Misplaced Pages

"A Cruel Angel's Thesis"
Original anime edition cover of "Zankoku na tenshi no tēze"/"Fly Me to the Moon"
Single by Yoko Takahashi
from the album Neon Genesis Evangelion
Language	Japanese
A-side	"Fly Me to the Moon"
Released	October 25, 1995 (1995-10-25)
Recorded	1995
Genre	J-pop disco
Length	4:05
Label	Starchild
Composer(s)	Hidetoshi Satō
Lyricist(s)	Neko Oikawa
Producer(s)	Toshiyuki Ōmori
Yoko Takahashi singles chronology
"Moonlight Epicurian" (1994) "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" (1995) "Meguriai" (1996)
Music videos
"The Cruel Angel's Thesis" on YouTube

"The Cruel Angel's Thesis" (残酷な天使のテーゼ, Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze), also known as "A Cruel Angel's Thesis", is a J-pop song performed by Japanese singer Yoko Takahashi. Toshiyuki Ōmori and Hidetoshi Satō composed the song, while Neko Oikawa wrote the lyrics. It was written for the opening theme of the anime television series Neon Genesis Evangelion, and was released as a double-A-sided single with "Fly Me to the Moon", the show's closing theme, on October 25, 1995. "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" was also included in the series' soundtrack releases and Takahashi's albums.

The song had a positive reception from music critics and audiences; it later became one of the most famous Japanese anisongs, songs specially created for anime series. Years after the show's first airing, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" has remained a popular Japanese karaoke song, winning popularity polls and awards. On the Internet, along with its official video, the song gained further fame through covers and parodies, becoming one of the most famous theme songs in the history of animation.

Background and recording

During the production of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the show's director Hideaki Anno suggested using an existing piece of classical music as the series' opening theme. He first chose the Polovtsian Dances from the opera Prince Igor by Russian composer Aleksander Borodin. TV Tokyo rejected the proposal, judging such a piece unsuitable for the show; a classical composition from Prince Igor would have been, according to the producers, "unclear". Neon Genesis Evangelion production studio Gainax then contacted Hidetoshi Satō and Toshiyuki Ōmori to write an original piece in place of the soundtrack's main composer Shiro Sagisu. Although not officially credited, Toshimichi Ōtsuki, a member of King Records and the official producer of the animated series, coordinated production. During the demo stage Ōtsuki requested a melody with a "crispy notching style".

Singer Yoko Takahashi, who was already known for singing Japanese television themes, was contacted for the recording; at the time of the recording of "A Cruel Angel's Thesis", Takahashi had not seen the anime and was not given any information about it. Ōmori finished the arrangement, albeit roughly, and Takahashi established a temporary track by singing the melody with only the syllable "la". Once the final lyrics were ready, Takahashi, then almost thirty years old, was asked to adopt a childlike tone of voice. When she received a demo of the base to rehearse with, Takahashi found the song difficult because of both Oikawa's chosen language register and the song's fast tempo. A male backing choir was originally planned but was later deleted by Anno to emphasize the concept of "motherhood" on the recording.

Composition and lyrics

Neko Oikawa was given the task of writing the lyrics; Ōtsuki instructed her to write something "philosophical" and to use complicated language. She focused on the key concepts of "mother", "boys and girls of fourteen" and "an adult woman". Oikawa, following the directives, completed the song in two hours, after having received few details of the anime and without having met Hidetoshi Satō. Oikawa and her manager watched the show's first two extant episodes and a document presenting the project. The author had in mind the figure of a mother who does not want her son to become an adult, and wrote ambiguous lyrics with an abundance of stylistic devices. The song begins with the voice of a woman who advises a young man to behave like an angel without mercy, encouraging him with the cry of shin wa ni nare (神話になれ, lit. "become a myth"). For the woman, the boy is still innocent and naive; he looks at her, smiles and says nothing, and she gently invites him to rest. The woman, reassuring him their meeting was chosen by fate, says; "On your back you have feathers that will carry you into the future".

For the title, Oikawa used the German word These (テーゼ, lit. "thesis"). Yahoo! Japan has noted the concept of These has been used, among others, by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, philosopher and exponent of German idealism. Oikawa also took inspiration from the manga A Cruel God Reigns (残酷な神が支配する, Zankoku na kami ga shihai suru), which was written by Moto Hagio and was being published at the time, and inserted the term tenshi (天使), which usually refers to the angels of Christianity. An additional religious reference, the verse "Watashi wa sō jiyū o shiru tame no baiburu" (私はそう自由を知るためのバイブル) ("This is the Bible with which you will learn what freedom is"), was added to the lyrics. At first, she thought of ending the song with the motto "kyōki ni nare" (凶器になれ, lit. 'become a weapon'), which can also be translated as "become crazy" if written with kanji 狂気 (kyōki, lit. 'crazy'), but the proposal was shelved under the advice of TV Tokyo, which requested a change to "shin wa ni nare" ("become a myth"). The ending with an imperative remained, keeping the idea of an adult addressing a young boy. According to Comic Book Resources's Devin Meenan, the lyrics could refer to Yui Ikari, mother of protagonist Shinji who protects him during the events of the series, or Misato Katsuragi, his superior who encourages him "to come out of his shell". Kotono Mitsuishi, Misato's Japanese voice actress, gave a similar interpretation; in an interview, Mitsuishi stated that the lyric "Even if I never become a goddess, I will go on" (女神なんてなれないまま私は生きる, Megami nante narenai mama watashi wa ikiru) "pierced" her heart, believing "that was Misato's voice".

An interlude chorus with the words faria (ファリアー) and setameso (セタメソー) was also included in the song; the interlude's lyrics are not from an existing language and were created by arranger Toshiyuki Ōmori. The chorus was sung by Ōmori, Takahashi, and her brother Gō Takahashi. When asked about their meaning, Ōmori stated that "the words suddenly came down from the sky" during the writing.

Release

On October 25, 1995, "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" was released as a single in two versions: in the first one, with a cover price of ¥1,049, it was accompanied by a song by Takahashi entitled "Tsuki no meikyū" (月の迷宮, lit. ("Moon's labyrinth")); the second version, with a cover price of ¥961 yen, includes "Fly Me to the Moon" performed by Claire Littley, the show's closing theme song. The second version was reissued on March 26, 2003, for the release of the Renewal Edition of Neon Genesis Evangelion. "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" was also included on albums dedicated to the anime soundtracks, starting with Neon Genesis Evangelion I, released on November 22, 1995; in the following Neon Genesis Evangelion II, released on February 16, 1996, the shorter "TV Size Version", which was used for broadcast by TV Tokyo, was also included.

The song was included in other releases, such as the special box set The Day of Second Impact (September 13, 2000), Neon Genesis Evangelion: S² Works (December 4, 1998), Refrain of Evangelion (May 23, 2003), Neon Genesis Evangelion Decade (November 26, 2005), A. T. EVA01 Reference CD (December 21, 2007), Shin Godzilla vs Evangelion Symphony (December 27, 2017), Evangelion Finally (October 2020), and Neon Genesis Evangelion Soundtrack 25th Anniversary Box, a box containing several versions of the theme song. The track was later included on unrelated compilations, such as the Star Child Selection (28 January 2000), various Super Robot Tamashii anthologies in various mixes, pop'n music 12 Iroha AC CS pop'n music 10 (13 April 2005), Kids Song★Hit Paradise! (26 September 2008), Brass Band Koushien 3 (27 February 2008), and Nekoism 〜 Neko Oikawa Sakuhin-shū (21 February 2018).

