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Mari Makinami Illustrious
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Mari Makinami Illustrious (真希波・マリ・イラストリアス, Makinami Mari Irasutoriasu?) is a fictional character from the Rebuild of Evangelion film series. She is an Evangelion pilot and third party operative introduced in Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance.

Appearance

Mari has brunette hair tied into twin-tails with bangs parted to the sides. She wears an indigo headband with a white robotic design. Her eyes are teal, and she wears burgundy rimmed glasses. She wears a white shirt with a symbol on the left breast, a dark grey tie, a red and green pleated skirt with black knee socks, and brown tassel loafers.

She wears pink plugsuits with stylized accents and 05 and 08 both imprinted on the plugsuits.

Her first plugsuit was dark green with many accents, and she would wear a helmet with it.

Profile

Mari playing in her Entry Plug (Rebuild)

Mari drinking during the fight against Evangelion 13.

Out of all the pilots, she is the only one who admits that she genuinely enjoys piloting. Her repeated comments suggest that she enjoys the smell of LCL. She's uninhibited, identifying Shinji as a pilot in their first encounter by crawling up to him on all fours and sniffing for the smell of LCL. It is implied that Mari works for an unknown third party. A pilot designation has not been provided, assuming Mari officially has one (in-universe).

Despite her apparent inexperience, she is shown to be an expert pilot on the level of Asuka, if not higher.

In Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time, her quarters with Asuka on the Wunder are also a sort of isolation chamber, furthering Asuka's estrangement from humanity.[2]

Personality

Mari has a rather energetic and enigmatic personality, and is generally in a positive mood. She enjoys piloting her Evangelion, Evangelion Provisional Unit-05, and sometimes sings to herself in the entry plug. She is also very friendly, though in combat she is shown to be extremely aggressive.

In addition, Mari is very noble in her fight against the Third Angel, being willing to sacrifice her life to destroy it by self-destructing her Eva. In the end, however, the entry plug ejected seconds before the explosion that would have killed her.

History

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance

In Mari's first engagement with the Third Angel, she used no tactics whatsoever. The fight instead featured her attacking the Angel head-on, chasing it outside of the base and pinning it down before self-destructing. She also appears to be aware of the Evas' sentient nature to some extent, going so far as to directly addressing them in a compassionate tone and even whispering goodbye to Unit-05 after its destruction. This makes it unlikely that she was the one who sabotaged it, although her being an acquaintance of Ryoji Kaji is suspicious.[3][4][5][6][1][7][8]

Mari's rage

Mari inside Evangelion Unit-02 "Beast Mode".

When the Tenth Angel attacked Tokyo-3 at the end of the movie, Mari launched Evangelion Unit-02 with IPEA assistance to engage in battle, intercepting the Angel inside the Geofront while dual-wielding pallet rifles. Unlike Asuka's repeated attempts at damaging the Angel in the series however, Mari quickly gave up on ranged attacks and went into a screaming charge with a GB-012 Evangelion Custom Electrical Discharge Portable Ordinance "Thunder Spear"[9], leaping onto the Angel and firing Unit-02's needle guns in an unsuccessful attempt to penetrate the Angel's AT-field with a point-blank attack. In the English dub, she is quite foul-mouthed, constantly taunting her opponents while piloting.

She also demonstrated considerable knowledge about the inner workings of Evangelions by activating Unit-02's Beast Mode (which resembles a "controlled berserk"). During this, she demonstrated a bloodthirsty, animalistic behavior not unlike that of the Eva, and despite the heavy damage sustained, she never once attempted to retreat but pressed her attacks until her Eva was damaged beyond combat capability.

Mari uses two distinct plugsuits over the course of the film. The first is the unusual green and white suit that appears to be custom-built for Unit-05, with different material on the limbs (corresponding to the EVA's mechanical prostheses) and three green tubes attached to each wrist (probably involved in the "forced synch" with the prostheses). The second plugsuit, worn for Mari's sortie in Unit-02, is a pink one with white trim very similar to Kaworu's. Despite her change in EVAS, her new plugsuit still bears a 05, suggesting it may have been intended for use with that unit once it would have been fully completed.

EVANGELION 3.0: (-46h)

Not long after Near Third Impact, Mari is only shown piloting an Eva transport plane, flowing Asuka's Unit-02 in search of survivors, and they come across Midori Kitakami. As usual, Mari is singing while piloting, but in this instance she is wearing aviator glasses. Although Mari already took on her "princess" nickname for Asuka, at this time Asuka is dismissive of her, and acts dismissive towards her, calling her "rookie".

EVANGELION 3.0 (-120 min.)

Before launching Operation US to rescue Unit 01 from space, Asuka is reciting a poem near the launchpad[10] before being surprised by Mari, wearing her school uniform and asking her if she agrees the Moon is beautiful.[11] Mari asks Asuka if she agrees that the moon is beautiful.[12] Mari explains she wants Shinji to be able to easily recognize them once he's recovered. Misato's plan is for Mari to lead the operation with Asuka in support, as her Unit-08 is less damaged, but Mari suggests Asuka take the lead instead for Shinji's sake. Asuka however is reluctant, and believes Shinji himself dead and unrecoverable. Looking back on memories of Shinji and Misato before Third Impact, Asuka changes her mind, and puts on her old plugsuit from the previous film and improvises a repair. Mari sings to Asuka as they launch.[13][14]

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo

In Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, Mari pilots the Evangelion Unit-08 to aid Asuka during the mission to rescue Unit 01. Later, she tries to stop Evangelion Mark.09 but only manages to destroy its head. She's shown to have a habit of giving nicknames to characters, as she nicknames Asuka "Princess" and Shinji "Puppy Boy". Someone similar to Mari can be seen with Shinji's mother in the photo shown to him by Fuyutsuki, though the link between this person and Mari is currently unknown. It could suggest that Mari may be much older than she lets on, possibly suffering from the "Curse of Eva" for a longer period of time than Asuka. She also refers to Gendo as "Gendo-kun", suggesting she knows him. Before the Fourth Impact is initiated, she fights against Mark.09 one more time. She makes her last appearance when she uses Unit-08 to remove Shinji from inside the Evangelion 13, yelling at him to be a man and get to know the world a little before his entry plug is finally removed.[15]

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time

In Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time, Mari is part of Paris Assault Mission to restore part of Paris and recover a large supply cache. She is able to defeat the NERV attackers, at the cost of Unit-08's legs. Mari meets Asuka and Shinji when the AAA Wunder comes to pick them up. Upon greeting Asuka, she teases her about her unresolved feelings for Shinji, "I thought you didn't care about boys his age", to which Asuka responds that Shinji "needs a mother, not a girlfriend". Before their mission in Antarctica, Mari re-introduces herself to Shinji. When Shinji expresses he understands why Asuka was angry at him, Asuka recognizes he has grown up, and Asuka confesses she did love him back then. Mari congratulates Shinji, and asks Asuka if she feels better, to which she affirms.

