Episode 04 Supplemental Notes and Analysis

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Notes

This is the only episode that series creator Hideaki Anno did not write (or co-write). At one point during production, this episode was removed and what is now Episode 05 would have immediately followed Episode 03. However, it was later decided that time needed to be devoted to establishing Shinji's character and relationships, so the episode was added back in. The result was that this episode was written after what is now Episode 5 was already finished, and Anno did not take a direct role in developing either the plot or script.
First episode in which an Angel does not appear.
Timeline-wise, at the beginning of this episode Misato says that Shinji has not been in school for 5 days, since he left to fight the Angel Shamshel, and then he runs away. Misato later says that he ran away for two days (Shinji spent the first night sleeping in a movie theater, and the second night at Kensuke's camp). Shinji then prepares to leave on a train the day after that. Thus, the final scene of this episode at the train station occurs at the end of the 8th day after the fight against Shamshel.
Nerv apparently makes or contracts out for production its own merchandise and accessories for its employees (like many real world large organizations). In this episode we that Misato has an alarm clock with the Nerv logo printed on the face.
In Episode 02, Misato taped a paper sign to Shinji's room in her apartment indicating it as Shinji's. By this episode, Misato has replaced it with a somewhat inappropriate pink heart-shaped plaque that says "Shinji's Room" on it (original Japanese: "Shin-chan no heya")
According to Misato, in the five days since the fight against Shamshel, Eva Unit 01 has already been fully repaired from the damage it sustained in the battle.
The two songs we hear Shinji listening to on his SDAT while riding on the train are "You are the only one" and "Blue Legend" from "Lilia", an image album for the "Ys" RPG series (previously heard in Episode 02). However, none of the vocal sections are heard in this episode.
When Toji refers to "balls" he actually says "matanki", which means nothing. It is really "kintama" spelled backward in Japanese characters (ki+n+ta+ma reversed to ma+ta+n+ki). Kintama is a slang term for testicles which literally means "gold balls".
A mistake that occurs near the end of the episode is that when Misato drives her car up to the train station, she gets out of her car on the left hand side, even though cars drive on the right hand side in Japan. Further, we've actually seen Misato while driving in her car during an extended scene in the first episode, during which she was sitting in the driver's seat which was indeed located on the right hand side of her car.
While at the train station, background announcements make reference to trains departing for Gora (a tourist hub and spa town near Mount Fuji), and Atsugi.
Did Misato go out of her way to buy a heart-shaped pink name plaque for the door to Shinji's room (clearly meant for a girl), or was it her own plaque which she had buried in one of her moving boxes (many of which remain unpacked), then found and arbitrarily hung on Shinji's door?