>>65540058>I didn't get that impression at all.Well, then you didn't pay attention.
Even disregarding the series, after seeing all that, why WOULDNT you be interested? I'm quite sure she'd be the #1 thing on your mind, as far as people go.
>Shinji never directly interacts with Rei III after his discoveryNot right either, he rushes to the hospital when she "recovers". Anything else he doesn't have time for until they take her away.
He's afraid of Rei, yes, he can't muster up the courage to face her - again, his words.
He can't turn to Asuka for companionship at that time either, because she's in a coma under security, remember? He doesn't even know where she is.
But even when he contemplates talking to Asuka, all he wants to talk about is Rei.
The scene in EoE also carries different meaning than you'd first think.
He's not really afraid, but Rei is in fact the last person he knows that is possibly alive and well, and not his enemy.
So, when he sees Rei, all that is gone too, and now he's lost everything, everything that matters to him matters in his world.
This is backed up by looking at the scene frame for frame as well. Then you see all of Shinji's scenes with Rei, and they have a "torn" effect added to them. Get it?