Hi every … one person who reads these!
This post is purely for fun because I am beyond pumped for the August 13th release of Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time on Amazon Prime! This film is, without a doubt, the most anticipated movie of my life! I fell in love with Evangelion back in 2006 and it even saved me – I wrote an essay on that experience, feel free to check it out – and just a few months after I discovered the series the four part Rebuild of Evangelion project was announced by series creator Hideaki Anno and his newly formed Studio Khara. Announced with the rather ambitious goals of releasing all four films within the span of about two years, I anticipated some quickly made films with a few new animated sequences sandwiched in between lots of slightly updated old material from the classic television series. A quick cash-in to get the fresh Studio Khara the money it needed to exist is what I anticipated. Clearly, that was not what the films became and now here we are, 15 years after the original announcement, about to see the true finale*** of all things Evangelion. The film series grew into something fresh, unique and, for myself at least, awe-inspiring.
***(While Evangelion IS my favorite work of pop culture I truly and desperately hope Thrice Upon A Time is the last work in the series proper. I know the merchandise, the manga spinoffs, the clothing apparel, the figurines, the video games and the aggressive product placement will continue in perpetuity, but I hope this final film is it truly it or Eva. No prequel film series. No spinoff set between 3.0 and 3.0+1.0. No sequel series where the original Eva cast become mentors to a new generation of Eva pilots. And absolutely no Live Action Hollywood Remake. I want Evangelion to be complete. Stories NEED to end.)
And this nerdy post of mine is to celebrate the work of series composer Shiro Sagisu. Maybe this is a hot-take, but I feel Sagisu’s work on Evangelion has been some of the greatest musical work in film of the past several decades. He’s doing Ennio Morricone type work in these films! The scores for these four films are BIG! The emotions aren’t subtle and the music is LOUD! And I love ’em! The soundtracks are eclectic, wild, all over the place and free. Sagisu does have unifying themes and motifs he uses throughout, but if a moment calls for a musical tone that’s completely different from what came before he and his team went for it. I’ve loved these scores for years! So I figure, now with the final film almost here, why not? I’ll rank my favorites.
Even though this ranking is all subjective, very nerdy and informal, I did set down some rules for myself. First, I avoided classic repurposed Neon Genesis Evangelion tracks as much as possible. A few are in the list but in general I avoided tracks like the much used “The Longest Day“, more famously known as EM20, a piece of Sagisu’s music that is so popular he even used it a half dozen times in Shin Godzilla – (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9aHIznqeO8). Second, as much as possible I avoided the inclusion of tracks based on pre-existing songs or pieces of music. This removed works like the great Tsubasa wo Kudasai from 2.0 and the incredible ave verum corpus and VOYAGER that are being used in 3.0+1.0. I also chose not to include any of the excellent Utada Hikaru theme songs simply because they’d take up so many of the top spots on this list. For the record, my ranking of Utada’s theme songs are 1. Sakura Nagashi (3.0). 2. One Last Kiss (3.0+1.0). 3. Fly Me to the Moon (1.0 Trailer). 4. Beautiful World (1.0). 5. Beautiful World Remix (2.0).
I’ve included Spotify links to the pieces used in the first three Rebuilds but have not done so for any tracks from Thrice Upon A Time. The soundtrack for the final film has yet to be officially added to Spotify and including Youtube links is a recipe for disaster because Khara routinely deletes videos using the final films music. So if you want to hear the full tracks, while clicking the 30 second example links for music from the first three films will direct you to them on Spotify, for tracks from 3.0+1.0 I’d recommend just Youtubing the name and it should direct you to whatever version is currently available on Youtube.
Final note: As of this writing, I have avoided all spoilers for Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time. While I have seen the first 18 minutes of the film (repeatedly and with pleasure) because Khara was kind enough to share them online, after the minute 18 mark I am completely in the dark on what happens in the final movie. Right now I do not know how my favorite piece of pop culture ends. I have listened to the score for the final film A LOT over these past five months, but what the music plays out against in the finished film is a complete mystery to me. That’s how much I like some of these 3.0+1.0 tracks!
While do I wish I could see the most anticipated film of my life on a big IMAX screen as it played in Japan, I am grateful for the August 13th Amazon Prime release and the movie can’t get here soon enough!
