Don't Be

"Don't Be" is the twenty-second episode of the Japanese anime television series Neon Genesis Evangelion, created by Gainax. The episode was written by Hideaki Anno and Hiroshi Yamaguchi and directed by the animator Akira Takamura. In the episode, Asuka Langley Soryu, the pilot of the giant mecha Evangelion Unit-02, comes into conflict with Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami, her fellow pilots, due to several defeats in previous battles. The fourteenth of a series of enemies named Angels, Arael, launches a mental attack on Asuka, revealing her repressed past, marked by the suicide of her mother, Kyoko.

The original premise for "Don't Be" involved an aerial battle between the Evangelion and Arael; however, the concept was shelved due to production restrictions. The episode explores Asuka's psyche and contains several references to psychology and psychoanalysis, particularly the concepts of reaction formation, psychological regression, repression, and masculine protest. It uses experimental directorial techniques to explore Asuka's psyche, notably using George Frideric Handel's Hallelujah chorus. Critics have compared the chorus' use to the direction of Stanley Kubrick and Kihachi Okamoto's Blue Christmas.

"Don't Be" was first broadcast on 28 February 1996, and drew a 7.9% audience share on Japanese television. The episode received an overall positive reception from critics, who particularly praised Asuka's exploration and psychological development. However, some critics have criticized the use of the Hallelujah chorus and a long freeze-frame scene in which Asuka and Rei remain silent in a lift.