Music of Neon Genesis Evangelion

The Neon Genesis Evangelion (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン) Franchise has had various soundtracks albums, remix albums and compilations released around it.

Shiro Sagisu composed most of the music for Neon Genesis Evangelion, King Records and their label Starchild (specialising in music, animation and film) distributed most of the albums, singles and box sets. For the anime series, Yoko Takahashi performed the song "Cruel Angel's Thesis" which was used as the opening theme song for the series. The song by Bart Howard "Fly Me to the Moon" was performed by various seiyū - or voice actors - from the anime series and these versions of the song were used as the ending theme song for the series. Theme songs were also granted for the films in the franchise Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, its follow-up The End of Evangelion and the first two instalments of the Rebuild of Evangelion film series.

A Cruel Angel's Thesis
"A Cruel Angel's Thesis" (残酷な天使のテーゼ) is the theme song of the popular anime Neon Genesis Evangelion performed by Yoko Takahashi. It was used as the opening to the series, and two instrumental versions of it were played in the finale episode, "Take care of yourself." These are "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" and "Good, or Don't Be", scored for violin, piano, and guitar. "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" is a somber and reflective piece for bowed strings and guitar, while "Good, or Don't Be" was to a light piano and guitar tone. Both are considerably different in tone from the more hard-driving techno-dance original. A similar, but sparser, version can also be heard during the intermission between the two parts of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. The single was released on October 25, 1995 released with the part number KIDA-116 and it also reached a peak rank 17 in the Oricon album database appearing in the ranks 61 times.

Fly Me to the Moon
"Fly Me to the Moon" is one of the theme songs in the Neon Genesis Evangelion Series. In the anime it was used as the Ending theme. various aritsts including seiyuu from the franchise have performed the song. It has mainly been performed by Claire and Megumi Hayashibara. Utada Hikaru has also performed her version of Fly me to the Moon in the anime film adaptation, Evangelion 1.0.

Originally "Fly Me to the Moon" was a pop standard song written by Bart Howard in 1954. "In Other Words" was the original title for the song and Felicia Sanders introduced it incabarets. The song became known popularly as "Fly Me to the Moon" from its first line, and after a few years the publishers changed the title to that officially.

Refrain of Soul
"Refrain of Soul" (魂のルフラン) was the theme song used for the first film in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. Released on February 21, 1997, Yoko Takahashi performed the song and it was from her album Li-La which was also released on November 6, 1997.

Thanatos If I Can't Be Yours
"Thanatos If I Can't Be Yours" was the theme song used in the continuation and completion of the previous films Death and Rebirth, The End of Evangelion. LOREN & MASH performed the song (the original and 9 Years After mix), which was composed by Shiro Sagisu and played in both the end credits and the credits to episode 25. Loren and Mash also sang various songs in Neon Genesis Evangelion. Other songs by Loren include "Komm, süsser Tod" and the Tumbling Down Remix among other songs on Evangelion: Vox. Other songs by Mash include Various songs on Evangelion: Vox, including "X-plicit" and "Armageddon" (a Rap version of Pachelbel's Canon in D, complete with string quartet). He also performed at the Evangelion Symphony concert (later released on CD).

Beautiful World
"Beatiful World" is Utada Hikaru's 19th Japanese single and her 26th single overall. The single was released on 29 August 2007. "Beatiful World" was used as the theme song for the first installment of the Rebuild of Evangelion series of films, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone. It peak ranked 2nd in Oricon singles charts and remained there for 26 weeks.

Beautiful World Planitb Acoustica Mix
"Beautiful World Planitb Acoustica Mix" is a remix of "Beautiful World" by Utada Hikaru. In May 2009, Hikaru Utada was announced to return to the series and provide the theme song for the second film in the Rebuild of Evangelion series, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. "Beautiful World" was re-released in 2009 as "Beautiful World: Planitb Acoustica Mix" for the release of the movie after previously being released to be used as the theme song for the first film.

Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion is the first soundtrack album for the anime series. It was produced by Hideaki Anno and released under the King Record label Starchild with catalog number KIKA-286 on November 22, 1995. It was recorded on December 6, 1995, and peaked at number 12 on the Oricon albums chart, staying in the chart for 22 weeks. The album was re-released on DVD-Audio with catalog number KIAW-21 on December 22, 2004. The album was released in the US by Geneon Entertainment on January 1, 2004.

Track #1 is the director edited version of the opening theme "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" performed by Yoko Takahashi with lyrics by Neko Oikawa. Track #2 and #23 are two versions of Bart Howard's "Fly Me to the Moon"; the closing anime theme was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and performed by Claire and Yoko Takahashi, respectively. The liner notes contain the lyrics for the two theme songs.

Neon Genesis Evangelion II
Neon Genesis Evangelion II is the second soundtrack album released for the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series. It was produced by Hideaki Anno, while Shiro Sagisu composed the tracks (unless stated otherwise). The King Records label Starchild released the album with the catalog number KIKA-290 on February 16, 1996, and the album peaked at number 4 on the Oricon albums chart where it stayed for 15 weeks. The album was re-released as a DVD-Audio with catalog number KIAW-22 on December 22, 2004.

Neon Genesis Evangelion III
Neon Genesis Evangelion III is a soundtrack album featuring music from the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series. The album reached a peak of rank 1 on the Oricon album database, with 11 frequent appearances. Shiro Sagisu created the music, the label Starchild distributed the album and produced by Hideaki Anno, it was released on May 22, 1996 and on August 3, 2004 by Geneon Anime Music.

Evangelion Death
Evangelion: Death is a soundtrack album released on June 11, 1997 by the King Records label, Star Child, containing music from the first part of the first Evangelion film, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. It reached a peak of rank 1 in the Oricon album database. Shiro Sagisu composed most of the music. The disc has several tuning tracks and string solos that are portrayed in the film as being played by the four primary Evangelion pilots. The disc includes as bonus tracks "False Regeneration" from the Rebith part of the film as well as Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem. The CD is no longer in print.

The End of Evangelion
The End of Evangelion is the soundtrack album of the 1997 film The End of Evangelion. It features music composed and conducted by Shiro Sagisu. It also features the ending theme as well as Johann Sebastian Bach's Air on the G String and Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147. It was released on September 26, 1997 on King Records's Starchild label, peaking at number 3 on Oricon's albums chart. Geneon Entertainment released the album on May 11, 2004 in North America.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: S² Works
Neon Genesis Evangelion: S² Works is a soundtrack box set of music from the anime TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion and the first two Evangelion films, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion. Released on December 4, 1998, it peaked at number 38 in the Oricon album chart, making 2 appearances in total. It was distributed by King Records and composed mostly by Shiro Sagisu. In addition to tracks included on earlier Evangelion soundtracks, this 7-disc set includes many unused songs and alternate mixes or arrangements of existing songs. It was issued as a limited edition release. The title is based on the fictional engine from Neon Genesis Evangelion called the S² Engine.

Music from Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
Music from Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone is the first soundtrack album featuring music from the film Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, composed by Shirō Sagisu. The album peaked at number 28 in the Oricon database, making 6 appearances in total. All tracks featured on the album are presented in their entirety, without being edited for film length. Most of the songs are new versions of background music from the original Evangelion animated television series. The score was recorded by the London Studio Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London, England.

The album was released on September 25, 2007 by Starchild. The executive producers are Hideaki Anno and Toshimichi Otsuki while Shiro Sagisu produced the music (acting also as the composer and conducter) and Tomohiro Ogawa.

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone Original Soundtrack
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone Original Soundtrack (catalog number KICA 886) is the second soundtrack album of the 2007 film Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone. It features music composed by Shirō Sagisu as well as the film's theme songs performed by Hikaru Utada and three bonus songs (two of which were unused in the film) sung by Misato Katsuragi's seiyū Kotono Mitsuishi. The first press version of the soundtrack included a white slipcover and an Evangelion: 1.0 postcard. The London Studio Orchestra performed the score, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, and Hideaki Anno and Toshimichi Otsuki produced the music. It peaked at number 38 on the Oricon albums chart, making a total of 9 appearances on the chart.

The album was released on May 25, 2008 by Starchild.

Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance Original Soundtrack
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album of the 2009 film Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance. It peaked well at number 8 in the Oricon album charts, charting for a total of 16 weeks. It features music composed by Shirō Sagisu and performed by the London Studio Orchestra as well as a choir of four. The executive producers were Hideaki Anno and Toshimichi Otsuki while Shiro Sagisu provided the keyboard and programming as well as two bonus songs. The album was released on July 8, 2009 in both a single-disc regular edition (catalog number KICA 985) containing the music as edited for the film, and a special edition (catalog number KICA 983/4) that features an additional disc containing unedited versions of the music and a twenty-page booklet with commentary by Shirō Sagisu, as well as sheet music excerpts. The first press edition of the special edition included a hard plastic orange slipcover and an Evangelion: 2.0 postcard. Starchild released the album.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Decade
Neon Genesis Evangelion Decade is an album released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the date the TV series began airing. The album peaked at number 24 in the Oricon charts, making 90 appearances on the chart. In addition to the music used in the anime, the theme song "Cruel Angel's Thesis" was also newly recorded and sung by Yoko Takahashi. The album was released in Japan on November 26, 2005 by King Records on 1 disc with a length of 73 minutes.

The Day of Second Impact
Evangelion: The Day of Second Impact is a soundtrack album featuring music from the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series and the films Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion. It was released in Japan on September 13, 2000 by King Records and in North America on September 7, 2004 by Geneon Entertainment and peaked at number 20 in the Oricon charts, ultimately making just 2 appearances. All of the songs on this album previously appeared on other Evangelion albums or singles.

As the title implies, it is based around the Second Impact, a pivotal event in the Evangelion storyline and thus the album release date matches that of the fictional event.

The Birthday of Rei Ayanami
Evangelion: The Birthday of Rei Ayanami (エヴァンゲリオン The Birthday of Rei Ayanami Evangelion: The Birthday of Rei Ayanami?) is the twelfth music album released in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. As the title indicates, its focus is Rei Ayanami, one of the three primary protagonists of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The album features background music and instrumental tracks related to Rei's appearances in the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series and movies. It also contains vocal tracks by her seiyū, Megumi Hayashibara, for the "Rei Ayanami versions" of certain songs related to Neon Genesis Evangelion. The Birthday of Rei Ayanami was released on March 30, 2001 in Japan by King Records, Hayashibara's 34th birthday. Rei Ayanami's fictional birth date however, is unclear. The Birthday of Rei Ayanami has only been released in Japan. It peaked at number 45 in the Oricon albums chart and made just 3 appearances. The album cover features an illustration by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the character designer for the series. The CD itself depicts the front part of Rei's plug suit bearing the inscription 00, which refers to her designated Evangelion, Unit 00. The album was produced by Kouji Asano and Takashi Tokuhara.

Refrain of Evangelion
Refrain of Evangelion is a soundtrack album featuring music from the anime TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion and the films Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion. This album also features a special bonus song, a previously unreleased song written for The End of Evangelion, called "Everything You've Ever Dreamed".

On May 26, 2003 King Records released the album in Japan and Geneon Entertainment released it in America on November 9, 2004, while it made it to number 62 in the Oricon database, making a total of 6 appearances.

Evangelion VOX
Evangelion-VOX is an album consisting of songs from and based on the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime TV series and the movie The End of Evangelion. It was recorded in 1997 and released December 3, 1997. The songs are R&B/hip-hop remakes of several pieces of background music from the Evangelion series. The album was released by Starchild Records and produced by Shirō Sagisu. It peaked at number 10 on the Oricon albums chart, making 6 appearances.

Evangelion Symphony
Evangelion Symphony (エヴァンゲリオン交響楽) is an orchestral live album featuring music from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. In 1997 it was recorded at the Bunkamura Orchard Hall. It was released on December 22, 1997 with the catalogue number KICA-390/1 on King Records' label Starchild Records. Shirō Sagisu created and produced the music. It also managed to peak rank 34 in the Oricon charts, managing to make a total of 6 frequent appearances.