Reception

"The Cruel Angel's Thesis" enjoyed long-lasting success and frequently appeared in popularity polls even decades after the first airing of Evangelion. It is considered one of the best and most iconic theme songs of the otaku subculture, finding renewed popularity with the release of the Rebuild of Evangelion theatrical tetralogy. In 1996 and 1997, after the first broadcast of Neon Genesis Evangelion, "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" was elected best theme song of the moment in the Anime Grand Prix, an annual poll conducted by the magazine Animage; in the second year, it got more than twice as many votes as the second-placed song, Give a Reason by Megumi Hayashibara.

In a 2002 poll on the most-unforgettable songs in the history of Japanese animation, conducted by TV Asahi, the song was placed 55th; it later reached 18th place in the same channel's ranking of best anime songs produced during and after the 1990s. In 2016, the song was ranked top in a poll of the favorite anisongs of the 1990s by Anime News Network users and one of the best-ever anisongs in a poll of almost 7,000 people by CD & DL Data magazine. In 2018, Japanese website Anime Anime asked its users which cartoon soundtracks they would like as their national anthem; "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" took third place. The following year, it came second in a survey of the most-sung titles by the female audience on the website Merumo.

Critical reception

Critics positively received "The Cruel Angel's Thesis". Casey Baseel of Sora News and Ederlyn Peralta of Comic Book Resources described it as one of the most iconic anime songs. Comic Book Resources' Eduardo Luquin praised its tone, writing, " 'Cruel Angel's Thesis' is a hype train that starts the trippy trip to the destinations known as philosophy, religion, and teenage angst. Like a starting shot at the start of the race, it implores the watcher to go headlong into the show and try to take in everything Evangelion has to offer."

For Lauren Orsini of Forbes, the song is "instantly catchy". Matt Fagaly of Crunchyroll and Tom Pinchuk of Geek & Sundry praised the contrast between the dark, pessimistic themes of its parent series and the song's lighthearted tone. This view was echoed by the Anime-Planet website, which said, "It's a great piece of music, which is quite rare for anime openings these days". Upon the anime's release on Netflix, the theme song was again analyzed and reviewed. David Levesley of Gentlemen's Quarterly described it as an "exceptional" song while Junichi Tsukagoshi of Animate Times called it "a holy chant that everyone knows". Italian writer Laura Mucci of Everyeye.it called it "a curious element of cultural folklore", "a kind of Japanese counterpart to Nel blu, dipinto di blu". Comic Book Resources similarly ranked "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" as the best theme song of the 1990s and the third-most beautiful of all time.

Legacy

"The Cruel Angel's Thesis" has been described by the website Sora News as an "unqualified hit" that transcended anime fandom, and by Crunchyroll's Kara Dennison as "one of the most recognizable in anime history". Throughout the years, the song spawned memes and parody edits. Music anime douga (MAD) began to circulate on websites, with tribute video clips aimed at recreating the song's music and video; according to Comic Book Resources's Angelo Delos Trinos, it has been "endlessly covered and edited more so than anything from the actual anime. Even anime newcomers who have yet to watch anything from Evangelion are already familiar with its opening because of its undying online presence". Through the years, these parodies spread on the web and the music video continued to be homaged by Internet users through remixes, mash-ups, and covers. In 2018, a Twitter user combined the song with a video clip of LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem"; the parody video went viral and "Party Rock Anthem" also became a meme with dozens of variations on several social media platforms. In 2022 Japanese voice actress and singer Aina Aiba named the Evangelion opening as one of the anime songs that "changed her life" and introduced her to singing.

Merchandise and other uses

"A Cruel Angel's Thesis" was used in Evangelion-inspired video games and pachinko machines. In August 1997, the Japanese magazine June, specialized in shonen-ai homoerotic manga and anime, issued a volume entitled Zankoku na tenshi no yō ni (残酷な天使のように, lit. 'Like a cruel angel'), the title of which is taken from the first verse of the theme song. In 2014, Sony released a special DAT walkman about the series in homage to the one used by Shinji's character; included in the package was a card from the Japanese music store Mora that allowed customers to download the original version of "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" in Sony Stores in Ginza, Nagoya, and Osaka. The following year, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the first airing of the anime, a musical road playing the song was built in Hakone, near which the series' fictional city Tokyo-3 is located; through jolts caused by grooves in the asphalt, a person driving at an optimal speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) could hear the song along a scenic route at Lake Ashi.

In 2018, Evastore, an official store entirely dedicated to the series, advertised the release of the single in a restored digital format and produced new Evangelion-related merchandise, such as t-shirts, posters, and metallic postcards. On May 5 of the same year, the piece was included in an official cross-over episode between Neon Genesis Evangelion and the animated series Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion. On December 26, Takahashi performed "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" at the opening of an izakaya club dedicated to the series; a drink named "Zankoku na tenshi no these" was also released. In 2019, in conjunction with the anime's launch on Netflix, Japanese singer Toshi performed the song during a performance of the ice-skating show Fantasy on Ice. American wrestler Dio Maddin, a fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion, named one of his final moves "Cruel Angel's Thesis" after the song. In 2020, an Evangelion-themed event was held at the Tokyo Sky Tree, during which the video of the song was shown at the tower's observatory; the event ran until May of the following year. "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" was also used in an episode of Seiyu's Life! and homaged in other animated series, such as Hayate the Combat Butler, and Regular Show.

Commercial performance

In Japan, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" gained popularity, remaining for years in the Oricon Karaoke Chart. The original version of the song was released as a single on October 25, 1995, and charted twenty-two times on the weekly Oricon charts, peaking at number twenty-seven. It was later re-released together with Claire's cover of "Fly Me to the Moon" and stayed on the chart for sixty-one weeks. In 1997, shortly after the end of the anime's first airing and the release of the movie Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" was awarded the gold and diamond record (named "Million" in Japan), while the edition with "Fly Me to the Moon" was certified platinum. The 2003 version stayed on the chart for nine weeks. A remix done in 2009 was also successful; in June and July of that year, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" became the most popular anisong of the period, appeared for fourteen weeks on the Oricon charts, and reached number twenty-two. Sales of the various versions collectively sold more than one million copies.

In 2011, fifteen years after its debut, the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers honored the song by placing it first in the JASRAC Awards, a special ranking of the most-profitable royalty pieces in Japanese music, calculated among other things through digital sales, pachinko, and karaoke. The song had already appeared on the charts in previous years: in 2008 it peaked at number seven, number eight in 2009, and number three in 2007. In May 2012, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" was certified three-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. Its popularity in karaoke and pachinko machines enriched writer Neko Oikawa, who in 2015 said she had earned more than ¥100 million in royalties from "A Cruel Angel's Thesis"; pachinko machines proved particularly lucrative, grossing at least ¥30 million per year.

"A Cruel Angel's Thesis" remains one of the most popular songs in Japanese karaoke. In 2013, it placed third in a Koebu.com poll about the favorite karaoke songs by voice actors. In 2014, the company Joysound placed it at number one on its list of the year's most-popular anime theme songs. The song reappeared among the twenty most-sung songs of the first half of that same year, and also appeared on previous charts; in 2007, it peaked at number twenty, in 2009 at number two, and in the first week of June 2013 at number six. A similar result was recorded in 2015, when it took first place in a Charapedia's poll of about 10,000 fans' favorite karaoke songs. In March of that year, the website Nico Nico News asked more than 300 adults which animated theme song was the most annoying and whose songs they were most sick of hearing, and "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" won 40.6% of the votes. In 2017, 2019, and 2020, it again listed among the ten most-popular songs on Joysound's Japanese karaoke popularity polls and in Karatetsu's charts. On February 18, 2017, NHK BS Premium broadcast a live program entitled "Countdown Live Anisong Best 100!", in which the single was ranked eighth. Joysound listed it as the most-played song in karaoke in the Heisei period, the previous thirty years of Japanese history, and the second-most-sung anisong of the first half of 2020, after LiSA's "Gurenge".

