Classical Musicians "React" to Evangelion!
Classical Musicians "React" to Evangelion!
A discussion about how Evangelion’s use of classical music can be interpreted. A lot of folks seem to miss the music-based content we used to do so here we go, hopefully we can do more if YouTube Content ID allows us. Obvious spoiler warning for a show that’s almost 25 years old. Big thank you to MiGuo (@_MiGuo) for joining us and narrating/helping write this video using her musical knowledge and expertise.
If you like what you saw or heard, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheCartoonCipher
Or follow The Cartoon Cipher on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CartoonCipher
Also shoutout to Elliot & Victoria from Crunchyroll for this Twitter conversation that inspired a lot of this video: https://twitter.com/RBKapoor1/status/1129939951318130690
Edited & co-written by Abhi (https://twitter.com/RBKapoor1)
Narrated & co-written by Mi Guo (https://twitter.com/_MiGuo)
Additional narration by Eric (https://twitter.com/MrAJCosplay)
Cartoon Cipher visual assets by @jermacattack
End-screen/Screensaver/ Thumbnail visuals by @MrNiesGuy
SOURCES + FURTHER READING
List of some films that use classical music https://www.naxos.com/musicinmovies.asp
The different eras of “Classical Music”: https://www.naxos.com/education/brief_history.asp
Beethoven’s Ninth as a revolutionary anthem: https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2014/sep/09/symphony-guide-beethoven-ninth-choral-tom-service
Ode to Joy lyrics: https://www.liveabout.com/beethovens-ode-to-joy-lyrics-history-724410
Additional footage:
Shirobako
Classicaloid
Your Lie in April
Piano no Mori
Nodame Cantabile
The Simpsons
Whisper of the Heart
Gravity Falls
Neo Yokio
Kanon 2006
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Hyouka
Cutie Honey (2004)
Amadeus
Shin Sekai Yori
Fantasia
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Fantasia 2000
Digimon The Movie
2001 A Space Odyssey
Pithoprakta graphical score: https://youtu.be/nvH2KYYJg-o
Yo Yo Ma Bach Cello Suite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCicM6i59_I
His and Her Circumstances
Blood Blockade Battlefront
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
RahXephon
A Clockwork Orange
The Making of the End of Evangelion Live-Action Scenes
Daicon IV
Face/Off
Ace Ventura Pet Detective
A bunch of shitty ads I found on YouTube
Johnny English
Gigguk’s “Anime in 2018”
Kung Fu Hustle
Muppets Most Wanted
NGE One-Shot – Card Games for Charity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0GpeXAsIKY
#evangelion #classical #music
May 21, 2022 @ 9:59 pm
whats the name of that anime in 3:25
May 21, 2022 @ 10:00 pm
wait, wasnt the klassical period between 1620-1750 or was that another one?
May 21, 2022 @ 10:03 pm
Please stop with the dub videos, and do more of this. I am sorry on comenting on what you are trying to do, but I love your videos on other topics so much, instead of the one anime aspect I do not care about
May 21, 2022 @ 10:05 pm
Absolutely fantastic video. Thanks to Evangelion a started to feel more interested in classical music. In my opinion, other reason that could be considered for the music selection is the “epicness” of classical music and applied to giant robots, in a post-apocalyptic future fighting for humanities survival is quite epic. I suppose if they would have tried other genres it would have taken the deepness that is mentioned in the video, as well as other feature that makes Eva so great is that this music doesn’t feel old (irony).
This reminds me of the main theme of Ghost in the Shell and the animation a mix of futuristic biotechnology with a very ancient Japanese chord.
I suppose the contrast combined manifest the contradictions of the characters or situations.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:05 pm
What’s that track at 0:20
May 21, 2022 @ 10:06 pm
This channel is a hidden gem. Great work
May 21, 2022 @ 10:09 pm
I laughed so hard when Beethoven and Bach said よろしくお願いします
Great Video!
May 21, 2022 @ 10:10 pm
Wow great explaination of classical music and its definition throughout the years.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:10 pm
As I was watching this I stumbled upon this beauty. It seemed appropriate.
https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/71169136
May 21, 2022 @ 10:12 pm
What’s the song used during the fight with Israfel? I’ve been tryna find it
May 21, 2022 @ 10:12 pm
This made me look at it in a new light.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:12 pm
At times this anime was so creepy and stressed out I nearly threw up over deep stress like when asuka’s mind was shattering
May 21, 2022 @ 10:13 pm
Didn’t expect that alex jones clip .