During the final battle against NERV, Mari pilots the repaired Unit-08γ supporting Asuka against a wave of NERV Evangelion Mark.07. She remains puzzled at Gendo's plans. When Asuka is absorbed by Evangelion 13 and Shinji is preparing to pilot Unit 01 again, Mari takes Unit-08γ in an "overlapping state" and merges it with Mark.09, Mark.10, Mark.11, and Mark.12, and uses it to fight a new horde of Mark.07. She tells Shinji to once again "save the Princess". Mari then meets Fuyutsuki, referring to him as "Fuyutsuki-sensei", further alluding to her familiarity, and he calls her "Maria Iscariot".

Attempting to stop Instrumentality, Mari sacrifices her combined Evangelion. During Gendo's Additional Impact, Mari is shown to have been a friend of Yui Ikari and Gendo in college and helped get them together. When Shinji talks with Asuka and expresses his feelings, Mari bids farewell to Asuka. Shinji is sitting on the beach when Unit-08γ emerges from the ocean. Mari takes her glasses off and comments "Just barely on time". Shinji gets up and runs in her direction. Inside the ocean, she thanks Unit 8+9+10+11+12 while Unit-08 and Mari thanks the "Final Evangelion". She emerges from the ocean and puts her glasses back, saying "I have kept you waiting, Shinji".

In the final scene of the movie, Asuka, Rei and Kaworu, as adults, are in the other platform of Ube-Shinkawa StationWP train station in the city of Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. An adult Shinji is sitting on a bench with his bag wearing a suit, when Mari covers his eyes and asks who is it. Shinji replies, referencing their earlier encounter on the Wunder. Mari, also adult, is wearing a pink blazer. Mari walks up Shinji and approaches his neck facing his front and smells his neck: "The smell of an adult". Shinji initially looks annoyed but replies confidently, to Mari's surprise, and she removes his DSS Choker.[16] She offers her hand and says, "Well then, lets go, Shinji-kun." and Shinji agrees, leaving the main gate and guiding him to the new world as they let go of each other's hands.[17][18][19][20]

In Other media

Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA

Main article: Mari

She has something of a counterpart in the light novel series Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA named simply Mari, though her history is completely different and the Mari in ANIMA is a genetically altered human whose genetically fused with animal DNA, however, Mari of Rebuild has several jokes also revolving around felines and cats, possibly in reference of the ANIMA series character.

Neon Genesis Evangelion manga

Main article: Mari Makinami

Another version of the character called Mari Makinami appears in the Extra Stage: Eden in Summer of the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga. The manga author Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, claims it is simply fanservice and not related to the the Rebuild films storylines.[21] Sadamoto also stated he had no intention to "include elements from the new movies, because [the manga] is only a comic adaptation of the TV series and old movie [EoE]. So there will be nothing of the new character, Mari."[22]

Super Robot Wars

She is also featured in the Super Robot WarsWP videogame crossover series along other Eva characters.[23]

Voice Actors

  • Japanese: Maaya Sakamoto
  • English: Trina NishimuraWP, Deneen MelodyWP (Amazon)
  • French: Isabelle Volpé, Kaycie Chase (Amazon)
  • Italian: Monica Ward (Amazon)
  • Portuguese (Brazil): Melissa Lucena (Clone), Maitê Cunha (Amazon)
  • Russian: Ekaterina Marsalskaya (Reanimedia)
  • Spanish (Spain): Marta Barbará (Amazon)
  • Spanish (Latin America): Mireya Mendoza (Amazon)
  • Catalan:
  • German: Jennifer Weiß, Lea Kalbhenn (Amazon)
  • Hindi:
  • Korean:
  • Chinese (Taiwan):

Development

This article needs to be cleaned up. You may review the Manual of Style for suggestions.

Name

Mari is named after two World War II warships, the Japanese destroyer Makinami (巻波, "overflowing waves") and the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. The two names may be intended to, as in Asuka's case, represent a mixed heritage: here, British and Japanese (at minimum). Strictly speaking, neither "Illustrious" or "Makinami" (written as 真希波, "noble true wave") are real surnames,[24] although this may be nothing more than a creative liberty. Originally, Anno considered naming her Mariko, borrowing from one of his wife Moyoco Anno's manga, but instead opted for using the name of Mari Sakurano, from Brave Raideen. Mid-way through productionh Anno also considered changing Mari's name yet again to Chizuru, as a homage to Chizura Nambara from Combattler V, and as a gesture to please "Shō-chan", refering to his friend and colleague Shōji Kawamori, creator of the Macross mecha franchise. The choice of Mari was also done as a nod to another friend of Anno, Yutaka Izubuchi, creator of RahXephon. Izubuchi speculated that another character from Raideen served as inspiration for Rei and Asuka. This characer's name was Rei Asuka. By finally making a reference to Raideen, Anno felt, Izubuchi could "save Buc-chan[Izubuchi]'s face."[25][26]

Her first name was originally unveiled in the Nintendo DS Petit Eva: Evangelion @ Game game.[27] Later, one of the official movie posters included a "teaser" for her full name: showing the "Mari" part, and substituting the remaining characters with asterisks ("*** Mari *******"). Mari's entire name was at last revealed in a revised version of the poster included with the first issue of Eva Extra.[28] Before her actual name surfaced, Mari was known exclusively among fans as "Glasses Girl" (among Japanese fans, めがねのこ, megane no ko, meaning the same thing). She caused a furor among fans after months of teasing and her ultimate reveal.[29][30]

