>>29373I think Shinji would antagonize Asuka inadvertantly, not really empathizing with her or thinking about how what he says might be interpreted. By contrast, I think Asuka's extreme reaction is very characteristic of her. From Asuka's perspective, for much the same reason that Shinji didn't really consider his own words all that scrupulously, Asuka does interpret her own acions as dramatically harsh. Or, it might be more apt to say that Asuka just doesn't care. It makes sense that Shinji would internalize his humiliation so badly. It wasn't even the severity of Asuka's reaction which got him. He has a fragile ego and a low self-esteem. Asuka could have said anything to a negative effect, and Shinji would inevitably react the same.