May 21, 2022 @ 10:14 pm
Listening Armageddon at the end of the video makes my heart warms, EvangelionVox it such a good album, one of my favorites actually
May 21, 2022 @ 10:14 pm
Evangelion’s music is something epic within itself! Some of the best music to ever been put into anime. Rebuild of Evangelion 4.0, known songs, is just the latest example.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:15 pm
Actually, Handel’s Hallelujah takes its text directly from the Apocalypse, so we are actually listening to a triumphant depiction of the human world"s destruction by God. That contrast between the Divinity’s triumph and Asuka’s collapse, being one strong character along the previous episodes, is that makes very special this scene; the throwing of Longinus’ Spear as a javaline with the final Amen wouldn’t be so… epic! So it happens with Beethoven’s Ode to Joy (Kaworu’s entrance at the "Paradise Gates" and his surrender and death by Shinji when the music celebrates humans’ fraternity), Bach’s Aria in the G-string (Ritsuko’s death at Lilith’s feet and Asuka’s ripping by the Eva Series at the same time), or the four Children playing Pachelbel’s Canon, being assumed in pop culture a religious meaning to that piece too.
Of course, Anno could say it is too much interpretation, and simply he wanted to use music reflecting the Western ideas we have about "Glory" and "Divinity". Curiously, all of that in D major.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:17 pm
Because is pretentious shit
May 21, 2022 @ 10:18 pm
You put clips of the anime dubbed in English???? unsubscribed.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:19 pm
What about the motif of “Mmm mmm mmm” in Steins Gate; Zero
May 21, 2022 @ 10:20 pm
15:45 [has Kill la Kill flashbacks]
May 21, 2022 @ 10:21 pm
Gendo as Mr Burns calling his assistant Smithers and talking about that loud music coming from the neighbors and how they should turn it down.
That had me cracking up laughing.
Mostly because we know it is supposed to reference the original Anime series of Evangelion and their own use of classical music.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:24 pm
Who the fuck watch an anime dubbed? Oh right… the guys who elected Trump once and almost elected him twice… makes sense now
May 21, 2022 @ 10:25 pm
Great Video Guys – Really fun and interesting to watch
May 21, 2022 @ 10:26 pm
This is such an incredibly well written analysis!!
May 21, 2022 @ 10:27 pm
I have never scene that scene where Shinji and asuka change tv channels competitively, at 16:06 where is that from?
May 21, 2022 @ 10:30 pm
Congratulations on the sound editing. You had all those transitions with tracks transitioning into the show’s audio and so on and so furth, you know what you did.
I just wanna say it’s well done, really competent and much appreciated!
May 21, 2022 @ 10:30 pm
What’s the piece that begins at 2:58? I cannot find it anywhere, and I know I remember it
May 21, 2022 @ 10:31 pm
i really wanna hear the full version of this 3:54
also this 4:00
May 21, 2022 @ 10:31 pm
What scared me the most about the music in this series, was that the text plays an incredibly important role, especially at the 9th symphony. If you are raised Catholic and you partly understand the old testament. A cherub is the same thing as what Kaworu was, and it fits so morbidly into the context that it could not have been a coincidence. And in my opinion its either a morbid urged to harm people and especially adolescents. Or a completely sick plan As Friedrich Nietzsche had described it to kill god. God is not above us but between us. And when people distance themselves more and more, whether philosophically or politically or whatever, it can only lead to chaos and corruption. And this is implemented in such an incredibly blatant way in this series that it really took my mind a while to think about what the intension of the series maker was. I mean all i said is my interpretation from the german translation of the series but the symbolism is so obvious that it hurts. And with that sait i still wish you all the best.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:32 pm
I never watched that show, what’s it about?
