Neon Genesis Evangelion" Commemorating the distribution of all episodes of the TV series and the old movie version on NETFLIX! Interview with Yoko Takahashi (singer)!

The legendary anime "Neon Genesis Evangelion," which caused a social phenomenon in the late 1990s, will be distributed exclusively worldwide on the video distribution service NETFLIX from June 21, 2019.

Neon Genesis Evangelion" is a science fiction anime directed by Hideaki Anno that was broadcast on TV in 1995. Shinji Ikari and other 14-year-old boys and girls board Evangelion, a general-purpose humanoid battle weapon, and battle mysterious hostile life forms called "apostles.

A philosophical story that questions the nature of mankind. The action is highly entertaining. The story, with its mystery upon mystery, was created with such quality that it overturned the conventional wisdom of anime, and immediately took Japan by storm. It became a social phenomenon and rewrote the history of Japanese animation.

All 26 episodes of the TV series of "Neon Genesis Evangelion," a masterpiece that will remain in anime history, as well as the movie versions "EVANGELION:DEATH (TRUE)²" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion the Movie: Air / Magokoro wo Kimini ni" will begin distribution on NETFLIX on June 21, 2019. This will be the first time that the films will be distributed through SVOD (monthly subscription online streaming service).

We asked singer Yoko Takahashi, who sang the opening theme song "Gutai na Tenshi no Thesis," to talk about the 24 years she has spent with "Eva.

On May 22, Ms. Takahashi just released "EVANGELION EXTREME," a mini-album of songs from the "Evangelion" series of machines. Included in this album is a new song, "Akaki Tsuki," for which Mr. Takahashi himself wrote the lyrics. What kind of existence does the ever-evolving and ever-changing work of "Evangelion" really have for Mr. Takahashi? ......

Anime songs are the strongest passport to cross borders

--A quarter of a century has already passed since "Neon Genesis Evangelion" (Eva) was broadcast. What have the past 24 years been like for you?

Takahashi: First of all, when I recorded "Gutai na Tenshi no Thesis", the pictures had not yet been created and I did not know the story, but I had heard rumors that it was an amazing anime. However, I was probably the most surprised at the fact that it spread around the world far faster than I had imagined, and I feel very honored to have participated in such a work.

Eva" is a work that can be taken in any way depending on how you look at it, so when I talk with fans and people around me, everyone has a different impression of it. I enjoy that, and I think that I have walked for 24 years while listening to many different stories.

--What was your impression when you first came into contact with the lyrics and music of "Thesis of the Cruel Angel"?

Takahashi: To be honest, I thought the song and lyrics were very difficult. I first received a demo tape with a tentative synthesizer melody, but the tempo was fast, and I wondered where in the world I would be able to catch my breath. I wondered what kind of lyrics would be put on it, and then I heard "cruel," "angel's," and "thesis"?　Angels? Cruel? I was surprised. But when I actually sang it, it fit the melody perfectly. That's what I expected from Neko Oikawa, isn't it? When she sang the last part of the song, I thought to myself, "Oh, this is going to be a hit.

--Have your images of "Thesis of the Cruel Angel" changed since the time you sang the song?

Takahashi: It has changed. When "Eva" was broadcast, it was a social phenomenon, and I was often asked to comment on the work, but since I was not a staff member of the anime itself, I wondered how much I could comment. At that time, I took on the job as a studio musician and sang, but eventually I realized that I was in a position where I had to take responsibility. I am currently on the ongoing "Evangelion World Tour," and people from all over the world sing in Japanese at these live shows. All over the world, people from every country sing in chorus. This is so moving. So I always say that anime songs are the strongest passport to cross borders.

Every day I am keenly aware that "Eva" is a work that has the power to do this. I also feel that "Eva" is linked to various events and joyous occasions that happen every day in Japan, as well as to its historical background. I think that "Eva" is also linked to these various things. I myself sing what I feel at that time, so I think that I am also evolving day by day as I sing.

--Do you think that the way you sing itself is also changing?

Takahashi: I don't think it has changed that much. The first time I sang, I was in my mid-20s, and I remember thinking, "What? I remember thinking, "What? However, it is a studio musician's job to produce a variety of voices, so I did my best to sing as much as I could.

I am now old enough to sing now, but I try to cherish the image of the OP theme that you first heard. People who want to listen to the theme song of an anime will still come back to hear the same song decades later. If I offer something completely different, I would be betraying their expectations.

Therefore, what I try to do is to stay close to your memories as much as possible. I try to sing in a way that is close to the memories of people of my current age and scale.