Well. Let’s begin with my Nerdy Ranking:
25. Cruel Dilemme II – Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone.
The first Rebuild film, 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, is certainly the entry in the four-part saga that sticks the closest to being a simple retelling of Neon Genesis Evangelion. To the movie’s credit and based on interviews with the filmmakers, that has always been entirely by design as entry by entry the Rebuilds steadily and naturally evolve from being a Remake of the classic series to something new and completely breathtaking. Because of this most of 1.0 is an almost shot-for-shot recreation of early episodes in the NGE saga with mostly (but not all) a glossier production budget differentiating them. This recreation pertains to the music as well with most of the first films soundtrack being old classic NGE pieces of music. Most of the tracks are bangers but for me the Cruel Dilemme tracks are the shining star of 1.0. Three refrains of Cruel Dilemme are used through the film – a fourth is on the score as an extra I believe – and they create a unity to the later half of the film. I love the way these pieces sound and they bring up a well of emotions in me as a listener. Cruel Dilemme II is my favorite of the three and in the film it plays over Shinj wandering Tokyo-III lost and uncertain how he is to move forward with this strange new life he finds himself in.
24. 3EM09_P_83_2dames_mx3 – Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo.
3.0 has a lot of piano music. Not only in the actual plot of the film but also it is at the forefront of Sagisu’s musical score. Outside of the big action set pieces and a few moments here and there the score for the third film is primarily piano based. It works to help make the third film feel like a lonelier and more solo-focused film and this works perfectly with the third film being one about Shinji’s isolation. I particularly like the simplicity of this piece that is used when Shinji and Asuka meet up again for the first time in 14 years. It is a simple and effective piece of music that seems mysterious and a bit angry. Just like the pilot it’s centered around.
23. Hand of Fate – Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time.
The first of several tracks from the final film to appear on this list. Now remember, as of this writing I have not seen the final film and have just ranked this on my love of the track itself. I think I’m gaga for this track because it’s so OUT THERE from everything else in the franchise. The final film has several songs done in full English and it’s just wild to hear a tone so alien from the world of this story show up in the middle of everything. I like that about it. Any way, it’s a nice emotional track and I can’t wait to see what this plays out against in the final film. (Like all 3.0+1.0 tracks I’m not including a link because the soundtrack is not officially on Spotify.)
22. 2EM25_Piano_Nu (Tranquillite) – Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance.
Another great bit of music from another great Asuka moment. Sagisu uses this piece when, before boarding Evangelion Unit 03, Asuka calls Misato to open up and talk about how much she’s enjoying her new life in Tokyo-III. Seeing Asuka, a character who in the canon of Evangelion up to this point has never shared her intimate feelings with others, opening up to someone is a lovely moment that perfectly ties into the lighter and more positive story that 2.0 has been telling up to this point…. and then it all comes tumbling down right after this moment. This piece of music, primarily on piano, is a lovely calm before the storm.
21. 3EM02_C17B_Nu_Test02 (God’s Message) – Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo.
A killer track used in the opening space recovery set piece of the third film. This is just another banger of a musical cue that really sells the danger of the moment. Of special interest is that this track is a repurposing of music from Hideaki Anno’s first TV series, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. This not only is a solid callback to Anno’s early masterpiece, but it is also a very effective foreshadowing of what’s to come in the third film as Anno remolds some Evangelion characters to new roles more akin to characters seen in Nadia.
20. If A Cause is Worth Dying For Then Be – Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time.
The Paris opener set piece to 3.0+1.0 is one of the most exciting action scenes in the entire franchise! It’s a glorious moment where Khara is allowed to showcase how much their skills and ability to create massive action set pieces has grown over the course of the franchise! I remember being blown away watching it online when the Operation0706 screening occurred back in the pre-pandemic days of July 2019 and I could only imagine what insanity was going to follow it in the film itself. Still don’t know. The Paris set piece is a (presumably) self-contained bit of action to get the viewer back into the world of Eva and Sagisu’s music is such a core component of that. This is another one of his many “Oh shit! We’re fucked!” tracks that Sagisu is so good at composing. The second this track starts you know all the playing around that occurred before is done and this is now a battle to the death. I love it and have listened to this piece many times in the (gasp) OVER TWO YEARS since the opening set piece of 3.0+1.0 was originally premiered. (Like all 3.0+1.0 tracks I’m not including a link because the soundtrack is not officially on Spotify.)