May 21, 2022 @ 10:32 pm
Why does this not have more views? This was stellar
May 21, 2022 @ 10:33 pm
13:05 *sounds of internal peace*
May 21, 2022 @ 10:34 pm
Deberías poner subtítulos en español en tus vídeos así podríamos disfrutarlo mejor tu público hispanohablante,gracias.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:37 pm
Subtitulos en español pls
May 21, 2022 @ 10:41 pm
that was incredible!
gonna rewatch eva now.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:42 pm
* sonds of internal peace *
hilarious
May 21, 2022 @ 10:43 pm
Nice video and interesting topic. Classical music adds a timeless quality to animation and an be really powerful. Depending on where you source it from it can also be cost effective.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:44 pm
Evagelion (original series, original movies and even rebuilds) are what i can consider an overall masterpiece. The Rebuilds might have took away something from the original work, but i view more as an update, an "evolution"… that being said, i think Evangelion is one of the few animes that uses music as another active layer to induce reaction and "passive" interaction with the viewer. Most of the times it feels more than just a passive element in the background, and that is why also many scenes are so memorable… many times i feel the music gives context to how a scene is felt and perceived as much as the images displayed on the screen.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:46 pm
Me explaining "Classical" to my non-musical family = 04:09
May 21, 2022 @ 10:48 pm
Beyond Anno… i’m pretty sure Shiro Sagisu, who usually scores his series/movies, probably is part of the discussion when choosing which music they use. The Rebuild soundtracks include a los of classical music, and some of the original compositions areclearly inspired by classical works, and they even do some Juxtaposition like with the theme "Tribute to The sound of Music".
May 21, 2022 @ 10:49 pm
Glad I still have my DVD set. Yeah it’s DVD but it’s better than missing anything.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:49 pm
Holy fuck that was some good editing
May 21, 2022 @ 10:50 pm
1:30 here and I am watching here. Good ol PTSD will visit dreams.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:50 pm
Gosh, the editing with the sound mixing here is gorgeous
May 21, 2022 @ 10:51 pm
I actually disagree with the last point, that the music was hard to get invested in because these pieces have been used so widely. That scene where Asuka’s mind is infiltrated as Hallelujah blares is genuinely one of the most distressing scenes in all of anime to me. To me, that song had only ever been seen in a comedic context, or literally just at church. A song that has always been used in media for laughs being the backdrop for that AWFUL screaming, as Asuka squirms inside of the cockpit and begs to die as her mind unravels, was genuinely so disturbing. It was so jarring to me. I had never seen the song used in a context like that, and that’s why it stuck with me. It made me actually really respect the piece, and subsequently Handel and the entirety of ‘Messiah.’ Paired with the scene where Worthy is the Lamb/Amen are played with EVA-00 tearing the Lance from Lilith, the Eva unit’s muscles and tendons loudly stretching and squeaking as Rei readies herself to toss the Lance like a javelin, and then the Lance subsequently impaling the Angel in the atmosphere as it roars. That episode and the way it used the music from Messiah is genuinely one of my favorite pieces in animation ever.
May 21, 2022 @ 10:51 pm
I won’t lie, because of modern media I burst out laughing at the surprise use of hallaluha the entire time even during the situation
May 21, 2022 @ 10:51 pm
The Neflix version sounds re-dubbed to me, I made it through 5 minutes of episode 1 before putting in my DVDs lol
May 21, 2022 @ 10:53 pm
you should do an analysis on the music in death note
May 21, 2022 @ 10:55 pm
1. Wasn’t really happy with how we tackled the final Bach piece, we basically just recapped what happens in the scene and claimed it applied to the audience in the same manner the previous examples applied to the characters. Probably could’ve explained the effect it had better, the original cantata movement the piano transcription is based on is about finding oneself through Jesus, which contrasts how Shinji has lost himself through trying to escape getting hurt by others, just like how we see footage of the real world while Shinji talks about how he doesn’t understand reality.
2. Apologies if the video seems frontloaded with how we go into the details regarding the different eras. Originally we were gonna have a point about non-secular Baroque music and the show’s use of Christian imagery by pointing out how most written music at that time was exclusive to the church while troubadour music was only passed down aurally…before realising that was the case for the Medieval era not the Baroque. Thought we’d keep it in as a fun little DYK segment using clips from movies.
3. Wanted to include translations for more of the Beethoven lyrics but wasn’t sure how Content ID would like it. In any case, another line sung during the infamous pause when EVA-01 is holding Kaworu is “Brüder, über’m Sternenzelt Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen” which means “Brothers, above the canopy of stars must dwell a loving father.”
May 21, 2022 @ 10:55 pm
I can’t believe how good this video was