Music video

Development and release

For "The Cruel Angel's Thesis", Gainax made a ninety-second opening video that was animated by Takeshi Honda and Shinya Hasegawa. The production took some time; it was still unfinished in July 1995, when the first two episodes were premiered at the company's second festival. The music video was completed in September of the same year, shortly before the anime premiered on TV Tokyo. The video consists of approximately 2,160 frames divided into eighty-four scenes, averaging one sequence per second. Gainax staff attempted to create a retro effect, paying homage to and imitating theme songs from previous works. Hideaki Anno's name appears in large letters in the video's last few seconds, and is seemingly cut off by Eva-01's arms, emphasizing the director's strong imprint on every aspect of the series.

A second video for the song's full version was released for the 2003 home video edition of the series named Renewal of Evangelion. The new video was directed by Masayuki, The full video is different from the one for the television broadcast and includes images from the director's cut of the episodes and scenes from the film The End of Evangelion (1997). It also includes captions with white characters on a black background, written and coordinated by Hideaki Anno. The video was released in high definition on King Records' official YouTube channel on June 20, 2018. According to writer Virginie Nebbia, Anno probably took inspiration from the opening credits of the series UFO, the Japanese series Key Hunter and the directional style of Akio Jissoji, which made a frenetic editing of the Ultraman episodes he directed for the Ultraman movie (1979).

Synopsis and cultural references

The video of the television version of "A Cruel Angel's thesis" contains several cultural references, most notably to Christianity and Judaism. In the opening frames, a bright blue dot appears and expands like a drop of water surrounded by a circle of the same color. The image, according to the script, represents the beginning of the universe; according to critic Mario Pasqualini, the symbol could refer to the relationship between God and Creation, which some philosophers compared to the relationship between a point and a circumference.

After the point of light, a figure with twelve wings on a red background, similar to some representations of cherubic angels, appears. This is followed by a celestial flame, which refers to the concept of the soul or "life breath" and which plays a role in the series. The image also depicts the first light seen by a newborn child. Further religious symbolism consists of a dual depiction of the Kabbalistic tree of life, in reference to the series' Human Instrumentality Project, a plan for the evolution of humanity pursued by the character of Gendo Ikari. Academic Fabio Bartoli noticed that the Tree of Life crosses Misato Katsuragi's body in the video, suggesting that Misato herself was the guinea pig in Adam's contact experiment that caused the Second Impact in the series. Writers Sellées and Hernàndez-Péres also noticed that the sephirot represent "types of human behavior"; consequently, the Tree suggests both religion and psychology, "thus bringing together the two main thematic readings of the series". They compared the Angel with twelve eyes to the traditional depiction of Ezekiel tetramorph. The figure has also "bird-like features" and resembles the Angel Sachiel.

In the latter part, a frame of Rei Ayanami touching a window is glimpsed, with a close-up of her eye as she blinks. Writer Dennis Redmond compared Rei's eye to a similar image used by director Krzysztof Kieślowski in the film Blue (1993). Alternating on the screen are images of Eva-01's hand covered in blood and 01 unleashing twelve wings of light, along with white captions on a black background and vice versa, maps, pencil sketches, a drawing depicting Kaworu Nagisa, portraits of Misato Katsuragi, Ryōji Kaji and Ritsuko Akagi, the first Angel Adam, and a luminous red sphere. For the light wings of 01, the authors took inspiration from the Christian figure of Lucifer, a fallen angel who is said to have twelve wings. The twelve wings also represent a reference to Ryo Asuka from Go Nagai's manga Devilman. The video ends with a text written, according to the official storyboards, in "angelic characters" (天使の文字, tenshi no moji); according to Anno, it represents the Dead Sea Scrolls. According to the Evangelion Glossary (エヴァンゲリオン用語事典, Evangerion Yougo Jiten) by Yahata Shoten the writing is similar to the angel writings of Kabbalistic texts. Víctor Sellés de Lucas and Manuel Hernández-Pérez similarly noticed that the first glyph closely resembles the kanji for heaven (天, ten), which is also the first kanji in angel (天使, tenshi). According to them, this probably alludes to the various angelic languages developed within the occult Western tradition, as the set of glyphs employed resembles the language that Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa consigned in his De Occulta Philosophia. Neon Genesis Evangelion' manga English editor Carl Gustav Horn also compared the calligraphy of the characters to the Sefer Raziel HaMalakh, a grimoire of Practical Kabbalah.

Reception

The video clip for "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" received praise from audiences and critics. According to Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide, written by Martin Foster and Kazuhisa Fujie, some viewers were at first confused by seeing the theme song, but after the series' conclusion they noticed that "everything that appeared in the story had been highlighted, flagged or hinted at in the opening sequence". Newtype magazine praised the video, calling it "excellent" and appreciating the large amount of sequences. For Nick Valdez of ComicBook.com, the video is "chock full of memorable imagery" and "one of the coolest trips down memory lane".

Live performances

In 2015, Takahashi sang "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" at the Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California, and in 2017 she performed it during Billboard Live in Tokyo, receiving a warm reception from the audience. On June 20, 2018, she performed the song during the Evangelion World Tour, which was organized to promote the song's re-release with restored and remastered audio along with "Tamashii no rufuran", on stages in Japan, France, and Hong Kong. In June 2019, Takahashi performed at the Japan Expo in Paris, singing songs from the Neon Genesis Evangelion soundtrack just before an official preview of the film Evangelion: 3.0 + 1.0 and in conjunction with the anime's release on Netflix. To mark the occasion, all of Neon Genesis Evangelion I, including "Zankoku na tenshi no these", was added to Spotify on June 21.

In 2020, an event dedicated to Evangelion's Operation Yashima was announced in Hakone, a city where the show's fictional city Tokyo-3 is located. During the event, held on March 28 and May 23, a live performance of Takahashi's "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" was planned, but the dates were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 3 of the same year, Takahashi took part in the unveiling of a reproduction of Eva-01 at Toei Kyoto Studio Park in Ukyō-ku, singing "Zankoku na tenshi no these" on the palm of the humanoid's hand.

Remixes and other versions

For "Take Care of Yourself", the anime's last episode, Sagisu rearranged the song's accompaniment into the instrumentals "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" and "Good, or Don't Be", arranged for piano, electric piano, acoustic guitar, violins, and cellos. Remixes of the single were added to Dancemania compilations. The Shihori version was included in the albums Dancemania Summer Story 2008 (25 June 2008), Wa-euro Best (5 August 2009), Dancemania Summer Story 2009 (10 June 2009), Best of Wa-euro Best (21 July 2010), the Mint version in Himetra Best (14 May 2008), and Himetra Anime*Mix (21 January 2009), while a version by Diana Gross was included in the compilation Him Trace 3. Other remixes were later included in the Dancemania Speed' compilations Anime Speed (25 May 2005), Anime Speed Newtype Edition (19 July 2006), Happy Speed (18 April 2007), and Himetra Speed (30 July 2008).

Other versions were included in Takahashi's albums; the arrangement of the original single was copyrighted by King Records, so for legal reasons the record companies that released Takahashi's works had to rely on other arrangements. A "Version '96" was added to the album Best Pieces, released on February 10, 1999, and then included in Super Value Yoko Takahashi, released on February 19, 2001, by Universal Music. In ～refrain～The songs were inspired by Evangelion (November 6, 1997), a remix named "Ambivalence Mix" and an instrumental version titled Epilogue de these edited by Tony Orly were added. A new version of "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" titled "Remix for Peace" was also produced in 1999 and included on Takahashi's album Best Pieces II, which was released on February 10 of that year; as well as Takahashi's hit collections such as Yoko Takahashi Best 10 (January 17, 2007), Yoko Takahashi Essential Best (December 19, 2007) and Golden☆Best Yoko Takahashi, multiple versions of which were released on February 25, 2004, December 5, 2012, and December 5, 2018. An additional remix, "Harmonia Version", was added to LI-La, another album by the performer, that was later reissued in Li-La +3, which was released on October 2, 2013, along with the "Remix for Peace".