--What do you think about the situation of "Eva" being distributed all over the world?

Takahashi: I am simply happy. I think animation is a uniquely Japanese culture. And "Eva" doesn't look old at all even if you watch it now. And no matter how many times I watch it, the answer to my question is always different. I think this depth is the reason why it is accepted and loved by people all over the world.

I have already seen "Eva" many times, and I think it is revolutionary to distribute it to the world. People in any country can watch "Eva" at any time of their choice. That means that people around the world will find it interesting. This means that people all over the world have a common language and can share the same sensation. This is an amazing thing.

When I go overseas, I think about how many people learn Japanese by watching anime. In China, all the staff members were conversing in Japanese, and I asked them, "Did you study abroad?" I asked them, and they said they had never been to Japan and studied through anime and manga. They also say that they learned about Japanese people's daily lives by watching anime and manga. I think anime is really amazing when I hear that people learned that they use desks like this at school by watching "Doraemon," which is a different work from "Eva.

So, in that sense, I think the depiction of the lives of the characters in "Eva" is very symbolic of the country of Japan. I also think the story is very philosophical, and different viewers have different impressions of it. I hope that in the future we will be able to discuss such things with people all over the world, transcending national borders.

--Why do you think there is a renewed interest in "Eva" among so many people now?

Takahashi: I think it is because of the philosophical elements and the very everyday scenes. Also, it is difficult to describe in one word, such as Adam, Eve, and the apostles. And above all, the work is not finished. That's why people are interested in the rest of the story. That is one of the reasons why the answer is different for everyone. It's a work that requires the viewer to compare it with the background of his or her own life and see how he or she feels about it. That is the appeal of this work, and I think it is sought after by many people.

New song "Red Moon" sung as a mother of children

-- On a different note, your mini-album "EVANGELION EXTREME" was released on May 22. What kind of CD is this one?

Takahashi: In June 2018, we released a single set of "Gutai na Tenshi no Thesis" and "Soul no Rufran". One reason for that is that there had never been a single with those two songs together before. Another reason is that, as I mentioned earlier, there are people all over the world who sing these two songs in Japanese. In response to this, we once again released a CD with romaji notation and English translation. As a result, this CD became a kind of business card for Yoko Takahashi. In these days when it is difficult to sell CDs, this single was well received by everyone, and I thought it would be a good idea to have a mini-album with a similar concept.

There are many songs related to "Eva" that are not yet well known to the public. I thought that by putting them all together on one CD, I could create an opportunity for everyone to hear them, and that's why I planned this mini-album. We wanted to include new songs in the album, so we wrote some new songs as well.

We wanted the mini-album "EVANGELION EXTREME" to have a slightly unusual and sharp image that is unique to "Eva," so we created a new song to go with it. The song is called "Akaki Tsuki" (Red Moon).

When I think of the image that immediately comes to mind when I think of "Eva," I think of "motherhood. I myself am a mother of a child, and I was single when I sang "Cruel Angel's Thesis," but in terms of my current age and my relationship with a 14-year-old boy and girl, I am completely a mother and her child.

What can I do from that mother's standpoint? With what kind of feeling would I express that work? When I think about it, it is definitely "motherhood. I wanted to sing about how I could convey my feelings to Shinji, Asuka, Rei, and other children when I faced "Eva" from a maternal perspective.

I also wanted to do something new myself, so I tried my hand at featuring human beat boxes for the first time, and recently when I do concerts, I think that I want to sing together with the audience. So I have been creating parts where the audience can sing along with me in a big chorus.

I have two dancers who usually perform with me, and I try to incorporate sounds that will allow them to dance with me.

So I finished "Akaki Tsuki" as a new type of work that is not completed just by listening to it on CD, but only when you see it live.

--You mentioned earlier that "Gutai na Tenshi no Thesis" was sung in a teenage voice, but this time the image is that of a mother, so is it because of the passage of time that you were able to sing this song?

Takahashi: Yes, that's right. When I was recording "Gutai na Tenshi no Thesis," I honestly had no idea what I was doing when I was singing it. But as I sang it over and over again, I realized that the song was a cheering song for me as well. I sang the song thinking that it was what I could do now to make even more people in the world listen to and sing the song.

--What is the image of the lyrics?

Takahashi: It is maternal. I thought about what I could say to Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and the others from the perspective of a mother. In my own way, so I may be a little off from "Eva," but I wrote the lyrics with this "mother" aspect in mind.

