Review of the CD "Shiro SAGISU Music from "SHIN EVANGELION"", the music world created by Shiro Sagisu for "Shin Evangelion the Movie" [Ryozo Fuwa's "Anime no otto" Vol.08

More than eight years after the 2012 movie "Evangelion: Q," the fourth and final installment in the Evangelion series, "Shin Evangelion the Movie," was released in theaters on March 8, 2021. For a quarter of a century since 1995, fans who have been wondering how the story would end and what would become of the characters, this was the long-awaited "conclusion of 'Eva'". In addition, the release of the film had to be postponed twice due to the spread of the new coronavirus, and it was with great emotion that not only the fans, but also the production staff, film and theater personnel, and everyone else welcomed the release of the film.

I will leave the various thoughts about the movie for another article, but here I would like to introduce the 3-CD set "Shiro SAGISU Music from "SHIN EVANGELION"" (King Record/2020), which is a collection of music used in the "Shin Evangelion Theater Version" (hereafter referred to as "Shin"). " (King Record / March 17, 2021).

Before touching on the contents of the CD, one thing. Did you know that there are two lines of music CDs for the Evangelion new movie series? One is the "Shiro SAGISU Music from..." CD, which is a "music collection" that includes full-size versions of the songs composed for the movie, along with other arrangements and songs not used in the movie, in other words, a collection of songs created by the composer Shiro Sagisu in their original form. The other is the line of CDs used in the play. The other is a line of CDs titled "Original Soundtracks," which are "soundtrack recordings" containing songs in their original size and mix as they were used in the film, as well as songs from the film.

For "Rebuild of Evangelion: Introduction" released on September 1, 2007, "Shiro SAGISU Music from "EVANGELION 1.0" YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE." was released on September 26, immediately after the film's release, and on May 21, 2008, to coincide with the subsequent DVD release For "Rebuild of Evangelion: Rebuild of Evangelion: 2.0", released on June 27, 2009, the format has changed slightly, with "Rebuild of Evangelion: 2.0" Original Soundtrack Special Edition" released on July 8, 2009. EDITION" on July 8, 2009, with "EVANGELION: DEBRAH Original Soundtrack" on Disc 1 and "Shiro SAGISU Music from "EVANGELION 2.0" YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE." on Disc 2 (the standard edition includes only Disc 1). (The standard version is only Disc 1). Shiro SAGISU Music from "EVANGELION 3.0" YOU CAN (NOT) REDO." was also released on November 28, right after the November 17, 2012 release of "EVANGELION: Q," while "Shiro SAGISU Music from "EVANGELION 3.0" YOU CAN (NOT) REDO. The Movie: Q Original Soundtrack" was announced as an initial bonus CD for the Blu-ray/DVD "EVANGELION: Q EVANGELION: 3.33 YOU CAN (NOT) REDO." to be released on April 24, 2013.

Although the release format has changed, there is no change in the classification of the "Shiro SAGISU Music from..." series as a "music collection" and the "original soundtrack" as a "soundtrack disc", and this CD, released on March 17, is also a "music collection". This CD, released on March 17, is the "Shin" version of the "Shiro SAGISU Music from..." series, which is a "music collection. The release schedule for the "Original Soundtrack" disc has not been announced at the time of writing, but some of the tracks can be previewed on the official Evangelion app "EVA-EXTRA". By comparing the two systems of the new theatrical version music CD, we can learn both what the composer Shiro Sagisu intended the music to be and how it was edited and adjusted in the movie to fit with the film. Now that you have seen "Shin," if you are interested in exploring the music of the new theatrical version, this is a good place to start.

To cut to the chase, fans know that the music of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series, which was based on the familiar music of the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" TV animation series and continued through ":Introduction" and ":Break", took a big leap forward with ":Q" and focused on magnificent new music with an orchestral sound and a chorus. As fans know, the music of the new TV anime "Fushigi-no-Umi no Nana. It is also a well-known fact that the music includes bold quotations from past works created by Hideaki Anno, the general director, and Shiro Sagisu, the composer, such as the animated TV series "Nadia of the Wonderful Sea" (1990) and "Boyfriend and Girlfriend" (1998), and that this has had a great effect on the music. The following "Shin" is indeed the conclusion of the "Evangelion" series, and is a wonderful group of music that seems to encompass all of these elements, with a rich breadth and depth. The three CD set is so large that it is not possible to cover all of the music in this article, but we hope that it will give you a glimpse of the appeal of the music. The following review contains many spoilers related to the contents of the movie, so if you have not yet seen the movie, we recommend that you read this review after you have seen the movie.

