like her, I feel like I'm the only person actually empathizing with Shinji
I also find it fascinating that Misato is supposed to be the sexy pin-up girl, the one who's open about her sexuality and stuff, but as we watch later on it feels more like she feels guilty about it? I mean yeah Kaji's a total creep in the anime and he totes reminds her of her father, (who she hated for most of her childhood) but she totally beats herself up over it and I'm like...???? (honey child it's just one guy! she's acting like a church girl sleeping with a bunch of different guys...)
ah...wait...what if she's been coerced into having sex with Kaji this whole time??? or maybe just sometimes??? oh gosh oh gosh...
Damn, maybe you should be doing this instead of me! What a cool perspective, specifically in regards to Misato and Kaji. Like I (maybe) mention in this episode, I have this odd theory that all the characters are eerily like each other, and that *definitely* applies most strongly to Misato and Shinji.
To tangent so I can explain my point, I think a lot of people are misguided when they judge Shinji as being overly emotional. Even though I was a little judgmental of Shinji and frustrated with his character (the first time I watched it), most of my frustrations stemmed from my belief that he /didn't/ express himself properly, that he bottled his stuff up and let it hurt him from the inside. Though that does sort of conflict with my inital thoughts that Shinji acts from his emotions, I rather think that there's an odd dichotomy between what Shinji feels is proper to express and what he doesn't. Maybe that's just a justification I've sorta built in my mind, though.
Similarly, I think that's what the whole MisatoxKaji dynamic is playing on; she can't really come to terms with her emotional connections and the way that she feels about him, and when she *does* express herself she ends up hating herself for it. The only point where this becomes relatable at all for me is (oh god spoilers I guess x_x) when Kaji ends up dead and Misato is grieving for it. It's a cool and interesting way to use the cliche of death to show a character coming to terms with something in a way that actually develops her (though, I don't know how accurate I'm being with my comments cuz it's been like two months since I watched it).
Though I do want to say that I'm SORRRTTAAAA in the boat of that I wanted, as a viewer, for Shinji to have some romantic connection at some point because, past a certain point, I just wanted him to be happy. I feel like if Eva actually *did* that, though, it'd end up horrible and hurting him and they'd use it for a plot point and it'd be totally not fulfilling whatsoever from a reader's point of view. From an analytical point of view, though, it entirely makes since that they didn't. It's one of those odd modernistic things that, by witholding the meaningful arc of a traditional relationship, they're able to sort of keep the reader (maybe) expecting and in the mindset that they want out of out.
Idylia Writehorse Ha yeah I remember telling Digi a while back that I could talk about Eva for hours XD but then I found out he was doing a podcast and the position had already been filled! (It's just as well- I mean my mic is pretty good but I usually have the heater on in my room plus I'm shy irl)
Totally agree with you on the lack of proper communication on Shinji's part. Don't get me wrong, he's probably more emotional than the average dudebro, but he's still so withdrawn and he never really learned how to communicate properly with others. Not sure if it's a cultural thing or because Shinji was mostly raised by his teacher? (whoever that was??) I'm guessing it's both things.
I know earlier one of you guys mentioned how Shinji's kind of a follower and does what he's told (which I totally agree with) so unless somebody asks him outright how he feels (or tells him to spill his guts) he probably would just keep it to himself, not wanting to "burden" anybody (when in fact he just doesn't wanna get too close to anyone for fear of getting hurt)
Before I get into Shinji's romantic connections, I gotta ask: have you seen the Evangelion Rebuilds yet? 'cause there's quite a few dynamics that were altered in those, not just Shinji's, and I wanna talk about those too :O
As for Misato/Kaji, I totally forgot that she uses her body to express herself more than her words. I mean in the anime Kaji comes off as a sleaze ball but at the same time he's the only one who really "gets" how she feels about stuff? Not the most healthiest relationship but gahh I just want Misato to talk about her feelings T__T
I saw the rebuilds first out of everything in terms of Eva, but I remember almost nothing about them because it was so long ago.
Idylia Writehorse Ohh I see! Well the third film is coming out on DVD sometime in either February or March, so I'd definitely check that out and maybe re-watch the others again :3
IM SO GLAD THAT THIS EXISTS!
Sorry for the audio quality here! I get a much better mic in episode 3/4. Thanks for watching, everybody!
Digi's link to my FimFiction shows I only have one story because I mostly write, like, fluffy lengthy adult romance and he probably doesn't have show mature stories tagged on on FimFiction (appreciate the plug, yo).
