According to the liner notes to the albumRefrain of Evangelion, director Hideaki Anno had originally wanted to use a piece of classical music as the opening, but due to concern that this might confuse the anime viewership, a decision was made to use a more upbeat J-pop song instead. Lyricist :jp:Oikawa Neko|Oikawa Neko, commissioned to write the song, recalled that she completed "Zankoku na tenshi no tēze" in 2 hours by browsing the idea proposal for the anime and watching incomplete clips of the first two unaired episodes in fast mode. She had been given specific instructions by the producer to make the wording sophisticated and "philosophical". She reveals she got inspiration for the title from the mangaA Cruel God Reigns. The production for the song was handled by :jp:Toshimichi Ōtsuki|Toshimichi Ōtsuki of the King Records label. The original song included a male chorus, which was cut at director Hideaki Anno's request in order to "emphasize maternal affection". Two instrumental versions of the song, arranged by series composer Shirō Sagisu are played in the finale episode, "Take care of yourself." These are "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" and "Good, or Don't Be", scored for violin, piano, and guitar. "The Heady Feeling of Freedom" is a somber and reflective piece for bowed strings and guitar, while "Good, or Don't Be" is played to a light piano and guitar tone. Both are considerably different in feel from the more hard driving original. A similar, but sparser, version can also be heard during the intermission between the two parts of . In 2009, the original vocalist Takahashi recorded a new single, which included a remake of both this song and "Fly Me to the Moon", the series ending theme, to tie in with the theatrical release of the second Rebuild of Evangelion film. In June 2018, King Records released a new HD music video of the song on YouTube.
Reception
In a survey by TV Asahi that was used to determine the results of a list of the 100 unforgettable anime theme songs, "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" made it to #55. In a later survey on a similar program on TV Asahi, it was included as the #18 song amongst anime released during the 1990s. In 2011, the song won first place in JASRAC's annual awards for "its continued royalties from online sales, pachinko and pachislo games, karaoke, and other venues in 2010 — 15 years after its debut." The song was in the top 10 karaoke selections in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
All of the songs have ranked in the top 25 of the Oricon Weekly Charts after they had been released. The original version of the single stayed on the charts for 22 weeks, peaking at #27. However, the version paired with :jp:Claire|Claire's rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" remained on the charts for 61 weeks after its release, and peaked at #17. When this version of the single was re-released in 2003, it remained on the charts for 41 weeks, peaking at #9. Takahashi's "2009 VERSION" release stayed on the charts for 14 weeks, peaking at #22. Over the years, the song has become a hit ondigital download stores. In February 2014, it received a Million certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan, for more than a million copies sold through cellphone and PC download platforms.
Ashinoko Skyline musical road
The Ashinoko Skyline, a private toll road in the city ofHakone plays A Cruel Angel's Thesis when driven over at a constant speed. The music is created from the vehicle's tires due to specially built tarmac surface.
Releases
;Original version: ; All tracks performed by Yoko Takahashi. ;"Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze/Fly Me to the Moon": ;"Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze/Fly Me to the Moon" :. All tracks performed by Yoko Takahashi, except where noted. ;"Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze 2009 VERSION": ; All tracks performed by Yoko Takahashi. ;"Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze/Tamashī no Rufuran": ;"Zankoku na Tenshi no Tēze Matsuri Spirit":
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