A huge part of enjoying media objects in good faith is figuring out where you stand in relation to the media object & where you both stand in relationship to the world. When we consume media, it becomes a part of us and changes us in complex ways. Honest criticism and introspection, while it may be occasionally uncomfortable (and may often be uncomfortable for folks who are afraid of themselves), is the most fruitful source of media enjoyment.

I spent decades thinking and arguing about Evangelion — getting enormous pleasure from this in the process — precisely because I didn’t stop at the level of “fighting robots cool” or “Misato hot” but instead…