Eddras said:
as much as this is true Tenchi Muyo was far worst
Hey now, how do you figure that? Tenchi Muyo only lasted 13 episodes with maybe only one movie that was actually in MUYO's continuity (ie. not Universe or In Tokyo). Evangelion lasted 26 and has had about four different movies about its original continuity. Within half of Muyo's run, Tenchi was already leaning towards getting it on with one of the girls of his harem (even if it was the especially bitchy one that would result in incest and had that comical lisp in the English run), and would ultimately have been staring down an entire intergalactic military fleet led by her father, who was hellbent on stopping such a union if the show had not gotten cancelled.
Besides, Tenchi had the reason of common sense for not making a move. No matter who he picked, he would have died. He was probably waiting for the day when he could rely on the Lighthawk Wings to protect him from all of the things, including bad decisions.
Shinji, on the other hand, never made a move for no reason. Not on mom-clone 2000 (which he had no way of knowing at the time the window was wide open), not on Asuka (who he jerked off ON in the first movie, and who before the first series ended was wondering why he HADN'T made a move on her... before she completely suffered that mental breakdown), not on MILFsato who flat out said she'd have done him in the first movie (before dying horribly if I recall, but still) and will definitely not make a move on YOLOswag Mari.
TL;DR: Tenchi would've tapped something eventually, Shinji would still be trying to motivate himself with "I mustn't run away" chants.