…Only a Kiss?

As Asuka did in the past, she hides her feelings for Shinji, dismissing the kiss as an alternative to boredom because she only wants Kaji (as she pointed out just a few hours earlier in the cello scene). Likewise, Shinji doesn’t understand Asuka’s mixed signals and ends up believing every word she says. There are however enough elements to say that Asuka’s desire was rather obvious.

The first clue is given by the episode’s title and subtitle: Lies and Silence may refer to the lies Asuka regularly tells to Shinji, and to her inability to express her real feelings. Those Women Longed for the Touch of Other’s Lips, and Thus Invited Their Kisses clearly refers to Asuka’s desire to be kissed by Shinji i.

The second clue is given by Asuka’s face: as can be seen from the cap, Asuka’s post-kiss face is the one typically used in anime and manga to convey shame and mortification. See for example an image of Shinji’s mortified face in episode 1. This means she was disappointed when she didn’t receive a reaction from Shinji, despite what she says. Besides, what Asuka really felt in that moment will be revealed a few episodes later (see the analysis of episode 22).

Finally, it cannot be a coincidence that Asuka had a date (hence the possibility to kiss someone else), the very day she asks to be kissed by Shinji. Asuka, a foreign, pretty girl, is admired by many boys at her school. If she didn’t care about Shinji, why would she keep trying (in her own way) to get closer to him? It is also significant to notice that Asuka disregards the attention she receives from people she doesn’t consider important. Actually, as the cap shows, she finds it irritating.

The kiss idea was a big debacle for Asuka…and her bad evening isn’t over yet. Kaji has walked home a drunken Misato and his arrival only worsens Asuka’s mood. Not having had any luck with Shinji, Asuka tries to get Kaji to spend the night with them but as soon as she grabs his arm, she smells Misato’s perfume. Asuka’s hypothesis was real: Misato and Kaji are indeed back together. With this, the number of her “defeats” rises to two.

Asuka has been rejected by both Shinji and Kaji in a matter of hours, it is no surprise her mood is far from being good. When Shinji asks her what’s wrong, she angrily replies it is his fault (that is, he kissed her), but it will be revealed that the real motive is quite the opposite. It should be noticed that even in this situation, as it happened before in both this episode and the previous ones, Shinji has no clue about what Asuka feels and is quite sure she really has no interest in him. Again, Asuka’s behaviour also falls in her usual pattern because she cannot get to tell Shinji what she really wanted from him.