This month marks 30 years since the release of “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis.”
You won’t find many better fits between an anime and its opening theme song than Evangelion and “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis.” It’s not one of those on-the-nose openers that directly references the characters or plot. Instead, it establishes a mysterious tone that’s at times plaintive, singing of gentle touches and knocking on the door of one’s heart, but also swings into rousing commands to become a legend and the realization that you have wings on your back to carry you to the future. The mix of imagery evokes the contrasting struggles the core cast of Eva pilots face, being thrust into scenarios in which the fate of the world rests on them even as they struggle with feelings of personal insignificance.
With this month being the 30th anniversary of the TV broadcast premier of Evangelion in Japan, it’s also the 30th anniversary of “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis’” release, and the song’s lyricist, Neko Oikawa, recently took a moment to mark the occasion. However, fans curious to hear about Oikawa’s personal memories of what it felt like watching Evangelion as it aired are out of luck, as on October 25 the lyricist tweeted:
“As of today, it’s 30 years since A Cruel Angel’s Release went on sale. I still haven’t ever watched Eva. Sorry.”
「残酷な天使のテーゼ」が発売されてから、今日で30年。
相変わらずエヴァ観てない。ごめん。 https://t.co/kAX6wDbpdq
— 及川眠子 (@oikawaneko) October 25, 2025
The “still” here is in reference to what seems to be an annual update from Oikawa on her Evangelion viewing status, as she made a similar announcement exactly one year earlier.
“A Cruel Angel’s Thesis went on sale on October 25, 1995, so that would be 29 years ago as of today. Wow. I am thankful to everyone for listening to it, covering it, pushing it up in the karaoke rankings, and, of course, for loving Eva for all these years. However, I still haven’t ever watched Eva. Sorry.”
#残酷な天使のテーゼ
1995年10月25日に発売されて、今日で29年らしい。スゴいね。
たくさんの人たちが聴いてくれて、カヴァーしてくれて、カラオケの上位にもいて、そしてもちろんエヴァンゲリオンはずっと愛され続けている。
有り難いことだ。
でも未だにエヴァ観てない。ごめん。
— 及川眠子 (@oikawaneko) October 24, 2024
However, this doesn’t mean that Oikawa knew nothing about Evangelion when she was writing the song’s lyrics. As she previously recalled, after she was approached by her manager about the lyric-writing gig and accepted it, she “watched two episodes’ worth [of Evangelion] on fast-forward. Since “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” lyrics included, is present right from the first broadcast episode of the series, though, Oikawa seems to be referring to still in-production footage, and apparently, to this day, has never watched the anime in its completed form.
Perhaps part of Oikawa’s lack of urgency in watching the show her lyrics were written for stems from the fact that, though it’s gone on to become one of the most recognized and popular anime songs of all time, Oikawa didn’t actually have to devote all that much time to the project. When the lyricist was brought onboard, the song’s arrangement was already finished, and not only had vocalist Yoko Takahashi been tapped to sing it, she’d laid down a “la la la” placeholder track as well. That allowed Oikawa to finish the lyrics in an astoundingly quick two hours of writing time.
It’s also not like “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” is the only high-profile entry on Oikawa’s resume, as she’s also penned lyrics for J-pop recording stars including Alisa Mizuki Rina Chinen, and Noriko Sakai. Still, the Eva theme is far and away her biggest hit, so maybe she’ll finally get around to watching the show before its 31st birthday, but odds are she’ll update us either way.
Source: Twitter/@oikawaneko (1, 2, 3, 4) via Hachima Kiko
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