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The Evangelion franchise is full of unknowns, most were never explained or given any "word of god" statement.

Some examples:

What Gendo whispered to Ritsuko after: "I truly... (muted)" to prompt her to answer: "Liar!"

What is real the motivation for Asuka to tell Shinji "気持ち悪い" at the ending of the End?

Hideaki Anno then made this statement:

We all have to find our own answers.

Can we truly say that they left these blanks intentionally?

What is the stance of Evangelion creators on the "Death of Author" concept, regarding the series?

Please use references.

Gao
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Mindwin Remember Monica
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  • In a week I will add a bounty on this question. – Mindwin Remember Monica Jul 22 '15 at 15:19
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    Doubt you'll ever find a specific quote about the series, the staff was mostly mum about answering questions about the series years after its release, but these days, the copyright holders are totally fine releasing supplimental materials everywhere (including the classified info from the NGE2 game), some of which strongly augment interpretation. – Jon Lin Jul 22 '15 at 15:44
  • From what little I know of the matter, it seems that Anno *does* believe in "Death of the Author", even if he doesn't think of it that way, since he's always telling people to find their own interpretations instead of asking him for one. I suspect that in at least some of these cases, Anno did have his own interpretation which he chose not to share, while in other cases even he may not have known exactly what certain things meant. – Torisuda Jul 24 '15 at 04:04
  • @Torisuda yes, I browsed evageeks more than I would care to admit. I created this question to try and get a reputable post on the subject. That is why I am setting the bounty next week. – Mindwin Remember Monica Jul 24 '15 at 13:48

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The answer to your question must be a resounding "Yes, as far as Shinseki Evangelion is concerned, Anno Hideaki and team are firmly in the 'Author is Dead' camp when it comes to explanations for the franchise." The broader context of the quote from Anno that you've provided in your question, goes into more detail:

Evangelion is like a puzzle, you know. Any person can see it and give his/her own answer. In other words, we’re offering viewers to think by themselves, so that each person can imagine his/her own world. We will never offer the answers, even in the theatrical version. As for many Evangelion viewers, they may expect us to provide the ‘all-about Eva’ manuals, but there is no such thing. Don’t expect to get answers by someone. Don’t expect to be catered to all the time. We all have to find our own answers.”
– Anno Hideaki

This is not really surprising, as it's the only stance consistent with the themes and aims of the franchise itself, being based as it is on the philosophical platform of 'postmodern existentialism.' In this schema, there is no such thing as 'objective meaning', only meanings constructed by each individual as a function of their own existence.

Meir Illumination
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