When I click the link it shows the adult stuff...
oh, then i guess you do and i'm just silly and should be thankful that you shared the thing of mine that isn't raunchy and taboo.
thanks, man!
Is Eva messy and pretentious or brilliant and a masterpiece?
It's up for each person to decide. I'd say it was fantastic.
Cw_Vilsono It's brilliant. Yeah it's convoluted and very lofty with its ideas, so I can understand people considering it bloated. Messy, I guess. But you can just as well call it complex. Depends on your type of storytelling.
It mentions in the commentary of the rebuild series that most of the main voice actors did version of the fly me to the moon for the credits
Megumi Hayashibara, who voiced Rei, and is an extremely prolific voice-actress and singer provided the vocals the standard version of Fly Me to the Moon. I think she also did the OP, but it's been a while since I last checked that information.
On pronunciation, I've always pronounced the title as "ey-vahn-gel-ion". It just seemed more natural to me than any of the others I've heard.
On the symbolism, I once read that Anno said that it's there because it looks cool and that if they I had any idea the show would be as big in the west as it is, they would have gone with something else.
Yoko Takahashi actually did sang the intro to Evangelion. Megumi Hayashibara (Rei) did do a version, but so did Yuko Miyamura (Asuka) and Kotono Mitsuishi (Misato). All of them also did their own version of Fly Me to the Moon, each with a different style.
As far as symbolism, you would be correct. Anno really didn't attempt to put meaning into Evangelion, but the fan base has managed to pull meaning from everything from it.
Love the discussion. Just recently watched the series myself. I hadn't known much going in, but I had seem some comics and stuff about Shinji being a massive wuss. But when watching it I was so perplexed by this viewpoint of Shinji's character. I totally saw where Shinji was coming from and totally felt bad for him.
Ironically he did come off as whiney to me in the movie. One of the many reasons I really don't like them, save for the last 20 minutes or so of the Movie 2.
I think the problem that people have with Shinji and his father issues is that when you have the total extinction of mankind by beings that we are as amoeba to and may/ may not have created us, it makes his daddy issues look like small potatoes.
Especially if you have a person who has been through a lot of difficulty and trials in their life ,that they overcame and survived, now watching shinji their reaction might be. "Oh my god this kid is such a pussy" because they pushed themselves over their own trials and expect others to do the same.
Now that I think about it though, does anyone bother to train Shinji? I mean I know the suit does all the work but giving him some kind of military training would help build his self esteem, making him feel strong and emotionally prepare himself for some of these situations. I'm not asking he be turned into a green beret or anything, just that you don't give a highly advanced piece of death dealing gear to someone who does not have the emotional strength or the mindset to use it properly and without fear on the enemy.
Shinji overcoming his trials is literally the plot of the show, though, so dismissing Shinji on day one would be undermining the struggle. And wrappping your head around "the end of the world" is nigh impossible, especially for kids. In one of these vids, we will talk about just how much the pilots don't comprehend that they can die, or what death is.
DigibronyAfterDark Alright. I look forward to the rest of these videos. They are very , as always, informative and very fun to listen to. ^_^
DigibronyAfterDark blip.tv/jesuotaku/neon-genesis-evangelion-mega-review-2756447
Digibro After Dark Isn't there a mini game in Bayonetta called Angel Attack, which was the name of the first episode of Evangelion?
AY-VAN-GHEL-EE-UN. Not a soft G as in 'gel', not a long O as in 'ohm'.
Also, if you really want an in depth analysis of every small detail about Evangelion, EvaGeeks.org.
The best way to come into Evangelion is to not expect it to be a typical Mecha anime, but rather a psychological anime brought together with robots. Think more SE: Lain rather than Gundam.
I've held several panels on Eva. There is a lot of ways to come at it and depending on which direction you attack it you come up with a different interpretation on the events that transpire. You can look at it from a child viewing the world, adults viewing the world, a religious view, a social view, and of course a post-apocalyptic personal and politic hypothesis.
i loved this when i was young and seen it for the 1st was ruffly 12 13 years os as with probably a lot of people this and ghost in the shell were the 2 that got me into this stuff iv just downloaded it to rewatch it again
Please release more of these.
Digi! Will we be fortunate enough to ever see the other episodes of these analyses?
I'm super psyched that you're analysing this show, I just started watching it for the first time a week and a half ago and I'm about 2/3rds into it right now and it's pretty freaking amazing. I'm hoping to hear more about the context that this show takes place in, since I'm just starting to get into anime so I'm sure I'm missing a lot of the references and things that I've heard this show has. Quick question: Does each episode of your analysis spoil aspects of the whole show or just that particular episode? I'm just wondering if I should finish watching the whole series before watching these vids.