Creation Process

Mari's character has a tumultuous development history, with Chief Director Anno knowing little more of his intent for her than that he wanted her to "destroy", "break apart", "deconstruct Eva".[31] Unlike the others, her character was not Anno's idea, but rather the result of an explicit request by the producer, Otsuki, for a new main female character. Anno accepted it as a way of differentiating the Rebuilds from the anime series, but Tsurumaki believes it was for commercial reasons.[32] Tsurumaki ended up taking inspiration from his previous work in FLCL and Diebuster.[33][34] Anno initially intended to make Mari a rather isolated character, devoid of relationships, but could not refrain from making her to much like the series' original characters, so he decided to hand her development to others. Assistant director Kazuya Tsurumaki ended up shouldering much of the responsibility for Mari, and Yoji Enokido was also recruited during a writer's retreat to provide an outsider's opinion - Enokido is considered an outsider, and Mari's characterization ended up being mostly his and Tsurumaki's brainchild.[35] This is in contrast to the existent NGE characters, which were all based on Anno himself to varying degrees.[36][37]

Much of the disagreement revolved around how (and how much) to integrate Mari into the preexisting Eva framework, and the nature of her personality.[38] In the very first drafts, Mari was to do little more than appear in the pre-title Third Angel sequence and to later observe the Tenth Angel's destructive power (the latter idea shown in the first movie's trailer for 2.0), and Anno kept Asuka's role relatively intact relative to her NGE self, and she'd remain the focus of the film much like the corresponding Action Arc of the series.[5] Various ideas were tested in early script drafts and storyboards wherein Mari took over part of another character's role from NGE, which was eventually abandoned due to the desire to give Mari her own identity. At first, Anno kept Asuka's role relatively intact relative to her NGE self. Her personality changed from various different themes, like being a mysterious and quiet girl, or the dojikko archetype of a clumsy and careless girl, all in an attempt to differentiate her from Rei and Asuka.[37] Anno decided to impinge some relationships from other characters into hers in order to give her more space, for instance, Kaji and Asuka's relationship was entirely removed from the film and replaced with Mari's "subordinate" role to Kaji.[39] Other suggestions slowly began to surface as Anno could only give vague directions to his writers - one of his first was that the character should be an "Onee-san" or be an animal lover. The ideas were so generic and vague that Tsurumaki considered Mari to have had "multiple personalities"; "a different character in each scene she appeared in", making it difficult to give her a consistent characterization and psychology. Tsurumaki in particular felt she'd simply end up simply repeating Shinji's relationships with other characters and consuming their personalities. In the storyboard of the preparatory manuscript drawn by director Masayuki, there is a scenario introducing her to Shinji and others as the "Fourth Girl" at the 8th Apostle War Prewar Strategy Conference. In another storyboard, Mari would have pushed up her glasses in the same manner as Gendo.[40] Anno decided to postpone discussion at the time. It was during this "script retreat" that Enokido was brought in as an outsider.

In response to mounting pressure from fans after her first teased appearance during the preview at the end of Evangelion 1.0, Anno progressively increased her role and space in the story. Tsurumaki noted she'd be a character of "minor importance" originally.[41][42][43] Most of the new ideas ended up discarded and rejected by the rest of staff, who couldn't come to a consensus. In draft number 7, for instance, Mari would pilot Unit-02 together with Asuka in the same entry plug, in draft #11, Mari was depicted as an European classmate of Asuka's. Other ideas included playing up to stereotypes of her British nationality, like her first meeting Shinji in a train station, or having tea time on the roof of the school in draft #13. Tsurumaki felt particularly unsatisfied, and felt that Mari could never be distinct enough from Asuka, Rei or Misato. Tsurumaki eventually came up with the idea of her falling from the sky by way of parachute, as a way of having her do something bizarre and different.

Enokido was asked for his input, and he suggested Mari to be a "neutral and lighthearted" character inspired by harem and shounen manga.[44] Enokido's suggestion was that Mari should serve as a rival for Asuka who ultimately usurps her. Enokido wanted to go so far as to have Mari become the main pilot for Unit 02, to replace Asuka's role as an "idol" at school, say anta baka to Shinji and even kiss him, though this was eventually rejected by Anno and other writers. Tsurumaki, in particular, protested one of the proposed alterations as “I’m an Asuka fan, and I won’t be happy if this scene gets cut”.[37] Enokido also suggested for Mari to be full of tattoos symbolizing her dead pets.[45][46] Anno created a scenario where Mari would be hospitalized after fighting the Eight Angel, but staff realized this once again meant she'd disappear during most of the film and not have any chance to interact with Shinji. Tsurumaki at one point misinterpreted one concept and drew a storyboard of Asuka and Mari piloting in a shared cockpit. Anno's assistant, Ikki Todoroki, suggested scenarios like her being a guest at Hikari's house, and a rival with Asuka for Kaji's affections and control of Unit 00, beating her in a synch test. One inspiration for her demeanor were the miko women of Shinto temples.[47] These indecisions led to about forty revisions of the script in total, and the writers were mostly forced to come to an agreement when repeatedly reaching deadlines. Overall, much of Mari's character ended up as Enokido's brainchild, borrowing or cannibalizing other characters' traits and scenes. Tsurumaki at one point felt that she was becoming irrelevant and unnecessary, and this led to Mari's scenes being again cut more and more, with the writers willing to give up on trying to make her work. Tsurumaki realized that Enokido's radical proposals, not limited to Mari, ultimately allowed staff to move on from being a state of being stuck while trying to figure out how to make Mari fit in the story.[48]

Design

Mari Makinami Illustrious Earlier Designs 2

Mari's earliest available designs. Note the resemblance with the other female characters.

Similary to his other attempts to distance himself from Mari's conceptualization, Anno gave initially vague settei to Sadamoto and Tsurumaki. In one of her old character designs, her plugsuit is numbered 04 instead of 05 like she appears initially in the movie. Anno requested her design be based on a "Christian Missionary-style". Other early designs included a Victorian version of Mari, playing on English stereotypes, and her checkered skirt was in reference to Scottish stereotypes. Her early association with green and use of tights was in reference to pictures of British schoolgirls Anno brought to Sadamoto when he asked for references. Initially, he also considered giving her a long-sleeved blazer.[49][50] Sadamoto concluded that her glasses were a simple but effective way to differentiate her from the other main female characters.[51] Mari was intended to attract a new kind of fan, and a character that could be "broken". [52][8] Additionally, Anno thought Mari's glasses were a good way to showcase their animators' talent, as it was much harder to animate them in the original series. Hearkening back to his experiences with FLCL, Tsurumaki had also attempted at the time to differentiate female character Haruko from Evangelion characters, particularly Misato, and avoid comparisons, further solidifying his leading role in conceptualizing Mari.[53]

Mari Makinami Illustrious Earlier Designs 1

These designs feature an umbrella, another example of British stereotypes influencing Sadamoto.