In 2005, a new version of the song, again with Takahashi on vocals and forty-seven seconds longer than the original, was recorded for the tenth anniversary of the series. The new version, named "10th Anniversary Edition", was included as the twelfth track in Neon Genesis Evangelion Decade. In 2009, Takahashi recorded new versions of "Zankoku na tenshi no these" and "Fly Me to the Moon", which were included in a single released on May 13. The songs were produced in conjunction with the presentation of a pachinko series on Evangelion named CR Shinseiki Evangelion: Saigo no shisha (ＣＲ新世紀エヴァンゲリオン ～最後のシ者～, lit. 'CR New Century Evangelion: The Last Messenger'); a cover designed by Takeshi Honda was used for the album. The 2009 version was included in Takahashi's 20th century Boys & Girls collection, released on June 23 of the following year, and, ten years later, in the mini-album Evangelion Extreme, which was released by King Amusement Creative and includes the tracks used in the pachislots dedicated to the series.

In 2015, Takahashi recorded a new version of the composition named "2015 Version" in a single live session with acoustic guitar accompaniment for her thirteenth studio album 20th century Boys & Girls II, which was released on April 22, 2015, by King Records. Two years later, a new arrangement titled "2017 Version" was included in the anthology Yoko Sings Forever (March 22, 2017); the recording was done live with piano by Marashii and organ by Satoshi Takebe. At first, a single titled "Zankoku na tenshi no these ~ Tamashii no rufuran" was planned but not included in the final version. In July 2019, "Zankoku na tenshi no these" was also used in the strategy video game The Battle Cats; Takahashi sang only the word nya (にゃ), a Japanese onomatopoeia of meow. The version was later uploaded to Oricon and MaiDiGiTV YouTube channels, and both videos gained more than one million views. In the same year, Eitetsu Hayashi produced a new arrangement of "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" stylistically close to Japanese traditional music and mainly made with taiko instruments; it was premiered on King Amusement Creative's official YouTube channel as "Zankoku na tenshi no these: Matsuri Spirit" and was fully released on July 24 of the same year.

The Chinese broadcaster Shenzhen TV acquired Evangelion for a Chinese-language dubbing; the first translation was not approved by the National Radio and Television Administration, a ministerial agency under the State Council of the People's Republic of China, so the series was translated and dubbed again, removing the contents that were considered inappropriate for a young audience and the theme song was renamed Měilì tiānshǐ de xíngdòng gānglǐng (美丽天使的行动纲领, lit. "The beautiful angel's plan of action"), also known as Yǒnggǎn de shàonián (勇敢的少年, lit. "The brave boy"). The anime was then broadcast between 1999 and 2001.

Cover versions

In 1996, the fourth album of the soundtracks of the series, Neon Genesis Evangelion Addition, was released; the album included a track named "Zankoku na tenshi no these (Director's Edit. Version II)", lasting 4:04 minutes and sung by Kotono Mitsuishi, Megumi Hayashibara, and Yūko Miyamura, voice actresses of the three major female characters of the show, respectively: Misato Katsuragi, Rei Ayanami and Asuka Sōryū Langley. On 30 March 2001, the album The Birthday of Rei Ayanami was released; among the tracks was a cover of "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" performed by Hayashibara. The song was added to bertemu, the artist's seventh album, released on November 1, 1996, and as a bonus track on Center Color, her eleventh, released on January 7, 2004. Hayashibara stated while singing "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" she thought of the scene in which Rei smiles for the first time at Shinji Ikari in the film version of Eva.

Megumi Ogata, Shinji's voice actress, performed the song during her concerts. Junko Iwao, the Japanese voice actress of Hikari Horaki, also recorded her bossa nova version of the song for her album Anime On Bossa, which was released on January 30, 2008.

Other artists have recorded covers of "A Cruel Angel's Thesis", including Shōko Nakagawa, MIQ, Yōko Ishida, Masami Okui, Shizuka Itō, Mikuni Shimokawa, Toshi, Aya Hirano, Arlie Ray, Ryō Horikawa, Chihiro Yonekura, Akina Nakamori, Maya Sakura, Konomi Suzuki, Kikuko Inoue, and Natsuki Katō. Music groups, both Japanese and foreign, also performed the song, including Animetal, Anipunk, Globe, Move, Flow, Glay, Glory Gospel Singers, Anime That Jazz!, Max, and Roselia, a band from the media franchise BanG Dream!.

Track listings

Original version: October 25, 1995 (1995-10-25); All tracks performed by Yoko Takahashi.

"Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze/Fly Me to the Moon"

October 25, 1995 (1995-10-25)

"Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze/Fly Me to the Moon" (10th Anniversary Renewal)

March 26, 2003 (2003-03-26). All tracks performed by Yoko Takahashi, except where noted.

"Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze 2009 version"

May 13, 2009 (2009-05-13); All tracks performed by Yoko Takahashi.

"Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze/Tamashī no Rufuran"

June 20, 2018 (2018-06-20)

"Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze Matsuri Spirit"

July 24, 2019 (2019-07-24)

All music is composed by Hidetoshi Satō. All tracks are arranged by Toshiyuki Ōmori

Charts

Certifications

Notes

1. The official music video translates the title with the article "The", while the use of "A" is common among both Japanese and English publications.

