As centuries turn, the impressions left by an endless stream of artistic works sometimes run deeper than technological advancements. At times, a single film can encapsulate an era’s intellectual dilemmas and the pulse of its people. And nearly every classic cinematic masterpiece carries its own distinctive soundtrack. Born during the golden age of Japanese animation, “Neon Genesis Evangelion” stands as one of those defining cultural touchstones.
2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the “Neon Genesis Evangelion” series. The highly acclaimed “Evangelion Wind Symphony” concert, previously celebrated in Japan, made its long-awaited North American debut this August in Toronto, Irvine, and Los Angeles. First premiered in Tokyo in September 2018, the concert has since become an annual Japanese sensation, consistently selling out every performance. This year’s North American concerts featured a large wind ensemble performing a series of musical masterpieces composed for the anime by Japanese composer Sagisu Shirō.
On Aug 30, the Los Angeles performance concluded successfully at the Dolby Theatre where more than 3,000 seats were nearly filled. The powerful sound of the wind orchestra, paired with projected scenes from the anime, reinterpreted the rich original soundtrack of the series. This transported audiences from around the world across time and space, immersing them once again in that spiritual world filled with contradictions and tension.
One of the concert’s biggest highlights is the participation of Yoko Takahashi, the Japanese powerhouse singer who performed the opening theme of the series, “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis.”
“Getting to attend this concert in North America feels like a flashback to my childhood memories. “As a longtime viewer of ”Neon Genesis Evangelion," Rebecca Xue expressed her excitement, recalling, ”I remember watching this anime for the first time on the children’s TV channel when I was little. The Mandarin version of the theme song was stuck in my mind from the very first line. When I revisited the original anime as I got older, I realized I had overlooked so much of the excellent music, plot, and character development.”
As the audience’s echoes of “Cruel Angel’s Thesis” lingered, the soul-stirring melody of “Fly Me to the Moon” began to play.
“This piece has a distinct jazz style, featuring improvisational elements and vocal variations, so live performances often differ significantly from the studio version,” explained Catherine Feng, a second-year graduate student in Digital Media at the University of Southern California. She further described the anime’s overall musical style as “contradictory yet full of conviction.” “The arrangements truly mirror the characters’ complex emotions and the internal tensions within their relationships, adding tremendous narrative tension,” she added.
This ebb and flow of emotion between orchestra and voice swiftly draws even casual viewers into “Evangelion’s” powerful flow.
By examining the story itself through its soundtrack, we may gain insight into what makes the work so uniquely distinctive.
From the original TV series that premiered in 1995, to the concluding theatrical feature released in 1997, and to the new four-part theatrical trilogy released over the span of thirteen years from 2007 to 2021, the “Neon Genesis Evangelion” IP has become a significant symbol of its era. Given the nearly 20-year gap between the anime’s releases, audiences need to revisit the earlier works to refresh their memories. Through repeated viewings, audiences deepen their impressions of the series while continually updating their interpretations.
Many bring these evolving perspectives to concert halls. “From my childhood innocence after first watching, to later revisits and new chapters, I find myself increasingly empathizing with certain characters. Especially the protagonist Shinji Ikari—I see fragments of myself in him,” says Fiona Liu, a senior English Creative Writing major at USC.
She referenced the “Hedgehog’s Dilemma” discussed in class she took—the conflict between seeking warmth by drawing close to others in cold weather and the fear of hurting each other—noting its parallels to Shinji’s inner turmoil. He craves care and recognition, especially his father’s approval; yet when forming intimate bonds, he dares not open his heart, terrified of being hurt. So he retreats, choosing avoidance to escape potential pain. This vulnerability feels especially raw under the immense pressure of a 14-year-old boy ‘forced to save the world.’ In the anime’s production, the character’s thematic music serves as an invisible thread, weaving together adolescent self-doubt, tentative explorations of intimacy, and the solitary struggle of an individual within a grand narrative.
When discussing the enduring popularity of “Neon Genesis Evangelion” across generations, the most tangible evidence comes from the audience itself: children, young adults, and middle-aged individuals with families all sitting side by side.
“It’s not just for a specific gender or age group,” observed Isabel Yang, a senior majoring in Business and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. “Evangelion possesses a cross-genre appeal that transcends boundaries. Its audience defies stereotypical categorization into any specific demographic or label. Such works resonate with more universal human emotions.” Indeed, the anime’s core themes encompass explorations of human loneliness, the yearning for connection, and the quest for self-identity—topics that transcend eras.
As the curtain fell, the applause carried echoes of childhood memories alongside the fulfillment of the present moment. For Los Angeles fans, the defining word of the night may not be nostalgia, but “reunion”: a symphonic dialogue with oneself, a rediscovery of a global cultural icon through the original voice.
Stepping outside the venue, the crowd still hummed that universally recognized melody. The answer to why such works resonate so enduringly across the world may already be written within nights like this.
*Written and translated by Xinyue Zou
*Additions by Aaron Ogawa