The difficult part was that it was a type of melody that was difficult to put lyrics on, so I had to use only 8 words to express it, whereas normally I would have used 20 words. However, I was allowed to work under the name "Eva," and of course I have respect for the director and staff, so I couldn't deviate too much from the norm. But I wanted to do something new, so I wrote the song through a process of trial and error.

--Takahashi: What should we keep in mind when preparing for the live performance of "Akaki Tsuki"?

Takahashi: Once you listen to the song, you will be able to recognize the parts that are sung by all the members, so please memorize those parts. The lyrics are only "Nana Nana Nana~" so you don't have to worry about anything (laughs).

I hope you will also enjoy the song because of the fact that you have been living with "Eva" until today.

Recently, I was told, "Mr. Takahashi, it's nice to meet you. I was 14 years old when I was working on "Eva", the same age as Shinji" (laugh). (Laughs.) I think a lot of time has passed. (Laughs.) These children are now grown up. That means they are no longer 14 years old. They have lived their whole lives up to today. That is where the work "Eva" has a tremendous commitment. Let's sing the song with that in mind. The song will be completed when everyone's thoughts are on it, so I hope you will sing where you want to sing and dance where you want to dance.

Retired singer returns to work...... "Eva" has given Yoko Takahashi

--I heard that you retired from singing for a while around 2000.

Takahashi: That's right. It wasn't that I was being treated badly by anyone or anything, but that I had always been uncomfortable appearing in front of people, and I thought that perhaps the entertainment industry was not for me. I had a feeling that maybe show business was not for me. Around the year 2000, sales were slowing down, but the agencies and record companies were always giving me a raise just by being in the entertainment business, trying to make my singing sound better and look prettier.

At that time, I suddenly began to think, "If I don't do this, I will be misunderstood and become a "tengu," or become useless as a person," and I suddenly became afraid. I always thought that a person's very way of life is reflected in his or her songs. As a professional, of course it is necessary to practice and improve one's skills, but before that, I have my own way of thinking about how to live as a person and then how to be a singer. I always think that the accumulation of such things will result in songs.

Besides, I had just given birth to a child, so I decided to become a normal mother and decided to retire on my own.

--So that's what happened.

Takahashi: Of course, I told the office that I wanted to quit for this reason. Then they said, "Okay," and I decided to retire.

--Did you receive offers to sing during your retirement period?

Takahashi: Sometimes I did, and I did respond to requests from people with whom I had a relationship that I couldn't refuse, but I didn't make a sales pitch myself.

--But now you are back on stage and are energetically active, releasing new songs. What kind of change of heart did you undergo?

Takahashi: During the period when I was kind of retired, there were fans who still offered to help me out. I realized after I quit that I had been able to continue my activities because of the support of event organizers who asked me to be a secret guest at their events no matter how many times I refused, or fan representatives who wanted me to perform because I had won first place in this poll. After I quit, I realized that it was because of the wishes of the fan representatives who wanted me to participate in this poll.

I finally came to the conclusion that I should just sing and be thankful to my fans without any complaints.

It's funny, because around the time I decided to sing again, "Eva" suddenly started gaining momentum again on the game machines.

--It was as if they were waiting for your return.

Takahashi: It just happened (laughs). (laughs). Also, at karaoke, I was always in the hit charts. I don't actually have that much to do with the karaoke because there are no songs of mine in it, but people wanted to hear my songs and sing them, and they didn't drop in the rankings after all these years.

All of these things pushed me to think about what I could do best, and I decided that I would sing as much as I could. That's how I ended up here.

--What kind of existence does "Eva" have for you?

Takahashi: In terms of existence alone, it is truly a gift from heaven. I was given the opportunity to sing the theme song. I don't think there is any other work that expresses human beings in such depth and shows us parts of ourselves that we normally don't see. Didn't you think it was okay to show such images in the evening?

--I certainly did (laughs). I was in junior high school at the time of the broadcast, and I learned that adults are surprisingly no different from children.

Takahashi: People don't change much over the years. At the same time, they evolve and grow. That's why no matter how many times I watch "Evangelion," I always have a different impression of it. I think that's why it's so interesting.

In commemoration of the interview, one lucky winner will receive a copy of the single "Thesis of the Cruel Angel / Lufran of the Soul" autographed by Yoko Takahashi!

To commemorate this interview, we are giving away a single CD "Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis/The Lufran of Souls" autographed by Yoko Takahashi to one lucky winner! Please read the detailed application guidelines before applying.

<Prize
Single CD "Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis/Tama no Rufuran" autographed by Yoko Takahashi

<Entry requirements

Entry period: June 17, 2019 (Monday) - June 24, 2019 (Monday) 23:59

Number of winners: 1 person

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