A Cruel Angel's Thesis: Difference between revisions
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|width="400"|<big>''' | |width="400"|<big>'''English Translation'''</big><sup>1</sup> | ||
|width="400"|<big>''' | |width="400"|<big>'''Sing-Along English Translation'''</big><sup>2</sup> | ||
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Like a cruel angel,<br> | Like a cruel angel,<br> | ||
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Embracing this sky [universe] and shining,<br> | Embracing this sky [universe] and shining,<br> | ||
young boy, become the legend!<br> | young boy, become the legend!<br> | ||
''Instrumental section''<br /><sup>3</sup> | |||
Sleeping for a long time<br> | Sleeping for a long time<br> | ||
| Line 242: | Line 190: | ||
Embracing this sky and shining,<br> | Embracing this sky and shining,<br> | ||
young boy, become the legend!<br> | young boy, become the legend!<br> | ||
| | |||
Young boy, like a cruel angel's thesis,<br /> | |||
Live up to be a legend...<br /> | |||
Even though clear blue winds<br /> | |||
Beat on the door of my heart,<br /> | |||
You just smile, looking straight at me<br /> | |||
Too involved in yearning for<br /> | |||
Something to hold on<br /> | |||
The innocent eyes still know nothing of fate yet.<br /> | |||
But someday you will notice<br /> | |||
On those shoulders of yours<br /> | |||
There are strong wings<br /> | |||
To guide you to the far future.<br /> | |||
A cruel angel's thesis<br /> | |||
Will someday fly high from the window<br /> | |||
If memories are betrayed by<br /> | |||
The overflowing, burning pathos.<br /> | |||
Young boy, shine like a legend,<br /> | |||
Holding the sky in your arms.<br /> | |||
A | The cradle of love that sleeps within me<br /> | ||
There will be a morning that<br /> | |||
you | A servant of dreams will come for you.<br /> | ||
The moonlight shines on your thin neckline.<br /> | |||
I'd stop time in this world<br /> | |||
And lock it away for myself, but...<br /> | |||
If there is any meaning<br /> | |||
In the fate that pulled us together,<br /> | |||
Then I am, yes, the Bible<br /> | |||
That teaches you of freedom.<br /> | |||
A cruel angel's thesis<br /> | |||
And then sorrow comes forth<br /> | |||
When the shapes of the dreams you hold in your arms<br /> | |||
Come to life within you.<br /> | |||
Young boy, who shines brighter than anyone else,<br /> | |||
Rise to become a legend.<br /> | |||
''Instrumental section''<br /><sup>3</sup> | |||
People weave together love to create history<br /> | |||
And so I live on,<br /> | |||
Unable to become a goddess...<br /> | |||
A cruel angel's thesis<br /> | |||
Will someday fly high from the window<br /> | |||
If memories are betrayed by<br /> | |||
The overflowing, burning pathos.<br /> | |||
Young boy, shine like a legend,<br /> | |||
Holding the sky in your arms.<br /> | |||
|} | |} | ||
====Translation Notes==== | ====Translation Notes==== | ||
<sup> | <sup>2</sup>This is the translation found on the U.S. release of Evangelion by ADV. | ||
<sup> | <sup>1</sup>This was translated by [mailto:[email protected] Takayama Miyuki] and these are the translator's notes: | ||
*''young boy, become the legend!'': The word "shinwa" actually means "myth" ("legend" would be "densetsu"), but I think it sounds better as "legend." | *''young boy, become the legend!'': The word "shinwa" actually means "myth" ("legend" would be "densetsu"), but I think it sounds better as "legend." | ||
*''with surging, hot pathos'': "Atsui" (hot) can also mean "intense, passionate." "Pathos" is "the quality or power in life or art of evoking a feeling of pity or compassion; pity; suffering; sorrow." | *''with surging, hot pathos'': "Atsui" (hot) can also mean "intense, passionate." "Pathos" is "the quality or power in life or art of evoking a feeling of pity or compassion; pity; suffering; sorrow." | ||
Revision as of 12:44, 18 May 2021
A Cruel Angel's Thesis is the opening theme song for the series Neon Genesis Evangelion, composed by Hidetoshi Sato and sung by Yoko Takahashi. The lyrics are by Neko Oikawa while the arrangement is by Toshiyuki O'mori. The song also has the distinction of taking first place in the JASRAC Awards. [1]
This song was written with relatively limited involvement from Hideaki Anno and the production staff, being handled by producer Toshimichi Otsuki .[2] Anno originally wanted to use an excerpt from Borodin's Polovtsian Dances in the opening, but the producers did not approve of this and instead decided to use a J-Pop song, which eventually resulted in the creation of this song by Neko Oikawa.