At first, Sadamoto simply merged Asuka's and Rei's characters; however, he himself was dissatisfied with the result, thinking the character was too derivative. To visually distinguish her from the two protagonists of the series, he gave her straight, dark hair and a taller head and body than her colleagues. The eyes instead were designed to be long and well defined, so as to give her a more kawaii look. He opted for a hairstyle with two braids, but since Asuka also has hair with two braids, Anno suggested moving the springs of the braids down, adding a band. For the posture and hairstyle, inspiration was taken in particular from those of actress Yui Aragaki, who played Umemura Hikari in the dorama My Boss, My Hero. Anno decided to make the character wear two different combat suits, one old and one new generation, as a further element of detachment from the other pilots.

Mari Makinami Illustrious Earlier Designs 3

Mari's early design uniforms. Note the strong British influence also.

In the very early stages of production, staff considered a plugsuit in green, indigo or yellow, and then moved to pink, a color popular in anime, giving her a touch of femininity. Sadamoto later noticed that, compared to the white and red models of Rei and Asuka, pink has less visual impact, which is why he then gave her a more "scandalous" color, so for her reveal in the green plugsuit, he opted for green, which he also associated with England, from British racing green.[49] The proposal was made by the colorist Kikuchi Kazuko, and was immediately welcomed with fervor by Sadamoto. Its design was inspired by the green uniforms of the Gamilas from Space Battleship Yamato, as well as by some spacesuits from the TV series UFO, and the space suits of Soviet cosmonauts. Sadamoto attempted to give her a sleekier, more modern design that'd feel updated, but still similar to the existing pilots' suits. Anno decided to give it a helmet as well, in order to cover the face until the end of the battle and create a dramatic effect for her reveal; for the design of the helmet Sadamoto took inspiration from those of track cyclists, much like Misato's motorcyclist-inspired[54] jacket. The design of the lower part of the suit, however, traced that of fencing suits, feeding the idea of a girl belonging to European aristocracy, and more mature than the other pilots.[55][56] There are several nods to her age being in fact much older than the other pilots.[4][5][6]

Mari Makinami Illustrious Second Plugsuit 1

Mari's early plugsuit designs, with changing colors.

Sadamoto had considerable impact in her earlier characterization as well. Due to his experience in the Evangelion manga, staff valued his input in how to handle the reduced space for characterization the movie format gave them. Producer Ohtsuki also complained to Anno that they had not yet decided on a voice actress even by the time the recording stage of production was imminent. Ohtsuki asked other staff for suggestions, and using Maaya Sakamoto, a famous voice actress that Sadamoto, Enokido and Tsurumaki worked with before on Diebuster, but had no familiarity with Eva, was Sadamoto's idea. Maaya Sakamoto was called and selected without an audition or explanations, and would only then receive some information on the character.[5] Sakamoto, after trying hard to interpret the character, concluded from explanations by Anno and Tsurumaki that she'd play the character as an "alien" element to Evangelion.[57][58] Sakamoto says she herself still has difficulty understanding Mari's character an that she's full of mysteries, an opinion shared by Ogata, Shinji's voice actress.[18] She says Anno shared several important details with her, but she says she won't reveal them: "I'll take it to my grave".[59] Moyoco Anno has commented on associating herself with Mari, on her paid fan newsletter, from April 2nd: Don't compare me with Mari. It's great that people are talking about "Shin Evangelion" and their thoughts on it, but... But please don't compare me to the work any more than you have to. Please don't make me feel uncomfortable about it., as well as Khara staff's denial and Anno himself. Instead, they link her to Tsurumaki's decisions.[60][61][62] A year later, Anno emphatically denied this rumor yet again, and complained at the insistence some fans had and the harassment he was getting over it.[63]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Gendo is 48 in NGE, born in 1967, and Yui was born in 1977, dying at 27 in 2004. If Mari is as old as Yui, she'd be 38 by 2.0, and 52 by the time 3.0 and 3.0+1.0 take place. If she's as old as Gendo, 62. Possibly more or less. For comparison, her manga self is 16 in 1998, meaning she'd be 34 in 2.0 and 48 in 3.0+1.0. If just based on her appearance and identify her as a clone (due to the -nami name pattern from Asuka and Rei), she'd be 14 and 28 in 2.0 and 3.0+1.0 respectively.
  2. This is referenced as such in concept art for the 10th Khara anniversary exposition. Asuka and Mari are referred to as "dangerous persons" that must be kept apart from the crew
  3. As she approaches the Angel in Bethany Base, Mari sings part of the song "The 365-Step March" by Kiyoko Suizenji:

    マリ「しあわっせはーあるいってこないだーからあるいってゆっくんだねーん 
    いっちにっちいっぽみーかでさんぽ
     さーんぽすすんでにっほさっがるー 
    じーんせいはっわんつー!ぱんち・・・

    Shiawase wa aruite konai, dakara aruite yuku 'n da ne
    Ichinichi, ippo. Mikka de sanpo.
    Sanpo susunde, niho sagaru
    Jinsei wa, one-two-panchi...


    Mari (singing): ♪ Happiness doesn't walk to me, because I'm walking to it
    One day, one step. Three steps in three days
    Three steps forward, two steps back
    Life's a one-two punch... ♪