Track listing

Neon Genesis Evangelion Classical Volume 1 - Beethoven
"Neon Genesis Evangelion Classical Volume 1 - Beethoven" is a CD album containing a recording of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, as conducted by Alexander Rahabari. The fourth movement was used in the 24th episode of the series, and was previously released on Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition. It was released on October 22, 1997 by King Records, with the catalog number KICC-231.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Classical Volume 2 - Verdi
"Neon Genesis Evangelion Classical Volume 2 - Verdi" is a double-CD set containing a recording of Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi, as conducted by Alexander Rahabari. The Dies Irae was used in the trailers for The End of Evangelion, and was previously released on Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition. It was released on October 22, 1997 by King Records with the cat. number KICC-232.

Track listing

Neon Genesis Evangelion Classical Volume 3 - Handel
"Neon Genesis Evangelion Classical Volume 3 - Handel" is a soundtrack album released on 22 November, 1997 by King Records it features pieces originally composed by George Frideric Handel. It was released as one CD with the cat. number KICC-234 and it peak ranked 96 in the Oricon charts making only one appearance.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Classical Volume 4 - J.S. Bach
"Neon Genesis Evangelion Classical Vol. 4 - J.S. Bach" is a compilation CD album containing Johann Sebastian Bach's Classical Pieces used in the theatricle feature. It was released in November, 11 2003, produced by King Records with the catalog number KICC 236. The Soundtrack was conducted by Vassil Kazandjiev and composed by Bach. Tracks 1-6 are of 'Suite No. 1 For Cello Solo In G Major, BWV.1007, tracks 7-12 are of Partita No. 3 For Violin Solo In E Major, BWV.1006, tracks 13-17 are of Orchestral Suite No. 3 In D Major, BWV.1068, and track 18 are of Jesu, Joy Of Man's Dreaming.

Refrain the Songs Were Inspired by Evangelion
Refrain the Songs Were Inspired by Evangelion is an album consisting of songs from and based on the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series. Some of the songs are new versions of tracks included on Neon Genesis Evangelion II, Neon Genesis Evangelion III and Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. All songs are performed by Yoko Takahashi (who performed the opening theme for the series as well as other tracks), track 14 being an exception which was recorded on the streets of London by street singers. This album was released by Starchild and produced by Toshiyuki Ohmori, it was released on November 6, 1997.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition
Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition is the fourth music album released relating to the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It features three instrumental, five vocal, and four drama tracks. Addition was released on December 21, 1996 in Japan by King Records in a limited and a regular addition, which respectively bear the catalog numbers KICA-333 and KICA-334. The limited edition album was released to include a movie ticket for the first Evangelion movie, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth which was released on March 15, 1997. The album cover features an illustration by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the character designer for the series. Addition has only been released in Japan.

Addition features the seiyu for Rei Ayanami (Megumi Hayashibara), Asuka Langley Soryu (Yuko Miyamura) and Misato Katsuragi (Kotono Mitsuishi), who between them account for seven of the twelve tracks. The two classical pieces of music on Addition are by the composers George Frideric Handel and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Hayashibara, Miyamura, and Mitsuishi are accompanied by the seiyu for Shinji Ikari and the supporting characters on the drama track Shuukyoku no Tsudzuki ("After the End"), a comedic parody in which the reunited cast tries to come with ways to continue Evangelion, when popular demand makes the studio order them to produce a third season, even though the TV series ended after a 26 episode run. Presented as a "lost 27th episode", the comedy revolves around the characters breaking the fourth wall, and behaving as if they're really actors who portray the characters on the series and at other times they act as if they are the characters in the series. They try to increase the sex appeal of the series, change the show's format, and try to explain what the Angels actually are. However, when their efforts prove no success,they decide to give up on it. Humorous moments of this the drama include Rei finally lashing out against Asuka's abuse, the Evangelion pilots resembling more to Super Sentai series, and the cast reenacting the first episode purely by sound effects provided solely by their vocal chords.

Reception
In their review, iSugoi.com gave the Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance Original Sound Track a 96%, and commented that "Overall, this is a soundtrack that should please as well as surprise fans. Even as a standalone soundtrack, it's still an incredibly realized and focused soundtrack. Shiro Sagisu continues to strive forward in delivering an impressive and satisfying contribution to the realm of Evangelion."