Oikawa apparently had very little knowledge of the show, which was under production at the time with the episodes not having been colored. According to tweets and interviews, Oikawa went through a proposal of the show (possibly Neon Genesis Evangelion Proposal) and watched two unfinished episodes on fast-forward, only serving to broadly "fit" the anime after the fact [3][4][5]
Oikawa states that she took inspiration for the title from the manga A Cruel God Reigns.[6] Among other statements, Oikawa said the lyrics "become a legend" were originally "become a weapon" and that she decided to make the song about the perspective of a mother when her child "leaves the nest."[7] The original song included a male chorus, which was cut at director Hideaki Anno's request in order to "emphasize maternal affection".[8]
Lyrics
Original Japanese Lyrics: Neko Oikawa
Romaji and Original Japanese Lyrics
| 『残酷な天使のテーゼ』 | Zankoku na tenshi no teeze |
|
残酷な天使のように 青い風がいま だけどいつか気付くでしょう その背中には 残酷な天使のテーゼ ずっと眠ってる もしもふたり逢えたことに 意味があるなら 残酷な天使のテーゼ 人は愛をつむぎながら 歴史をつくる 残酷な天使のテーゼ |
Zankoku na tenshi no yō ni Aoi kaze ga ima mune no doa wo tataitemo Dakedo itsuka kizuku deshō Zankoku na tenshi no teeze Zutto nemutteru watashi no ai no yurikago Moshi mo futari aeta koto ni imi ga aru nara Zankoku na tenshi no teeze Hito wa ai wo tsumugi nagara rekishi wo tsukuru Zankoku na tenshi no teeze |
English Translations
| English Translation1 | Sing-Along English Translation2 |
|
Like a cruel angel, A blue wind is now Something gently touching-- But someday I think you'll find out The cruel angel's thesis Instrumental section Sleeping for a long time Moonlight reflects off So if two people being brought together by fate The cruel angel's thesis. People create history The cruel angel's thesis |
Young boy, like a cruel angel's thesis, Even though clear blue winds But someday you will notice A cruel angel's thesis The cradle of love that sleeps within me If there is any meaning A cruel angel's thesis Instrumental section People weave together love to create history A cruel angel's thesis |
Translation Notes
2This is the translation found on the U.S. release of Evangelion by ADV.
1This was translated by Takayama Miyuki and these are the translator's notes:
- young boy, become the legend!: The word "shinwa" actually means "myth" ("legend" would be "densetsu"), but I think it sounds better as "legend."
- with surging, hot pathos: "Atsui" (hot) can also mean "intense, passionate." "Pathos" is "the quality or power in life or art of evoking a feeling of pity or compassion; pity; suffering; sorrow."
- Embracing this sky [universe] and shining: "Sora" (sky) is the reading given for the kanji for "uchuu" (universe).
- has any meaning: The kanji used for the "a" in "aeta" is not the normal kanji used in "au" (to meet). It's the first kanji in "ouse" (encounter, tryst) and has more of a connotation of meeting by fate or being brought together by fate, not just meeting. (Interestingly, a dictionary I have gives the meaning of "au," when written with this kanji, as "to meet (with drama or pathos)")
- for learning freedom: The "watashi wa sou" is probably "watashi wa sou omou." And "bible" in this case isn't referring to *the* Bible. "Bible" can also mean "guide book, how-to book, a book valued for its use as a reference," like in "a handyman's bible," or "a bird-watcher's bible."
3The instrumental section contains chanted non-Japanese lyrics in Yoko Takahashi's version and a few others, while other versions of the song have a purely instrumental section. The January 1996 issue of Newtype magazine transcribed Takahashi's lyrics in this section as "Fariya. Seta(or sepa) messo. Fariya. Tuse." which they speculate is from the fictional language of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Alternatively, an EvaGeeks forum discussion suggests that the lyrics may be "Faria? Será mesmo? Faria? Eu sei!" which is in the Portuguese language. Since the word "Faria" is usually used in a similar way as the English word "would", those lines could be interpreted as someone doubting something or someone else. There has never been any official information on the actual lyrics or their meaning, if any.
References
- ↑ http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-05-25/songs-from-evangelion-other-anime-win-jasrac-awards
- ↑ From the animania blog report on the March 28, 2005 NHK Anime Yawa talk show (translation by animania) - Otsuki said he allowed Anno to do whatever he wanted in the anime except for the theme music. Otsuki was particular about the theme and handled the music staff by himself, going as far as to claim that no anime staff, even Anno, met the music staff (apparently contradicted by Oikawa's statements). - Yuko Miyamura, BS AnimeYAWA
- ↑ “My manager got the job, we had a quick meeting lasting about 30 minutes, skim-read the proposal and watched two episodes on fast-forward. And with that I was told ‘so, yeah, just write whatever you want!’, and finished the song [lyrics] in about two hours. Sorry to burst your bubble, guys!” http://soranews24.com/2015/01/08/a-cruel-angels-thesis-took-just-two-hours-to-write-says-evangelion-lyricist-neko-oikawa
- ↑ "I hadn't watched Eva and wrote it in 2 hours. I don't even know what the story is or who is fighting who." https://twitter.com/otakucalendarjp/status/1356542049751687171
- ↑ . "It wasn't even colored. I wrote the song, and my job was done. I wrote it in about two hours." Anime News Network interview with Neko Oikawa
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20160830224921/http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/11939169
- ↑ https://www.sankei.com/west/news/161228/wst1612280011-n1.html
- ↑ Refrain of Evangelion OST Booklet, 2003.