19. 2EM09_YAMASHITA – Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance.
I’m pretty certain this track is based on an existing piece of music so by my own rules I should not include this in here. But you know what, it’s my party? This track plays over a beautifully executed montage early in the second film where we see the city of Tokyo III and its people waking up and starting their day. While it’s wonderful to see Tokyo-III envisioned as a city bustling with life, which is something not really seen in the much starker original series, it’s the lovely music that truly elevates the montage to another level. It makes Tokyo-III, a weaponized city continually under attack from giant monsters, feel like a good place to live. Not to mention, I’m a sucker for waking up montages in movies and this is one of the best of them all.
18. 2EM33_0902 “The Final Decision We All Must Take” – Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance.
An awesome piece of climatic action music from the second film. Set to when Mari, having hijacked Unit 02, removes all physical limiters on the Eva to trigger the Beast code and go all out against the 10th Angel. It’s a piece so full of energy and I love the ticking clock component of it. I wish more movies went this big with their scores during action scenes. Most movies seem content with the music being purely ornamental to the action, but Sagisu throughout these films goes huge and for me it makes the music just as irreplaceable to the power of the moment as the stellar animation and the storytelling choices made to take us to this point.
17. 3Em22_SS_101_Orch – Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo.
The core power of the third film is Shinji and Kaworu’s relationship. Feeling completely alone and racked with guilt over his role in the events that helped destroy the world, Shinji is broken and the only person who is able to crack through that pain and provide him a glimmer of hope is Kaworu Nagisa. Evangelion’s prime theme is really about the distances people put up between themselves and Kaworu has always been a representation of pure unconditional love. Of someone who accepts you for you. This piece beautifully brings those feelings to mind. Starting out sad and morose with long drawn on out drags on strings – I think, I don’t know how to music, I just love it – the first two and a half minutes of this piece have us down in the depths with Shinji. Then Kaworu, removing the Choker on Shinji and placing it on himself, lifts some of the burden off him and the last minute of the piece introduces quick plucks on strings that offer levity and even hope. While the Rebuilds have A LOT of epic action pieces I often find myself returning to the calmer tracks that offer a quieter and emotional beauty. Very relaxing while writing or drawing.
16. 3EM07_C_15_take2 (The Anthem) – Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo.
This is the second part of two tracks that play back to back in the third film when Misato and her team power up their new battleship, the Wunder, to fight NERV’s artificial Angels. This track is a complete repurpose of an old Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water piece and while it’s cute to realize Anno has literally turned Misato, Ritsuko and the Bridge Team into the Nautilus crew from his 1989 masterpiece, it also just works cause it’s such an energetic badass piece of music. It truly is an Anthem. As the music comes to a crescendo it’s a cheer-worthy moment in the film as NERV is finally given a defeat … and then you realize that what Misato coldly said to Shinji before all this began is true: Shinji isn’t needed here. His worst fear, being unneeded, realized.
15. This is the Dream, Beyond Belief – Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time.
This is on the 2nd disc of the 3.0+1.0 soundtrack and I’ve kinda deduced the songs are in order as they appear in the film so this bit of music is probably somewhere in the third act of the movie. I have to imagine this plays at a point when Misato and her WILLE crew overcome a huge obstacle to achieve some kind of (temporary) victory against NERV. Either way, it feels like a wonderful compliment to The Anthem and seems like the perfect music for a moment of WILLE winning for once. (Like all 3.0+1.0 tracks I’m not including a link because the soundtrack is not officially on Spotify.)
14. 2EM15_0938 “Destiny” – Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance.
This and the next track on this list are inseparable which is why they are my 14th and 13th favorite pieces of music in the Rebuilds overall. Short of the final film having a major surprise, the battle with the Eight Angel is the one moment in the entire saga where Shinji, Rei and Asuka are all working together as a team. It’s a highpoint of the series and Anno’s recreation + expansion of the action sequence from the original is truly astonishing. This track, Destiny, soars as the three Evangelions charge across the city hoping to intercept the MASSIVE Angel before it collides with and destroys the Earth. Shinji and his Unit 01 are the first ones to encounter the Angel and –
13. 2EM16_0944 “Fate” – Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance.
