 In Episode 7, Misatos cans of Yebisu beer are labelled "Yebichu",  with a picture of a hamster replacing the "beer god". This is a  reference to the manga "Oruchuban Ebichu" by Lisa Itoh, which  Hideaki Anno was a fan of. When Gainax later produced the anime  version, _"Oruchuban Ebichu" (1999)_ (qv), they carried the joke  over.