  4. 4.0 4.1 All songs Mari sings are from the 1960s or 1970s. Eva 2.0 might not take place in 2015, but in 2018 instead. Anno chose the song because it was a favorite of his a child:
    "Anno: That was me. It was a song from the Showa period I heard when I was a child. I had her sing it as I wanted to bring out a feeling of ease despite it being her first campaign. - Evangelion 2.0 CRC - Anno interview
    Mari also uses a number of slightly antiquated Japanese expressions and mannerisms associated with the mid-Showa era.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 SAKAMOTO: They called me in for Mari’s role without an audition and without telling me anything about the character beforehand. There wasn’t even a clear idea of how Mari was going to be. That day, there were a lot of people listening to my recording, and I really felt the pressure because of that. But, it was also very fun. I acted freely and I was told that I was doing great, but I wasn’t too sure about that.SAKAMOTO: Anno provided me with one little “hint” to better understand Mari: “Showa no Oyaji” [Father of the Showa Period/ The “typical” Japanese parent from the '70s and '80s]. After realizing what he meant, I managed to improve my performance totally. - Evangelion 3.0 theatrical booklet interviews
  6. 6.0 6.1 Sadamoto: Well, but of course when we see Mari in Jo or Ha and see her call Gendo Gendo-kun or smell Shinji’s odor, she’s doing many strange things. Besides she seems to like songs of the Showa era very much since she’s singing them. So my guess is, whether she’s really interested in the Showa era, or she’s born back then and has not aged since. And you know, since in Q, they introduced the concept that children who were chosen as pilots don’t age, I’d endorse the latter, saying Mari is someone from Shinji’s mother’s generation, and that she somehow became a pilot and didn’t age since. But again, it’s only me imagining all this. - Sadamoto, The Current Status of GAINAX—Interview: Hiroyuki Yamaga & Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (September, 2016)
  7. Evangelion Chronicle explicitely describes Mari as Kaji's subordinate
  8. 8.0 8.1 On the one hand we wanted to create a different character, one that would appeal to a new type of audience and mark a break in the story. There were both "market" and plot requirements, and I had to keep them in mind. In the movies there is a great mystery around her presence, which is why you only find her there. I couldn't use her in the manga, although I would have liked to. She'll be up to a lot of mischief, together with Asuka, so wait for the new movie, because there will be surprises and a lot of interesting characters. Sadamoto Days – i fan meet e l’intervista (2013)
  9. ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版破 全記録全集 設定 資料版 p.057
  10. From the Manyoshu, about a spouse returning home. Specifically the Somonka, the "song of love between love and women." Asuka is looking at the Moon, and the Manyoshu states that: "looking at the moon always indicates the missing feeling/lovesick."
  11. The book Mari is carying is called "You Too Can Write Sci-Fi (But Not Really)", by Toyota Aritsune. It is a retrospective of the early days of Japanese sci-fi TV shows and animation in the 1960s. This is yet another instance of the hints at Mari's age.
  12. The book Mari is holding has, in its introduction, an anecdote about the phrase "The moon is beautiful":
    Natsume Soseki tells students to translate 'I love you' in English class. The students thought of translations such as "I love you" (我、汝を愛su) or "I seem to love you" (僕ha、そなたを、愛Shou思U). "You guys, are you still Japanese?"
    Soseki continued to talk to each other. "Japanese don't speak such suggestive wording. It should be translated as 'The moon is very beautiful'". Indeed, when men and women in the Meiji period met in public, saying "the moon is very beautiful" would mean "I love you". After this, in Japanese, the phrase, 月が綺麗ですね, "the moon is beautiful" has since been regarded as a representative romantic line in which a man and a woman confess their love in a romantic situation."