References

1. "【新商品：「EVA BG～BACKGROUND OF EVANGELION～×YOKO TAKAHASHI」コラボTシャツが3ヶ月連続リリース決定！】(2020.08.21更新)" (in Japanese). Evangelion Store. 21 August 2020. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
2. ^ Nebbia (2023), Chap. 1: Bientôt la diffusion
3. ^ "残酷な天使のテーゼ". Refrain of Evangelion Booklet (in Japanese). NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan. 2003.
4. Zac Bertschy (13 July 2015). "Interview: Cruel Angel's Thesis singer Yoko Takahashi". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
5. "高橋洋子" (in Japanese). 11 May 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
6. ^ Fan Wrigley (8 January 2015). "'A Cruel Angel's Thesis' took just two hours to write says Evangelion lyricist Neko Oikawa". Archived from the original on 31 July 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
7. ^ "「残酷な天使のテーゼ」は天からのギフト——「新世紀エヴァンゲリオン」NETFLIXでのTVシリーズ全話＆旧劇場版・配信記念！ 高橋洋子（歌手）インタビュー！" (in Japanese). 17 June 2019. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
8. "Interview: Yoko Takahashi". Evangelion Finally Booklet. Milan Record. 2020.
9. "「残酷な天使のテーゼ」の作詞・及川眠子、『エヴァ』での儲けは6億円!? 作詞の裏事情を赤裸々に語る!!" (in Japanese). 26 August 2016. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
10. Oikawa (2018), p. 149
11. "驚愕！ 作詞家が明かす名曲『残酷な天使のテーゼ』のシンプルすぎる誕生秘話" (in Japanese). 12 January 2015. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
12. Oikawa (2018), pp. 152–153
13. Evangelion Chronicle (in Japanese). Vol. 26. Sony Magazines. p. 23.
14. "「テーゼ」「パトス」って？ アニソンに登場する、意味を知らない謎単語" (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. 9 May 2021. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
15. Horn (2013), pp. 371–373
16. "「残酷な天使のテーゼ」歌詞、「神話になれ」は当初「凶器になれ」だった...作詞家・及川眠子さん" (in Japanese). 28 December 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
17. Oikawa (2018), p. 150.
18. Oikawa (2018), p. 156.
19. Devin Meenan (June 2021). "5 Saddest Musical Themes In Neon Genesis Evangelion (& 5 Happiest)". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
20. "出演者コメント". Death & Rebirth Program Book (in Japanese). Gainax. 1997.
21. Takahashi (2021), p. 151
22. Hashimoto (2018), p. 169
23. "「残酷な天使のテーゼ」四半世紀越し「新事実」 コーラス内容に衝撃「エヴァには謎がありすぎる」" (in Japanese). J-Cast. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
24. ^ "残酷な天使のテーゼ" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
25. ^ "高橋洋子, CLAIRE". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
26. ^ "残酷な天使のテーゼ/FLY ME TO THE MOON". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
27. Evangelion Chronicle (in Japanese). Vol. 1. Sony Magazines. pp. 30–31.
28. "Happy Second Impact!". Anime News Network. 13 September 2000. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
29. ^ "Shinseiki Evangelion" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 March 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
30. "NEON GENESIS EVANGELION DECADE （音楽CD）" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
31. "ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 June 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
32. "シン・ゴジラ対エヴァンゲリオン交響楽【通常盤】" (in Japanese). King Records. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
33. "シン・ゴジラ対エヴァンゲリオン交響楽" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
34. "『エヴァンゲリオン』ヴォーカル楽曲セレクションCD『EVANGELION FINALLY』の店舗オリジナル購入特典が公開" (in Japanese). 30 March 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
35. "『エヴァンゲリオン』シリーズ25周年アニバーサリー企画CD「NEON GENESIS EVANGELION SOUNDTRACK 25th ANNIVERSARY BOX」ジャケ写・試聴動画公開！" (in Japanese). 24 June 2020. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
36. "スターチャイルドＳＥＬＥＣＴＩＯＮ 音楽編～ＴＶ作品集～". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
37. "スーパーロボット魂２００３"春の陣"" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
38. "スーパーロボット魂 ザ・ベスト Vol.3～リアルロボ編～" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
39. "スーパーロボット魂 BEST＆LIVE ［ガールズ編］" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
40. "スーパーロボット魂 ノンストップ・ミックス ＶＯＬ４［ガールズ編］" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
41. "スーパーロボット魂 ノンストップ・ミックスVOL.4 [ガールズ編]" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
42. "スーパーロボット魂 主題歌ベストコレクション2" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
43. "スーパーロボット魂ＢＥＳＴ＆ＬＩＶＥ ［ガールズ編２］" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
44. "スーパーロボットライブ リクエスト・ベスト" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
45. "スーパーロボットライブ リクエスト・ベスト" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
46. "スーパーロボット魂 リアルロボ・ソングコレクション" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
47. "ＴＨＥ ＢＥＳＴ！！ スーパーロボット魂 ガールズ・ベストコレクション" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
48. "pop'n music 12 いろは AC CS pop'n music 10" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
49. "キッズソング★ヒットパラダイス！ まんまるスマイル・崖の上のポニョ" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
50. "ブラバン!甲子園 3" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
51. "ネコイズム～及川眠子作品集" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
52. ^ "第18回アニメグランプリ ［1996年5月号］" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
53. "【エヴァンゲリオン】あなたが一番好きな歴代主題歌は？" (in Japanese). 11 March 2021. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
54. ^ Ederlyn Peralta (9 August 2020). "From Akira to Cowboy Bebop, Anime's Most Iconic Soundtracks". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
55. Salvatore Cardone (9 March 2019). "Da Dragon Ball a Evangelion: le migliori opening degli anime" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
56. "Songs From Evangelion, Other Anime Win JASRAC Awards". Anime News Network. 25 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
57. "第19回アニメグランプリ ［1997年6月号］" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
58. "『忘れられないアニメソングベスト100』 2002.7.28 テレビ朝日" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
59. "年代別もう一度聞きたいアニメソング ベスト６０" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 13 March 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
60. "年代別もう一度聞きたいアニメソング" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 17 February 2004. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
61. "7 Magical Girls that Fandom Forgot". Anime News Network. 15 October 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
62. "Cruel Angel's Thesis Maintains Its Top Spot as Fav Anisong". Anime News Network. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
63. "2018年、国歌にしたいアニソンは？ 「残酷な天使のテーゼ」を超える人気を集めたのは...【「君が代」記念日】" (in Japanese). 12 August 2018. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
64. "女子が好きなアニメソングランキング発表 / カラオケ定番『残酷な天使のテーゼ』は何位!?" (in Japanese). 5 July 2019. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
65. "Anime song fitness video series kicks off with exercise routine for the Evangelion theme【Video】". 24 January 2017. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
66. Edoardo Luquin (11 October 2019). "10 Hilarious Evangelion Memes Only True Fans Will Understand". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
67. Lauren Orsini (25 June 2019). "5 Reasons You Should Still Watch 'Evangelion' In 2019". Forbes. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
68. Matt Fagaly (16 May 2020). "Anime Opening Songs Guaranteed to Lift Your Spirits". Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
69. "The Best Anime Intros of All Time, As Chosen By You". 30 March 2016. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
70. "Neon Genesis Evangelion Review". Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
71. David Levesley (21 June 2019). "Netflix just added one of the greatest sci-fi TV shows of all time". Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
72. Junichi Tsukagoshi (13 July 2020). "【アニソンの歴史を振り返る1995年編】TVアニメ『新世紀エヴァンゲリオン』高橋洋子「残酷な天使のテーゼ」【連載vol.69】" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 17 September 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
73. Laura Mucci (17 July 2018). "Taiko no Tatsujin Drum Session Recensione: Rullo di tamburi ed è subito festa" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
74. "15 Best Anime Opening Themes of All Time, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. 13 May 2020. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
75. "10 Best Anime Openings Of The 90s, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. 23 February 2020. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
76. "Stand back, kids! 64-year-old enka singer Aki Yashiro completely nails cover of Evangelion theme". 21 November 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
77. ""Cruel Angel's Thesis" Writers Reunite for New JoJo Theme". Crunchyroll. 19 August 2018. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
78. "The Best 'Evangelion' OP Parodies of All Time". 22 June 2019. Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
79. Daniel Kurland (28 June 2020). "Neon Genesis Evangelion: 5 Ways It's A Timeless Anime (& 5 Ways It's Overrated)". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
80. "10 Iconic Anime Songs That Are More Famous Than Their Anime". Comic Book Resources. 26 August 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
81. "10 Unskippable Openings In Shonen Anime, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. 21 March 2021. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
82. "What Is the Best Anime Opening of All Time?". Comic Book Resources. 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
83. "8 things to know about Neon Genesis Evangelion, the legendary anime now streaming on Netflix". 21 June 2019. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
84. "Japanese gravure idol strips down, plays drums to anime hits【Videos】". 17 June 2020. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
85. "Aberturas de Attack on Titan e Evangelion são reproduzidas em calculadoras" (in Portuguese). 31 March 2020. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
86. Christian Hoard (9 October 2018). "The 'Party Rock Anthem' Meme Will Enrich Your Life". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
87. Whitney Shoemaker (7 October 2018). ""Party Rock Anthem" colliding with our favorite scene anthems is everything we need". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
88. 人気声優の人生を変えたアニソンは? ミルキィホームズやハルヒ、エヴァなど続々 [What are the anime songs that changed the lives of popular voice actors? From Milky Holmes to Haruhi to Eva, one after another]. Oricon (in Japanese). 8 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
89. "カラオケ戦隊声優ジャー：徳井青空ら出演声優が"人生を変えたアニソン"語る（コメント全文）" (in Japanese). Mantan Web. 28 April 2022. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
90. "Get in the bullet train, Shinji! The Evangelion Shinkansen is here 【Videos】". 20 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
91. "Newly-Edited "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" Music Video HD Version Now Streamed". 20 June 2018. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
92. Horn, Carl Gustav (2004). "Eight books from Evangelion". Neon Genesis Evangelion. Vol. 8. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-59116-415-9.