If you don't know what’s going on, you never will
To be safe you should probably finish the show. We do spoil things off-hand, though not in such a way that you'd probably know you were being spoiled. I do think we outright spoil the movie at some point though.
***** Good to hear. I only have 5 more to go (plus the movie) so I'll be done in a day or two anyway. So it's not like I'll be waiting long or anything.
255ad That's not true, heck it took me years for me to figure wtf is going on lol
Talking about episode with even mentioned the Irony bomb set up over Misato's and Ritsuko's phone call? man I really wish I could talk to you about this, maybe or skype or something.
You could just leave it as a comment. The new system allows infinite comment length.
DigibronyAfterDark
True, but I don't often feel I can articulate myself as well as I could in text as I could in speech.
But I'll give it a whirl, during the course of Misato and Ritsu's exchange on the phone, Misato make s the joke "It's not like I'm gonna put 'the moves' on him" to which Ritsuko chastises her force making such a joke.
However later in episode 23 after Rei2 self destructs Zerogouki , and later in the apartment Misato enter Shinji's room and attempts to comfort him, though as she goes to touch his hand Shinji turns away telling Misato stop.
Misato leaves the room embarrassed and apologies.
And there you have it, as you may or may not have noticed before.
If you change your mind about the skype thing, you can find me as: Kaminoyouni.
People say that RahXephon ripped off of Evangelion of which I disagree.
It's interesting. I never could get into Eva. It's just one of those things where I feel the ship has sailed for me. Same deal with videogames such as Zelda and Kingdom Hearts.
I've seen a good degree of anime, and I tend to think that sturgeon's law applies to it more than other media. But what parts of it I do like, I consider gems and really really enjoyable. Rurouni Kenshin and Black Lagoon are my favorites. But take this with a grain of salt. I'm probably what most diehard anime fans hate, since I was exposed to anime via Toonami and prefer to watch dubbed whenever possible. I couldn't be more a gaijin if I tried.
The one thing about Eva that turned me off is prevalent in lots of anime, the child soldier. It's in Gundam as well, and that is my go to series for mecha entertainment. But it's just never really explained adequately for me, it's something that I can't push out of the way to fully enjoy it.
But I think one of the most interesting bits about Eva is the author, Ono. I feel like his the Alan Moore of anime creators/writers or whatever. I've read interviews where he's just this curmudgeonly old man who hates anime, hates his fans, and hates his culture. And whats even MORE interesting is that you, and the rest of the Eva fans seem to be vaguely aware of this. I'm talking about the PBSidea channel's video about whether Ono's opinions actually matter, or whatever the title was. He's stated he has problems with his culture, that everyone is still a child. "People read porn manga/magazines on the train to work in public, that isn't an adult thing to do."
But the style is definitely different from traditional western storytelling. I kinda reminds me of the way MLP has been since season 3 and up to now in season 4, actually. There is a story... but there still kinda isn't.
It's okay, a lot of anime fans got into anime through watching Toonami and watching English Dubs :) I actually don't mind the occasional dub myself, I'm just really picky in terms of voice direction/casting/script changes. Sometimes I like changes from the original, and sometimes I don't, it just REALLY depends for me (though I guess that makes me difficult to please)
Lori P I prefer dubs because I tend to think they adapt better to a western audience. Black Lagoon especially had the voice director and cast making changes to the scripts here and there to make the characters seem more in place. I tend to think that's the best dubbed anime ever. And it helps that the cast is essentially the same as MLP minus a few people.
I think anime in general has very pedantic and repetitive dialogue. Possibly due to the writing and their language in general. It's this way in every anime I've seen, even the ones I love. So when Digi has started to complain repetitive dumb dialogue in the new season of MLP, I just have to scratch my head, considering his anime background.
Matthew Clark the Japanese language is built in a way that repetition isn't considered a problem. It tends to not bother me unless I'm watching it dubbed in english where the language doesn't work teh same way.
I would have totally gotten in the robot :D then again id be the dumb ass with the camera phone taking pictures of the giant monsters
New video what!
Have you, Digi and Idylia, seen the Rebuild of Evangelion movies?
I have, but I did so long ago that I honestly cannot remember as much as I should about them.
how has someone not watched it yet? it is literally the anime that made anime what it is today
Everyone has a first time. I mean, if you are new to anime, you obviously won't have seen it.
i suppose you have a point, but even non anime fans watch eva, it was and still is this huge phenomenon that caught everyones attention
***** xkcd.com/1053/
Psyychologically driven? The operative word is more like "Mindfuck"
Rad!