– then all hell breaks loose as the Angel counteracts! This Sagisu track is just epic! I find this battle to be the pinnacle of what they’ve achieved with the scale of the Angel fights. The films have already established how big the Evas are and then to have them be so minuscule next to this Angel drives home how GIGANTIC this alien monstrosity is! Sagisu’s music goes big and really sells this a battle for the Fate of everyone. It’s a downright Biblical moment as the three Evas work as one, incur massive damage and just barely take down the largest single Angel in the entire franchise. And Sagisu’s wonderful music is an integral part of why the scene feels as large as it is!
12. Paranoia – Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time.
I could be wrong, but in 3.0+1.0 I imagine this is the music that plays over Mari and Asuka’s Free Fall action scene that has been a major focus in marketing since the beginning. This just feels like the epic action piece to play when Units 02 and 08 are falling through space, forcing their way past a horde of Mass Produced Evas to get to … somewhere. This is a high energy piece of music and I can’t wait to know what onscreen action is paired with the minutes long electric guitar riff that Sagisu has starting at the 2:20 mark! One of the things I love most about Sagisu’s work in these films, as I said at the top, is how he embraces the versatility of music and his eccentricity in using so many styles in his work. This reminds me so much of scores by Ennio Morriconne and I just love hearing all these various musical feels show up in the same overall piece of work! Can’t wait to experience this (sadly not in a theater) soon! (Like all 3.0+1.0 tracks I’m not including a link because the soundtrack is not officially on Spotify.)
11. The Path – Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time.
Another mystery piece from late in the finale. I can tell from the music that in this go-around Evangelion is not going to climax in a dark everything-is-fucked tone like in The End of Evangelion. Anno is aiming for something more hopeful and positive this time around. At least that’s what I think. While I’m not crazy about the opera vocals in the first two minutes of this piece I don’t mind it, BUT at around the 2 minute mark this piece goes full orchestral and then I’m blown away. I can’t really describe this piece. It just fills me hope. And fuck… I need hope right now. (Like all 3.0+1.0 tracks I’m not including a link because the soundtrack is not officially on Spotify.)
10. 3EM28_Nu09_360 (The Wrath of God In All It’s Fury) – Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo.
The final act of 3.0 is certifiably insane! By design, the third film places the audience in Shinji’s mindset and doesn’t really stop to explain much – not having read spoilers I imagine a lot of the unexplained in 3.0 will be answered in the final film – so when Shinji, in a moment of pure desperation, actually unleashes destruction we are not allowed to truly grasp what is happening. We don’t really know why but we just know shit is bad! Now, for a lot of people this kind of storytelling is a turnoff but it is so my kink! I love not understanding the chaos that is occurring on an intellectual level but still grasping it on an emotional level through visuals and character. I don’t understand what Ritsuko means when she says Eva Mark 9 is “The Vessel of Adams and it wants the Wunder back” but I understand it’s bad news cause Ritsuko is worried and I just saw this dark Eva grow a fucking demon head from a bloody stump! I understand things are bad and Sagisu sells that with his hardcore track! Like a lot of 3.0 it goes big and that’s where I want it go! I wish more composers went this hard on their action scenes!
09. 2EM31_0948 “In My Spirit” – Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance.
Another excellent “Oh shit, everything is gonna fucking die!” track. This plays when Zeruel, the Tenth Angel in the film series, comes to NERV headquarters in the final act of the second film to fuck shit up. And fuck shit up our glorious flesh paper Angel does. This track purely sells the horror and scale of this moment. Zeurel makes short work of all NERV’s defenses and bursts its way into the Geofront like it was nothing. This is pure chaos and Sagisu’s music perfectly sells that our protagonists are completely outmatched here and things may finally be hopeless. This Angel is a monster like none they’ve faced yet and things are truly fucked… Such good music!
08. Pensées Intimes: Piano dans l’orchestre à cordes – Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time.
This is one of the last songs on the 3.0+1.0 soundtrack so I imagine this is a piece near the end of the film. Listening to this music quells one of my biggest fears about 3.0+1.0. For years, I have been worried Anno would end his final stamp on Evangelion simply with big chaotic action set pieces. That Eva would end not with character but with a final bout of epic action. Clearly, I was in the wrong to be worried. The final third of the 3.0+1.0 soundtrack is purely emotional. I don’t know what the music plays out against but I can FEEL through Sagisu’s excellent music the final act of 3.0+1.0 is all about the characters and their internal emotions. This is when Eva is its most exciting and this piece, full orchestral, is a stunner! The title translated to English is – Intimate Thoughts: Piano in the String Orchestra and this certainly feels like it’ll be an emotional onslaught worthy of this franchise! I hear a lot of tracks used in 2.0 hidden through this piece and I’ve watched these films enough to connect those little refrains and notes with Asuka so I’m figuring/hoping this music is tied to a real powerful moment with her character. It’s lovely music and it fills me with so much excitement for the finale! (Like all 3.0+1.0 tracks I’m not including a link because the soundtrack is not officially on Spotify.)