DISC-1

The three songs in DISC-1, 01 "paris", 02 "if a cause is worth dying for then be", and 03 "euro nerves", are the songs used in the Paris city battle at the beginning of the film. This part has already been performed in the Shin Evangelion Theater Version AVANT1 (beginning 10 minutes 40 seconds 00 frames) 0706 version, which was shown at the event "Operation 0706" held simultaneously in Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, Paris, Los Angeles, and Shanghai on July 6, 2019, and on August 28, 2019. The CD was released on August 28 of the same year, but only in high-resolution format. However, this CD is part of the "Shiro SAGISU Music from..." series. This CD is a full-size version of the song, which is different from the original Hi-Rez version. The "paris" is a seven-beat song that begins with an impressive handclap, while "if a cause is worth dying for then be" follows the motif of "Destiny," which was used as the music for the battle against the "eighth apostle" falling from the sky in ": Breaking". It is an extravagant and extremely austere battle accompaniment, in which the "orchestral hit," a sound that became very popular in the 80s with the advent of sampling machines to spice up popular music and theatrical accompaniment music, is not sampled but played by a real orchestra. The play on the sound of the end of the 20th century, which is an electronic imitation of the sound of the beginning of the 20th century, and the retrograde imitation of it with live sound in the 21st century, is truly a bold move that only Shiro Sagisu could have made. The "euro nerv" is the latest version of "DECISIVE BATTLE (E-1)" (the name of the TV anime) and "EM20" (the name of the "Shin Gekijoban" series), a song that starts with the timpani and has become an essential sound for Hideaki Anno's works, from the TV anime to the movie "Shin Godzilla" (2016). series). The song begins to play in the last 30 seconds of the restoration of Paris, and the audience is sure to be excited to hear it as the "City of Flowers" is being restored to its beautiful appearance. However, if you have seen the movie, you know that "Paris" was not the first music played in "Shin. The opening of "Avant" with a "Showa song humming" by Mari became a promise throughout ":Break", ":Q", and "Shin" (the humming is treated as a line, so unfortunately it is not included in the CD).

The following 04 "tema principale: orchestra dedicata ai maestri" shows the title "Shin Evangelion the Movie" in large print and the credits of the main staff, a new theatrical version not seen in ":Ⅰ", ":Ⅱ", and ":Q". A massive large orchestral piece that dyed the main title for the first time in the series. Although this is an important scene directly connected to the last scene of ":Q," with Asuka, Shinji, and Rei (tentative title) wandering in the red-cored earth, there is no dialogue or sound effects, and the situation is told only through this music and pictures. It is truly a song worthy of the main title track, with the depth of a great feature film from the 1950s to the 1970s. In his liner notes, Mr. Sagisu himself pays homage to the era of great writers in film music, naming Nino Rota, Henry Mancini, Victor Young, and others.

05 "berceuse: piano" is followed by a group of songs that use the part to describe life in the "Third Village," a refugee village in the Near Third Impact, and the emotions of Shinji, Asuka, Rei (tentative name), and others. The music used in the film is "berceuse: piano", which is played at Touji Suzuhara's clinic, and "l'homme n'est ni ange ni bête" (a solo piano arranged version of the song also used in ":Q"), which is played during the dinner scene at Touji's home, both of which are performed by Rei (tentative name) as part of the scenes of the Third Village's customs and customs. The song is played during a series of scenes in which Touji and Hikari's daughter, Tsubame, shows interest and asks a lot of questions. Both songs, 07 "prettiest star" and 08 "karma," are re-arranged versions of the "boyfriend/girlfriend situation" songs used in ":breakup. The song is sung by Catherine Bott. She sang "Who will know / tragedy" in "Shin Godzilla," the scene in which Godzilla's release of a heat flame leads to the destruction of central Tokyo, and her sadly beautiful soprano voice made another appearance in Sagisu's accompaniment.

You may remember the scene where a soft guitar tone leads to a gentle English song as the story follows the life in the "Third Village. The song is 09 "yearning for your love," which you hear during the scene where Rei (tentative name) is soaking in the bathtub after sweating through the rice-planting work. Some of you may be thinking, "Why Western music for Eva's background music? However, for those who remember "Komm, s üsser Tod / Sweet Death, Come" sung by ARIANNE at the climax of "Neon Genesis Evangelion: Air / Magokoro wo Kimini ni" (1997), the song was not so strange. The voice of the singer is a British singer and songwriter. The voice is that of British singer-songwriter Mike Wisgowski. He was in charge of the English translation of the original lyrics of "Komm, s üsser Tod" by Anno and played the guitar in the 1997 Evangelion Symphony concert, so it is no wonder that his voice is highly synchronized with that of Eva. Similarly, "hand of fate" (11) is a Western-style song with female vocals and guitar at its core. It is sung by Hazel Fernandez, a current member of Jamiroquai. Surprisingly, this song was written in 2006, when the production of the "Rebuild of the Movie" series was announced. It was prepared as a new song for "Shin: Prelude," and after 15 years of refinement, it finally saw the light of day in "Shin. This piece symbolizes the trajectory Evangelion has taken and the depth of the history of music production work.