Are you doing this now because Neon Genesis Evangelion is set 2014?
Cruel Angel Thesis
are you going to end up doing all of the episodes?
We've recorded analysis of the first 12 so far.
hell yes, may i recomend that you have idealia watch end of evangelion aswell? is will be much better to explain the last two episodes
***** ahhh I wish I could join you guys one of these days > u >
***** You never released them to my knowledge.
either Hideaki Anno knew what the show meant, or it means nothing.
Everything only holds meaning insofar as meaning is ascribed to it by the observer, even if that observer is the creator. A thing has as many meanings as it has observers. This is literally the plot of episode 26.
***** I would say "interpretation" where you say "meaning"
255ad And I say "Semantics"
LordOrlock the difference is "interpretation" doesn't imply validity.
Anyway I don't see the point in viewing fiction this way? what's the point in having creators if we don't try and get something of their artistic intent from watching their work?
255ad Evangelion is too tightly written and has too many references to analytical psychology and religion to be anything but intended. I dont get what youre getting at.
Anyway, I feel like youre going about it the wrong way. Meaning is something you give the work, not something the work gives you.
ok flcl ok say flcl ok?its in the f-ing anime!!!!FOOLY COOLY comeone digi say it with me FOO-LEEEE COO-LEEE ok?One more time ok?FOO-LEE COO-LEEE.I'm, sorry,just wanted to point that out.
Furi Kuri, fucking pleb.
She* the Evas are female.
I realized that while I was editing haha.
Ah okay. But still this a very good subject I could talk about, I've mentioned before, but a really good resource to use is Evageeks.org
Are you watching the sub or dub? Also, have you watched Rahxephon?
I am allergic to dubs. Here's a very dated rant about it that's still mostly true: myswordisunbelievablydull.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/these-people-cant-act-another-example-of-dubs-failing-horribly/
RahXephon is a great show, and I talk a lot about it's connection to Evangelion in my "Diatribe on influence" podcast A Diatribe On Influences In Media - Lineage, Collaborations, and History
*****
I would have to disagree heavily i know there are tons of shity dubs out there but when a dub is done right 9/10 i think the American actor's do a better job. This is coming from a person who watches both sub and dub anime and often is more then willing to watch both visions to compare. One example of an amazing sub that was outdone by its dub counter part is hetalia. One of the biggest reasons is the American voice actor could put off the accents far better then the Japaneses voice actor plus parts of the humor was redone through the series for the American audience and it came out ten times better. I know am out numbered in saying this but dubs have always brought new unintended meaning to characters that the sub anime never really did if you want a good example i would refer you to a french and Japaneses made anime called oban star racers. As for Neon Genesis Evangelion i haven't seen either so i trust your judgement for now:D I Respect your opinion but i disagree with you...and like 3/4 of the hardcore anime fans LOL
*****
1) I have to say it's hard to argue with the point that "all dub actors are bad" because it's subjective.
2) The reasoning that dub actors are bad because they don't get paid very much is just elitism
3) I have no idea why you bothered watching the Baccano if he thought having a particular cast really mattered
4) If you thought the above you shouldn’t have used Baccano as an example
5) “here is definitely no excuse to only watch a show dubbed” how about being to busy to become flaunt in Japanese?
6) “most English voice actors for anime are obviously bad” “these are not the type who blog, so you don’t see them as much. Probably because they also aren’t the type who think about what they are watching” I take it you were a teenager in 2009? That unselfconscious arrogance sure makes you sound like one
7) “a lot of the enjoyment of a work is looking as closely at the creator’s intent as possible, and if the creator intended the show to be in Japanese” watching the show subbed, also wasn’t there intent
TheEverFreePony I actually think hetalia's sub is way better than it's dub, and that's coming from someone who normally doesn't mind dubs :x
255ad I have to agree with ya there, I honestly dislike it when people write off English-speaking voice-actors as "bad" just because they're speaking English?? I mean, they're still legitimate actors, y'know. I'm sure they take their jobs just as seriously as a voice actor in Japan would.
There's a lot of reasons why an English Dub could go bad. Sometimes it's just a poor script, sometimes it's a bad voice director, or sometimes it's just a miss-cast.