07. 2EM01_B01 “At the Very Beginning” – Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance.
While 1.0 is a very loyal remake of the first 6 episodes of the original series, the sequel film from the very get go tells the audience things are going to be a little different from this point on. 2.0 opens with Mari Makinami, a character not in the original series, piloting a never-before-mentioned Evangelion in a never-before-mentioned NERV base against a never-before-seen Angel. Everyone is speaking English (badly) and we know some serious shit has gone down. Mari launches Provisional Evangelion Unit 05 against the dissected living skeleton of the Third Angel and what occurs is an epic action opener where Anno and Khara really go for something new. With the exception of an appearance from Kaji nothing in the opening set piece of 2.0 corresponds to anything in the original series. The second film is also where Sagisu starts to really embrace the chances to go big with the music and this track, the first one in the second movie, is a declaration of that mindset.
06. 3EM10_1176_long_end (Out of the Dark) – Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo.
Another superb “Oh shit! Things are fucked!” action tracks. This epic bit of music occurs near the end of 3.0′s first act when Shinji is at his most vulnerable and the Evangelion Unit 01 lookalike Mark 9, piloted by “Rei Ayanami“, comes to take him away from Misato and her peers. The way the other character talk and react to this mystery Mark Eva tells us it’s a big deal and as effective as that is it’s Sagisu’s music that really sells the scale and horror of this seemingly unstoppable monster. I’ve listened to this piece far too many times. I love the goofy English lyrics, I love the pacing, I love how large it goes. I just love it. Great stuff!
05. Angel of Doom – Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone.
Like previously stated, 1.0 is the entry that deviates from the original series the least. It’s a pretty close 1-to-1 recreation of Neon Genesis Evangelion with the changes mostly being cosmetic or related to time restraints. The first hour has very little that could be considered “new”. But, as the film enters its third act things begin to increase in scale and the execution expands, slowly embracing the fact this is a theatrical movie and not a small screen TV series, and then in the final moments when the battle against Ramiel goes underway there is an explosion of cinematic action far surpassing what they could have achieved in 1995! The finale of 1.0 is also the first time in the Rebuild saga that Sagisu truly allows himself to go BIG! The music explodes in this track Angel of Doom that is unlike anything else that came before it! And it’s great! The lyrics are silly to native English speakers but the music itself is so damn big that it truly sells the scene as the huge and cinematic moment that it now is! The battle with Ramiel and the track Angel of Doom is truly the moment the Rebuilds stop being a mere recreation of the TV series and starts being a cinematic event!
04. Reuse of His & Her Circumstances Tracks – Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance AND Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time.
I think the greatest singular score to come out Hideaki Anno and Shiro Sagisu’s long collaboration is the soundtrack for 1997’sThe End of Evangelion. That soundtrack is one stunning jaw-dropping piece of music after another. It’s 14 tracks of pure gold. No question, the EOE soundtrack is possibly one of the greatest film scores ever written. But, not that far behind it in terms of quality and set in a completely different world tonally is the score for Anno’s 1998 TV series, His & Her Circumstances. The music is light, cute, goofy, sometimes saccharine but always pure, earnest and gloriously emotional. It’s upbeat music that couldn’t be more removed from the stark world of Evangelion if it tired. Which is why my brain literally exploded when I first heard the score to 2.0 back in 2009 and a large chunk of it was repurposed His & Her Circumstances tracks! I had no idea how this would work in Eva and yet when I saw the film months later all those old tracks just fit right in to the world of Eva perfectly! The light effervescent His & Her tracks help make the upbeat moments in Shinji’s life in Tokyo-III feel more idyllic and worth protecting. It’s a great reuse of music to help sell things that matter in a shortened period of time and it makes everything so joyous. But, the His & Her music is also gloriously emotional in it’s simplicity – I love the piano piece attached that is used when Kaji tells Shinji about Misato’s experiences of Second Impact – and it all leaves such an impact in the second film! Listening to the score for the 3.0+1.0 I noticed a few tracks of His & Her music reappear in that – like the track m & r:piano – and I am so curious to see what dialogue those musical pieces are having in connection with the second film by being reused in the finale. There’s a great deal of His & Her in the second + fourth films and it’s such a genius concept. I love it and now can’t imagine the Rebuild of Evangelion films without them.