    Mari is prompting Asuka to express these feelings herself.
  13. Mari also sings a song called Youngsters, about a lost loved one to Asuka. These are the remaining lyrics:
    That man of yours is no longer with us.
    So why are you looking for him?
    You're going without a clue
  14. EVANGELION 3.0 (-120 min.) prequel manga, translation at Evageeks
  15. In the early 3.0 imageboards, Asuka would rescue Shinji instead of Mari. See EVANGELION: 3.333 Breakdown.
  16. It seems unlikely she'd have spent much time with him already or know him well if she was not used to him acting confidently
  17. "It was a heavy burden for me, wondering if the fans would scold me for having such a newcomer hold hands with Shinji at the end (laughs). However, there have been many ways to portray "Eva" in the past, and if you can think of this as one of the possible endings, I'll be saved."
    " I feel that Mari just really likes people. She likes Shinji, but I think Asuka is special to Mari. Even though Asuka treats her coldly, Mari always calls her "Princess" and respects and protects her as a special person. In addition to the battles, they have together, the scene where she cuts her hair is very quiet and calm, and it has a nice sentimentality to it. I thought the contrast between the two was well-drawn. For the scene with Asuka, it was great to be able to record her voice with Yuko Miyamura. " - Maaya Sakamoto, 3.0+1.0 pamphlet interview
  18. 18.0 18.1 '-Ms. Ogata, What kind of woman was Mari Illustrious?
    Ogata: I didn't know until the end ... because Shinji didn't even know her name until the end.
    -It's always someone else.
    Ogata: That's right, isn't it. Maybe. She was like a friend of his father and mother, right? At the end, I thought she would come to him to pick up that position. - Ogata's Newtype interview on 3.0+1.0
  19. Sound director in a VTuber interview: In a recent interview with V-tuber Vivian, the sound director for Evangelion 3.0+1.0 says he did not instruct the seiyuus of Shinji and Mari to act as lovers, he interpreted their relationship to be that of friends. It is mentioned that the station scene was not instructed as romantic. Whether they're lovers, friends, or family is left up to the viewer. Even the seiyuu will have different opinions about it. I'm sure this is what Anno is intending, for Eva to be like a "mirror" and give back what the viewer sees in it. That is Eva's appeal.
  20. "Well, I first saw "EVANGELION:3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME" at the first preview. At the screening, I had a chance to talk with Kazuya Tsurumaki, and he and I were talking about whether or not it would have been better if the word "End of Story" hadn't been included (laughs). We talked about the possibility of having a different world from the current one, and that there are many more possibilities." - Ogata Newtype Interview
  21. Interview with Sadamoto, includes his confirmation that the Mari bonus chapter was just fanservice Next question is about Evangelion Rebuilds, do you know about the symbol of the last movie (repeat sign in music)? Sadamoto: Just to start, I’d like to clarify my position on the Rebuilds. I’ve only done the main character designs so… (laugh) Ah I see. It’s this (shows the symbol of Rebuild 3.0+1.0). We weren’t even able to read the title. Sadamoto: (looks) Right, I’m sorry but it’s the first time I see it, to tell you how little my implication is. [...] A question about the Evangelion manga, were you completely free on the script or were you consulting director Anno? Sadamoto: There isn’t any script. When you make anime there are the storyboards, right? We were just sharing them, so I’m on the same level as a fan. I just wrote it on my own, looking at the storyboards. So I didn’t consult anyone, and of course no one from the TV series’ staff intervened in my manga. So, in the last page of the manga there is Mari, one of the Rebuild’s characters… Sadamoto: Oh, that’s not in the storyline, it’s just an extra chapter for the manga volume. It’s even apart from the movies, like fanservice. Just something you mustn’t think too hard about. (laugh) It’s just something that went through my mind, I thought it would be funny if it were like that. I see. So it was not a request? Sadamoto: It wasn’t and… since she appeared in Jo, Ha and Q, I wondered what her role in the story would be, and when I asked the staff, they told me that it won’t be possible to really go further in one film, so they had to tie the main story up, and that Mari may have almost no screen time. So I wondered what the point was, and decided to add a little bit of her story in the manga, on impulse. So it’s really not something the staff of the movies thought about or asked me to do, just something you can consider as a play of mine. I see, since you know, fans tend to read deep into that kind of thing. Yamaga: Yeah, particularly on Evangelion. They think every little detail has a meaning. (laugh) Sadamoto: Well, but of course when we see Mari in Jo or Ha and see her call Gendo Gendo-kun or smell Shinji’s odor, she’s doing many strange things. Besides she seems to like songs of the Showa era very much since she’s singing them. [...] But again, it’s only me imagining all this. (laugh) Has director Anno decided about that? Sadamoto: Like I said, director Anno hasn’t approved or refuted that idea, he has nothing to do with what I just said.
  22. - Young Ace, Vol. 1, pg. 2
  23. Super Robot Taisen V
    Super Robot Wars Z3 Jigoku-Hen
  24. Google searches for "真希波" only yield results related to Mari's name, indicating that "Makinami" written this way is probably an original invention for this character.
  25. Evangelion 2.0 CRC - “We persisted in changing Mari’s appearances up until the very last minute”
  26. See Character Name Origins for the naming of the series' characters.
  27. DS game screen shots
  28. Promotional poster with revised terms list.
  29. Anno's Evangelion 2.0 Film Slated for June 27 in Japan (Update 2)
  30. 『ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:破』新美少女キャラは、めがねっ子の真希波・マリ・イラストリアス!
  31. This is variously translated and there is disagreement on Anno's actual intention in Japanese. See the other references.
  32. Tsurumaki: Yeah. The appearance of a new character and Eva Unit-05 was requested by executive producer (Toshimichi) Otsuki-san. I think the motive was a commercial one—to strengthen the appeal of the film - Evangelion 2.0 Complete Records Collection
  33. – With the new ‘Rebuild of Evangelion’ films you have worked on, was there anything that you took over from ‘flcl’ and used in these films? For example, Mari is very much a heroine that might appear in one of your works.
    Well, in regards to Mari, she is the result of us trying to make a character that isn’t very ‘Evangelion’-like. Perhaps the way she’s one step away from the seriousness of ‘Evangelion’ makes her appear more ‘FLCL’-like. I didn’t make her purposefully into a ‘FLCL’-like character, but rather she was the result after talking to and finding some common ground with Anno-san. - Tsurumaki, "10 years since then" interview
  34. Mari calling Asuka "princess" is likely a reference to her VA Maaya Sakamoto's character in Tsurumaki's Diebuster, Lal'C, nicknamed Princess.
  35. Saakamoto: The main story is about Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and the others, and I used to think that Mari was just a cheerful character who would be a spice to the story. In fact, she wasn't really the focus of ":3.0", and I was aware that that was the way it was going to be, but I didn't expect to be given such an important role at the very end. I don't know if he intended it to be this way from the beginning or if he went towards this place while making it. When Mari appeared in ":2.0" for the first time, Anno explained her role to me, but he said, "Tsurumaki is more interested in the portrayal of Mari, so I'll leave it to Tsurumaki," so I assumed that Anno didn't have any feelings for Mari. So I was a little curious as to why she was given such an important role (laughs).
    [...] Tsurumaki: I think the Mari in "EVANGELION:3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME" has changed a lot in terms of meaning since ":2.0". In ":2.0", when Anno himself created the character, he inevitably became himself, just like Shinji, so I think he wanted to make Mari a different character, so he entrusted her to an external person" - Tsurumaki, Evangelion 3.0+1.0 booklet interviews
  36. Eva Special Talk with Anno Hideaki and Toshiya Ueno (Newtype 11/1996)
  37. 37.0 37.1 37.2 "Anno-san had previously said, “All the characters that appear in Eva are me”; he said that not just Shinji, but Kaji and Misato as well, and even characters like Kaworu and Rei, are aspects of himself. In this sense, every character is ultimately the same. On the surface, different “seasonings” have been used, but inside [the characters] really are very similar. If Mari were to end up the same as them, she would not be able to destroy that world. As a result, for me, Mari was a girl who made use of that “frivolousness”112 that was the opposite of diligence for her own benefit." - Evangelion 2.0 CRC - Tsurumaki Interview