You can prefer the phonetics of a Japanese dub, but you can't judge the acting ability of either one unless you're a native speaker to both language and a voice acting expert :/ and people who think that dubs are garbage probably don't really know what all goes into it
I have a feeling that my complaints with the series differ slightly than most of the ones you run into.
when I saw the first episode or two all I could think about was why in the fuck does a little kid have to pilot a fucking mecha and save the world. I mean I know they must have explained it at some point, but come the hell on. I need someone to sit me down and clearly and a matter of factly explain in no uncertain terms whatever bullshit reason that he, of all the people in the totally seemingly totally legit city hanging in the skies of the bowls of the earth has to be the one to do this crazy batshit last stich effort to make to world not die from this weird ass god from the sky enemies.
in that sentence only one thing gives me pause. why the hell does it have to be HIM. I don't mean a kid. I don't mean of the people of the city. I mean what the hell makes him special.
and that father... oh god fuck that guy. it took me a total of 20 seconds of screen time before I knew he would be an irredeemable dick and an antagonist of peoples emotional needs. the worst part was that he is necessary for the continuance of most the survival of the human race, so I cant even wish for his uppance to come. then of course that makes me think what makes humanity so great? then I realize not even close to what makes it super freaking terrible. then I get all moody and depressed.
I did really like the mechas, even from the beginning they seemed unique and different and it didn't really take long to see that they were far more than they appeared. it seemed like they were living beings with armor on top which contrasted the way they seemed on the outside (the clear metal and fixture and especially the need for electricity to keep them running). and maybe they even have implied connections to angels or even maybe they are angels? fuck yes to all of that. however, as the mech fights went on the story seemed to seep in more and more each time dragging the fights into weird and unfriendly directions, until the point where I was almost like, "yes that mech fight was awesome, but there wasn't much of it and it had so much other stuff I didn't like in it that I came out with negative enjoyment".
and absolutely every second that was spend on non military non character stuff was usually a glowing recommendation of how fucked everyone was and the said people were soon about to be fucked. which just is depressing in so many ways to me... foremost is probably that the parallels drawn to this world. see world +40 years where one misplaced idiot can cause half of the .01% of the non-fucked people left on earth to be suddenly fucked. and whether that fucking is metaphorical or literal hardly even matters anymore. I don't know about you, but for me being depressed sucks. I would never of sound mind choose to be depressed for entertainment purposes.
then of course there was the woman in the red jumpsuit. I just wanted to punch her in the face the first time I saw her. every subsequent time the need grew stronger. which is probably reflective of my hate of man hating without provocation, unless of course I missed something in kenji's behavior (is kenji even the right name?).
I think I got all the way to episode seven before I threw my hands up in the air and said fuck this show.
(now, after posting the most swears I have had in any comment, I shall attempt to ask a reasonable question)
I really tried to give this show a chance, but can you maybe tell me some things that I may be missing, or have lost via rage?
Evangelion was written by Hideaki Anno when he was horribly depressed, and he used the show to explore what it's like to feel depressed, and how one might find their way through it. The show's message is ultimately meant to be about hope, and about picking yourself up again and again no matter how many times the world knocks you down. Anno used it to try and write himself out of his depression, and to help depressed people ultimately find some hope in the end. It worked for me when I was depressed.
I think there's a lot of things you've misinterpreted about the series, so I hope that you'll keep listening in to our podcasts and maybe it'll help you to see the show in a different light :)
I guess as a person who looks at depression as an option rather than something to be struggled against I do see things a bit different.
I will continue to watch the podcasts about the series and who knows, maybe if you make me see things in a different light I may even try the series again.
...maybe.
Brent Ramsten I'm really really curious about what you mean by depression as an "option." As someone who suffered from a chemical depression for years on end before beating it largely via medication, I'm not sure where "options" came into play.
im very passive in my emotions. or I guess I should say my emotions are very passive in and of themselves.
if I want to feel happy, I conjure up a memory that makes me happy. same for anger. there are a bunch of other emotions, but I hardly ever feel the need to evoke them on purpose.
music helps a lot in evoking emotions for me but I don't usually listen to it for entertainment purposes.
if I'm feeling an emotion I don't want to feel, I just go into exercises and that usually takes me a couple moments before I go into a baseline state. from the description I've heard of *on we* (um... it's a French term and that's how you pronounce it, not spell it), my baseline state is rather similar to that.
mind you this is not something I've always been able to do or that happened overnight. I say I did most of this over middle and high school (6+ years). its a skill.
not sure I've devoted a total of 10000 hours (or however much is needed to master a skill), but id like to think its close to that.
I respect your opinions, but I still hate this series.