12 From "unwelcome: piano," a collection of songs mainly used after Asuka and Shinji's return to the Ville's flagship "AAA Wunder. The song "unwelcome: piano" is played during the scene where Shinji regains consciousness after returning to the Wunder and is confronted with his feelings by Sakura Suzuhara. It is a heavy piano piece that describes the feelings of Sakura and Midori Kitagami about Shinji's embarkation. The next song, "m & r: piano" (m & r means Misato and Ritsuko) is played during the scene where Mari and Asuka meet again in their room in the Wunder, and during the conversation between Misato and Ritsuko, where the original purpose of building the Wunder and Kaji's death are discussed. The song for this important sequence, which concentrates on the events of the past 14 years, the details of the Wunder, and the emotional differences between the crew members, which were barely depicted in ":Q", is based on the "Karei Kanojo no Jijo" song, which was also used in ":Dora", although it has been rearranged significantly.

14 "lost in the memory" is a vocal song by the aforementioned Mike Wisgowski that echoes the process of Nerf headquarters arriving in Antarctica and the ship Wunder finally getting nervous in preparation for the final battle. It is a somber song in contrast to the music of Rey's (tentative name) rice planting, but the choice of music to support the tension of this scene with a beautiful vocal song with a thin line is surprising, instead of stirring up the tension of the scene or a brave accompaniment song for the battle. In his liner notes, Mr. Sagisu also states, "Director Anno's DJ sense (the way of connecting) "unwelcome", "m & r", and "lost in the memory" is perfect! The DJ's sense (the way he connected the pieces) is perfect!

From "EM10A alterne," the music for the part of "Operation Yamato," in which a Wunder attacks the NERV headquarters at the former Antarctic hypocenter from outside the atmosphere. EM10" is a heavy slow-tempo version of the aforementioned "that timpani music" = DECISIVE BATTLE (E-1)/EM20. Various versions of this song have been used in the past, such as in the preparatory work scene for Operation Yashima in "Shin: Introduction," and this song will also appear in "Shin" as the theme for the final battle. And the next scene. Misato's cry of "Taiman Jyosho! the fierce battle between battleships begins, and this is where the musical performance of "Shin" reaches its first peak. This is where the music performance of "Shin" reaches its first peak. The music has a distinctly different feel from the Evangelion music of the past, but it is somehow the coolest battle music you will ever hear on screen. That is 18 "Clash! It is a quotation from the accompaniment music (composed by Toshiaki Tsushima) for the 1977 Toho movie "The Great Planet War," but it is revealed on this CD that it is not the original sound source from that time, but a re-recorded version that was created by "perfect copying" (*a phrase used by Mr. Sagisu). The CD reveals the true nature of the recording. Anno and Sagisu have previously performed the feat of quoting the accompaniment music "Yamashita" (composed by Takayuki Inoue) from the movie "The Man Who Stole the Sun" (1979) starring Kenji Sawada, in a completely copied rerecording for "Breaking", and for "Shin Godzilla", the mono soundtrack by Akira Ifukube from several decades ago was used in the theater's 5.1 channel. In the case of "Shin Godzilla," he performed the astonishing feat of "tracing the performance from above and blending it slightly with the original sound source" (from the CD "Shin Godzilla Music Collection," a description of each piece) in order to make the decades-old monaural sound source by Akira Ifukube fit in the theater's 5.1-channel environment. This mastery of the art was also demonstrated in the "Shin. In order to recreate the nuances of the performance in 1977, the year "The Great Planet War" was released, Mr. Sagisu used the services of a veteran drummer, Yuichi Tokashiki, who was already active at the forefront as a studio musician and as a regular drummer in the "Korgen Band" and "The Players," the crossover bands of the famous pianist Hiromasa Suzuki. The band invited veteran drummer Yuichi Tokashiki to play drums (Mr. Tokashiki had already participated in the recording of the music for ":Breaking"). The style and tone of the drums in 1977 were beautifully recreated, and the director Anno, who had previously felt that "something was different about this one," turned around and said to Sagisu, "I couldn't help but weep.

Mr. Sagisu also explains in his explanation of each piece on the "Shin Godzilla Music Collection" CD that "if you just want to reproduce the music on the score, you can just go back to the original score, but it is difficult to fully copy the performance and acoustics," and that such "full copying (adding a little more)" of past songs goes beyond the scope of "composition and arrangement" to include the performance nuances of the time of recording, recording equipment, studio reverberation, etc. He confesses that this is a delicate work that requires taking into account the nuances of the performance, the recording equipment, and the reverberation of the studio at the time of recording, but it is the work of "Eva" and the environment of "Eva" that make this possible. The musical world created by the complicity of Hideaki Anno and Shiro Sagisu is truly "Taiman-jojo". In order to make the film more interesting, they take in music from other works and other composers, and even swallow it down.