93. "Shinji's Tape Player Gets A Tech Upgrade With New Sony Walkman F". Anime News Network. 19 April 2014. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
94. "Hear the Evangelion theme song as you drive over Hakone's Ashinoko Skyline "musical road"". 13 April 2015. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
95. "EVASTORE オフィシャル版 新世紀エヴァンゲリオンOPENING Tシャツ/白" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
96. "EVASTOREオリジナル マキシシングル初号機バックプリントTシャツ（摩砂雪イラスト）" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
97. "EVASTOREオリジナル マキシシングル初号機タペストリー（摩砂雪イラスト）" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
98. "EVASTOREオリジナル マキシシングル初号機メタルポストカード・クリアファイルセット（摩砂雪イラスト）" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
99. "Evangelion Is NOT for Children, But One Japanese Kids Show Begs to Differ". Comic Book Resources. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
100. Kara Dennison (9 November 2018). "Share a Drink with Mom at the Evangelion Pub". Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
101. "エヴァ酒場開店「ゲンドウ豆のさつま揚げ」「見知らぬ、天丼」と豊富なメニュー" (in Japanese). 14 November 2018. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
102. "Skaters Dance Like They Want to Win in Evangelion Routine". 19 June 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
103. "WWE Wrestler Names Finishing Move After Neon Genesis Evangelion". ComicBook. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
104. Casey Baseel (3 December 2020). "Evangelion taking over Tokyo Skytree just in time for Christmas". Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
105. "映画『シン・エヴァンゲリオン劇場版』公開記念 「EVANGELION トウキョウスカイツリー(R)計画」の開催期間を５月３１日（月）まで延長！" (in Japanese). 8 March 2021. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
106. "Seiyu's Life". Anime News Network. 7 July 2015. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
107. Delos Trinos, Angelo (16 September 2021). "10 Anime That Referenced Neon Genesis Evangelion". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
108. "Neon Genesis Evangelion Opening Parodied on Regular Show". Anime News Network. 10 April 2015. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
109. "年間 カラオケランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
110. "年間 カラオケランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
111. "年間 カラオケランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
112. "年間 カラオケランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
113. "年間 カラオケランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
114. "年間 カラオケランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
115. "年間 カラオケランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
116. ^ "残酷な天使のテーゼ/高橋洋子" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
117. ^ "残酷な天使のテーゼ/高橋洋子，ＣＬＡＩＲＥ" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
118. See Certifications.
119. "THE RECORD - 日本レコード協会" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. p. 9. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
120. ^ "残酷な天使のテーゼ／ＦＬＹ ＭＥ ＴＯ ＴＨＥ ＭＯＯＮ/高橋洋子，ＣＬＡＩＲＥ" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
121. Newtype. Kadokawa Shoten. June 2009. p. 131.
122. Newtype. Kadokawa Shoten. July 2009. p. 135.
123. ^ "残酷な天使のテーゼ２００９ ＶＥＲＳＩＯＮ/高橋洋子" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
124. "Statistic Trends" (PDF) (in Japanese). RIAJ. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
125. "特集：ヱヴァ、新生 新劇場版、庵野は何を目指すのか？" (in Japanese). 26 August 2007. Archived from the original on 7 July 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
126. "2011年JASRAC賞 「残酷な天使のテーゼ」が金賞を受賞" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
127. "Weekly Wrapup 22/5 - 28/5". Anime News Network. 29 May 2011. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
128. "国内作品分配額ベスト10(金・銀・銅賞関連)" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
129. "国内作品分配額ベスト10(金・銀・銅賞関連)" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
130. "国内作品分配額ベスト10(金・銀・銅賞関連)" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
131. "レコ協、5月度着うた等有料音楽配信認定を公表" (in Japanese). 20 June 2012. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
132. Krista Rogers (16 September 2015). "Evangelion theme song lyricist talks about her annual royalties, buying caves in Turkey". Soranews24 -Japan News-. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
133. Eric Stimson (12 September 2015). "Evangelion Theme Song Writer Makes Over Hundred Million Yen in Royalties". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
134. "2013's Best VAs, Anime, Games, and Karaoke Songs Chosen by Voice Actors". Anime News Network. 27 December 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
135. "Attack on Titan Theme Ranks #2 Karaoke Song". Anime News Network. 20 March 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
136. "Frozen's 'Let it Go' Ranks in Top Karaoke AniSongs for 1st Half of 2014". Anime News Network. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
137. "1位高橋洋子 「残酷な天使のテーゼ」" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
138. "2007年カラオケ事情を振り返る ～2007年楽曲別ランキング～" (in Japanese). 10 December 2007. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
139. "特集：注目特集！年間ランキング (2009年JOYSOUND年間ランキング)" (in Japanese). 4 December 2009. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
140. "Attack on Titan's Opening Song Tops Japan's Karaoke Chart". Anime News Network. 10 June 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
141. "10,000 Otaku Poll Names Favorite Anime Song to Karaoke". 26 January 2015. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
142. Lynzee Loveridge (25 March 2015). "Japanese Karaoke Goers Are Tired of Hearing Cruel Angel's Thesis". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
143. Casey Baseel (26 March 2015). "Six anime songs people are sick of hearing at karaoke, according to new poll". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
144. "2017年JOYSOUNDカラオケ上半期ランキング" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
145. "Kenshi Yonezu's 'Lemon' is Japan's Most-Popular Karaoke Song: See Top 10 List". Billboard. 30 November 2019. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
146. ""ヒトカラで熱唱したいアニソン"といえば？ 社会人1,000人に調査！ 「残酷な天使のテーゼ」抑えた1位は..." (in Japanese). 7 November 2019. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
147. "2019年カラ鉄年間カラオケランキング TOP10,000ツイッターでシェアする" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 9 April 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
148. "月間カラオケランキング TOP1,000 ツイッターでシェアする" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
149. "^ "アニソンベスト100！結果発表 - ニッポンアニメ100"" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
150. "Evangelion OP Song "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" Tops Japan's Karaoke Ranking of Heisei Period" (in Japanese). 2 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
151. "「鬼滅の刃」LiSAの主題歌"紅蓮華"、圏外から総合2位へ大躍進！"20年カラオケ上半期ランキング"JOYSOUND発表" (in Japanese). 8 July 2020. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
152. Groundwork of EVANGELION (in Japanese). Vol. 1. Gainax. 2000. p. 217. ISBN 978-4-903713-00-7.
153. Takeda (2005), pp. 161–162
154. Neon Genesis Evangelion Theatralical VHS Box Booklet (in Japanese). King Amusement Creative. 1997.
155. House, Michael (11 November 2011). "Interviewing translator Michael House". Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
156. "History 1993-1999". Neon Genesis Evangelion Blue Ray Ultimate Edition Encyclopedia. 2021.
157. Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book (in Japanese). Vol. 1. Kadokawa Shoten. p. 15.
158. "Opening". Platinum Booklet. ADV. 2004.
159. Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book (in Japanese). Vol. 1. Kadokawa Shoten. p. 8.
160. Morikawa (1997), p. 44
161. Kei Watanabe; Daichi Nakagawa; Tsunehiro Uno (8 May 2006). Evangelion Special: Phenomenon to Legacy (in Japanese). Mainichi Shinbun.
162. "Newly-Edited "The Cruel Angel's Thesis" Music Video HD Version Now Streamed". 20 June 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
163. Newtype Complete 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. 2005. pp. 122–123.
164. From the OP CREW, DVD "01 TEST-TYPE" of the Renewal Edition.
165. "Neon Genesis Evangelion Theme Gets An Official HD Music Video". 21 June 2018. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
166. Morikawa (1997), p. 97
167. Morikawa (1997), p. 39
168. ^ "CASTから一声". EVA友の会 (in Japanese). Vol. 14.
169. Mario Pasqualini (8 March 2021). "Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time – C'era tre volte l'amore" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
170. Morikawa (1997), p. 127
171. Evangelion Chronicle (in Japanese). Vol. 17. Sony Magazines. p. 23.
172. Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book (in Japanese). Vol. 8. Kadokawa Shoten. p. 17.
173. Neon Genesis Evangelion Film Book (in Japanese). Vol. 7. Kadokawa Shoten. p. 49.
174. Glossary 1998, pp. 41–42.
175. Ortega, Mariana (2007). "My Father, He Killed Me; My Mother, She Ate Me: Self, Desire, Engendering, and the Mother in Neon Genesis Evangelion". Mechademia. 2: 220. doi:10.1353/mec.0.0010. ISBN 978-0-8166-5266-2. S2CID 120554645.
176. Evangelion Chronicle (in Japanese). Vol. 1. Sony Magazines. p. 28.
177. Bartoli 2008, p. 31.
178. Bartoli 2008, p. 30.
179. Sellés de Lucas & Hernández-Pérez 2024, p. 228.
180. Sellés de Lucas & Hernández-Pérez 2024, p. 230.
181. Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (2001). Der Mond. Viz Media. p. 114. ISBN 1-56931-546-9.
182. Redmond, Dennis (2004). The World is Watching: Video as Multinational Aesthetics, 1968–1995. Southern Illinois University Press. p. 126. ISBN 0-8093-2535-7.
183. "庵野 秀明 - Part II". 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン残酷な天使のように. Magazine Magazine. 1997. ISBN 4-906011-25-X.
184. Bartoli 2008, p. 32.
185. Sanenari, Oizumi (1997). Anno Hideaki Sukidzo Evangerion (in Japanese). Ōta Shuppan. p. 97. ISBN 4-87233-315-2.
186. The Essential Evangelion Chronicle: Side A. Glénat Editions. 2009. p. 3. ISBN 978-2-7234-7120-6.
187. Glossary 1998, p. 56.
188. Sellés de Lucas & Hernández-Pérez 2024, pp. 230–231.
189. Horn, Carl G. "Speaking Once as They Return: Gainax's Neon Genesis Evangelion - Part 2". Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
190. Fujie, Kazuhisa; Foster, Martin (2004). Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Unofficial Guide. United States: DH Publishing, Inc. p. 74. ISBN 0-9745961-4-0.
191. Newtype Complete 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. 2005. pp. 24–25.
192. Nick Valdez (23 June 2018). "'Neon Genesis Evangelion' Releases New 'Cruel Angel Thesis' Video". Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
193. "Anime Expo to Celebrate 20th Anniversary of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" with Theme Song Singer Yoko Takahashi". Crunchyroll. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
194. "まらしぃ 高橋洋子と「残酷な天使のテーゼ」をサプライズ披露。『PiaNoFace』リリース・ライブ最終ステージをレポート" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. 23 May 2017. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