  38. There was an interview with Tsurumaki in which he confessed that during the production of “Ha” they still weren’t sure about what to do with Mari, even the name which was tentatively “Mariko”. They HAD to have a new character (a new pilot), but they didn’t have much of an idea as to what to do with it. - Forum thread, referring to this untranslated interview from CUT Magazine.
  39. Anno: Yeah. I completely cut it from the film. The main reason was that, in a film, there is simply not enough room to depict something like Kaji and Asuka’s story. Even if we had put just a little [of that] in, then she would not have worked as a character, and it would inevitably have been a nuance that only those who knew the original series would understand. So I completely cut that [relationship], and instead decided to have Kaji be close to Mari. That decision was made because of the fact that, among the main characters who had appeared up to this point, there were none who knew Mari, and this was causing me various difficulties in writing. That being the case, I figured that Kaji was the most suitable. He was, like Mari, a character who appears from “Break” onwards. He’s someone who seems to know various secrets, and to have various connections. - Evangelion 2.0 CRC
  40. "Tsurumaki: Certainly Mari’s appearances had increased. Furthermore, if there were scenes where Mari appeared by herself, that was still fine. Even in the early stages of the plot[’s development], we didn’t really feel that such scenes were a problem. The difficulty lay in her relationships with other characters. Especially, if we intended to portray a relationship between Shinji and Mari, it would entail strange things happening. At one point she would have Rei Ayanami’s role in relation to Shinji, at another point Asuka’s, at another point Misato’s. There was a sense that her character was changing depending upon the circumstances of each scene. In the first place, if it’s Rei’s role, Rei herself can do it, and if it’s Asuka’s role, Asuka herself can do it. To the extent that this newly arrived character, Mari, is just partially substituting for roles that other people have carried out up until now, the story itself is really unchanged. My impression was, if that’s going to be the case, Mari is probably not needed." - Eva 2.0 CRC
  41. I thought that Mr. Anno would not be the type to change the way he makes a film based on the reaction of the audience. "But after the end of the first film, I felt that I had to work harder." I thought he wouldn't be the type to change the way he made things. We talked about how we had to work harder after the end of the first film. "In order to respond to our customers, we have to change." We were talking about how we needed to make 2.0 something more... better. But it's hard to decide. We would say, "We have to make changes to meet our customers' expectations. How can we meet the expectations of our customers and satisfy ourselves? In a state of limbo, the production of "Ka" went through many changes. [...] Mari was originally intended to be a character of minor importance. Tsurumaki, CUT Magazine July 2009
  42. "It's like we were rebuilding at random. Once it started turning, it started accelerating and wouldn't stop. I don't think even Mr. Anno imagined it would go this far.
    This "acceleration" led to the creation of a new character, Makinami Mari Illustrious, a symbol of the changes in the new film version. Initially, Mari was only going to appear briefly, but as it turned out, she became a deeply involved character. But since she was a completely new character, there was no room for her to be included, so it was very difficult. If I put her in, the original story would be destroyed. It's very complicated.
    [...]"The character's personality changed two or three times depending on the production period, and it was very difficult. Her name was 'Mariko' at first, too. - Tsurumaki Interview, July 2009 AERA Magazine
  43. Enokido: There were versions of the unfinished screenplay where Mari appears only at the beginning, and doesn’t participate in the battle at the end. - Evangelion 2.0 CRC
  44. "Enokido: The sadness and happiness of young men is bound up in the fact that they always possess these two contradictory wishes. The so-called “Harem Anime” genre is for the most part intended to satisfy these desires. In “Urusei Yatsura”, Shinobu is the Japanese girl who was one’s childhood friend and always by one’s side, and Lum is the “alien girl”. We say “alien”, but [such characters] perhaps [have] an “American” image. Rei and Asuka exactly fit the pattern of this “perfect lineup”.
    Now, coming up with a plan as regards the third girl who must compete with this “ultimate combination” seemed to me a very difficult job. In addition, Director Anno had not, up to this point, developed anything himself, but, expressing the desire for a completely new character, had left Mari’s development to others.
    "This being the case, my first proposal for an additional type was a Sapphire (from [Tezuka Osamu’s] Princess Knight) type. If Rei and Asuka are completely different types, I wondered if a “neutral”, lighthearted type who battles with an “innocent” image would be good. At this point, though Anno-san agreed that it would be good, he thought a Wato (Chiyoko) type (from [Tezuka’s] The Three-Eyed One) would be more realistic, and he got quite excited about it." - Evangelion 2.0 CRC - Enokido interview
  45. Tsurumaki: To put it simply, it was an idea where Mari completely usurped Asuka’s role. For example, Asuka is unable to pilot Unit-02, because Mari is constantly getting to things before Asuka. Mari even thrusts herself into the middle of the relationship between Shinji and Asuka; [Asuka is] completely thwarted. Even though Asuka makes a great effort to fulfill the role she played at the time of the TV series, because Mari is always there it becomes impossible for her to do it; something like that.
    — That’s interesting.
    Tsurumaki: The reaction of Asuka fans to it would probably be terrifying (laughs). Because, in Enokido’s idea, Asuka, thwarted by Mari, is never able to pilot Unit-02. There were voices on the staff pointing out the size of the risk [involved], but Anno-san somehow understood [the idea], saying, “Well, I’m going to take that idea and put it in the script”. However… [this idea] immediately went back to the drawing board (laughs).44 For example, when Asuka tries to pilot Unit-02 at the time of the battle with the eighth angel, she is told by Ritsuko, “Mari, the pilot who arrived on short notice from Europe, can pilot Unit-02, so you are on standby”. Asuka is mortified. That was Enokido’s idea, but in Anno-san’s script, he changed it so that the two of them would be piloting Unit-02 together (laughs).
    — “Ninin-Baori” (laughs)?
    Tsurumaki: It’s excusable to just focus on the good things, but [Anno] was trying so hard to please everybody that the story was becoming confusing.
    [Enokido:] Furthermore, when even Tsurumaki-san, the one person I expected to support me, started saying things like “I’m an Asuka fan, and I won’t be happy if this scene gets cut,” I had a feeling like, “Huh?” (laughs). 2.0 CRC
  46. "— In the original scenario Mari was the daughter of a distinguished English family who kept dogs and cats, and so on; what were the circumstances [relating to that]?
    Enokido: Speaking of that, I also remember conversations like, “What if we gave her tattoos of the names of all the pets she’s kept up until now?” For example, we would insert a bath scene where we see the area from her chest to her stomach is completely covered in tattoos. If she gets asked, “Why do you have them?” she’d answer something like, “They’re the names of all my pets that have died up until now. The tattoos ensure I don’t forget them, and that they still ‘live’ with me”."
    - Eva 2.0 CRC
  47. Enokido: As we had many conversations relating to Mari, I think it was. As for other images, there was the part of a Miko-san [shrine maiden] channeling the gods. She is not “practical” like Asuka, but thinks about “deep” things, like someone who somehow can see mysterious things like those connected with the gods. She is not “unworldly” to Rei’s extent and she talks a lot. As nothing had yet solidified, we had these sorts of discussions about ideas. - Evangelion 2.0 CRC - Enokido Interview
  48. Evangelion 2.0 CRC Tsurumaki Interview, Part 3
