| "Introjection" | |
|---|---|
| Neon Genesis Evangelion episode | |
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| Episode no. | Episode 19 |
| Directed by | Masayuki |
| Written by | Hideaki Anno, Akio Satsukawa |
| Original air date | February 7, 1996 |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
"Introjection"[a] is the nineteenth episode of the Japanese anime television series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which was created by Gainax. Hideaki Anno and Akio Satsukawa wrote the episode, which animator Masayuki 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, Shinji comes into conflict with his father and leaves Nerv. As he is about to leave Tokyo 3, however, the Angel Zeruel attacks the city, defeating Asuka Langley Soryu's Eva-02 and Rei Ayanami's Eva-00. Shinji again boards Eva-01, which goes berserk and devours Zeruel.
During the production of "Introjection", animator Takeshi Honda gave the female characters a youthful touch. The episode also reprises several situations and frames presented in the first episodes of the series, so as to show Shinji's path of growth and maturation. The installment features cultural references to Ultraman, Buddhism, Christianity, and Daijiro Morohoshi. The title itself refers to the psychoanalytic concept of the same name.
"Introjection" was first broadcast on TV Tokyo on February 7, 1996, and drew a 8% audience share on Japanese television. Critics praised the episode for its direction and action sequences, considering one of the best episodes of the series. Merchandise based on it has also been released.
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