A Cruel Angel's Thesis
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 Omori. 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] The writing process for Episode 01 took as long as six months,[5] and the opening sequence was not yet finished.[6][7] The original song included a male chorus, which was cut at director Hideaki Anno's request in order to "emphasize maternal affection".[8]
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"You mean you couldn't read the questions in Japanese?" "Right, I haven't learned all the Chinese characters yet. We didn't study it in college over there." |
Oikawa states that she took inspiration for the title from the manga A Cruel God Reigns.[9] 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."[10] Singer Yoko Takahashi was also brought in relatively haphazardly and had no knowledge of the series, and would only see the opening featuring her voice when it aired on TV.[11] She had also first met Anno on the day of recording.[12]
Lyrics
Original Japanese Lyrics: Neko Oikawa
| 『残酷な天使のテーゼ』 | Zankoku na tenshi no teeze | English Translation1 | Sing-Along English Translation2 |
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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 Instrumental section 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 Instrumental section 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 |
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 Instrumental section The cradle of love that sleeps within me If there is any meaning A cruel angel's thesis People weave together love to create history A cruel angel's thesis |
Translation Notes
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."
2This is the translation found on the U.S. release of Evangelion by ADV.
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
- ↑ "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
- ↑ 2nd JUNE interview
- ↑ Notenki Memoirs
- ↑ According to Hidenori Matsubara during the Animazement 2015 convention, "the song was created before they even got done with animation for the opening theme. Strangely enough, the song manage to go along with the opening animation."
- ↑ Refrain of Evangelion OST Booklet, 2003.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20160830224921/http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/11939169
- ↑ https://www.sankei.com/west/news/161228/wst1612280011-n1.html
- ↑ Yoko Takahashi Performs Neon Genesis Evangelion Theme, “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” to Excited Crowd at Anime Expo 2015 in LA
- ↑ —When was your first meeting with Mr. Anno?
"It was on the day of recording. As I said earlier, when I entered the studio before anyone else to get ready, even while I couldn't afford, a man dressed in black and wearing sandals suddenly appeared. I didn't know who it was, but I just said hi, and he was actually Mr. Anno (Hideaki). It was a shocking encounter (laughs)." -Yoko Takahashi: EVANGELION FINALLY (2020)