03. 3Em12_Guitar_ForQ (ReiQ Theme) – Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo.
Simplicity itself. I think this entire track is just two guitars in a room having a dialogue with each other. This music plays when Shinji finds “Rei Ayanami” in the remains of the old NERV headquarters and attempts tries to reconnect with her. She’s the woman he sacrificed the world for and might possibly love. It’s a sad and lonely tune that sells how tragic this quiet moment is. Shinji’s hoping to reunite with the person he cares for most and “Rei Ayanami” doesn’t know who he is or how to act around him. They’re two lost souls in a dark empty room incapable of connecting with one another. I would love to hear more strong guitar work like this in other movies. It’s easily the track in the Rebuild saga I have listened to the most and have been added it to pretty much ALL my playlists since 2012.
02. Paris – Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time.
I think watching The Departed 5,000 times and listening to Howard Shore’s stunner of a score for that movie on repeat – seriously, go listen to that score, it slaps – has made me weak and susceptible for this kind of (Flamenco? Is it Flamenco?) guitar work in a movie soundtrack. You put quick plucks of guitar strings and clapping on your score and I am fucking sold! It helps that this high energy piece of music is paired with an equally high energy bit of filmmaking and watching Mari have a blast making short work of the flying Drone Angels over the city of Paris is movie magic! The visuals paired with the music itself is so new + fresh for the world of Evangelion and this piece of music right from the get go announces this final film as “something else entirely!” (Like all 3.0+1.0 tracks I’m not including a link because the soundtrack is not officially on Spotify.)
01. l’homme n’est ni ange ni bête – Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time.
This is my favorite singular piece of music from all 464 minutes of Rebuild of Evangelion. This 3:53 long track floored me when I first listened to it back in March – I pre-ordered the soundtrack and had my copy the day of release – and it hasn’t stopped moving me since. What starts as a pure open wound in need of help soon morphs into what I can only describe as pure joy. When translated the title is – Man is neither angel nor beast – and that is one of the core tenets of what Evangelion has always been about. People are not inherently good or bad. We’re human and we’re flawed. No one is born evil and no one is born good. We decide who we are through the choices we make and opportunities afforded to us in life. Shinji hasn’t been given many choices or positive opportunities over the course of these films. He’s been a victim of other people machinations, namely his father, and at the start of 3.0+1.0 he’s broken and blames himself for so much tragedy. This music, whatever it plays out against, illustrates that perfectly with the long string notes at the start. Slowly through the piece though things start to lighten. Shinji is at his darkest point but perhaps there’s still hope. Maybe he can still accept who he is. Maybe it’s okay for him to be here. To be himself. At the 2:02 mark a piano starts up and everything bursts in what I can only describe as a crescendo of joy! Like seeing a beautiful sunrise offering promise of a wonderful day. Everything is hopeful and I’m teary eyed listening to this track on repeat as I type this. This happens at some point in the first act of 3.0+1.0 and the piece is a direct callback to a track from 3.0 – 3EM17_SS_106_female – that is used in that film for the scene when Shinji and Kaworu watch the stars together, so I can only imagine this music occurs at a very hopeful moment in the film. It’s a glorious piece of music and fills me with absolute hope in the future. I can’t rationalize it. I can’t explain it further. I have no understanding of the way music is made to explain why l’homme n’est ni ange ni bête is the best track in all four Rebuilds. But to me it is. It moves me. And that’s what ultimately matters with music. How it makes you FEEL. (Like all 3.0+1.0 tracks I’m not including a link because the soundtrack is not officially on Spotify.)
I’m posting this on Friday August 6, 2021. In one week Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time premieres on Friday August 13th and a tale I’ve been longing to see complete since 2006 comes to an end. I am beyond excited!
And that’s that.