  49. 49.0 49.1 "Yes. When I got the instructions on Mari's seifuku design, the document consisted of only two lines: British-style and Christian Missionary School-style. When I asked the general director Anno-san "What is Missionary School-style", he replied "I don't know, create an image from the words"! I then asked him for some reference material and a few days later he brought some photos of British school girls and said "Like this". All their skirts were long – 15cm below the knee – and some looked so old! Looking at all the photos I found that many used check designs, most school girls wore tights and the blazers had colored edges. I used these features in creating the design. I told Amano san that if she didn't wear a blazer it wouldn't look very British. In the trailer of EVA 1 you know Mari is wearing a Blazer, but in EVA 2 it would not be right if she wore one so I changed the design." - Sadamoto, World Seifuku Project Summit Part 2
  50. "Speaking of pink, at first it wasn't used at all for Mari's plug suit and we didn't even test it. For over two weeks we would try green, then yellow, and then it struck me "Pink is it". We photoshopped in pink and it was perfect, and decided on the spot to make it pink."
    Ayanami's plug suit is white, and Asuka's is red. Pink is in between these two colors and it loses some impact, so I did think about making it a more outrageous color. Black would be more British, but a bit harsh, so I went for green. Mari's older model plug suit is green, but I was surprised how much pink suited her. - Sadamoto, World Seifuku Project Summit
  51. Sadamoto, O-sada-bon 2009
  52. "As for Mari, a character present in the Rebuild, they wanted to attract a new type of fan, as well as create an additional character that could be "broken" (in this case the translator was not sure of the word used); Sadamoto also said that he really likes Mari's character, and plans to reuse it in the future." - Yoshiyuki Sadamoto: Milan Manga Festival (2013)
  53. When designing the character of Haruko, Tsurumaki and FLCL screenwriter Yoji Enokido wrote her as “a selfish adult woman who teases Naota,” but when describing her character to other staff members, they would comment “Oh, like Misato [from Evangelion]?” Wanting to avoid comparisons to Evangelion as much as possible, Tsurumaki and Enokido ended up giving Haruko a wild and eccentric personality. They cast Mayumi Shintani (Tsubasa Shibahime in Kare Kano) to play Haruko, because of her unique voice, and further developed the character from there. Haruko’s visual design is partly inspired by the chic style of shoujo manga artist Moyoco Anno (the wife of Hideaki Anno, and friend of Tsurumaki and FLCL’s character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto). - FLCL – Kazuya Tsurumaki’s Surreal Coming-of-Age Comedy | Contextualized
  54. Sadamoto - Kodansha 2003 interviews
  55. YA: What did you think when you first heard about Mari?S: I thought it was fitting that the new films should include a new character. I really strove to design a character who was distinct from Asuka and Rei, though I do worry that there are some small but telling similarities that remain. My idea was to create a character so distinct from the other Evangelion characters as to almost feel out of place in the Evangelion world. I suppose I could've designed her as a sort of "halfway point" between Asuka and Rei, but Asuke and Rei are both such strong characters, in their own separate ways. I wanted to bring something completely different to the table with Mari. For Mari, I'd been asked to design a character who "goes about with a parasol, like the sort of heroine you see in an anime". As I initially designed her, she was very adult-like, having attended a strict private Christian school in Britain. However, in the original script, there was a scene where she returns home to a room full of birds and dogs and begins talking to them, to indicate that she was also rather idiosyncratic. Mr. Anno had also requested that she be more adult-like in appearance and manner than either Asuka or Rei, to set her apart. And that she have a huge chest (laughter). There was a television drama I'd really been enjoying at the time I began designing Mari. The heroine in this drama had a pair of long ponytails. I really liked this character feature, and worked it into Mari's design. After all was said and done, we ended up with the design that we have now, although there are still many elements of my personal tastes and interests of the time in Mari's design (laughter). Incidentally, I decided to give Mari glasses because I thought that this would be a simple yet affective way to set her apart from the other characters. Some people have said that she "doesn't seem like an Evangelion character", which is exactly what I was aiming for. I'm glad to see, though, that the majority of people have appreciated her character. YA: How did you go about designing Mari's uniform and plug suits? S: I'd been asked to make Mari seem very British, so I tried to design accordingly. For her school uniform, I thought that a large bow and long socks, along with a traditional checked skirt, would look the part. Sadamoto Interview (Young Ace n.3, 2009)
  56. Evangelion 2.0 CRC - Sadamoto interview
  57. [Maya] I said that Marie had destroyed “the former Eva”.
    [...]- Parting words filmmakers somehow affected the result?
    [Maya] When I heard about the “destruction”, then realized what an important role, and at the same time extremely responsible mission entrusted to me.I’m sure: to destroy the so ingrained image of the product, the new creation must be a monstrous adventure. And I threw all worries about leaving “Old Eva”, and decided to voice Mari as some kind of an alien element, that today’s Anno needs.
    - Newtype July 2009
  58. 特集:『破』が教える、エヴァンゲリオンは生き続ける, CUT Magazine, August 2009
  59. Maaya Sakamoto talks about the pain of understanding the role of Mari. I will take secrets to my grave.
  60. Khara staff and official account had commented on on Gainax co-founder, Toshio Okada, talking about it on his Youtube channel: Another disgusting video came around. I've never had any contact with the director, and I've never met Toshio Okada. I think it's time to stop making insulting remarks based on crazy assumptions. ; "Toshio Okada hasn't even met Anno for a quarter of a century, and he's never met Moyoco. And yet, there are people who misguidedly say that Mari is Moyoco and believe them. The most misguided part."; "Mari only has Tsurumaki-san's libido in her. She has glasses, is strong, and could have been in FLCL. She's also a character with the same dialogue."
  61. Hideaki Anno did comment on Moyoco in her 2002 manga Insufficient Direction: "My wife's public image is that of a strong woman, but actually she's very sensitive, fragile and weak. She constantly has to face her difficult past, and she couldn't escape the reality of having to provide for her family. It's just that she needed to don a piece of armor called "toughness" over her heart. I can sense that deep inside she battles loneliness and alienation and is barely holding her emotional balance in check."
  62. Director Anno said, "You can speculate about me as much as you want, but if you're gonna speculate about my wife, you can read as much as you want about her in her works at the upcoming Moyoko exhibition." - Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Assorted Translations#April 11 stage greeting
    This referred to Moyoco's ANNORMAL exhibition. Moyoco details her troubled family life. See this thread. Rather than Moyoco saving Hideaki Anno, she's the one that attributes this to him.
  63. Q: Is it true that Mari is based on your wife Anno Mayoco?
    A: Although I sometimes see articles and videos that claim the character of Mari is inspired by my wife, that’s just some people’s theory & speculation. The character profile of Mari (of Asuka and others as well) are largely created by the hands of Director Tsurumaki. [speculation about Moyoco] is different from what actually happened at the time of the production. The audience should free to interpret the characters and the story as they like. This work should also accommodate the fans as a free intellectual playground. However, I am very sad that biased speculations have caused the staff and my family to go down. Therefore, I explicitly deny this issue.
    [...]Q: What do you think of this person, who is not a staff but claims “this should be the correct interpretation”?
    A: Annoying, I think. [alt. I find him a nuisance. The wording used here is quite rude. This is likely refering to Toshio Okada]
    [...]Q: When the new movie ended, does it feel different from when the old movie ended?
    A: There is no difference. After the completion of both movies, the phenomenon of me being subjected to tremendous maliciousness has been unchanged. If any, what’s new was my family members, who are unrelated to the movie, were involved this time. - First Anniversary Khara Q&A
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