I only remember it vaguely, but I think the phrase "insurance fraud" cropped up in discussions over on /m/, back when the show was airing.
I considered that, but it doesn't really fit the bill. All I've seen them stealing are small personal bits of pretty; jewelry, cash, and so forth. They clearly aren't stealing the ships (no reference to prize crewing or selling captured ships, no reference to spacing or repatriating passengers and crew) or the passengers (no reference to slaving or ransoming). Furthermore, if there were private insurance contracts that covered piracy, you can damned well bet that the companies would take any excuse to claim fraud, especially as a lot of the passengers seem to be delighted to be robbed by pirates. My thought is that the in-series reference to insurance is talking about the shipping line insuring the belongings of passengers; they pay before going on a trip so that if they
are robbed the line covers the cost of their possessions, and because pirates are relatively uncommon and don't actually steal or damage the ships, they can run a profit like that.
In other words, a tourist attraction that doubles as a source of income for luxury shipping lines. That's motive for the government to support the existence of pirates, and the system with letters of marque serves as a way to both ensure that pirates continue provide that entertainment and profit, and to prevent them from getting into slaving or more violent raids by giving them a safe, easy way to make money. So it's essentially a symbiotic relationship between the shipping lines and the pirates, using the government as a medium through which they can cooperate.
I suppose that answers my own questions, then.
Out of all of the females in Shinji's life, why does he end up with Asuka after the events of End of Evangelion?
This is a pretty interesting question.
So uh, what is the answer?
I could PM you my 1400 word essay if you'd really like to know (offer goes out to anyone who asks for it). I also look at all of the other characters, not just her, as to why things are the way they are.
For just her, though, I can post this excerpt:
When she’s introduced, Asuka attempts to impress Shinji with her beauty and piloting skills. When they had to sleep in the same house, she sent him a very conflicting message, implying that she’d like to grow closer to him. This message was lost on Shinji, but Asuka sought out his comfort anyway. She offered Shinji a kiss under the pretense of “practice” despite her intense dislike of him. They lived together, they trained together and they fought together. The bond that Asuka and Shinji share is marred by Asuka’s lack of respect for Shinji due to his inability to fight for himself and Shinji’s inability to understand Asuka at all. Despite that, the bond that they share is the strongest out of the other bonds present, for they have grown so close that they can’t ever ignore the prickling of the other’s spines.
Because of that, Shinji may have wished for Asuka to remain, as she is the only one he may be able to come to understand, being as close as they are. Asuka may have chosen to stay for the same reason, desperately seeking out the presence of someone else in her life and knowing only Shinji to have grown that close. The women in Shinji’s life might be missing or their representations converted into symbols of the world post-Impact, but Asuka remains as herself because she, like Shinji, is a person who wants so badly to connect to someone else.
That's pretty close to my own assumption. Congrats on the good reception with your professor, too!
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Topic: I like anime, do you like anime? (Read 3077616 times)