Music of Neon Genesis Evangelion

Different versions of the song were recorded by British singer Claire Littley, Yoko Takahashi and the anime's main female voice actors, Megumi Hayashibara, Kotono Mitsuishi and Yuko Miyamura.

Critics have compared several pieces to Beatles songs and soundtracks from earlier anime, such as Mobile Suit Gundam and Space Battleship Yamato.

Sagisu's work has been well received by critics and audiences alike; several albums and singles from the soundtrack have been certified gold or platinum in Japan, reaching the top of the national charts.

[1] The original soundtrack of Neon Genesis Evangelion was composed by Shiro Sagisu and distributed by King Records, which was also directly involved in the conception and production of the series.

[2] The music was produced by the director and main scriptwriter of the series, Hideaki Anno, who gave several instructions to the composer and was personally responsible for choosing the titles of the pieces.

[3][4] Toshimichi Ōtsuki, a representative of King Records, first approached Anno about making Evangelion and gave him the opportunity to launch the project,[5] taking on the role of one of the series' producers.

[17] Miyakawa and several fans have also noted similarities between Sagisu's work and the music of the anime Space Battleship Yamato,[19] with which it shares the instrumentation of strings, horns, rhythm section and percussion.

[21] The music used in the twelfth episode during the confrontation against Sahaquiel was described by writer Dennis Redmond as "a Spanish-style aria reminiscent of Leone's Spaghetti Westerns",[22] while "Eva-00" has been compared to the works of Bernard Herrmann.

[42][43] The Cello Suite, played by Shinji in the fifteenth episode of the series,[44] was selected by screenwriter Akio Satsukawa, who is known for using classical music pieces, such as Manon Lescaut and Madama Butterfly, in his works.

Haiku Hoffer has noted how Ode to Joy, unlike other pieces such as Bach's Cello Suite, is well known in Japan, as it is played during end-of-year concerts called Daiku;[55] the fact that Kaworu hums the piece in front of Shinji, seen in Japan as a song to be sung as a group symbol of cooperation and a sense of community,[56] would immediately suggest to the Japanese viewer how the two characters are destined to become friends over the course of the series.

Tracks by Kotono Mitsuishi[59][60] and Masami Okui are used in several scenes of the series, usually as background music or on Shinji's Digital Audio Tape player.

The soundtrack features songs by Mitsuishi, Misato Katsuragi's original voice actress, including "You are the only one",[61][62] "Aoi legend", "Toi sora no yakusoku" (遠い空の約束, lit.

'The ladybird's samba'), a 1973 song popular at Japanese weddings, recorded for the series during dubbing by Junko Iwao, Miki Nagasawa, Yuko Miyamura and Megumi Ogata.

According to the book Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide, written by Kazuhisa Fujie and Martin Foster, the song's violent and pessimistic lyrics may refer to the psychoanalytic concept of Thanatos, the destructive death drive postulated by Sigmund Freud.

[151] All music is composed by Shirō Sagisu unless specifiedNeon Genesis Evangelion II was released by Starchild on 16 February 1996,[153][154] and re-released in a second edition on 22 December 2004.

[180] CD Journal, on the other hand, welcomed the 2013 remastered version of III and the previous two albums,[181] stating: "The music is superb and can be listened to as a magnificent, sumptuous, delicate and romantic symphony.

"[182] All music is composed by Shirō Sagisu unless specifiedNeon Genesis Evangelion Addition, the fourth album dedicated to the franchise, was released on 21 December 1996.

In the audiodrama, written and directed by Anno,[191][192] the characters of Evangelion metanarratively break the fourth wall and discuss how to improve and continue the series.

[194] Kenneth Jin-ho Cho of Ex magazine praised the hilarity of the audiodrama and its use of classical music, but found the album to be superfluous: "Nothing on this disc is really a motivated purchase point and it seems more like an outlet for the cast of Evangelion to kick back and let loose with the vocal cords".

[216][217] It included several songs related to the character and a version of "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" sung by Megumi Hayashibara, Rei's Japanese voice actress.

Hayashibara stated that in singing the song, she was thinking of the scene in which Rei smiles for the first time at Shinji Ikari in the film version of Evangelion, avoiding giving the impression of a cold character.

[222] All music is composed by Shirō Sagisu unless specifiedNeon Genesis Evangelion Decade was released on 26 October 2005, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the series.

The album, originally scheduled for release on 25 March,[230] comprised several tracks from the classic series and the 1997 film, including a new version of Takahashi's "Fly Me to the Moon", and came with a special booklet.

[265] All music is composed by Shirō SagisuKing Records released Evangelion Wind Symphony No.2 on 9 December 2009[266][267] simultaneously with the first volume and with the same extra content.

[292][293] It includes songs from the soundtrack performed by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra at the Bunkamura Orchard Hall on 6, 7, 8, 9 and 14 July 1997, prior to the release of The End of Evangelion.

[297] All music is composed by Shirō Sagisu unless noted otherwiseEvangelion Classic 1 – Beethoven: Symphony No.9 "Choral" (Japanese: エヴァンゲリオン・クラシック➀ ベートーヴェン◎交響曲 第9番 ニ短調 作品125 「合唱つき」, Hepburn: Evangerion Kurasikku 1 – Bētōben: Kōkyōkyokudai dai kyū-ban ni tanchō sakuhin hyakunijūgo 'Gasshō-tsuki') was released on 22 October 1997, then redistributed on 6 November 2013.

[298][299] Evangelion Classic 2 – Verdi: Requiem (Japanese: エヴァンゲリオン・クラシック➁ ヴェルディ◎レクイエム, Hepburn: Evangerion Kurasikku 2 – Verudi: Rekuiemu) was released on 22 October 1997, then redistributed on 6 November 2013.

[300][301] Evangelion Classic 3 – George Frideric Händel: Messiah (Complete) (Japanese: エヴァンゲリオン・クラシック➂ ヘンデル◎オラトリオ「メサイア」全曲, Hepburn: Evangerion Kurasikku 3 – Handeru: Oratorio 'Mesaia' Zenkyoku) was published on 22 October 1997.

Bach: Orchestral Suite No.3 & others (Japanese: エヴァンゲリオン・クラシック➃ バッハ◎管弦楽組曲第3番「アリア」、他, Hepburn: Evangerion Kurasikku 4 – Bahha: Kangengaku kumikyoku dai san-ban 'Aria', hoka) was released on 22 October 1997, and then redistributed on 6 November 2003.

[309] Patrick Gan of Original Sound Version wrote a positive review on the album, praising the track "Kibō no Sora" and the new arrangement of "Shiawase wa Tsumi no Nioi".

Halleluja Chorus, one of the tracks of Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition
"Jesus bleibet meine Freunde", used for The End of Evangelion and included in The Day of Second Impact
Suite n. 1 by Bach