195. "「残酷な天使のテーゼ／魂のルフラン 」 高橋洋子（Maxiシングル）" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
196. "Yoko Takahashi's Evangelion Songs Get New Single Release, International Tour". Anime News Network. 19 May 2019. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
197. "劇場版新作で「本当に終わるようです」 シンジ役・緒方恵美が言及" (in Japanese). 6 July 2019. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
198. Marlen Vazzoler (25 June 2019). "Evangelion – La colonna sonora ufficiale online, manca Fly me to the moon di CLAIRE" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
199. "芦ノ湖に響き渡れ エヴァ主題歌「残酷な天使のテーゼ」 高橋洋子湖上ライブ" (in Japanese). 15 January 2020. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
200. "Hakone sans-façon vol.Special Edition - Evangelion EN Il". 10 January 2020. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
201. "エヴァンゲリオン×箱根 2020（公式）". Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
202. "Yoko Takahashi's Special Concert on Ashino-ko". Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
203. Yuki Shibata (27 October 2020). "Kyoto film studio attraction offers chance to 'pilot' Evangelion robot". Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
204. "Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 3". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2021. Sono disponibili degli estratti.
205. "『 夏物語2008 』" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
206. "『和ユーロベスト』" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
207. "『夏物語2009』" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
208. "『プレミア・ユーロ -ベスト･オブ･和ユーロベスト-』" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
209. "『 姫トラ・ベスト 』" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 July 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
210. "『 姫トラ あにめ★みっくす！』" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 17 February 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
211. "Various - Hime Trance 3". CDJapan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
212. "アニメ Speed" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
213. "アニメ Speed Newtype Edition" (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 November 2020.
214. "ハッピー・スピード ベスト・オブ・ダンスマニア スピード・ギガ" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 7 July 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
215. "姫トラ・スピード" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
216. ^ "高橋洋子「EVANGELION EXTREME」インタビュー" (in Japanese). 22 May 2019. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
217. "Best Pieces" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
218. "スーパー・バリュー 高橋洋子" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
219. "スーパー・バリュー/高橋洋子" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
220. "「新世紀エヴァンゲリオン」～refrain(ルフラン) ザ・ソング・ワー・インスパイアード・バイ"エヴァンゲリオン" フィーチャリング・高橋洋子" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
221. "Discography" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
222. "BEST PIECES 2" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
223. "BEST PIECES II" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
224. "高橋洋子 ベスト10" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
225. "高橋洋子エッセンシャル・ベスト" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
226. "ゴールデン☆ベスト 高橋洋子" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 16 May 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
227. "ゴールデン☆ベスト 高橋洋子[スペシャル・プライス]" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
228. "ゴールデン☆ベスト 高橋洋子 [スペシャル・プライス]" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
229. "Li-La" (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 August 2020.
230. "Li-La +3 [SHM-CD]" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
231. "NEON GENESIS EVANGELION DECADE" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
232. "NEON GENESIS EVANGELION DECADE" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
233. "『新世紀エヴァンゲリオン』放送10周年記念盤登場！新録もあり" (in Japanese). 15 September 2005. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
234. "「残酷な天使のテーゼ 2009 VERSION」 高橋洋子 （Maxiシングル） 【通常仕様】" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
235. "２０ｔｈ ｃｅｎｔｕｒｙ Ｂｏｙｓ ＆ Ｇｉｒｌｓ ～２０世紀少年少女～" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
236. "Evangelion Pachislot Game Themes Get Mini-Album". Anime News Network. 19 March 2019. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
237. "高橋洋子が蘇らせる20世紀の名曲たち - カヴァーアルバム第二弾「20th century Boys & Girls II」" (in Japanese). 22 April 2015. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
238. "20th century Boys & Girls II" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
239. "YOKO Sings Forever" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 22 May 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
240. "シンゴジラVSエヴァ！？ 高橋洋子×鷺巣詩郎によるコラボシングル発売決定" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. 27 January 2017. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
241. "『にゃんこ大戦争』×『エヴァンゲリオン』復刻コラボが開始！"残酷な天使のテーゼ"にゃ"Ver"の復刻アレンジがWEBで公開中" (in Japanese). 25 June 2020. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
242. "Nyanko Daisenso Mobile Game Asks 'What If Evangelion Was Just Cats'?". Anime News Network. 17 July 2019. Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
243. Devin Meenan. "All words in Evangelion theme replaced by cat meow in official remake by original singer【Video】". Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
244. 高橋洋子が"にゃ"だけで歌う「残酷な天使のテーゼ」 三石琴乃がナレ 「にゃんこ大戦争」×「エヴァンゲリオン 」コラボCM公開 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
245. 高橋洋子が「残酷な天使のテーゼ」を"にゃ"だけで歌う！ 『エヴァンゲリオン』x『にゃんこ大戦争』コラボCM・イントロ篇＆サビ篇 (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
246. "Evangelion's 'Cruel Angel's Thesis' Gets New Taiko Drum Arrangement in July" (in Japanese). Anime News Network. 21 June 2019. Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
247. 中国动画学会, 北京大学文化产业研究院, ed. (2011). 中国动画企业发展报告 第1版 (in Chinese). 中国科学技术出版社. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-7-5046-5848-7.
248. "18岁以前，你记忆最深的那十部霓虹动画片". Sohu (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 10 March 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
249. "你的青春我不懂 二次元审美时代已经到来" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 10 March 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
250. "bertemu". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
251. "ｃｅｎｔｅｒ ｃｏｌｏｒ". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
252. "歴代作品人気". Animedia (in Japanese). Gakken. July 2001.
253. "Megumi Ogata's No-Audience Live Set to be Live-Streamed Worldwide at 16:00 on June 6 (JST)". 3 June 2020. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
254. "Live[em:ou]in TOKIO to HONG KONG". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
255. "残酷な天使のテーゼの歌詞". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
256. "しょこたん☆かばー〜アニソンに恋をして". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 April 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
257. "ROBONATION SUPER LIVE '97 Summer". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
258. "Anime Expo - Main Events". Anime News Network. 19 July 2004. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
259. "マサミコブシ". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
260. "残酷な天使のテーゼ". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
261. "Review～下川みくに 青春アニソンカバーアルバム～". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
262. "Toshl、カヴァー・アルバム第2弾をリリース 「残酷な天使のテーゼ」を先行配信" (in Japanese). 10 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
263. "Aya Hirano Wows TV Hosts With 'Cruel Angel Thesis' Performance". Anime News Network. 6 May 2017. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
264. "このアニソンを聴け〜アニオタが選んだこの10曲〜". 26 March 2019. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
265. "残酷な天使のテーゼの歌詞". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
266. "残酷な天使のテーゼの歌詞 米倉千尋". Oricon News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
267. "中森明菜「残酷な天使のテーゼ」などカヴァー曲の歌唱映像が続々配信" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
268. "残酷な天使のテーゼの歌詞 さくらまや". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
269. "Performances at Anisong World Matsuri's Japan Super Live at Anime Expo". Anime News Network. 8 July 2017. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
270. "アニメロディナイト". Mora. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
271. "DAM CHANNEL5周年記念イベントで、加藤夏希「残酷な天使のテーゼ」熱唱" (in Japanese). 9 February 2010. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
272. "Animetal Usa x Evangelion" (in Italian). 11 October 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
273. "逆襲のアニパンク". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
274. "globe「残酷な天使のテーゼ」EDMカバー話題のマーク・パンサー DJプレイシーン初公開「ラップはしてません」" (in Japanese). 25 September 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
275. "残酷な天使のテーゼの歌詞 m.o.v.e". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
276. "FLOW「エウレカAO」新OP曲シングルにナカコーRemix" (in Japanese). 11 July 2012. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
277. "意外なアーティストがカバーしていた「有名曲」ランキング" (in Japanese). 28 August 2019. Archived from the original on 20 November 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
278. "GLAY、記念ライブでサプライズ 嵐やエヴァをカバー". Oricon (in Japanese). 1 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
279. Kara Dennison (29 October 2016). "New York Gospel Choir Performs "Cruel Angel's Thesis" on Japanese Talent Show". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
280. "EVENING!" (in Japanese). Mora. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
281. "残酷な天使のテーゼの歌詞 MAX". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
282. "2nd Album「Wahl」". BanG Dream! (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
283. "残酷な天使のテーゼ／魂のルフラン" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
284. "残酷な天使のテーゼ/魂のルフラン" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
285. "残酷な天使のテーゼ MATSURI SPIRIT" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
286. ^ オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
287. "Japanese single certifications – Yoko Takahashi – 残酷な天使のテーゼ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2021-07-19. Select 1997年5月 on the drop-down menu
288. "Japanese digital ringtone certifications – Yoko Takahashi – 残酷な天使のテーゼ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2021-07-19. Select 2010年6月 on the drop-down menu
289. "Japanese digital single certifications – Yoko Takahashi – 残酷な天使のテーゼ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2021-07-19. Select 2014年1月 on the drop-down menu
290. "Japanese single certifications – Yoko Takahashi – 残酷な天使のテーゼ／Fly Me To The Moon" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2021-07-19. Select 1997年4月 on the drop-down menu
291. "Japanese digital ringtone certifications – Yoko Takahashi – 残酷な天使のテーゼ 2009 Version" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2021-07-19. Select 2011年5月 on the drop-down menu
292. "Japanese digital single certifications – Yoko Takahashi – 残酷な天使のテーゼ (Directors Edit Version)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2021-07-19. Select 2014年5月 on the drop-down menu

