A funny Evangelion frame and what it says to me about Misato's character

 This frame from the firsrt Rebuild, posted by one of the innumerable Evangelion screenshot accounts, popped up on my Twitter feed the other day. Initially I went "haha the way she bends down, that's adorable lmao" and didn't think much of it.

But I keep coming back to thinking about it because of something-the way Misato bends down to talk to Shinji is exactly the way an adult would bend down to talk to a child. Because that's what he is-a child.

It's not condescension, far from it. It's her recognizing that he's a confused child dragged into a situation far beyond his understanding. Contrast Misato with Ritsuko who, aloof as ever, just stands there looking at him and seems uncaring of the fact that they're conscripting a child to pilot a mech for them. 

Of course Misato still pushes Shinji-at this moment in the first episode in the original show, which Rebuild 1 is adapting, Misato is trying to persuade Shinji to get in the Eva, but she goes about it differently. While Ritsuko just says it has to happen and Gendo gives orders, Misato both meets Shinji on his terms like an equal but still gently treats him like a child-empathizing with him by understanding that just telling him to pilot isn't what he wants to hear and that he needs to be handled more gently than one would an adult because he's only fourteen.

And watching the scene you see that when Shinji (briefly, before seeing the injured Rei) refuses, Misato is hesitant to walk away and keeps glancing back at him while Ritsuko immediately gets to work.

Anyone who has seen the whole series knows Misato is very far from perfect when it comes to her pseudo-mothering of Shinji and that she barely pays any attention to Rei and Asuka. But it's little moments like these that remind you of the sort of person she is and that she cares about Shinji more than most do.