>>3564928Extremely bleak. For instance, the interpretation that it's an open-ended asushin ending which is what's on evageeks now hadn't really formed yet. You can read this on the archived Mailing List crap. One summary that circulated for years said that Shinji destroyed the world and created a reality just for him and Asuka.
>>3564931So if you had an ending with one of those ships, you think fans of those ships would have done what? The story would be done and they'd move on too. Investment in a franchise isn't just about expectations for the future.
Conversely, what are the 12 Marishin shippers worldwide thinking? Are they going to leave the fandom, or would they like to see a future work "continuing" this relationship? Even if Anno isn't at the helm. Only demand matters for the future.
Also I don't trust Anno to keep away at all. The NHK doc makes it clear he wanted to have a hands-off approach and 3.0+1.0 was gonna be mostly Tsurumaki's movie, yet he gradually go more and more involved. He says he'll stay as "quality control" or whatever for the spin-offs. Watch as he demands Asuka gets pandered to again. I can even see fans debating which spin-off is "more" canon now based on the level of involvement Anno had.
>>3564933Maybe, maybe. To a degree, their characters, especially in the Rebuilds, revolve around their interactions with Shinji. Some writers might put him in there just to make these 3 work. Even if he's no longer the protagonist, he can still be there.
By all measures, Shinji is still far more popular than Misato or Mari, so that's something. Real Shinji hate is something far more pronounced in the West.
Oh yeah, I wonder if they're gonna internationalize things to some level.
I don't know why you guys are arguing the mangas failed either. Asushinfags remember AD fondly to this day. It ran for years.