Bibliography

• Morikawa, Kaichiro (1997). The Evangelion Style (in Japanese). Daisan Shokan. ISBN 4-8074-9718-9.
• エヴァンゲリオン用語事典 第2版 (in Japanese). 八幡書店. 1998. ISBN 978-4-89350-327-5.
• Takeda, Yasuhiro (2005). The Notenki Memoirs - Studio Gainax and the Man Who Created Evangelion. ADV Manga. ISBN 1-4139-0234-0.
• Bartoli, Fabio (2008). "Neon Genesis Evangelion e la Kabbalah: dal Tempo di dolore al Tempo Benedetto" (PDF). Antrocom (in Italian). 4 (1): 34. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
• Horn, Carl Gustav (2013). "Behold the Angels of God descending". Neon Genesis Evangelion 3-in-1 Edition. Vol. 3. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-4215-5362-7.
• Oikawa, Neko (2018). ネコの手も貸したい 及川眠子流作詞術 (in Japanese). Ritter Music. ISBN 978-4-8456-3267-1.
• Hashimoto, Manabu (2018). "高橋洋子×大森俊之スペシャル対談". Newtype (in Japanese). 34 (7). Kadokawa Shoten.
• Takahashi, Yōko (2021). 残酷な天使のテーゼ」「魂のルフラン」をだれよりも上手に歌えるようになる本 : 高橋洋子のヴォーカル・レッスン (in Japanese). Rittor Music. ISBN 978-4-8456-3586-3.
• Nebbia, Virginie (2023). La Saga Evangelion: L'oeuvre d'une vie (in French). Third Editions. ISBN 978-2-3778-4430-2. Archived from the original on 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
• Sellés de Lucas, Victor; Hernández-Pérez, Manuel (2024). "Exegesis and authorial agency through Judeo-Christian iconography in Japanese anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-97) as an open work". Imafronte (31). Universidad de Murcia: 224–237.

External links

• "残酷な天使のテーゼ (A Cruel Angel’s Thesis)" at MusicBrainz (information and list of recordings)

• 1995 singles
• 1995 songs
• Animated series theme songs
• King Records (Japan) singles
• Neon Genesis Evangelion songs
• Songs with lyrics by Neko Oikawa
• Songs written for animated films